While housing commission seats remain unfilled, Columbia leaders plot next move

The Columbia Housing Authority is hoping to get $9.5 million in federal funds to renovate aging apartments in central city.

The agency will need approval from the Missouri Housing Development Commission, which has not met since December. The commission currently has four vacancies, which are appointed by the governor.

CHA director Phil Steinhaus said the housing authority will seek all of its money to renovate the Providence Walkway Apartments though the federal Low-Income Housing Tax Credit program. If the commission does meet by the end of the year, and does award the project full funding, Steinhaus expected the project to take a year to put final touches on the deal.

“We’ve applied for about $950,000 in [federal] low income housing tax credits, so that would be a ten year period,” Steinhaus said. “So it’s about 9.5 million dollars that we would need to renovate those properties.”

The commission’s last meeting involved slashing all money for the state low-income housing tax credit program, a $140 million match of the federal program. Then-Gov. Eric Greitens led the charge against the program, claiming developers misused money involved in building or renovating housing units.

Gov. Mike Parson, then the lieutenant governor, voted against the plan to slash the state funding.

Steinhaus anticipated applying for $3.2 million in state tax credits last year, but pressed forward on the project with different funding sources in mind.