More homes going up at Coopersdale School site

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November 8, 2009

By MIKE FAHER The Tribune-Democrat Sun Nov 08, 2009, 11:03 PM EST

JOHNSTOWN — Crews are scheduled to begin construction of two single-family homes in Johnstown’s Coopersdale neighborhood this week.

It is a continuation of a successful Johns-town Housing Authority program designed to foster home ownership while also returning properties to taxation.

The Boyer Street houses will join two others that were built last year on the former Coopersdale School site.

“We anticipate completion in May or June,” said Dan Kanuch, the authority’s executive director.

The “lease-purchase” program provides assistance for prospective homeowners, who must rent a property for six months or a year while they save for a down payment and undergo education provided by the authority.

When a renter is ready to buy, the housing authority offers help with closing costs and initial assistance with property-tax payments.

Those who are accepted into the program must have passed credit and criminal-background checks, and they must have an established source of income.

Since 2004, the authority has constructed 11 homes – nine in the Prospect neighborhood and two in Coopersdale. All 11 are occupied, Kanuch said.

The new prefabricated homes each will measure about 1,600 square feet, with three bedrooms and a garage. One of the structures will be handicapped-accessible, with all living space on one floor, Kanuch said.

The project has an approximate budget of more than $400,000.

It is another sign of renewal for the long-vacant Coopersdale School site, which the authority purchased in 1984. The school building was razed three years later.

Kanuch said the authority’s four homes will exhaust the available space on the Boyer Street side of the lot. But more room is available at the rear of the property, on the Vaughn Street side.

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