Former Trenton School Site Lands $54.3M Aspire Award for Affordable Senior Housing

• Address: 800 Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, Trenton, New Jersey, on the former Junior One Middle School site.
• Trenton Housing Authority and People Restoring Communities (PRC) are partnering on 107 affordable senior apartments.
• The NJEDA approved up to $54.3 million in Aspire tax credits, alongside a $900,000 HUD grant and additional housing financing.
• Plans include approximately 10,000 square feet of commercial space, including a 7,400-square-foot daycare facility.

Former Trenton School Site Moves Toward Redevelopment

A long-vacant school site in Trenton’s North Ward is moving toward a new chapter as an affordable senior housing development. Known as THA Senior, the four-story project will replace the former Trenton Junior One Middle School at 800 Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard with housing and community-focused amenities. The 1.85-acre school property closed in 2007, was damaged by fire in 2023, and was demolished in 2025. The project’s final site plan was approved by the Trenton Planning Board in April, clearing a key local approval milestone.

 

 

107 Affordable Homes for Seniors

The development is planned to include 107 affordable one-bedroom apartments for residents aged 62 and older, along with a two-bedroom superintendent’s unit. The senior apartments are intended for households earning no more than 60% of area median income. Amenities are expected to include a fitness room, community room, outdoor patio, walking paths, parking, and playground equipment. The development will also offer programs for residents and the surrounding community, including workforce development, senior services, education, youth support, financial empowerment, and early learning.

$54.3M Aspire Tax Credit Anchors Public Financing

The New Jersey Economic Development Authority approved an Aspire Program award of up to $54.3 million, capped at 85% of the project’s total cost. The project also secured a $900,000 grant through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Choice Neighborhood Implementation Plan. The New Jersey Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency approved permanent financing and allocated federal Low-Income Housing Tax Credits. Together, the public financing sources are helping advance the project’s affordable housing and neighborhood revitalization goals.

Daycare and Commercial Space Add Community Uses

The mixed-use development will include roughly 10,000 square feet of commercial space, with 7,400 square feet dedicated to a daycare facility. The remaining space is intended for community-based organizations and services. Construction is expected to begin in December 2026 and take approximately two years, with completion anticipated around 2028. The project adds a new layer of community infrastructure to a site that has remained vacant for nearly two decades.

Investor Takeaway

THA Senior demonstrates how public financing can unlock redevelopment of a long-idle institutional property. The combination of senior housing, childcare, and community services positions the project as more than a standalone apartment building, while the substantial Aspire award and layered funding provide a path toward construction.