More than 300 developers, lenders, investors, policymakers and building professionals made the “Green Homes and Sustainable Communities” conference in San Francisco a rich exchange of leading practices and ideas. Enterprise would like to thank all the speakers; our partner and cosponsor, the Institute for Professional and Executive Development; and Washington Mutual, United Fund Advisors and Enterprise Community Investment for financial support to better enable more community-based and public sector leaders to attend on scholarships.
HUD Announces Green Preservation Initiative
At the aforementioned “Green Homes and Sustainable Communities” conference, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced a nationwide pilot program to encourage owners of multifamily properties to rehabilitate and operate their buildings using green principles. Through the initiative, HUD will cover almost all the costs apartment owners are otherwise required to pay for building improvements under HUD regulations when they refinance their properties if those improvements are environmentally sustainable. HUD release.
State Housing Agencies Continue to Lead on Green Affordable Housing
Enterprise’s annual analysis of state housing policies through the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit shows that more states continue to strengthen their commitment to sustainable development. The Enterprise report, by James Tassos, found that 28 states implemented notable new policies or substantially revised policies encouraging sustainable development since just last year. Thirty-eight states have made significant strides in this area during the past two years. Detailed information on the green elements in every state’s 2007 Low-Income Housing Tax Credit program will be available on the Green Communities website shortly. Read the summary of the analysis.
Enterprise Seeks Candidates to Join Green Communities Team
Enterprise is building on the success of Green Communities and expanding our commitment to healthier, more efficient affordable housing and community revitalization. With new products, resources and initiatives under development, we are seeking highly motivated people with interdisciplinary expertise and a deep commitment to social and environmental justice to join us. If you are interested in helping to lead Enterprise’s efforts to make all affordable housing in the United States environmentally sustainable, please go to our career opportunities page for more details.
Green Communities Grant Funds Available
Enterprise is pleased to announce the availability of grants of up to $50,000 for developers interested in planning, designing and constructing green affordable housing.
Grant guidelines and application.
Applications are due by Aug. 31. Grant awards are expected to be made by November 2007. For information about the application, please call 410.715.7433 or send and email.
Enterprise thanks and recognizes Green Communities’ lead national funders for their generous support: Citigroup Foundation, The Home Depot Foundation and The Kresge Foundation.
Trees Grant Funds Available
Enterprise, in partnership with The Home Depot Foundation, now offers affordable housing developers integrating the Green Communities Criteria into their developments the opportunity for grant funding to strategically incorporate trees into their site plans. Applications are reviewed the first week of every month and decisions are made by the end of that month.
Grant guidelines and application.
Los Angeles Green Communities Partnership Announced
Thanks in part to generous support from Wells Fargo, four affordable housing developments in Los Angeles will each receive grants of $70,000 from Enterprise to go green as the first step toward making all affordable housing in the city environmentally sustainable. Enterprise worked with Los Angeles City Council President Eric Garcetti, Councilmember Jan Perry and Global Green USA to select the awardees through a citywide request for proposals from area developers.
“Sustainable living is not a privilege for the wealthy,” said Garcetti. “All of Los Angeles wants to go green. Through Green Communities, we are bringing the benefits of green buildings to households of all income levels.” As part of this effort, the city will strengthen requirements of its Housing Trust Fund program this fall to incentivize green affordable housing development more broadly.
Green Grants Awarded to Five Organizations
Ohio Green Communities, a collaboration between Enterprise, the Ohio Capital Corporation for Housing (OCCH), the Ohio Housing Finance Agency (OHFA) and the Ohio Department of Development’s Office of Energy Efficiency (OEE), with support from National City Community Development Corporation, recently awarded five organizations grant funds from Enterprise and OCCH totaling more than $350,000. The groups are Creative Housing Solutions, Detroit Shoreway CDO, the Famicos Foundation, the NRP Group and the YWCA of Youngstown. OHFA will make additional gap financing available to those developments that receive federal housing tax credits and OEE will provide grant funds to install renewable energy technologies and complete building commissioning to assure high performance of the building shell and mechanical system.
More information on Ohio Green Communities.
National Affordable Housing Trust Fund Proposal Includes Green Communities
House Financial Services Committee Chairman Barney Frank (D-Mass.), along with Reps. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.), Gary Miller (R-Calif.), John McHugh (R-N.Y.) and Jim Ramstad (R-Minn.) have introduced legislation with the goal of producing, rehabilitating and preserving 1.5 million new affordable homes over the next 10 years. The new bill, H.R. 2895, will initially allocate between $800 million and $1 billion annually to states and local communities. Among the factors states and cities would be required to consider in allocating funds to developers would be the extent to which proposed projects would meet the Green Communities Criteria.
Green Communities Project Profile: Tremont Pointe, Cleveland
The redevelopment of a former distressed public housing site combines mixed-income housing, community services and sustainable practices to create a sustainable new community. Developed by McCormack, Baron Salazar, the development includes 190 green homes and 3,000 square feet of community space.
