PHA is partnering with Mission First Housing on a North Philly senior apartment building

The Philadelphia Housing Authority (PHA) is partnering with Mission First Housing Group to bring a 50-unit senior housing project to 1300-50 N. 10th St. in North Philadelphia.

The proposed senior building would be four stories, well under the legal height limit on the property. It would include 43 one-bedroom apartments and seven two-bedroom units. No parking would be offered.

Twenty percent of the units will be rented to market-rate tenants, while five will be rented to tenants who are currently homeless. The rest of the units will be subsidized to provide affordable housing.

“Mission First is excited to be part of developing new housing that will transform the Yorktown/Harrison neighborhood,” Thomas A.K. Queenan, CEO of the Philadelphia-based Mission First Housing Group, said in an email statement. “We are pleased to bring this valuable community asset to North Philadelphia seniors, supporting efforts to allow residents to age-in-place.”

The proposal is part of the housing authority’s larger plans to remake the Harrison development, which dates to the 1950s.

The project was based around a 15-story tower at 1350 N. 10th St, which the housing authority redeveloped in 2023 as 116 units for senior citizens.

Now PHA is moving to demolish 10 of their old low-rise buildings to make way for the new 50-unit building. Three of those homes are occupied, and the tenants will be relocated.

In the long term, PHA hopes to demolish all of its townhouses on the site and build replacements.

“The project is anticipated to be the first phase of redevelopment of the Harrison Choice Neighborhood transformation plan, redeveloping the entire public housing site,” a proposal submitted to the city’s Planning Commission reads.

Choice Neighborhood refers to a federal funding program that helps housing authorities with targeted redevelopment.

A letter from the local community group notes that PHA’s larger redevelopment of the area is on hold due to funding issues. The developers must meet with the group in advance of consideration by the city’s advisory-only Civic Design Review board on Nov. 4.

“We understand that PHA did not receive the full grant award they were seeking for the redevelopment of this site,” a letter from the Poplar Community Organization reads. “As a result, the plan has been paired back to include only this building in the near-term.”

The neighborhood group called on the authority to invest in housing for families in the area, instead of more apartments targeted to the elderly. In the apartment building they would like to see more two- and three-bedroom units and fewer one-bedrooms.

“Wish the building were more geared toward families instead of seniors,” a bullet point in the neighborhood group’s letter to the Planning Commission reads. “A senior building already exists at the site … Wish the townhomes (as shown in the Choice Neighborhood Plan) were prioritized for redevelopment before this building.”

The housing authority did not immediately respond to requests for comment, and Mission First referred further questions to its partner.

Despite those criticisms, the letter supports the Civic Design Review’s conclusive consideration of the development in November.

The Poplar Community Organization will meet with the developers again in December because the proposal needs permission to move forward from the city’s Zoning Board of Adjustment because the plans would require development beyond what existing land use rules allow.

The zoning board hearing is scheduled for Jan. 13.

Mission First plans to apply for competitive Low Income Housing Tax Credits early next year. Once ground is broken, construction is expected to last 14 months.