CLPHA Press Room

From the Columbus Metropolitan Housing Authority's press release:

The Columbus Metropolitan Housing Authority (CMHA) and national nonprofit The Community Builders announced today it has completed the $4 million acquisition of the United Way of Central Ohio (UWCO) downtown headquarters and property.

The move clears the way for CMHA and TCB to proceed on the development of AspireCOLUMBUS, a new $70 million, 12-story building that will combine up to 30,000 square feet of commercial space on the first two floors and 136 affordable apartment homes on the remaining upper 10 floors.

“AspireCOLUMBUS is an innovative, mixed-use project that will set a new standard for inclusive excellence in downtown development,” said CMHA President and CEO Charles Hillman.

“We have put community, opportunity, diversity, and affordability at the core of this plan and the vision is to remain committed to those principles for decades to come,” Hillman said. “Our intention for AspireCOLUMBUS is to prove that you can add a new piece to the Columbus skyline while also providing housing opportunities for residents across the income spectrum.”

Anticipated next steps in the project’s evolution include:

• The CMHA Board of Commissioners is tentatively scheduled to issue a Request for Proposals (RFP) in November/December and hire a demolition firm in January 2024 that will raze the United Way’s existing three-story building.

• Demolition is expected to be completed in early 2024, weather permitting.

• Groundbreaking on the site to begin construction is roughly set for early 2025, with construction to be finished during 2026.

• The grand opening is targeted for early 2027.

Housing choices will vary from studio to 1-, 2- and 3-bedroom units. Eligible households are those earning between 80% or below of the Area Media Income in Columbus which, for example, is approximately $55,550 for an individual and $79,350 for a family of four.

UWCO announced the selection of the AspireCOLUMBUS proposal from CMHA and TCB for the sale of its headquarters site at 360 S. Third St. last year.

"There is an indisputable need for affordable housing in central Ohio, particularly in the vicinity of schools, jobs, and public transportation,” said Lisa Courtice, CEO and President of United Way of Central Ohio.

“Soon, the location that served as our headquarters for more than 40 years will become a beacon of what's possible when investors and developers come together to serve the greater good. We are very pleased that our vision is becoming a reality."

Battelle Memorial Institute Foundation donated the 1.08-acre site to United Way of Central Ohio in 1978 for use as its headquarters. When the nonprofit decided to sell the property, it enlisted the help of a Real Estate Task Force consisting of United Way employees, board members, community volunteers and outside advisors, who reviewed all proposals submitted and provided a final recommendation to the United Way Board of Trustees to accept the CMHA/TCB proposal.

AspireCOLUMBUS will hold true to the history of the site by selecting partners for the non-residential spaces in the building who adhere to the UWCO’s mission and values – neighborhood-serving uses that meet community needs, from early education to minority-owned business development.

It’s the first-ever collaboration between CMHA and TCB and represents TCB’s first investment in Columbus, one of the nation’s hottest housing and commercial real estate markets. Established in 1964, TCB opened its Columbus office in 2019 and is a leading nonprofit developer of mixed-income housing, completing over 33,000 multifamily homes across 15 states and the District of Columbia.

“TCB looks forward to providing an exciting new future for 360 S. Third Street,” said Jeff Beam, TCB regional vice president for real estate development.

“Our partnership with CMHA combines national experience with local knowledge to expand housing opportunity for Columbus residents and spark new business investments. We share the values of United Way and look forward to making Columbus an even more inclusive and vibrant city.” 

TCB and CMHA has selected Moody Nolan to lead the design team. Headquartered in Columbus and with 11 regional offices across the U.S., Moody Nolan has grown since its founding 40 years ago to become the largest African American-owned and -operated architectural firm in the country and is the 2021 recipient of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) 2021 Architecture Firm Award, the AIA’s highest honor. Moody Nolan is the first African American firm in the U.S. to earn this recognition.

The funding sources for AspireCOLUMBUS will include New Markets Tax Credits equity, traditional debt, CMHA funding, Low-Income Housing Tax Credit equity and potential “gap” funding from state and local partners.

CMHA will lead the overall development for AspireCOLUMBUS, including programming, design and construction oversight based on decades of experience developing and owning housing in Central Ohio. TCB will be the co-developer, bringing substantial experience with mixed-income and mixed-use development and financial structuring from multiple other regional and national markets.

