Competitive Grants Spur Innovation
Note:
- Akron
will use one grant to substantially rehabilitate 105 units and common
area at a property built in 1970 that suffers from original design
defects. The work will bring the units into full compliance with
Uniform Federal Accessibility Standards (UFAS) and will provide
additional space for supportive services. Another grant will be used to
complete a mixed-finance development that will include 48 new units of
low and very low income housing.
- Baltimore plans to renovate and make energy efficient 240
scattered sites that are currently dilapidated and unoccupied, along
with 30 conventional public housing units. In addition to providing
badly needed housing, the renovations will help reinvigorate distressed
neighborhoods where they are located. Renovated units will be more
energy efficient, with updated lighting and plumbing.
- Boston is taking a 10,000 square foot community and
office center
and upgrading it to a full service center for frail elderly and people
over 55 with disabilities. The center will be operated by Upham’s Corner Health Center’s
Elder
Service Plan-PACE. Services will include medical and supportive
care, adult day health programs and other programs designed to help
elders age in place. Another grant will be used to start what will
eventually be complete redevelopment of an 845-unit site that is the
most physically distressed in the authority’s portfolio. The first
phase will provide two new 6-story midrise buildings, eight family
townhomes and a new community center. The redevelopment will also
create walk-able streets and provide access to safe, reliable public
transportation at the site.
- Bridgeport is targeting several projects with its
Recovery Act grants. They plan
to make P.T. Barnum, a 38-building development, safer and sustainable.
Changes will include adopting an experimental stair design that has
been shown to reduce crime and add life to building materials. They
will also be able to finish work on a 240 unit development for elderly
and persons with disabilities, and greatly enhance safety and
accessibility at another elderly development.
- In Cambridge,
the authority is using one of its grants for a major energy upgrade of
a 39-year-old building that houses elderly and disabled residents.
They estimate a 39% reduction in source energy consumption and at least
26% reduction in water use. In other neighborhoods, they will be able
to begin work on replacing one building and completely renovating
another. All these projects are part of the authority’s Preservation
Program, an ambitious campaign to modernize or redevelop its entire
state and federal public housing portfolio over the next ten years.
- Camden is building a mixed income development that will
provide 68 family
units in nineteen two-story buildings. Residents will also have access
to a new community center being built in the neighborhood, where the
authority will hold workshops and educate residents on energy
conservation. The authority is also significantly expanding community
and supportive office space at its John F.
Kennedy Tower, providing room for social
and outreach workers, exam rooms, and additional education courses.
- In Charlotte,
the housing authority is completely renovating individual units and
common areas in an 11-story high rise that is home to seniors and
persons with disabilities. When finished, it will provide 125
efficiency and 36 one-bedroom apartments. They are pursuing LEED
silver certification, with changes that will provide an almost 37%
reduction in energy and water consumption. The plan also includes
significant non-energy related renovations to community space in order
to provide a wide range of services on-site. It will include medical
offices, supportive services, and a library.
- The Chicago Housing
Authority will be able to build a new mixed-income, mixed-finance
development on what is now a vacant site. The new housing will include
32 public housing units, 31 affordable units, and 21 market rate units;
it is part of a larger public-private development effort to revitalize
the Ogden North neighborhood. Funds will also be used to finish the
transformation of the 18-acre Cabrini-Green development. The first two
phases produced 391 units, including 107 public housing units. The
final phase will provide 112 new rental units that include 39
replacement units for Cabrini residents and 53 affordable units.
- Denver is starting work on the first phase of a 17.5 acre
mixed-use,
mixed-income, transit-oriented community intended to serve as a
national model. The community will include 100 public housing units,
and is designed to deliver exceptional environmental efficiency and
energy performance. In addition, the authority will work to enhance
residents’ health by providing better access to fresh fruits and
vegetables, and by constructing bike and pedestrian-friendly routes.
Additional grants are being used to renovate a 192-unit building and
improve pedestrian access to a future light rail station from an
adjacent senior community center.
- In the District of Columbia,
one grant is being used for new construction to turn a former public
housing site into a green, transit-oriented, mixed use, mixed finance
development. It will include a solar power array, vegetative green
roof, bio-retention facilities and Energy Star appliances. The
completed development will include 110 public housing units, 69
affordable units, and 85 market-rate home ownership units. Other funds
are being used for the total rehabilitation of 26 scattered site units,
taking them from energy-wasting properties in various states of
disrepair to models of resource and cost efficiency.
- El Paso is using its award to finance its Paisano Green
Project, redeveloping
what was once a 46 unit community into one that provides 64 units and
is energy efficient and sustainable. Originally built in 1952, the 4.2
acre parcel has been vacant for 10 years. The development will include
a range of green improvements, such as ensuring connections between
neighborhoods and green space, improved surface water management
techniques, and the use of renewable energy resources.
- Jersey City is undertaking a range of projects that will
improve its portfolio. The
largest grant received was to immediately demolish three obsolete high
rises, making room for building 124 new units; the project has been
significantly delayed because of years of underfunding. The authority
is also creating a special crew of skilled trades people that will
focus on expediting the turnover of vacant units. A number of senior
apartments will sport fresh paint for the next three years, and their
community centers will be upgraded.
- In King County,
56 units at 17 properties will be upgraded to include accessible entry
routes and bathroom fixtures, grab bars, roll-in shower stalls and
other changes. Some of the units will include additional features for
sight or hearing impaired residents, including alarm systems. Four
other properties will be outfitted with energy efficient windows and
lighting, new exterior insulation and other features, including new
ventilators to improve indoor air quality. Funding will also allow for
completion of the final phase at Greenbridge, including 20 more units,
completing a portion of the site-wide trail system and finishing
sidewalks on another public road.
