The City of Sparks’ latest answer to affordable housing for seniors will lie nestled in old Sparks near Fifth and F streets.



Construction will begin on the 42-unit apartment complex in the spring of 2009. In order to inhabit a one or two-bedroom apartment in the complex, residents must be 55 or older and meet certain income requirements.

The apartments are being developed by Shelter Properties Inc. and will receive their funding from Sparks’ share of federal housing funds.



“Our goal is to provide decent housing for seniors at a low cost,” Bob Nielsen, President of Shelter Properties Inc. said. “We also want to add value to the neighborhood.”

The project is moving forward in the wake of Shelter Properties’ most recent low income apartment project for seniors, the Willows at Wells.

“That one has 39 units, it has been open less than 30 days and it is almost half-way full,” Nielsen said.



After a track record of 45 new-home communities in the Reno/Sparks area, Nielsen hopes to address a need for low-income housing in the area.

“We are building this because there is a tremendous need in the area,” Nielson said. “The need increases with the population.”

The planned senior apartment complex was born of federal housing funds allocated to the City of Sparks though the Washoe County HOME Consortium.



Formed in 1994, the Consortium is a partnership among the cities of Reno and Sparks as well as Washoe County. The jurisdictions joined together in order to qualify for increased funding from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

“By forming the consortium we were able to get broader funding,” said Jodi Royal-Goodwin, community reinvestment manager for the city of Reno.

The City of Reno is at the Consortium’s head and, like each jurisdiction, sets its own priorities for funding.

“Then when the application comes in and the funding amount is announced then we divvy up the grant based on the city’s population,” Royal-Goodwin said.

The City of Sparks received a $221,000 share of the funding for the 2008-2009 fiscal year. The City of Reno received $559,000 and Washoe County received $274,000.