ALLENTOWN, Pa. — Officials ceremonially broke ground Thursday for the first phase of a development they said will replace outdated 1970s public housing with 50 units of "amenity-rich affordable housing."
The Little Lehigh Redevelopment, located at 314 Lehigh St. in Allentown's 2nd Ward, is expected to be completed next year. It will update the public housing previously on the site.
- Phase one of the Little Lehigh Redevelopment is set to bring 50 updated affordable housing units to Lehigh Street in Allentown
- This updates a demolished 76-unit development on the lot from the 1970s
- A groundbreaking ceremony featured state, local and federal public officials and private representatives from those involved in the project
- A second phase will bring additional units but when it is going to happen depends on future funding and other factors
The project's first phase will consist of five new buildings with one- to four-bedroom apartments across the over 63,000-square-foot lot.
There also will be a community building with resident amenities and a Head Start classroom on site and a playground. The project description says all residents will have access to on-site supportive, recreational and educational opportunities.
Public officials including Allentown Mayor Matthew Tuerk, U.S. Sen. Bob Casey, state Sen. Pat Browne, state Rep. Peter Schweyer, Lehigh County Executive Phil Armstrong and representatives from groups such as the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency and Allentown Housing Authority attended the ceremony.
Allentown Housing Authority Executive Director Daniel Farrell said the units will be income-restricted to below 60% of the area median income. Additionally, the housing authority will provide 25 project-based vouchers to the completed project, with residents assigned to them paying only 30% of their income.
The site previously had a nine-building, 76-unit public housing development from the 1970s, which Farrell said was in need of an updating. He said the new units will be more efficient and have greater living space than the old development with air conditioning and modern appliances.
Officials for the project said all former Little Lehigh residents will be given the first opportunity to return to the newly redeveloped community.
Farrell said the Housing Authority hopes to increase the number of units by 40 or 50 with further development on the site in a future second phase of the project, which depends on funding and other factors.
Sen. Browne highlighted the history of the area and its proximity to the former Allentown Wire Mill.
"It was perhaps the most diverse of any neighborhood and Lehigh Valley at this time, all coexisting, sharing living space, and above all else, creating the feel of [a] community."Sen. Pat Browne
"The Little Lehigh neighborhood, this blue-collar community made possible by the commerce striving next to it, was a true melting pot with hundreds of homes located where we stand, some dating back to the 18th century," Browne said.
"It was perhaps the most diverse of any neighborhood and Lehigh Valley at this time, all coexisting, sharing living space, and above all else, creating the feel of [a] community," he added.
He said that while the industrial bustle is lost to time, the legacy of diversity and commitment to building a better life in the area is something those in the project continue today.
Financing for the $27 million first phase came from a variety of sources including LIHTC equity, City of Allentown HOME and HOME-ARP funds, Lehigh County Affordable Housing Trust Funds, Allentown Housing Authority, PHARE Housing Trust, Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency, Hudson Housing Capital and Stander Bank.
Officials from the office of Gov. Wolf said the project received funding from the Department of Community and Economic Development through a $650,000 COVID-19 American Rescue Plan Act Pandemic Response Grant Program grant and a $500,000 Keystone Communities Program grant.
"That's why we are one of the most outstanding counties in the state," Farrell said. "Because when it needs to get something done, we work as a community, we work across the aisle, we get things done."
Allentown Housing Authority is the owner and had a development partnership with Pennrose, which operates other housing locations in Allentown, such as West Turner Residences, Overlook Park and Allentown Center Square.
