Funding will support new construction and rehabilitation of 1,635 affordable and permanent supportive housing units
RICHMOND—Governor Ralph Northam today announced more than $24 million in Affordable and Special Needs Housing loans for 28 projects across the Commonwealth, creating or preserving 1,635 affordable housing units for low-income Virginians. The funding will help increase access to affordable housing, reduce homelessness, and provide permanent supportive housing options for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
“As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to create housing challenges in our Commonwealth and across the country, we are pleased to deploy this funding to support Virginians who are most in need,” said Governor Northam. “The Affordable Special Needs Housing program is a valuable resource for increasing the availability of safe, affordable, and sustainable housing for low-income Virginians, particularly those with special needs. With this round of funding, we will advance projects that strengthen our communities and help ensure every Virginia resident has the opportunity to build a healthy, productive life in our Commonwealth.”
The Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) administers Affordable and Special Needs Housing (ASNH) loans, which combine state and federal resources to provide a simplified and comprehensive application process. Funding comes from three main sources: the federal HOME Investment Partnerships Program, the federal National Housing Trust Fund (NHTF), and the Virginia Housing Trust Fund (VHTF). Through the ASNH program, DHCD also supports the creation of Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH) units to serve Virginia’s most vulnerable citizens. In this round of funding, DHCD allocated more than $7 million through the HOME Program, over $4 million through the NHTF, $12.6 million through the VHTF, and an allotment of $500,000 through PSH funds.
Governor Northam and the General Assembly invested an historic $55 million in the Virginia Housing Trust Fund this fiscal year, and the governor’s budget proposal increases this funding to $70.7 million in the current year. VHTF provides financing for construction projects that create or preserve affordable housing units, reduce the cost of affordable housing, and increase homeownership. This funding is a key source of financing for these affordable housing initiatives to support moderate- and-low-income families, as well as supporting homeless reduction grants to provide rapid re-housing and longer-term housing solutions for individuals experiencing chronic homelessness.
“This vital program fills gaps in financing to make safe and affordable housing for our most vulnerable populations possible,” said Secretary of Commerce and Trade Brian Ball. “Ensuring housing stability and supporting programs to make homelessness rare and nonrecurring is transformative, both to communities and to the lives of many Virginians, and with the pandemic it’s more important than ever.”
Affordable and Special Needs Housing loans are awarded through a competitive process. Forty-three applications were received for this round of funding, requesting more than $42 million. Proposals were reviewed, evaluated, and scored, with proposals ranked and award offers recommended to the highest-ranking proposals based on funding availability. The funded projects will create or preserve 1,635 affordable housing units, targeting low-income and very low-income Virginians and leverage over $351 million in additional federal, state, local, and private lending resources.
Fall 2020 Affordable and Special Needs Housing Awardees:
Arlington View Terrace East | AHC Inc.
$900,000 (VHTF)
Arlington County
The Arlington View Terrace East project will be a partial redevelopment of an existing 60-year-old, 77-unit affordable multifamily rental community in the Arlington View neighborhood. The new construction building will more than double the number of long-term affordable units on the parcel and add family-sized units in a neighborhood experiencing increased housing costs.
Central United Methodist Church Ballston Station | Arlington Partnership for Affordable Housing
$900,000 (VHTF)
Arlington County
Central United Methodist Church Ballston Station is a new 144-unit residential construction project directly across the street from the Ballston Metro station in Arlington County. All units in this building are accessible under Fair Housing. Eight units will be fully accessible, and four will be accessible for sensory-impaired individuals.
Oakwood North Four | Arlington Partnership for Affordable Housing
$900,000 (VHTF)
Fairfax County
The Oakwood North Four project will provide 79 units of critical affordable housing for independent seniors near the Van Dorn Metro station. This project will enable vulnerable households to age in place and includes a substantial number of smaller units focused on single-person senior households, which will be fully accessible under Fair Housing.
Winchester Forest 9% | Better Housing Coalition
$700,000 (HOME)
$700,000 (VHTF)
City of Richmond
Winchester Forest 9% is a 72-unit affordable housing apartment complex that will be constructed as an expansion of the neighboring Winchester Greens (240 units) and Market Square (229 senior units) communities. This is a master-planned community that includes a mix of family and age-restricted apartments, a community health center, a childcare center, and commercial uses.
