Energy Retrofitting Colorado's Multifamily Affordable Housing

Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Regional Administrator Rick M. Garcia discussed affordable housing at the 21-year old Thomas W. Bean Tower. HUD's local Multifamily Housing Director, Marcie LaPorte, was along with him on July 7, 2011.

They joined Denver Housing Authority (DHA); Energy Outreach Colorado; American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE); Colorado Housing and Finance Agency (CHFA); Housing Colorado; Mercy Housing; Enterprise; and National Housing Trust. The group met to discuss how federal, state, and local housing and utility resources could be leveraged together to achieve retrofits of multifamily affordable housing.

Thomas W. Bean Towers has been providing sustainable housing for active seniors 50 years of age or older, and for disabled persons. The building was completely modernized in 2005 under the Low Income Housing Tax Credit Program (LIHTC). The program is based on Section 42 of the Internal Revenue Code. It was enacted by Congress in 1986 to provide the private market with an incentive to invest in affordable rental housing.

Regional Administrator Garcia highlighted HUD's Strategic Plan FY2010-2015 goal to "enable the cost-effective green and energy retrofits of 159,000 HUD-assisted and public housing units, jointly with the Department of Energy to reduce energy costs and greenhouse gas emissions." As the Region VIII Administrator, Rick M. Garcia shared a HUD Development Investment in Energy Retrofit Development presentation. He also noted HUD's Region VIII Office has completed the following total of energy efficient units: 336 Multifamily; 1077 Public and Indian Housing; and 425 Community Planning and Development.

Content Archived: October 24, 2013