We are happy to see the progress on the apartment building in the former YMCA building at Fourth and Elmira streets.

The building, which long sat vacant, will soon offer 34 apartments, according to a report in Thursday’s Sun-Gazette.

As we have editorialized before, our region’s future hinges on two factors: the creation of jobs to support families and the construction of housing so that those families can live and build their lives in our communities.

These factors are interconnected — our region will be more attractive to industries and businesses if the investors believe the workforces they need can easily find the housing they need.

The investment in new workplaces and new homes can also find new, constructive purposes for vacant buildings, as it did in this case. Rehabilitating these buildings helps reduce blight and helps return properties to contributing to communities.

We understand that some readers will find the monthly rent for the apartments to be high. While we sympathize, we also must reiterate that one apartment building was never going to be the entire solution to Lycoming County’s problem. Our region needs more housing, both for rent and for purchase, that fit a variety of budgets.

We appreciate that the new 343 West Branch Building is an important and necessary step in the right direction, and we hope both to see more projects renovate existing buildings and construct new ones and to see the leadership that allows developers to meet that need without undue burdens and scrutiny.