CLPHA Press Room

From Urbanize Los Angeles:

In a deal announced last week, the Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles (HACLA) has partnered with private real estate firm Avanath to purchase the Baldwin Village Apartments, a collection of 669 apartments near Crenshaw Boulevard.

HACLA, through the non-profit La Cienega LOMOD, Inc., will place a deed restriction on 468 of the apartments which will restrict half to households earning up to 60 percent of the area median income level, and 80 percent for the other half. The apartments include a mix of studio, one-, two-, and three-bedroom units, and the deed restriction will remain in place for a period of 55 years.

The project was enabled by a statutory exemption from property taxes on affordable units in the State of California. HACLA has provided a loan to support the acquisition, the remaining funding for the purchase coming from a Fannie Mae loan and equity raised by Avanath. The total sales price for the property is $220 million, according to a staff report to the HACLA Board of Commissioners.

“HACLA is thrilled to partner with Avanath in addressing the City of Los Angeles’ housing crisis by adding almost 500 units of long-term deed restricted affordable housing,” said HACLA president and chief executive Doug Guthrie in a statement. “This is a wonderful example of the impact HACLA seeks to achieve through the Innovative Partnerships Solicitation program we released last year – and we look forward to partnering on many more deals like this in the future.”

Read Urbanize Los Angeles's article "HACLA partnering with private real estate firm to buy 669 apartments in Baldwin Hills."

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

The Housing Authority of the City of Austin (HACA) announces the grand opening celebration for Pathways at Goodrich Place on Wednesday, September 14th, 9 a.m. at 2126 Goodrich Ave., Austin, TX 78704. The celebration will feature guest speakers, including City Councilmember Ann Kitchen, a ceremonial flag raising, and a ribbon cutting with residents of Goodrich celebrating the new 120 units of affordable housing in the Zilker neighborhood.

The completely rebuilt Pathways at Goodrich Place features significant enhancements to the 1970s-era public housing that had been Goodrich Place. HACA replaced the 40 units with 120 brand new modern apartments. Upgrades include central air conditioning, ceiling fans, all-new modern appliances, gigabit-speed Google Fiber service, a fitness center, a modern playground, and laundry connections. The new Goodrich Place also features onsite property management and maintenance services to better serve residents.

"Pathways at Goodrich Place is an exceptional opportunity to bring affordable housing to one of the most desirable neighborhoods in Austin," said Michael Gerber, HACA CEO. "Thanks to the support of Councilmember Ann Kitchen, and the entire City Council, we are building a new Goodrich community that our residents can be proud of—one that has beautiful new housing, excellent schools nearby, and is close to many excellent opportunities for employment."

"Austin needs more affordable housing in all parts of the city and HACA is delivering," said Councilmember Ann Kitchen. "HACA's redevelopment work at Goodrich Place has been a remarkable sight to see for District 5 and in partnership with the Zilker neighborhood. Tripling the number of units is truly remarkable. HACA is setting the bar high for building beautiful housing that enhances south Austin and the Zilker community".

Read HACA's press release.

From Governor Gavin Newsom's press release:

Alongside state and local leaders at a new Homekey project in Los Angeles preparing to welcome tenants, Governor Gavin Newsom today announced the award of $694 million for 35 projects that will create more than 2,500 new units in 19 communities throughout the state. In total, including today’s announcement, California’s nation-leading Homekey program has funded more than 200 projects statewide – creating more than 12,500 permanent and interim homes for people exiting homelessness.

“With 12,500 new homes funded in just two years, Homekey is changing lives across the state,” said Governor Newsom. “Homekey’s groundbreaking success is a model for the nation, showing that we can make real progress on ending homelessness in months, not years. In partnership with cities and counties like Los Angeles, we’ll continue to safely house Californians in need faster and more cost-effectively than ever.”

The Governor today celebrated Homekey’s recent two-year anniversary at a volunteer workday for a Los Angeles Homekey project, where he assisted in assembling welcome kits as part of the site’s move-in preparations. Including today’s awards, the Los Angeles region has to date received $948 million for 62 Homekey projects that will create 4,034 units of housing. The Governor was joined by Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, Rep. Karen Bass (D-CA), Business, Consumer Services and Housing Agency (BCSH) Secretary Lourdes Castro Ramírez and Department of Housing and Community Development Director Gustavo Velasquez.

Read the Governor's press release.

From The Columbus Dispatch:

The Columbus Metropolitan Housing Authority plans to break ground in about a month on new apartments in Franklinton that will house residents who now live in the Downtown YMCA, where the residences soon will be vacated.

The $13.7-million, four-story McKinley Manor will be built at 1048 W. Broad St., near a Columbus fire station. The 44-unit building will house YMCA residents 55 and older once construction is completed by fall 2023.

YMCA officials in October 2019 said they planned to vacate the seven-story, 403-unit building at 40 W. Long St. after studies showed converting the old residential rooms into efficiency apartments would cost an estimated $50 million. The building, which was constructed in 1924, is believed to be the largest YMCA residential building in the country.

Read The Columbus Dispatch's article, "Housing Authority to build Franklinton apartments for low-income seniors from Downtown Y."

From the Columbus Metropolitan Housing Authority's press release:

United Way of Central Ohio has selected the AspireCOLUMBUS proposal from the Columbus Metropolitan Housing Authority (CMHA) and national nonprofit The Community Builders (TCB) for the sale of its headquarters site at 360 S. Third St., paving the way for a new standard of inclusive excellence in downtown development.

"Our mission to improve the lives of others by mobilizing the caring power of our community impacts everything we do,” said Lisa Courtice, President and CEO of United Way of Central Ohio.

“Central Ohio is in desperate need of affordable housing, and our property is a prime location for redevelopment,” Courtice said. “So, we sought a developer who could purchase the property and redevelop it to meet that critical need."

The CMHA-TCB partnership has a purchase sale agreement of $4 million to take ownership of the United Way of Central Ohio building. The closing is anticipated to take place by the end of 2022.

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.

“We applied due diligence when reviewing the CMHA-TCB proposal because it’s about much more than a real estate transaction,” said Dan Crane, United Way of Central Ohio Real Estate Task Force Chair. “We want the property development to improve and enhance the community for residents who already live and work in the region."

The CMHA-TCB proposal approved by United Way of Central Ohio is a $70 million new construction project slated for completion in late 2025 or early 2026. The plan calls for the development of 30,000 square feet of commercial space on the first two floors of the 12-story property and approximately 135 mixed-income affordable and market-rate housing units on the remaining upper 10 floors.

“We welcome the opportunity to introduce a new blueprint for how integrating mixed-income and affordable housing can not only succeed in our region, but also serve as a call-to-action for other developers to incorporate these principles into their next projects in downtown Columbus and throughout central Ohio,” said CMHA President and CEO Charles Hillman.

“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,” Hillman said.

Read CMHA's press release.