- The City of Los Angeles authority
will be able to expand its very successful water conservation campaign
that in its first phase saved 48 million gallons of water. The campaign
includes resident education, new lease rules, water audits, and
water-saving devices. They will also be retrofitting units to be more
energy efficient, and introducing a new ‘walkable neighborhoods’
initiative.
- Miami Dade is building a 354-unit mixed-income
development,
including 177 public housing units, 107 lower and moderate income
units, and 70 market rate units. The building design will be
complementary in scale and architecture to the community, not only
blending in but catalyzing further revitalization. This will be the
county’s first multifamily rental development that employs guidelines
from Enterprise Green communities and LEED for Neighborhood
Development.
- Milwaukee is making accessibility
modifications at its Lapham
Park
high-rise. This senior building is home to the nationally recognized
Lapham Park Venture, which provides comprehensive and coordinated
services that allow seniors to age in place. The grant will be used to
make modifications in 119 of its 200 units; the authority plans to
submit a low-income housing tax credit application to modify the
remaining units. In addition to accessibility, the funds will provide
for central air conditioning, new elevators, new windows, and a new
covered residential entry.
- Minneapolis is
building a state-of-the-art 50,000 square foot senior center that will
serve not only its 400 elderly residents, but other low-income seniors
in the community. The center will house a health clinic and adult
daycare program, as well as provide space for various social service
providers, social activities, and recreational opportunities. Near the
center, the authority is going to build a 48 unit green senior housing
development; they are going to partner with Hennepin County to target
frail, elderly residents with memory loss issues – the first of its
kind in the state.
- The New Bedford
Housing Authority will use its grants to reduce energy costs and
provide more handicap access. The authority is planning to build two
miniature cogeneration plants that will provide energy to the
developments, the YMCA, and the Boys & Girls Club. The authority
is also retrofitting 20 units to be handicap accessible, and preserving
122-state funded units.
- New Haven plans to complete the third phase of a
mixed-income development, adding
33 units and 20 homeownership parcels on what is now vacant land. The
first two phases created 160 units of mixed-income and rental housing,
a community center and new public streets. Another grant will be used
for a mixed-income development in partnership with the city of New Haven
to create a more vibrant community. It is designed to be more socially
and economically diverse than the development it will replace and is
geared toward families and seniors.
- Newark is using Recovery Act funds to jumpstart
development of a new green,
compact, and sustainable mixed-income community that is a five minute
walk from a central transit station. Using the design principles of
the Enterprise Green Communities Criteria Checklist, they will demolish
three dilapidated high-rises containing 502 units and replace them with
400 new mixed-income rental and homeownership units. A key element of
the new neighborhood will be Baxter Park,
envisioned as a ‘gracious public outdoor room’ that encourages
pedestrian activity and connectivity with the city.
- Portland has a grant for its Resource Access
Center,
the cornerstone of the city’s 10 year plan to end homelessness. The
center will provide housing, employment, and treatment counseling; hot
showers; storage; and communication services to help with job and
housing searches. It is designed to be a LEED Gold certified
development, incorporating a number of cutting edge sustainability
design elements.
- The Sacramento Housing Authority plans to renovate a building
that is considered a
blight on the surrounding community. The 12-story mixed-used building
is more than 30 years old; the authority’s offices are on the first
three floors. Due to the extensive repair needs on the other floors,
all the 108 units intended to house seniors and people with
disabilities sit vacant. The renovation will include replacing old and
deteriorating mechanical and electrical systems, installing a new roof,
and rehabbing each unit with new appliances, tubs and sinks. The
building will also be more secure, with new fire alarm systems and
security lighting.
- In San Antonio,
Recovery Act funds will be used to make improvements in 14 communities
serving the elderly and persons with disabilities. In addition to
making buildings fully accessible, the improvements will create a more
comfortable environment that encourages residents to socialize. The
funds will also build additional space for partner agencies to provide
specialized services, including nutrition and health screenings.
-
San Bernardino will make energy efficiency and green
upgrades to 338 units at its Medical Center
public housing site. They will be replacing inefficient lighting,
windows, water heaters, refrigerators and cooling systems; they will
install photovoltaic systems to produce solar energy. The authority
anticipates annual savings of $176,855 as a result of the improvements
- San Francisco’s
grants will allow significant green upgrades at 638 family, senior, and
disabled public housing units at four properties. The improvements
include replacing windows, and expanding existing energy conservation
measures, with estimated annual decreases in energy consumption ranging
up to 39%. The authority is also increasing accessibility at its Rosa
Parks development for units and common spaces.
- In St. Paul,
the authority will make energy improvements at four high-rises;
improvements will include window, boiler and toilet replacements,
lighting improvements and replacing all the refrigerators in one
building. Altogether, the upgrades will impact 569 units.
- The Seattle Housing Authority
is leveraging its grant with $22 million from other sources to build
118 energy-efficient units that will complete the transformation of its
65-acre Ranier Vista development – named one of Seattle’s
best places to live in 2007. All the units will meet Evergreen
Development Standards. The authority is also rehabbing a 221-unit,
40-year-old concrete and brick housing that primarily serves seniors
and people with disabilities. New features include triple glaze windows
that provide additional sound insulation and mitigate heat from the
afternoon sun, a UV protection coating applied to the roof, and
replacement of the 40-year-old hot water heating system.
- Yonkers won its grant for plans to build a deep well
geo-thermal system at a
senior site with 139 units. Geothermal units are at least 30% more
efficient than air source heat pumps and twice as efficient as electric
resistance heating. Since they have no outdoor coils or components that
can be damaged, they also provide significant maintenance benefits to
housing authority.
See
grants on Google Maps
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