News

HUD announced Choice Neighborhoods Planning and Action Grants, designed to spur the redevelopment of severely distressed public and HUD-assisted housing and transform surrounding neighborhoods. PHAs that are considering applying for RAD for demolition and new construction, or major rehabilitation or reconstruction, are encouraged to apply for a Choice Neighborhoods Planning and Action Grant.

Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker joined WinnDevelopment and its partners to celebrate the groundbreaking of a new project to transform the Nockege Mill in downtown Fitchburg, MA, into 96 units of mixed-income housing.

An aging 200-unit property, owned by an affiliate of The Community Builders, will be demolished and replaced by modular, prefabricated homes. MassHousing provided $53 million in financing for the transaction, which includes Low-Income Housing Tax Credits and a renewed 20-year Section 8 HAP contract.

HUD designated the Difficult to Develop Areas (DDA) and Qualified Census Tracts (QCT) that will be effective July 1, 2016. This is the first year Small Area Fair Market Rents (SAFMRs) were used to designate metropolitan DDAs instead of metropolitan-area Fair Market Rents (FMRs).

HUD answered frequently asked questions regarding the Section 811 project rental assistance program, including environmental review, fair housing, program administration, and requirements.

HUD proposed a rule that would implement a smoke-free policy in all public housing, other than dwelling units in mixed-finance buildings. Comments on this proposed rule are due by January 19.

The 2015 Rental Assistance Demonstration (RAD) Workshop – Shreveport, LA is relevant to PHAs and other RAD stakeholders in HUD’s Region 4 and 6.

Community Development Entities interested in applying for New Markets Tax Credit allocation authority under the 2015 round have until 5:00 pm EST, on December 16, 2015 to submit their application.

Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFI) Fund clarified some key aspects of compliance monitoring in a recent update to its New Markets Tax Credit Compliance Monitoring Frequently Asked Questions document.

According to a recent alert from NixonPeabody, the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015 includes partnership audit reforms.

Enterprise will offer guidance on engaging members of Congress to restore funding to the HOME program through a series of statewide and national webinars. The Senate Appropriations Committee’s proposed cuts to HOME would essentially defund the program.

WinnDevelopment is transforming the historic former Malden Mills manufacturing site into affordable housing. WNC, which provided approximately $12.7 million in low-income housing tax credit (LIHTC) equity to fund the adaptive reuse project, announced the completion of Malden Mills Phase II – Loft Five50, comprised of 62 units of affordable housing in Lawrence, Mass.