HUNTSVILLE, AL – Huntsville City Council adjourned their last meeting of the year this past Thursday with yet another full slate on the agenda.

The Council ended a busy, and at times exciting, schedule in 2023 with a vote that authorized $4 million in Emergency Rental Assistance (ERA2) Program funds to Meridian Commons Ltd., which owns the Huntsville Summit Apartments.

“Living conditions for some Huntsville residents will greatly improve, thanks to a program that funds improvement projects for owners of low-income rental housing who seek rehabilitate their multifamily properties,” said a City of Huntsville representative in a recent press statement.

Located at the corner of Walker Avenue and Meridian Street, the building contains 100 units for senior and low-income households.

Scott Erwin, Manager of Huntsville’s Community Development Department, described the project as a win-win for everyone involved. He called the building, constructed in 1979, a perfect candidate for the program.

“This property needs a significant capital investment to continue serving low-to-moderate-income residents and ensure ADA accessibility,” he said. “Additionally, the overall improvements will benefit everyone from the residents who live there to the surrounding neighborhood.”

The $4 million in funding will leverage an additional $23 million investment by Meridian Commons Ltd. and its partner, Neighborhood Concepts Inc., for a total property investment of $27 million. Erwin said work on the rehabilitation project should begin in fall 2024 and take about a year to complete.

The ERA2 Program is funded by the U.S. Department of the Treasury, which set aside $2.5 billion for eligible grantees. Funds were distributed to states and local governments with more than 200,000 residents.

In early November, the City announced funds would be available for eligible projects and urged property owners to apply. Eligible properties were required to service low-income families at or below 50% of the area median income and conform to requirements of the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) Program, which uses tax credits to encourage private developers to build affordable housing.

For more information about the ERA2 programs, please visit the Treasury Department’s page here. For more information on or to tune into the next Huntsville City Council meeting, please visit www.huntsvilleal.gov/government/city-council.