The Urban Land Institute (ULI) Terwilliger Center for Housing has announced the finalists for this year’s Jack Kemp Excellence in Affordable and Workforce Housing Award, which honors exemplary developments that ensure housing affordability for people with a range of incomes. Two of the 13 finalists are in the Midwest, one in Chicago and the other in Milwaukee.
The award recognizes efforts by the development community to increase the supply of housing that is affordable to households earning less than 120 percent of the area median income. Developments competing for the Kemp Award may be fully affordable, with all units designated for low-to-moderate income residents; or they may contain a mix of affordable units and market-rate units. The winner will be announced during ULI’s 2018 Fall Meeting, set for October 8-11 in Boston.
In Chicago, Clybourn 1200—a mixed-income, mixed-use community in the former Cabrini-Green public housing development—was recognized. Developed with the intent of long-term sustainability and forward-thinking design, Clybourn 1200 offers both market rate and affordable living accommodations with numerous amenities. The property was developed by Brinshore Development and Michaels Development Company and designed by Pappageorge Haymes Partners.
The Greenwich Park Apartments in Milwaukee were also nominated. Developed by Mercy Housing, Greenwich Park Apartments is a high-quality, mixed-income development that combines 14 supportive apartments for very low-income households, 22 affordable apartments for people earning at or below 60 percent of area median income and 17 market rate apartments. Located next to Columbia St. Mary’s Hospital, Greenwich Park provides low-income residents access to services that might otherwise be difficult to obtain, while also offering market rate housing near businesses in the area.
“Through the Kemp Award, we are raising awareness of the critical role that affordable housing plays in creating successful communities,” said Terwilliger Center Founder and Chairman J. Ronald Terwilliger. “These are the types of real estate projects that are often the hardest to pull together, but at the same time, the most inspiring to complete. The finalists for this year’s award demonstrate that affordable and workforce housing is achievable in a wide range of markets, providing economic and social benefits that extend far beyond the developments.”
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 a 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.