State funding will allow Sharon Ridge to grow

SHARON — State Rep. Roberta Willis (D-64) announced last week that a $3,149,105 grant-in-aid for the Sharon Housing Authority’s Sharon Ridge Apartment expansion project was expected to be approved at the next meeting of the state Bond Commission, on Dec. 9.The funds will make it possible for the Sharon Housing Authority (SHA) to add three new affordable housing apartment buildings, with four apartments in each. Sharon Ridge now has 20 apartments.The three new buildings will have eight one-bedroom apartments and four two-bedroom units.“This project addresses the needs of the elderly and others who need affordable housing,” Willis said. “And it addresses a niche in the market. Not all affordable housing needs to provide ownership; there is a need for rental units as well.”The new units will be green and will make use of new energy efficient technologies. They will be designed to blend into the existing buildings. Willis said it is hoped that “this Sharon Ridge project will serve as a statewide model for rural communities that want to develop affordable housing. This is a wonderful example of what a small town can do to address the needs of affordable housing.” She credited Gov. Dannel Malloy with getting the grant proposal on the agenda of the Bond Commission’s next meeting, and said, “I want to thank everyone involved, especially the volunteers on the Sharon Housing Authority, who helped secure this funding.”

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