The City of Phoenix celebrated the grand opening of Soluna Apartments, the first Choice Neighborhoods mixed-income housing development in the Edison-Eastlake Community.
Soluna features 177 modern, energy-efficient units ranging from one to five bedrooms. The community is designed to provide quality living at an affordable cost, with 80 percent of units offered as affordable housing and 20 percent of units available at market rate.
“Ensuring affordable housing options for all who call our City home is a top priority for me,” said Mayor Kate Gallego. “One of the greatest challenges our residents face is simply housing availability, and 177 new units here at Soluna Apartments is a great step forward in addressing that. I couldn’t be more excited to see more housing options coming to South Phoenix.”
Centrally located at 19th St. and Roosevelt, Soluna offers residents views of Edison Park and multiple amenities including a unique art plaza, three community rooms, playgrounds, a business center, a fitness center, and green space with plenty of shade trees. Soluna is the first phase of rental housing units developed as part of a $30 million Choice Neighborhoods Implementation Grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to revitalize the Edison-Eastlake neighborhood and encourage a sense of pride in the community.
“I am proud the City of Phoenix is continuing to prioritize affordable housing with this grand opening of Soluna Apartments,” said Councilmember Garcia. “This mixed-income housing investment will ensure that my constituents have quality affordable housing options in vibrant neighborhoods.”
Soluna, the combination of “sol” (sun) and “luna” (moon) in Spanish, received the 2022 Brian Mickelson Housing Hero Award for Outstanding Affordable Housing Initiative. The community was developed in partnership with Gorman and Company, capitalizing on transit-oriented development opportunities, deconcentrating poverty, and ensuring long-term housing affordability in this community.
“Phoenix has embarked on the Housing Phoenix Plan, which was approved by the Mayor and Council in 2020, to create and preserve 50,000 units by 2030,” said Titus Mathew, City of Phoenix Housing Department Director. “There has never been a greater need for affordable housing than the present. This new project will provide hundreds of Phoenix residents access to safe and quality affordable housing. Thanks to all our partners, Mayor Gallego, Councilman Garcia, Department of Housing and Urban Development and our wonderful residents.”
“Soluna is the first phase of a five-phased undertaking that will represent the single largest public housing redevelopment effort in Arizona history,” said Gorman’s CEO Brian Swanton. “What makes this project truly special is the level of intergenerational resident engagement in its design. The residents of Edison-Eastlake took a hands-on role from the very beginning, and now they are moving into their brand-new homes.”
Soluna was funded by Low Income Housing Tax Credit equity (LIHTC), private mortgage, Choice Neighborhoods funds and other sources of gap funding. Funding partners include the Arizona Department of Housing (ADOH), Phoenix Community Development & Investment Corporation (PCDIC) and HUD.
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