Construction crews broke ground in late 2025 on Seton Square Portsmouth, a three-story, 57-unit affordable housing community for seniors rising on the site of a former Catholic church in West Portsmouth, Ohio. The $13.9 million project already has roughly 130 people on its interest list before its expected opening in early 2027, according to developer Borror Development.
The development is the product of a partnership stretching back more than five decades between Borror Development and the Catholic Diocese of Columbus, working through its affiliate Seton Development. As reported by Construction Owners, that partnership covers everything from development and operations to maintenance planning, financial reporting and regulatory compliance for the new community, which will house residents age 62 and older earning at or below roughly 50% of the area median income. Borror said demand for the units has been strong, per the outlet's report.
General contractor The Douglas Company, which announced the groundbreaking in November 2025, designed the 48,930-square-foot building with architecture firm Archall Architects under a contract valued at approximately $13.9 million. According to The Douglas Company, the project also secured a $10.2 million award from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's Section 202 Supportive Housing for the Elderly program, which the contractor noted was one of the largest Section 202 grant awards in Ohio.
How the Funding Stack Came Together
Beyond the federal grant, the project's financing drew from multiple sources. The same contractor's project page describes an $8 million equity investment from Ohio Capital Corporation for Housing, $3 million in loan capital from Ohio Capital Finance Corporation, and a philanthropic grant from the Ohio Capital Investment Corporation. The Ohio Housing Finance Agency Board approved its own share of financing in March 2025, authorizing a $2 million Housing Development Loan along with up to $11 million in OHFA-issued Multifamily Housing Bonds for the project, per the Ohio Housing Finance Agency.
Under federal Section 202 rules, tenant rent is capped at 30% of a resident's adjusted gross monthly income, with HUD covering the remaining operating costs through Project Rental Assistance Contracts, according to the National Council on Aging. Eligibility also requires that at least one household member be 62 or older.
Amenities Built Around Aging in Place
The West Portsmouth location was chosen specifically for its proximity to a local senior center, grocery store and public parks, developer documentation released in November 2025 noted. Planned amenities include one-bedroom apartments, a community room, fitness center, library and game room, along with laundry facilities, an outdoor courtyard, a community garden, a walking path, dedicated scooter storage and raised garden beds. Seton Square Portsmouth also plans on-site management and social services once it opens.
A Growing Need Among Scioto County Seniors
The timing lines up with local demographic pressures. U.S. Census Bureau data compiled by USAFacts shows the poverty rate among adults 65 and older in Scioto County rose from 13.1% in the 2015–2019 period to 14.6% in 2020–2024, while overall countywide poverty stood at 21.8%. Meanwhile, senior households make up 26% of all households served across the Portsmouth Metropolitan Housing Authority's 643 public housing units in the county, all of which maintain open waitlists, per the housing authority's own program data.
That supply gap helps explain why Seton Square Portsmouth's interest list has already reached about 130 names for just 57 units. A potential second phase, tentatively called Seton Square Portsmouth II, could add another 57 units, though that expansion depends on further funding and program approvals. Ohio's Housing Finance Agency has already received a proposal summary for the second phase under its 2026 Housing Tax Credit program's New Affordability Rural Senior category, according to agency records, though whether the application will ultimately be approved remains an open question.
Part of a Broader Statewide Network
Seton Square Portsmouth is one piece of a much larger footprint. Borror Development's portfolio shows the Diocese partnership also spans active renovations at Seton South, Seton West and Seton Square North in Columbus, along with Seton senior properties in Coshocton, Dover, Lancaster, London, Marion and Zanesville. Borror describes the Portsmouth project as demonstrating the integration of long-term property management with resident needs from planning through operations, spanning the full life of a building rather than just its construction.
