Affordable apartments that drew 500 applicants nearing completion in lancaster city

Low-income families and individuals are by the end of June expected to begin moving into the largest affordable housing project to be constructed in Lancaster city in the last 40 years.

Construction of the 64-unit Apartments at College Avenue - Phase 1, is expected to be completed by June 15, a few weeks ahead of schedule. The development is located at 213 College Ave.,

across the street from the former St. Joseph Hospital. Another developer is currently converting the hospital’s main building into 185 market-rate units, and more housing is planned on other

parts of the former hospital site in the future. ------------------------- READ: Hundreds of new units added since 2015, but Lancaster County's affordable housing shortage persists

------------------------- HDC MidAtlantic, the nonprofit developer and owner of the Apartments at College Avenue, has identified potential tenants for all 64 units, pending verification that

they meet income requirements. Once they are fully approved, they will be able to sign leases for the one- and two-bedroom apartments. Residents are expected to move in at different times

during June and July, depending on when they are able to leave their existing residences, according to Tammie Fitzpatrick, HDC MidAtlantic’s chief operating officer. “We want to get folks in

as quickly as we can because we know what the need is, but we’ll schedule them incrementally,” Fitzpatrick said. INTEREST FAR EXCEEDS AVAILABILITY More than 500 people signed up during the

four-week period in March and April that HDC received applications. The developer closed the waiting list because it had grown to a point where applicants’ estimated wait times for a unit

were more than three to five years. Applicants chosen for apartments were selected on a first-come, first-served basis, subject to criteria set by the developer that include criminal

background and credit checks. The units are all reserved for people making less than 60% of the county’s area median income of $94,500 for a family of three. Twelve Americans with

Disabilities Act-accessible units were reserved for applicants with physical disabilities. About 400 applicants who did not get a unit remain in line for future openings in the building and

should have received a letter from HDC. The wait list is for the Apartments at College Avenue - Phase 1 only – the nonprofit has separate waiting lists for each of its apartment buildings.

------------------------- READ: ‘Demand is overwhelming:' Applications for College Avenue affordable housing open soon ------------------------- The $23.5 million project is the largest

new affordable housing development constructed in the city since HDC built the 150-unit Ruoff Towers in 1981, according to city officials. The $63 million conversion of the main hospital

building into 185 market-rate units, developed by Washington Place Equities, is scheduled to be completed next year. HDC is currently seeking tax credits for Phase 2 of its Apartments at

College Avenue, which would create 69 affordable units inside the former hospital’s George C. Delp Pavilion, and it has plans for another development at 838 Marietta Ave. Other housing

proposed nearby includes an eight-unit condo building developed by Lancaster Lebanon Habitat for Humanity at 913 Wheatland Ave., and market-rate townhomes around the former hospital.

Residents of the Apartments at College Avenue - Phase 1 will pay between $228 and $950 per month for one of the units, depending on unit size and income levels. While there’s no limit on how

long a resident can stay, the average tenure for residents in HDC’s properties is about four years, Fitzpatrick said. “This is an opportunity for people to become stably housed, and then a

lot of different elements of their life improve, and many can move on,” she said. WHAT TO READ NEXT {{hammer}} {{kicker}}