The proposed redevelopment of the United Way of Central Ohio site comes amid a well-documented shortage of affordable housing in Central Ohio. Only 29 affordable housing units are available for every 100 extremely low-wage earning households in the Columbus and Franklin County area. In Franklin County, roughly 54,000 families spend more than half of their income on housing, according to the Affordable Housing Alliance of Central Ohio.

For more information, visit cmhanet.com.

CLPHA Board President & Cuyahoga Metropolitan Housing Authority CEO Jeffery K. Patterson recently appeared on local news station WKYC 3 Cleveland to discuss CMHA's upcoming 90th anniversary celebrations, the status of the Buckeye Woodhill Choice Neighborhoods Initiative project, digital equity initiatives, and other news from the nation's first public housing authority.

From the Snohomish Tribune:

Families have already been moving into an apartment complex that, for many, will help stabilize their lives.

The Everett Housing Authority opened the doors of Madrona Square. Sixty-seven of the units here give a home to once-homeless families.

About 200 students under the McKinney-Vento Act program will be served, Heather Stults, a manager at the housing authority said. The other 38 units are not subsidized but are considered affordable.

The Madrona Square apartments represent the first fruits of the housing authority’s much larger redevelopment of the 16-acre Baker Heights complex, where it intends to build up to 1,500 units here over the next 10 years. More buildings could start rising in 2025, Jason Morrow, the housing authority’s director of development, said.

The Madrona site will also include an early learning facility*. Early learning was built into this plan in its early stages, Morrow said.

Read the Snohomish Tribune's article "New apartments at old Baker Heights site has units housing 67 once-homeless families," featuring the Everett Housing Authority.

From the Housing Authority of the City of Austin's press release:

On August 12, Austin Community leaders celebrated the groundbreaking of a major, 19-acre redevelopment in the historic St. John’s neighborhood that will create more than 500 housing units in Northeast Austin.

Known as the St. John’s site at 7211 and 7309 North Interstate Highway 35, the property was formerly a location for a Home Depot store and a Chrysler Automotive dealership before becoming available for purchase 15 years ago.

The City of Austin, the Housing Authority of the City of Austin (HACA), Greystar Development, and the St. Johns community have been working in unison on transforming the property since the City bought the site in 2008.

Plans are for the new site to have 526 housing units, with 50 percent of them considered affordable housing. The redevelopment will also include 15,000 square footage of commercial space, a clubhouse, and an expanded park.

HACA is extremely proud to have been part of the broad civic collaboration for this project. It took the leadership of St. John’s Neighborhood residents, the responsiveness of city leaders, the commitments of community groups and agencies, and a partnership with Greystar Development to achieve this design for affordable housing,” said Michael Gerber, President and CEO of the Housing Authority of the City of Austin.

“I want to extend my particular gratitude to Congressman Greg Casar and council member José “Chito” Vela for their tireless and dedicated work to making today possible,” Gerber said.

The groundbreaking signals the start of a year of demolition of current structures on the site, with construction expected to start in the summer of 2024, with occupancy ready by late 2025.

From CITYLAND:

On August 10, 2023, the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) announced the launch of a waste containerization pilot program for five NYCHA developments across South Brooklyn. The program, Clean Curbs for All, aims to reduce food sources from trash left out on curbs for pests like rats to consume and continue to grow. 

The program is slated to begin in the first half of 2024 and will run for two years. NYCHA has entered into an agreement with WasteTech LLC to provide the services. WasteTech LLC will supply the pest-proof containers, leased trucks and hoist equipment. Residents will bring trash and recycling directly to the curbside containers, which will be placed around the perimeter of the developments where it will be accessible for collection. The containers will be appropriately sized based on the amount of waste generated by the developments. Two electric refuse trucks with a semi-automated hoist will collect the waste. 

The five impacted developments include: O’Dwyer Gardens, Gravesend Houses, Haber Houses, Coney Island Houses, and Coney Island (Site 8). The five developments collectively have over 4,000 residents. Over the course of the pilot program, NYCHA anticipates keeping over 3,650 tons of trash and recycling off the curb. 

NYCHA will work with the Departments of Sanitation and Transportation to gather data on waste collection, and will help shape guidelines for siting and container maintenance and assess the potential for a larger implementation of the program. 

Read CITYLAND's article "NYCHA Announces Waste Containerization Pilot Program."