William Way Senior Residences Approved
The William Way Senior Residences got the green light at a board meeting recently, making way for construction to begin on 70 new apartments for low-income LGBT and ally seniors in Philadelphia. The board met last week to discuss details of the plan, funded in part by the Dr. Magnus Hirschfeld Fund, with construction estimated to begin sometime in mid-2012.
The residences, which will adjoin the William Way LGBT Community Center on Spruce Street, are estimated to cost approximately $20 million. The City of Philadelphia has approved $2 million in funds, according to the William Way, while former Gov. Ed Rendell, as reported by G Philly in January, provided upwards of $7 million in state funding.
Details of the new building project – which will relocate the center’s operations for at least 18 months – will also mean the addition of more than 3,000 square feet to the community center. Christopher Bartlett, the William Way’s executive director, says the plan includes new library and archive space, as well as a larger ballroom and events space and catering kitchen.
