Grand View Senior Residences apartment building starting to take shape near Norwin library

After months of extensive earth moving, the wooden framework for the first floor of a 50-unit apartment building for senior citizens is taking shape behind the Norwin Public Library.

The building should be ready for residents next spring, a housing authority executive said.

“Outside of any setbacks, the project is on schedule (to open) for May or June,” said Michael Washowich, executive director of the Westmoreland County Housing Authority.

The $14 million, four-­story Grand View Senior Residences project for income-eligible individuals at least 62 years old is being constructed on a hillside in Irwin between Caruthers Lane and hilltop houses along Deerfield Drive. Financing for the project was secured through the sale of low-income housing tax credits issued to the housing authority.

The foundation work for the building began after several months of removing trees and leveling the hillside site for the structure. The apartments for the first floor have been framed, along with an entryway and hallways. A four-story block elevator shaft juts above the first story on the 17-acre parcel that straddles Irwin and North Huntingdon.

The authority began accepting applications from prospective residents in June. It has about 150 applicants and is accepting more, Washowich said. The authority conducted an initial screening and will hold a verification process next year to ensure those who want to live in the newly built apartments are eligible.

Three of the units will be designated for low-income seniors, whose household income is roughly $12,000, or equal to 20% of the area’s average median income. Other units will be for those with incomes ranging from $30,000 to $40,000. Income-eligible veterans will have preference for eight of the units.

During a public meeting at the North Huntingdon Town House in May to explain the project, housing authority representatives expressed confidence that there would be a strong demand for the apartments.

“We believe it will be 100% leased within five to six months” of opening, Washowich said.

The lag time in tenants moving into the building is typical, Washowich said, as people sell their houses or wait until the end of their current leases before moving.

The authority is planning for a second phase of the Grand View Senior Residences, consisting of about 38 affordable patio homes, for the section of the property that lies within North Huntingdon, Washowich said. The authority will turn its attention to that second phase of the development when the apartment building is finished.

Among the amenities the housing authority is planning for the site is a walking trail. That could be created once the second phase of the project is set up. It is possible it could extend to the adjacent Norwin library, Washowich said.