January 6, 2020
Dear District H Constituents,
January kicks off the State’s annual affordable housing 9% Tax Credit Program, which means housing developers looking to bring workforce apartment developments into eligible neighborhoods may be reaching out to civic organizations and my office to share information about their plans.
The State's process, which is operated by the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs (TDHCA), has an extremely narrow time-frame for these developers to submit their applications, so they are moving fast to get land under contract, design their project, and receive a Letter of Support or No Objection from the City. Developers are
not
required to meet with me, but when they do, my policy is and has always been that to receive my support, they must communicate with the local civic clubs and Super Neighborhoods.
The TDHCA operates another tax credit program, the 4% Tax Credit Program, which is non-competitive and accepts applications all year round. The application process for this program requires a Letter of No Objection from the City as opposed to a Letter of Support. Regardless, any developer that meets with me regarding a 4% Tax Credit application will need to communicate with the local civic clubs and Super Neighborhoods to receive my support.
Further information about the tax credit programs is available below.
TDHCA 9% Tax Credit Program:
- Operated by the State of Texas. Applications opened January 3rd and close mid-February.
- Extremely competitive process. Less than 5% of all applications across the State are chosen to be funded.
- In order to be competitive, developments located within the city must have a Letter of Support or Letter of No Objection from the City of Houston. These effect the scoring of the project by the TDHCA.
- City Council Housing and Community Affairs Committee will consider recommendations from the Houston Housing and Community Development Department on which projects should receive a Letter of Support or Letter of No Objection during their meeting at the end of January. The meeting will be broadcast live on HTV which is available on TV as the municipal channel, and online at this page.
- For a list of applications submitted to the State so far please visit their website here and click on most recent 2020 pre-application log.
- For an FAQ on the Tax Credit programs please visit this page.
TDHCA 4% Tax Credit Program:
- Operated by the State of Texas. Applications are accepted throughout the year.
- Non-competitive. Most applications that are submitted and meet the State's requirements are chosen to be funded.
- Only a Letter of No Objection is required from the City.
- For a list of applications submitted in 2020 please visit the TDHCA's site and view the most recent bond status log.
- For an FAQ on the Tax Credit programs please visit this page.
