The Georgia Department of Community Affairs (DCA) Office of Affordable Housing (OAH) has released a draft version of its 2013 Qualified Allocation Plan (QAP), as well as draft appendices for its threshold criteria and competitive scoring criteria. The draft features several significant structural changes as well as many revisions to its regulations, set asides, and scoring criteria. Some of the proposed revisions include:



  • The removal of the Supported Housing/Assisted Living Projects set aside as well as the Supplemental set aside for “troubled” properties funded pre- 2001 which have a DCA HOME loan, State Housing Trust Fund loan, or other DCA resources, or which DCA has determined to have a significant negative impact on the program or community if they failed.
  • All underwriting policies are now contained in a separate Exhibit to Appendix I (Thresholds Criteria).
  • DCA proposes changing its preliminary scoring review process to a threshold review process. Rather than scoring and ranking all complete applications in this initial review, DCA will determine what projects meet the requirements set forth in its threshold criteria (Appendix I) and will only consider projects that receive a passing review in the scoring stage. If an application contains deficiencies, an applicant may respond in writing within 5 calendar days. If an application contains only administrative deficiencies, such as a missing or incomplete document or a need for clarifying information, DCA may request correction or clarification and reconsider the application. In both cases, DCA will review the response and make a final determination.
  • The draft includes an appeal process to enumerate DCA’s administrative rules for dealing with threshold failures and scoring decisions. A “Request for Reconsideration” may be submitted in writing within ten calendar days of receiving a Notice of Final Threshold Failure or Notification of a Project’s final score. If an applicant’s request is denied after review, they may request an appeal review meeting with the Deputy Commissioner for Housing. The DCA senior leadership will then make the final determination.
  • The draft of Appendix I containing the threshold criteria has been restructured to clarify its requirements for project feasibility, viability analysis, and conformance with the plan.
  • The removal of “adaptive reuse” as a point scoring category. Previously, projects could be awarded up to one point for the adaptive reuse of an existing building.
  • The expansion of eligible sustainable building certifications under the “Sustainable Development” scoring category. The list now includes the National Association of Home Builder’s Research Center’s National Green Building Standard certification program and the ENERGYSTAR Version 3 certification for new single and low rise multifamily buildings. Applicants must now participate in DCA’s Green Building for Affordable Housing Training Course in order to be qualified for this point category.


Pre-applications are scheduled to be due March 15, 2013.


DCA has not yet announced its schedule for public hearings regarding the draft QAP.


To view drafts of the 2013 QAP and supporting appendices, please click here.