The rapidly developing East MLK neighborhood could see some new, city-designated affordable housing options soon, or eventually. That's the plan for the 7.96-acre tract of land at 3811 Tannehill Road, where the the city of is looking for a developer to build housing to include income-restricted units. On June 3, the Austin Housing Finance Corporation released a Request for Proposals solicitation for the property.
According to the AHFC announcement, priority will be given to proposals that:
Maximize the number of affordable units
Maximize the number of affordable multi-bedroom units for families
Provide deeply affordable units for Austin's lowest-income households
Provide affordable ownership units to help low-income households build wealth
Prioritize affordable housing for low-income households previously displaced or at-risk of being displaced from the area
Minimize City of Austin subsidy per affordable unit.
Located east of US Hwy. 183 and near the intersection of that road and Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, the site of the proposed development is adjacent to Norman-Sims Elementary School to the north; otherwise, it's surrounded primarily by properties currently designated for industrial or civic use. Fronting Tannehill Road, it's a few acres of undeveloped land away from residential subdivisions and Springdale Park to the west. There's a Capital Metro bus stop directly in front of the property and stops for four routes, including a MetroExpress stop, within half a mile.
AHFC purchased the property from the Austin Independent School District in 2018, agreeing to a restrictive covenant that commits it to reserving 25 percent of residential units it develops for households earning at or below 120 percent of the area median family income (although the solicitation statement indicates an aspiration for more deeply affordable residences). The property is currently designated for public use and would would require rezoning and subdivision for the type of development AHFC has in mind.
