Additional affordable housing in Ann Arbor is on everyone’s agenda, but the reality is that the 415 W. Washington site is in the floodplain and also in close proximity to the railroad tracks, which excludes the site from federal Low-Income Housing Tax Credits (LIHTC) and other federal subsidies for low-income housing as well as any monies from the recently passed affordable housing millage. Affordable housing is not an option on this site. Again, no new construction in the floodplain will qualify for federal subsidies or funds from the affordable housing millage. Both the City Planner and Affordable Housing Director have stated that, with the cost of demolishing the current buildings, cleaning up the ground contaminants and developing the site, it is unlikely there would be funds left for the developer to donate to the Affordable Housing Fund.
The good news is that the City has designated several other locations not far from 415 as suitable for affordable housing, because those sites do qualify for federal Low Income Housing Tax Credits and the local Affordable Housing Millage funds. There are already many existing and proposed housing developments in the downtown area and on the edges of the Old West Side, but 415 W. Washington is the only one actually within the Historic District of the Old West Side. This is a key consideration. It is important that more attention is paid to this fact.
The good news is that the City has designated several other locations not far from 415 as suitable for affordable housing, because those sites do qualify for federal Low Income Housing Tax Credits and the local Affordable Housing Millage funds. There are already many existing and proposed housing developments in the downtown area and on the edges of the Old West Side, but 415 W. Washington is the only one actually within the Historic District of the Old West Side. This is a key consideration. It is important that more attention is paid to this fact.