City officials join residents for ribbon-cutting ceremony marking new community and renovation of existing affordable housing in North Philadelphia
April 16, 2026, Philadelphia, PA — Executives of the Philadelphia Housing Authority and their private-sector development partner, The Michaels Organization today celebrated the expansion of affordable housing in Philadelphia’s Sharswood neighborhood. The new 43-unit community, Harlan Sharswood Townhouses, was developed simultaneously with the rehabilitation and modernization of the original 71-unit Sharswood Townhouses, which Michaels developed in 2000. Both efforts are part of the PHA Sharswood Blumberg Choice Neighborhoods Transformation Plan.
“This is just another example of our commitment to preserving and expanding affordable housing in Sharswood and across Philadelphia,” said PHA President & CEO Kelvin A. Jeremiah. “Since Michaels invested in both new construction and existing houses, we are ensuring longtime residents can continue to call Sharswood home as we continue to build a vibrant community that everyone can thrive together. I want to thank HUD, Mayor Parker, and The Michaels Organization for continuing to support Sharswood as a neighborhood of choice.”
The new Harlan Sharswood Townhouses community offers two- and three-bedroom apartments across 24 stacked-flat and townhome-style buildings, with amenities including a community room, offices for on-site management, and an expanded common laundry facility, which residents of both communities can use.
Rehabilitation efforts at Sharswood Townhouses, adjacent to the new community, included major building upgrades for long-term sustainability, as well as interior and exterior improvements, including new kitchens and bathrooms. Both communities are 100 percent occupied and residents joined city leadership and other community stakeholders for the celebration.
“Congratulations to Kelvin Jeremiah and the entire team at the Philadelphia Housing Authority for reaching another milestone in delivering 20,000 affordable housing units,” Mayor Cherelle L. Parker said. “That progress, combined with our historic H.O.M.E. Initiative, keeps us on a path to create and restore 50,000 units of quality housing for residents across every income level. The opening of Harlan Sharswood Townhouses and the modernization of the existing community show what is possible when government, private partners, and neighborhood residents come together to invest in people, strengthen neighborhoods, and build a safer, more affordable city.”
In recent years, the neighborhood has seen significant change under the PHA’s Neighborhood Transformation Plan. In November 2013, the PHA received a $500,000 grant through the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Choice Neighborhood Initiative to transform outdated public housing as well as the surrounding Sharswood neighborhood. Retaining affordable housing as the neighborhood grows was a critical component of the Sharswood developments.
“Michaels has been a proud partner of the Philadelphia Housing Authority for over two decades,” said Milton Pratt, Jr., Executive Vice President of The Michaels Organization. “Together, our work in Sharswood reflects the long-term commitment to expanding and preserving affordable housing in Philadelphia.”
In addition to city and PHA officials, executives from HUD as well as the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency joined in the ribbon-cutting event.Completing the rehabilitation and new construction work in a single development phase enabled innovative financing for the $33 million project. The majority of the funding was sourced from federal Low-Income Housing Tax Credits, allocated by PHFA, which raised more than $13 million in private equity. In addition to the tax credits, PHFA provided $5.8 million in permanent debt, and the PHA provided a $3.5 million soft loan. The development also benefits from nearly $6.2 million in funding from the City of Philadelphia.
Urban Practice, a leading architecture and design firm based in Camden, NJ, designed Sharswood Townhouses III. Michaels will provide property and asset management, ensuring that both communities remain valuable community assets for years to come.
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About the Philadelphia Housing Authority: The Philadelphia Housing Authority’s mission is to open doors to affordable housing, economic opportunity and safe, sustainable communities to benefit Philadelphia residents with low incomes. To learn more visit pha.phila.gov.
About The Michaels Organization: The Michaels Organization is a national leader in residential real estate, offering full-service capabilities in development, property management, construction and investment. Serving more than 200,000 residents in more than 600 communities across 39 states, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, Michaels is committed to crafting housing solutions that jumpstart education, civic engagement and neighborhood prosperity, and to creating Communities that Lift Lives.
