Austin News

AUSTIN, TX – The City of Austin Housing Department celebrates the groundbreaking of the Seabrook Square multi-family development in partnership with the NHP Foundation, Capital A Housing, and the Austin Housing Finance Corporation. Seabrook Square I will be 204 units located on approximately three acres at 3511 and 3515 Manor Road, now addressed as 2210 Pershing Drive. It will include a 5-story and a 4-story building that will offer a diversity of affordable housing options. All 204 units in the first phase will be affordable for households earning at or below 60% Median Family Income (MFI) and will include 10 "live-work-residence-studios" dedicated to East Austin artists.

“The Seabrook Square groundbreaking shows exciting progress in our collective efforts to bring more affordable housing options to Austinites,” explains Mandy DeMayo, Interim Deputy Director of the Housing Department. “All partners are working together to ensure an inclusive community that supports the health and well-being of the J.J. Seabrook neighbors.”

The development in the East MLK neighborhood aims to provide maximum affordability for residents and local businesses. The groundbreaking event featured remarks from development partners and community leaders. 

"Partnering with local organizations to complement strengths in the service of bringing much-needed affordable housing to Austin residents is a crucial step in the effort to fill the region’s housing needs," Robert Jefferson, Senior Development Director at NHPF, adding that Seabrook is an ideal example of what happens when local market expertise and affordable housing experience combine. 

  

On-site amenities comprise parking spaces, approximately 3,000 square feet of commercial space housing Raasin in the Sun (artist incubator) and Origin Studio House (a black-owned café), a large public plaza, live/work units, locally curated murals, passive/active recreation spaces, and a community center for residents.

”In a market like Austin where everyone is desperate for housing, it is relatively easy to just throw up a generic apartment building, call it Low Income Housing and you’ll be fine,” Conor Kenny, Principal, Capital A Housing, “Seabrook Square will be so much more - everything from the landscaping to the cafe to the live-work spaces are going to be a symbol of what everyone on this team is committed to doing for our community.”

In collaboration with AHFC and local developer Capital A Housing, the NHP Foundation closed on $74.5 million in construction financing for Seabrook Square in September 2023 – a milestone in the development process. This project signifies NHPF's inaugural venture into Austin, showcasing a commitment to partnering with local organizations to deliver much-needed affordable housing in District 1. The estimated move-in date for tenants is July 2025.

Seabrook Square Background

Seabrook Square is in the J.J. Seabrook neighborhood and is named after Dr. John Jarvis Seabrook, a Black educator, pastor, and well-known community leader in Austin. Dr. Seabrook was the president of Huston-Tillotson College (now known as Huston-Tillotson University) from 1955 to 1965. The Seabrook community was envisioned to be inclusive and harmonize with the current resources and cultural history. 

As approved by the Austin Housing Finance Corporation board in July 2022, Seabrook Square I is financed by a $40M tax-exempt Bond issued by the City of Austin, $3.4M Citibank construction bridge debt, $32.3 million in 4% LIHTC Equity syndicated by Boston Financial, and $13.5M in Austin Housing Finance Corporation subordinate debt financing through Rental Housing Development Assistance (RHDA). 

Seabrook Square is broken into two phases of development, with the first phase, Seabrook Square I apartments, consisting of 204 affordable units, and the second phase, Seabrook Square II, consisting of 60 units of permanent supporting housing. Both phases of development have a long-term ground lease with AHFC, through which the land will continue to be publicly owned. The site will have ample common area spaces, including a private courtyard for the PSH development and a large public plaza available to all residents and the surrounding neighborhood. Trauma-informed design, durability, and long-term ownership are critical factors in the selection of materials and systems for the building, as well as key design features throughout the community.   

 

Resources for affordable housing and displacement prevention are available online at www.austintexas.gov/housing.    

 

About the City of Austin Housing Department

The City of Austin Housing Department provides equitable and comprehensive housing, community development, and displacement prevention to enhance the quality of life of all Austinites. To access affordable housing and community resources, visit www.austintexas.gov/housing. 

About the Austin Housing Finance Corporation

The Austin Housing Finance Corporation (AHFC) was created as a public, non-profit corporation and instrumentality of the City of Austin. The mission of the AHFC is to generate and implement strategic housing solutions for the benefit of low- and moderate-income residents of the City of Austin. 

About The NHP Foundation

Headquartered in New York City with offices in Washington, DC, and Chicago, IL, The NHP Foundation (NHPF) was launched on January 30, 1989, as a publicly supported 501(c)(3) not-for-profit real estate corporation. NHPF is dedicated to preserving and creating sustainable, service-enriched multifamily housing, and single-family homes that are both affordable to low and moderate income families and seniors, and beneficial to their communities. NHPF’s Construction Management Group provides in-house resources dedicated to infrastructure review, infrastructure development and cost management. Through Family-Centered Coaching, NHPF’s subsidiary Operation Pathways engages with, and assists, families experiencing poverty and other hardship, to problem-solve together. Through partnerships with major financial institutions, the public sector, faith-based initiatives, and other not-for-profit organizations, NHPF has 61 properties, including over 10,000 units, in 16 states and the District of Columbia. For more information, please visit www.nhpfoundation.org.   

About Capital A Housing

Capital A Housing is an Austin-based and focused development company of affordable and mixed-income projects. It specializes in projects that range from a quarter acre to 50 acres and are responsive to neighborhood, city and elected official concerns, delivering outstanding amenities, affordability and services. Through its methodology, Capital A Housing accomplishes rezonings or other permissions that would typically be infeasible for more standard developments. For more information, please visit capitalahousing.com. 

Original source can be found here.