April 30, 2009

The Washington Post

Rooms with a View of the Future

Affordable senior housing doesn't normally conjure up images of Nintendo Wiis, Apple computer labs and customized art adorning the walls. But those are just a few of the features in the new Newton Green apartment building in Bladensburg, which county and state officials say is a model for affordable senior living for the rest of Prince George's County.

The environmentally friendly building celebrated its grand opening Thursday. The $11 million project was built with a number of federal grants and low-interest state, county and private loans.

"It's something we wish we had for the whole county, for all seniors to live in a place like this," County Executive Jack B. Johnson (D) said during the dedication.

The Housing Initiative Partnership, a nonprofit developer based in Hyattsville, collaborated on the project with a New Jersey-based builder, the Ingerman Group. It was financed mostly with $8 million in federal low-income housing tax credits distributed by the state. The project also received low-interest loans of $1.5 million from the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development and $650,000 from Prince George's County, said Geoffrey Long, an Ingerman Group associate. The remaining cost was paid by a private loan.

The state housing department has financed 15 other senior housing projects in the county, including Fort Washington Manor Senior Housing, which opened in September 2007.

According to Patricia Rynn Sylvester, director of multifamily housing for the Department of Housing and Community Development, Newton Green is probably the best example of energy-efficient senior housing in the county. Hyattsville's Renaissance Square Artists Housing, also a Housing Initiative Partnership, has "strong green features," Sylvester wrote in an e-mail.

One of Newton Green's green features is a permeable brick wall that controls storm water running off the parking lot. The apartment building is built to Energy Star standards, which includes using energy-efficient appliances and double-sealed windows, said Jason Battestelli, Ingerman Group's marketing director.

Bladensburg annexed the property at 5300 Newton St. in June 2008. The units rent from $315 to $895 a month for individuals with a yearly income of $20,650 to $41,340. Leases are signed on more than 50 of the building's 78 apartments, Battestelli said.

Some residents who moved in this month said senior citizens deserve nice accommodations at affordable rates.

"We've worked hard all our lives, and I think in this place we're getting what we deserve," said Bess Gary, an 81-year-old retired National Institutes of Health technical clerk.

Resident Grace Turner, 72, told the crowd at the dedication that "this is our home, and I intend to make it my home until I go to be at home with the Lord."

In an interview, Turner said attention to details, such as the common area's custom ceramic tabletops, made by local artists, made the building even more appealing to her.

"I think a lot of places just give us the bare necessities, but to give us special things, it makes me feel special," she said. "It makes me feel like this wasn't something thrown together to put old people in. They took some time and effort, even though we're seniors."

Newton Green Grand Opening