Blue Ridge Habitat for Humanity Affordable Housing 2020 | Blue Ridge Habitat for Humanity
$400,000 (HOME)
City of Winchester
The Blue Ridge Habitat for Humanity Affordable Housing 2020 project will result in five affordable home ownership units for five families that earn less than 60 percent of the Area Median Income (AMI). Funding will be used for families and individuals who are residents of Winchester. Families will participate in seminars that prepare them for first-time homeownership and contribute to the construction of their homes, performing 200 hours of “sweat equity.”
The Avenue to Family Housing | Central Valley Habitat for Humanity, Inc.
$450,000 (HOME)
City of Harrisonburg
The Avenue to Family Housing project will build three duplexes for a total of six units on two separate sites in Harrisonburg and Rockingham County. Four of these units will be developed using the funds from the ASNH grant, and a fifth unit will be developed using these funds in the Brentwood subdivision located in Rockingham County. Roads, curbs, sidewalks, and water and sewer infrastructure have been established at both sites. Families will participate in seminars that prepare them for first-time homeownership and contribute to the construction of their homes, performing 200 hours of “sweat equity.”
Daffodil Gardens Phase Two | Chesapeake Bay Housing, Inc.
$260,000 (VHTF)
Gloucester County
The Daffodil Gardens Phase Two project will support the construction of 40 apartments in a single, three-story building served by an elevator. The building is located less than one mile from Riverside Health System’s Walter Reed Hospital and numerous other services and shopping.
Woods at Yorktown NC | Community Housing Partners
$500,000 (VHTF)
$300,000 (HOME)
York County
Woods at Yorktown NC will expand 60 units of an existing 118-unit apartment community. This project will include the new construction of five three-story, 12-unit buildings comprised of two- and three-bedroom units. Twenty units will be built to meet Universal Design standards. In addition, six units will be built to be fully accessible, and two units will be built to serve residents who are hearing and/or site impaired.
Northway | Community Housing Partners
$500,000 (VHTF)
City of Galax
Northway is an existing affordable multifamily development of 72 units, including one-, two-, and three-bedroom garden-style apartments. Eight of the units will be designed to meet Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, and two units will be designed to serve residents who are hearing and/or sight impaired. Sixty units will benefit from project-based rental assistance which means these households will not have to pay more than 30 percent of their income towards housing costs including utilities.
Habitat for Humanity Roanoke Valley Affordable Homes 2020 | Habitat for Humanity in the Roanoke Valley
$806,868 (HOME)
City of Roanoke
This project will build and renovate 10 single-family homes, including seven new builds and three rehabilitations. The properties will primarily be constructed within the Belmont-Fallon target area. Families will participate in seminars that prepare them for first-time homeownership and contribute to the construction of their homes, performing 200 hours of “sweat equity.”
Charles City and Forest Heights Homebuyer | Habitat for Humanity Peninsula and Greater Williamsburg
$300,000 (HOME)
Charles City County and the city of Williamsburg
This project will consist of the construction of six homes, two in Williamsburg and four in Charles City. Each home will be affordable, single-family, and detached. The project will benefit low- to moderate-income families (up to 80 percent of the AMI), that will purchase the homes from Habitat for Humanity as first-time homebuyers. Families will participate in seminars that prepare them for first-time homeownership and contribute to the construction of their homes, performing 200 hours of “sweat equity.”
Fairview Town Homes | Helping Overcome Poverty’s Existence, Inc.
$150,000 (PSH)
Town of Wytheville
The Fairview Town Homes project will create 12 two-bedroom units, with four units reserved for Permanent Supportive Housing. The permanent supportive housing services will be provided through a memorandum of understanding with Mount Rogers Community Services.
Southside Lofts | Landmark Asset Services, Inc.
$615,000 (HOME)
Pittsylvania County
The Southside Lofts project will renovate Southside High School/Blairs Middle School, which was built in 1953, into 55 affordable units for low- to moderate-income individuals and families. The community will offer a wide range of amenities, including a computer room with free access to WiFi for residents, a fitness room, a community room, and outdoor recreation areas. Pittsylvania County will lease the former auditorium and make it available to the residents for public functions.
Claremont School Apartments | Landmark Asset Services, Inc.
$635,000 (NHTF)
Pulaski County
This project will redevelop the presently vacant Claremont Elementary School into 50 affordable housing units for low- to moderate-income individuals, families, and seniors. The proposed Claremont School Apartments will encompass the historic school building, originally completed in 1952, as well as a newly constructed three-story building. All units will be fully accessible.
