By Cindy Schroeder
Enquirer staff writer

ERLANGER - A 34-year-old apartment complex will undergo a major rehabilitation and reopen as apartments and townhomes for moderate-income residents in about five months.

Once it's rehabilitated, Seville Manor will be renamed Ashwood Apartments and Townhomes and will feature 56 one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments. Another apartment will be converted into an office, computer room and exercise room for tenants.

A groundbreaking is set for 11 a.m. today.

Ashwood Development, a joint venture of Lexington-based Rouse Development Group and Ed Ashcraft, who owns Ashcraft Farm in Owenton and Walton Village Apartments in Northern Kentucky, is spending about $2 million to transform the once-troubled complex near Arnett Elementary School into affordable housing for working class families.

People with incomes at or below 60 percent of Northern Kentucky's median income can rent the units at Seville Manor. That's about $41,000 a year for a family, said Tom Fielder, an architect for Rouse Development.

"That covers a lot of government employees and teachers and people who work at the airport," Fielder said.

Mayor Marc Otto said the Erlanger Housing Corp. is constantly looking for ways to improve residential properties and attract residents.

Activities at Seville Manor prompted many police calls in recent years, and while "not run-down, (Seville Manor) certainly wasn't top-notch," Otto said. Ashcraft said the complex has bad heating systems, virtually no insulation, and windows "that aren't even double pane."

Between January 1998 and July 2004, police and firefighters responded to Seville Manor 457 times, Erlanger Police Chief Marc Fields said. Those included 64 calls for domestic disputes, disorderly people and loud music or noise; 30 hang-ups for 911 calls; and 28 drug calls.

"Mr. Ashcraft will not only renovate the property, he's also keeping an eye on security," Otto said. "He's had numerous meetings with the police chief and code administrator to make sure he's going at it the right way. He's been a very proactive guy."

Ashcraft said the project would not have been possible without the help of its equity partner, the Bank of Kentucky, the city of Erlanger and federal tax credits. Ashwood Development will receive tax credits worth nearly $2.5 million during the next 10 years through the federal Low Income Housing Tax Credit Program. The program offers incentives for developers to provide affordable rental housing.

E-mail cschroeder@enquirer.com