Construction should begin in Braddock by the end of the year on a four-story apartment building for senior citizens that will be adjacent to UPMC Braddock.

It is part of a series of improvements in that area in anticipation of a major economic development effort next year.

Developers Ralph A. Falbo Inc. of Pittsburgh and Pennrose GP, LLC of Philadelphia expect to provide 50 one-bedroom and three two-bedroom apartments on a half-acre site at Braddock Avenue and Fourth Street.

Allegheny County announced this week that the $12.3 million project will receive a $1.5 million Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency loan and $1.3 million in other county and state economic development loans.

The senior project -- as well as the relocation of the main entrance at UMPC Braddock and rehabilitation of the Rankin Bridge -- is part of the county's efforts to show improvements in the downtrodden community before it advertises for redevelopment proposals for the former Carrie Furnace site.

That site stretches from Swissvale through Rankin and into Braddock along the Monongahela River and is considered the key to helping communities that, for decades, relied on heavy manufacturing.

Falbo and Pennrose have acquired four of the six parcels they need for the senior building and have options on the other two. That includes a former hospital parking lot and several small, empty office buildings.

The building will have some surface parking beside the first floor, which will have offices, common space and a few apartments, said Michael Polite, Falbo's president. Outdoor space at the rear of the building will be set aside for a courtyard.

The building will feature eight apartments for residents with limited mobility, eight for those with severe hearing and vision problems, and 30 will be eligible for those who qualify for Section 8 housing assistance.

Rothschild Doyno Architects, based in the Strip District, designed the building so it would complement the older architecture in the community, said Braddock Mayor John Fetterman.

"It's a really nice addition to the community," he said. "It's reminiscent of the buildings that used to line Braddock Avenue. The architects were very mindful of blending in with what we have and what used to be there."

Construction should begin late this year and be completed in about 14 months.

The $7 million hospital project, expected to begin in July, will involve relocating the main entrance from Holland Avenue to Braddock Avenue. A new MRI suite will be installed above the entrance and a former Sky Bank drive-through across Braddock Avenue will be converted into surface parking, said Jim Spindler, the hospital's director of marketing and public relations.

That project, expected to take about a year, also will include an entrance lane from Braddock Avenue for dropoffs and public transit, Mr. Spindler said. A $3 million state grant will pay part of the costs.

Relocating the hospital entrance is one of the preliminary steps the county is taking to help improve the community before it begins marketing the Carrie Furnace site, said Dennis Davin, director of the county's Department of Economic Development. Other projects include rebuilding the Rankin Bridge and its ramps, opening a youth center on Library Street, building two basketball courts and a playground.

"We're trying to make some strategic investments there before the Carrie Furnace proposals go out [at the end of the year]," Mr. Davin said.

In 2005, the county acquired the key part of the 160-acre site from Park Corp. Mr. Davin has called the site "the last, large piece of riverfront property available in Allegheny County."

The county, which has spent millions on environmental cleanup and site preparation, envisions warehousing, office buildings and light manufacturing at the site to balance The Waterfront in Homestead.