This empty lot will be the future home of Paxton Place, a low-income senior building.
An undeveloped lot soon will transform into a new affordable housing option for Harrisburg seniors.
Last night, City Council unanimously approved a development plan to turn 1100 S. 20th St. into Paxton Place, a three-story, 37-unit dwelling for low-income seniors run by Paxton Ministries, despite a neighbor voicing concerns about the project.
City Councilman Jeff Baltimore, chairman of the Community and Economic Development Committee, declined to recommend a vote for or against the building, urging council members to “vote their conscience.”
“It’s a struggle to balance economic development and the neighborhood makeup,” he said. “We can’t place barriers on development, and we have to find ways as a neighborhood to get along with each other.”
In the end, council voted 7-0 for the project, allowing it to proceed. The city’s Planning Commission and Zoning Hearing Board previously had approved it.
The $8.4 million investment on the empty, 1.6-acre site, which is currently not taxable, would bring in a projected $18,787 in city taxes, according to the resolution. The property sits next to the Paxton Street Home, a home run by Paxton Ministries for adults who need support services.
View of the empty lot from S. 20th Street.
Council’s vote disappointed Hudson Street resident Kay Ann Wetzel, who voiced concerns about neighborhood stability at last night’s meeting.
“I’m not against elderly housing, but I’m against putting that neighborhood at risk,” she said after the meeting.
Wetzel, who said she’s been opposing this development for more than a year, said the low-income housing property would disrupt lifelong residents and attract more traffic to already-congested streets. She also noted concerns about crime and trash, which she said would go along with the low-income project.
“People are going to start moving away,” she said. “I don’t have confidence that this company will maintain the property.”
Council Vice President Shamaine Daniels said the development would increase the city’s housing options for seniors. This would keep residents in the city, leading to more money spent at city businesses, she said.
“I think it’s a good project,” she said. “That area hasn’t had any economic development for a decade. For neighbors, it’s a bit jarring.”
Author: Danielle Roth
