Wyalusing Meadows, a planned 50 unit affordable housing development to be built in Wyalusing Borough, will give priority to local residents during the application process to live there, according to Hayseed Group co-founder Tracy Keeney.
The project is a collaboration between Mission First Housing Group, an established non-profit affordable housing organization, and Hayseed Group, which is run by three Wyalusing businessmen, David Burgess, Jay Chadwick and Keeney.
Mark Deitcher, director of business development at Mission First, said the Hayseed Group is playing an important role during the development of Wyalusing Meadows by communicating the needs and concerns of fellow community members.
"It will be pretty easy to keep an eye on them," Keeney said, to which Deitcher responded, "And we welcome that."
Hayseed Group owns the land that Wyalusing Meadows will be built on if it receives necessary tax credits from the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency. The housing development will be located off of State Street in the borough, which will be used to enter and exit the facility and will also connect to Third Street. The Third Street connection will only be used for emergency access, Deitcher said.
Hayseed group is retaining ownership of the land, which will be leased to Mission First for a period of 75 years. The long term lease is a requirement to be eligible for the PHFA tax credits, Deitcher explained. However, he noted that Mission First and Hayseed are attempting to structure a way to reduce the lease to 30 years. Wyalusing Meadows will span approximately six acres, Keeney said.
Mission First's goal with Wyalusing Meadows is to provide affordable housing to an area that has seen a dramatic increase in rent prices over the last five years, Deitcher said.
"Rent prices have dropped on the high side, but there's still a large gap between market pricing and what people are able to afford," he said.
The project itself is estimated to cost $10,993,393 of which over $9 million will come from PHFA tax credits, Deitcher said. If the credits are approved this year, a groundbreaking is planned for October or November 2014 with final construction completion scheduled for September or October 2015.
Last year, Wyalusing Meadows was not approved for the PHFA tax credits due to the sheer amount of applicants, but Deitcher remained hopeful for an approval this time around. This being the second year Mission First has applied for the funding, Deitcher said the organization has never had an application take more than three years to be approved.
The building process is expected to require about 58 construction jobs and Mission First is currently in contact with Lancaster-based contracting firm Caldwell, Heckles & Egan. After completion, Deitcher said two full time jobs will be offered at Wyalusing Meadows in the form of a maintenance worker and a property manager.
Mission First Communications Manager Rebecca Staffieri said the Wyalusing branch of PS Bank and Wells Fargo will be participating in the construction loan for Wyalusing Meadows.
The 50 units will be divided between 10 one bedroom town homes, 26 two bedroom residences and 14 three bedroom houses. Income requirements will be up to $25,650 for a one bedroom unit, up to $30,780 for a two bedroom unit and up to $35,520 for a three bedroom unit.
To be eligible to live at Wyalusing Meadows, applicants must pass a criminal background check, credit check and provide proof of income that meets requirements, Deitcher said. The minimum income required to move into Wyalusing Meadows is based on an estimation by the organization on whether or not the tenant will be able to afford the abode, Deitcher said.
Mission first will prioritize applications from residents of Wyalusing Borough, then Wyalusing Area School District, and finally Bradford County before looking to applications from outside the local area, Keeney explained.
"I can't believe that to fill 50 units out of those three categories is going to be a huge problem," Keeney said.
He said Mission First checks the income of all residents and decides if they will be able to afford the rent and utilities of their house.
"This is in no way, shape or form Section 8 housing," he explained.
He said the non-profit organization is currently discussing a fundraising operation that will allow veterans who do not make enough to afford a town home to live at Wyalusing Meadows. At other locations, Deitcher said there has been success with the veterans program.
Wyalusing Meadows marks the first time Mission First has attempted to build an affordable housing development in a rural area, but has had success with properties in Philadelphia, Baltimore, Md., Washington, D.C. and other locations.
"We are basically translating a model that has worked into a community that would welcome this affordable housing (with help from Hayseed Group)," Deitcher said.
Housing at Wyalusing Meadows is expected to be powered by energy efficient, "green" technology, which will translate into lower utility costs for tenants.
"Every dollar we can keep in resident's wallets is a good thing," Deitcher said.
For more information on the project, visit www.missionfirsthousing.org, or email Mission First Housing Group at contactus@missionfirsthousing.org.
Tim Zyla can be reached at (570) 265-1634; email: tzyla@thedailyreview.com; or Twitter, @TimZyla.