Planning Team

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s mission is to create strong, sustainable, inclusive communities and quality affordable homes for all. HUD is working to strengthen the housing market to bolster the economy and protect consumers; meet the need for quality affordable rental homes; utilize housing as a platform for improving quality of life; build inclusive and sustainable communities free from discrimination; and transform the way HUD does business.

As a High Performing Housing Authority that assists over 18,000 Austinites, the Housing Authority of the City of Austin (HACA) owns and operates 1,929 units of conventional public housing in 19 developments throughout Austin. Development sites range from high-rise apartments on Lady Bird Lake to small duplexes in residential neighborhoods. HACA also manages the Housing Choice Voucher/Section 8 Program that provides rental vouchers for more than 5,000 units of housing in Austin’s private rental market.

The Austin Housing Finance Corporation was created in 1979 as a public, nonprofit corporation and instrumentality of the City of Austin under the provisions of the Texas Housing Finance Corporation Act, Chapter 394, and Local Government Code. The Austin City Council serves as the AHFC’s Board of Directors. 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. The AHFC’s primary functions are to issue single-family and multi-family bonds for the financing of reasonably priced housing and assist the City in the delivery of reasonably priced housing programs using HOME Investment Partnerships (HOME) and Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds granted to the City by HUD.

Camiros, Ltd. is a nationally recognized planning firm who has worked to build sustainable communities since 1976. Camiros is also serving as the Planning Coordinator for the successful Fairground/Ellis Heights CNI Planning Grant for the Rockford Housing Authority awarded in January 2012. Camiros has begun the stakeholder engagement, need assessment and transformation planning process with that grant. Camiros has effectively led comparable neighborhood transformation assignments in over 40 distressed urban neighborhoods in Chicago, Milwaukee, New Orleans, Detroit and Newark, among others. The firm has worked extensively in most of Chicago’s distressed low-income neighborhoods ranging in size from 6,600 to 60,000 residents. It has actively participated in the Preservation of Affordable Housing’s (POAH) and City of Chicago’s planning for the Grove Park/Woodlawn project, a recipient of a CNI Implementation Grant.

McCormack Baron Salazar (MBS) was selected as the housing lead and developer for the Rosewood Courts Project. The firm is the nation’s leader in developing economically integrated urban neighborhoods. Since 1973, McCormack Baron Salazar has completed 146 projects and, costing $2.3 billion, has developed over 16,000 apartments and one million square feet of retail / commercial space. MBS designs and builds housing while building the growing economic capacity of families and the community. MBS brings a comprehensive and flexible approach to complex development projects and has successfully demonstrated its ability to deliver on the goals set by its clients: the cities, residents, authorities, institutions, and businesses of urban America. MBS has partnered with the following organizations for the purposes of the Rosewood Choice Neighborhoods Initiative:

§ Carter Design Associates – This member of the MBS development team is a multi-disciplinary architectural and planning firm whose designers and architects have provided professional services in Texas for over 25 years. In addition to the firm’s varied experience in land use planning, urban design, feasibility studies, renovation, maintenance and new construction, Carter Design Associates also brings significant expertise in historic architecture which will be critical in working with the Texas Historical Commission during the Section 106 review process, as well as LEED expertise.

§ KAI – Kai Texas, LC (KAI) is a HUB certified Texas Corporation. KAI has a diverse portfolio and in-house multi-discipline professionals providing architecture, engineering and program/construction management services. KAI is a design & build firm performing architecture, engineering, and program management / construction services nationwide. As a leader in the design & build industry, value-added building solutions are emphasized through innovation, technology, and the design / build collaboration.

§ Structure Development – This member of the housing team specializes in financial analysis, deal structuring and project management and will provide expertise related to multiple types of financing needed to bring the Rosewood Courts project to fruition.

§ Urban Strategies – Urban Strategies is a national not-for-profit corporation that works with developers to rebuild neighborhoods with a range of amenities and comprehensive service supports. Their goal is to lead distressed urban core residential communities and low-income families toward positive social and economic integration. Urban Strategies supports the social capital and human infrastructure of redeveloping urban communities by partnering with neighborhood organizations, residents, policy makers, institutional stakeholders and funders to transform systems and to support strong, self-sustaining people, families and communities. Urban Strategies may be called on for consultation as necessary to build upon the groundwork that HACA has already established in this area.

The community is the residents of the Rosewood neighborhood and the stakeholders within and beyond the neighborhood who invest their time, skills and money toward the continued improvement of the quality of the neighborhood, and the quality of life of its residents.