County housing authority board OKs land purchase for 50-unit complex along Route 51 in Rostraver

With the population aging, Westmoreland County Housing Authority director Mike Washowich said he thinks a planned senior housing development in Rostraver will fill a need in that area.

“There’s not anything else there,” he said. “We’re very excited about the location of the property.”

That 6-acre location is near Willowbrook Plaza on Route 51. Authority board members this month authorized Washowich to move forward with acquiring the land through a $600,000 agreement.

Construction could start in 2026, Washowich said. When the four-story, 50-unit complex is complete, it will be similar to Grand View Senior Residences in Irwin, which opened this year for low income seniors, he said.

In Rostraver, 22% of the population is 65 and older, according to Census figures. In 2010, that figure was 18.5% and 10 years prior it was nearly 17%, data shows.

The proposed Willowbrook Commons is expected to cost about $14 million. Officials intend to close on the property in November. The agency will submit an application in December with the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency seeking federal tax credits to pay for the building project. They are working through a zoning change with the township, Washowich said.

Willowbrook Plaza, across from Bill’s Golfland, is home to a grocery store, bank, fitness center and the Penn Highlands Mon Valley HealthPlex, among other businesses. Washowich expects those amenities to be attractive to future residents.

The housing authority has been constructing new living quarters over the past 11 years for low income seniors as the population in Westmoreland County ages. South Greengate Commons in Hempfield, opened in 2013, was accompanied by Odin View Apartments next door in 2020.

Those two and Grand View Senior Residences were built with financing obtained through federal tax credits.