Patuxent Commons Project In HoCo Receives $2.47M Federal Grant

COLUMBIA, MD — The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development has awarded a grant of $2.47 million to Patuxent Commons, a housing development proposed for Columbia that will provide housing for people with disabilities in an inclusive community setting. The project is one of only eight across the U.S. to be awarded a capital advance grant through HUD’s Section 811 Supportive Housing for Persons with Disabilities program. The Howard County Department of Housing and Community Development has committed $2 million toward construction costs for the $30 million project.

“Our community strives to be inclusive and innovative – and the Patuxent Commons project checks both of those boxes, we’re thrilled to support this important housing initiative,” Howard County Executive Calvin Ball said in a statement. “This new housing was designed in partnership with Howard County Autism Society and will support residents with disabilities and of all ages. In Howard County we recognized that providing this resource to people with disabilities can lead to more enriching and independent lives, and we are committed to building on this progress. As we close out a year of continued physical isolation and suffering mental health, it’s vital we continue to support and advocate for creating a community that is connected and allows for a high quality of life for all.”

The 76-unit Patuxent Commons is a mixed-income development based on a concept developed by the Howard County Autism Society to help meet the housing needs of adults with disabilities and is the first of its kind in Howard County. The developer of Patuxent Commons and recipient of the HUD grant is Mission First Housing Group, an award-winning affordable housing developer of more than 3,500 apartments across the mid-Atlantic. Their plans for the project call for 19 apartments to be set-aside for adults with disabilities, and the remainder for older adults, families and younger adults.

“Howard County is excited to support this project with $2 million in MIHU fee-in-lieu funds,” DHCD Director Kelly Cimino said . “Providing access to MIHU fee-in-lieu funding is critical to projects like this one to create long-term, affordable rental opportunities for adults with disabilities, older adults and families in the county.”

Efforts are underway to secure the remaining financing for the project, which will be in Columbia’s Hickory Ridge Village neighborhood. In September, Mission First applied to the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development’s Community Development Administration for low-income housing tax credit financing. If secured, the LIHTC award will fund nearly half of the project’s total costs.