Trellis Community Development is proud to break ground on Trellis at Mission, a new affordable rental housing development located in the Sunnyslope area within the City of Phoenix. Please join us at our groundbreaking ceremony scheduled for Thursday, December 2nd at 10am. Media interviews with designated stakeholders will be available prior to the ceremony at 9:30. The property is located at 621 W. Mission Lane.
We are also holding a holiday toy drive to benefit underserved students at nearby Mountain View Elementary School, so any donations of toys or games to provide holiday cheer to the school’s new game room will be most welcomed!
About the Project:
Trellis at Mission will consist of 43 townhomes ranging from 900-1300 SF, with a range of two-, three-, and four-bedroom units in which qualified low-income renters will have the option of transitioning to homeownership after 15 years of residency. Nine buildings containing 25 two-bedroom, 12 three-bedroom, and 6 four-bedroom townhome style units make up the property.
As has been well documented in recent press reports, the severe shortage of affordable housing, including rentals, is at a crisis point. Trellis at Mission is designed with income targeting to serve low-income family households in the community – 100% of the units (43 units total) are reserved for households with incomes below 60% Area Median Income (AMI).
Trellis at Mission incorporates a unique and rarely utilized tenant lease purchase ownership proposal in accordance with the Arizona Department of Housing Low Income Housing Tax Credit Program 2020 Qualified Action Plan and Section 42 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended. Through an equity/rental credit arrangement, tenants at the project will accumulate value over time toward an eventual opportunity to purchase their unit. While all residents, regardless of move-in date, will have an opportunity to participate in the program, longer term tenants will accrue even more value. This incentivizes residents to stay in place, which has the additional benefit of stabilizing the community, as those tenants invest in their property, home, community, and neighborhood over time. Trellis at Mission has the possibility to catalyze wealth creation in these households with the effect of building wealth for generations to come.
About the Area:
The 43 townhome-style units of Trellis at Mission sit within the City of Phoenix’s North Mountain Village, a community that is attractive to families and includes several high-quality schools and public amenities. Recreational opportunities are also nearby with neighborhood parks, canal paths, and direct access to the Phoenix Mountain Preserve system. More specifically, Trellis at Mission is located within the Sunnyslope neighborhood near supportive services, frequent bus transit routes, healthcare facilities, and civic and recreational/cultural amenities attractive to and critical to the stability of family households. Additionally, the site is located near a grocery store (Walmart Neighborhood Market), a large hospital (Honor Health John C. Lincoln), a Federally Qualified Health Center (Desert Mission Health Center), Public Park (Herberger I Park), a Public Library (City of Phoenix Public Library – Acacia Branch), and multiple recreational facilities (Sunnyslope Pool, Sunnyslope Family Services Center, etc.). Multiple frequent transit bus stops (Dunlap Ave., 7th Street) are also within ¼ mile of the Project and the 19th Avenue/Dunlap Valley Metro light rail station is just over one mile away, ensuring that residents have convenient access to affordable transportation.
The site is approximately 2.73 acres (net) and is the last parcel of infill land on the block. Currently vacant and blighted, Trellis acquired this property in 2017 from Desert Mission, Inc. with the hope that a meaningful community housing project would materialize. Before and since that time, Trellis has been actively involved in community outreach and predevelopment activities to bring the Trellis at Mission development to life. When complete, the project will be energy efficient, attractive, and utilize the property’s unique infill characteristics.
Our Partners:
In addition to Trellis, other members of the Development Team include SPS+ Architects and H&B Builders, both of whom are recognized for their commitment to quality, long-term sustainability, and quality affordable housing.
Financing Partners: Thanks to the Arizona Department of Housing for awarding a 9% low-income housing tax credit (LIHTC) toward the project. National Equity Fund, a leading national syndicator with one of the largest portfolios of projects in the marketplace, shall serve as the LIHTC syndicator for the project, Rocky Mountain CRC will provide permanent financing, and U.S. Bank will provide the construction loan, with the City of Phoenix, Home Matters, and the Arizona Community Foundation providing additional approved gap financing resources and grants toward the project.
About Trellis:
We are a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Since establishing our roots in 1975, Trellis has made stable homes possible in our community by providing home ownership counseling, financial access, and neighborhood development. We are excited to add Trellis at Mission to our list of over 10 completed projects for low-income households. We are excited to add 43 more families to our growing roster of supported, financially educated, and wealth generating households.
Trellis recognizes the correlation between housing and family stability, healthy neighborhoods, and community revitalization. Our developments and projects have ranged from neighborhood revitalization efforts and minor repair programs to city-wide acquisitions and rehabilitation. We also help with lease-purchase, down payment assistance, Employer Assisted Housing, the acquisition and rehab of government-owned properties and affordable rental apartments. As the only non-profit mortgage banker in Arizona, we are committed to helping hardworking families. Our mortgage programs and lending products include no- and low down payment options, do not require mortgage insurance, allow for alternative forms of credit, and are often offered in portfolio.
