The ULI Terwilliger Center for Housing has announced the finalists for this year’s Jack Kemp Excellence in Affordable and Workforce Housing Award, which honors exemplary developments that ensure housing affordability for people with a range of incomes.
The award recognizes efforts by the development community to increase the supply of housing that is affordable to households earning less than 120 percent of the area median income (AMI). Developments competing for the Kemp Award may be fully affordable, with all units designated for low- to moderate-income residents, or they may contain a mix of affordable and market-rate units. The winner will be announced during the Terwilliger Center’s Housing Opportunity Conference, set for September 10–11 in New Orleans.
The finalists are:
- A-Mill Artist Lofts, Minneapolis, Minnesota. The A-Mill Artist Lofts project provides affordable rental housing in a development that has preserved a historic landmark, the Pillsbury A-Mill, reusing existing building elements to provide sustainable renewable energy while also fostering creative ideas for the residents with distinctive live/work spaces, amenities, and community rooms. The building has increased diversity in the surrounding community, which also offers residents a vibrant waterfront.
- Casitas de Colores, Albuquerque, New Mexico. Casitas de Colores offers affordable housing specifically designed for families near the city’s multimodal transportation center, as well as within walkable distance of jobs and recreational activities. The development’s sustainable design features have earned Casitas de Colores a Platinum rating under the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program. The development has supported downtown revitalization and promotes resident well-being and community interaction.
- Hahne & Co., Newark, New Jersey. In 2015, public and private partners crafted a plan to transform the vacant Hahne & Co. department store into a thriving, modern residential and retail community. A public/private partnership led to the rehabilitation of the 400,000-square-foot (37,000 sq m) building and construction of a 120,000-square-foot (11,000 sq m), nine-story addition. This redevelopment has played a central role in the economic revitalization of downtown Newark. The now-completed mixed-use development offers new housing, retail space, jobs, and educational opportunities near transit.
- Mosaic on the Riverway, Boston, Massachusetts. Mosaic on the Riverway offers a mixed-income, mixed-tenure development near jobs and addresses a child care shortage through a 9,000-square-foot (840 sq m) early childhood education center located on the ground floor. The project embodies the spirit of Boston Mayor Marty Walsh’s policy to offer housing to residents in all income categories.
- Perris Station Senior Apartment Homes, Perris, California. Perris Station Senior Apartment Homes replaced a blighted property, fulfilling the city’s goal of adding high-quality, sustainable housing that is affordable to low-income seniors, and providing space for retail/office uses. The development is a model for offering amenity-rich living for active seniors age 55 and older, as well as resource-efficient and environmentally friendly design features.
- Veo, Carson, California. Veo serves as a mixed-income, mixed-use walkable community of for-sale townhouses sized specifically for families. Street-level retail space has rejuvenated the area by enhancing the streetscape with outdoor dining and other improvements.
- Wildflower Terrace, Austin, Texas. Wildflower Terrace is a mixed-income apartment community for people age 55 and older located within the 700-acre (283 ha) Mueller redevelopment community in Austin. The development includes a community activity room with a covered terrace, a movie theater, a fitness center, an art studio, a library, laundry facilities, a business center, a game room, a billiards room, and an outdoor courtyard with access to greenways and trails, swimming pools, parks, shopping, and convenient public transportation.
“Through the Kemp Award, we are raising awareness of the critical role that affordable and workforce housing plays in creating successful communities,” said Terwilliger Center executive director Stockton Williams. “These are the types of real estate projects that are often the hardest to pull together, but at the same time, the most inspiring to complete. The seven finalists for this year’s award show that affordable and workforce housing is achievable in a wide range of markets, providing economic and social benefits that extend far beyond the developments.”
