FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 5, 2007
Crawford W. Kimble Senior Living Opens in Houston’s Fourth Ward
Developers, Church Team Up to Build Quality Housing for the Elderly
HOUSTON, TX—Crawford W. Kimble Senior Living, a new 20-unit senior living development located in Houston’s Fourth Ward neighborhood, is celebrating its grand opening on April 5. The project—which was conceived by Reverend Elmo Johnson from the Fourth Ward’s Rose of Sharon Mission Baptist Church, developed by Trammell Crow Residential, and administered by Riverstone Residential Group—has demonstrated how charitable organizations and private industry can partner to create quality housing and improve blighted neighborhoods.
“Developing Crawford W. Kimble Senior Living was an opportunity for Trammell Crow Residential to become invested at the community level, to create better housing for our seniors, and to help find solutions for urban decay,” says Brian Austin, managing director of Trammell Crow Residential’s Houston division.
Built on a site that had decaying structures, the senior living residence has rejuvenated a section of the Fourth Ward, while providing high-quality rental apartments for local seniors—many of whom reside in substandard housing. The building features 16 one-bedroom apartments and four 2-bedroom units, which are available for rent to Fourth Ward residents who are at least 55 years old and earn less than $21,350 annually. Construction on Crawford W. Kimble Senior Living began in September 2006.
The project was initiated in 2005 after Terry Bryan, vice president of Riverstone Residential Group and a volunteer for Rose of Sharon Mission Baptist Church, helped connect Reverend Johnson to Trammell Crow Residential. Johnson—a local pastor who wanted to improve the quality of life for the Fourth Ward’s elderly—had been buying vacant properties in the neighborhood since 1995 with the goal of transforming the community one building at a time. Trammell Crow Residential agreed to develop and build the senior living residence at cost, and a team of subcontractors and volunteers—dubbed “Elmo’s Army”—joined the effort to help bring Reverend Johnson’s dream to realization. A loan was provided by Compass Bank and grants were received from Federal Home Loan Bank of America, Houston Endowment, Inc, and Sisters of Charity.
“The local business community and financial institutions really came forward to make this project happen,” says Ken Valach, executive managing director of Trammell Crow Residential’s southwest division. “Everyone recognized there was an urgent need for senior housing in the Fourth Ward and offered their expertise and services to see it through to the end.”
Brian Austin, along with his colleagues Valach and Lonnie Klock, vice president of construction at Trammell Crow Residential, among others, worked with Reverend Johnson around-the-clock to oversee the development, secure financing, and design and construct the building. Terry Bryan and his colleagues at Riverstone Residential Group oversaw the project’s administration and leasing activities.
More information on Crawford W. Kimble Senior Living can be found at www.uplift4thward.org. Tax-deductible donations can be made via the website to help with the facility’s ongoing maintenance, upkeep, and supplemental operational needs.
Established in 1977, Trammell Crow Residential is the nation's premier multi-family real estate firm. Since its inception, Trammell Crow Residential has developed over 200,000 multi-family units in major markets across the United States. The company has established itself as one of the country's leading multi-family residential developers with its financial strength, strong knowledge of the local markets, and broad-based industry research.
####
|
|
