About This Guide

The goal of this guide is to cut through the complicated and burdensome process of developing affordable multifamily rental housing and to give mission-oriented developers a phased approach to use when tackling their project. 

The Nevada Housing Developers Guide is divided into 6 sections or “Phases,” each following a phase of multifamily housing development. The phases are Visioning, Planning and Predevelopment, Financial Modeling and Funding, Site Selection and Design, Construction, and Property Management and Compliance. Within each section are a few key ideas, typically highlighting capacity, funding, and community engagement. Useful toolkits, checklists, and worksheets for developers can be found in Tools and Resources.

It is important to remember that development is an iterative and non-linear process. You may find yourself circling back to topics addressed in visioning or predevelopment time after time. This is to be expected. No two communities look alike, and no two affordable housing developments do either. Depending on what phase your affordable housing project is at, or where you want to learn more, start with that phase. Keep in mind some materials may have been covered in earlier phases.

The case studies offer examples of multifamily housing that support a continuum of care for the unhoused, incorporate green building and energy efficiency, and are designed through an intentional community engagement process.

WHO SHOULD USE THIS GUIDE

This guide is designed to assist first-time developers, including housing authorities, nonprofits, and Community Development Corporations (CDCs). Elected officials and Housing Board members may also find it useful to understand the scope of new development and to guide their priorities. This can be seen as a tool for any stakeholder who is involved in the complex process of developing housing.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Gratitude goes out to the many individuals and organizations that provided their expertise and knowledge in the creation of these materials. It is their insights and experiences that ground this tool and raise it up:

Case Studies:

• J.D. Klippenstein, Director of Development, Reno Housing Authority
• Eve Williams, United Methodist Church and Anthony Kazee, KG Development
• Bill Brewer, Executive Director, as well as Beth Dunning and Katie Coleman, Rural Nevada Housing Authority 
• Lorri Murphy, Affordable Housing Advisor, Ovation
• Kirsten Stasio, Nevada Clean Energy Fund

LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

Nevada is the traditional land of 28 Indigenous Nations, Bands, and Colonies making up the Northern Paiute, Southern Shoshone, Southern Paiute, Washoe, and the Mojave people. NHC wants to share our respect and gratitude to them for being the first caretakers of this land. We acknowledge that the affordable housing industry has an important responsibility to be intentional in fostering relationships with our tribal partners and in supporting them in their work to provide housing for their communities. NHC affirms its commitment to advancing affordable housing to all Nevadans including our 28 tribes and over 60,000 urban Natives who call Nevada home.

ABOUT ENTERPRISE COMMUNITY PARTNERS

Enterprise Community Partners is a national nonprofit that exists to make a good home possible for the millions of families without one. Enterprise supports community development organizations on the ground. We aggregate and invest capital for impact in homes and communities. We advance housing policy at every level of government. We build and manage communities ourselves. Everything we do is informed by the residents we serve.

Together with our partners, we focus on the greatest need – the massive shortage of affordable homes – to achieve three goals:

• Increase the supply of affordable homes

• Advance racial equity after decades of systematic racism in housing

• Support residents and strengthen communities to be resilient to the unpredictable and make upward mobility possible

Enterprise’s Tribal Nations and Rural team provides capacity building support to rural, Native and tribal housing organizations, such as Tribally Designated Housing Entities (TDHEs) and Tribal Housing Authorities (THAs). We provide funding and training along with technical assistance to organizations to help create healthy, safe, green affordable homes and to increase opportunities for economic advancement for individuals and families in both rural and Native communities.