NBN Online for the week of October 31, 2005

Collaboration Key to Affordable Seniors Housing

During the final weeks of construction on a low-income seniors apartment building in Baltimore, the project’s developer received calls from young professionals wanting to know when the new condominiums would be on the market. From the architect’s standpoint, that was a sign that he did something right.

Of course, successful affordable seniors housing goes well beyond an appealing exterior. But what constitutes a success is a matter of perspective:

For tenants ― Successful affordable housing enhances the quality of life by providing an environment and amenities that meet their needs at a reasonable price.

For the developer — A winning project achieves economic goals by attracting financing, coming in on budget, competing in the marketplace and enduring the test of time.

For the community ― Affordable housing should work within the context of the neighborhood. Ideally, it fosters community pride, which in turn lowers tolerance for vandalism and crime. It attracts further residential or business development.

Affordable housing is truly exceptional when it succeeds for all its constituencies. Most often, its success is the result of a close partnership among the developer, architect and contractor from the project’s outset. This partnership begins with a common understanding of the developer’s vision, the prospective tenants’ needs, the project’s financial parameters and the project’s place in the community.

“It makes a big difference when everyone starts at the same point and knows where they’re heading,” said Larry Kraemer, vice president of estimating for Harkins Builders, one of the largest builders of affordable multifamily apartments in the mid-Atlantic region. “From the beginning, it’s important for all disciplines to meet regularly.”

Close collaboration during the design phase is essential so that cost estimating can begin early. This also allows the contractor to suggest more affordable alternatives if the team heads down a path that potentially could break the budget.

Without all parties at the table from the outset, “the owner might get a surprise when we estimate the job, and we’d have to value-engineer to get back to a number that works,” Kraemer said. This often means engineering the value out of the project, especially if time is running short. At that point, the process becomes purely budget-driven — to the detriment of the project’s other objectives.

In contrast, early and ongoing collaboration maximizes the team’s ability to creatively address the full spectrum of developer, tenant and community needs.

Alleviating Community Concerns

In 1983, the American Hellenistic Educational Progressive Association (AHEPA), an American-based Greek heritage service organization, founded a non-profit national housing corporation to provide low-income housing for the elderly and the disabled. One of the corporation’s seniors housing complexes in Baltimore is a perfect example of how a project facing community opposition benefited from a collaborative project team.

	Park View at Ellicott City, Md., an award-winning affordable seniors housing community, was built on a challenging site with sloping land, reducing the amount of money available for the exterior. However, the use of dark vinyl siding and concrete created a beautiful Tudor look.

The most economical solution would have been a four-story building, but the community blocked the proposal because four stories were too high for the neighborhood. Although the project team, of which I was a part, had a solid case for securing a zoning variance, we opted to design a more contextual, three-story complex instead.

As part of the three-story solution, we proposed closing an unused alley, which also met neighborhood opposition. After much heartache, we decided the alley wasn’t worth the fight and developed a design that accommodated the alley, maintained the existing street line and suited the project’s financial parameters.

We used exterior materials compatible with the adjacent homes to help blend the project into the neighborhood. At the same time, we incorporated Greek elements in the design, including columns and an entry pediment, to reflect the residents’ heritage. And we included inset balconies to help balance the length of the façade and allow residents to take advantage of the water views.

Through creativity and continuous cost estimating, the AHEPA team found ways to overcome barriers and meet the needs of all parties.

“This is a place people love living in, it’s easy to run and it came in under budget. So what’s not to like?” said Charlie Duff, chief executive officer of Jubilee Baltimore, Inc., the project’s developer.

New Approaches for Tough Sites

Park View at Bel Air, an affordable 100-unit seniors housing community in Harford County, Md., was built on a site that would have deterred most developers. Although the site’s proximity to downtown Bel Air offered several major advantages for seniors, a stream and a strip of wetlands separated the connector street and the useable land.

	Park View at Bel Air in Harford County, Md. proved to be a challenge for the design team with a nearby stream and strip of wetlands. The designer overcame the problem by designing a single long building that created the feel of a wooden enclave.

Like many affordable housing projects, this one was slated for a tough site, a narrow slice of land in an urban neighborhood.

Rather than view the wetlands as a negative attribute, however, we used them to the project’s advantage ― as a natural scenic buffer from a busy street.

