Home sweet home

Fairgrounds housing development gets rave reviews in Chester Twp.

Friday, January 23, 2009

By LAURA WISELEY Times Correspondent

CHESTER TOWNSHIP — Michelle Pulliam’s feelings about her new home can be summed up in one word. “The first time I walked in, I was like, ‘Wow!’” said Pulliam, 38, one of the first residents of the Fairgrounds housing development in Chester Township. “Sometimes I still say it. It’s just so beautiful.”

Pulliam’s brand new twin home is one of what will be 300 units in the Fairgrounds development, a new community of single-family homes, twin homes and townhouses located just off of Engle Street. She and her family moved in to her home on Nate Ellis Drive Dec. 15, along with the residents of about 60 of the 73 homes recently completed in the first phase of the project.

The development is located on the site of the previous Fairgrounds housing development, a community of 319 homes built during World War II to house residents who came to Chester to work along the waterfront.“

The previous homes were originally built in the 1940s and then rehabilitated in the 1970s,” said Lawrence Hartley, PHM, executive director and secretary of the Delaware County Housing Authority, which is spearheading the project. “Those units were extremely outdated, with small bedrooms and living spaces. We made the decision to tear those units down and replace them with more modern homes with modern amenities.”

Pulliam’s home, like the others in the development, boasts central air conditioning, a washing machine and clothes dryer, and a dishwasher.

“The amenities are so nice,” she said. “It’s fully loaded. All of the appliances are energy savers — even the shower head in the bathroom.”

The homes also benefit from a more up-to-date, spacious design, which Pulliam said is appreciated by her family of five, which includes her husband, Melvin, 57, son Michael, 17, and 4-year-old twins Melvin Jr. and Monae. Their old house had just two bedrooms, and she, Melvin and the twins had been sharing one since the youngsters were born. Their new home boasts three bedrooms, in addition to one and a half bathrooms.

“They love it,” Pulliam said of the children. “Now the twins are always saying, ‘I’m going to my room.’ In the mornings, when everyone gets up, there’s no fighting for the bathrooms, and we can walk around without stepping all over each other.”

The Pulliams also are pleased with the location of their home, which was built across the street from a “tot lot” playground.“

I can sit on my front porch and watch the kids playing right across the street,” she said. “I used to have to walk them all the way to the park. Now, the park is fenced in, there’s no traffic, it’s peaceful — it’s perfect.”

Pulliam’s sentiments are echoed by the development’s other residents, according to Stanley Kester, chairman of the Chester Township Board of Directors.

“The residents are thrilled and the township is thrilled,” Kester said. “These homes are beautiful, and they’re a visible improvement to the township. They’re now comparable to homes throughout the township.”

The development is managed by the Delaware County Housing Authority and designated as Section 8 housing, meaning the difference between what the tenant pays for rent and the fair market value of the units is made up by a subsidy from the Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Residents are required to meet income qualifications, earn less than 50 percent of the median area income, and pay rent based on their income. For most families, rent is calculated as 30 percent of their total income.

Phase II of the project, which is under way, will add additional single-family homes, twin homes and townhouses to the development. Five phases are planned, with the final phase including construction of an apartment complex designated for senior citizens and a community building with meeting and activity space for residents and organizations.

The entire project is expected to be completed within the next four to five years, and residents from the Housing Authority’s waiting list of about 6,000 to 7,000 people will be able to move in.

“There is a very high demand for affordable housing in this area,” Hartley said.

For Pulliam, the one year she spent waiting for her new home was worth it.

“This is truly a blessing,” she said. “This is the best thing anyone could have done for us.”Easton unveils