Help Genesis Clinton Avenue Urban Renewal
Newark, NJ
Del-Sano is excited to be partnering with HELP USA, Kramer Marks Architects and The City of Newark, NJ to provide affordable housing in support of the community and those in need.
Newark Clinton Avenue Homes
Overview: HELP USA's second Newark project will be located in the city's South Ward at 640 Clinton Avenue, and will provide 56 units of affordable rental housing for veterans and families. Construction work on the project began in late January 2010; construction is scheduled to be completed in December 2010.
In this project, significant emphasis is given to incorporating green and sustainable features within the overall design and construction; the building is currently designed to meet LEED Gold environmental standards, the development team is working to add additional 'green' elements that will allow the development to attain LEED Platinum certification.
HELP USA is collaborating with the Make It Right (MIR) Foundation on this project; MIR is a national non-profit corporation committed to rebuilding communities through the design and construction of safe, and affordable sustainable housing.
HELP's first Newark development, Jon Bon Jovi Soul Homes, brought 51 units of rental housing to the North Ward in 2009. This project provides supportive housing for persons living with HIV/AIDS and affordable housing for families. The North Ward project was awarded a 2009 Charles L. Edson Tax Credit Excellence Award.
Project Funding: Funding for the project was provided through Low Income Housing Tax Credits awarded by the New Jersey Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency, and Neighborhood Stabilization Program 2 funding awarded by the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The Newark Housing Authority provided 14 Project-Based Section 8 rental assistance vouchers for the development.
TD Bank provided construction and permanent financing for the project as well as tax credit equity investment. Raymond James Tax Credit Funds provided Low Income Housing Tax Credit equity placement.
Project Description: The four story Clinton Avenue facility will include computer rooms, a fitness center, meeting rooms, and community service space. The latter will provide space for programs that will serve veterans, other tenants, and members of the local community. These programs will be operated by HELP USA and by Newark-based service providers. The building will also include a rooftop garden designed to be used by the tenants for growing vegetables. HELP will implement a gardening program that will be coordinated with similar therapeutic gardening projects the Veterans Administration currently operates at the East Orange and Lyons VA Medical Centers.
The rental units will consist of 14 one bedroom, 20 two bedroom, and 22 three bedroom apartments. Unit sizes will be 615 s.f(1 BR); 907 s.f. (2 BR); and 1,153 s.f. (3 BR). Rents will be affordable to persons earning no more than 50% of the median for the area. Net rents are as follows: $662 - 1 BR; $786 - 2 BR; $901 - 3 BR. The site will also include 31 on-site parking spaces.
The rent-up process for the new project is scheduled to begin in late Fall 2010.
Development Team: HELP has assembled an experienced development team for this important project.
The team members are:
Newark Clinton Avenue Homes
Environmental 'Green' Features
Overview:
The Newark Clinton Avenue Homes affordable housing project has a design goal of achieving LEED for Homes Platinum certification. The building will also· be qualified to meet Green Communities standards as set forth by Enterprise, and New Jersey's Energy Star program requirements. Moreover, the Clinton Ave project is designed to meet Universal Design standards, meaning that any persons of any age and capabilities can use the various elements of the facility.
Green Features:
The specific Green Features that will be included in the design and operation of Newark Clinton Avenue include:
