NHC member the Community Preservation and Development Corporation (CPDC), in partnership with the Housing Authority of Baltimore City(HABC), recently celebrated the groundbreaking of Hollins House, a community of affordable apartments for older adults and non-elderly disabled residents located in Southwest Baltimore. Hollins House is CPDC’s first affordable redevelopment project in Baltimore and its second partnership with a public housing authority.
As part of HUD’s Rental Assistance Demonstration (RAD), Hollins House, which consists of 130 one-bedroom units, will receive more than $10 million in renovations and will remain permanently affordable to low-income families in the Hollins Market neighborhood. The apartments will receive new windows, upgraded floors, kitchens, bathrooms and HVAC. Balconies will be enclosed to help alleviate water infiltration issues and indoor living spaces will be expanded to enhance energy efficiency and improve the building’s exterior. Common areas will also receive significant upgrades including a new game room, a library with computer stations, expanded community space and a resident services office.
“This deal represents an important partnership with HABC to raise private capital via the conversion of public housing to project-based Section 8 through HUD’s RAD program,” Christopher LoPiano, CPDC’s senior vice president for real estate said in a press release. “This conversion will allow us to undertake more than $10 million in needed renovations while preserving the property’s long-term affordability.”
The Hollins House affordable development will help to alleviate the housing cost burden that 24 percent of renters in Baltimore face. Our 2016 Housing Landscape database details the housing affordability challenges for people in Baltimore and in all 50 states and 50 metro areas around the country. Use the database to see what affordability is like in your community, and read “Housing Landscape 2016” here.