Cincinnati City Council pledged its support for 10 affordable housing projects seeking federal Low Income Housing Tax Credits through resolutions passed at its Feb. 13 meeting.
The tax credits, awarded through the Ohio Housing Finance Agency (OHFA), are designed to increase the supply of clean and safe affordable rental housing by providing assistance with project development costs.
A resolution of support from the local government improves a project's chances of receiving the tax credits as part of OHFA's scoring system.
The projects receiving support include:
- Walnut Hills Phase 1: An $11.9 million new construction project by The Community Builders, Inc. to add 60 units of family housing on the blocks surrounding Gilbert, Lincoln and Park avenues;
- Walnut Court Apartments: A $6 million rehabilitation project by Episcopal Retirement Homes and the Model Group to add 30 units of senior housing at 1020 Chapel Street in Walnut Hills;
- Sands Senior Apartments: A $10.4 million adaptive reuse project by Indianapolis-based Whitsett Group, LLC to add 71 units of senior housing at the former Sands Montessori School, located at 940 Poplar Street in the West End;
- Roselawn Village: A $15.3 million rehabilitation project by Roselawn Renaissance, LLC to add 160 units of family and senior housing at 6252 Joyce Lane in Roselawn;
- Parkway Apartments: A $4.1 million adaptive reuse project by Talbert House and the Model Group to add 34 units of permanent supportive housing at the former Days Inn Motel at 2880 Central Parkway in the CUF neighborhoods;
- Northside Senior Apartments: A $10.2 million new construction project by Episcopal Retirement Homes and the Model Group to add 54 units of senior housing at the corner of Mad Anthony and Knowlton streets in Northside;
- Central YMCA: An $11 million rehabilitation project by the Model Group, Episcopal Retirement Homes and the Cincinnati Metropolitan Housing Authority to add 65 units of senior housing to the Central YMCA Building at 1105 Elm Street in Over-the-Rhine;
- Avondale Housing Phase 1: A $15.2 million rehabilitation project by The Community Builders, Inc. to add 81 units of family housing at 3522 and 3719 Reading Road in Avondale;
- Summit Estates: A $10.4 million new construction project by Miller-Valentine Group, In the City Development Corp., and New Prospect Baptist Church to add 60 units of senior housing at 1580 Summit Road; and
- The Commons at Alaska: A $12.6 million new construction project by Columbus-based National Church Residences to add 99 units of permanent supportive housing at 3584 Alaska Avenue in Avondale.
One project not supported unanimously
All resolutions passed unanimously, except for The Commons at Alaska, against which councilmembers Christopher Smitherman and Cecil Thomas voted.
The project would be built on the site of the former Alaska Acres Care Center, which went into foreclosure in 2009.
Some residents in the vicinity of the proposed building contacted Smitherman and Thomas to voice their displeasure over having an additional multi-family building – with more low income people – on what is a relatively stable street of homeowners.
Residents also complained about a lack of transparency. Some said that they didn't know about the proposal until a day before the meeting of Council's Livable Communities Committee on Feb. 12.
A public comment period will open next month and will continue through March 3. Applications will be presented to the OHFA board on June 19.
Since 1987, OHFA has used the Low Income Housing Tax Credit program to facilitate the development of more than 87,400 affordable rental units statewide.
Previous reading on BC:
City West money to aid $25M YMCA redevelopment (10/8/12)
Loan, property sale aid two affordable housing projects (6/25/12)
'Dated and stark' St. Paul Village apts. now 'beautiful and well-appointed' (5/9/12)
Two Hamilton Co projects win affordable housing tax credits (4/12/12)
Historic Haddon Hall renovation wins $6.7M in bonds from OHFA (3/26/12)
