Severna Park's newest apartment community is intended to help some seniors stay in Severna Park.

Park View at Severna Park, the new apartment community along Route 2 near Earleigh Heights Road, is slated to open in January, almost a year after construction started. The community is being built to cater to moderate-income seniors, an effort to provide affordable housing so some resident aren't forced to look outside of Severna Park for housing.

And already, it's proving to be successful.

Jeffrey Hettleman, executive vice president of Baltimore-based The Shelter Group, the firm that is developing Park View, said his company already has between 300 and 400 people on a list, ready to move in.

"We started taking applications and we're working through that list," Hettleman said. "About 60 percent of the units have leases in place. It will probably be fully leased by the time we open."

To be eligible, a resident can have a maximum income of $35,000 a year, or $40,000 for two people. Monthly rent is set at $925 for one person and $1,110 for two people.

Hettleman said there is a "huge need" for moderate-income housing for seniors in this part of Anne Arundel County.

"And for those with moderate income in particular, seniors living on a fixed income, with a small pension, maybe just social security," Hettleman said. "Their homes may be too big to maintain or they're living in an apartment building with a lot of kids and no elevators."

They may not be able to afford the high-end communities, leaving them with a tough decision.

"These people are faced with either staying where they are or moving away from their families, their churches, their communities," he said.

The Shelter Group's answer will be similar to another of its communities in Anne Arundel, Park View at Furnace Branch.

Park View at Severna Park will have 103 units, both one- and two-bedroom apartments. Hettleman said the community has various amenities, such as a multi-purpose room, a kitchen and a living room with a fire place.

There's also a game room and a movie room, a library, a computer café and a beauty shop/barber salon. The community also will have an exercise room and a wellness suite for doctor's visits.

Linda Zahn, chief executive officer of the Greater Severna Chamber of Commerce, said the community is "really important" for Severna Park since there is a high number of seniors living on a fixed income.

"It could make a big difference in that regard," she said. "The economy has been rough and it has hurt a lot of people's investments. There's a lot of people who are not as comfortable with their retirement options as they once may have been.

"This will be a great new addition to our community."