Affordable Housing Project Proposed In Royersford

ROYERSFORD, PA — A new affordable housing community has been proposed in Royersford that organizers say will help house individuals who work in the local area.

The Mission First project, called Cypress Place at Royersford, will be located adjacent to Royersford Baptist Church on 452 S. Lewis Road.

“It is important to us that people have the opportunity to live and thrive in the community they are familiar with, in a home they can comfortably afford,” Thomas A.K. Queenan, CEO and president of Mission First, said in a statement. "The plan for Cypress Place at Royersford gives us opportunity to work with a pillar of the community, Royersford Baptist Church, and local officials to bring critical affordable housing to Royersford."

It's not yet clear how widespread support for the project will be.

The 48-unit building will aim to provide an average rent of $1,000 for a one bedroom, $1,200 for a two bedroom, and $1,370 for a three bedroom, all about 30 percent lower than the current market rate in Royersford.

Mission Place said that specifically, they want to house individuals who live and work in the nearby area but are struggling with rent, or people who can't live close to their work because the rent in the community is simply too high. They also want to target people who grew up in the area but have been unable to find affordable housing.

Mission First and the church will present their proposal to the Upper Providence Planning Commission, "seeking early feedback and comment," they said, during the commission's meeting on Aug. 21.

The project would seek funding from the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency’s Low-Income Housing Tax Credit, PHARE programs funds, Montgomery County, and a mortgage.

For more information on this project, see here.