New Elm Court senior housing is nearly ready

Lottery marks the beginning of selection process for residents

By: Courtney Gross
   One by one, members of Princeton Community Housing’s board of trustees pulled manila envelopes out of a white basket Friday morning that would affirm, delay or deny the opportunity for some Princeton seniors to reside in brand-new affordable housing.
   Prior to opening, numbering and stamping each of the more than 110 envelopes, board members and the housing organization’s staff noted how close Elm Court II, or Harriet Bryan House, is to completion, and then described what the project would bring to Princeton.
   "It’s one of those wonderful government programs," the 68-unit apartment complex’s acting manager, Libby Ranney, said. "It provides a safe harbor for older people — a well-maintained and very supportive environment."
   Representatives of Elm Court said seniors should occupy the one-bedroom units adjacent to the current Elm Court senior housing development on Elm Road by mid-January — a little more than a year after Elm Court II’s groundbreaking.
   Sandra Persichetti Rothe, executive director of Princeton Community Housing — the nonprofit organization that supports, maintains and constructs affordable housing in Princeton — said Friday the new Harriet Bryan House, named for a former president of the board of trustees, would keep seniors in Princeton whose incomes would not otherwise allow them to remain in the community.
   Elm Court II provides housing for low- or moderate-income seniors who do not need the amenities of assisted living, representatives of the housing organization said.
   And six of the new units will be accessible to the handicapped while all other units are adaptable for the handicapped, Ms. Persichetti Rothe added.
   Representatives also noted Elm Court II’s construction would provide "much-needed" affordable senior housing in Princeton.
   Chief Financial Officer Marcy Crimmins of K. M. Light Real Estate, the development’s management company, said Elm Court I’s waiting list is approximately 80 people — a number that translates to over two years.
   "When you tell someone 86 years old they have to wait two years, it’s difficult," Ms. Crimmins said.
   Expanding the Elm Court of 1985 in 2007 will help solve that problem, she added.
   Although applicants for Elm Court II are numerous, apparent by the manila envelopes that crested over a white basket Friday morning, some may not qualify for the new housing, mostly because of age or income.
   The income cap, set by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, is $29,900 a year for a single individual and $34,150 for a couple, housing representatives said. Residents must also be 62 years old or older.
   Both Elm Courts abide by these guidelines. If able to meet the criteria for occupancy, new residents will have to pay 30 percent of their gross income as rent, representatives said.
   As the development moves toward completion, some repre- sentatives said it was a long and difficult process. In the approximate eight-year effort to build Harriet Bryan House, Ms. Crimmins said, Princeton Community Housing dealt with two lawsuits. Both have been settled.
   Throughout the extensive permit and construction process, residents of the original 88-unit Elm Court were "troopers," Ms. Persichetti Rothe said. Because of the funding received by state and federal bodies, she added, there tends to be a labyrinth of paperwork that also slows the construction timeline.
   "The current residents have been troopers," Ms. Persichetti Rothe said. "It means we have 88 sidewalk supervisors," she said of the residents.
   Following the Friday morning lottery, all applicants will be interviewed in the order of their drawing to determine eligibility. Those who names were drawn first on Friday, if they meet the standards, will have first dibs on housing.
   Those who remain will be added to the waiting list, representatives said. The average turnover, the acting manager said, is eight to 10 vacancies a year.