The Greenville Housing Fund, Schaumber Development, and Douglas Development broke ground Wednesday on an 88-unit apartment community that will be affordable to renters earning less than 60% of the area median income.
The Riley at Overbrook, located on Lowndes Hill Road, will be convenient to I-385, downtown Greenville, and the growing neighborhood commercial hub on East North Street. Nineteen of the project’s 88 units will be affordable to households earning 30% or less of the area median income. “Housing vouchers committed by The Greenville Housing Authority, allow us to reach this deep level of affordability. For example, a three-member family earning under $25,000 annually, will find a beautiful and highly affordable home at The Riley,” said Bryan Brown, President and CEO of the Greenville Housing Fund.
Brown also noted that Greenville Mayor Knox White, as well as Councilwoman Dorothy Dowe and Greenville’s SC State House Representative Bruce Bannister, were instrumental in helping to secure support for the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit Program at the state level, which provided critical financing for The Riley. Construction is expected to take approximately 18 months.
“The Riley is an example of true affordability, made possible through a public-private partnership. Families earning between $12,000 and $48,000 per year will be able to live in a safe, new apartment community, paying rent that meets their income,” White said. “Located near the new Prisma Health Swamp Rabbit Trail extension, and zoned for excellent schools, this project delivers on City Council’s affordable housing goal and improves the quality of life for families.”
Holly Douglas Schaumber, representing private sector development partners Schaumber Development and Douglas Development, recognized the challenges faced during the two years the project has been in development.
“Many affordable housing projects around the state have died on the vine because of cost increases or external market conditions,” she said. “But on The Riley, when we’ve run into a roadblock or obstacle, every member of the team has rolled up his sleeves and sharpened her pencil to find a way forward. The Riley is proof positive that quality, safe, sanitary affordable housing is a priority for the city, and it’s a great example of what can arise from a true public-private partnership.”
The Greenville Housing Fund is a nonprofit organization dedicated to championing a future of thriving and affordable neighborhoods across Greenville’s diverse communities. Through lending, investing, advocacy, and land-banking, it works with community stakeholders, developers, municipalities, and many other partners to preserve and increase the supply of safe, accessible, high-quality, affordable housing for all citizens of Greenville County.
“We thank the City of Greenville, the Schaumber and Douglas Development companies, The Greenville Housing Authority, and SC Housing for their support of this much-needed affordable housing in the heart of our city that will serve lower wage earning families, including those with extremely low incomes,” Brown said.
