The office of State Representative Steve McCarter issued an email announcing the dispersion of more than $1.1 million dollars to two Montgomery County housing projects, one of which is currently under construction in Jenkintown. Roizman Development, Inc., the builder of Summit House, currently under construction in Jenkintown, will receive $656,642 from a state fund for low income housing.

Its president, Israel Roizman, also donates heavily to Montgomery County and State Democratic candidates. In 2017, he donated over $90,000 to Josh Shapiro’s campaign, another $130,000 to Tom Wolf, and more than $8,000 to county commissioner Val Arkoosh.

During a “Meet the Commissioners” meeting in Abington last year, County Commissioner Val Arkoosh spoke of the project as a done deal weeks before Jenkintown Borough Council voted to allow the variances that Roizman needed before starting construction.

Summit House provides age-restricted housing for people 62-years and older. The building will contain 64 one and two-bedroom senior units for low income residents, which taxpayers will subsidize.

When announced, Summit House created a major controversy in Jenkintown in May of last year, partly because it required the demolition of the historic Salem Hill Baptist Church buildings, but mostly because of residents concern for how it would impact the town’s character and parking supply.