COCHRANTON — By this time next year, a new multi-unit apartment building for low-income senior citizens in Cochranton will be welcoming tenants.
Adams Place, a three-story building under construction along North Franklin Street, remains on pace to open in the spring of 2021, according to a spokeswoman for Hudson Companies of Hermitage, the project’s developer.
“It was a challenge this spring getting financing finalized with the COVID-19 pandemic and more people working from home,” said Kelley Coey, Hudson’s development coordinator. “We were the first deal with the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency to close.”
The $12.5 million project is being aided by tax credits awarded last year and administered by the agency.
The start of construction activity this spring sparked renewed potential tenant interest in the project which was announced in 2017.
“We have well over 100 people on the inquiry list,” Coey said. “We’ll start taking applications in the fall.”
When finished, Adams Place will have a total of 39 one- and two-bedroom apartments for seniors age 62 and older who are at 60 percent or lower of the area median income.
The one-bedroom apartments will be about 680 square feet while the two-bedroom units will be about 970 square feet.
A number of amenities are included in a farm-to-table development concept for the building due to Cochranton’s deep farming roots as a community, according to Coey.
The farm-to-table concept centers around access to fresh, locally grown food. Adams Place will have large farming kitchen connected to an onsite greenhouse and outdoor raised garden beds on the property as well, she said.
The building also will have a community room with its own kitchen, an outdoor wrap-around porch with a fireplace for gathering, a library, an innovation/learning center with smart classroom technology, and a fitness center for residents.
While Hudson is developing the project, it was a community-based partnership that made it happen, according to Coey.
“It was the county, borough and school district offering (property) tax breaks, the CARE (Cochranton Area Revitalization Effort) group and the Economic Progress Alliance of Crawford County and Sen. Brooks — they all took part in this,” she said. “We’ve got CATA (Crawford Area Transportation Authority) to make it a bus stop, too.”
It was in 2017 that CARE and the Economic Progress Alliance connected with Hudson Companies through state Sen. Michele Brooks, whose district includes all of Crawford County. CARE had been working for a number of years to get an affordable senior housing development within the borough.
“It’s exciting driving by the site and seeing another level going up,” Marsha Rynd, president of CARE, said of the construction. “We’re excited by the progress.”
Mark Roche, Cochranton’s mayor, agreed.
“It’s moving right along,” he said. “It makes that corner of town real inviting.”
Jim Becker, executive director of EPACC, calls Adams Place coming to fruition “a huge win for Cochranton and Crawford County.”
The Adams Place site is adjacent to the Cochranton Community Services building that was developed into medical offices, a pharmacy and a credit union office by the Economic Progress Alliance in collaboration with CARE.
Additional renovation is being done to that building to expand both the medical office space and pharmacy as both are seeing growth, Becker said. The medical space expansion will be completed in September while the pharmacy expansion will be done by late September.
In addition, the remaining space in the Cochranton Community Services building is to be renovated into two build-to-suit spaces, he said. These spaces are in anticipation of additional service businesses with Adams Place opening next year.
“You’ll have about 40 people right next door and it (the spaces) will be marketed as such,” Becker said.
Mayor Roche, who also is part of CARE, said the community is glad to see continued development of the community services building in conjunction with Adams Place.
“I think there’ll be interest by companies that can provide valuable services to the new residents who’ll be there,” he said.
Keith Gushard can be reached at 724-6370 or by email at [email protected].
You can lease
For leasing information on Adams Place: Contact Kelley Coey of Hudson Companies at (724) 734-3330 or email [email protected].
Did you know?
Adams Place, named for John Adams, one of the founders of Cochranton, will be Hudson Companies’ second senior housing project in Crawford County and third in the region. In 2018, Evans Square, a 40-unit complex built by Hudson, opened in the borough of Conneaut Lake.
This is an artist’s rendering of what Adams Place, a senior housing project in Cochranton, will look like when construction is completed next year.