City of Houston selects 4 more developments that create affordable apartments with federal funds for Harvey recovery
September 4, 2019 — Round 1 of the City’s Harvey Multifamily Program includes $163 million of investment that will create 1,604 apartments
Houston will soon have many more affordable, resilient apartments for renters.
The City of Houston’s Housing and Community Development Department today announced four additional awards for its first round of funding for the Harvey Multifamily Program. This program finances the construction and renovation of rental homes lost or damaged during Hurricane Harvey. The program is funded through a grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
The four awards are for: a residence for low-income seniors at 2100 Memorial Dr.; a mixed-income development at St. Elizabeth’s Place, the former hospital in 5th Ward; a New Hope Housing residence for people who have experienced homelessness; and the rehabilitation of the W. Leo Daniels senior housing complex.
“Nearly a quarter of Houston’s rental housing was affected by floodwaters during Hurricane Harvey,” said Housing and Community Development Director Tom McCasland. “Low-income renters often have an especially hard time recovering from a disaster like Harvey. Our commitment to an equitable recovery means that we’re moving quickly to make investments in affordable apartments that are resilient to future disasters and close to good schools and transit.”
The four developments bring the first round of funding under the Harvey Multifamily Program to a total of $163 million in 15 developments. 1,604 units will be developed with this funding. 1,348 units will be rented at affordable rates to income-qualified renters.
Summary of the four latest awards:
- 2100 Memorial: The existing senior residence flooded during Harvey. After all residents are relocated, the building will be demolished and rebuilt to be safe from future flooding.
- St. Elizabeth’s Place: The St. Elizabeth Hospital closed in 2014 and will be redeveloped into a mixed income housing development located in the heart of the Fifth Ward.
- New Hope Housing: The latest development from New Hope will provide 100 units of supportive housing for families in the Second Ward.
- W. Leo Daniels Tower: The eight-story development will be fully rehabilitated to provide long term affordability to senior residents.
The Harvey Multifamily Program opened in February 2019. A total of 56 proposals were reviewed for funding and awards were announced in June, July, and August. The total budget for the Harvey Multifamily Program is $350 million. Two additional rounds of funding are expected to be announced in 2020 and 2021.
Prior to Harvey, a total of 12,800 units that received investment from the City’s housing programs were subject to monitoring to ensure they were rented to income-qualified renters. The additional 1,348 guaranteed-affordable rental units from this first round of Harvey recovery funding represent an 11% increase in affordable rental homes funded by the Housing and Community Development Department.
To find apartments that must be rented at affordable rates, visit the Harris County Housing and Community Resource Center or Social Serve.
Assistant Director for Multifamily Ray Miller added, “These developments are the first construction projects that will benefit from the Build Houston Better Workforce Protection Measures. Protecting workers and making sure they make a living wage is an example of equity in disaster recovery.”
These standards apply to multifamily developments funded with $350 million in the Harvey housing recovery budget. Protections for workers include: an hourly base wage of $15, workers’ compensation insurance, and safety certification training. The program also requires 10% of all project work hours to be done by workers registered in an apprenticeship program and another 10% to be completed by low-income residents through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Section 3 program.
| Development | Developer(s) | Other Financing | Total Units | Guaranteed Affordable Units | Council District | HCDD Priority | Award Amount* |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2100 Memorial | Houston Housing Authority / Columbia Residential | 4% HTCs | 196 | 196 | H | Preservation of existing affordable multifamily housing | $25,000,000 |
| St. Elizabeth’s Place | Fifth Ward CRC / Cantwell Anderson | Conventional | 179 | 91 | B | Located within Community Reinvestment Area (TIRZ 18) | $23,680,000 |
| New Hope Housing | New Hope Housing | 4% HTCs | 100 | 100 | H | Located within Second Ward Complete Community | $12,500,000 |
| W. Leo Daniels Towers I | W. Leo Daniels Towers, Inc. | 4% HTCs | 100 | 100 | H | Preservation of existing affordable multifamily housing | $10,000,000 |
|
Avenue on 34th |
Avenue CDC | 4% HTCs | 70 | 56 | C | Areas experiencing high rental costs that cause displacement of LMI households | $7,400,000 |
|
Change
Happens City Living |
Change Happens / NHP | 4% HTCs | 74 | 67 | D | Located within Third Ward Complete Community | $12,518,766 |
|
Scott Street Lofts |
Mark-Dana Co/ Urban Partnership CDC | 4% HTCs | 123 | 98 | I | Transit Oriented Development | $15,730,788 |
|
The Gale Winds Apartments |
Avenue CDC | Conventional | 18 | 10 | H | Preservation of existing affordable multifamily housing | $1,226,750 |
| The Briarwest Apartments | Blazer Development | 9% HTCs | 120 | 100 | G | Area of low poverty concentration and high performing schools | $2,500,000 |
| 900 Winston | Magellen Housing TX / Royal American Development | 9% HTCs | 114 | 102 | H | Area of low poverty concentration | $9,250,000 |
|
Bellfort Park Apartments |
KGC Development | 9% HTCs | 64 | 64 | K | Preservation of existing affordable multifamily housing | $3,500,000 |
|
Gala at MacGregor |
Gardner Capital | 9% HTCs | 85 | 75 | D | Located within Community Reinvestment Area (TIRZ 7) | $9,570,000 |
| Edison Lofts | DWR Development Group / Edison Arts Foundation | 9% HTCs | 126 | 107 | K | Located within Community Reinvestment Area (TIRZ 11) | $8,000,000 |
|
McKee City Living |
Covenant Community Capital / Gulf Coast Housing Partners | 9% HTCs | 120 | 96 | H | Located within area of low poverty concentration | $11,700,000 |
|
South Rice Apartments |
The Brownstone Group | 9% HTCs | 115 | 86 | J | Located within Gulfton Complete Community | $10,000,000 |
| Total | 1,604 | 1,348 | $162,576,304 |
Funds for Harvey Recovery Programs are provided by the City of Houston and the Texas General Land Office through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Community Development Block Grant Program.
