H2M, WellLife Network Break Ground
on Medford Gardens
H2M architects + engineers recently joined WellLife Network, along with local and state housing officials, to celebrate the start of construction on Medford Gardens, a three-story, 67-unit affordable senior housing development in Medford, NY.
Representatives for H2M included Real Estate Market Director Michele Pincus, Esq.; Architects Jim Havrilla, R.A., Jennifer Guzman, AIA, NCARB, and Louis Giacalone, R.A.; Interior Designer Megan Ballato, CID, IIDA, NYSCEO; Mechanical Engineer Joseph Balicki, P.E.; and Architectural Designer Marissa Buonincontro.
H2M helped WellLife Network design an updated building within the original site footprint in order to better fit the organization’s budget and reduce the need to re-obtain municipal approvals. H2M also helped secure approval and funding from the New York State Division of Housing and Community Renewal (HCR), which financed the project as part of a broader initiative to create or preserve 100,000 affordable residences throughout the state.
Apartments at Medford Gardens—10 studios, 56 one-bedroom units, and a single two-bedroom unit for the property manager—will be available to individuals aged 55 and older earning less than 60 percent of the Area Median Income. Half of the apartments are further reserved for seniors in need of additional support due to struggles with mental health and housing insecurity. For these residents, WellLife Network will offer on-site crisis intervention, case management, vocational training, and other vital social services.
In addition to providing architectural designs, H2M also designed the apartment building’s MEP and fire protection systems and implemented 2023 HCR Sustainability Guidelines and Enterprise Green Communities 2020 Plus Criteria. The building will be centrally located on the 6.63-acre lot, surrounded by on-grade parking, electric vehicle charging stations, sidewalks with connected walking paths, patios, outdoor recreation space, landscaped gardens, storm drainage retention ponds, and the existing surrounding wooded areas. The development will also include a separate sewage treatment plant on the northwest side.
Construction on Medford Gardens is scheduled for completion in the summer of 2026.