Miles SmithFederal grants totaling $325 million will fund projects to build homes and revitalize neighborhoods in communities located throughout the United States.
The grants are being awarded through the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Choice Neighborhoods Implementation program. The awards will redevelop distressed housing with high-quality mixed-income options, while also providing residents with services focused on income, health, and education, HUD said.
Grant funding may also be used for neighborhood improvements that promote economic development and spur additional private investment, HUD added.
HUD Acting Secretary Adrianne Todman announced the awards in Las Vegas, where the Southern Nevada Regional Housing Authority will receive $50 million to help solve an affordable housing shortage by building 627 mixed-income units. The project includes replacing a distressed 235-unit public housing complex with 400 additional affordable and market-rate units in the traditionally Black Historic Westside neighborhood.
“We are excited to announce the Choice Neighborhoods funding here in Las Vegas, which marks a transformative step towards uplifting our communities,” Todman said. “This funding is not just an investment in buildings and infrastructure – it’s an investment in people.”
Choice Neighborhoods is HUD’s signature program and the largest place-based program in the federal government.
New grants include awards totaling $305.5 million to cities in Tennessee, Texas, Alabama, Florida, Nevada, New York and New Jersey. HUD is also awarding an additional $19.5 million to current grantees in Arizona, Louisiana, Maine, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio and Virginia.
The seven new Choice Neighborhoods Implementation grantees will collectively develop over 6,500 new mixed-income units, including the one-for-one replacement of 2,677 severely distressed public housing units, HUD said.
To achieve their local goals, grantees leverage the funding with other public and private resources, HUD said.
Participating communities will collectively invest more than $2.65 billion in additional resources within the Choice Neighborhood area – so that every $1 in HUD funds will generate $8.65 in additional resources.
- $50 million to the Chattanooga Housing Authority and City of Chattanooga, Tennessee, to redevelop 497 distressed public housing units and replace it with a development that will include 1,126 mixed-income units and community amenities, such as a fitness center, community room, playground and business center. The new energy-efficient housing will also be within walking distance of several public amenities, including retail space, public parks, downtown offices and a new grocery store.
- $50 million to the Houston Housing Authority and City of Houston to transform the Cuney Homes Public Housing property and the surrounding third ward neighborhood. The development plan involves building 1,115 mixed-income, transit-oriented units. The seven-phase housing plan will include a wide range of housing types, such as multi-family, duplexes, townhomes and condominiums.
- $50 million to the City of Huntsville, Alabama, and the Huntsville Public Housing Authority to transform the Johnson Towers and Butler Terrace public housing properties and the surrounding Mill Creek neighborhood. The 580-unit project will include 284 public housing replacement units, mixed with nearly 300 additional affordable and market rate units. A variety of housing types will be built including three- and four-story mixed-use, multifamily elevator buildings, senior housing, and townhomes.
Photo by WeaponizingArchitecture
