 Greetings Washingtonians,
I have great news! On September 11, the District Government won a prestigious
award for its efforts to produce and preserve more affordable housing for
District residents. In being named the 2017 winner of the Robert C. Larson
Housing Policy Leadership Award from the Urban Land Institute, ULI noted that our “wide-ranging
efforts are bringing significant local resources to bear and raising the bar
for other cities to meet.”
The award
recognizes exemplary state and local programs that are using innovative
strategies to produce, rehabilitate or preserve workforce and affordable
housing. The District had stiff competition; we were selected over three other
finalist cities—New York City, Boston and Denver. But what stood out for the
jury of national housing leaders was how Mayor Bowser “substantially built on
existing efforts and created new initiatives in an ambitious, multifaceted
strategy.”
The
commitment and vision of Mayor Bowser and Deputy Mayor of Planning and Economic
Development Brian Kenner were critical to getting this type of national recognition.
They gave the DHCD team a mandate: In a
hot housing market, provide more affordable housing and homeownership opportunities
to city residents across all eight wards. And they also gave the resources—such as the $100
million Housing Production Trust Fund (HPTF)—that are making this vision a reality.
To make
it happen, we developed strategies that weren’t just policy statements, but fast-track
action plans, such as the recommendations from the Housing Preservation Strike Force. We made our administrative
processes more efficient and effective in order to more quickly finance
production and preservation projects, and dispose of vacant properties. We made
the extra investments necessary to help more residents get keys to their own home.
We are
humbled that the Larson Award recognizes the Bowser administration’s hard work.
It speaks volumes to the dedication and strength of the Mayor and the DHCD
team, and to the commitment of our Mayor to District residents.
As
innovators, we will not bask in the joy of winning this award for too long. There
are more strategies to implement, and programs to build, so that every
person who wants to call Washington DC their home can do so.
Polly Donaldson, DHCD Director
Follow me on Twitter @maryrandolph
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Time's Running Out to Comment on
New Inclusionary Zoning Rules
A notice of emergency and proposed rulemaking to amend the
regulations governing the Inclusionary Zoning (IZ) program was published this month. Input from the public is welcome, but the deadline to provide comments is only 12 days away.
The new regulations propose a number of changes based on
feedback the agency received from current program participants and an order by the
DC Zoning Commission that simplified the program, to include
setting aside most affordable rental units for households earning 60 percent or
less of Median Family Income (MFI) and most affordable for-sale units for
households earning 80 percent or less of MFI.
Other amendments included:
- Clarifying the household registration process
- Clarifying the lottery process
- Income limits on lease renewals
- Combining lists of those who live and work in
the District
On September 15, DHCD hosted a briefing at its Housing
Resource Center, where representatives summarized and
answered questions for attendees on the proposed regulations.
The public comment period ends on Monday, October 2, 2017.
 Ward 4 Councilmember Brandon Todd, Director Donaldson, Frank Lucician of CHANGE All Souls Housing Corporation, Carl Hairston of City First Bank of DC and Michael Milliner of Building Relationships, LLC cutting the ribbon at 4000 Kansas Avenue NW.
DHCD Thanked for 'Wonderful Work' in Preserving Affordable Housing in Ward 4
You should have seen what this place used to look like,
remarked one attendee of the August 30 ribbon cutting at 4000 Kansas Avenue NW. But
that’s now a distant memory. Thanks to financing from the HPTF and other sources, the building has been restored and affordable
housing has been preserved.
Director Donaldson joined Ward
4 Councilmember Brandon Todd, as well as development and financing partners,
to cut the ribbon on a
rehabilitation project that is preserving 19 units of affordable housing,
ranging from studios to three bedroom units—for households making no more than $88,240 (80 percent of the Area Median
Income [AMI]).
The event opened with Frank Lucician of CHANGE All Souls Housing
Corporation summarizing the project’s journey from concept to completion. Councilmember Todd led attendees in a round
of applause, noting that delivering affordable housing to Ward 4 families is
his big priority. During her remarks, Donaldson noted that the units were
preserved thanks to $2.57 million in HPTF financing. Developer Michael Milliner
of Building Relationships, LLC was so appreciative of DHCD’s support that he
made sure to name every member of the DHCD team for their "wonderful
work and patience" with the project. Carl Hairston of City First Bank of DC
emphasized that the District is committing more to affordable housing than any
other jurisdiction.
