Designing for Healthy Communities
Access to homeownership creates healthy communities. Beautiful and accessible housing is fundamental to supporting diversity and equity, and we know that thoughtful design solutions have the power to make high-quality, sustainable, wellness-focused living spaces available to all members of a community.Â
Affordable housing communities must be authentic to their local communities, pedestrian friendly, and prioritize green spaces for recreation and gathering. These are neighborhoods—places for people to proudly call home.Â
A New Model of Equitable Housing
The lack of affordable housing is a national crisis. Cushing Terrell partners with cities, developers, and communities to uncover creative solutions to address this critical issue. Our affordable housing design process and partnerships include the following strategies:
- Educating and informing our team members and clients about affordable housing — creating awareness of the need and the possibilities; how it can strengthen our communities and benefit our economies, and who needs affordable housing.
- Working with cities to develop strategies to support affordable housing projects and help them understand potential financing strategies and property management approaches.
- Creating a platform that can be replicated, which includes processes and tactics that cities and housing authorities can use as a model.
- Design and planning within urban density that incorporates sustainability, resiliency, equity, and accessibility in both new construction and existing buildings.Â
You’re in Good Hands
Randy is an architect and nationally recognized affordable housing expert with more than 37 years of experience designing residential, commercial/retail, education, and government/institutional projects. He has worked directly with housing authorities and local development partners in major metro areas across the country. His experience guiding the design and construction of over 6,000 affordable apartment units in ten Hope VI and four Choice Neighborhood Initiative transformations has given him a unique depth of understanding of a wide range of successful affordable housing strategies and the intense collaboration necessary to blend the design solutions with the development process and housing program/funding requirements.
Randy is an expert at alternative financing, the PPP approach to development, and fitting square pegs in round holes, and he leads our talented team, who collaboratively develop strategies to support affordable housing projects and help communities and municipalities understand potential financing strategies and property management approaches.
News and Notes
From our affordable housing design experts.
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Cushing Terrell has helped many of our clients with various funding strategies. We work with our clients in the following ways for development, renovation, and restoration projects:Â Â
- HOPE VI
- CHFA and DOLA
- Choice Neighborhood Initiative
- Low-Income Housing Tax Credits (LIHTC)
- Community Development Block Grants (CDBG) and HOME Funds
- Local Improvement Districts
- HUD Section 108 Loans Â
- 63-20 Non-profit Bonds
- State and Federal Grants
- Federal Stimulus Money
- Historic Tax Credits
- Affordable Housing Bonds Issued by the State
- HUD 221(d)(4) Housing Finance Guarantee Program
We know that thoughtful, strategic, and comprehensive community involvement is key to building consensus in designing spaces that transform living environments within your community. Through innovative and transparent community engagement methods, design charrettes, and workshops, we will work closely with your community members and stakeholders to design a project that meets every goal and exceeds all expectations.
Read a real-life story of how it all comes together in our Aspen Lumberyard Affordable Housing Neighborhood Case Study.
Our team uses creativity and unique skills to design and plan within urban density, incorporating sustainability, resiliency, equity, and accessibility in new construction as well as the reuse of existing buildings.
Our urban planners are passionate about educating communities on sustainable infrastructure, zoning ordinances, subdivision regulations, future land use maps, and other fundamental planning practices and principles. We understand the unique challenges communities face, such as aging public infrastructure, unclear policies and regulations, economic stress, and the need for workforce and affordable housing.
We work closely with stakeholder groups and governmental agencies, and collaborate to establish guiding principles that set priorities and goals for projects. Drawing on our experience, team communication, knowledgebase, adaptability, and quality control processes, we instill a culture of unwavering attention to detail and stakeholder trust.
Designing in an increasingly sustainable way is a challenge we have readily accepted. We’re constantly innovating sustainable systems and seeking improved materials that reduce the environmental impacts of buildings and developments of all sizes, shapes, and types. Our team is well-versed in designing for LEED and Enterprise Green Community (EGC) certification.
Cushing Terrell will advise and consult with you through the construction phases. Services provided include preconstruction meetings, attendance at progress and construction meetings (OAC), review of submittals (shop drawings, cut sheets, proposed product substitutions, etc.), review of project and construction budgets, review of change orders, response to field inquiries and RFI’s, project closeout coordination, construction observation and documentation, and review/negotiation of proposed changes or modification
