RCAC Home Page > News and Publications > Self-Help Builder Newsletter June 2013 Volume 6, Issue # 2 >

Who's Paul Ainger and what is Development Solutions?

By RCAC staff

Paul Ainger recently joined RCAC to manage Development Solutions, a new initiative that supports nonprofit organizations and tribes to build and rehabilitate affordable rental housing across the rural West. Ainger brings more than 30 years of experience as an affordable housing developer and consultant. He has produced more than 1,800 units of multifamily affordable housing and more than 110 single family homes. This includes a mix of new construction, acquisition, rehabilitation of substandard units, special needs and family housing.

The Development Solutions team brings technical expertise as a consultant or partner on affordable rental develop­ments. The Development Solutions team:

• Brings extensive experience with a wide range of funding sources including tax credits, USDA and HUD; and experi­ence in new construction and housing preservation.
• Works with local staff and board members to grow local skills and experience needed to develop affordable rental housing.
• Determines the RCAC role based on client needs. Experienced agen­cies ask for specific technical expertise. Organizations new to development often need a partner to lead the process for the first project, to secure financing and to provide assurances to equity investors.

Development Solutions is in full swing. Their first development partnership, Canterbury Park, LLC, where RCAC played an important financial role and more limited development role, constructed 19 new affordable homes in Santa Cruz County, California. A high cost area, these homes overlook the Pacific Ocean yet are affordable to families earning up to 120 percent of the area median income. All 19 homes are complete and the first 12 families will close escrow and move into their homes in June.

On the Hawaiian island of O’ahu, 110 families of working and retired farmworkers living at Kunia Plantation Village thought they would lose their homes when Del Monte, then-owner of the property, shut down its pineapple operation in 2006. In partnership with the new property owner, RCAC is creating a $30 million comprehensive financing package that will rehabilitate 46 homes, demolish and construct 36 new units, and rebuild infrastructure to ensure the community’s long-term viability.

Ainger sees Development Solutions as a next-step in RCAC’s mission. “Many rural nonprofits seek assistance to develop new rental housing; now we can be that partner,” Ainger said.

If you or your organization wants to learn more about RCAC Development Solutions contact Paul Ainger—Development Solutions manager at painger@rcac.org

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