#Amazing. When Dantes Partners and the Menkiti Group finished Justice Park Apartments in 2014, the 28-unit workforce housing community was already 100% pre-leased, with a waiting list of more than 1000 people. During construction, the development team used an innovative social media marketing campaign to spread the word and the results were #TrulySuccessful.
Built on the site of the infamous park the building was named after, the apartment community lies in the heart of the rapidly gentrifying neighborhood of Columbia Heights and provides green affordable housing to residents looking to live close to jobs, transportation and other lifestyle amenities. Another special note? Justice Park is fitted with special features that support its deaf and hearing-impaired residents, allowing for independent living in a responsive and tactilely enhanced environment. HAND is proud to honor Justice Park Apartments as its 2015 Best Small Affordable Housing Project!
This month we are excited to run a special HAND Member Spotlight series in honor of our Housing Achievement Award recipients. We look forward to hearing more about our winners during the Annual Meeting, but please enjoy these weekly spotlights for now!
HAND’s 2015 President’s Choice Award goes to Walter Webdale, president and CEO of AHC Inc. For fifty years Walter has served in the affordable housing industry. He was just twenty-two when he and his brother, with capital borrowed from their grandmother, purchased and redeveloped an old stone barn into three townhouses in western New York. Firmly on the path of community development, Walter went on to hold leadership positions throughout New York state and then in his adopted home of Virginia, where he became the first director of the Fairfax County Department of Housing and Community Development – a position he held for more than two decades. As the current head of AHC Inc., Walter has tripled its multifamily housing portfolio and helped the organization expand its geographic footprint to include properties in Baltimore and Montgomery County. Throughout his career, Walter has pioneered great change in our industry, and we are honored that he is the HAND 2015 President’s Choice Award recipient!
On May 21st, Harkins Builders celebrated their 50th Anniversary at the Four Seasons Hotel in Baltimore. More than 200 guests, including employees, long-time clients, architects, former executives, and other Harkins friends, gathered to celebrate 50 years of preconstruction, construction, and design-build excellence in the Mid-Atlantic region. Harkins President and CEO Dick Lombardo acknowledged all of the people who have contributed to the company’s success, and shared plans for how the company would continue to grow and prosper.Maryland Secretary of Business and Economic Development Mike Gill presented Harkins with a Governor’s Citation expressing the State’s appreciation and good wishes, and Howard County Executive Allan Kittleman presented an Executive Proclamation declaring May 21st, 2015 as Harkins Builders Day in Howard County, Maryland, where the company has its headquarters. The cocktail and hors d’oeuvres reception included signature red Harkintinis, a cigar bar, and live music.
On May 15th, the Maryland Public Service Commission approved the merger between Exelon and Pepco Holdings. The Order includes significant benefits to residents and owners of affordable multifamily housing. These benefits include increased investments in energy efficiency, improved access to energy consumption data, and debt forgiveness for low-income utility customers. The Order requires Exelon to provide $57 million for investments in efficiency and clean energy.
These provisions were sought by the National Housing Trust (NHT), National Consumer Law Center (NCLC), Maryland Affordable Housing Coalition (MAHC), and Housing Association of Nonprofit Developers (HAND) as formal interveners in the merger proceeding.
Twenty-five years ago, Housing Initiative Partnership, Inc. (HIP) was founded in Prince George’s County by a group of committed community activists wanting to make a difference in the lives of families with low-incomes. Since its start in 1988, HIP has helped thousands of families achieve their dreams – whether through high-quality affordable housing or personalized counseling – and is a recognized powerhouse known for excellence in design; commitment to green technologies; focus on neighborhood revitalization; and outstanding customer service.
HIP launched its multifamily rental development program by buying distressed fourplexes in the Suitland Manor community and renovating them into comfortable homes for local residents. Now, 25 years later, HIP has developed almost 450 apartment homes, with 100 more in the pipeline.
In 1998, HIP started HIP Homes, a homeownership program that acquires vacant and distressed houses to renovate and resell to first-time homebuyers. To date, it has purchased and sold more than 65 of these homes in Prince George’s County, with 20 of the properties developed in just the past three years. Seeing a need to expand homeownership education among first-time buyers, HIP developed its housing counseling program in 2003. More than 15,000 residents in both Prince George’s and Montgomery counties have received pre-purchase counseling, financial capacity training and/or foreclosure prevention services through this program with more coming through the doors each day. In response to the mortgage crisis in 2009, Montgomery County invited HIP to open two housing counseling offices in foreclosure “hot spots” where HIP continues to be active to this day.
In addition to developing quality homes for buyers and renters with low- to moderate-incomes, HIP has also paid for more than 300 college courses for residents who live in its buildings and in communities the organization serves.
For many years, HIP has targeted Palmer Park in Landover for revitalization and has renovated more than 30 homes in the area to date. Strategically located near two metro stations, these renovated homes have provided residents a solid base and convenient access to jobs and other necessities needed for stability. HIP knows how to be a true partner in providing support to families, and looks forward to “transforming neighborhoods and transforming lives” for many more years to come.
HIP is proud to be a member of HAND and uses its membership to collaborate with colleagues and peers invested in creating housing affordability and strong communities to Maryland-based families.
For a deeper look into HIP’s 25 year history, click here.
HAND is pleased to spotlight HIP, which certainly contributes to our organization’s COLLABORATION, INNOVATION and TRANSFORMATION within the metropolitan area!
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Guest List & Dietary Preference: If your registration includes a luncheon table or multiple guests, please submit guest names and menu choices by May 1, 2020. Submit guest names here.
Housing Expo: Plan to exhibit? Download the Housing Expo FAQs here.
Omni Shoreham Hotel Room Block: For attendees looking to secure overnight accommodations on May 25th, HAND has secured a rate starting at $189 for conference attendees. There are a limited amount of rooms available, so visit this link today to reserve your room. May 10th is the last day to secure a room at the discounted rate.
Ad Submission: The artwork for advertisements should be submitted to annualmeeting@handhousing.org. You can download the ad spec sheet here. Deadline for ad submission is April 13, 2020.
Cancellations & Changes: If you wish to cancel or change your registration for the Annual Meeting & Housing Expo, please send a request in writing to annualmeeting@handhousing.org. All cancellation requests made prior to April 27th will receive a 50% refund. For cancellation requests made after April 27th, no refund will be provided.
Door Prizes: Are you interested in donating a door prize to this year’s Annual Meeting? Email annualmeeting@handhousing.org to coordinate with our team.
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