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The Low Income Historic Housing Rehabilitation Program was created
to encourage the repair and rehabilitation of historic residential
properties providing housing opportunities for persons and families
with low-incomes. The program funds critical building maintenance;
structural stabilization work; repair and rehabilitation of
historic exterior features such as roofs, walls, windows and
doors.
All projects are required to meet city historic preservation
guidelines, as well as the Secretary of the Interior's Standards
for the Treatment of Historic Properties. City funds pay up to
70 percent of the costs of eligible exterior rehabilitation work,
with the owner or other financial assistance programs covering
the remaining costs. The funding request can range from a minimum
of $2,000 to a maximum of $25,000.
Eligibility Criteria
- Applicants must be one of the following:
- Property owner pre-qualified for the Comprehensive Housing
Rehabilitation Program, Rental Rehabilitation Program or other
income-assisted housing program administered by the city;
or
- Non-profit agency, community development corporation or
community organization with 501.C(3) status (in accordance
with Internal Revenue Service regulations) whose primary mission
is to provide affordable housing opportunities, encourage
reinvestment in older neighborhoods, and/or promote neighborhood
stabilization and improvement.
- To be considered for funding, applicants must own the property
to be rehabilitated or possess legal authorization from the
owner to apply for funding. Applicants must provide evidence
of demonstrated site control through a lease, purchase contract
or option to purchase. All owners must be willing to execute
required legal documents.
- All properties must be listed on the Phoenix Historic Property
Register and contribute or potentially contribute (once project
is completed) to the historic character of the property, site
or district as determined by the city Historic Preservation
Office.
- All proposed projects must conform to the City
of Phoenix General Design Guidelines for Historic Properties
and the "Secretary of the Interior’s
Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties"
as determined by the city Historic Preservation Office.
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Eligible Improvements
The program’s main focus is to assist projects that substantially
rehabilitate historic residential building exteriors. The city's
Historic Preservation Office determines the eligibility of all
proposed work items. Eligible exterior work can include:
- Exterior walls
- Roofs
- Exterior woodwork/trim
- Masonry/stucco repairs
- Porches and steps
- Cornices and parapets
- Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) alterations
- Windows and doors
- Foundations
- Historic outbuildings and carports
- Reversal of previous inappropriate alterations
- Reconstruction of original architectural elements based on
documentation/evidence
- Demolition of non-historic additions
- Re-painting (if needed to complete other items)
The program does not fund new construction, additions, acquisitions,
landscaping, fencing, site improvements or other interior work.
Non-profit agencies, community development corporations and
community organizations can recover pre-agreement/architectural
and engineering costs related directly to eligible work provided
that costs were incurred within two years prior to application
date and amount to no more than 10 percent of the total funding
request. This can include historic structure reports, site planning,
feasibility studies, design work, and construction drawings and
specifications.
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Application Procedures
Applications are accepted on an ongoing basis throughout the
year, and will be reviewed on a first-come first-served basis.
All applicants are required to attend a pre-application meeting
with city Historic Preservation Office staff. For funding consideration,
all applicants must submit:
- A completed application form, including a detailed scope
of work and budget, including at least two bids by licensed
contractors for all work items;
- Architectural plans, elevations and/or specifications, as
needed, to depict rehabilitation work;
- A description and evidence of funding sources to complete
the project.
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Historic Design Guidelines
All proposed projects must conform to the city of Phoenix
General
Design Guidelines
for Historic Properties and the
"Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the
Treatment of Historic Properties" as determined by the
city Historic Preservation Office.
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Project Evaluation Criteria
City Historic Preservation Office staff are solely responsible
for determining the eligibility of items included in a project’s
Scope of Work, and for approving projects subject to funding limits
approved by City Council. Applications will be approved provided
that owner evidences that program timelines can be met; project
budget is adequate; project has sufficient funding to be completed;
owner meets all other program requirements; and project fully
meets the city's General
Design Guidelines for Historic Properties and the
Secretary of the Interior's "Standards for the Treatment
of Historic Properties" as determined by the city Historic
Preservation Office.
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Additional Funding Conditions
- If the property is currently owned by a 501(c)3, the organization
must agree to sell or execute a long-term lease to a qualifying
family or individual within six months of project completion.
Qualifying families are those with incomes 80 percent or below
the median, calculated in accordance with established U.S.,
Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) guidelines.
For multi-use units, at least 51 percent of all current or proposed
tenants must meet above income requirements.
- Applicant must provide evidence that sufficient funds are
available to complete the project at the time of project application.
- Owner must agree to execute required legal agreements with
the city as a condition of funding. These include a Program
Agreement and Conservation Easement. A Consent Facade must
be signed by all lien holders on the property prior to entering
into a Program Agreement.
- Funds are only available for projects that have not commenced
prior to the execution of all required agreements. An exception
is made for eligible architectural/engineering studies.
- The program will only pay for completed components of a project
that the Historic Preservation Office certifies meets city historic
preservation standards. No advance funding of work is allowed.
- The owner must agree to execute a facade conservation easement
as specified below based on the following levels of city participation:
$10,000 or less, 15 years; $10,001 or more, 20 years.
- Applicant is required to obtain a certificate of appropriateness
or certificate of no effect from the city Historic Preservation
Office prior to finalizing project agreements and initiating
work.
- The owners must sign all required agreements with the city
within 90 days of project approval, subsequently commence work
within six months after executing agreements and complete the
project within at least 24 months once work has started or risk
losing the funding.
- The city will take no responsibility or assume any liability
for an organization’s ability to buy or sell property
contingent upon the receipt of Historic Preservation Bond Funds.
Organizations must agree to this waiver in writing.
- The city is not obligated to pay the property owner if the
city determines that the project has not been completed in accordance
with the city’s program guidelines and design standards.
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Application Information
If you are interested in obtaining the complete application packet,
which includes the application, program guide, frequently asked
questions and preservation philosophy, call 602-261-8699 or
download the packet items from here (Requires Adobe
Reader):
- Low Income Historic Housing Rehabilitation Program
Application (146kb PDF, requires Adobe
Reader)
The application will need to be filled out and returned to Historic
Preservation Office in order to participate in the program.
- Low Income Historic Housing Rehabilitation Program
Guide (173kb PDF, requires Adobe
Reader)
A guide providing information on the history of the grant program,
procedure for funding applicants and information about completing
the application.
Other useful information on the Low Income Historic Housing
Rehabilitation Program is also available:
- Low Income Historic Housing Rehabilitation Program
Frequently Asked Questions (90kb PDF, requires
Adobe
Reader)
- Preservation Philosophy-Guiding principles on retaining,
preserving and/or replacing architectural features/elements
on a historic structure.(78kb PDF, requires Adobe
Reader)
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