Pride Month kicks off today, and the new housing development Oak Lawn Place is giving Dallas residents something to celebrate.
Construction is underway for Oak Lawn Place, a 100-percent affordable, $31 million housing development offering services to the senior-citizen LGBTQIA+ community and those affected by HIV and AIDS. It’s the first affordable housing development of its kind in North Texas.
City officials, the Dallas Office of Economic Development, and The Resource Center of Dallas held a groundbreaking on May 12 for Oak Lawn Place, a five-story, 84-unit senior apartment complex at 5723 Sadler Circle.
The building is within walking distance of Dallas Area Rapid Transit’s Inwood/Love Field station and the nonprofit Resource Center of Dallas on Cedar Springs Road. The Resource Center recently launched a $4 million capital campaign to finance the apartments.
Other funding sources included 9 percent low-income housing tax credits through the Texas Department of Housing & Community Affairs, a grant from the Federal Home Loan Bank of Dallas, and federal funds from the American Rescue Plan Act granted through Dallas County.
The Dallas Office of Economic Development facilitated and City Council approved $5.4 million of gap funding from the Maple/Mockingbird Tax Increment Financing District for the development.
Oak Lawn Place
The Oak Lawn neighborhood has long been an area of Dallas that has fostered acceptance and equality for all, referred to by some as the “Gayborhood.”
According to a study by the AARP Foundation, nearly one-third of all LGBTQIA+ seniors live at or below 200 percent of the federal poverty level due to the lack of financial resources and legal protections that are afforded to same-sex couples.
North Texas is home to approximately 13,246 LGBTQIA+ seniors, with that number expected to double in the next 10 years, Resource Center officials said in a press release. Oak Lawn Place is open to all, but it will be an “affirming and safe place for the LGBTQIA+ community,” officials said.
Resource Center of Dallas CEO Cece Cox said the nonprofit is seeing and serving a larger number of LGBTQIA+ seniors, “most of whom have struggled to live in a world that has been hostile to them for most of their lives.”
“As a result of not having been able to marry, we have fewer financial assets, are less likely to have health insurance, and have fewer support networks such as biological family and children who can care for us as we age,” Cox said. “Oak Lawn Place is a beacon of perseverance, hope, and love and will help fill that gap with welcoming, inclusive access to affordable housing.”
District 2 Councilman Jesse Moreno, who represents the Oak Lawn area, attended the groundbreaking ceremony last month, posing alongside Cox and other Resource Center officials with a shovel and hard hat.
Dallas Pride Month
Pride Month kicked off at the nearby Dallas Love Field on Thursday morning, and another ceremony was held later in the day at Dallas City Hall.
Affordable housing is a priority of the City Council, and the unique opportunity for senior citizens makes the project even more special, city officials said.
“The project will be 100 percent affordable, and available to all seniors 55 and older while prioritizing the needs of the LGBTQ community,” said Leslyn Blake of the city’s Economic Development office in a press release. “The apartments will be income-restricted to those earning between 30 percent and 60 percent of the area median family income.”
Developer Matthews Southwest is signed onto the project, with Spring Valley Construction Co. serving as the general contractor.
The apartments include 79 one-bedroom units and five two-bedroom homes. The building will feature an outdoor terrace overlooking a creek and dynamic views of downtown Dallas from the upper levels. A community room, conference/dining room, kitchen, fitness center, and business center will be available to residents.
Oak Lawn Place is slated to open in June 2024.
