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WILKES-BARRE — Mike Carper has had difficulty convincing residents in the Rolling Mill Hill neighborhood he will be a good neighbor.
On Thursday, Carper moved on to the next step in his project with the groundbreaking for Heritage Point Apartments, a 56-unit affordable housing project on the site of the former First Hospital Wyoming Valley.
Carper met with neighbors for two hours Wednesday night to answer questions and, after a lively discussion, gained the support of many of them. He said the nonprofit company he heads as president, Housing Development Corp. MidAtlantic, is in the $14 million project for the long haul as the owner, is not planning to get federal Section 8 housing subsidies and is already paying taxes on the property.
“We don’t sell our properties,” Carper said on the site bordered by Dana, McCarragher and Grove streets. At a minimum, HDC MidAtlantic will be involved for 30 years, but most likely it will be longer, he said, and, along the way, the property will be rehabbed.
The project has been in the works for more than a year since the Wyoming Valley Health and Education Foundation, owner of the site, approached Lancaster-based HDC MidAtlantic about developing it. Construction is expected to begin soon and should be completed in 16 months. The company has undertaken projects in other places throughout the state, including one in South Bethlehem similar to what’s planned for Wilkes-Barre.
“We began with a vision and an idea and a long process then of convincing a lot of folks that it was a good idea,” Carper said.
The one, two and three-bedroom apartments will be rented to people at or below 60 percent of the area median income. The apartments will be energy-efficient using Passive House construction, adding to the affordability, Carper said.
The benefits extend beyond the apartments into the neighborhoods, he said, adding, “Our experience is that we actually help property values when we bring in new housing, new construction of this type.”
The project will receive $1.1 million in federal Low Income Housing Tax Credits awarded competitively through the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency. The credits are sold to investors and the proceeds used to pay for the project’s costs.
Holly Glauser, of the PHFA, said last year there were more than 100 applications submitted for the credits. When considering them, the PHFA looks to see how the credits will be used to meet the needs of the community and revitalize blighted properties, Glauser said.
“This is the type of project that really is the main target of one of our programs,” she said.
State Rep. Eddie Day Pashinski, D-Wilkes-Barre, and Mayor Tony George support the project.
Pashinski said he traveled by bus with residents to view HDC MidAtlantic projects and came away impressed. He encouraged neighborhood associations and residents to continue “to play an active role” in their communities.
George, who said he was born in the former Wyoming Valley Hospital, recalled growing up in the neighborhood. He lauded HDC MidAtlantic for undertaking the project.
“They’re working diligently with us to provide the housing that we need and that we expect,” he said.
The mayor also promised the city will maintain the playground and park to be created from two adjacent lots HDC MidAtlantic will set aside from its property.
