06/14/2019

Wesley Family Services Closes on Pioneer Apartments

Pittsburgh, PA—With the help of funders and investors, Wesley Family Services is moving forward with construction on Pioneer Apartments, an integrated development project that will be home to a four-story apartment building and offices, where the organization’s behavioral health staff members will work.

Pioneer Apartments will offer affordable housing units, and will be built in New Kensington on the site of a former parking lot, between 10th and 11th Streets and Fourth Avenue and Cherry Alley. Images of how the development project will look once construction is completed can be found here.

The apartment building will have 36 one bedroom, two bedroom, and three bedroom units to meet the needs of both individuals and families. Several of the units will have mobility and hearing/visual accessibility in order to accommodate those who may have a disability or special need.

On the first and second floors of the building, Wesley Family Services will offer a variety of programs and services that will be available to residents and members of the local community. Approximately 100 to 125 of the organization’s behavioral health and autism therapeutic staff members will work out of this location.

“We’re excited to move forward with this project and we have received overwhelming support from the city and county,” said Stephen Christian-Michaels, Chief Strategy Officer of Wesley Family Services. “Our organization has been a part of the New Kensington community since the 1970’s and we hope that Pioneer Apartments shows that we are deeply committed to this region.”

This $18.2M development is being funded largely through two tax credit programs: $6.7M in New Market Tax Credit financing from the Corporation for Supportive Housing and $9.4M in Low Income Housing Tax Credits allocated by the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Authority (PHFA). The organization also received grant funding from the Richard King Mellon Foundation and the Federal Home Loan Bank of Pittsburgh, as well as a no interest loan from PHFA.

Residents of Pioneer Apartments will have access to on-site laundry facilities, a community room with a kitchen, bicycle storage, and an off-street parking lot. The building will be energy efficient and designated as a LEED Silver facility.

Perfido Weiskopf Wagstaff + Goettel Architects designed this development project, and Mistick Construction will build it—both are local companies. An estimated 26 construction jobs will be created as a result of this project.

Construction on Pioneer Apartments will begin this month and will take about 14 months for the work to be completed. This new integrated building is expected to open in July of 2020.

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