Green and Affordable: Chuska Apartments Open in Gallup, NM
Los Angeles – (September 26, 2008) – Once celebrated as an integral railroad town of the west, the city of Gallup can now be hailed as having one of the few environmentally responsive, affordable housing developments in the state of New Mexico. The city of Gallup, Enterprise, the Supportive Housing Coalition of New Mexico, state officials and residents today celebrated the grand opening of the Chuska Apartments at 2534 East Aztec Avenue. Located off of historic U.S. Route 66 and near the Navajo Nation, the 30-apartment community is dedicated to addressing the housing needs of the low-income and formerly homeless families of Gallup.
Winner of the 2007 New Mexico Mortgage Finance Authority Design Competition, the nearly $8 million apartment development was designed to increase energy savings and water efficiency. The units feature 'green' elements such as passive solar design, energy-efficient windows, rooftop solar hot water and thermal baseboard heating and rain barrels that harvest water for landscape irrigation. Chuska is one of the certified Enterprise Green Communities® properties and is the first development supported by Enterprise's newly launched Rural and Native American Initiative, a program intended to help build and preserve 8,000 rental and homeownership opportunities in designated areas over the next five years. Enterprise Community Partners provided nearly $120,000 in grants through its Green Communities and Supportive Housing initiatives and other funding, and nearly $6.3 million in Low-Income Housing Tax Credit equity investment was provided through Enterprise Community Investment, Inc.
"We are pleased to work with the Supportive Housing Coalition of New Mexico and the residents of Gallup on this project," said Ed Rosenthal, director of the Enterprise Rural and Native American initiative. "Chuska is the inaugural property under our Rural and Native American initiative and with a unique blend of affordable housing and homes for the formerly homeless, this property clearly illustrates the full array of products and services Enterprise has to offer all communities in need."
Back dropped against the mesas of northwestern New Mexico, the Chuska Apartments are situated in eight one-story buildings positioned into two elongated courtyards. The property offers family oriented amenities that include a community center, a playground, and a rock garden integrated into an existing natural rock outcropping. Twenty of the apartments are fully subsidized rental units intended for families earning up to 60 percent of the area median income (AMI). Ten apartments have been set aside for formerly homeless families with children to support their efforts in transitioning into permanent placement. Predevelopment activities were partially funded by the Enterprise Supportive Housing initiative. The services are supplied by CARE 66 through a 24-month intensive enrichment program. The program offers a range of services from medical and psychiatric care and substance abuse treatment to job skills and homeownership counseling.
"Developing housing that meets the needs of the people who need it most is our mission," said Mark Allison, executive director of the Supportive Housing Coalition of New Mexico. "We are particularly proud of the Chuska Apartments which incorporate many green features to keep the resident's utility bills down."
Fifteen of the apartments are two-bedrooms with one bathroom and the remaining fifteen apartments offer three-bedrooms with two bathrooms. Each apartment features patios or front yards and storage lofts above the kitchens. The Supportive Housing Coalition of New Mexico purchased the land and developed the apartments with support from The Annenberg Foundation New Mexico Mortgage Finance Authority, New Mexico Capital Outlay Funds, Federal Home Loan Bank, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development - Continuum of Care, and the city of Gallup.
Chuska was designed by Autotroph, a Santa Fe based architecture firm that specializes in green design. Arviso Construction Company provided general contracting services.
For further information on Enterprise Green Communities, please visit www.greencommunitiesonline.org.
Enterprise is a leading provider of the development capital and expertise it takes to create decent, affordable homes and rebuild communities. For more than 25 years, Enterprise has pioneered neighborhood solutions through public-private partnerships with financial institutions, governments, community organizations and others that share our vision. Enterprise has raised and invested over $9 billion in equity, grants and loans to help build or preserve more than 240,000 affordable rental and for-sale homes to create vital communities. Enterprise is currently investing in communities at a rate of $1 billion a year. Visit www.enterprisecommunity.org and www.enterprisecommunity.com to learn more about Enterprise's efforts to build communities and opportunity.
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