Pennrose, FOP Senior Citizens Inc. and project partners last week celebrated the launch of the revitalization of the apartment complex, at 730 Byberry Road in Somerton.
There will be $24 million in building repairs, in-unit upgrades and the addition of supportive services to the 106-unit affordable senior housing community. The rehabilitation is anticipated to be completed in spring 2026.
Speakers at the celebration included Jacob Fisher, Regional Vice President, Pennrose; Tom Macartney, President, FOP Senior Citizens Inc.; Gene Cummings, Vice President, FOP Senior Citizens Inc.; John Paone, Board Member, Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency; Mark Dodds, Interim Director, Division of Housing and Community Development, City of Philadelphia; Alice Udovich, Chief of Staff/Zoning L&I Specialist, Office of Councilman Brian O’Neill; Patti Leneghan, Office Manager for state Rep. Martina White; and Margot Elton-Ratliff, Vice President of Operations, Pennrose.
The revitalization includes updates to the building’s exterior, infrastructure and streetscape, including roof and window replacement, façade repairs, landscaping upgrades and accessibility improvements to the parking lot and sidewalks. The building’s common areas and community amenity space will receive new flooring, sprinkler system and energy-efficient lighting.
The building’s studio and one-bedroom apartments will also undergo renovations, including new flooring and doors; updated kitchens with new countertops, cabinets and energy-efficient appliances; new bathroom vanities, plumbing and reglazed bathtubs; new in-unit air conditioning units; and fresh paint.
Plans for the project include the addition of on-site healthcare provider space.
Of the building’s 106 units, 11 will be converted to ADA-accessible units and four will be outfitted for residents with hearing or vision impairments.
“No one will be displaced,” said Fisher, with Pennrose, the developer and property manager, whose motto is “Bricks & Mortar, Heart & Soul.”
Financing for the rehabilitation was provided by Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency, Philadelphia Housing Development Corporation, Federal Home Loan Bank of Pittsburgh, Capital One and FOP Senior Citizens Inc.
“This is a magnificent building with great people here,” said Paone, the longtime PHFA board member.
Cummings, the vice president of FOP Senior Citizens, thanked the Somerton Civic Association and the offices of Councilman Brian O’Neill, Rep. Martina White and Sen. Jimmy Dillon.
Udovich, of O’Neill’s office, thanked Paone for his efforts and said, as a senior citizen and Somerton resident, she is looking forward to the renovations.
“We need more locations like this,” she said.
FOP Senior was built in the 1960s to house retired Philadelphia police officers and their immediate family aged 62 and older. The apartments are now open to all people 62 and older who qualify. ••
