PHA breaks ground on 63 apartments for older adults in Sharswood

The Philadelphia Housing Authority broke ground Monday on 63 affordable apartments for older adults in Sharswood, WHYY reported. The building, at 20th Street and Cecil B. Moore Avenue, will be called the Dwight Evans Senior Residences, after the retiring congressman.

For North Philadelphia seniors on fixed incomes, it means more one-bedroom apartments with rent tied to income and services on site. It's also one of the last projects in PHA's long rebuilding of Sharswood, where the authority has invested about $750 million.

The project

According to WHYY:

• Units. 63 one-bedroom apartments for people 62 and older.
• Rent. Tenants pay up to 30% of their adjusted monthly income. The federal Department of Housing and Urban Development covers the rest.
• Set-asides. About a quarter of the units are reserved for people with disabilities or who have experienced homelessness. About a dozen will be accessible or equipped for people with hearing or vision impairments.
• Services. Transportation and an adult day program.
• Cost and funding. $27 million, from PHA capital dollars and low-income housing tax credits, which keep the units affordable for decades. Frankel Enterprises is the developer.
• Land. PHA acquired the site through eminent domain.
• Timeline. Construction is expected to take 15 to 18 months.

PHA President Kelvin Jeremiah said the building would give seniors "a place where our seniors can age comfortably and with peace of mind," WHYY reported. State Sen. Sharif Street said many longtime residents can no longer afford to keep up large homes. Rep. Dwight Evans, who is leaving Congress in January, called the project a collective effort.

What our records add

PHA is a separate authority, and its developments don't need a Council vote the way a city land sale does. But Council is weighing other housing and land items in the 5th District, which 5th District Councilmember Jeffery Young Jr. represents and which includes Sharswood:

• Land Bank sale up Thursday. Young's Resolution 260908 would let the Land Bank sell about two dozen parcels on North 19th, North 20th and North Uber streets and West Berks and West Norris streets, north of Sharswood. It's on the agenda for Council's Oct. 29 session. The resolution's title does not say what will be built. Our story on this month's Land Bank requests explains the process.
• A zoning remap nearby. Young's Bill 260462 would rezone the area bounded by Thompson Street, 17th Street, Girard Avenue, Ridge Avenue, 19th Street, Cabot Street and 18th Street, and change the Fifth District Overlay. It's also on Thursday's agenda.
• Homelessness hearings. Young is the primary sponsor of Resolution 260900, adopted Oct. 22, which authorizes hearings on unsheltered homelessness and how the city connects people to housing. No date has been set.

What's next

WHYY did not report when PHA will take applications. Given the construction estimate, the building would open around 2028. Council's votes on the Land Bank sale and the zoning remap will appear on their matter pages after Thursday.