There's a new group of homes in Lincoln's Foxtail Meadows neighborhood, and for a handful of families who came here from the other side of the world, it means a lot more than a new address.
Hoppe Development cut the ribbon Tuesday, Oct. 13, on Foxtail 26, a group of 26 new affordable rental homes in the Foxtail Meadows neighborhood. According to KLKN, six of the homes are set aside for refugee families.
"They're wonderful families who have gone through such a journey to come to the United States," said Jake Hoppe, CEO of Hoppe Development. "And the last thing I think is it's challenging is often finding a place to live."
Built for bigger families
The development offers different unit sizes. One of the new two-story units has four bedrooms and two bathrooms, along with roomy living areas and modern finishes.
Connor Menard, project development manager for Hoppe Development, said finding a home with enough room is especially hard for refugee families, who are often living in cramped conditions.
"A lot of times, it's hard to find new housing, especially in this market," Menard said. Being able to offer four-bedroom, two-bath homes to those families, he said, makes a real difference.
That size is the hard part. Four-bedroom rentals are hard to come by, and families with several kids can end up squeezed into whatever they can find.
A three-way partnership
Foxtail 26 came together through a partnership between Hoppe Development, Good Neighbor Community Center and the Nebraska Department of Economic Development. The project was supported by federal pandemic relief money from the American Rescue Plan Act, through the state's Pandemic Relief Housing Program.
That program gives awards to nonprofit organizations to develop affordable housing, including new rental homes. The state says the housing has to serve households at or below 185% of federal poverty guidelines, and refugees are among the groups it is meant to help.
Good Neighbor Community Center had earlier put out a request for proposals seeking a developer to build at least six four-bedroom, rowhome-style rental units for refugee and immigrant families, funded by a $790,000 grant from the program. The selected developer was expected to bring in any other money needed, handle grant reporting and arrange property management. Neither KLKN nor the partners spelled out how that request led to Foxtail 26, but the six refugee homes match what the community center set out to build.
According to Hoppe Development, a 20-year affordability agreement will help keep the homes supported by the program available to qualifying households.
"That kind of partnership really matters," said Tom Randa, executive director of Good Neighbor Community Center. "It demonstrates what can happen when a private sector, the government, and community organizations work together towards a common goal."
Foxtail 26 is part of the bigger Foxtail Meadows neighborhood, which developers say will eventually include more than 500 homes, including affordable options. The project also counts toward Lincoln's goal of adding 5,000 affordable and attainable housing units by 2030.
Why it matters for Contractors
Foxtail 26 is a good example of how a small, focused grant can sit inside a bigger project. The community center's request was built around six homes and a $790,000 grant, with the developer expected to line up any other money needed. The finished project has 26 homes. For builders, that's a reminder that nonprofit and state housing money often needs a private partner to actually get homes built.
Two-story rental homes with four bedrooms are right in the wheelhouse of residential framers, roofers, siding crews and finish trades. Projects tied to federal money do come with compliance and reporting, so contractors should be ready for the extra paperwork and plan their bids with that time in mind.
The bigger opportunity is the rest of Foxtail Meadows. A neighborhood planned for more than 500 homes means years of work for site crews, utility contractors and home builders. KLKN didn't name a general contractor for Foxtail 26, and we aren't naming one here.
Lincoln's goal of 5,000 affordable and attainable units by 2030 isn't going to be met by one developer. It'll take plenty of builders and trades, and projects like this one show the kinds of partnerships that can make the numbers work.