Four innovative projects that are owned and/or managed by members of NH&RA were honored by the National Affordable Housing Management Association (NAHMA) with Affordable Housing Vanguard Awards. These awards recognize newly developed or significantly rehabbed affordable multifamily housing communities that showcase high-quality design and resourceful financing.

The 2016 Vanguard Awards will be presented at NAHMA’s annual summer forum, June 15 in San Francisco. NH&RA members contribute to the following winning projects:

Vanguard Award for New Construction (Large Property (more than 100 units))
Bristol Commons/Lenox Green, Taunton, Mass

  • Management Company: Trinity Management, LLC
  • Owner: Trinity Taunton Nine LP, Boston, Mass.

Vanguard Award for Major Rehabilitation of an Existing Rental Housing Community
Blue Butterfly Village, San Pedro, Calif.

  • Management Company: Volunteers of America (VOA) National Housing Corporation
  • Owner: Navy Village VOA Affordable Housing, LP, Alexandria, Va.

Vanguard Award for Major Rehabilitation of a Nonhousing Structure
777 Main, Hartford, Conn.

  • Management Company: WinnResidential
  • Owner: Becker & Becker Associates, Fairfield, Conn.

Vanguard Award for Major Rehabilitation of a Historic Structure into Affordable Housing
A-Mill Artist Lofts, Minneapolis, Minn.

  • Management Company: Dominium
  • Owner: Dominium, Plymouth, Minn.

The Vanguard Awards:

  • Demonstrate that exceptional new affordable housing is available across the country;
  • Demonstrate that the affordable multifamily industry is and must be creative and innovative if such exceptional properties are to be built given the financial and other challenges to development;
  • Highlight results of the private-public partnerships required to develop today’s affordable housing; and
  • Share ideas for unique design and financing mechanisms with industry practitioners to further stimulate creative development in the affordable multifamily industry.

About the winners:
Bristol Commons/Lenox Green: When it was built in 1951 in Taunton, Mass., Bristol Commons was known as Fairfax Gardens. It was made up of 150 units of barrack-style public housing on 44 acres of land that included meadows and wetlands. Over the years, it had deteriorated so badly the infrastructure needed a complete replacement. Mold grew in many of the units due to flooding, pests proliferated and crime became rampant.
The goal was to create a safe and attractive mixed-income community and reduce the density, yet maintain at least 150 units. To help accomplish the housing requirement, the city of Taunton contributed vacant land less than a mile away, which became Lenox Green. The newly christened Bristol Commons is made up of 88 energy-efficient townhomes, each with one to four bedrooms, while Lenox Green boasts 72 one- to three-bedroom apartments for a combined 160 units.
The joint development includes a playground, water spray pad, basketball courts, tot lots, community garden, greenhouse, community rooms, classrooms, computer center, food pantry and social services and management offices. Security cameras and lights were also installed to deter crime. There are plenty of pedestrian paths that lead to downtown and the nearby bus terminal.
The two sites support a mix of incomes from 30 percent to 60 percent of area median income (AMI) and many residents receive subsidies from the Taunton Housing Authority. The dual development was funded through a combination of HOPE VI and Community Block Development Grants as well as 9 percent and 4 percent tax credits, and the developer obtained a mortgage.
Besides overcoming its former reputation and the overall depressed economy of the city, the new development had to create a Habitat Management Plan for the endangered Eastern Spadefoot Toad, which lived nearby. As a result, a strict protocol has to be followed if a toad is spotted on the property.
The community partners with the local police to run a basketball league, offers an after-school program in cooperation with the YMCA and works with the Consulate of Portugal to accommodate the large Portuguese population in Taunton.

