Horizons at Indio Receives National Award for Outstanding Senior Affordable Housing Community

Developers Urban Housing Communities and Heritage Community Housing, and architectural firm KTGY have received national award for outstanding affordable senior housing community, Horizons at Indio. Horizons at Indio is located at 45405 Monroe Street in Indio, Calif., near the new, state-of-the-art Indio Senior Center scheduled to open this summer. End Quote

KTGY-designed Horizons at Indio received national award for outstanding affordable senior housing community.

Riverside-San Bernardino, CA (1888PressRelease) June 02, 2009 - Horizons at Indio, an affordable housing community developed by Urban Housing Communities (UHC) and Heritage Community Housing (HCH), has been awarded an Honorable Mention in the Senior Housing category of the 15th Annual Charles L. Edson Tax Credit Excellence Awards program. Architectural firm KTGY Group, Inc. designed the development with emphasis on creating a walkable, pedestrian-friendly senior environment.

"We're thrilled to receive this recognition for our community in Indio," says John Bigley, Chief Operating Officer, Urban Housing Communities. "Horizons exemplifies our commitment to excellence in affordable housing, and it's gratifying to be recognized for our efforts."

The Charles L. Edson Tax Credit Excellence Award is a national awards program presented by the Affordable Housing Tax Credit Coalition. The awards celebrate the best in affordable rental housing development and most outstanding low income housing tax credit properties in six categories: Metropolitan; Rural; Special Needs; Senior; Green; and, Public Housing Revitalization.

The winners were chosen from 40 applications from 19 states. A panel of five judges selected six first place and seven honorable mentions. Horizons at Indio received an Honorable Mention in the Senior Housing category, and will be recognized, along with the other winners, at an awards ceremony in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday, June 10.

Horizons at Indio is located at 45405 Monroe Street in Indio, California, near the new, state-of-the-art Indio Senior Center scheduled to open this summer. KTGY utilized design elements intended to create a healthy and active environment and to build a close-knit neighborhood. The community opened last year and features 47 one-bedroom apartments at 679 square feet and 33 two-bedroom apartments at 922 square feet. KTGY also incorporated green-building features and energy-efficient elements into the design of Horizons.

Outside of rent, one of the largest expenses for residents is utility costs. "By creating savings in utility costs, Horizons at Indio further promotes the long-term sustainability of this affordable community," says KTGY's Alan Scales, Studio Director. "Also by locating near shopping and medical services, you're reducing travel times and traffic, greenhouse gases and carbon emissions."

All of the apartments at Horizons are reserved for seniors earning from 40 to 60 percent of the area median income for Riverside County, as published by the Department of Housing and Urban Development. Half of the units are set aside for retirees of the agricultural industry. The total cost of development was $18.7 million.

UHC is a "mission driven" for-profit affordable housing development partner of Morgan Stanley specializing in multi-family and senior housing facilities in California and Hawaii. Drawing on a vast network of partners, UHC creates multifamily housing developments that serve specific, defined needs of residents, financiers and local municipalities. UHC's executives are brought together by brothers John, Doug and David Bigley and their vision to enrich communities by fusing family values with smart business decisions. With years of experience developing mainstream affordable housing, UHC's executives understand the complexities of the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit program, tax-exempt bonds and other forms of key subsidy used to develop affordable housing. UHC employs this knowledge when executing its mission-driven goals, ultimately creating sustainable, livable communities that are rich with opportunity for families and seniors. For more information, visit www.uhcllc.net.

Established in 1991, KTGY Group, Inc., Architecture and Planning, provides comprehensive planning and award-winning architectural design services for residential communities, retail, hospitality, mixed-use and related specialty developments. KTGY delivers innovative solutions that reflect clear understanding of development, marketing and financial performance and takes particular pride in its highly motivated and principal led studios. Serving clients worldwide, KTGY maintains offices in Irvine, Oakland and Santa Monica, and in Denver.

For more information, visit www.ktgy.com.

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