The Times-Tribune
CORBIN —
By Becky Manley / Staff Reporter
A groundbreaking was held in Corbin Wednesday for a $1.7 million project that aims to provide affordable housing to seniors.
The KCEOC Corbin Senior Housing Project will be located at 110 Mitchell St. on 14 acres of ground that includes the former site of the city’s hospital.
Construction began July 19 and is expected to take 14 months, according to Jennifer Smith, vice president of program operations for KCEOC.
The project has received grants totaling $307,000 for development costs.
The two-story building will contain 16 one-bedroom apartments with 539 square feet of living space, according to Smith and Miles Estes, vice president for advancement for KCEOC. The building will set on almost one acre of land, Estes said.
Rent will likely be $377 a month though Smith said some residents may pay less since rent is determined by income. The Department of Housing and Urban Development will provide over $54,000 annually in rent subsidies to limit each tenant’s rent to 30 percent of monthly income.
The building will be accessed by a two-lane road from Mitchell and Bishop streets, Estes said.
The building’s residents will have to meet low and very low income standards as determined by HUD, Smith said. Residents will be age 62 and older.
The low income apartments are a portion of a larger project KCEOC has planned for the site.
According to a development plan KCEOC submitted to Corbin commissioners earlier this year, a multi-unit townhouse/condominium will also be constructed for low to moderate income residents on the footprint of the former hospital. The plan calls for more than 47,000 square feet of living space in 34 units. It may also include a communal swimming pool and club house.
The townhouse development would include units with one, two or three bedrooms with one or two bathrooms, according to the plan. Square footage will range from 750 square feet in one bedroom units up to 1,050 square feet in the three bedroom units.
Although HUD allows apartment rents of up to $395 for one bedroom, $520 for two bedrooms and $621 for three bedrooms, the plan states KCEOC does not anticipate it will charge those maximum allowable rents.
Another phase in the development plan calls for a townhouse/condominium development for moderate to upper income residents. The plan indicates this portion of the development would cover about six acres. Estes said this would be a gated community.
Up to 48 townhouse units could be included at the development, according to the plan. The units are expected to sell for $125,000 to $175,000. Each unit will have two or three bedrooms and two and a half baths.
Estes said the blend of very low to higher income housing units meshes with existing neighborhoods in the area.
“We’re very excited about the opportunity to do this,” Estes said, adding that the low income senior apartment development is a “neat beginning point.