Richmond Senior | Michaels Development Company
$900,000 (VHTF)
$900,000 (NHTF)
City of Richmond
Richmond Senior is a redevelopment project with six senior-designated properties consisting of 349 units currently owned by the Richmond Redevelopment and Housing Authority. Supportive housing services will be available to all 349 units, with 35 units set aside for Permanent Supportive Housing in partnership with Homeward, a Richmond-based nonprofit organization.
City Line Apartments | Millbrook Realty Group
$900,000 (VHTF)
City of Newport News
City Line Apartments is a fully subsidized multifamily property comprised of 200 one- and two-bedroom units centrally located in Newport News. In addition to offering fully rent-subsidized units, City Line will be setting aside 20 units for the provision of Permanent Supportive Housing, specifically for households that have serious mental illness and/or an intellectual or developmental disability, along with those persons who are returning from incarceration. This project will renovate and rehabilitate the existing rental property to modernize the units including energy efficiency upgrades, upgrading a minimum of 10 units to be fully accessible to individuals with physical disabilities, and two units to be accessible to individuals with sensory impairments.
Renaissance Ridge Phase I | Nelson County Community Development Foundation
$400,000 (HOME)
$200,000 (VHTF)
Nelson County
The Renaissance Ridge Phase I project is the new construction of 60 housing units in the Wintergreen community, with 20 workforce housing units targeting families with household incomes less than 80 percent of the AMI. The proposed development has dedicated open space featuring minimal site disturbance and access to several amenities.
Carrier Point I | Newport News Redevelopment and Housing Authority
$700,000 (VHTF)
$700,000 (NHTF)
City of Newport News
Carrier Point I is the 43-unit residential portion of Newport News’ Marshall-Ridley Revitalization Choice Neighborhoods Transformation Plan’s first phase. Carrier Point I and Carrier Point II are sister developments, located on parcels separated by a public street being developed simultaneously as nine-percent and four-percent low-income housing tax credit twinned transactions. Carrier Point I will have 43 mixed-income units, which will include seven one-bedroom units, 27 two-bedroom units, and nine three-bedroom units spread between two buildings. One building will be a four-story, elevator building with residential apartments, a community room, and a management suite on the ground floor.
Carrier Point II | Newport News Redevelopment and Housing Authority
$700,000 (VHTF)
$700,000 (NHTF)
City of Newport News
Carrier Point II is the 38-unit residential portion of Newport News’ Marshall-Ridley Revitalization Choice Neighborhoods Transformation Plan’s first phase. Carrier Point I and Carrier Point II are sister developments, located on parcels separated by a public street being developed simultaneously as nine-percent and four-percent low-income housing tax credit twinned transactions. Carrier Point II will include 14 one-bedroom units, 21 two-bedroom units, and three three-bedroom units in a four-story, elevator building with residential apartments, a ground floor community room, and a fitness room on the ground floor.
Sweetbriar II Apartments | People Incorporated Housing Group
$600,000 (VHTF)
Town of Abingdon
Sweetbriar II Apartments is a new construction apartment community consisting of 22 units in 11 duplex-style buildings, comprised of three-bedroom, two-bathroom garden and townhome units. Five of the garden-style units will be fully accessible, and six will include Universal Design features. Highlands Community Services, the Community Services Board for Washington County, will provide referrals and offer ongoing supportive and independent living services to individuals with intellectual or developmental disabilities or serious mental illness living in these Permanent Supportive Housing units.
The Coile | Petersburg Community Development Corporation, Inc.
$700,000 (VHTF)
$700,000 (NHTF)
City of Newport News
The Coile is a 62-unit new construction multifamily, mixed-income development with sustainable design elements including a rooftop terrace garden, electric car charging ports, solar benches, and a kinetic tile children’s game. The community will also be EarthCraft Gold certified, and all units will be constructed to meet Universal Design Standards. The Virginia Center for Housing Research at Virginia Tech is conducting a 10-year case study to monitor the construction processes and evaluate variances in energy consumption between the two buildings (traditional stick-framing methods versus panelization construction). The goal is to publish the academic findings and set a precedent for sustainable multifamily design in the Commonwealth.
Kilmarnock Village | Petersburg Community Development Corporation, Inc.
