Maple Towers Apartments

Rehab of Maple Towers Apartments in Full Swing
Major Overhaul Will Preserve Affordable Housing for 36 Families

Construction on 7610 Maple Avenue got started this summer and MHP plans to complete the transformation of the 44-year-old apartment community in Spring 2011. The 8-story brick building is near the intersection of Ritchie Avenue in the heart of Takoma Park. It had sat vacant for nearly three years when MHP purchased it, and had a history of housing code violations.

It is now being gutted and renovated with environmentally-friendly technology and products that will meet Green Communities criteria. The renovations - which include all new kitchens, bathrooms, windows, plumbing and HVAC systems - are partly financed by low-income housing tax credits issued by the State of Maryland (valued at $4.62 million), and gap financing from Montgomery County Department of Housing and Community Affairs.

MHP acquired Maple Towers in December 2008 after the previous owner abandoned her plans to convert it to condominium ownership when the market collapsed. The building is located within the Takoma Park Community Legacy Area, and is a Designated Neighborhood for the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development's Neighborhood Business Works Program.

Construction costs are projected to run $5.25 million and will include reconfiguring the one, two and three-bedroom apartments to make them more spacious for larger families. The finished project will have a secured entry, new elevator and onsite leasing office. New features will also include a 2,000-square feet community center with computer lad and business center for residents, and a tot lot. Seventy-eight percent of the planned 36 units will be rented to low-and moderate-income families, with remaining offered at market rate.

MHP's development activity in the Takoma Park area over the last three years has featured the Takoma Park Preservation (TPP) project, which was completed in late 2008. TPP included preservation and renovation of three other buildings at risk of being converted to condos: Merrimac Gardens Apartments on University Boulevard, Sligo View Apartments on Houston Avenue, and The Crossroads at Flower on Flower Avenue.