a place to call home innovations in affordable housing
everyone deserves a place to call home. Finding that place, however, is becoming increasingly difficult. The common rule of thumb is that housing and utilities should cost no more than 30% of a resident’s income to qualify as affordable. In communities across the nation, options for affordable housing are in short supply and high demand. According to a 2021 report by the National Low Income Housing Coalition, the average marketrate rent in the U.S. is $1,061 for a modest one-bedroom apartment (and $1,295 for a two-bedroom). A household with one full-time minimum wage earner, however, can afford $377 per month, and an individual relying on social security income can afford only $238. Costs have risen much faster than wages in recent decades, and nowhere in America can a full-time minimum wage earner afford a two-bedroom rental1. Two or three full-time jobs might not be enough. A household experiencing a severe cost burden will struggle to cover other basic needs such as food, healthcare, or emergency savings.
1. National Low Income Housing Coalition. (2021). Out of Reach 2021.
Recent escalations in housing costs are making it
and persistence from city planners, architects,
difficult for even those at median income levels to
nonprofits, and residents. Listening to the needs of
find affordable housing. Rental rates have increased
stakeholders is paramount, and only through fully
11.4% in 2021 alone. In the last five years, average
understanding these needs can we begin to deliver
home prices have increased from $260,000 to more
the safe, inviting, and sustainable neighborhoods that
than $380,000 - a 47% rise . A shortage of available
every member of our communities deserves.
2
3
housing stock and COVID-related supply chain issues are contributing factors putting additional pressure on lower-income neighborhoods as more affluent populations begin to gentrify areas that were previously affordable to a wider population. Solving this problem will require creativity, innovation,
2. Bokat-Lindell, S. (2021, August 10). America’s Housing Crisis Is a Choice. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2021/08/10/ opinion/housing-crisis-eviction.html 3. Coc, Elena. (2020, September 20). Why Is the US Housing Market so out of Whack? What Homebuyers Need to Know Right Now. Realtor.com. https://www.realtor.com/news/trends/ why-is-the-u-s-housing-market-so-out-of-whack/
solving this problem will require creativity, innovation, and persistence from city planners, architects, nonprofits, and residents
case study
Passage Home RALEIGH, NC
Raleigh, NC’s South Park neighborhood boasts a
Recent years have been less kind to South Park.
rich history. As Raleigh’s largest historically Black
The neighborhood has suffered first from redlining
neighborhood dating back to 1865, South Park’s deep
which contributed to disinvestment, then from
roots and vibrant culture have grown over 150 years in
predatory buying tactics and rampant gentrification.
the area surrounding Shaw University, within walking
In the year 2000, the average household income in
distance of downtown. The rhythm of the charming
the neighborhood was just under $12,000. By the
single-story shotgun houses and triple-A cottages
2010’s, new 1,300 SF homes in the neighborhood
that form the pedestrian-scale streetscape reflects
were selling for upwards of $700,000, triggering an
architectural diversity over the decades tied to a
investigative piece in The New York Times entitled
common scale and vernacular.4
“The Neighborhood Is Mostly Black, the Homeowners Are Mostly White.” Raleigh’s rapid growth has contributed to extreme market pressure, which is driving long-time residents out of the neighborhood. The majority of those impacted are minorities.5
4. Raleigh Historic Development Commissionss. (n.d). East RaleighSouth Park Historic District. Retrieved October 4, 2021. from https:// rhdc.org/east-raleigh-south-park-historic-district
5. Badger, E., Bui, Q., and Gebeloff, R. (2019, April 10). The Neighborhood Is Mostly Black, the Homeowners Are Mostly White. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/04/27/ upshot/diversity-housing-maps-raleigh-gentrification.html
Raleigh’s Passage Home is committed to creating
The process started with listening. Early meetings
solutions to this problem. The nonprofit has a mission
with Passage Home and community residents
to “break the cycle of poverty and create multi-
provided invaluable insight into how to best serve this
generational self-sufficiency for the individuals and
community. Above all, the community wants housing
families of Wake County by helping them achieve
with dignity that will inspire change, optimism, and
housing and income security,” and providing access
respect, with a design that embodies the generations
to affordable housing is a key part of its strategy.
of rich cultural history of the neighborhood. These conversations revealed a desire to create incremental
LS3P was eager to participate in this effort, and
and diverse density for flexibility of housing types;
undertook this housing equality challenge to help
to integrate diverse economic levels for equity, not
create positive solutions. The firm is a proud
hierarchy; to build a place of dignity and inspiration;
member of the 1+ organization, which encourages
to carve out green spaces for gathering, leisure,
designers to donate 1% of staff hours annually to
shared ownership, and cultivation; and to encourage
community-focused designs; LS3P has initiated
neighborhood growth and development from within
25 new 1+ projects since 2019. For the Passage
through a spirit of community and shared values.
