WASHINGTON — Newark’s Hahne & Co. Building, Boston’s Mosaic on the Riverway, and Austin’s Wildflower Terrace have been selected by the Urban Land Institute (ULI) Terwilliger Center for Housing as the winners of the 2017 Jack Kemp Excellence in Affordable and Workforce Housing Award.
The annual award, which honors developments that ensure housing affordability for people in a broad range of incomes, is provided to developments in which all or a portion of the units are affordable to households earning up to 120 percent of the area median income (AMI).
The three winning projects, which were chosen by a jury of national housing industry leaders, are being recognized today during the Terwilliger Center’s Housing Opportunity Conference in New Orleans, Louisiana. Finalists were A-Mill Artist Lofts in Minneapolis, Minnesota; Casitas de Colores in Albuquerque, New Mexico; Perris Station Senior Apartment Homes in Perris, California; and Veo in Carson, California.
Details on the winners:
- In 2015, public and private partners crafted a plan to transform the vacant former Hahne & Co. department store into a thriving, modern residential and retail community in Newark, NJ. A public-private partnership, spearheaded by L+M Development Partners and Prudential Financial, Inc., led to the rehabilitation of the 400,000 square-foot building and construction of a 120,000-square foot, nine-story addition. This redevelopment has played a central role in the economic revitalization of downtown Newark. The now completed mixed-use development offers new housing, retail, jobs and educational opportunities near transit. It includes160 units with 64 units affordable to those earning less than 60 percent of AMI.
- Mosaic on the Riverway offers a mixed-income and mixed-tenure development near jobs and addresses a childcare shortage through a 9,000-square foot early childhood education center located on the ground floor. This project embodies the spirit of Boston’s mayor Marty Walsh’s policy to build for all of Boston: from formerly homeless families, to first time homebuyers, to doctors looking for a condominium close to work, Mosaic provides housing for all types of Boston residents. The project, which has earned a LEED Silver certification, includes 145 units with 60 units affordable to those earning less than 60 percent of AMI; and 43 condos for those earning 60-120 percent of AMI.
- Wildflower Terrace, a mixed-income apartment community for ages 55-plus, is located within the 700-acre Mueller Redevelopment community in Austin, Texas. The LEED Silver, amenity-filled development includes a community activity room with a covered terrace, movie theater, fitness center, art studio, library, laundry facilities, business center, game room, billiards room, and an outdoor courtyard with access to greenways and trails, swimming pools, parks, shopping and convenient public transportation. It includes 201 units with 171 units affordable to those earning less than 60 percent of AMI; 3 units for those earning 60-120 percent of AMI; and 27 market-rate units.
“This year’s winners honor the spirit of Jack Kemp and reflect his signature qualities of compassion for others, pragmatic efficiency, and entrepreneurial spirit in meeting the housing needs of all America’s citizens,” said Jury Chairman J. Ronald Terwilliger, chairman of the ULI Terwilliger Center for Housing and a former ULI chairman.
ULI established the Jack Kemp Excellence in Affordable and Workforce Housing Award in 2008, naming the award in memory of Jack Kemp, former secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and ULI Terwilliger Center national advisory board member. The award is given annually to affordable and workforce housing developments that represent outstanding achievements in several areas, including affordability, innovative financing and building technologies, proximity to employment centers and transportation hubs, quality of design, involvement of public/private partnerships, and replicability of the development, among other criteria.
One of the goals in establishing the ULI Kemp Award program was to show the critical role that housing plays in achieving economic prosperity and a high quality of life, both for individuals and communities, Terwilliger said. “If a family is constantly worried about housing, then being healthy, getting educated, and staying employed is never much of an option. A family with a stable housing situation is a family with a chance. Housing is the foundation from which everything else takes root.”
“Mixed-income housing is a good business and good for communities,” added Stockton Williams, ULI executive vice president for content and executive director of the ULI Terwilliger Center for Housing. “These award-winning developments reflect the innovation and leadership that have characterized the ULI Kemp Award since its inception.”
The winners were selected according to each project’s ability to meet affordable and workforce housing needs in their communities. In addition to Terwilliger, the 2017 Jack Kemp Award jury members were Victoria Davis, president, Urban Atlantic; Hal Ferris, principal, Spectrum Development; Gadi Kaufmann, managing director and chief executive officer, RCLCO; Alazne Solis, president and chief executive officer, Make Room USA; and Margaret Wylde, chief executive officer, Pro Matura Group.
