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Council committee advances plan for 48-unit, 4-story senior affordable housing at former Woodward school site
Summary
The Community & Economic Development Committee reviewed a plan to consolidate three parcels at the former Woodward school site for a four-story, 48-unit senior affordable housing building that would include 47 parking spaces, a resident dog park and roughly $18 million in total project costs.
Harrisburg’s Community and Economic Development Committee discussed a preliminary/final lot consolidation and land development plan submitted by Amber Borelli for the Latino Connection Foundation to consolidate three parcels at the former Woodward school site and construct a four-story, 48-unit affordable residential building for seniors.
Jeffrey Knight, the city’s planning director, outlined the project history: prior proposals for the site failed to move to final land-development, the current plan was submitted Oct. 3, 2024 and approved by the planning commission on Nov. 6, 2024. The proposal includes a 47-space accessory surface parking lot accessed from Boas Street, sidewalk and ADA-ramp reconstruction along North Eighteenth and Boas streets, a small fenced dog park limited to residents and a subsurface stormwater basin beneath the parking area. The planning bureau recommended conditions including an affordable-housing certificate prior to recording, coordination on on-street parking removal to improve lot access, full-width sidewalk reconstruction and coordination with the city arborist on native trees and pollinator plantings.
Developer and interim Latino Connection Foundation executive director Dr. Amber Borelli said the $18 million project carries roughly $13–$14 million in construction costs, aims to use mass-timber construction methods to speed assembly and anticipates closing PHFA financing in June or July 2025 with construction starting in late summer or fall 2025 and occupancy in late 2026 to early 2027. Borelli said the project expects about 40 trades jobs during construction and four to five permanent positions for property management and supportive services. She described repeated community outreach starting in mid-2023 and said staff altered the design after neighborhood feedback (removing planned first-floor commercial space, for example).
Council members pressed on lighting, security, service-animal policy, contractor outreach for local hires and whether the city or police would use on-site office space as a substation; applicants said space is available for a substation if the city wants it. The committee voted to add the land-development plan to the next legislative session for council consideration.
