New affordable housing opens for seniors
by Carol Crump
Frances Pacheco is coming home to a place that she can
afford on her fixed income.
The 69-year-old retiree is one of the
first tenants to move into Legacy Senior Residences at 1005 N. Elma,
Casper’s newest affordable senior residence.
Pacheco retired in Las Vegas from jobs “doing all the hard
work,” like cleaning houses and working in laundries. She wanted to return
to Casper to be with an extended family that includes eight brothers,
eight sisters and grandchildren, great and great-great
grandchildren.
Her social security wasn’t enough to pay Casper
level rent and other living expenses. At Legacy, she qualified for the
lower rent that goes along with a project financed with Federal Low Income
Tax Credits, federal HOME funds and private financing. Her lack of a car
is no longer a problem because the new senior housing is next to a K
Street stop for The Bus.
“The inside is beautiful,” Pacheco said of her two-bedroom
apartment. “Like something out of a magazine.”
The ribbon cutting
for Legacy Senior Residences was on June 26. The 54-unit apartment
building was 75 percent rented within five days of getting the certificate
of occupancy.
It is an independent living community for adults age 55
and older. There are no meals, housekeeping or assistive services
provided, but all utility costs except phone and cable are included in the
rent.
Each apartment has a fully equipped kitchen that includes a
dishwasher, microwave and laundry hookups. The building has an on-site
manager and a variety of community rooms including a library with a large
screen television and a community kitchen and lounge.
A one bedroom
apartment’s monthly rent is $417; two bedroom apartments are $525 a
month.
Legacy Senior Residences is a 100 percent tax credit
project, so tenants who qualify for the apartments are at or below 60
percent of the area’s median income: $27,000 for a single individual and
$30,840 for a two-person household.
Legacy Senior Residences is a
public/private partnership between Nebraska developer Beacon Management
Company, the Wyoming Community Development Authority and the City of
Casper.
The WCDA specializes in various affordable housing
programs, including the administration of federal funds for multi-family,
senior and special needs housing.
The new affordable senior housing
is located on approximately 3.35 acres of city-owned property adjacent to
the Youth Baseball fields in North Casper.
According to City
Development Director April Getchius, the city saw an opportunity for new
investment in the area, so a discounted, 99-year lease on the property was
arranged.
The city also used Community Development Block Grant
funding to cover the water and sewer tap fees and tipping fees to clean up
the property.
The south half of the acreage will include a second
tax credit, affordable housing project for families built by the same
developer. Ground will be broken soon for the 36 multi-family unit
project, Getchius said.
For information about Legacy Senior
Residences, call 265-2663.