The second new construction phase of Preservation of Affordable Housing’s transformative work in Chicago’s Woodlawn neighborhood has been selected as the overall winner in Affordable Housing Finance’s annual Readers’ Choice Awards. The 33-unit Grant at Woodlawn Park, which serves families earning 30 percent and 60 percent of the area median income, is part of POAH’s multiyear revitalization effort for the troubled 504-unit Sec. 8–assisted Grove Parc Plaza Apartments built in the late 1960s.
“The Grant is a significant piece of a larger plan,” says Bill Eager, POAH’s vice president of the Chicago area.
With the help of a Choice Neighborhoods Initiative grant from the Department of Housing and Urban Development, POAH has completed three phases of neighborhood revitalization over the past three years and 100 mixed-income units. The Boston-based nonprofit also is providing job placement services, financial counseling, and youth programs.
In addition to being voted the overall winner, The Grant at Woodlawn Park has been selected as best master-planned/mixed-use project.
From more than 130 nominations received this year, 34 finalists were selected in nine categories. AHF magazine and newsletter subscribers then voted for the winners in each category.
The other winners are:
- Family: Caroline Severance Manor in Los Angeles by Mercy Housing California
- Green: Valley Oaks Homes in Sonoma, Calif., by Satellite Affordable Housing Associates
- Historic Rehab: Schmidt Artist Lofts in St. Paul, Minn., by Dominium
- Preservation: Pullman Wheelworks in Chicago by Mercy Housing Lakefront and National Housing Trust/Enterprise Preservation Corp.
- Rural: The Landing in Mount Vernon, Ind., by Flaherty & Collins Development, J. Higgs Development, and 21st Century Leadership Posey County
- Seniors: Coastside Senior Housing in Half Moon Bay, Calif., by Mercy Housing California and Lesley Senior Communities
- Special-Needs: Star Apartments in Los Angeles by Skid Row Housing Trust
- Urban: The Savoy in Oakland, Calif., by Satellite Affordable Housing Associates
- Editors' Choice: Lincoln Towers in Wilmington, Del., by Michaels Development Co. and Wilmington Housing Authority
The winners will be honored at a ceremony at AHF Live: The 2014 Affordable Housing Developers Summit, which will be held Nov. 19-21 at the Fairmont Millennium Park in Chicago. They also will be featured in the November/December issue of Affordable Housing Finance.
