The Mary Taylor House will be a new construction, senior independent living facility in the heart of the historic Borough of West Chester, PA. The building represents a unique opportunity to offer affordable housing in the midst of a vibrant, thriving community.
Located within three blocks of the center West Chester’s commercial and cultural district, Mary Taylor House residents are well within walking distance of a wide range of shops, churches, banks, restaurants, pharmacies, and community serving facilities such as the Public Library and Chester County Hospital.
The Mary Taylor House will physically connect to the existing Hickman facility via a pedestrian bridge over the road between the two buildings.
The new three-and-a-half story 61,340 square-foot building will offer 60 affordable apartments to income-qualified seniors throughout the region. The building will consist of apartments of comfortable size, between 640 and 840 square feet and will contain a full kitchen, individually operated heating and cooling capability and full bathrooms. The building will offer common space including a community room, kitchen, laundry rooms on each floor, a library, a wellness room and private, off-street parking.
The new building will offer an array of services and activities. A myriad of educational and cultural programs will be offered on site and the residents will be able to participate in other activities within The Hickman community.
The Mary Taylor House is expected to be a LEED certified, environmentally friendly building featuring many green aspects including a living sedum “green” roof. The building will weave seamlessly into the fabric of the surrounding neighborhood. The exterior façade of the Hickman Expansion has been designed to respond to the unique character of the surrounding, residential neighborhood. The façade is broken down into residentially scaled pieces with recesses that are reminiscent of the gaps between the houses.
There is a demonstrated need for affordable senior housing in both in the Borough of West Chester and in Chester County. In the immediate market area, the number of income-eligible senior households grew by 68%, from 1,508 to 2,534, between 2000 and 2007; that number will continue to grow in the coming decades. The Landscapes Managing Change in Chester County 1996-2020, plan identified the growth in senior population as one of the major public policy challenges facing the county in the next quarter century. The County has seen only 900 units of affordable housing (family and senior) come on line in the last 20 years and there has been no affordable housing production for the last three years. Apartment rents for the Mary Taylor House will be based on the residents’ financial situation.
Current construction timelines estimate that the Mary Taylor House will be ready for occupancy by January, 2011. This is a projected estimate and is subject to change depending on the many variables that can affect the progress of a project of this size.
To be included on a list of interest, please contact Anthony DeCarolis, Hickman Admissions Director at 484-760-6401 and continue to visit www.thehickman.org for updates relating to this exciting expansion!
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