Whether a housing-development organization is thinking about developing a particular site or just brainstorming about "what could be," the Affordable Housing Development Competition may be a great way to explore its options.

Sponsored by the Federal Home Loan Bank of Boston, Citizens' Housing and Planning Association (CHAPA), and the Boston Foundation, the third annual competition will pair local graduate students with Greater Boston housing professionals to develop innovative proposals for affordable housing.

Last year's Affordable Housing Development Competition was a great success, with seven development organizations either exploring new initiatives or moving existing projects forward.

Receiving first prize in the 2002 competition was the Dudley Square Artspace proposal by team members Martina Johnson, Teddy Kapur, Ryunosuke Konishi, Fernando Rojas, and Alastair Smith. The team's sponsor was the Madison Park Development Corporation, with Project Manager Mark Dinaburg and Business District Project Manager Tunua Thrash collaborating with the students on the project. The developer and winning team split the first-place prize of $10,000.

The proposal was for a mixed-use development in Boston's Roxbury/South End neighborhood to be created through the acquisition of an existing building and construction of a new one. Although the site is currently vacant, the parcels are slated for redevelopment.

The plan would create 25 units of new housing, including affordable living and working loft space for artists, affordable elderly housing, and market-rate lofts. It also calls for the relocation and expansion of an existing grocery store and the creation of new commercial, office, retail, and gallery space.

"I definitely feel that the competition was very useful to us. It forced us to think about things in a new way," says Tunua Thrash. "I also feel that the competition and the students pushed us in a new direction with the residents. The residents now expect us to come back to them with new ideas that incorporate their vision. It just pushed us to be better developers."

"The fact that this competition came at an early stage of our considering the site made it very useful for us," says Mark Dinaburg. "The students were able to flesh out ideas that had been hazy to us. We could see what things worked and what didn't work. If we had been further along, and had more fixed ideas, then their work may have been a duplication and not as valuable to us."

"Without the students, we would have been making deals with an architect to do this, partially on spec, partially for pay," adds Mr. Dinaburg. "I'm not sure he or she would have been able to devote the kind of attention to the project that the students did."

Eligible Organizations Up to eight Greater Boston development organizations can participate in the 2003 competition. Eligible organizations are those with experience developing affordable housing, including nonprofit organizations, municipalities, and for-profit developers.

Proposals can feature rehabilitation or new construction, and be for ownership or rental units. Broader community-development initiatives are encouraged.

Responsibilities of Participating Developers
Participating developers "provide" the real or hypothetical sites on which the proposed developments would be built, and each designates one staff member to work with the student team.

As student teams will act as "consultants," they must draw on the development organizations' expertise, both as developers and community resources, as they draft their proposals. The designated staff person should be readily available to help answer any questions or concerns.

Interested in Participating?
Development organizations interested in participating in the competition should apply online in the How To Participate section of the competition Web site, www.fhlbboston.com/compete. They can also apply by calling Chris Norris, assistant director of CHAPA, at 617-742-0820.