LANCASTER – Housing Development Corporation MidAtlantic today celebrated the completion of $5.6 million in renovations at Lancaster House South by dedicating and renaming the building Ruoff Tower after the late Edmund Ruoff, who served as HDC’s president from 1976 to 1998.
The ceremony capped a year’s worth of construction that included renovations of all 20 handicapped accessible apartments, upgraded kitchens in many apartments, new ceiling tile, fresh paint, new carpet and air conditioning in each apartment’s bedroom. Work also included improvements and repairs to the building’s façade, replacing windows and toilets with energy efficient models and renovating the community room.
“Let me suggest that we took a 32-year-old building a made it better,” said HDC MidAtlantic President Michael R. Carper. “With the support of both the Philadelphia and Pittsburgh HUD offices, with the financial guidance from AGM, with the general contractor expertise of CH&E, with the daily monitoring of HDC staff, we have transformed Lancaster House South into Ruoff Tower. It is a stunning example of what $5.6 million dollars can do to breathe new life into an aging structure. But this is not just a building. It is home to more than 150 residents who desperately need this type of housing.
“If Ed Ruoff were here today, he would be immensely proud,” Carper said. “If anyone knew the importance of affordable housing, it was Ed. The fact is we probably wouldn’t be here today if it weren’t for him because he led the charge to get Lancaster House South built.”
Constructed in 1979, the newly renamed Ruoff Tower features 150 one-bedroom apartments. The renovations included the following work:
- Gutting and renovating all 20 handicapped accessible apartments
- Replacing kitchens in all 150 apartments.
- Replacing all 439 windows
- Installing 155 new toilets (152 in apartments and three in common area restrooms).
- Installing 75,000 square feet of new flooring
To complete the renovations, HDC MidAtlantic refinanced the building’s original debt with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. By working with HUD, HDC has committed to preserving Ruoff Tower as affordable living for seniors for another 30 years.
“There was a clear need for affordable housing when Ed Ruoff and HDC teamed up with the Lancaster Jaycees,” Carper said. “Sadly things have not changed much in 32 years. Growing poverty and the decline of the middle class will only create more need for truly affordable housing. While Section 8 gets a bad rap almost daily in communities all around us, Section 8 is essential for the residents of this building. It is the only way that they could imagine retiring with dignity, safety, security and in a healthy way.”
In addition to renaming the building, HDC MidAtlantic also is honoring Ruoff’s memory by creating the Ruoff Memorial Fund. Money raised will help the private nonprofit company pay for crucial “soft costs” such as environmental studies, appraisals and engineering – all of which are necessary behind-the-scenes work that help move a new development forward. By having those done, they can give HDC an advantage in competitive applications for Low Income Housing Tax Credits.
Ed Ruoff served as president of HDC from 1976 until retiring in 1998. During his tenure, he led the company’s expansion into the five counties that surround Lancaster County. In addition to his overseeing the development of Lancaster House South (now Ruoff Tower), he guided the redevelopment of old factories such as The Umbrella Works into affordable apartment communities.
Under Ruoff’s tutelage, HDC grew from its beginning of two employees to more than 100 by the end of his tenure, with HDC nationally recognized as one of the top producers of affordable housing in the country. After retirement in 1998 he continued to serve on the HDC board until 2000.
A long-time member of Trinity Lutheran Church, Lancaster, he served on the church’s housing sub-committee, studying the shortage of housing for lower income people. Through this work, he became part of HDC’s original board.
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Founded in 1971, Housing Development Corporation MidAtlantic is a not-for-profit company dedicated to providing quality affordable rental housing for low-income people and senior citizens throughout Pennsylvania. HDC is the largest provider of affordable rental housing in south-central Pennsylvania and has developed and currently manages more than 3,000 rental housing units in 11 counties.
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