 Greetings Washingtonians,
I was pleased to testify
before the DC Council Committee on Housing and Neighborhood Revitalization at our March 7 performance oversight hearing, sharing our accomplishments and
giving a peek at what’s ahead.
I encourage you to view my testimony (start at 3:50), but here are some highlights from FY 2017:
- Our management of Mayor Bowser’s unprecedented commitment of $100
million for the Housing Production Trust Fund (HPTF) is
improving the lives of District residents today—and will for decades to come—despite the rising real estate market.
- As a result of home
purchase assistance enhancements, individuals and families from every Ward—and
particularly Wards 7 and 8—have increased purchasing power.
- We’ve given
residents the tools they need to become homeowners and entrepreneurs by funding
housing counseling and small business technical assistance (SBTA) services through
community-based organizations (CBOs).
- As you’ll read
below, we are making progress disposing of vacant and blighted property.
- We had a stand-out
year for the Inclusionary Zoning (IZ) program.
- After a nine-year
wait, we drafted regulations under the District Opportunity to Purchase Act
(DOPA), and I can confidently say DOPA will be fully implemented in FY 2018,
thanks to Mayor Bowser’s leadership.
I also thank the staff at DHCD,
because without their efforts, these accomplishments would not have been
possible.
We are not resting on our laurels in FY 2018. See the article below about two major initiatives that will preserve more affordable housing for our residents.
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Finally, Mayor Bowser introduced
Roots to Roofs DC during her March 16 State of the District address. It’s a follow
up to her African American prosperity initiatives and a renewed effort to
connect residents new and old to the many housing programs we have available.
You’ll hear more in the weeks to come but I encourage you to visit rootstoroofsdc.com and share your
story about what living in the District means to you.
Polly Donaldson, DHCD Director
Follow me on Twitter @maryrandolph
 Budget Proposal Extends Commitment to Affordable Housing
Mayor Muriel Bowser today presented “A Fair Shot,” the Fiscal
Year 2019 Budget and Financial Plan, to the DC Council. This marks the
District’s 23rd consecutive balanced budget.
“This budget is about giving more Washingtonians a fair
shot,” said Mayor Bowser. “From investing in tax credits that make
child care more affordable to expanding programs that allow seniors to age in
place, the Fair Shot budget will do more to make Washington, DC a place where
people of all backgrounds and in all stages of life are able to live and
thrive.”
Regarding affordable housing, the Mayor:
- continues her annual commitment of $100 million to the HPTF;
- for the second year in a row, extends her commitment of $10
million to a Housing Preservation Fund (see more on the fund below);
- includes a $10 million increase for the Home Purchase Assistance
Program (HPAP) and Employer Assisted Housing Program (EAHP), putting homeownership in
reach for more District residents and DC government employees;
- provides $96 million to
subsidize affordable housing through the DC Housing Authority (DCHA); and
- includes $57
million for the New Communities Initiatives at Park Morton, Barry Farm,
and Lincoln Heights/Richardson Dwellings.
 Mayor Bowser Announces Sale of All 33 Vacant Properties
Mayor Muriel Bowser recently announced
the sale of 33 District-owned vacant properties that will be transformed into
affordable workforce housing. The properties were sold in an auction as part of
Vacant to Vibrant DC.
“Through
Vacant to Vibrant DC, we are making good on our commitment to get more
Washingtonians on pathways to the middle class,” said Mayor Bowser. “The
successful auction of all thirty-three vacant spaces speaks to the demand for
more workforce housing, community green spaces, and economic development
opportunities for small businesses. Through these projects, we will deliver all
three.”
All
33 sites received bids during the five-day auction held by Alex Cooper
Auctioneers in January. Upon completion, the properties will be sold to
households earning no more than $132,350 for a family of four (120 percent of
the Median Family Income).
Next steps for the bidders include public hearings on April 4 and April 5 (see sidebar at top right), DC Council review, and design review of their development
plans.
“DHCD
is moving quickly toward the goal of closing on all properties by the summer of
2018, so that new workforce housing is available for residents by the middle of
next year,” said Director Donaldson.
This spring, look forward to announcements regarding
Action 2—Supporting Small Business to Spur Homeownership for District
Employees, under which Certified Business Enterprises (CBEs) are bidding
to renovate sites into workforce housing; Action 4—Expanding Green
Space: a partnership with Casey Trees to
expand and preserve green space in Ward 8; and Action 5—Seeing a Tiny House in
Action, a demonstration project in partnership with the DC
Students Construction Trades Foundation. As part of Action 3—Building Homes Through HIP, the DC
Housing Financing Agency (DCHFA) announced H2 Design Build
and H.E.P Construction as the final developer partners to build workforce
housing on two sites under its Housing Investment Platform (HIP).
New Preservation Officer, Fund Managers Mark More Affordable Housing Progress
Mayor Bowser recently announced the appointment of Ana Van Balen (at left) as the District’s First Affordable Housing Preservation Officer and Capital Impact
Partners and Local Initiatives
Support Corporation-DC (LISC-DC)
as managers of the District’s $10 million Affordable Housing Preservation Fund. The Mayor’s
Housing Preservation Strike Force recommended the creation of both the fund and
a preservation unit headed by the new preservation officer as two of six critical
strategies to preserve affordable rental housing in the District.
The Preservation Officer, the only mayoral-appointed, high-level position of its type in the country, will focus on: (1) preserving affordable units that exist with and without government subsidies; and (2) collecting and maintaining data on affordable housing. Along
with other private and philanthropic investments, the $10 million in the
Housing Preservation Fund will be used to grow the fund to approximately $40
million. These monies will quickly provide short-term bridge acquisition and
predevelopment financing to eligible borrowers.
"When I
established the Strike Force in 2015, its mandate was clear—develop an action
plan that ensures the District does not lose any of its already existing
affordable housing,” said Mayor Bowser. “Ana has a strong background
in economic, housing, and community development, strategic planning, and
engagement, and we know she will serve the residents of DC well. Capital Impact
Partners and LISC-DC both have deep, long-standing commitments to affordable
housing and my Administration looks forward to working together to get this
money out the door and into preservation projects.”
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NAHRO and DHCD Educate Hill Staffers on Value of Federally Funded Projects
With federal budget discussions underway and cuts to
critical housing and community development funding threatened, Director
Donaldson and National Association of Housing
and Redevelopment Officials (NAHRO) representatives recently escorted two staffers
from the U.S. House and Senate appropriations committees on a tour of these federally
funded projects:
-
John
and Jill Ker Conway Residence (new construction project for homeless veterans),
1005
North Capitol Street NE,
funded through the Home Investment
Partnership (HOME) Program.
-
Maycroft
Apartments (preservation project), 1474 Columbia Road NW, funded through HOME and the HPTF.
-
Girard
Street Senior Apartments (new construction project), 1545 Girard Street
NE, which used HOME
funds.
The staffers also learned about
how Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds are used to support housing
counseling, home purchase, and SBTA services through our CBOs,
NAHRO initiated the tour to help congressional
staffers seeking to better understand the impact of those two Housing and Urban
Development (HUD) program.s
“Keeping D.C. affordable for vulnerable families, even as
more people with higher incomes move into the city, is the right thing to do
and what makes D.C. so special,” Donaldson said. “The creation, development,
preservation, and expansion of highly affordable housing is vital to the city’s
success.”
Jubilee Housing, developer of Maycroft,
provided content for this article.
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