In July 2021, HACA partnered with the City of Annapolis to submit a Choice Neighborhoods Planning Grant.

HUD’s Choice Neighborhoods program leverages significant public and private dollars to support locally driven strategies that address struggling neighborhoods with distressed public or HUD-assisted housing through a comprehensive approach to neighborhood transformation. Local leaders, residents, and stakeholders, such as public housing authorities, cities, schools, police, business owners, nonprofits, and private developers, come together to create and implement a plan that revitalizes distressed HUD housing and addresses the challenges in the surrounding neighborhood. The program helps communities transform neighborhoods by revitalizing severely distressed public and assisted housing and catalyzing critical improvements in the neighborhood, including vacant property, housing, businesses, services, and schools.

HACA has selected Genesis Companies, Monadnock Development, and NFP to be the developer of Harbour House/Eastport site (HH/EPT) under the Choice Neighborhood Initiatives program (CNI). The CNI project includes two city-owned parcels on 932 and 935 Spa Road (Public Works Property) in Annapolis as well to provide density of at least 722 units. The entire site will be demolished and will be redeveloped. Currently, the site has 357 public housing units. The residents will have a right to return once the site is redeveloped. HACA and the developer have entered into the MOU.

The redevelopment will be done in multiple phases. The developer is currently working on the Phase I plan and held meetings with the community for their input. HUD accepted the Transformation Plan in November 2023. However, HACA plans to move ahead with the redevelopment of this project with or without CNI funds.

The Developer shall assist the Authority to develop a high-quality Development Plan, which shall include the determination of the appropriate unit mix for the Project to satisfy the right to return requirements under RAD, shall be responsive to the goals of the Transformation Plan and may consist of a total redevelopment of the HH/EPT Property which may include a mixed income redevelopment incorporating affordable units, market rate units, affordable homeownership and/or market rate homeownership, park space, swimming pool, commercial space for general, artisanal and/or boutique retail, and a grocery store, all to an extent consistent with goals of the Transformation Plan, to the extent the Authority and Developer determine such Development Plan to be feasible.

To date, HACA has received $400,000 from HUD as CNI Planning Grant. The monies were used to complete Phase 1 - Assessment of the Eastport Terrace-Harbour House: Assessment has included conducting resident surveys; reviewing existing plans; demographic and other data collection; stakeholder interviews; inventorying of open spaces, transportation, service providers, businesses, housing, etc.; real estate market studies; Maryland Historical Trust review; and Phase 1 Environmental Site Assessment.

HACA and the City of Annapolis applied to HUD for CNI Implementation Grant, in March 2026, for $26,000,000. In addition, the city and the State of Maryland have committed $1,000,000 and $1,500,000 for predevelopment activities for the redevelopment. The city will be responsible for disbursing the state funds. 

The overall permanent financing sources will include, but not limited to, tax credit equity, bonds, conventional mortgage, private equity, federal and state funds.

HACA and the developer will hold multiple meetings with the community to get their input on the redevelopment as the process moves forward. The phase I may include up to 150 units including 50 rental townhomes and 100 multi-family rental units. The developer is expected to apply for 9% competitive tax credits, for thirty-six townhomes rental units, to the state on July 15th. There will be up to sixteen marker rate rental townhomes as well. The one-hundred multi-family rental units will be redeveloped with 4% by-right tax credits. The residents will have a right to return as the redevelopment takes place.