Charlottesville Redevelopment Housing Authority to set fair market rents, approve construction contract for first phase of new HQ

The seven members of the Charlottesville Redevelopment and Housing Authority’s Board of Commissioners will meet tonight at 6 p.m. in City Council Chambers. (agenda) (meeting info)

The CRHA administers many different kinds of units including those that are subsidized through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Housing Choice Voucher program.  That program celebrated its 50th birthday. According to CRHA’s most recent annual plan, they administer 681 such vouchers. 

“A housing subsidy is paid to the landlord directly by the PHA on behalf of the participating family,” reads a primer on HUD’s website. “The family then pays the difference between the actual rent charged by the landlord and the amount subsidized by the program.”

One action item on this meeting’s agenda is to set the fair market rents for 2025. For the purposes of calculating the subsidy, there are the rates:

• Fair market rent for a studio would be set at $1,544 a month
• A one bedroom unit is set at $1,635
• A two bedroom unit is set at $1,901
• A three bedroom unit is set at $2,370
• A four bedroom unit is set at $2,883
• A five bedroom unit is set at $3,315

The next action item sets the utility allowances for the next year. (read the resolution)

Earlier this year, the CRHA paid $2.65 million for a property on the Downtown Mall to serve as a new headquarters. Now there is a construction contract to pay the firm Alexander Nichols $508,382.59 for phase 1 which will include demolition and abatement. What is being abated? (read the resolution)

There’s also a property management report that includes the housing units co-owned by the City of Charlottesville. Tenants own a collective back rent of $221,027 according to the report. (read the report)

Before you go: The time to write and research of this article is covered by paid subscribers to Charlottesville Community Engagement. In fact, this particular installment is from the October 28, 2024 Week Ahead edition of the newsletter.