Spartanburg Housing Authority senior housing complex completed

(Originally published by Spartanburg Herald-Journal)

Page Lake Manor - Eight eligible applicants will occupy the one-bedroom units

Eight new Spartanburg Housing Authority units at Page Lake Manor will provide senior housing.

ALEX HICKS JR/alex.hicks@shj.com

By Alyssa Mulliger
alyssa.mulliger@shj.com

Published: Wednesday, July 27, 2016 at 9:39 p.m.

It won’t be long before senior residents are able to move into eight new housing units at Page Lake Manor.

The one-bedroom units are located off Grand Central Avenue, south of the city of Spartanburg on a portion of 150 acres owned by the Spartanburg Housing Authority.

Terril Bates, executive director of the Housing Authority, called the finished complex a milestone for the Housing Authority and Spartanburg County. Page Lake Manor was developed through a partnership between the agency and the county.

The eight units will house senior adults age 62 and older. Bates said the Housing Authority has received 10 applications for the units and if all applicants are eligible, two will be placed on a tenant waiting list.

“There are plenty of 62 and over seniors looking for a nice place to live,” Bates said. “We don’t imagine we’ll be going to near-elderly persons (ages 50-61) anytime soon at this property.”

The total cost for the project was almost $1.4 million. Spartanburg County provided slightly more than $1 million for the project that it received through HUD’s HOME Investment Partnerships Program.

Bates said the program comes with income restrictions for tenants.

“Two of the units will have to be rented to elderly persons who have incomes at or below 30 percent of the area median income,” she said. “The other six units can be rented to seniors who have incomes of up to 50 percent of the area median income.”

Molly Talbot-Metz, vice chairperson of the Housing Authority’s board of commissioners, said the completion of Page Lake Manor represents a celebration of the individuals who will have access to the affordable, high-quality units.

“This project is the result of the hard work of many dedicated people who are passionate about improving Spartanburg County and the lives of its residents,” Talbot-Metz said. “As a board member, I’m most proud when our agency works collaboratively with others in the community to find creative solutions to our most challenging problems. Page Lake Manor is one of those examples.”

Spartanburg County Councilman Michael Brown, whose district includes the Page Lake area, said the senior housing project provided an opportunity to come together for the good of the community.

“I’m so very thankful that we are able to join in this collaborative effort and to take care of our seniors,” Brown said. “We are so very proud of this effort and we look forward to other opportunities to work with (Spartanburg Housing Authority) in the future.”

Although Garanco Inc., the housing project’s general contractor, experienced construction delays due to weather, the complex was completed this month as scheduled.

“If anybody saw (the site) a week ago, you would not expect what you see now,” said Adam Stanley, project manager. “It’s been an impressive project.”

James Ray, an architect with Cauthen & Associates, said putting the Housing Authority’s dream on paper and seeing the completion of the project was a great experience.

“This truly was a team effort, from the birth of the idea by Spartanburg Housing Authority … We hope the tenants enjoy the units for many, many years to come,” Ray said.

Follow Alyssa Mulliger on Twitter @AMulligerSHJ