As attendees took a tour of the project, now called Thompson Place in honor of a CHANGE All Souls Housing board member, they did see in the lobby some remnants from the building's past: original wall medallions restored to their former glory.
District Native Gets First Home Thanks to Purchase Assistance
Reginald Izlar felt as a renter that the money he earned
working for the District government the past 12 years was being thrown down a
bottomless pit. Homeownership, he thought, offered him an opportunity to have
something he could call his own. This summer, he became a first-time homeowner.
Izlar, a District native who grew up in the Ward 6
neighborhood of Hill East, purchased a newly renovated three bedroom, two bathroom
townhome in the Bellvue neighborhood on Elmira Street SW.
Through HPAP, Izlar was able to receive more than $65,000 in down payment and closing
cost assistance as a first-time home buyer. He also received an additional
$10,000 as a participant in EAHP for city government employees. “It helped,” he said. “It helped a lot!”
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Preserving 360 Units of Affordable Housing
in Three Wards
DHCD recently closed three loan agreements totaling more than $18.9 million in HPTF financing that will help preserve 360 affordable housing units in Wards 2, 7 and 8:
- Mass Place Apartment, LLC, a partnership between
National Housing Trust Enterprise Preservation Corporation (NHT-Enterprise) and
the 1111 Massachusetts Avenue Tenants Association Inc., secured $10.7 million
in HPTF financing to acquire and preserve 160
affordable housing units.
- East River Preservation Partners LLC, a partnership
between NHT-Enterprise and IBF Development, received $6.4 million in HPTF
financing to acquire and preserve16 apartment buildings with
202 affordable units along the 300 block of 37th Place SE.
-
Mi Casa Inc., received $1.7 million in HPTF financing to acquire and preserve an 18-unit apartment
building at 1847 Good Hope Road SE.
 Donaldson Talks About Future of Funding at OTA Summit
Questions may exist about future federal funding levels for housing programs, but the District is in a unique position to deal with any uncertainty, Director Donaldson recently explained to a
group of tenants and their advocates.
Donaldson gave a September 16 presentation at the
"Jim Graham 10th Annual Tenant and Tenant Association Summit" hosted
by the Office of the Tenant Advocate at the Kellogg Conference Hotel on the
campus of Gallaudet University, 800 Florida Avenue NE. In the main plenary
session entitled "The Future of Federal Funding for Affordable Housing
Programs," Donaldson noted that although DHCD has received its federal
allocation from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to fund
local programs for Fiscal Year 2018, uncertainty looms beyond the upcoming
fiscal year. "We don't know what's
going to happen in [fiscal year 2019]," she said.
Despite such uncertainty, Donaldson said that the
District has an advantage that other jurisdictions cannot match. "No other
municipality invests as much in affordable housing as [the District]," she
emphasized.
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Looking through the window into Nubian Huemen at the Anacostia Arts Center Historic Anacostia, where a crowd came to celebrate the boutique's expansion.
Highlight on the Creative Economy:
Nubian Hueman Is Expanding
In celebration of 202Creates,
we are shining the spotlight on Nubian Hueman, a boutique that just celebrated
its four-year anniversary and grand reopening at the Anacostia
Arts Center in Ward 8.
The Anacostia Arts Center is a project of the ARCH
Development Corporation (ARCH), which receives funding from DHCD for small business technical assistance (SBTA) that helps businesses like Nubian Hueman get their start, and grow.
On September 15-23, Nubian Hueman celebrated its expansion
from a cozy 500 square-foot to a sprawling 980 square-foot of
retail space. Voted “2016 Best Boutique” by the Washington Post Express, Nubian Hueman has provided a platform for
over 200 national and international brands and artists since opening its doors in 2003.
Owner and Lead Curator Anika Hobbs
says that boutique’s success is the result of multi-agency
commercial revitalization initiatives that fund ARCH projects (such as the SBTA
and the Great Streets program from the Deputy Mayor of Planning and Economic
Development).
Hobbs further noted that Nubian
Hueman is not just about providing jobs for District residents and contributing
to the District’s thriving economic development. The boutique also supports the
local community by making philanthropic contributions to assist homeless women, fund summer camps for low income families and send fifth graders to South
Africa through the Orr Elementary Embassy Exchange Program.
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