Blue Butterfly Village in San Pedro, Calif., was created to house and support 73 low-income, homeless veterans, focusing on survivors of military sexual trauma along with their families. The units on this 9-acre site are primarily two-story, two-bedroom townhouse units, making them appropriate for families as opposed to most veteran housing that is geared toward individuals.
The village was built on land that was made up of donated parcels including land from the Department of the Navy through the Defense Base Closure and Realignment Act of 1990. Financing for the project was a combination of equity derived from the sale of Low-Income Housing Tax Credits (LIHTC) and loans from multiple sources. Operating expenses are supported by rental income, project-based vouchers and the HUD-Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing Program.
Innovative features of the village range from its rehabilitation of military housing into family homes and a completely retrofitted utility system. The property also meets the criteria for the Enterprise Green Communities for sustainability and features drought-tolerant, native or adaptive species landscaping that also serves to control erosion. Rehabilitation of numerous systems, from roofing to HVAC to appliances and water systems, were designed to reduce energy use by 30 percent compared to their previous use. Additionally, all units are fully furnished.
The village is near urban amenities such as grocery stores, major retailers, a large public park, community college, work center and transportation hubs.
Since traditional property management systems do not provide the types of supports and sensitivity necessary to cultivate successful, stable tenancies for families that have been destabilized through sexual or domestic violence trauma, the project uses a team of community administrators with expertise in serving this population. The Community Administrative Team is comprised of a traditional lead property manager aided by assistant community administrators experienced in supporting these families in achieving housing stability.
Since it is a family-oriented community, the village also offers after-school transportation and supervision for children of single-parent households in cooperation with the local Boys & Girls Club, the Toberman Neighborhood Center and the Children’s Home Society. There is also a nearby Head Start and Early Head Start program.

The challenge for the developers of 777 Main in Hartford, Conn., was to convert a property with a long history into a mixed-use, mixed-income community.
The state’s first bank, Hartford National Bank, opened on the site in what was Bull’s Tavern, in 1792 and operated until 1811. In the 1960s, the bank demolished the original building to make way for a new 26-story tower, that at the time, was the second tallest building in the city. It was vacated by its last tenant, Bank of America, in 2011 when the economy took a down turn.
The renovation resulted in 60,000 square feet of commercial space, a 250-car garage and 285 apartments—59 of which are affordable. The penthouse, formerly used by the bank’s board members, was converted into a communal space open to all residents complete with fitness center, art gallery, library, screening room, club room and 360-degree terrace. The apartments, which include studio, and one- and two-bedroom floorplans, feature an open concept layout, floor-to-ceiling windows, chef-quality kitchens with stone countertops and stainless steel Energy Star appliances, walk-in closets and washers and dryers.
The commercial space includes a mix of businesses that have been at the site since the 1980s as well as newcomers, ranging from an optometrist to yoga studio to a camera shop to eateries.
The property is listed on the Connecticut and National Registers of Historic Places. It was financed through a combination of a Capital Region Development Authority loan, the sale of state and federal historic tax credits, a HUD loan and green building incentives.
Since its completion in 2015, more than 80 percent of the apartments have been leased. Additionally, with the energy-efficient upgrades, the building uses half the energy it previously did. Some of the amenities offered to residents include 24/7 concierge, package management, complimentary bikes, resident referral rewards, monthly resident events and discounts to local businesses. The community’s website can be accessed through a computer or mobile device and allows residents to make rent payments, input maintenance requests and rate and review their community experience.

The main goal of A-Mill Artist Lofts in Minneapolis, Minn., was to repurpose a vacant mill to provide affordable housing to artists. Today, it is fully occupied with more than 400 artist residents.
The first buildings at Pillsbury A-Mill where built in 1880 and the complex continued to expand through the early 1990s. In 2003, milling operations at A-Mill ceased and the facility sat vacant and decaying. It was placed on the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s list of 11 most endangered places in 2011.
The mill was purchased in 2013 and a plan to revitalize the complex into 251 affordable artist apartments was born. The project utilized a variety of financing methods including LIHTC, federal and state historic tax credits, tax-exempt bonds, grants and soft loans.
Besides some initial resistance from the neighboring community, the age and location of the building created a number of environmental and structural concerns as well as challenges with the preservation of some of the buildings features. A-Mill was able to overcome the obstacles and even incorporated a functioning hydroelectric system using the existing infrastructure that powered the mill in its heyday.
The development provides a mix of community spaces geared toward artists to work and show their creations, ranging from dance, clay, paint and photography, and includes private art studios, performance hall, gathering spaces and art rails for displays.
The project provides affordable housing for artists making 60 percent or less of the AMI and gives them a quality apartment home with finishes similar to luxury apartments in the area for 60 percent less than market rents. The adaptive reuse of a vacant mill and warehouse into viable residential living spaces has changed the socio-economic viability of the neighborhood. Since the announcement of the Pillsbury A-Mill project, neighborhood establishments have flourished and development has started at nearby abandoned commercial property. Exterior work has improved the cityscape and brought vitality and life back to the neighborhood.