Greetings Washingtonians,
The
first week of October was designated Housing Week by Mayor Bowser, and in those few days, we announced initiatives that will have an enduring impact for
District residents.
First,
the Mayor shared another record investment in the Housing Production Trust
Fund (HPTF): $138.5 million in Fiscal Year (FY) 2017. Next, she announced eight awardees from our Spring 2017
request for proposals. It’s important to note that our FY 2016 awardees were mostly preservation projects. However, the District’s population
continues to grow, so we need to increase housing stock in a balanced way by
producing new rental and homeownership projects. Therefore, the eight FY 2017 awardees are primarily new construction projects.
It’s
great to fund projects, but many residents still need financial help when
purchasing a home. In particular, the Mayor wants to give District government
workers and first responders a better chance to work, and live, in the
city. As a result, she announced a new initiative under which first responders potentially could receive $125,000 in down payment and closing cost help (combined with the Home Purchase Assistance Program [HPAP]).
We
make these unparalleled investments and initiatives thanks to the
leadership and vision of the Mayor, and the hard work of our DHCD foot
soldiers, including the Development Finance Division, the Residential and Community Services Division and
the legal team. We are cutting down the time it takes for a great idea to
become reality, and are working smarter and more efficiently to get more
resources out of the door.
We
will not slow down, because our goal is for even more
individuals to have a place in the District to call home.
Polly Donaldson, DHCD Director
P.S. Stay tuned for an announcement in November, when we will open up our next RFP for affordable housing projects.
Follow me on Twitter @maryrandolph
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DHCD staff bask in the accomplishments announced during Housing Week.
Events Emphasized District Work in Providing Housing Resources for Residents
Housing Week 2017, an event celebrating new affordable housing benchmarks and initiatives, was held October 2-6. Mayor Bowser said the week-long celebration was an opportunity for her administration to “highlight the work we are doing across all eight wards to create and preserve affordable housing and put home ownership in reach for more Washingtonians.” Some key highlights include:
- In FY 2017, more than $138 million in investments from the HPTF supported 23 projects that will produce or preserve more than 1,900 affordable housing units throughout the city. “Obviously, these kinds of efforts don’t come without a tremendous team,” said Deputy Mayor of Planning and Economic Development Brian Kenner, who acknowledged the District’s housing leaders at the RL Christian groundbreaking, a 33-unit affordable housing project on 1300 H Street NE.
Firefighter Jonathan Tate shared how District program helped he and his wife Precious buy their first home.
- The amount of home purchase assistance available for all District government employees under the Employer-Assisted Housing Program (EAHP) increased from $10,000 to $20,000 and first responders can receive up to $45,000 in down payment assistance. “It’s critically important for our polices officers – if they can – to live here in the city and become invested in the communities they police,” said DC Police Peter Newsham.
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Eight projects from the Spring 2017 Request For Proposals (RFP) were selected to receive financing and will proceed to the underwriting stage to produce or preserve 500 affordable units. The projects encompass 28 homeownership units in Ward 7, 65 preservation units in Ward 4 and more than 400 new construction units in Wards 5, 6, and 8.
- DHCD participated in the launch of “Housing Insights,” an open data tool created by District residents and software developers to help affordable housing decision makers prioritize their resources and become more proactive. The tool allows users to browse subsidized affordable housing in the District and other critical data (that is, zoning and public transit) to develop strategies to preserve affordable units. DHCD was a partner in this project.
Since January 2015, the Bowser Administration has used every tool in its toolbox to spark the creation or preservation of more than 8,400 affordable units, with another 3,700 units in preconstruction.
Angel Thompson gets the keys to her new home from DHCD's Michael Woodson.
Three's the Charm as DHCD Programs Create Homeownership
Angel Thompson was determined to use every resource
available to purchase her first home. Still, she needed a little luck to beat
the odds.
Thompson successfully completed two DHCD programs to help prepare her for
homeownership: HPAP and the Inclusionary
Zoning Program (IZ).
In June, DHCD held a lottery to purchase a two-story
townhome rehabilitated through its Property Acquisition and Disposition
Division (PADD) in the Shaw neighborhood. The lottery entrants were
comprised of participants from both the HPAP and IZ programs.
Thompson had her name pulled from all the
entrants. By participating in the three DHCD housing programs, she was able to
live in the District and purchase an affordable home in a
well-established community.
She praised the DHCD staff that helped make it happen.
“Thank you for all your hard work,” she said.
Two DHCD-funded Projects
Recognized for Innovations
Two
affordable housing projects funded by DHCD recently received awards for their investment and/or design innovations.
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The Beacon Center is
being honored by the Novogradac Journal of Tax
Credits as one of its Community Development QLICIs of the Year, during the journal's October 18-19 conference. Community development entities
(CDEs) are recognized that made exceptional qualified low-income community investments
(QLICIs) in the past year whose predominant business activity is the
development, management or leasing of real estate. In September 2016, DHCD
provided more than $20 million in financing toward this mixed-use development,
which will feature 99 affordable units, a community space and office
space.
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The Harry and
Jeanette Weinberg Commons received an award in the Affordable Housing category
and also received an honorable mention in the Multifamily category at the 12th Annual North American Passive House
Conference, sponsored by the Passive Housing Institute US (PHIUS). Weinberg
Commons is the first multi-family retrofit project in the United States to
achieve Passive House certification, which is widely considered the most
rigorous energy performance standard in the world. The 36-unit project was allocated
$780,000 in 9 percent low income housing tax credits by DHCD.
HPTF Financing Preserves Affordable Housing Units in Ward 7
In late September, DHCD closed a $12.9 million loan agreement that will help preserve 106 affordable housing units in the Burrville neighborhood of Ward 7. The HPTF financing was provided to Eastern Avenue Redevelopment Partnership, a partnership between Eastern Avenue GP LLC and Winn Development Company LP, for the acquisition and rehabilitation of Hilltop Apartments, a 106-unit apartment complex along the 900 block of Eastern Avenue NE. Seventy-two units will be available for households at or below $66,180 (60 percent of the Area Median Income [AMI]) and remain affordable for no less than 40 years; the remaining units will be available for households at or below $88,240 (80 percent of AMI).
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