CEDAC NOT MENTIONED: Funding is a go for more Westhampton senior housing

Monday, June 11, 2012
Funding is a go for more Westhampton senior housing
By Lily Bouvier
Gazette Contributing Writer

WESTHAMPTON — Funding is now in place for a second phase of the Westhampton Woods senior housing project.
On May 9 the Hilltown Community Development Corporation announced that the Massachusetts Department of Housing and Community Development had awarded $800,000 for the construction of eight new units at Westhampton Woods. That will bring the total number of residential units to 15. Work is scheduled to begin late this year or early in 2013.
The project has also received $280,000 from the Federal Home Loan Bank of Boston.
Westhampton Woods, located off Route 66 just past the Northampton line, provides affordable housing to people 62 and older. Rents for the new units are expected to be $673 per month, including utilities, and two units will be subsidized under the federal Section 8 program.
Phase I of the development was built in 2005 and includes seven energy-efficient apartments, along with a community room used for socializing as well as meetings of area organizations.
The new construction is a response to high demand for Westhampton Woods units. More than 30 people are on a waiting list, according to the Hilltown CDC.
In 2008 the organization conducted a feasibility study about expanding Westhampton Woods. It used a Community Development Block Grant to develop preliminary plans for a second phase.
The Hilltown CDC received the Federal Home Loan Bank funds for the expansion in December 2011. The recent award from the state completes the budget for the project, said Dave Christopolis, the organization’s executive director.
A date for the completion of the Phase II construction has not been determined.
The Hilltown CDC is also considering improvements to the existing Westhampton Woods complex, said Christopolis, including installation of a generator in the community room to provide heat and water in case of power losses. Residents of the complex were without power for a week during last October’s snowstorm.
The Hilltown CDC serves the Hampshire County communities of Ashfield, Chesterfield, Cummington, Goshen, Huntington, Middlefield, Plainfield, Westhampton, Williamsburg and Worthington, as well as several towns in Berkshire and Hampden counties.
Christopolis said the Hilltown CDC gets frequent calls inquiring about senior housing, and it is looking into building units in Chesterfield and Goshen. The agency is conducting surveys to determine interest and need and surveying possible sites. Decisions on these projects are expected by the end of this year.

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