CHANDLER, Ariz. — The city of Chandler is planning to provide better affordable housing options to local residents by constructing a new 157-unit development project near McQueen Road and Chandler Boulevard.
Rising rents have been generating greater demand for affordable housing across the city in recent years and city officials say there's an "insufficient" amount of capital funds available to improve Chandler's existing public housing units.
The Chandler City Council passed a resolution last week that authorizes city officials to apply for the federal government's Rental Assistance Demonstration program, which grants local entities access to funds for repairing and replacing public housing units.
Many RAD projects consist of public-private partnerships where a developer will build out a new property and units are subsidized to tenants at an affordable rate.
The proposed housing project in Chandler would be built on city-owned land consisting of one-, two-, three-, four-, and five-bedroom units, community space, and a park area.
Chandler currently administers 303 units of low-rent public housing, most of which are aging properties built in the 1970s. The city additionally oversees the distribution of about 480 vouchers for low-income residents looking to rent a private unit.
A survey done in 2019 found that a lack of affordable housing was the most pressing need among Chandler residents, according to the East Valley Tribune.
After the federal government approves Chandler's RAD application, a development agreement will be presented to the city council that will provide further details on the new housing project.
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