In the first months of its existence, the Gwinnett County Housing and Community Development Division has taken over management of federal grants for eight affordable housing projects, including the large Hearthside Lawrenceville complex scheduled to open this fall.
All told, the division is managing a total of $11.2 million, primarily through the federal HOME Investment Partnerships program, said the division’s director, Matt Elder. The money is funding construction of a total of 376 affordable housing units that will be available to people earning no more than 80% of the area median income, or $81,650 for a family of four.
But last year’s housing study, commissioned by the county, predicted low- and middle-income households will need thousands more housing units in Gwinnett than the market is producing every year, until at least 2040.
“We are going to be as aggressive as we can be in terms of scaling up to do more,” Elder said. “It’s a great starting point. We’re certainly excited about all it’s doing, but we’re looking to grow and expand beyond this.”
Going forward, the division will work to identify more sources of revenue for future projects, he said.
The developments now in the pipeline are being handled by two grant subrecipients: the Gwinnett Housing Corp., which is building 350 affordable units, and Gwinnett Habitat for Humanity, which is building 26 homes that low-income people will own.
The median household income for the Atlanta metropolitan area is $102,900, according to Fannie Mae. Of the units the Gwinnett housing division has in the pipeline, 172 are designated for families who make 80% of the area median income or less, based on family size. Another 103 will go to families making 60% or less, 81 for families making 50% or less and 20 for families making 30% or less, Elder said.
Eligible incomes vary for each percentage depending on family size.
Hearthside Lawrenceville, developed in partnership with OneStreet Residential, will contain 140 rental units for seniors in a four-story building and single-story cottages. The county is contributing $1 million in HOME funds, while $28 million in low-income housing tax credits is coming through the Georgia Department of Community Affairs. The complex, on Stone Mountain Street and Scenic Highway in the heart of Lawrenceville, is scheduled for occupancy in October, said Lejla Prljaca, executive director of the Gwinnett Housing Corp.
Other affordable developments, including the 156-unit South Town Square, are going up in Lawrenceville and the Snellville, Lilburn and Loganville areas. South Town Square, in Lawrenceville, includes 38 market-rate rental units that the $1 million HOME grant through Gwinnett County will not fund, Elder said. The Georgia DCA contributed $29 million in tax credits to South Town Square and One Street Residential is a development partner. The apartments are scheduled for occupancy in January.
Grants managed by the county are just one of several layers of funding for the Gwinnett Housing Corp., and the HOME grants were all awarded before the new division was created, Prljaca said. But the creation of a new part of county government focused on financing affordable housing has improved the climate surrounding the issue, Prljaca said.
“We did not have that before,” she said.
Gwinnett Housing and Community Development Division pipeline affordable housing projects
- Forkview in Lawrenceville, 21 ownership units
- Hearthside Lawrenceville, 140 rental units
- South Town Square in Lawrenceville, 156 rental units with 118 reserved for low-income households
- Rosebud in Loganville, 34 ownership and 5 rental units
- Kingsgate in Snellville, 9 rental units
- Bethesda Church in Lawrenceville, 23 rental units
- Shady Drive and Vernon Street in Lilburn, 14 ownership units
- Lake Carlton Road in Loganville, 12 ownership units
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