The Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency (PHFA) has approved Safe Harbour’s Low Income Housing Tax Credit application to build 40 new units of affordable housing for families and individuals in Cumberland County.
The Harbour Village project will be located on five acres of vacant land in South Middleton Township, bordering the Borough of Carlisle. Safe Harbour’s plan for Harbour Village is to construct three different building types, arranged in six residential buildings with a separate community building.
Overall, there will be four one-bedroom units, 20 two-bedroom units, and 16 three-bedroom units. Four units will be fully handicapped accessible and one unit will be designed for hearing and visual needs. Two units will have rents affordable to households earning 20% or less of the Area Median Income (AMI), five units are targeted at 30% AMI or less, 14 units are targeted to at or below 50% AMI, and the remaining 19 units will be targeted to households at or below 60% AMI.
Each home in Harbour Village will be one or two stories with a front porch and a private patio or balcony. The centrally placed community building with a full kitchen is designed as a gathering space for residents and includes the management and supportive services offices. The site plan provides pedestrian walkways, connections to neighboring services, a pavilion, and a playground with sidewalks and walking trails.
“PHFA’s approval of Safe Harbour’s tax credit application is a significant milestone for our organization,” said Paul D. Edger, chair of the Safe Harbour’s Board of Directors. “This project addresses only a portion of the substantial need for affordable housing in Cumberland County. There are many households on waiting lists seeking affordable housing and more are being added to those lists almost daily.
“While this will be our first affordable housing project in the county, Safe Harbour’s goal is to develop additional affordable housing units to provide critically needed homes for those in need,” Edger said.
“The need for affordable housing in Cumberland County is undeniable,” said Scott K. Shewell, Safe Harbour President and CEO. “Our Harbour Village initiative will add vital housing for our most vulnerable community members.
“We appreciate PHFA’s approval of this endeavor to add housing to our community,” Shewell added. “Our application would not have been successful without the strong support of our elected officials, community leaders, and housing advocates in Cumberland County.”
The Harbour Village project received meaningful advocacy from state Sen. Mike Regan, state Rep. Torren Ecker, state Rep. Barbara Gleim, the Cumberland County Commissioners, the South Middleton Township Board of Supervisors, and the Cumberland County Housing and Redevelopment Authorities. Additional support was provided by Pennsylvania Lieutenant Governor John Fetterman. There also was strong community collaboration and encouragement from the Partnership for Better Health, the Carlisle Chamber of Commerce, and the United Way of Carlisle and Cumberland County.
The next steps in the project will be to work closely with the land developer and South Middleton Township officials to finalize project plans. Additionally, Safe Harbour will be working with PHFA and financial institutions to secure the tax credit funding that comprises the largest portion of the project’s cost.
Harbour Village will be a $15 million project in total with $10.99 million in private equity being raised through the tax credit funding process. Additional funds will be derived from HOME funds, Federal Housing Trust Fund support, and a first mortgage.
When the completed project plans are approved and the tax credit financing is in place, Safe Harbour anticipates breaking ground on construction in the September of 2022.