An Innovative Approach to Multifamily Housing

Multifamily housing projects were a growing trend on many construction outlooks for 2016. One California nonprofit developer is reinventing the spectrum of multifamily builds to create a more cost-effective, high-quality, sustainable structure that can be modified with the resident population moving into it. CBO spoke with Patricia ‘Pat’ Whitaker, CEO of Innovative Housing Opportunities, about her firm’s innovative approach to designing in this sector of the industry.

Whitaker has 30 years of experience in the executive levels of housing, redevelopment and economic development for two of Orange County’s largest cities: Anaheim, California, and Santa Ana, California. Her 20-year tenure in Santa Ana comprised work in housing development, economic development, redevelopment, job development, downtown business districts, community building and directing the Santa Ana Housing Authority. Her career has also focused on improving the quality of life for its residents through enhanced social services for the community. Programs have included intercultural programming, translation services, adult and youth education and wellness, which benefit families and the community. She currently serves on the Statewide California Redevelopment Agencies Housing Task Force, and has served on the board of directors for nonprofit organizations including SCANPH, Neighborhood Housing Services of Orange County and Project Access in Orange County.

Read Whitaker’s insights into the multifamily sector below.

CBO: Tell us a bit more about IHO’s work with multifamily housing.

PW: IHO prides itself on helping to strengthen communities through high quality and environmentally sustainable residential development, connecting and facilitating empowerment of our residents and neighbors toward improved health and economic wellbeing. IHO provides permanent, low-income, multifamily rental housing units across the Southern California region. We believe that our communities should reflect a positive future for our residents, who represent a variety of cultures, language groups, and mobility levels, often within the same property. We design our properties to address the needs of special groups, including veterans, formerly homeless, developmentally and physically disabled, families with children and youth, seniors, and those with mental health needs. Special design features include community rooms, teaching kitchens and edible gardens.

CBO: What should contractors entering into this type of build expect?

PW: Developing affordable housing is not much different than market-rate housing. It is critical that affordable housing reflect the same design values held generally by market-rate communities.  Although we seek the most cost-effective ways to design, build and operate our communities, IHO’s commitment is that they look as good as–and often better than–the surrounding market-rate housing. Our contractors must be sensitive to the municipality’s desire for quality, as well as the desires of the owners and existing neighbors. We look for contractors who can contribute suggestions, innovations and cutting-edge methods that insure quality construction and deliver the best possible housing for our residents. We frequently solicit early input from our contractors to add value, even at the design stage, so that the final product is both beautiful and cost-effective.

CBO: How can low-income housing builds incorporate efficient, sustainable building affordably?

PW: The growing importance of energy conservation has led both market and affordable developers to be more sensitive to the orientation of residential buildings, and to incorporate new and more effective passive heating and cooling techniques. Sustainability of our buildings is critical, as many of our residents will remain there for several years. Developing to these standards requires strong leadership dedicated to long-term vision and commitment. The ability to develop sustainable buildings affordably requires not only the commitment of the developer, but also education for the residents and everyone involved in the financing, design, construction and management.

CBO: Can you explain flex housing a bit more? What are the advantages and disadvantages of this type of build?

PW: Flex housing is an innovative concept incorporating non-loadbearing interior walls that can easily be reconfigured with minimal expense and effort as the residents’ needs change, similar to tenant improvement modifications in office buildings. Any increase in initial construction costs is offset over time by the ability to modify the plan as needed rather than perform major renovations as is typically done today. Additionally, flex housing lends itself well to the current planning thrust to develop denser housing around transit hubs.

The flexibility is not just in the floor plan, but also in the household size and the resident group served. In the multifamily concept, flexible housing would allow integration of diverse groups, such as seniors and families, veterans and special needs, empty nesters, etc.

Although this concept is commonly embraced by single-family housing developers in Canada and the U.K., it has not yet been widely adopted in the United States. Flex housing could be a cost-effective solution to the shortage of affordable multifamily housing that would benefit the many thousands of Americans who struggle to find low-cost housing that suits their long-term needs.

CBO: Are there any applications on this type of build that might apply to commercial builds?

PW: Many communities attempt to facilitate enhanced retail opportunities for lower income and workforce families by incorporating commercial use into affordable housing developments. As populations and market conditions change, it is critical that the commercial segments of these mixed-used communities have the ability to adapt and change with the needs of the residents and the surrounding neighborhoods. 

For more information, visit IHO.