CBP Architects Awarded Four Affordable Housing Projects Funded by PHFA

On 11 July 2024, the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency (PHFA) announced tax credits and other funding for the construction of 41 new affordable housing projects across Pennsylvania. CBP Architects was awarded four projects – with a total of 183 residential units – in Bucks, Delaware, Montgomery, and Philadelphia counties. The projects are Meadowbrook (Bucks County, 42 units), Silvercare Senior Housing (Delaware County, 45 units), Ardmore House II (Montgomery County, 48 units), and St. Katharine Drexel Place (Philadelphia County, 48 units).

PHFA also announced a new initiative that provides an additional $1.8 million in matching dollars for four projects that recognize the strong connection between stable housing and improved health outcomes. Two of the four projects awarded to CBP Architects are part of the new Health for Housing Investment (HHI) program: Meadowbrook and St. Katharine Drexel Place.

“To receive projects in four counties shows that more suburban communities see the value in creating affordable housing,” said CBP Architects Managing Partner Nancy Bastian, FAIA, NCARB, LEED AP. “And to design two projects as part of the Health for Housing Initiative will be especially meaningful to residents and their communities.”

Meadowbrook | Langhorne, PA | Bucks County | 42 units
Located on the campus of Woods Services, this new four-story building will provide 42 one-, two-, and three-bedroom units. Several will be set aside for Woods clients who have experienced traumatic brain injury, with the remainder available to the public, including Woods staff members. A first-floor medical suite will offer enhanced health and wellness services. Siting and new landscape design will integrate Meadowbrook with existing campus buildings. LEED Silver certification is targeted.

Silvercare Senior Housing | Chester, PA | Delaware County | 45 units
Silvercare will provide 45 one-bedroom units for seniors within a vacant six-story hospital building. The two-phase adaptive reuse project is part of a campus-wide redevelopment for senior living with integrated health and service amenities in addition to affordable housing.

Ardmore House II | Ardmore, PA | Montgomery County | 48 units
Ardmore House II will provide 48 one-bedroom units for seniors. Constructed on the site of an underutilized parking lot, the project will engage with downtown Ardmore and the adjacent Ardmore House I senior housing. Initiated by a community intent on making affordable housing a reality, the project began with a CBP Architects feasibility study and will target LEED Silver certification.

St. Katharine Drexel Place | Philadelphia, PA | Philadelphia County | 48 units
St. Katharine Drexel Place will provide 48 one-bedroom units for seniors on the campus of Archbishop Ryan High School. Through adaptive reuse and a new addition, a vacant friary will once again become a lively part of campus, providing opportunities for seniors to engage in school activities and giving students a chance to volunteer and build relationships with the seniors.

Projects are funded by federal Low-Income Housing Tax Credits, PennHOMES, National Housing Trust Funds, Pennsylvania Housing Affordability and Rehabilitation Enhancement funds, and state housing tax credits. In a news release, PHFA Executive Director and CEO Robin Wiessmann said,

“Even before the pandemic, there was a clear need for more rental housing that fits people's budgets. The demand is even stronger today, and this new round of tax credits is our best tool for creating and rehabilitating affordable housing.”