Facing declining membership and the rising cost of repairs to their home, the Sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth moved out of the 60-year-old Infant Jesus Convent in June 2013.
Sixteen months later, the Holme Avenue building finally may be in line for a long-awaited facelift and some new residents. During the monthly meeting of the Holme Circle Civic Association on Sept. 24, executives from Conifer, a real estate development and management company, and from Inglis, a nonprofit organization serving the disabled, announced a plan to convert the convent into a 44-unit apartment building for older adults and the disabled.
The two firms, through their joint venture, have a “handshake agreement” with the sisters to purchase the property at 2723 Holme Ave., according to Charles M. Lewis, vice president of Conifer. The religious order subsequently confirmed its intention to transfer the property to the joint venture. The firms have not prepared specific plans for renovating the site, but assured neighbors that plans would be presented at a future meeting of the civic association.
The firms do have a clear concept for the site, however. Lewis spoke of Conifer’s history of adapting former schools and other historic or architecturally significant buildings into residential properties while preserving their traditional exterior appearance. Based in Mt. Laurel, N.J., Conifer has also built new construction in the region, including an apartment building for 55-and-over residents in the Cornwells Heights section of Bensalem near the intersection of Woodhaven Road and Bristol Pike.
Even after construction, Conifer generally keeps the properties it builds, rather than selling them to other management companies.
Inglis, meanwhile, specializes in providing services to disabled people, including seniors, to enable them to “reach their goals and live life to the fullest,” said Kevin S. Kelly, the vice president and chief financial officer. Kelly also serves as managing director of the subsidiary Inglis Housing Corporation.
Based on Belmont Avenue in Philadelphia’s Wynnefield section, Inglis operates a nursing home and 220 additional apartment units in numerous smaller sites throughout the city, Kelly said. The firm is a partner in a new 61-unit older-adult development on the Medical Mission Sisters site in Fox Chase. Kelly added that Inglis is interested in the Holme Avenue project because of Conifer’s strong reputation and because the location is in a safe neighborhood with good public transportation access.
Lewis said that the vision for the former convent is to reconfigure the interior into 32 apartments for adults age 55 and older, four apartments for disabled seniors and eight apartments for disabled people of any age. All apartments will be single-bedroom, so the maximum occupancy would be 88 people. A more likely scenario would be about 60 residents, however.
Income limits would be $33,120 a year for single-occupancy and $37,860 for double-occupancy.
Elsie Stevens, president of the civic association, reported that community representatives toured other Conifer properties, including Cornwells Heights, and were impressed with the facilities and management. ••
