1. Press Room
  2. Affordable Housing
  3. Avenue breaks ground on affordable apartments in Oak Forest

Press Item

Avenue breaks ground on affordable apartments in Oak Forest

    Houston Chronicle, December 23, 2020
    Avenue on 34th Groundbreaking
    Housing and Community Development Department Director Tom McCasland, Avenue Executive Director Mary Lawler, Mayor Sylvester Turner, Amegy Executive Vice President Brian Stoker at the groundbreaking for Avenue on 34th in Oak Forest on Tuesday, Dec. 15, 2020. Photo: Janet Roe, JRoe Photography

    Avenue, a Houston nonprofit focused on building affordable homes, has started construction on Avenue on 34th, a mixed-income apartment community in the Oak Forest neighborhood. A groundbreaking was held last week.

    The four-story project, being built on 2.1 acres at 2136 West 34th St., will deliver 70 units in mid-2022. The site for decades housed Doyle's Restaurant.

    The project will offer 56 units at below market rates for families making $35,000 to $65,000 annually, according to Avenue. It will rent 14 units at unrestricted market rates.

    The project is being developed through a mix of public and private funding, including 4 percent low-income housing tax credits through the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs. Amegy Bank serves as the project's primary lender, with other financing coming from Houston Housing Finance Corp., the City of Houston Housing and Community Development Department and Hunt Capital Partners through its HCP 41 multi-investor fund.

    “We are delighted to advance construction on Avenue on 34th at a time when affordable housing with proximity to the Inner Loop is such a critical need among working families. The influx of new developments in and around the city’s urban core has resulted in the demolition of existing lower cost housing and, as a result, has priced low and middle-income families out of many communities,” Mary Lawler, executive director at Avenue, said in an announcement. “Data shows that affordable homes help strengthen families and communities as a whole, providing families with a path forward to greater financial stability and improved health outcomes. We look forward to bringing this valuable multifamily community to the neighborhood and to welcoming families home when Avenue on 34th opens in 2022.”

    Lawler said the United Way of Greater Houston’s ALICE report found nearly 25 percent of the nearly 11,000 households in Oak Forest’s 77018 ZIP code struggle to make ends meet. ALICE (Asset-Limited, Income-Constrained, Employed) families have incomes above the federal poverty level, but insufficient to cover necessities such as housing, child care, food, transportation and health care.

    Avenue on 34th will consist of 23 one-bedroom apartments, 27 two-bedroom apartments and 20 three-bedroom apartments. Sizes range from 706 square feet to 1,201 square feet.

    Block Cos., the general contractor, will host a Community Day and Job Fair in February with information on construction jobs for the project. Other team members include Northfield Design Associates, Jones & Carter and Falon Land Studio.

    Avenue on 34th will offer after-school tutoring for children and credit-building and homebuyer education programs for adults. Amenities will include Outdoor play space, learning center and activity room, business center and fitness room.

    Compare Listings

    TitlePriceStatusTypeAreaPurposeBedroomsBathrooms