Belfort Park Apartments re-open after renovations to provide resilient, affordable homes in Southwest Houston
Bellfort Park Apartments, near the Willowbend, Braeswood, and Willow Meadows communities, celebrated its grand re-opening on July 28, 2021. The community of 64 garden-style apartments has provided homes to Houstonians since 1955, serving individuals and families of low- and moderate- incomes. This renovation, the first development completed through the City of Houston’s Harvey Multifamily Program, updates the apartments and keeps them affordable for another four decades.
“The homes built to be affordable fifty years ago were built before current resilient design and construction standards,” said Mayor Sylvester Turner. “Bellfort Park Apartments is the first development to complete every single stage of the Harvey Multifamily Program. They are setting the standard for what we can accomplish with this program and are helping to pave the way for a more resilient Houston.”
Bellfort Park offers homes to residents who work in essential jobs, such as teachers, retail managers, paramedics, and nurse assistants. Aside from providing updated homes and community spaces, the renovations also elevated living spaces and created infrastructure for renewable energy sources and floodproofing. Residents will benefit from on-site career training, tax preparation, and health fair services offered by the property.
The purpose of the Harvey Multifamily Program is to replace homes damaged by Hurricane Harvey, as well as expand the supply of homes that will be safe from future storms and available to low- and moderate-income renters. The program began accepting applications for developments in early 2019; funds are provided by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and overseen by the Texas General Land Office.
“Bellfort Park was an amazing opportunity for KCG to serve the local community and the city of Houston,” said Ina Spokas, vice president of development for KCG Development, LLC. “We truly believe in our vision of building better lives through better communities. Through this public-private effort, Bellfort Park is a shining example of how those funds were used to create beautiful, safe, new homes for its residents.’
The total renovation on Bellfort Park Apartments cost $14,083,048, with the Harvey Multifamily Program providing $3,500,000. Most of the other funding will be provided through the National Equity Fund via Housing Tax Credit Syndication Proceeds. For additional information on Bellfort Park Apartments, visit KCG Development’s site at https://www.kcgcompanies.com/portfolio/bellfort-park/ .
For additional information on the developments funded through HCD’s Harvey Multifamily Program, please see recovery.houstontx.gov/multifamily .
The City of Houston Housing and Community Development (HCD) makes long-term investments to better the lives of Houston residents by creating opportunities for every Houstonian to have a home they can afford in a community where they can thrive. Our department will spend approximately $450 million in federal, state, and local funding this fiscal year to construct and maintain affordable homes, reduce barriers to homeownership, support the work of social service providers, build public amenities, and facilitate disaster recovery efforts. Learn more about programs and resources for Houstonians at www.houstontx.gov/housing/.