Home project, the design team enlisted the Raleigh Planning Department and a pro bono team of civil, landscape, arborist, and modular building consultants to contribute multidisciplinary expertise.
The conceptual design focused on three nearby
including financing, development code, building
sites, all well-connected to multi-modal transit, the
code, construction types, pro formas, density, parking
Raleigh Greenway system, and Passage Home’s
requirements, tree conservation, and stormwater. The
headquarters. The sites, all walkable to downtown
designers propose to use the existing gentrification
and to eight different K-12 schools, are embedded in
pressure as a positive force for the community. The
South Park’s fabric and offer an important opportunity
neighborhood already has varying levels of home
to knit the new development into the existing context.
income and value; if new developments follow this trend and integrate varying economic levels, market-
In order to understand the economic forces at
rate housing profits can subsidize a substantial
work in delivering high quality affordable housing,
number of affordable units and create opportunities
the team deconstructed and micro-analyzed the
for first-time homeowners to enter the market.
systems currently limiting affordable housing
20 Min walk to downtown Raleigh
Magnum St.
Bragg St.
R-10 Zoning
Passage Home HQ
S East St.
Branch St.
5 Min walk to green way
R-10 Zoning
Hoke St.
Garner St.
Mxd Use Zoning
30’
90’ 60’
Unit Side A
Unit Side B
Celebrated Circulation
Communal Landscape
connection, acoustics, safety
By building and selling strategic market-rate components of the project first, Passage Home can harness the profits to cover the cost of 175 rent-restricted units, allowing the proceeds to be re-invested in the affordable units in the development. The three split-zoning building sites are zoned for traditional R-10 and mixed-use development, and the plan proposes 13 detached homes, two accessory dwelling units, 26 townhomes, and 175 units targeting 30-70% AMI. Prefabricated modular construction, combined with smart code tactics such as three-story walk-ups, will allow the project to be delivered on site for $100-$130 per SF. On-street parking minimizes the cost burden of providing parking on site.
Site 1
Site 2
Site 3
20 dwellings per acre 7 parking spaces (1 per unit)
15 dwellings per acre 8 parking spaces (1 per unit)
60 dwellings per acre 55 parking spaces (.275 per unit)
the design of all three housing types draws from a common set of principles.
Place-Based Design: All three sites work in
Appropriate Scale and Constructability: Scale
harmony with a building materiality and design
and neighborhood perception are important.
typology which purposefully blurs the hierarchy
By referencing traditional shotgun typologies
between the diverse home values across the
and combining the unique scale of modular
developments.
construction, the homes quietly fit into the existing fabric, 15’ feet at a time.
Homage to the Past: The design draws from elements of the neighborhood’s traditional
Materials: Lap siding with contemporary
shotgun homes, allowing for both narrow, efficient
detailing further integrates the homes into a
layouts and through-home cross ventilation.
historic context. The forest green base level will help blend the buildings into the landscape at the
Creativity with Site Constraints: Each lot
ground level.
represents the issues with modern zoning, including lots that are awkwardly large or small
Layering of Space: The three-story walk-
or have significant utility easements. The designs
up typology offers many construction and
work with the site constraints to deliver a mix of
building code efficiencies. When combined
typologies and amenities.
with prefabricated modular construction, the stairs become an opportunity for innovation. Celebrating circulation with landscape and sculptural stairs allows for a heightened connection between users and a level of safety through site lines, and minimizes interior circulation space.
