Rock Island Housing Authority outlines $70 million in projects; council backs Valley Homes veteran development

John Chow, executive director of the Rock Island Housing Authority and CEO of Community Home Partners, told the Rock Island City Council the agency has moved from traditional public housing toward mixed-income redevelopment and has invested roughly $70 million in local projects over the last two decades.

Chow said the authority now manages a mixed portfolio that includes public housing, project-based vouchers, Housing Choice Vouchers, tax-credit units and market-rate units, and reviewed completed and planned projects including a newly financed 25-unit veteran housing development and a proposed senior housing project at Valley Homes.

Why it matters: The housing authority described a long-term transition triggered by federal guidance and by decades of deferred maintenance in public housing. The authority is positioning redevelopment projects to use multiple financing sources — tax credits, vouchers and other HUD tools — and requested the council’s support for the Valley Homes application.

Chow summarized the authority’s portfolio and redevelopment work. He said the agency began in 1940 and now manages “well over 800 households in Rock Island and surrounding area.” He listed recent investments by project: Lincoln Redevelopment ($14,000,000), Cascade Garden (about $10,000,000 for 70 townhome units), Linden Lane ($14,000,000 for 55 single-family homes) and smaller infill townhome projects. “So overall, we have invested around $70,000,000 in Rock Island,” Chow said.

Chow described the veteran housing project in more detail: 25 new single-family rental homes built on roughly 4.5 acres with a 3,000-square-foot community center for on-site support agencies. He said the city donated the land, financing recently closed and the general contractor is under contract. “The financial is closed as of last week,” Chow said, and added that the contractor’s timeline is “no more than 12 months,” with phased move-ins as units are completed.

Chow also described a proposed 62-and-older senior housing project for the Valley Homes site, estimating a total project cost of about $18,819,000 for a multilevel elevator apartment building and duplexes. He said Community Home Partners previously submitted an application and was not awarded funding, and that the agency will reapply.

Alderman Parker urged the housing authority to prioritize local procurement. “I encourage the housing authority and Community Home Partners to consider procurement practices that make sure that contractors doing that work are here in the Quad Cities,” Parker said, noting that Illinois Housing Development Authority scoring favors teams with demonstrable local credentials and, in some circumstances, project labor agreements. Chow said the authority is seeking credentialed local general contractors and will document solicitation of local subcontractors; he noted the difficulty of competing statewide for scarce tax-credit awards.

The council later adopted a resolution formally supporting the Valley Homes project. Motion to adopt the resolution passed on a roll call vote with all members recorded as voting aye.

Looking ahead: Chow said the authority will continue submitting applications for senior housing and other redevelopments and emphasized partnerships with the city, financial institutions and regional agencies. He closed by urging the housing authority’s role as an anchor agency for affordable housing in local redevelopment work.

Ending: The council’s formal resolution of support for the Valley Homes project passed unanimously, signaling municipal backing as Community Home Partners pursues financing and state-level competition.