CitizensNet
January 26, 2023
CITY OF HOUSTON AND PARTNERS BREAK GROUND ON COMMONS AT WEST TIDWELL
Mayor Sylvester Turner, city officials, Oracle City Homes, and partners today broke ground on the first phase of the City of Houston’s New Homes for Acres Homes single-family home development, Commons at West Tidwell, 1566 W. Tidwell Road, Houston, Texas 77091.
Commons at West Tidwell is a gated community with 47 single-family homes, 15 of which are reserved as affordable. The two and three-story energy-efficient homes will have three-floor plans for owners to choose from, ranging between 1,440 to 1,733 square feet. Other amenities include walkways, green spaces, and ample guest parking.
“As a native Houstonian born and raised in Acres Homes, I love my neighborhood and want to see it thrive, just as I want to see all neighborhoods have the amenities and resources to succeed,” said Mayor Turner. “The Commons at West Tidwell gets us closer to the goal of ensuring all Houstonians have a beautiful and affordable place to call home.”
Once the three phases of New Homes for Acres Homes are complete, the three sites – Commons at West Tidwell, Haven at Highland, and Mansfield Manor – will have a total of 189 single-family homes. Of that total, 117 homes – or 62 percent - are reserved as affordable for families earning up to 120% of the Area Median Income (AMI), which in 2022 was a household income of $106,300 or less for a family of four.
The New Homes for Acres Homes program helps to meet the resident-identified goal of building more affordable single-family housing that residents rated as a high priority in the Acres Home Complete Communities Action Plan.
Acres Home was designated as a Complete Community in 2017 in the pilot round of Mayor Turner’s equity initiative to improve neighborhoods that have not reached their full potential due to historical disinvestment but have great strengths, opportunities and partners who are working to improve these communities to ensure that existing residents can stay in homes that remain affordable as neighborhood improvements are made.
New Homes for Acres Homes is part of the Housing and Community Development Department’s Affordable Home Development Program (AHDP). Through the AHDP, both for and non-profit developers receive funding from the City of Houston to make homes attainable for Houstonians earning up to 120% AMI. Currently, there are seven developments throughout the city under this Program.
The City of Houston proudly contributed over $7 million in Uptown TIRZ #16 (2021) funds to finance the infrastructure needed to construct these affordable single-family homes.
This development aligns with Mayor Turner’s goal to add 3,000 single-family homes and 7,000 apartment homes to the city’s home inventory to address the need for affordable housing in Houston.
To learn more about the City’s New Homes for Houston initiative, visit: https://houstontx.gov/housing/homes/new.html.
To read the Acres Home Complete Communities Action Plan and learn more about Complete Communities Initiative, visit: www.houstoncc.org.
The City of Houston Housing and Community Development (HCD) department makes long-term investments to improve the lives of Houston residents by creating opportunities for every Houstonian to have a home they can afford in a community where they can thrive. Our department will invest approximately $450 million in federal, state, and local funds this fiscal year to construct and maintain affordable homes, reduce barriers to homeownership, support the work of social service providers, build public amenities, and facilitate disaster recovery efforts. Learn more about programs and resources for Houstonians at www.houstontx.gov/housing.