‘Everything will be new’
Greenwich Communities enters final phase of Armstrong Court housing renovations
GREENWICH — With the latest $25 million in renovations nearly complete at Armstrong Court, Greenwich Communities is getting ready for the final upgrades to the 140-unit affordable housing complex starting in the spring.
Phase I of the project began in May 2019 and was completed in June 2020, after 18 units were rehabilitated in four buildings at a cost of $15 million.
Phase II, which should be completed in January or early February, included complete renovations of the 42 units in buildings 1, 3 and 6.
Next up is Phase III, slated to begin in April or May, and includes renovating another 42 units in building 2. Cost is
expected to be about $25 million.
“We’re going to go down to the walls and everything will be new . ... We’re changing the redesign of the exterior of the building, too,” said Anthony Johnson, executive director of Greenwich Communities.
“Those exterior catwalks will be enclosed and will become living space,” he said. “The roof, which is currently a flat roof, will become a pitched roof and insulated.”
By the end of the project, there will be 150 total housing units at Armstrong Court, an increase of six.
The Armstrong Court project is funded through federal tax credit financing, state bonds and loans.
Greenwich Communities, formerly the Greenwich Housing Authority, oversees all town-owned public housing.
Originally founded in 1946 to house veterans returning from World War II, the agency now oversees 1,240 housing units across nine properties, which includes housing for families using the Section 8 subsidized housing program. Some 2,570 residents live in the units.
The organization has worked for years on various capital projects to give residents opportunity and to help them live with dignity, organization leaders said.
Renovations, improvements and new construction have remained a priority in recent years.
In December, Greenwich Communities completed a $1.6 million project to refurbish all kitchens in 110 housing units at its Wilbur Peck Court apartment complex with new stainless steel appliances, cabinetry, microwaves and ventilation systems, among other additions.
The downtown housing complex was built in 1953, and the kitchens had not been improved for 40 years, Johnson said.
Similarly, at Armstrong Court, the buildings have not seen a major rehabilitation since they were built in the 1950s, Johnson said.
“It’s an old, outdated building, and the standard of living for those buildings has passed,” he said. “The energy efficiency of those buildings has passed. The quality of life in those buildings is obsolete.”
Greenwich Communities is part of the town government structure, but it operates independently and is responsible for financing all of its projects.
Greenwich Communities leaders have competed for more than a decade to win approval to receive federal tax credits through the Qualified Application Program administered by the Connecticut Housing Finance Authority. The application process is long and expensive, Johnson said.
“You literally have to have plans ready to show them that you are ready to do this development, meaning you can’t just have an idea on a piece of paper,” Johnson said.
Applying for the funding requires a lot of upfront investment in the project, even before chosen organizations are awarded in the competition.
Organization leaders have said in the past they’ve worked diligently to help strengthen family life, foster stable home environments, and promote selfsufficiency for their local clients.
“The tenants are very happy to get this underway, just like the tenants who have moved into (units completed during) phase I,” Johnson said.
“They’re looking forward to a newly-renovated property where they’re going to raise their families,” he added. “And it’s a great thing for Greenwich to have this kind of affordable housing in town — and new quality affordable housing — which there’s not a lot of, in a town like this.”