204-unit affordable housing community opens in East Austin

Ten of the units are live-work residence studios dedicated to East Austin artists, per the release. The units feature first-floor entries and studio space lined with glass display windows, and applicants must be approved by a review board in addition to meeting income requirements, property staff said.

"I know for a fact that some of the people who are moving in today, this very day, have already been displaced from their homes in East Austin," he said.

Prices for the affordable housing complex range from $658 to $2,079, according to the website as of press time. Units come with stainless steel appliances, granite countertops and some have balconies, as stated on the website.

Funding the project

The Austin Housing Finance Corporation purchased the roughly 3-acre site at 3515 Manor Road in 2021-22 using 2018 voter-approved general obligation bond funds, per the release. Following community engagement, AHFC awarded the development opportunity in July 2022 to NHPF, Capital A Housing and Integral Care, the local mental health authority for Travis County.

NHPF, Capital A and AHFC developed, own and operate the first phase, while Integral Care's role centers on the development's second building.

Once construction wrapped, that financing was converted into a permanent capital stack totaling $73.6 million, or $360,855 per unit, according to NHPF.

Quote of note

The property will also feature a mural honoring Roger Taylor Sr., who founded the J.J. Seabrook Neighborhood Association in 1983 and led it for two decades, per remarks from his children at the ceremony.

Austin-based arts nonprofit and artist incubator Raasin in the Sun, which will now be headquartered at Seabrook Square I, is leading the community-centered mural process, according to the nonprofit's website.

Taylor's son, Roger Taylor Jr., who later led the association himself, said affordability was a cause his father championed, and he hopes new residents get involved with the neighborhood.

"My dad was my favorite, and he was my hero," he said.

What's next

The development's second phase, Seabrook Square II, is connected to the first and will offer 60 fully furnished, single-occupancy efficiency apartments upon its opening in August. The facility will provide permanent supportive housing for people experiencing homelessness, paired with voluntary wraparound services, according to the release.

"Housing is healthcare ... When it's present, people's overall wellness and health improves," Integral Care CEO Jeff Richardson said at the ceremony. “When it isn’t, we see the result.”

The building received $7.9 million in 2022 bond funding through the RHDAP, over $10.68 million from Travis County and $850,000 from member-owned cooperative FHLB Dallas, with all 60 units dedicated to the Austin and Travis County Homelessness Response System through city housing vouchers, per the release.

Seabrook Square II will hold its ribbon-cutting ceremony Aug. 28.