‍Community Impact – Private Public Partnership  

Located in the heart of the City of Harrisburg’s Uptown neighborhood, J.M.B. Gardens (The Gardens) will be developed by Vice Capital Group (VCG), a partner of Crazy Work Construction ,a MBE meeting SDB requirements, on 29 blighted Residential Infill parcels along North 6th and Emerald Streets. A well-respected for-profit, VCG was founded by Harrisburg native and former NFL player, LeSean McCoy, to directly invest in the City’s advancement and sustain growth. The underlying plan for every VCG endeavor is the betterment of underserved communities.  

‍

Honoring a Legacy

‍J.M.B. Gardens is named after Mr. McCoy’s beloved grandparents, Deacon James and Maryann Branch, in honor of their exemplary lives. The Gardens is highly leveraged with a PHFA 1st Mortgage of over $2.7 million and a 10-Year County, City and School District Local Economic Revitalization Tax Act Program (LERTA).

‍

CW / VCG Participation  

Vice Capital has formed substantial partnerships with the Redevelopment Authority of the City of Harrisburg (HRA) and the Harrisburg Housing Authority (HHA). The project will advance HRA’s mission, "to eliminate blighting conditions that inhibit neighborhood reinvestment, to foster and promote sustainable neighborhood revitalization and urban renewal, and to facilitate new business and housing development." To achieve this goal, HRA is donating 25 vacant HRA-owned properties to VCG to create new affordable housing. HHA is donating four HHA-owned vacant properties, in addition to, providing eight project-based vouchers to assist residents with the most need; to “promote freedom of housing choice for low-income families.” Through these collaborations, a positive impact will be made on the lives of Harrisburg residents and strengthen the community for continued stabilization well into the future. The Uptown area is thriving with the new State Archives Building ($24 million) and Federal Courthouse ($190 million) within a couple blocks of The Gardens. The Archives and Courthouse are a boom for Harrisburg, triggering at least $300 million in development around the sites. Proposed in a Qualified Census Tract, The Gardens is the new construction of four residential buildings of two- and three-story duplexes with a Community Service Facility (CSF) (51,688 GSF). The overall approach is transitional design; brick and siding were selected to fit in with the existing neighborhood materials. Overhangs on the entries give residents the feel of front porches also consistent with the neighborhood but with a more modern design. The development will consist of 14 one-bedroom (average 894 NSF), 16 two-bedroom (average 1,048 NSF), and 11 three-bedroom units (average 1,486 NSF); six units are fully accessible, and one H/V dwelling unit shall be provided. From the total 41 units, five will be targeted to tenants earning up to 20% area median income (AMI) and one for 30% AMI, a total of four are HTF-designated; 15 will be targeted to tenants earning up to 50% AMI; and 20 units are targeted to tenants earning up to 60% AMI. The CSF will consist of a community/flex room with attached kitchen, management and supportive services offices, a computer room and free broadband services. A pocket park positioned centrally in The Gardens development will serve as an outdoor gathering space for community events. The units will be highly energy efficient, achieving Zero Energy Ready Home and LEED Silver Certifications

‍

‍

Comprehensive Supportive Services and Transit Accessibility at J.M.B. Gardens

Extensive supportive services, through the joint efforts of VCG, as the developer, CRM Residential, as the management agent, and the Harrisburg Area YMCA, as the Supportive Services Provider, will enable all individuals to maintain their well-being through locally developed community-based systems of services. The development’s Supportive Services Program provides a variety of outreach to address educational and financial limitations, employment, maintain health and independence, promote access to services, and socialization. These services promote the ability to maintain the highest possible levels of function, participation and dignity in the community. The Gardens, a Transit-Oriented development, has access to several CAT fixed routes, including Route 3 buses, which provide service to the Harrisburg Transportation Center (HTC) 1.8 miles south of the site along the edge of Downtown. The HTC also serves as a stop along the Amtrak Keystone Corridor. According to the Real Property Research Group market study, “The subject site has good access to neighborhood amenities and the local transportation network. The inclusion of a community service facility at the subject would be a great benefit to the community. We estimate that the eight units at the subject that include rental assistance will lease up as quickly as applications can be processed while the remaining 33 income-restricted units at J.M.B. Gardens will likely lease units at an average pace of eight units per month. At this pace, the property would be fully leased in four months of opening. Once the property is stabilized, we expect that it will maintain very high occupancy over the long term.”

‍

‍

‍

‍