Nonprofit Plans 42-Unit Development in Wayne County to Ease Affordable Housing Squeeze

United Neighborhood Centers of Northeastern Pennsylvania announced plans for Timber Mill Commons, a project that would redevelop a former industrial site in Honesdale into 42 apartments for working families and seniors.

Lisa Durkin, the organization’s president and CEO, said the development would include a mix of unit sizes on roughly six acres, with proximity to downtown amenities.

“We’re looking to develop 42 apartments on the site,” Durkin said. “It’ll consist of 14 one-bedroom units, 18 two-bedroom units, and 10 three-bedroom units… and certainly fills a need for affordable housing.”

United Neighborhood Centers, which has operated for more than a century, provides a range of services including housing development, child care, senior programs and community revitalization efforts across northeastern Pennsylvania.

Local officials and housing advocates say the project reflects a growing shortage of housing in smaller communities, where rising costs and limited inventory have made it harder for residents to remain in the areas where they work and go to school.

Durkin said the organization was first approached by a Wayne County housing task force after leaders there saw similar projects completed in neighboring Lackawanna County.

“What we really specialize in is affordable housing,” she said. “These are apartments that fall kind of in between public housing, low-income housing, and market rate… affordable for a working family or for a senior with Social Security and a small pension.”

The need for housing has intensified in recent years, particularly since the COVID-19 pandemic, Durkin said.

“We saw rates really skyrocket. We saw a lot of units come offline,” she said. “We saw a lot of properties, particularly in Wayne County… get converted to Airbnbs,” along with an influx of remote workers relocating from New York.

Durkin said those trends have contributed to a tightening housing market and increased competition for available units.

The project also aligns with the nonprofit’s broader mission to expand housing access beyond its traditional service area.

“It can’t just be solved in one area without pushing a problem to another area,” she said. “People who live in Wayne County and whose children go to school in Wayne County want to live in Wayne County.”

Affordable housing, she added, is typically defined as costing no more than 30% to 35% of a household’s income.

Timber Mill Commons is estimated to cost about $20 million, with construction potentially beginning in about 18 months if remaining funding is secured. The project will rely in part on state low-income housing tax credits and other public and private funding sources.

Durkin said local support has been critical so far.

“I haven’t stressed enough how supportive the county commissioners and state reps and the state senators… and a lot of local residents have been,” she said. “I always feel like that’s half the battle.”

Image: Timber Mill Commons will feature 42 affordable housing units in downtown Honesdale. (UNC)