Federal OK Of Housing Due Shortly

PHA Says It’s Ready To Sign Contracts For 20 Low-Rent Units

(Special to The News)
WASHINGTON-Final government approval of a $326,000 expansion of public housing in Ypsilanti, Mich., is expected shortly in the wake of a Public Housing Administration announcement here yesterday.

The PHDA said it will shortly sign financial aid contracts for construction of 20 low-rent public housing units in Ypsilanti, with at least 10 of the apartments earmarked for elderly persons.

Will Seek Council Nod

After the PHA signs the aid contract, to lend up to 90 percent of total development costs and to make annual contributions to keep rents within reach of low-income families, the Ypsilanti City Housing Commission will seek final City Council approval to undertake the building project. The commission is scheduled to present the PHA contract to councilmen for signing at a meeting Sept. 5.

The Housing Commission, which operates the 100-unite former federally-controlled Parkridge Public Housing Project in southside Ypsilanti, hopes to open bids Jan. 15 for the construction of 10 brick duplex units.

Five of the larger duplexes will be constructed at or adjacent to the existing Parkridge Project. The other four units, each containing two apartments, will be built on four different sites in the south central area of the city.

More Bedrooms Per Unit

Commission officials are planning to construct two five bedroom apartments and eight units each containing four bedrooms to relieve overcrowding in the Parkridge Project, where the largest apartment has only three bedrooms. The remaining 10 new apartments will either be one-bedroom or efficiency units.

The $326,000 total estimated cost of the 20 additional units includes acquisition of the four sites away from the Parkridge project.