Wasilla Senior Campus plans new living facility

WASILLA -- Wasilla Area Seniors Inc., the corporation that manages the Wasilla Senior Campus, has received nearly $4 million in funding for the development and construction of 30 additional units of senior housing. These funds are a combination of low income housing tax credits, home funds and loans.

The Wasilla Senior Campus has pioneered the practice within the state of using low income housing tax credits for construction of new assisted living housing; Knik Manor, which was the first facility to use this practice, is set to open on March 1. However, the process hasn't been easy. "We've had to shoot the eye of the needle to make it happen," said Mary Haley, deputy director of the campus.

The funds will go toward construction of a senior housing facility called Alderview on the Wasilla campus. The seventh housing project constructed on the campus since its incipience, Alderview will increase the total number of housing units on site to 191.

The Wasilla Senior Campus has constructed a new living facility roughly every two years since its foundation.

Alderview will consist of 24 units of low income senior housing and six units of market rate senior housing. These units comprise five efficiency apartments, nine one-bedroom apartments, and 16 two-bedroom apartments. Each unit will be equipped with standard appliances including a washer and dryer, and will have carports, patios or decks, and full handicapped access available.

Construction will begin on Alderview by May, with occupancy planned for January 2005.

Knik Manor, the senior campus' first assisted living facility, is planned to open in March as well.

The Wasilla Senior Campus continues to take applications for residents seeking to live in this new facility. Though the waiting list for units on the campus is long (200 or more names are on the list at any given time), Haley stressed that even those applicants whose names lie near the bottom of the list may find themselves selected for housing at any time, owing to the fact that new residents may be called upon to move in without much notice, and not everyone is ready to occupy a new apartment immediately.

Wasilla residents interested in applying for residency in the new facility should call Elin at the senior campus at 376-3104.

Contact Daniel Spoth at daniel.spoth@frontiersman.com.