Dallas' challenge to build affordable housing continues as West End project seeks funding
DALLAS — The City of Dallas is looking at investing millions of dollars into a proposed downtown community in the West End.
Paulette McAlpin found it back in June, sitting on Dallas' west side: a brand new senior living community, The Mariposa.
The rent was $650 a month.
"Everybody over here is nice," McAlpin said. "I think it's lovely they have something like this."
Zach Krochtengel is the man who helped create Paulette McAlpin's new home. His Sycamore Strategies housing development firm plans to take two vacant century-old buildings in Dallas' West End and do the same.
He's looking to build housing units that moderate and low-income residents can afford in the heart of the city.
However, to make it work, Sycamore has asked the City of Dallas, with council approval, to provide $49 million of funding to transform the vacant buildings into affordable housing.
"You know, it's not happening enough," said Krotchtengel. "And we really believe in these transformative projects, not just any old apartment complex, but something that's doing something for the public, something for the greater good, but also bringing those deep affordability tenants, those workforce tenants into a place that they can be proud of."
Evan Sheets with Downtown Dallas, Inc. is on record supporting this affordable housing proposal, to be named West End Lofts, and endorsing the city's funding to make it happen.
"The city has the ability to continue to maintain that affordability for a longer period of time," Sheets said. "And so those developments maintain structural affordability within the entire neighborhood to continue to make it accessible to folks from all over the city."
The city council could vote on financing the West End Lofts project by next week. If built, more than half of the units will have rent rates below market value.
