By The Star Staff
Gov. Pedro Pierluisi Urrutia and Housing Secretary William Rodríguez Rodríguez announced on Wednesday an investment of $30.7 million in Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) recovery funds for the substantial rehabilitation of the Brisas de Arroyo multifamily housing project for low- to moderate-income families.
“My administration, together with the teams at the Housing Department and the Housing Financing Authority, have focused on giving a high priority to ensuring that every Puerto Rican family has a safe and affordable home,” the governor said in a written statement. “Today we announce the Brisas de Arroyo rehabilitation project. This multifamily housing project is aimed at low and moderate income families and consists of the reconstruction and modernization of 104 units of one, two, three and up to four bedrooms that will now comply with current building codes.”
The project, located on highway PR-178 in the Pueblo neighborhood of Arroyo, includes the rehabilitation of 104 units in seven buildings, as well as an administrative building, a basketball court, a gym, green and recreational areas, and gardens. Additionally, sidewalks and roads will be demolished and reconstructed, and the 108 existing parking spaces will be repaved.
“We continue with our mission of providing housing accessibility and quality of life to thousands of families around the island, building, renovating and modernizing spaces for the benefit of our people,” Rodríguez Rodríguez said. “This is why today we are dedicating this investment under the Low-Income Housing Tax Credits (LIHTC) CDBG-DR Gap Program to rehabilitate more than a hundred units that meet the highest standards.”
The LIHTC CDBG-DR Gap Program is administered by the Housing Finance Authority (AFV), and the total development cost is $41.9 million, funded by $30.7 million from the CDBG-DR program and other programs, private funds and federal tax credits.
“Brisas de Arroyo will join a wide range of affordable housing projects that we have been developing with the CDBG-DR LIHTC Program, to which we allocated over $1.4 billion,” Pierluisi added. “We have already completed the construction of more than 850 housing units throughout the island and we have an additional 1,382 units under construction.”
AFV Executive Director Blanca Fernández noted that “this rehabilitation project will have an impact on low- and moderate-income families, fulfilling the AFV’s mission of providing affordable housing to Puerto Rican families.”
The project includes sustainability elements such as a photovoltaic system for the administration building, solar heaters, low-water and energy-efficient fixtures, and a 5,000-gallon water cistern for community use. The units will also have ceiling fans, appliances and windows that meet storm specifications according to the 2018 Puerto Rico Building Code.
The rehabilitation of Brisas de Arroyo, projected to be completed in April 2026, is being carried out by Caribe General Constructors Inc., with design by A&T Design Studio PSC.
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