Chandler opens 1st new public housing in 54 years

By Jason W. Brooks
Mail | X: @JasonWBrooks2

Chandler Mayor Kevin Hartke said staff’s been working on a new city of housing development for about seven years.

In an effort to create more affordable rental housing, the Chandler City Council, which doubles as the city’s Public Housing Authority Commission, has overseen financing and construction of 157 apartments, ranging from one to five bedrooms, in the new Villas on McQueen project.

At the June 9 ribbon-cutting for the complex, Hartke said memories will be made and, hopefully, families or people who couldn’t afford to live in Chandler will have a home.

“These will be homes where there will be laughter, where there will be meals, joy and even handholding and hand-wringing through the other parts of life,” Hartke told the dozens of officials, project partner leaders and media at the ribbon-cutting.

Maricopa County District 1 Supervisor and former Chandler City Council member Mark Stewart was also among those who spoke at the event, pointing out that “good things are done for people when governments work together.”

A news release about the ribbon-cutting points out that in addition to developer Gorman & Co., there were many other government and private companies involved.

The $58 million development was financed through seven separate funding sources, including the city, the Arizona Department of Housing, Maricopa County, RBC Community Investments, Stonehenge Capital, Capital One and Cedar Rapids Bank and Trust. Many of those entities had at least one representative at the June 9 event.

The Villas are on the east side of McQueen Road, just south of Chandler Boulevard. Hartke joked there’s a “wonderful church right across the street,” pointing at his home church where he was the longtime pastor, Trinity Christian Fellowship. Hartke emphasized there are schools and parks nearby as well.

The Villas is the first public housing project converted through HUD’s Rental Assistance Demonstration program. The 157-unit affordable housing development replaces two public housing communities originally built in 1972; The Haven on Hamilton is about 250 apartments that are in the planning stages.

The complex is divided in half in terms of whom it’s meant to serve.

It enables 78 households from the two existing Chandler public housing communities to relocate to The Villa while also creating an additional 79 affordable-housing units available to families earning at or below 60% of the area median income through the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit program.

The property is designed to serve a diverse resident population, including seniors, veterans, individuals with developmental disabilities and families, a release states.

Amenities include a meditation room, book nook, “maker space,” fitness center, clubhouse, and multiple indoor and outdoor gathering spaces. The city will also provide an on-site resident services program, a release states.

For information on housing opportunities at the new site, visit VillasOnMcQueen.com.

Email Jason W. Brooks at jbrooks@iniusa.org. Please submit comments at yourvalley.net/letters or email them to AzOpinions@iniusa.org. We are committed to publishing a wide variety of reader opinions, as long as they meet our Civility Guidelines.

INDEPENDENT NEWSMEDIA

Jason W. Brooks
News Editor | Chandler Independent

Jason W. Brooks joined Independent Newsmedia, Inc., USA, in July 2021 as an associate editor. After a year covering Buckeye, he has covered Chandler since the fall of 2022, in addition to assisting the Daily Independent throughout his time at INI.

Education: University of New Mexico, bachelor of arts in journalism and mass communication, print emphasis, English minor.

Random Fact: He and his siblings witnessed a Space Shuttle launch and landing in the same year in person, on opposite coasts.

Hobbies: Karaoke, bicycling and American Sign Language.

Community: He supports animal shelters.