Pennrose, Thriven Design celebrate Grand Opening of Good Shepherd Senior Residences

Thriven Design was proud to celebrate the grand opening of Good Shepherd Senior Residences on Monday, May 11, alongside project developer Pennrose, local, city and state dignitaries, and representatives of the Presbyterian Church.

Thriven Design provided architectural and MEP/FP engineering services for the four-story, 53,000 square foot residence, which will enable adults aged 62 and older to age in place in their longtime neighborhood of choice. The creation of Good Shepherd Senior Residences directly addresses a shortage of affordable housing in Philadelphia and brings creative reuse to the site of the former Good Shepherd Presbyterian Church, a 104-year-old community landmark that was destroyed by fire in 2016.

“The proposed design of the senior residence never endeavored to replicate the grandeur of the original church. Instead the building’s architectural design, details and finishes aimed to extend the historic residential character of surrounding homes to Lansdowne Avenue,” said Thriven Design Principal and Project Manager Christopher J Panella, Assoc. AIA.

“With this aim in mind and along with collaboration through the City’s CDR process, we gathered input from neighborhood residents to help shape a building design worthy of the site’s prominence and history, while ultimately providing residents a grand place to call home in the heart of a vibrant community.”

Good Shepherd Senior Residences contains 55 one-bedroom apartment homes averaging 605 square feet, available to households earning at or below 20%, 50%, and 60% of the Area Median Income (AMI), about $430 to $1,290 for a one-person household. The apartments feature modern finishes, high-quality, energy efficient fixtures and appliances, and are fully accessible and adaptable. Residents have access to a fitness room, multi-purpose community room, outdoor patio with seating, on-site parking, and flex space. The community is designed to meet Enterprise Green Communities and Zero Energy Ready Home standards, and is thoughtfully engineered to provide utility cost savings for residents for years to come.

On-site supportive services will be provided by Pennrose Management Company (PMC) in collaboration with local community partners including WORC and the Neighbors of Overbrook Association.

Good Shepherd Presbyterian Church, now part of New River Presbyterian Church, will also serve as an on-site community partner, providing social services and support to residents.

The project was funded through a layered capital stack that combined permanent debt, public subsidy, and tax credit equity. Permanent debt came from a PHFA Permanent Mortgage, while public subsidy sources included Philadelphia DHCD HOME funds, PHARE HTF, RACP, and Board of City Trust funding. Equity was provided through LIHTC Equity and State Tax Credit Equity.

The creation of Good Shepherd Senior Residences is the latest in a decades-long relationship between Pennrose and Thriven Design that has advanced and preserved the availability of affordable housing in the City of Philadelphia. In addition to Good Shepherd Senior Residence, their shared portfolio includes Maple Village, Tasker Village, Diamond Street Apartments, Wynne Senior Residence, as well as renovations to Neumann North Apartments and FOP Senior Citizens Residence.