A couple of weeks ago, an official groundbreaking took place at Ridge & Fairthorne for a new senior housing development from Interact. Currently a vacant lot and previously a car dealership, this lot could have been home to a fast food place or a bank, but the community apparently preferred a plan for a four-story building with forty units of affordable housing for seniors.

The lot (behind the shrubs)

The project has been dubbed “The Fairthorne,” according to a press release. Interact’s aging services division, Journey’s Way, will provide services to residents, including housing counseling, adult daycare services, geriatric counseling, and a senior center. Once the building is finished, it will represent the third senior housing development in Roxborough, joining other Interact developments Pensdale Village and Pensdale II.

Domus will apparently be doing the construction

Funding for the project has come from a variety of sources, including Office of Housing and Community Development (OHCD), HUD, The Reinvestment Fund (TRF), PHFA, and some private investors as well. It also had considerable support from local politicians and the Ridge Park Civic Association. While we’ve come out questioning affordable housing projects in the past, this particular project seems like a good use of space (good density) and a wise use of public and private funds. It can be debated whether affordable housing for sale is a similarly wise use of government money, but this project seems appropriate in both purpose and scale.