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The Altoona Planning Commission this week approved a land development plan for a three-story, six-unit apartment building on the 100 block of Lexington Avenue for tenants whose rents will be subsidized under Section 8 through the Altoona Housing Authority.
The Durbin Companies' $1.06 million project is being paid for in its entirety with money authorized by the American Rescue Plan Act for the Department of Housing and Urban Development's HOME program -- money that is not part of the city's $39.6 million base ARPA grant.
The HOME ARPA program is designed to help people who are homeless, at risk of becoming homeless, who are fleeing or trying to flee domestic or dating violence, sexual assault, stalking or human trafficking; or who are veterans or members of a veteran's family, according to Mary Johnson, deputy director of the city's Community Development Department.
The building will be on a quarter-acre lot about a block from Chestnut Plaza, where there is a Martin's supermarket and other stores.
The building will be modular, with wood framing and vinyl siding, with perhaps epoxy stucco on some parts, according to Brian Durbin, general partner of the Durbin Companies.
Construction will probably begin in the spring and take up to six months, Durbin said.
An entrance in the front will serve four of the units, while a walk-in entrance in the back will serve two accessible units.
There will be a nine-stall parking lot with access from the alley in back, according to consulting engineer John Sepp of PennTerra.
The project is similar to one executed by Calibre Residential about 15 years ago on the 200 block of Lexington, and helps "fill a need for our area," Durbin said.
The Housing authority will vet potential tenants, who need to meet HUD guidelines, Durbin said.
The commission approved several waivers connected with the alley parking arrangement.
There was recently playground equipment on the lot where the apartment house will go, but that equipment had been "underutilized," according to Community Development Director Diana White.
Some of it was given to a church and some to a school, according to Durbin.
The Central Blair Recreation and Park Commission wasn't interested in the equipment because of its age, said Jim Trexler, housing program manager for the city.
The city received a total of $1.19 million in HOME ARPA funding, according to Johnson.
In addition to the money for the Durbin project, $100,000 is going to administer the grant and $30,000 is going to a veteran leadership program, according to Johnson.
Mirror Staff Writer William Kibler is at 814-949-7038.