The Illinois Housing Development Authority (IHDA) released the draft 2012 Qualified Allocation Plan (QAP) that details changes made to the previous year’s plan. Some changes include:

  • The Chicago Housing Authority (CHA) sub set-aside has been removed. CHA project applications will now only be eligible to compete with other City of Chicago applications. The remaining set-aside has been added to the City of Chicago allocation pool;
  • The historic preservation section has been expanded to indicate that scattered site projects are required to submit historic preservation documentation for each location;
  • An environmental site assessment (Phase I assessment) must now be completed within one year prior to the application deadline;
  • The development team minimum capacity thresholds for previous housing experience has been revised;
  • Increases to the developer fee will not be permitted after Board approval of the application, however the developer fee may be decreased as a result of a reduced development budget/basis;
  • Owners and syndicators have been omitted from eligibility for points based on Non-Profit Participation and Illinois Business Enterprise Program for Minorities, Females, and Persons with Disabilities (MAFBE) requirements;
  • The tiebreaker criteria has been changed to the following criteria: first tiebreaker, fewest credits per unit; second tiebreaker, supportive housing project; third tiebreaker, tenants with children; fourth tiebreaker, local revitalization or redevelopment plan and QCT; and fifth tiebreaker, tenant ownership.

The 30-day Public Comment Period began on Saturday, September 3. Interested parties may submit written comments by 5:00 pm on Monday, October 3, 2011 to the following address:

Multifamily Finance Department
Illinois Housing Development Authority
401 N. Michigan Ave., Suite 700
Chicago, Illinois 60611
ATTN: Tax Credit Manager

To read the proposed 2012 plan, click here.