Mayor Bowser Announces $103 Million Investment in Affordable Housing

(Washington, DC) – Mayor Bowser today announced the selection of nine projects that will produce or preserve housing for more than 1,700 residents—including seniors and residents experiencing homelessness—with approximately $103 million in funding from DC Government.

“Washington, DC is growing quickly, so we’re working quickly to make room for everyone, especially our long-time residents,” said Mayor Bowser. “Using every tool in our toolbox means preserving the affordable housing we already have available, building new units, and funding innovative projects that do both—that’s what these nine projects will do.”

The nine selected projects will provide affordable housing across five wards—Wards 2, 4, 5, 7, and 8 (no proposals were received for Wards 1, 3, and 6). The projects consist of four new production projects, three preservation projects, and two mixed projects that preserve existing units but will also add new affordable units. All projects will serve households making no more than 80 percent of the Median Family Income (MFI, $117,200 in FY 2018).

The funding for the projects includes $78,218,179 from the Housing Production Trust Fund (HPTF), $25 million in equity from nine percent low-income housing tax credits (LIHTC), and 106 local rent supplement program (LRSP) vouchers.

“We have been very strategic in our approach to funding affordable housing projects over these last few RFP cycles so that more individuals will be able to call Washington, DC their home,” said DC Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) Director Polly Donaldson. “In 2016, we focused more on preservation projects, but we shifted more toward production projects in 2017. In 2018, we struck a perfect balance between the number of production and preservation projects, and included two projects that both preserve existing units and produce new ones. Most key, many of these projects will target specific special populations of residents, like our seniors and our homeless population.”

Senior housing will comprise approximately 21.4 percent of the total units (four projects with 155 units capable of housing almost 350 seniors). Permanent supportive housing (PSH) for individuals and families experiencing homelessness make up nearly 8.5 percent of the total units (60 units capable of housing more than 130 homeless individuals). In fact, all production and production/preservation projects— as well as one preservation project—include PSH in their unit mix.

Nearly two-thirds of the units will be dedicated toward households below 50 percent MFI ($58,600). The specific breakdown is as follows:

• 127 units will be for households at or below $35,160 (30 percent MFI)
• 381 units will be for households between $35,160 and $58,600 (30 percent to 50 percent MFI).
• 242 units will be for households between $58,600 and $70,320 (50 percent and 60 percent MFI)
• 22 units will be for households between $70,320 and $93,760 (60 percent and 80 percent MFI).

The projects will now proceed to the underwriting stage and join other selected projects already in the pipeline at DHCD. The agency will release the next Request for Proposals for affordable housing projects in late June. The nine projects are listed below.

Production Projects

• Mary's House (Ward 7) will produce 15 units for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer/same gender loving (LGBTQ/SGL) seniors—including three with PSH— using $1,193,239 in HPTF. Developer: Northern Real Estate Urban Ventures, LLC
• 3500 East Capitol Street NE (Phase II) (Ward 7) will produce 95 units—including five with PSH—using $16,831,202 in HPTF. Developer: MidAtlantic Realty Partners LLC
• 1100 Eastern Ave NE (Ward 7) will produce 63 units for seniors—including 13 with PSH—using $11,387,395 in HPTF. Developer: Neighborhood Development Company
• Spring Flats – Senior (Ward 4) will produce 88 units for seniors—including 14 with PSH—using $6,984,660 in HPTF. Developer: Spring Flats MD, LLC

Preservation Projects

• SOME-Anna Cooper House (Ward 2) will preserve 47 units using $4,666,340 in HPTF. Developer: SOME, Inc.
• Anacostia Gardens Apartments (Ward 8) will preserve 99 units for seniors using $9.85 million in HPTF. Developer: The NHP Foundation
• Randle Hill Apartments (Ward 8) will preserve 195 units—including 20 with PSH—using $13 million in HPTF. Developer: Community Housing Inc. (CPDC)

Production and Preservation Projects

• Petworth Station Feb. 2018 (Ward 4) will provide 88 units—including one with PSH—using $8.5 million in HPTF. Developer: WC Smith
• Hanover Courts Apartments (Ward 8) will provide 82 units—including four with PSH—using $5,806,343 in HPTF. Developer: EquityPlus Manager LLC

Today’s announcement comes during June Housing Bloom, a month-long initiative launched by Mayor Bowser to showcase how the public and private sectors are partnering to produce and preserve affordable housing and revitalize neighborhoods across Washington, DC. Throughout June Housing Bloom, which is designed to complement National Homeownership Month, the Bowser Administration is holding events celebrating homeownership opportunities, the production and preservation of affordable housing units, and the transformation of vacant spaces.

Since coming into office, the Bowser Administration has sparked the creation or preservation of more than 10,800 affordable units, with more than 5,100 in preconstruction. In the Fiscal Year 2019 budget, the Mayor invested more than $1 billion toward making Washington, DC more affordable for residents in all eight wards.