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PROJECT PROFILE:
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Passumpsic View Apts., St. Johnsbury
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The Passumpsic View Apartments replace a block destroyed in a tragic fire in
downtown St. Johnsbury. Gilman Housing Trust developed 25 affordable apartments for seniors in the upper stories and leases commercial space on the ground floor.
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A devastating fire in 2000 leveled St. Johnsbury’s Daniels block, a prominent commercial and residential building on Railroad Street, right in the center of town. Three people were killed in the fire, others were made homeless, and Railroad Street was left with a gaping hole. The building’s private owners tried to rebuild, but found they couldn’t make the project work with the insurance settlement. They turned to the city, which asked the nonprofit Gilman Housing Trust to consider the property. Gilman bought the site and put together a financing package. Using VHCB and federal HOME funds, HUD operating subsidies, and a modest capital campaign, Gilman built a four story apartment building on the site, with commercial space on the ground floor. The new building, named Passumpsic View Apartments, has 25 apartments for senior citizens, each with a rent kept at 30 percent of the resident’s income.
“I’m more than happy,” declared one resident. “I absolutely love it here! The ceilings are 11 feet high, the walls are a light cream color, we all have carpeting in the living room and bedroom. The kitchens and bathrooms are tiled on the floor, and the bathrooms have hold bars for seniors almost everywhere.”
- adapted by Ethan Parke from an article written by Doug Wilhelm
After the fire, a large hole on this downtown street. Gilman Housing Trust photo.
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