Two housing developments broke ground Wednesday that will, combined, add 201 affordable apartments to Las Vegas.
Duncan and Edwards, at 5901 W. Duncan Drive, and 28th and Sunrise, at 2601 Sunrise Ave., will both provide housing for households earning 30 to 80 percent of the area’s median income, according to a news release from the Southern Nevada Regional Housing Authority.
The Duncan and Edwards development will include 80 apartments in six two-story buildings, while 28th and Sunrise will include 121 apartments. Both complexes will have one- to four-bedroom floor plans.
The authority said the two complexes will also feature a playground, dog pads, gas and charcoal barbecue stations, dog park, basketball court, shaded areas, lounge seats and a pavilion, among other amenities.
The developer for both projects is The Michaels Foundation, which has served Nevada as an affordable housing owner and manager for decades, Lewis Jordan, executive director of the housing authority, said in a news release.
Funding for the complexes comes from low-income housing tax credits and American Rescue Plan Act funding through the Home Means Nevada initiative launched under former Gov. Steve Sisolak in 2022 that aims to invest in affordable housing development across the state.
Officials call for more affordable housing
The Review-Journal reported in December that Las Vegas is one of the least affordable housing markets in the country, due, in part, to the lack of affordable housing options around the valley.
The National Low Income Housing Coalition reported that Nevada is short roughly 78,218 renter households for extremely low income people — a number that has grown steadily since the COVID-19 pandemic.
At a groundbreaking ceremony for Duncan and Edwards on Wednesday, Las Vegas Mayor Shelley Berkley said creating more affordable housing is one of the city of Las Vegas’ “major priorities.”
“We simply must provide affordable housing and workforce housing to the people that call Las Vegas home,” Berkley said. “This (complex) is a wonderful step forward. We need a lot more of it, and we’re working on it.”
Jordan said he hopes the new complexes will help challenge negative stereotypes about affordable housing developments.
“We’re talking about high quality — a lot of amenities, everything from play areas to dog parks to sitting areas with high quality appliances,” Lewis said. “We need affordable housing in this community, and we also need affordable housing not to look like it was just thrown together.”
Contact Taylor Lane at tlane@reviewjournal.com. Contact Aniea Collins at acollins@reviewjournal.com.
