French Creek Manor
Phoenixville, Pennsylvania

Description

• 70 unit three and four-story rental complex
• Affordable independent living for the elderly
• 81,762 gross square feet 3-story wood frame and brick building
• 4 acre site
• Enhanced security with key card entry system and telephone intercom
• Multi-purpose dining and community room
• Placed in service in 2005
  

Developer
Pennrose Properties

Architect
The Knabb Partnership
Exton, PA

General Contractor
Harkins Builders, Inc.
Marriottsville, MD

Management
Pennrose Management Company

The Challenge

In Pennsylvania, coal and steel were partners driving the Phoenixville region's booming economy during the second half of the 19th century and the first half of the 20 th century. Phoenix Steel Corporation's once thriving blast furnaces roared day and night at the junction of French Creek and the Schuylkill River.   When American steel production was outpaced by international competitors in the 1970s, the plant was silenced. Thirty years later, over 11,000 cubic yards of slag material left behind was removed from the brownfields to facilitate the French Creek Center Project.   Pennrose purchased four acres of this improved land to address Chester County's critical need for quality affordable senior housing.

The Solution

The site that Pennrose selected lent itself well to the new construction of a state-of-the-art residence for senior citizens.   It was in close proximity to established retail and commercial services and would be an integral part of the forthcoming multi-phase residential and commercial French Creek Center Project.   Pennrose secured infrastructure, construction, and social service support for the project   through funding from PHFA's Penn HOMES program, Chester County, Tax Credit Programs, and other financial resources. Built out at 77,000 square feet, the three-and four-story rental complex consisted of 46 one- bedroom and 24 two-bedroom apartments that   included fully equipped kitchens, pre-wiring for cable, addressable fire alarm and sprinkler systems, emergency pull cords in the bedrooms and bathrooms, and an enhanced electronic key card entry system with telephone intercom to each apartment. The inviting lobby was complemented by a multi-purpose dining/community room with kitchen and convenient laundry facilities. When occupied in 2006, residents enjoyed   the furnished patio, gardens, and open areas for walking pets.   The social services offered to residents included an optional catered meal program, a health and wellness program, optional housekeeping service, barber shop and beauty salon, exercise programs, arts and crafts, and educational classes.  

This multi-million dollar project underscores Pennrose's perspective that affordable housing is both a social responsibility and a business opportunity, and that these ends are intertwined and inseparable.   French Creek Manor is owned, managed, and maintained by Pennrose to provide a quality of life in which residents will prosper.

< Back to Senior Affordable
< Back to Pennsylvania Properties