York Town News
York Housing Authority welcomes the community to Deerfield Place
By Jennifer L. Saunders
Jim Gambrill and Jud Knox of the York Housing Authority join Sarah "Tinker" Newick at the ribbon cutting ceremony for Deerfield Place, the YHA's first-ever unsubsidized housing option for moderate-income senior citizens. Gambrill and Knox praised Newick for her generosity in making the land available to make the project a reality.
Photo by Jennifer L. Saunders
YORK VILLAGE - Those who attended the official opening of Deerfield Place agreed that Thursday, Sept. 21, was the perfect day for a housewarming.
In this case, however, it was a housewarming for 28 moderate-priced homes for senior citizens, provided by the York Housing Authority and built by Pine Brook Corporation of Kittery.
Dozens gathered at Deerfield Place, located at the York Housing Authority's Long Sands Road parcel, to tour two of the apartment residences and to enjoy refreshments and conversation at the ribbon-cutting ceremony Thursday afternoon.
Among those in attendance were Jud Knox and Jim Gambrill of the York Housing Authority and local resident Sarah "Tinker" Newick.
"We're just so excited about this," Gambrill said of the official opening of Deerfield Place.
The new residences, housed together in a cheery yellow building adjacent to other York Housing Authority apartment complexes, were two years in the making from the conceptual design phase to completion, Gambrill and Knox confirmed.
Financing for Deerfield Place was provided by a conventional mortgage through a consortium of community banks including Kennebunk Savings Bank as the lead bank with Ocean National, TD Banknorth and Sanford Institute for Savings. Additional funding was provided by Coastal Enterprises, Inc.
"Deerfield Place offers many amenities to provide seniors who have a moderate income a comfortable living situation within walking distance to York Village," according to a synopsis of the new housing options provided by the YHA. "This is a rental opportunity for those not requiring a subsidy."
The apartments range in size from 620 to 911 square feet, with the average rent set at $1,150 plus a fixed fee for utilities.
Both Knox and Gambrill said Deerfield Place and the YHA offerings on Long Sands Road could not have been possible without Newick's generosity.
"Sarah made it all possible," Gambrill said.
Newick confirmed that she had made the land available to the YHA, adding she was very happy to see so many people enjoying their visit to Deerfield Place on Thursday.
"This was my home," she said of the quintessential New England house located on the site, which now serves as offices for the YHA, and of the land that has become "home" for so many other local residents.
And while Knox and Gambrill acknowledged they are pleased to see Deerfield Place open and fill a need for seniors of moderate means, they added the YHA has not given up its hope of providing a similar option in the form of home ownership for those who serve the town of York in moderate-income jobs.
Although the town has postponed any action on an ordinance to make workforce housing available through the YHA, the plan will move forward, the YHA board members agreed.
"That's not an issue we're going to abandon," Knox said.
For more on the York Housing Authority or Deerfield Place, call 363-8444.
