County Council has approved PILOT application for Hamilton Station.
Frederick, Md (KM) Plans are in place for the development of Hamilton Station in Frederick. The project to be located at 33 Hamilton Avenue in Frederick will contain five, garden-style apartment buildings for residents who are classified as Low Income Housing Tax Credit households.
Ryan Trout, with the County’s Department of Housing and Community Development, says there will be 80 units, and they will be restricted to individuals and families making 60% of Area Median Income. In Frederick County, that’s $126,000 annually. He says 60% of AMI for a family of four in Frederick is $75,600; and for individuals, that’s $52,930. Those are the people who would quality for these apartments.
“According to the developer, the monthly rent on the affordable LIHTC {Low Income Housing Tax Credit} one-bedroom unit will be approximately $1200. Two-bedroom will be $1310; and three-bedroom units will $1500 respectively,” he says.
Trout continues that there is a need for affordable housing in Frederick. “By comparison, according to a recent survey by Apartment Home Living, the average one-bedroom rent in Frederick is $1660. Rent Café, another on-line platform, places the average rent for an apartment in Frederick at just under $1500, a six-percent increase compared to the previous year,” he says.
On Tuesday, the County Council. Approved a Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILOT) for the project. That means the owners will pay an amount that is less than what they normally would pay in county property taxes. “PILOT agreements are viable to the feasibility of new, affordable communities like Hamilton Station,” says Scott Link, Vice President for Development for Pats Edwards LLC, the developer of Hamilton Station. “And without the combined support of the county and the city, this new exciting community would not be possible.”
The City of Frederick has already approved a PILOT program for this project.
Link says construction is expected to begin “within the month” on this project.
In addition to housing, Link says the owners of Hamilton Station say they will provide services to help better their tenants’ lives, such as new resident handbooks, self-sufficiency educational programs, informational seminars, health consultations, immunizations, health screenings, resource guide for persons with disabilities, high speed internet, computer access and community holiday parties.
By Kevin McManus