Low-income housing projects in the Netherlands meet for approval
HOLLAND — Representatives from The Dwelling Place appeared before the Holland City Council on Wednesday, November 1, to discuss combining two already proposed projects, totaling 61 units.
The project will combine a 41-unit development with five townhomes at 345 W. 14th St. and 345 Kollen Park Drive with a 15-unit apartment building project called First Hope at 10th Street.
more: A proposed housing project in the Netherlands changes course and receives approval from the Planning Commission
The site at 14th Street and Collen Park Drive was originally part of another project advanced by The Dwelling Place of Grand Rapids and Community Action House. This project had a third location, near 16th Street and River Avenue, which would have included 29 units.
The third site was pulled after the developers were unable to secure the Low Income Housing Tax Credit in April.
Meanwhile, First Hope on 10th Street, an affordable housing project by Hope Church and First United Methodist Church that would have catered to a variety of incomes and abilities on the lands behind their buildings, applied for LIHTC funding without success.
The new plan for the dispersed site is 35 one-bedroom units and six two-bedroom units on W. 14th Street, five three-bedroom townhomes on Kollen Park Drive, and 14 one-bedroom units and one two-bedroom unit on W. 10th Street.
According to City Manager Keith Van Beek, the developers plan to apply for LIHTC funding for the joint project.
“It’s really trying to basically increase the points for this competitive funding from the state,” Van Beek said.
Councilors were supportive of the idea, with several members expressing appreciation for the developers’ persistence. The authority canceled previous development and service agreements with The Dwelling Place and voted to approve the replacements.
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“Thank you for your diligence on this matter,” Mayor Nathan Box said. “One of the biggest priorities of this council has always been affordable housing, and I think this is a great example of how difficult it is to actually be able to build that.”
Representatives said there is a period of three to four months between submitting the application and getting the result, and then another six- to 10-month window to close with the investor and begin construction. Ideally, the project’s doors will open in 2025 or 2026.
– Contact reporter Austin Metz at ametz@hollandsentinel.com.
