A 69-unit complex, made up of entirely affordable housing apartments, is set for Norwalk.
The Oak Grove Apartments and Learning Center will be developed by the Norwalk Housing Authority and Heritage Housing on a nearly 8-acre plot owned by the Authority.
The Authority received just under $2 million from a state grant program, and will cover the rest of the $36 million total cost with tax-exempt bonds.
With an existing Norwalk Housing Authority complex and child care center next door, the development will increase childcare options for residents.
The child care space will be 5,000 square feet with two classrooms, a prep space for cooking, a playground and additional flexible areas, Heritage Housing founder David McCarthy said.
“The current learning center here is just too small for the demand the housing authority has for it, and it was also really not laid out to be a learning center. It was originally an apartment,” McCarthy said.
While the center will provide child care, its services include educational programs such as a STEM club, homework help and literacy courses.
Oak Grove is part of the state’s Community Investment Fund, Deputy Commissioner of the city’s Department of Economic and Community Development, Robert Hotaling said.
“The creation of more childcare and youth development opportunities, which not only give kids strong community guidance as they grow but also gives mom and dad a chance to get back to work if they're really trying to do that,” Hotaling said.
The first round of Community Investment Fund programming was approved in December, with 26 projects in 15 municipalities receiving $76.5 million, Hotaling said.
More recently, in the second round of funding, nearly $100 million was designated for 28 projects, including $1.8 million for the complex.
“It is a grant program that’s targeted at unlocking the economic development potential for historically underserved communities in Connecticut,” Hotaling said. “It includes $175 million each year for five years to uplift towns and cities by providing inclusive growth and opportunity by focusing on unique and targeted investments.”
