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Motion expressing the Sense of Council of Allegheny County supporting the efforts of LifeSpan, Inc. in their creation of the Heritage Court/Heritage House Senior Resource Center and their application with the PA Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED) for funding for the project.
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WHEREAS, LifeSpan, Inc. is a private, nonprofit organization which has been providing services and activities to Allegheny County's senior population for over 30 years through its 15 centers in western and southern Allegheny County; and
WHEREAS, LifeSpan has purchased an abandoned building in Homestead with the intent to renovate the property into a viable piece of real estate which will house the Heritage House Senior Resource Center as well as eight apartment units which will be built to accommodate low-income seniors, providing LifeSpan with the opportunity to expand their existing program areas and offerings; and
WHEREAS, the building is a historic structure whose façade will be maintained to protect the historic integrity of the facility while also renovating the building to eliminate the many physical barriers that LifeSpan's consumers face on a daily basis; and
WHEREAS, LifeSpan, Inc. desires to obtain funds from DCED in the amount of $200,000 to further provide for the prevention and elimination of blight; and
WHEREAS, in February of 2003, Allegheny County Council approved the Steel Valley Redevelopment Proposal # 1 within the Steel Valley Redevelopment Area located in the Borough of Homestead designated an area to be blighted and in need of redevelopment; and further, that the project for which LifeSpan seeks funding is within that area; and
WHEREAS, the Allegheny County Council supports the development plans of LifeSpan, Inc. which, when complete, will provide the opportunity for additional services and programs for area seniors, reclaim abandoned property in a blighted area of the County, maintain the façade of a historic structure in Homestead Borough and prevent further blight within the area; and further supports the endeavors of LifeSpan to secure funding from DCED to assist them in their development.
Now, Therefore, it is moved, and it is the Sense of the Council of Allegheny County, that its members support the efforts of LifeSpan, Inc. in their creation of the Heritage Court/Heritage House Senior Resource Center and their application with the PA Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED) for funding for the project.