Houston Housing Authority (HHA), the City’s leading agency on affordable homes and services for low-income families, broke ground on a mixed-income residential development in Independence Heights, Monday, March 20th. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee and Houston City Council Member Karla Cisneros were amongst those who were invited to attend the HHA groundbreaking for the multifamily community at 302 Crosstimbers Street, the southeast corner of Crosstimbers and North Main Street.

According to The National Low Income Housing Coalition, Houston has the third lowest availability of affordable housing for those with extremely low income or who earn 30 percent of their area median income.

“The Independence Heights development showcases how city officials are working together to eliminate Houston’s affordable housing shortage,” HHA President and CEO Tory Gunsolley said. “We’re constantly working to provide affordable options for Houstonians, and this development highlights our efforts.”

Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee even called upon the White House to take note of what a “southern city that is growing is doing” within historic neighborhoods like Independence Heights to combat the lack of affordable housing.

Located just one mile west of Interstate 45 and one mile north of the 610 Loop, the 154-unit Independence Heights Apartments will provide housing for local families, with features to include  accessible or adaptable units for handicapped residents, solid wood cabinetry, granite countertops and an on-property community room for social gatherings and meetings.

The new housing project construction is set to begin April 2017 and leasing applications should be open to the public by mid-2018.