Thrive Alliance will move forward with construction of Crossroads Village, a 64-unit affordable apartment complex for residents 55 and older in Seymour.
On Friday, the Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority awarded the agency, which serves the aging population, $1.2 million in low-income housing tax credits for the $12.5 million project.
The tax credits enable Thrive Alliance and partner Jonesboro Investments to build the apartments on property once deemed contaminated at 500 S. Poplar St. just south of Schneck Medical Center.
The project is slated to begin in the spring of 2020 and be completed in early summer of 2022.
Another project to build affordable apartments near Margaret R. Brown Elementary School to meet the need for local workforce housing did not receive tax credits in this round of state funding. Mayor Craig Luedeman said officials with that project plan to reapply next year.
Mark Lindenlaub, executive director of Thrive Alliance, said Crossroads Village would not have received the state funding without the support of the city.
In June, the city council voted to provide tax abatement for the project and to invest $51,000 in local funding to install new sidewalks around the property.
“We are extremely pleased to have funding to make this project a reality,” Lindenlaub said. “The involvement and support of Mayor Luedeman, the city council and other community leaders has been invaluable in helping move this project forward.”
Luedeman said he is excited to see the project finally happen.
“This has been a two- to three-year process of trying to get something approved on a bare site in town that was a brownfield,” he said.
Brownfield is a term describing land previously used for industrial or commercial purposes with known or suspected pollution, including soil contamination due to hazardous waste. The site was once used as the Seymour Woolen Mill and later Seymour Electronics and has undergone environmental cleanup for more than a decade.
“I’m very excited to see a piece of property cleaned up and then have something put on it also,” Luedeman said. “Momentum is definitely going our way right now, and I think it’s a great time with the new mayor coming in, and we’ll keep moving and building on what has already happened.”
Councilman Matt Nicholson, who was elected mayor earlier this month and will take office Jan. 1, said he believes the project will have a positive impact on the surrounding area.
“It finishes the cleanup on a vacant lot here in Seymour as well as adds senior living,” he said. “If the city can help with sidewalks to attract a $12.5 million project, I believe it is a good investment for our future that we will more than make up in the first year’s taxes on the improvements on this property.”
A site plan for the project calls for a four-story building on the northeast corner of the 2.2-acre property with 24 one-bedroom units and 40 two-bedroom units. Designs include an outdoor gathering area for residents and 80 parking spots. The housing will be for residents 55 or older who are low to moderate income.
The apartment complex will partner with Schneck to provide on-site access to health screenings, health education and counseling services, nutrition education, dementia care and other services.
“We are excited to be working with the staff at Schneck to create housing and services that encourage and support healthy lifestyles,” Lindenlaub said. “This will benefit not only the residents living at Crossroads but also will provide opportunities to connect with the residents in the surrounding neighborhood.”
Jacob Sipe, executive director of the Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority, said the project will help address the growing demand for housing in the area.
“Crossroads Village also will support the city of Seymour’s continued revitalization and redevelopment efforts while at the same time providing a new housing option for seniors,” Sipe said.