We’re always happy to see affordable senior housing projects in the development pipeline, but a proposal to adaptively re-use a historic school building in Strawberry Mansion feels like a double win.

Completed in 1901 at 2601 N 28th St., the Rudolph Walton elementary school served the local community until being shut down in 2003. While the building was temporarily used for displaced elementary students from the Commodore John Barry School, the school was closed for good in 2008.

While in the past it was hoped that all of Philadelphia’s shuttered schools could be sold at a profit, the school district has found monetizing some of their former assets more challenging than anticipated. In 2011 the City’s Controller called for demolishing the vacant Rudolph Walton building at a cost of $600K, as the abandoned building was attracting graffiti and nuisance crimes. Subsequently the school district hoped to sell the vacant building to KIPP Philadelphia, but the charter school network eventually backed out of the deal. Now, developers are pursuing a plan to construct 50 senior housing units in the old school.

The project will rely on a mix of funding sources, including a low-interest loan from PHA, low income housing tax credits (LIHTCs), and potentially historic preservation tax credits. But before the project can move forward, the ZBA must grant the project a zoning variance, as an existing driveway off of 27th Street conflicts with the Zoning Code’s prohibition of a driveway off a main street.

Rather than buy the land, the developers will sign a 99-year lease for the site. While the project has the support of the All In The Family RCO, the ZBA decided to hold off on formally voting on the project until the owners and developers can hold an additional community meeting with a different RCO. With an impending February 11th deadline for applying for the low income housing tax credits from the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency, any additional delay in approving the required zoning variance by the ZBA could result in the project having to wait another year to proceed. Such a delay could conceivably result in the project falling apart as circumstances evolve. While this short delay adds some risk to the project, we strongly expect the ZBA to grant this minor technical variance as soon as next week.

Despite the lack of a parking minimum for senior housing, the site plan from CICADA Architecture confirms the redeveloped site will retain 11 spots, primarily for staff. A planned walking path and plaza will also buffer the new apartment building from the adjacent townhouses.

Re-purposing a building originally constructed for elementary age children with housing for seniors is a pretty stark reflection of how the population of our city has aged over the last century. But with the demographics unlikely to shift anytime soon, we’re pretty excited to see a plan to keep this building maintained for several decades as social housing. Assuming everything goes smoothly with the ZBA (not to mention the public money that still needs to be finalized), this project will be an exciting addition to the neighborhood and will revitalize a building that’s been vacant for years.