Housing Authority updates: Rosewood, Santa Rita and Chalmers redevelopment progress and resident protections
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Summary
The Housing Authority of the City of Austin told the Community Development Commission on March 11 that Chalmers Courts redevelopment is complete, Rosewood Courts is under active redevelopment with preservation and a Habitat for Humanity homeownership component, and Santa Rita Courts will be redeveloped in two phases with resident protections and an on-site pre-K.
The Housing Authority of the City of Austin (HACA) presented March 11 to the Community Development Commission on the status of three public-housing redevelopment projects — Chalmers Courts, Rosewood Courts and Santa Rita Courts — including construction progress, preservation strategies, homeownership components and relocation protections.
Anne Gass, HACA’s director of strategic housing initiatives, said the redevelopment of Chalmers Courts is complete and occupied. She described Rosewood Courts as an active redevelopment featuring three program elements: new-construction rental buildings (adding capacity and modern systems), preservation and restoration of historically significant 1939 buildings, and a Habitat for Humanity–led homeownership component. Gass said the site will offer 184 rental units plus 12 homeownership units (a total of 196 units), restoring previously existing units on a one-for-one basis while adding about 60 new rental units.
Gass described preservation work at Rosewood that restores exterior features to the 1939 appearance under the direction of a historic architect and removes legacy lead-based paint safely. The homeownership component — 12 duplex-style units developed with Austin Habitat for Humanity and marketed under a name HACA calls Prospect Heights — includes eleven three-bedroom homes and one four-bedroom home. Sales prices cited in the presentation were approximately $156,000 for three-bedrooms and $182,000 for a four-bedroom; HACA said sales are targeted at households roughly in the 60–80% area median income (AMI) range with HACA families receiving priority.
Gass also described Rosewood’s historical significance: the site is tied to early East Austin Emancipation Park history and HACA has secured a heritage-preservation grant to create a commemorative park and a “welcome center” with augmented/virtual reality historical programming in partnership with local nonprofit e4Youth.
On Santa Rita Courts, Gass said HACA received a competitive award of 9% federal low-income housing tax credits for a western portion of the site (phase 1) that will include roughly 96 new units and a high-quality pre-K/daycare operated in partnership with Mainspring Schools. HACA said the site plan envisions a second phase with approximately another 96 new units and preservation/renovation of historic bungalow units, with potential use of historic tax credits to offset preservation costs.
For Santa Rita, Gass provided a relocation timeline: staff expect relocation outreach to start in the third quarter of 2025 and finish in the first quarter of 2026; construction is scheduled to begin in mid‑2026 with first units available late 2027. HACA said relocated residents receive moving-cost coverage, security-deposit assistance and individualized relocation support, and those residents will have first right to return. Gass said the housing authority’s resident-protection team coordinates individual moves, works with recipients on lease timing and monitors lease renewals and other barriers that might prevent a resident from exercising the right to return.
Commissioners pressed HACA staff on unit mixes, affordability tiers and waiting-list processes. Gass said Rosewood will open a wait list in about 60 days and that the initial right to return is reserved for relocated former residents; HACA is purging older waiting-list records and will notify applicants if they wish to remain on the list. Commissioners raised concerns about AMI thresholds for homeownership units (60–80% AMI) and whether that excludes many working-class essential workers; HACA staff said Habitat and HACA provide pre‑purchase counseling and down-payment assistance paths and that sales prices reflect construction costs and available subsidies.
Commissioners asked about lessons from Chalmers: Gass said Chalmers achieved a greater-than‑80% return rate and credited extensive resident engagement and choice in the relocation process for that outcome. Commissioners requested site tours of redevelopment projects; HACA staff said tours can be arranged and that staff would coordinate a commission visit in mid‑construction.
HACA’s presentation included renderings, unit counts by bedroom size and an outline of preservation decisions. The authority said it will provide notice to commissioners when Rosewood’s wait list opens and offered to supply additional data requested by commissioners about waiting-list sizes and unit-type breakdowns.
The commission thanked HACA for the update and said it will monitor relocation outcomes and unit affordability as projects advance.