The three unit types provide replicable strategies for
buying power of a large builder, the time savings of
other communities developing affordable housing,
having completed units installed onsite, and reduced
with smart densities representing 15, 20, and 60 units
place-based labor inflation. Modular construction
per acre. Each site is embedded into its street fabric,
typically delivers a higher quality of construction
matching existing scales and adding green space to
and finishes due to controlled conditions during
the streetscape. Together, the buildings define and
fabrication, and the acoustical benefits of double
share urban green spaces to provide equitable access
walls, floors, and ceilings are a significant asset in
to amenities.
multifamily developments. Compared with onsite
Modular construction offers additional economic
construction generating 10-15% waste, modular
benefits to maximize investment. This delivery
construction typically generates less than 3% waste,
method may yield a 40-60% cost reduction due to the
minimizing landfill use and maximizing efficiency.
Seth Freidman CEO, Passage Home
Seth Freidman, CEO of Passage Home, is pleased with the result. “Affordable housing is challenging: The financing is challenging, the design is challenging, the policies are challenging. The team took all of that into consideration when creating the plan for South Park,” he explains. “And, most importantly, they didn’t come to Passage Home with a solution in mind, rather, they came to us with questions and an eagerness to learn and serve the community. Their interest and engagement led to better designs and ultimately—a stronger community product.”
working towards solutions
Making our communities stronger is at the core of LS3P’s vision, and implementing this vision means creating a better life for people at all income levels. In 2021, the firm worked with the National Association of Minority Architects (NOMA), the University of North Carolina-Charlotte, and local nonprofits to study root causes of and potential solutions to the affordable housing crisis.
identifying the issues, working towards solutions NOMA Fellow Andrea Gomez Digs into Affordable Housing Research
In the summer of 2021, NOMA Fellow Andrea Gomez worked with LS3P to research affordable housing across the Southeast. A student at Rice University pursuing a Bachelor of Architecture, Andrea compiled research into the root causes of the affordable housing crisis in each of LS3P’s cities, the organizations working towards positive change, and potential solutions to create more affordable housing. Andrea concluded with a number of strategies architects can pursue within our own communities.
• Advocate within our cities for code and planning policies that encourage a diversity of housing types and options
• Use our design thinking to approach problems with creativity and optimism- what is possible, not just constrained by what has been done before
• Listen to our stakeholders- invite everyone to the table
• Assemble and lead teams of experts and stakeholders committed to equity and excellence
fresh perspectives & exciting opportunities
university of north carolina-charlotte affordable housing studio exploring the possibilities LS3P sponsored a fall design studio at UNC-C focused on the topic of affordable housing. The students worked with professors and LS3P staff to re-envision an existing public housing project in Charleston, SC. The students visited the site and spent time in the Charleston office with LS3P team members across the firm as they explored affordable housing issues and opportunities.
oscar meadow at unity park affordable workforce rental apartments for Greenville, SC Oscar Meadow is a partnership between the Greenville Housing Fund, City of Greenville Community Development, Falcon Development, and Jordan Construction Company. The goal is to develop 48 units of affordable housing near the city’s new Unity Park. The development will be three stories and will have 16 two-bedroom apartments and 32 one-bedroom apartments at approximately 1,225 SF and 600 SF, respectively. The development will serve households earning 60 to 80% AMI (Average Median Income). The design will conform to the city’s new Unity Park Zoning Code, which is a hybrid Euclidian and form-based ordinance that favors traditional urban development patterns, fosters walkability, and reduces reliance on automobiles. An existing adjacent townhome development in the Craftsman style is the primary built context to which the new design must relate.
eden village tiny homes WILMINGTON, NC
creating spaces for community Eden Village, a tiny home community in Wilmington, NC, is dedicated to “building a city where no one sleeps outside.” The community will provide welcoming homes for 32 chronically homeless people, many of whom are also experiencing chronic illness. LS3P is designing a community clubhouse for residents which will include a kitchen and dining area, laundry, clinic, offices, and multifunctional indoor and outdoor gathering spaces to support Eden Village services and programs.
my sister’s house NEW BERN, NC
transitional housing for a vulnerable population A safe and affordable home is essential for human
My Sister’s House, owned and operated by Tried By
survival and dignity. Upon release from prison, women
Fire Inc. in New Bern, NC, will create a stable, secure,
identify housing as one of their most urgent needs
and supportive home for women during the first 30
in order to successfully re-enter their communities.
