Many enlightened cities and redevelopers are transforming vacant lts and blighted buildings into affordable housing these days. Some do it better than others.
On September 11, 2017, the Urban Land Institute‘s (ULI) Terwilliger Center for Housing selected three such high-quality efforts as winners of the 2017 Jack Kemp Excellence in Affordable and Workforce Housing Award.
The annual award, which honors developments that ensure housing affordability for people in a broad range of incomes, is given to developments in which all or a portion of the units are affordable to households earning up to 120 percent of the area median income (AMI). Here are the three winners:
Newark, New Jersey: In 2015, public and private partners crafted a plan to transform the vacant Hahne & Co. department store building into a thriving, modern residential and retail community. A public/private partnership, spearheaded by L+M Development Partners and Prudential Financial Inc., led to the rehabilitation of the 400,000-square-foot (37,000 sq m) building and construction of a 120,000-square-foot (11,200 sq m), nine-story addition. This redevelopment has played a central role in the economic revitalization of downtown Newark. The mixed-use development offers housing, retail space, jobs, and educational opportunities near transit. Its 160 units of housing include 64 units affordable to people earning less than 60 percent of AMI.
Boston, Massachusetts: Mosaic on the Riverway, a mixed-income and mixed-tenure development near jobs, addresses a child-care shortage through a 9,000-square-foot (835 sq m) early childhood education center located on the ground floor. The project embodies the spirit of Boston mayor Marty Walsh’s policy to build for all of Boston, providing housing for a wide range of households, from formerly homeless families and first-time homebuyers to doctors looking for a condominium close to work. The project, which earned Silver certification under the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program, includes 145 units—60 are affordable to households earning less than 60 percent of AMI, and 43 are condos for households earning 60 to 120 percent of AMI.
Austin, Texas: Wildflower Terrace, a mixed-income apartment community for people age 55 and older, is located in the 700-acre (283 ha) Mueller redevelopment community. The amenity-filled development, which received LEED Silver certification, includes a community activity room with a covered terrace, movie theater, fitness center, art studio, library, laundry facilities, business center, game room, billiards room, and an outdoor courtyard with access to greenways and trails, swimming pools, parks, shopping, and public transportation. It includes 201 units, 171 of which are affordable to households earning less than 60 percent of AMI, three for those earning 60 to 120 percent of AMI, and 27 market-rate units.
Featured rendering is Wildflower Terrace in Austin, Texas.