Housing Affordability

For 40 years, HR&A has guided the design and implementation of the innovative programs that produce and preserve affordable housing.

Our practice works with public and private sector clients across North America and provides services in three areas:

 

  • Regional, city, and neighborhood housing plans that evaluate the market and regulatory factors driving housing affordability challenges and identify policy and programmatic solutions
  • Affordable housing policy and programs that maximize the impact of public funds and leverage local land use regulations to foster affordability; and
  • The redevelopment of public housing sites to create mixed-income communities that provide access to opportunity for households and supporting neighborhood revitalization

 

HR&A is involved in all aspects of designing and implementing affordable housing strategies.

On behalf of our clients we:

 

  • Prepare housing and community development policies and needs analyses, at the neighborhood, district, city and county level;
  • Design, implement and evaluate innovative programs to produce and preserve affordable housing, including inclusionary housing, “linkage fee” and density bonus programs;
  • Design and implement financing programs;
  • Review proposed affordable housing development projects for compliance with local programs and financial feasibility;
  • Manage public sector affordable housing developer solicitation and selection processes;
  • Draft and review loan documents and negotiate with loan underwriters; and
  • Prepare and analyze development financing plans, including market studies, design of real estate partnerships involving complicated tax and legal structures with public and private participants, issuance of tax-exempt financing and structuring of tax-advantaged equity investments.

 

HR&A has a long history of consulting for diverse players in the housing development industry including:

 

  • The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD);
  • Private lenders;
  • Public lenders;
  • National intermediaries (e.g., NEF, CEF, LISC, Enterprise Community Partners);
  • Local public agencies;
  • Community-based, non-profit developers;
  • Affordable housing industry organizations; and
  • Some of the nation’s leading private residential development organizations.