County’s housing to get boost
State officials have notified Washington County and its redevelopment authority that it will be receiving slightly more than $800,000 to build patio homes, install new elevators in a highrise for the elderly and, in Charleroi, aid potential home buyers.
Receiving funding from the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency were the Claysville patio home project, $250,000; Char House elevator replacement project in Charleroi, $445,000; and the Charleroi down payment and closing cost assistance program, $110,000.
Jim Hott, senior housing director for the redevelopment authority, said county, local and state officials have scheduled a groundbreaking ceremony for 13 patio homes at 10 a.m. Wednesday on School Street in Claysville, which will be sold to people who are age 55 and older.
Thirty percent of the units will be for people whose incomes do not exceed 50 percent of area median income. This translates to $23,000 for a single person or $26,250 for two people.
The remaining units will be rented to those with incomes not to exceed 80 percent of area median income, which translates to $36,750 for a single person and $42,000 for two people.
Each unit will have a bedroom, kitchen, living room/dining room, laundry room, handicapped-accessible bathroom, front porch and rear patio.
The architect is Tusick and Associates and the construction contractor is Golon Inc., both of Allegheny County. Funding for this project is being provided from the Pennsylvania Housing Affordability and Rehabilitation Enhancement Fund and the county affordable housing trust funds.
The $2.2 million patio home project will complete the build-out of the three-acre site that the redevelopment authority purchased in 2007. In the first phase, the redevelopment authority constructed five town homes with either two bedrooms or three bedrooms and all related infrastructure for the site.
The town homes were sold to families who met applicable income requirements. The total investment for both the first and second phases is more than $3.4 million.
Hott has more information about the patio homes at 724-228-6875, extension 223.
Char House, Section 8 government-subsidized housing for the elderly, opened in 1979. Hott said building is operating with original elevators, for which parts are no longer available.
The redevelopment authority plans to seek an architect or engineer to oversee the writing of specifications and oversee construction, an approximately four-month project that is expected to begin next year.
Both programs are administered by the Washington County Redevelopment Authority on behalf of the county commissioners.
The down payment and closing cost assistance for those who hope to purchase a home in Charleroi Borough is being done through the Mon Valley Initiative, Homestead, where Patrick Shattuck, real estate director, said interested people can call him or Jonathan Weaver, housing counselor, at 412-464-4000 to get on a waiting list for the program.
Once the state enters into a contract with Washington County for the program, the county’s contract with Mon Valley Initiative will have an effective date.
There are income restrictions in place and the maximum amount of assistance per household is $10,000. Before a home is deemed eligible, Mon Valley Initiative will have an inspection for deficiencies and major code violations, which it will share with the prospective buyer.
“This has to be resolved as part of the deal,” Shattuck said. “Charleroi has a great housing stock and it is an affordable community. We want to get it so that most buyers will be able to get to a 20 percent down payment and closing costs.”
One of Mon Valley Initiative’s goals is to have prospective buyers obtain conventional financing rather than a mortgage from the Federal Housing Administration,, which requires property mortgage insurance.
The Pennsylvania Housing Affordability and Rehabilitation Enhancement Fund, which is administered by Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency, is funded by the Act 13 impact fee on Marcellus Shale natural gas producers.
“The funding is being used by local organizations and government leaders to address their most pressing housing concerns and provide the most immediate and positive impact,” said Gov. Tom Wolf in a news release.
The housing finance board of directors chose the recipients at a meeting last week of the housing finance agency’s board of directors.
Money for the local projects was among the $8.1 million in funding awarded Thursday by PFHA addressing housing concerns involving 44 housing projects in 28 counties.