Making the site work also meant changing our assumptions about building configurations because the available land couldn’t accommodate the usual L-, H- or U-shapes typically used in affordable seniors housing complexes. Instead, we designed a single, long building with shallow projections to offer relief.

Through collaboration, the project team turned what seemed like an unworkable site into a community with the feel of a wooded enclave — located just blocks from an active commercial district.

A sister Park View complex in Ellicott City, Md. had an equally challenging site ― steep slopes. Dealing with the land’s steep slopes consumed a considerable chunk of the budget and restricted what we could afford for the building’s exterior.

So the team sought cost-effective alternatives to masonry that would provide both durability and visual appeal. The solution involved a creative use of dark vinyl siding and concrete, giving the building a Tudor look. The atypical color palette was complemented by dormers of various sizes and articulation.

Again, overcoming the project’s challenges resulted from a close partnership between the owner, architect and contractor. Not only did Park View at Ellicott City come in on budget, it earned a Silver Award in the NAHB 50+ Housing Council’s Best of Seniors Housing Awards.

Sustainability Adds Quality

Waverly Gardens, an active adult apartment complex that will open next winter in Marriottsville, Md., is a prime example of how sustainable design can enhance affordable housing.

In addition to minimizing the environmental impact, sustainable housing offers residents a healthier atmosphere and a significant savings in energy costs. Plus, contrary to common belief, it can have economic benefits for the building’s owner as well.

“Many developers steer away from green building because they think it costs more. In actuality, when done correctly, it can bring down overhead and lower operating expenses,” said Jared Spahn, president of Old Town Construction, who was instrumental in securing $1.1 million in green building tax credits from the state of Maryland for Waverly Gardens.

Another concern often raised is the extra effort involved in developing sustainable projects. However, if the project team is working collaboratively from the start, incorporating sustainable elements isn’t onerous. Often, it’s a matter of breaking habits and doing things that make sense, like positioning windows for maximum daylight and selecting drought-resistant plants.

Furthermore, the growing demand for sustainable building resources has led to better selection and access. Greater availability of products and services, such as certified wood, low-emitting materials and construction waste recycling makes projects like Waverly Gardens more feasible than ever.

Waverly, which is expected to earn LEED certification, will feature Energy Star appliances, solar-heated water, a car sharing service and other green elements that enhance the community’s quality.

This goes hand in hand with another objective — demonstrating that affordable housing doesn’t have to look cheap.

The community of upscale single-family homes that surround Waverly Gardens set a high standard for the complex. The project faced major opposition, as many do, when the neighborhood learned that affordable housing was being proposed.

One of the great ironies of Waverly Gardens is that the complex, with its metal roof, brick exterior and underground parking ― all elements that further sustainability — is superior in appearance and quality to market-rate condominiums ― with their asphalt shingles, vinyl siding and surface parking — just two blocks away.

The surrounding community’s trepidation about Waverly Gardens appears to have faded. Months before the groundbreaking, the list of would-be residents included relatives from 40 families who live in the community.

Collaborative Partnerships Lead to Success

A team that’s committed to an early, continuous partnership gives an affordable housing project the best chances for success. The process should begin with a clear understanding of the developer’s vision, the needs of prospective tenant and the community’s context.

Estimating throughout the process can go a long way in keeping the project on budget and avoiding costly surprises. When challenges present themselves — and they will — engage the full brainpower of your team to develop solutions that make the most of the available budget and resources.

Ed Hord, FAIA, is a principal at Hord Coplan Macht, Inc., an architecture and landscape architecture firm based in Baltimore. Under Hord’s leadership, the firm has designed more than 10,000 units of multifamily housing, including active adult, independent living and assisted living, since 1977. Hord is the 2005 chair of the American Institute of Architect’s Housing Committee and is a member of the NAHB 50+ Housing Council. For more information, e-mail Hord, or call him at 410-837-7311. or edhord@hcm2.com.

Photos by Bob Creamer

This article appeared in the Winter 2005 issue of Seniors’ Housing News (soon to be renamed 50+ Housing Magazine).

'50+ Housing Publication Set' Available at BuilderBooks.com

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To learn more about seniors housing, join the NAHB 50+ Housing Council. The council provides information, education, networking and recognition opportunities for its members and represents NAHB on 50+ housing issues. For more details, e-mail Jeff Jenkins or call him at 800-368-5242 x8292.

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