The huge shortage of affordable housing has long been felt in communities across the country, but the importance of a safe and affordable to place to live has taken on greater urgency this year. The COVID-19 pandemic has magnified the importance of housing, a place to shelter during emergencies. The economic crisis brought on by the coronavirus is expected to increase the need for affordable housing as more than 40 million people have lost work and applied for unemployment benefits during the pandemic.
Affordable housing serves families, seniors, formerly homeless veterans, and people with special needs.
Here, we present 32 developments from 19 states and the District of Columbia that show the diversity and complexity of these communities. They are finalists in Affordable Housing Finance’s 16th annual Readers’ Choice Awards, recognizing the best developments from 2019 and 2020.
Read about the finalists on the following pages and at housingfinance.com. AHF magazine and newsletter subscribers can then vote for the winners in 10 categories, as well as an overall winner. Voting takes place from July 1 to July 31 and is restricted to subscribers as of June 30.
The winners will be honored at AHF Live: The 2020 Affordable Housing Developers Summit, Nov. 16-18, in Chicago, and in the November/December issue.
Encanto Village
National Community Renaissance has developed a 66-unit property that is providing affordable housing and transforming a San Diego neighborhood.
Georgiaville Village Green
A former brownfield has become the site of one of the greenest developments in Smithfield, R.I.
Harrison Park Apartments
Residents at the Harrison Park Apartments have a unique opportunity to pursue higher education in Michigan.
St. Augustine Terrace
The site of a former New York City church has a new purpose—affordable housing.
Energy Square
RUPCO has created a mixed-use and mixed-income development with a net zero for living approach in Kingston, N.Y.
The Tyler
WinnDevelopment’s The Tyler utilizes historic tax credits and meets the Passive House Institute’s EnerPHit Standard for energy efficiency.
Historic Hotel Maytag Apartments and Event Center
The restoration of the Hotel Maytag is a step in the comeback of downtown Newton, Iowa, where Maytag once made its famed appliances.
The Mark Twain
A historic residential hotel has been rescued as critical affordable housing in Chicago.
Mercy Magnuson Place
A key building at the former Naval Air Station Sand Point has become affordable housing, an early-learning center, and a health clinic.
Southgate
Avesta Housing rehabbed a landmark farmhouse as well as created new housing in Scarborough, Maine.
Avondale Town Center
The Community Builders teamed with local stakeholders to create mixed-income housing and other critical uses in Cincinnati’s Avondale neighborhood.
Rolland Curtis Gardens
Abode Communities has replaced 48 dilapidated apartments in South Los Angeles with a 140-unit family development with a market and a health center.
Amani Place
Columbia Residential and Jonathan Rose Cos. partnered to provide a better quality of life for residents at Amani Place, a once distressed Section 8 property in Atlanta.
Illinois Section 8 Portfolio
Standard Communities completed the largest tax-exempt bond transaction in Illinois to preserve and improve 855 units in six buildings in Chicago and three surrounding suburbs.
Miriam Apartments
Mercy Housing Lakefront has preserved the Miriam Apartments, a 1920s SRO building, in Chicago for formerly homeless individuals.
Jordan Downs
The first phase of Jordan Downs marks the revitalization of an aging public housing development in Los Angeles.
Monument East
Once an obsolete public housing building in Baltimore, the redevelopment of Monument East features unit and common area upgrades, creating an increased sense of pride for residents.
The River at Eastline Village
Using the Rental Assistance Demonstration program, developers have created new affordable housing in Tempe, Ariz.
Apex Townhomes
D.W. Jones has developed a 30-unit townhome development in Detroit Lakes, Minn., to help meet the need for family housing.
Washington Historic Residences
An elementary school built as part of the New Deal in Independence, Kan., has been transformed into 23 units of affordable housing for seniors.
The Wilds at Harvest Rose
The Wilds at Harvest Rose features 45 individual yurts with open floor plans for seniors on a wooded site in Ravenna, Ohio.
Generations at West Mesa
Located in Albuquerque, N.M., Generations at West Mesa is home to grandparents raising their grandchildren.
Middlebury Commons
Middlebury Commons is part of a community effort to improve the lives of residents in Akron, Ohio.
Stonewall House
Stonewall House is the first LGBTQ-friendly affordable senior community in New York state.
Colma Veterans Village
Colma Veterans Village is helping meet the housing and health needs of vulnerable veterans in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Harmon Apartments
The 36-unit Harmon Apartments is an “accessibility plus” development that serves as a model for independent community living for adults with physical disabilities.
HELP USA Walter Reed Veterans Apartments
A 77-unit development for formerly homeless veterans is a cornerstone in the redevelopment of the Walter Reed Army Medical Center.
The Vineyard on Lancaster
The Vineyard on Lancaster delivers housing and a health clinic to serve Fort Worth’s most vulnerable residents.
The Louisa Flowers
The Louisa Flowers is the largest affordable housing development built in Portland, Ore., in the last 50 years.
MLK Plaza
MLK Plaza, a LEED Platinum building, delivers 167 affordable homes to New Yorkers.
Nesika Illahee
Nesika Illahee focuses on the needs of the Native community in Portland, Ore.
Union Flats
In addition to providing 217 affordable homes, Union Flats serves as a bridge to two St. Paul, Minn., neighborhoods.
