Jul 10, 2016 3 min read

Drivers who regularly pass through downtown Waynesburg watched during the past year as the Gateway Senior Housing facility took shape at the corner of High and East streets.

The 52-unit apartment complex for seniors is now finished, and residents began moving into the building two weeks ago. Several of the new residents interviewed by the Observer-Reporter last week seemed pleased with their new surroundings. The building is attractive and certainly does much to improve the area of High Street, which leads into Waynesburg’s main shopping district. In fact, PIRHL Developers, which initiated the project, chose the Gateway moniker because of its location at the eastern entrance to downtown.

Along with a mix of one-bedroom and two-bedroom apartments, the facility has a large community room, computer room, laundry rooms and a fitness center. The developers applied for federal housing tax credits, which they said at the outset would be a key component to project financing, but they were initially turned down. To its credit, PIRHL didn’t throw in the towel, applied again and was eventually awarded the credits.

We should also note Waynesburg Borough and the county provided financial assistance to help make the project work while others, including Waynesburg University and Waynesburg Prosperous and Beautiful, offered other kinds of support.

At a groundbreaking ceremony in May 2015, elected officials outlined the benefits of the project not only in terms of it providing much needed senior housing for Greene County residents, but also in helping to revitalize Waynesburg. Speakers also noted many of the people who would choose to live in the complex would be moving out of single-family homes, making those homes available for others.

Housing has been a central issue in Greene County for several years. A study completed by the county showed a steady decline in the number of new homes being built annually in Greene between 2005 and 2013. The need for additional housing only became more evident as new workers poured into the county to work in the natural gas industry.

Of course, times have changed and the need for housing has somewhat abated thanks to the industry’s initial growth slowing down. However, the gas deposits that brought drillers to the region are not going away, the industry will likely bounce back and the need for housing will remain.

Gateway Senior Housing has been viewed as being a linchpin in the revitalization of Waynesburg’s downtown because it will bring more people into closer proximity to it. Residents of the facility will be able to simply walk up the street to shop.

We’re sorry to say not much has changed in regard to the number of stores and restaurants in the downtown area. However, local merchants have been aggressive when it comes to promoting their businesses, and the borough is nearing completion of a new comprehensive plan that is to address, among other things, ways to attract new businesses to Waynesburg.

The development of the Gateway Senior Housing complex has been viewed as one piece of the puzzle in creating a more vibrant shopping district in Waynesburg. Other pieces will now have to begin falling into place.