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Affordable-housing developer seeks city help to boost state tax-credit application for Oakleaf Drive site
Summary
A consultant for a developer told Lancaster City Council the proposed 28-acre Oakleaf Drive site scored well in the state affordable-housing pool and needs local leverage—parks, greenway extension, fee waivers or donated adjacent land—to secure Low-Income Housing Tax Credits before a May 23 application deadline.
Sarah, an affordable-housing consultant working with South Carolina housing programs, asked Lancaster City Council to consider local contributions that would strengthen a Low-Income Housing Tax Credit application for a 28-acre site off Oakleaf Drive.
She said the state preliminary application, submitted in February, placed the proposal tied for fourth in its funding pool and that the program allows a maximum of 80 units (she expects the completed project will likely be in the ~70-unit range). The developer proposes building on roughly eight acres, leaving about 13 acres of excess land the presenter said she would like to donate for park or greenway expansion.
Why it matters: projects that win tax-credit awards depend not only on developer underwriting and site conditions but also on local ‘leveraging’ points the state awards—amenities on or adjacent to a site, local financial contributions, or fee waivers. Sarah told the council that small local actions could add the points needed to keep the proposal competitive with larger counties in the same funding pool.
Council members pressed for details on how rents and eligibility would be set. Sarah said SC Housing uses Lancaster County area median income (AMI) for income-averaging and rent calculations, noted a recent requirement that 20% of units in new projects serve Social Security recipients/retirees, and said new projects typically have a 3% cap on annual rent increases. She offered to email council a rent-schedule breakdown and supporting demographic and market-study reports.
On local asks, Sarah identified three common options to gain state points: donating or dedicating adjacent land for a park or greenway improvements; providing fee waivers (water taps, permit or impact-fee waivers); or a limited direct financial contribution. She emphasized that tax credits are highly competitive and that the city’s involvement would be “critical to the success of us being able to bring housing to Lancaster.”
Next steps: Sarah said the full application is due to state housing on May 23 and that she will provide detailed rent and demographic schedules to council staff. The council did not take a formal vote at the meeting but discussed potential ways to coordinate permitting, fees, and park planning to strengthen the application.