to 90 days after incarceration. The organization is
Individuals with past incarceration records face
transforming a donated house in need of extensive
significant barriers to housing access and are at
renovation into a warm, welcoming place for
greater risk for homelessness due to stigmatization,
transition. LS3P is assisting with a range of services
policies barring them from most federal housing
including code studies, construction documents,
assistance programs, and the challenges of finding
interior design, and hands-on volunteer work during a
employment due to their criminal records.
series of workdays.
history of affordable housing designs
Over the years, LS3P is proud to have worked with many municipalities and nonprofits to create opportunities for affordable housing in our communities. This work has included high quality housing which celebrates the context of existing neighborhoods, and has targeted residents of varying income levels through continuous innovation in design and delivery.
chicora crest affordable housing GREENVILLE, SC
LS3P worked with Greenville’s Homes of Hope organization on the design of the Chicora Crest Development, targeting eleven affordable rental homes and eighteen future affordable
architectural character & neighborhood history
for-sale houses. Chicora Crest is located in the Haynie-Sirrine neighborhood, one of Greenville’s first Black communities. The project aims to celebrate the neighborhood’s rich cultural history, reinforcing the architectural character of the vibrant neighborhood. Beyond good design, Homes of Hope’s collective commitment to affordable housing takes a stable long-term approach that will allow long-time neighborhood residents to remain in familiar surroundings. Completion of the first units has created perpetual islands of affordability, allowing neighborhood residents viable options to remain in and contribute to their community even as community economics and demographics shift toward upward mobility.
twin lakes cottage neighborhood GREENVILLE, SC
The Twin Lakes Cottage Neighborhood Development,
porches, and through a variety of property easements,
an innovative affordable housing development, is
each home has a private side yard garden. Cottages
geared toward providing for-sale homes for the
have three bedrooms and two baths with around
middle market sector of the Greenville workforce.
1,400 heated SF of living space. Each cottage has an
Targeting this market fills a housing market void
attached two-car garage. The community consists of
and aims to reduce the upward cost pressures on
thirty-six total units. Thirty units are detached single-
Greenville’s more fragile traditionally-lower-income
family homes and six are townhome, duplex style
communities.
units. The project is currently under construction and represents the first successful implementation
The neighborhood provides a dense layout of
of Greenville’s new Cottage Neighborhood Zoning
cottage-sized homes clustered around a centrally
Ordinance.
located, commonly shared, park-like green space. All homes front the green space and feature room-sized
greenville county redevelopment authority duplex prototype BRUTONTOWN, CHERRYDALE, & MAULDIN, SC Duplex houses can boost affordability by providing two units of housing in one structure, creating economic and structural efficiencies while introducing neighborhood density with a familiar residential scale and typology. LS3P worked closely with the Greenville County Redevelopment Authority (GCRA) to create a duplex prototype that would “hide in plain site” and provide new workforce housing that would fit seamlessly into their existing early twentieth century neighborhoods. These duplex designs will be implemented in targeted neighborhoods in the Brutontown, Cherrydale and Mauldin areas of the county.
new models of affordability
genesis homes GREENVILLE, SC
Genesis Homes, Inc., a nonprofit affordable housing
LS3P has collaborated with Genesis Homes on
provider in South Carolina’s Upstate region, focuses
74 units of housing to date, including the Vero
on high-quality rental housing targeting households
Street Cottages in the Greenline and Nicholtown
at or below 50% and 60% of the Area Median Income.
Neighborhoods; Rebecca Street Senior Housing;
Additionally, Genesis Homes seeks to stabilize and re-
Woodside Housing, Mt. Eustis Corners; and housing
energize existing neighborhoods by keeping current
in the Laurens Mill Community in Laurens, SC.
residents in place. Genesis works with partners such as the City of Greenville, SC Housing, and the South Carolina Association for Community Economic Development to fund and manage its properties.
High quality affordable housing is critical to creating equitable, inclusive, and healthy communities in which all people have the opportunity to thrive. We all have a role to play in making sure that everyone has a place to call home. LS3P’s vision is rooted in using our skills as designers to serve our communities. We believe that everyone benefits from design excellence, expertise, innovation, and collaborative engagement, and that we can create positive change in our communities through smart, compassionate design.
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