Renovation study to assess apartments

The two senior citizen high-rises are only two-thirds occupied.

By ED RUNYAN

VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF

WARREN — Hoping to reduce vacancies in its Buckeye Building downtown, the Trumbull Metropolitan Housing Authority has hired an architect to conduct a second renovation study.

The authority’s board, at its meeting Tuesday, hired Archi-Atekton of Warren and Shaker Heights to determine whether the agency can enlarge some of the building’s 150 apartments, thereby reducing the number to between 70 and 80.

The company previously earned $42,500 to study renovations and possible conversion of the building into an assisted living facility.

Donald W. Emerson Jr., TMHA executive director, said the previous project’s price tag of $14 million was too high, however, so he’s asking the architect to design something less expensive.

Emerson said the senior citizens apartment building, at 700 Buckeye Ave. N.W., and the adjacent Tod building, are only about two-thirds occupied. If the renovation of the Buckeye building were successful, the Tod building would be converted next, Emerson said.

The two buildings together are known as Riverview Apartments. TMHA provides federally subsidized housing for people who are elderly or disabled.

The project itself

The goal of the renovation would be to eliminate some of the one-bedroom and efficiency apartments and provide more of the larger units.

“Older people have more stuff,” Emerson said of the reason they apparently prefer larger living quarters.

He added that lowering vacancy rates there is in keeping with the need to lower vacancy rates agency wide. Currently about 20 percent of TMHA’s 1,787 housing units are unoccupied — most of them in Warren. Demolition is also being considered as an option for reducing capacity.

Emerson said the renovation would be paid for with money from a state program that gives private investors tax credits for investing in low-income housing.

In other business, the board also gave Emerson permission to pay up to $5,500 for outplacement services to any TMHA employees who will be laid off this summer. Emerson said the number of layoffs needed won’t be known until the end of June, when the number of employees retiring or finding other jobs is known.

The reduction in TMHA’s payroll is necessary because of funding cuts and changes in U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development guidelines, Emerson said.

runyan@vindy.com