Proposed site of Woodward Lofts.
New housing for lower-income residents may be coming down the tracks.
At a City Council meeting on Tuesday, Harrisburg-based Latino Connection Foundation proposed its plan for an affordable housing development at 1001 N. 18th St. in Harrisburg.
The proposal includes constructing a four-story affordable apartment building for seniors, “Woodward Lofts,” on a vacant lot that once housed Woodward Elementary School. In 2023, the Harrisburg School District, with approval from the Dauphin County Court of Common Pleas, signed off on the sale of the property to George Fernandez, founder of Latino Connection. The foundation is an offshoot of Latino Connection.
The proposed $18 million project would include one- and two-bedroom units, a community room, a dog park and possibly a small garden. There would also be 47 off-street parking spots.
In July 2023, Fernandez held a public meeting to present the project to neighbors and solicit their feedback. At that meeting, some community members stated their opposition to the proposal, expressing concerns over increased traffic in the neighborhood, limited parking and safety. Several also were afraid the development would decrease their property values.
However, Fernandez told TheBurg after that meeting that he would continue on with plans for the project, citing a housing crisis and urgent need for affordable housing in Harrisburg.
But, according to Dr. Amber Borreli, interim executive director of Latino Connection Foundation, the developers continued to meet with residents and made changes to their initial plan due to the feedback.
“We really combed through those concerns and identified some things that we could do in the design of this project to allay some of those concerns,” Borreli said.
Initially, the proposal had called for commercial space for a daycare, food bank and possibly a pharmacy or clinic. However, Borreli said that they have since removed those aspects from the plan to help address neighbors’ traffic concerns.
“I really appreciate you reaching out to the community, not once, twice, but multiple times,” said council member Jocelyn Rawls.
Borelli said that they hope to break ground on the project in October and expect about 12 to 18 months of construction.
Council is slated to vote on the project at its next legislative session.
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