Cincinnati is spending more than $7 million to fund affordable housing this year. The grants are part of the annual Notice of Funding Availability, or NOFA. Mayor Aftab Pureval says nine projects will create 266 new affordable units and preserve another 142 units.
“That's an over 200% increase in projected impact from last year's NOFA awards,” Pureval said. “And because of this year's budgeted increase for the program, and strong planning by our administration, it's nearly $3 million greater than [the] original projected investment.”
Most of the units will be for households making 60% or less of the Area Median Income. That means a family of four making $57,300 or less would qualify. A couple projects will have units for up to 80% AMI.
A report earlier this year revealed most new affordable housing has been concentrated in three neighborhoods: Walnut Hills, Avondale and the West End.
This year’s NOFA projects are in nine neighborhoods: East Price Hill, Paddock Hills, the West End, Walnut Hills, Lower Price Hill, Evanston, Northside, Avondale and Over-the-Rhine.
“It is our opinion that there is no specific neighborhood that should have affordable housing — affordable housing should be accessible throughout all 52 of our neighborhoods,” Pureval said, adding that location wasn’t the primary criteria for awarding the grants. The nine projects were chosen from 22 applicants.
“We are so appreciative of these funds,” said Andrea Moneypenny, a senior developer with Model Group. “In a time of continually increasing construction costs and lessening availability of affordable housing, these funds are really, really key to ensuring that we can move these projects forward.”
Model Group is partnering with Preservation of Affordable Housing on the projects in Lower Price Hill and Over-the-Rhine/Pendleton.
Six of the nine projects have also been awarded Low Income Housing Tax Credits (LIHTC), one of the primary funding sources for affordable housing. A change Council approved earlier this year means those projects also get automatic city tax abatements.
“So that means they now get to go put the shovel in the ground,” said Council Member Reggie Harris. “They don't have to come back to the city and go back to a different process and add on weeks, sometimes even months just due to our calendar … so this is a real example of the impact when we think smartly about city administration and streamlining.”
See below for a list of the projects awarded grants this year. More detail about each project is available on the city’s website here.
East Price Hill: 3104 Warsaw Ave.
- Historic renovation of a mixed-use building
- Number of units: 9
- Income target: 60% to 80% AMI
- NOFA Award: Up to $350,000
Paddock Hills: Victory Vistas, 4106 Victory Parkway (LIHTC)
- New construction
- Number of units: 50
- Income target: 30% to 60% AMI
- NOFA Award: Up to $1 million
West End: 1007 Dayton Street
- Historic renovation of a mixed-use building
- Number of units: 9
- Income target: 80% AMI
- NOFA Award: Up to $291,000
Walnut Hills: Lincoln & Gilbert, 935-955 Foraker Ave (LIHTC)
- New construction
- Number of units: 36
- Income target: 60% AMI
- NOFA Award: Up to $500,000
Lower Price Hill: Terri Manor (LIHTC)
- Rehabilitation of 19 buildings that house families, seniors, and individuals with disabilities
- Number of units: 81
- Income target: 50% to 60% AMI
- NOFA Award: up to $1 million
Evanston: The Bridge, 1740 Brewster Ave; 3570 & 3604 Montgomery Rd
- Historic renovation of three mixed-use buildings
- Number of units: 26
- Income target: 50% to 80% AMI
- NOFA Award: up to $1 million
Northside: Vandalia Point, 1601 Bluerock Street (LIHTC)
- New construction plus renovation of an existing building
- Number of units: 52
- Income target: 30% to 60% AMI
- NOFA Award: Up to $1 million
Avondale: Blair Lofts II & Lindsay Lofts, 3550 Van Antwerp Place, 548 & 588 Blair Ave (LIHTC)
- New construction
- Number of units: 84
- Income targets: 30% to 60% AMI
- NOFA Award: Up to $1 million
Over-the-Rhine/Pendleton: Community Manor & Pendleton (LIHTC)
- Renovation of 10 buildings: along the 1300 block of Vine and Republic; 500 block of Dandridge; 1221 Jackson; 2155 Loth; 1609 Pleasant; 15 Back.
- Number of units: 61
- Income targets: 50% to 60% AMI
- NOFA Award: Up to $1 million
