The 42-year-old Rose Gardens Senior Apartments and its 120 units are feeling their age and are in need of interior and exterior nips and tucks. Instead of continuous repairs or renovation, an entirely new Rose Gardens Senior Apartments – with more amenities and services – will be built with all 120 households to be relocated together in a new affordable apartment community across the street from their current North Las Vegas location.
This is the first project of its kind in Clark County with permanent resident relocation to new facilities compared with a few previous temporary relocations during renovation. Rose Gardens is a Senior Public Housing Development of the Southern Nevada Regional Housing Authority (SNRHA). The estimated $21 million cost to develop the new Rose Gardens affordable senior community is through the federal government’s Rental Assistance Demonstration (RAD) public-private partnership program.
SNRHA has chosen to partner with Nevada HAND (Housing And Neighborhood Development) and its affiliate company HAND Construction to manage and build the new Rose Gardens Senior Apartments. The nonprofit real estate development and management organization was formed in 1993 to improve the lives of low-income individuals, families and seniors in Southern Nevada through affordable housing solutions and supportive services.
Residents are expected to move into their new apartment homes in December 2018. There will be no cost to them for the move; and their rent, which includes utilities, is not expected to increase from the 30 percent of adjusted household income they pay.
“We’re excited to be involved in Rose Gardens with so many great partners and revitalization in North Las Vegas to give residents a brand new home and features and services they currently don’t have,” Mullin said. “This type of public-private partnership is the perfect complement for our mission at Nevada HAND for residents at our properties to reach their full potential by creating opportunities for them to live well through support of economic stability, wellness, education and community engagement.”
Residents are excited too. “We’ve all known about this and have been looking forward to it for some time. Everybody knows everybody here,” said St. Clair Haywood, Jr., president of the Rose Gardens Resident Council.
In addition to new apartments, residents will get more amenities and access to services that are standard at Nevada HAND’s 31 other local affordable family, senior and assisted living communities.
These include a computer lab with free high-speed internet, fitness center, theater room, music room dog run, community gardens, BBQ/picnic facilities, gated parking, more secure building access, full-time property manager and on-site resident services with access to financial, supplemental nutrition, and public resources; volunteer and education opportunities; and social programs.
During construction, residents will remain in their existing apartments. Upon completion, SNRHA and Nevada HAND will work together to make the relocation process seamless. Coordination and support will cover relocation assistance and counseling, transportation and moving services, utility and service transfers, social and support services, and elderly and disability assistance.
The new Rose Gardens will have 102 one-bedroom apartments of about 723 square feet and 18 two-bedroom units with approximately 928 square feet. These are larger than the current units and have more storage space, a private exterior balcony and energy efficient upgrades such as Energy Star-certified appliances. Currently there are 60 studio apartments and 60 one-bedroom apartments.
The design of the new apartments follows Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) concepts and will result in lower energy costs at the complex. There also will be a recycling program. Upon project completion, the existing 1632 Yale Street facilities will be demolished with future plans for the site to be determined.
