WASHINGTON (November 9, 2012) –Success stories in the development of workforce housing are showcased in a new publication from the Urban Land Institute, Housing America’s Workforce: Case Studies and Lessons Learned from the Experts.

The new book, published by the ULI Terwilliger Center for Housing, offers a comprehensive, step-by-step look at the creation of 18 outstanding projects across the United States that have overcome development challenges to help meet demand meet for a product type that remains undersupplied in many of the nation’s urban areas. “Despite unprecedented shifts in the housing market in recent years, far too many individuals and families still have difficulty finding affordable housing near employment centers or within easy access to transit hubs,” said Terwilliger Center Executive Director Lynn Ross. “We’re aiming to demonstrate how to address this gap with innovation and creativity.”

The case studies are based on finalists and winners of the center’s Jack Kemp Workforce Housing Models of Excellence Award competition, established in 2008 to recognize developers who demonstrate leadership and creativity in providing expanded housing opportunities for America’s working families. The featured developments, selected from the 2009, 2010 and 2011 award programs, are

• Casa del Maestro, Phase II, Santa Clara, Calif. – The 70-unit Casa del Maestro is tucked into a 1950s-era suburban neighborhood containing single-family and low-rise multifamily dwellings, within walking distance to schools and shopping.
• Miller’s Court, Baltimore, Md. – Built in 1874 as the manufacturing site for the American Can Company, Miller’s Court has experienced a renaissance as a mixed-use building with 40 workforce rental units targeted to teachers, and 30,000 square feet of ground-floor office space with reduced rent for educational non-profits serving the city’s schools.
• Renaissance Square, Baltimore, Md. – Renaissance Square is a 17-acre, 115-unit residential development offering 65 workforce housing units in the Essex-Middle River community in Baltimore County.
• Woods Corner, Islamorada, Fla. – Woods Corner is a 16-unit residential development featuring two-story, 1,300-square-foot townhouses priced to serve low- and median-income households in the village of Islamorada, Fla.
• 33 Comm, Newton, Mass. – 33 Comm is a mixed-income, 57-unit condominium development located in the Chestnut Hill community of Newton, with 15 of its units reserved for moderate-income families.
• Columbia Commons/Columbia Hicks Apartments, New York, N.Y. – Columbia Commons/Columbia Hicks consists of 95 workforce rental units and 42 homeownership units. The building is designed to reflect and enhance the character of the local neighborhood, which is a mix of brownstone housing units.
• Fair Oaks Court, Pasadena, Calif. – Fair Oaks Court compromises 41 for-sale mixed-income units on 1.8 acres located one-half mile from downtown Pasadena, just northeast of Los Angeles.
• The Hayes at Railroad Square, Haverhill, Mass. – In the heart of Merrimack Valley, the Hayes at Railroad Square is an innovative historic rehabilitation of two contiguous mills listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
• The St. Aidan, Brookline, Mass. – The St. Aidan’s 36 new affordable units were created as part of a mixed-income infill project in the town of Brookline, a suburb of Boston.
• 500 Hyacinth Place, Highland Park, Ill. – The first of its kind in Chicago’s affluent North Shore, 500 Hyacinth Place is a small-scale infill affordable workforce housing development that serves as a model for communities where land cost is prohibitive and affordable housing scarce.
• The Cottages at Longborough, Charleston, S.C. – The Cottages at Longborough were built as part of a 14-acre urban revitalization project located 2.5 miles from downtown Charleston.
• The Kalahari, Harlem, N.Y. — Located on West 116 Street and only six blocks from Central Park in New York City, the Kalahari comprises 249 for-sale condominium units – 50 percent of which are designated for families earning between 90 and 150 percent of the area median income.
• South City Lights, South San Francisco, Calif. – South City Lights features 280 stacked flat condominiums built over a partially sunk podium garage.
• Capitol Quarter, Phase 1, Washington, D.C. – Capitol Quarter is an eight-acre residential component of the 23-acre Capper/Carrollsburg HOPE VI Redevelopment Project – a redevelopment plan that aims to transform blighted public housing into a vibrant, mixed-income, mixed-use community in the city.
• Fire Clay Lofts, Denver, Colo. – Located in an industrial corridor and on a former brick manufacturing site, the 177,300-square-foot, 166-unit Fire Clay Lofts project was intended to introduce mixed-income residential development to an underused area with little housing.
• Miller Ranch, Edwards, Colo. – Located in Edwards, a fast-growing unincorporated community east of two well-known ski resorts, Miller Ranch is a 31-acre vibrant community consisting solely of workforce housing units.
• On the Park, Seattle, Wash. – On the Park is a high-quality mixed-use redevelopment located five miles northwest of Seattle’s business district in the emerging Ballard neighborhood.
• Tapestry, New York, N.Y. – Developed jointly by the Jonathan Rose Companies and Lettire Construction Corporation, Tapestry is a 12-story, mixed-income residential building with ground-floor retail serving the community.

The development case studies are organized into four themed chapters: 1) Partnership Strategies, which examines creative connections among a range of partners, including for-profit and non-profit developers, community land trusts, local governments, and school districts; 2) Financing and Regulatory Innovation, which showcases creative methods to secure financing and overcome regulatory obstacles; 3) Design Solutions, which demonstrate how integral good design decisions are in supporting the creation and sustainability of affordable workforce housing; and 4) Community Catalyst, which shows how workforce housing can spur neighborhood revitalization or stabilization efforts.

“Housing America’s Workforce is intended to serve as a resource for developers interested in building affordable workforce housing, as well as public officials who create and implement the policies and programs that make these projects possible,” Ross said.

About the ULI Terwilliger Center for Housing
The ULI Terwilliger Center for Housing was established in 2007 with a $5 million endowment to ULI from former ULI Chairman J. Ronald Terwilliger, chairman emeritus of Trammell Crow Residential and chairman of the ULI Terwilliger Center. The mission of the Center is to expand housing opportunity by leveraging the private sector and other partners to create and sustain mixed-income, mixed-use urban and suburban neighborhoods that incorporate a full spectrum of housing choices including workforce housing.

About the Urban Land Institute
The Urban Land Institute (www.uli.org) is a global nonprofit education and research institute supported by its members. Its mission is to provide leadership in the responsible use of land and in sustaining and creating thriving communities worldwide. Established in 1936, the Institute has nearly 30,000 members representing all aspects of land use and development disciplines.

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