| Name | Martina |
|---|---|
| Last Name | Guilfoil |
| Home Address | 1500 Chestnut St #102 Suite 102 Chattanooga, TENNESSEE 37408 United States |
| Organization Name | Chattanooga Neighborhood Enterprise |
| Describe Your Role In The Organization | I serve as the CEO. I am responsible for ensuring CNE's fiscal, operations, fundraising, marketing, human resource, technology, and programmatic strategies are effectively implemented across all segments of the organization. I also suport the board of directors in setting the vision and policies of the organization. |
| Organization Address | 1500 Chestnut St #102 Suite 102 Chattanooga, TENNESSEE 37408 United States |
| Website | https://www.cneinc.org |
| Best Phone Number To Reach You | 4237566224 |
| Alternate Phone Number | 310-722-0126 |
| Email Address | mguilfoil@cneinc.org |
| Alternate Email Address | msguilfoil@yahoo.com |
| Please Describe Your Project In Detail | Alton Park has suffered from years of disinvestment and has one of the highest poverty rates in the state. Working to overcome this, the community came together in 2000 to develop the Alton Park Master Plan. The Plan identified housing and economic development strategies to strengthen and revitalize the neighborhood. Work on this plan mostly ended after the Villages and adjacent housing was completed. Habitat for Humanity is currently working on developing the last lots in the back of the Villages, and now is the time to get started on the next phase of this important work. The availability of recovery funding has the potential to breathe new life into creating an economically robust Alton Park. CNE has spent the past 30 years refining their strategies and capacity for developing high quality context appropriate mixed-income ownership and rental housing. We are proposing to leverage those skills to work with the community to help rebuild market confidence in Alton Park while creating a mixed-income community that includes workforce affordable rental housing and entry level home ownership. CNE will work with residents to create a neighborhood strategy for inclusive, equitable, and affordable housing development. This process set the stage to transform Alton Park from a high poverty neighborhood to one that is increasing in opportunity for its residents. CNE has identified that approximately 135 new housing units can be built on land the city owns on Ohls Ave. The site presents an opportunity to build a mix of single-family homes and small format apartment buildings that can serve a mix of working-class incomes. CNE estimates that it will build 80 rental units that will be a mix of one-, two- and three-bedroom units. The rents will be affordable to households at 60% AMI. CNE will work with Habitat for Humanity and private builders to build the for-sale single family homes. This mix could change based on community feedback. Key components of this work include: Resident Engagement. Work with residents to create the development plan. The goal of this work is to ensure that residents are actively engaged in the planning process, are participating in the policies that impact their lives, and are agents for change that are empowered to promote a shared vision for affordable housing and neighborhood development. Land Availability. Work with the city to donate the Ohls Avenue land to CNE. Identify/Develop Sources of Gap Financing. Work to bring state, federal and local government funding to fill affordable housing development gaps along with financing tools such as bond issuances, tax credits, and foundation grants. Work to automate and streamline existing tools such as the Payments in Lieu of Taxes (PILOT) program. Leverage Project Investment to Strengthen the Broader Neighborhood. Work with the city to bring additional resources to improve the condition of the existing housing stock in the neighborhood. Work with Alton Park residents to renovate their homes, conduct curb appeal projects and create a shared narrative about what makes their neighborhood a unique and desirable place to live. Clarify/Revise/Create Policies to Promote Neighborhood Investment and Affordable Housing. Identify and implement policies and programs that build neighborhood market strength and increase livability and affordability for income-diverse residents. Scalability and Transferability. CNE has identified 25 other parcels that are owned by the city and/or county where we estimate over 500 additional units of affordable housing could be built. |
| Please explain how your project meets the requirements of the American Rescue Plan | COVID tore the cover off what many of us have known for a long time-- that there are great disparities in our community such that the impact of the pandemic hit high poverty and communities of color much harder than higher income communities. Alton Park is one such neighborhood. According to data from Explore Health TN, Alton Park is ranked 604th out of 606 Tennessee zip codes in health outcomes and according to the Urban Institute’s Emergency Rental Assistance Priority Index, it is in the 99th percentile of all Tennessee census tracts in housing instability and 92 percent in COVID impact In its interim final rule for the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), the United States Department of Treasury emphasizes the disproportionate negative impacts of the COVID-19 public health emergency on low-income communities and people of color. The US Treasury encourages cities to use ARPA funding to prioritize these communities. Directing funds to Qualified Census Tracts (QCTs) is one strategy Treasury identifies in its guidance to help remedy the negative impacts of COVID-19 on low-income communities and people of color and to advance equity. In addition, the rule restricts the construction of new affordable housing to Qualified Census Tracts. |
| Where would your project take place? | 3800-3900 blocks of Ohls Avenue in Alton Park. |
| How much will your project cost in total? | 15000000 |
| Do you have any matching funding sources from other local governments, private entities, non-profits, or philanthropic entities for your project? | Yes |
| Please describe the source and list amounts of any other funding. | We estimate $14.1M will come from bank financing. The Benwood and Lynhurst Foundations have invested heavily in CNE's neighborhood revitalization and affordable housing development and we would anticipate some form of financial support for this project. However, the amount is unkown at this time. |
| What portion of the project are you asking the city to fund? | Our initial estimate to hire a consultant to engage the community in the design process, create a master plan for the site, build out the infrastructure for the rental development, and construct the rental housing will be $8,800,000. This includes CNE obtaining a PILOT and obtaining 0-2% financing using the state of Tennessee’s Community Investment Tax Credit (CITC) program. |
| If funded, when would your project start? | July 1, 2022 |
| How long would your project take to complete? | We believe the entire planning and build out process would take three to four years but would be completed before the December 2026 deadline for expenditure of all funds. |
| What milestones would you use to measure your project’s progress? | Completion of land acquisition from the City Completion of neighborhood engagement and planning process. Completion of physical and legal diligence Completion of civil and architectural plans Obtaining building permit Adhering to construction timeframe in contract Certificate of occupancy |
| How would you ensure accountability and transparency throughout the project lifecycle? | CNE will be working closely with Councilwoman Dotley and Alton Park residents on this project. We anticipate that there will be regular meetings and reports as to the status of the project as well as ongoing, boots on the groundwork to help residents implement Curb Appeal and other revitalization projects. |
| If successful, how would your project benefit the community? | One of the key strategies for lifting a neighborhood out of poverty is to invest in it. This project will bring new housing to the area that will have multiple benefits to the community. 1. Increasing density in the area will begin to support local neighborhood serving uses that contribute to a healthy neighborhood. 2. Provide the opportunity to existing residents to purchase a home there. Many current residents lament that they want to stay in the neighborhood but there isn’t any housing suitable for their family. 3. Create more affordable housing units within a mixed income neighborhood. 4. By strengthening the real estate market, current homeowners will benefit from appreciated home values, thus improving their financial wellbeing. 5. Create a model for inclusive development and neighborhood investment that is replicable |
| How will you attract community buy-in for your project? | We will work with Councilwoman Dotley and the Alton Park Neighborhood Association to engage in community planning and design. We will get community buy-in by having the project representing what they expressed they want. |
| Name | Martina Guilfoil |
| Contact Information | mguilfoil@cneinc.org |
| Name | Jeff Pfitzer |
| Contact Information | jeff@benwood.org |
| Name | Macon Toledano |
| Contact Information | mtoledano@lyndhurstfoundation.org |
| Name | Councilwoman Dotley |
| Contact Information | rdotley@chattanooga.gov |
| Is there anything else you would like us to know about your project? | |