North Huntingdon OKs plans for road to proposed senior citizen building

The Westmoreland County Housing Authority cleared another hurdle this week toward building a 50-unit, four-story apartment building in Irwin for low-income senior citizens by winning North Huntingdon’s approval of plans for a 1,300-foot roadway to connect the complex to a township road.

Despite strong and impassioned opposition from several residents concerned about the impact on their neighborhood, the North Huntingdon commissioners voted 4-3 to approve the site plan for the private road that would connect Grand View Senior Residences to Laurel Avenue.

Commissioners Richard Gray, Virginia Stump, Lyndsay Wengrzyn and Ronald Zona voted in favor of the plan, while Jason Atwood, Zachary Haigis and Eric Gass opposed it. A vote on the project was tabled last month.

The approval clears the path for the housing authority to close on the state-supported financing for the project and sets the stage for groundbreaking in September or October, said Erik Spiegel, director of architectural and engineering for the housing authority. The project met all of the conditions of the township’s subdivision and land development ordinance.

The construction of the building, financed through the sale of tax credits approved by the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency, has been estimated at $10 million to $11 million, while extensive site preparation, including cutting into a hillside behind the building, could cost another $2 million to $3 million.

The housing authority has plans to build 28 patio homes on the North Huntingdon section of the property it owns behind Norwin Public Library. That project is considered the second phase of the development of the site.

Atwood said he opposes the project because he still has questions about the site, particularly about the grade of the slope that would be cut into the hillside.

Haigis, who testified against the project at an Irwin Planning Commission meeting in March, said he was concerned the grade of the slope behind the building is too steep. He said it would create a higher volume of traffic on Laurel Avenue, where a motorist’s view of oncoming traffic might not be sufficient.

He also voiced concern that the site for the building was above underground mines and said he is worried about mine subsidence and resident safety.

Engineers have said there is a sufficient amount of soil above the mined area, Stump said.

The driveway proposed by the housing authority is a permitted use by the property owner, Stump said.

Were the commissioners to reject the site plan, the housing authority could file a suit against North Huntingdon and “they would win the lawsuit,” he said.

“I don’t see how we deny this project,” Zona said, especially with studies showing that the site was suitable for construction.

While opponents expressed concerns about a housing project for low-income senior citizens, Wengrzyn said these apartments would be affordable housing for seniors, with income levels up to $36,000.

Not everyone can afford a more expensive patio home or privately-owned senior citizen residence, he said.

“It doesn’t mean it would be some slum … These (residents) are our mothers and fathers,” Wengrzyn said, expressing concern about comments on social media.

Brian Lust of Deerfield Drive, whose property is on a hillside above the proposed apartment building, said he does not believe it would be a good location for low-income housing.

While residents are in agreement on the need for low-income senior citizen housing, Rebecca Rudy of Deerfield Drive said people “from all over the county” will be able to live there. The project will impact the quality of the life of the neighbors, Rudy said.

“This is a disruption for decades,” she said.

Lynn Brackney said it is not a good site for the project, with a sloping hillside that will be cut behind residences along Deerfield Drive.

“We will suffer the consequences of any decision,” Brackney said.