$240,000 (VHTF)
Town of Kilmarnock
Kilmarnock Village is an affordable multifamily development consisting of 24 units originally constructed in 1984 and renovated in 2002 with tax credit financing. Kilmarnock Village will renovate the property with an allocation of tax credits and the assumption and reamortization of the outstanding USDA Rural Development Section 515 loan. Comprised of one- and two-bedroom garden apartments, all units will be restricted to households earning below 60 percent of the AMI. Twenty-three units are subsidized and will benefit from project-based rental assistance and five units are reserved for veterans. Five units will be renovated to be fully accessible according to Section 504 regulations and Uniform Federal Accessibility Standards. Under the proposed terms of the USDA and low-income housing tax credit financing, this development will remain affordable for 50 years.
Omni Park Place Senior | Project:HOMES
$400,000 (VHTF)
Hanover County
Omni Park Place Apartments is the proposed rehabilitation of an existing 61-unit project that will convert seven additional units to full accessibility and house individuals previously excluded from affordable housing due to disabilities.
Florida Terrace | Rush Homes, Inc.
$900,000 (HOME)
$700,000 (VHTF)
$450,000 (NHTF)
City of Lynchburg
Florida Terrace will provide 31 affordable and accessible new construction apartments primarily for individuals and families with disabilities who also have incomes less than 60 percent of the AMI. Florida Terrace will set aside eight one-bedroom units for Permanent Supportive Housing and four units for persons with developmental disabilities. The Permanent Supportive Housing units will have rent subsidy via project-based vouchers provided by the Lynchburg Redevelopment and Housing Authority. The project includes one 23-unit, two-story building with an elevator and two additional quadruplexes with units at ground level.
Ovation at Arrowbrook | SCG Development
$900,000 (VHTF)
$900,000 (NHTF)
$600,000 (HOME)
Fairfax County
Ovation at Arrowbrook (Arrowbrook Apartments I) will be new construction of 126 family units, consisting of one-, two-, and three-bedroom apartments for tenants with incomes at or below 30 percent, 40 percent, 50 percent, and 60 percent of the AMI. Six units will be reserved for individuals with developmental disabilities with incomes at or below 40 percent of the AMI. Fifteen units will be fully accessible to physically impaired and/or sensory impaired residents. The building will include a structured parking garage, finished clubroom, fitness room, a conference center, and a study and computer center. The project will include an outdoor lounge and grilling area, bicycle storage, dog park access, as well as proximity to a 15-acre park inside the development site.
High Street Apartments | Southside Community Development and Housing Corporation
$500,000 (HOME)
City of Petersburg
The High Street Apartments will be new construction of an 11-unit apartment building. The Southside Community Development and Housing Corporation has partnered with UnitedHealthcare on a housing and health pilot program to provide affordable housing units for rapid re-housing efforts for chronically homeless individuals under 30 percent of the AMI on Medicaid through a Permanent Supportive Housing program. The project will provide health care, transportation, broadband, housing counseling, financial readiness counseling, employment counseling, and digital and technology literacy training. Both organizations have the explicit goal of utilizing housing rental vouchers and subsidies to keep residents permanently housed in the units as they transition out of the pilot program and continue providing supportive services as needed.
Cool Lane Apartments | Virginia Supportive Housing
$300,000 (VHTF)
Henrico County
The Cool Lane Apartments project is an adaptive re-use of a vacant building located in Henrico County. Virginia Supportive Housing will thoroughly renovate the former assisted living facility into Permanent Supportive Housing for homeless and low-income individuals. The existing structure will be redesigned and adapted to create 86 units of affordable housing, 13 of which will be fully accessible to individuals with disabilities. The project will also incorporate various resident amenities, including a large community room with a kitchen and pantry, resident computer lab, phone room, fitness room, and laundry facilities. The building will also contain offices for onsite support services and property management staff as well as a security system and front desk, which will be staffed 16 hours a day.
Pump Street | Valley Area Community Support, Inc.
$500,000 (PSH)
City of Staunton
The Pump Street project will enable the refinancing and rehabilitation of a recently acquired and established 8,000-square-foot concrete block building. The project will provide six equally-sized, one-bedroom apartments suitable for housing Valley Area Community Support, Inc. mission-specific tenants. There is off-street parking for all tenants. The rehabilitation of the existing six apartments includes replacing six 25-year-old cooling-only air conditioning systems with high efficiency heat pumps.
