New London – With preliminary zoning approval now in place, the New London Housing Authority plans to seek state funding to construct a 7-story addition to an existing 11-story building at 202 Colman St.

The Planning and Zoning Commission last week approved a site development plan for the addition, which would house 24 one-bedroom units.

The existing 11-story building, called the George Washington Carver Apartments, has 130 apartments and is reserved for low-income elderly and disabled tenants.

New London Housing Authority Executive Director Sue Shontell said the project would cost an estimated $6 million and include renovations to the existing 11-story building.

The housing authority plans to seek funding from the state-sponsored Housing Portfolio program through the state Department of Housing and the Connecticut Housing Finance Authority.

Shontell said it is a competitive process and she won’t know until next year whether the authority will be awarded the financing. The land use approval needed to be in place before applying, she said.

The new addition would be compliant with the Americans With Disabilities Act and attach to the older building, with shared hallways and an elevator. A community room that exists on the footprint of the new structure would be rebuilt.

Renovations to the older building, built in 1972, would include conversion of some of the one-room efficiencies into one-bedroom apartments along with changes to some bathrooms and kitchens to make them more accessible to the elderly. Central air conditioning also would be added.

The older building does not meet handicapped accessibility requirements, but Shontell said efforts are underway to modernize.

The New London Housing Authority manages a total of 433 units. She said there is a constant waiting list for people seeking affordable housing.

In addition to 202 Coleman St., the housing authority manages housing at Gordon Court and Riozzi Court for a total of 210 state-funded units.

The agency also manages 223 federally funded units at 127 Hempstead St. and Thames River Apartments on Crystal Avenue, which is low-income family housing.

The housing authority for more than a decade, up until 2012, was on the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s “troubled” list because of neglected properties, vacant units and millions of dollars in unpaid utility bills.

The housing authority also was a defendant in a class-action suit brought on behalf of Thames River Apartments tenants and have entered into a stipulated agreement for redevelopment of the buildings because of complaints about the living conditions.

“For a long period of time, the housing authority was busy getting itself in order,” Shontell said. “We’re now trying to be proactive and move forward.”

g.smith@theday.com

Twitter: @SmittyDay