AUSTIN, Texas — As the city of Austin tries to bring in more affordable housing, a nonprofit is turning a former church property into new apartments.
Construction continues in South Austin, near East Oltorf Street and Parker Lane – the future home of the Parker Lane Apartments, a Foundation Communities-run complex that will include 135 units. The complex will feature both one- and two-bedroom apartments.
Foundation Communities is still working out pricing, but the apartments will be income-based. Other properties run by Foundation Communities start at about $1,000 a month and go up depending on size and income.
"Hopefully, our families will move in in July," Walter Moreau, the executive director of Foundation Communities, said.
The complex includes a learning center with free after-school programs.
Moreau said Foundation Communities' goal is to bring more affordable housing for families to Austin – and there is a big demand to live at Parker Lane.
"Since opening our interested list at Parker, we [have] already had 400 people sign up in just the last month," Moreau said.
This comes as the city of Austin has a goal to bring 60,000 affordable housing units at 80% median family income and under by 2028. It's part of a 10-year plan.
In District 3, where Parker Lane is located, the goal is to build more than 6,200 units. Five years in, they've built 24%.
The Parker Lane Apartments complex is on eight acres of land where the Parker Lane United Methodist Church once stood.
Brooks Schuelke is the district lay leader for the Capital District of the United Methodist Church. He said the church fell on tough times and closed. It was then knocked down, and United Methodist is now leasing the land to Foundation Communities.
"There is a 99-year lease. We certainly didn't maximize the profits," Schuelke said.
On Thursday, he checked out the new development up close for the first time since the church closed. He said it looks beautiful.
Schuelke said even though the church closed, it wanted to do something to help the community.
"This is an extension of the legacy of Parker Lane," Schuelke said. "We chose Foundation Communities for a bunch of reasons. One of the reasons [is] they don’t just do the housing, but wrap-around services. They have after-school programs, [a] feeding program, health care – and those are things our churches also participate in."
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