Homes for heroes: Tobyhanna commences work on new Army family housing project

TOBYHANNA, Pa. —The skies were gray but golden shovels gleamed as leaders from Tobyhanna Army Depot and their private military housing partner, Centinel Public Partnerships (Centinel), broke ground on a project to build better housing for military families.

Depot Commander Col. James L. Crocker presided over the highly anticipated event, which commenced a $38M project that will build 35 modern and accessible homes for American heroes stationed in Northeastern Pennsylvania. Crocker was joined by Cadence Communities Project Director Todd Wentland along with William Ramey and Amalia Thomas of the Installation Services Directorate.

The project is a collaboration between the depot and Centinel as part of the Army’s Small Installation Privatization Initiative to revitalize military housing across the country. Other participating installations include the Natick Soldier Systems Center in Massachusetts; U.S. Army Garrison-Miami in Florida; Rock Island Arsenal in Illinois; Fort McCoy in Wisconsin; Fort Buchanan in Puerto Rico; and Fort Hunter Liggett in California.

Built in the late 1970s, the existing homes in Tobyhanna’s family housing community, Tobyhanna Pines, will be demolished immediately. In their place, 35 new homes will be constructed: 16 four-bedroom properties, 18 three-bedroom properties, and a single four-bedroom property that is compliant with the Americans with Disabilities act.The new community will boast a new name, Cadence Communities, and American warriors from all military services will be eligible to reside there.

The culmination of the project will bring a robust military community back to Tobyhanna, according to Housing Manager Colleen Gavin.

“Right now, military families lack a ‘hub’ in Northeastern Pennsylvania. When the homes are ready for occupancy, our warfighters and their families will have a central location to live and thrive,” she said. “We look forward to helping create a culture of camaraderie and providing secure housing options for those who defend our nation so bravely.”

Wentland said the new homes are the product of a strong partnership and a shared purpose between Centinel and Tobyhanna.

“Today’s groundbreaking at Tobyhanna Army Depot marks more than just the start of construction on 35 new homes as part of Cadence Communities. It symbolizes our enduring commitment to delivering high-quality housing and a sense of community for the service members and families who call this installation home. We are proud to be part of the Tobyhanna family and grateful for the trust placed in us,” he said, adding that warfighter quality of life drives all aspects of the project.

“The new homes will replace aging units with thoughtfully designed residences that reflect the evolving needs of today’s military families—spaces that support their well-being, resilience, and connection.”

In addition to military families, Gavin emphasized that Department of Defense (DOD) civilian employees and military retirees will also benefit from the project.

“If the Cadence Community is 95% occupied by active-duty military members and there is no demand from other warfighters, DOD employees who work at Tobyhanna or military retirees will be eligible to move in,” she said. “Having this housing on post creates opportunities for active-duty families, unaccompanied military personnel active National Guardsmen and Reservists, military retirees, and federal civilians.”

The event marked a significant accomplishment for those in the Installation Services Directorate, who spent years planning the modernization project.

“It is a proud day to see the groundbreaking for our new Army family housing neighborhood. Providing new homes and bringing soldiers and their families back to our installation with ease of access to our community services, fitness centers, and child and youth services will provide the holistic support our warfighters deserve,” Ramey said.

Oustrich agreed, adding that the final product will provide better experiences for military families living in Northeastern Pennsylvania.

“This construction project will bring military families back to the installation as part of the Tobyhanna family and afford them certain amenities not available to them while living on the economy,” he remarked.

The Cadence Communities are expected to be completed and ready for occupancy in mid-2027.

Fostering quality housing for American warriors is a TOBY2035 Invest in Our People and C5ISR Readiness initiative. Tobyhanna Army Depot’s long-range strategic plan, TOBY2035, strives to position Tobyhanna for success in the coming years as the Department of Defense's premier worldwide C5ISR readiness provider.

Cadence Communities is a 50-year partnership established in 2023 between Centinel, a leader in community development, and the U.S. Department of the Army. With a commitment to enhancing the quality of life for military members and their families, Centinel, alongside property management partner WinnResidential Military Housing Services, will develop, build, renovate, finance, and maintain more than 540 homes across seven U.S. Army installations that make up Cadence Communities. This commitment will create vibrant and supportive communities that meet the evolving needs of soldiers and their families until 2073 and beyond.

Tobyhanna Army Depot is a recognized leader in providing world-class logistics support for command, control, communications, computers, cyber, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (C5ISR) systems across the Department of Defense. Tobyhanna’s Corporate Philosophy, dedicated workforce and electronics expertise ensure the depot is the joint C5ISR provider of choice for all branches of the Armed Forces and industry partners.

Tobyhanna’s unparalleled capabilities include full-spectrum logistics support for sustainment, overhaul and repair, fabrication and manufacturing, engineering design and development, systems integration, cyber support, technology insertion, modification, foreign military sales and global field support to our joint warfighters.

About 3,100 personnel are employed by Tobyhanna. While the organization’s headquarters is located in the Pocono Mountains of northeastern Pennsylvania, Tobyhanna’s worldwide workforce includes employees in 43 fixed locations across the globe.

Tobyhanna Army Depot is part of the U.S. Army Communications-Electronics Command. Headquartered at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, the command’s mission is to deliver integrated C5ISR weapon systems, business systems, and medical sustainment to enable full spectrum combat operations at the point of need.

*Visual Information Specialist Justin Kucharski contributed reporting to this article.*