Capital A working to finalize two affordable housing projects

Just a little over two years ago, Conor Kenny and Fayez Kazi, chair and vice chair, respectively, of the city’s Planning Commission, stepped down from their posts and began working on an ambitious plan to help the city out of what Kazi calls a “looming generational housing crisis.”

Kazi is the founder and CEO of the engineering firm Civilitude and its affordable housing arm Capital A and construction arm Constructinople and property management company Fabitat. After leaving the Planning Commission, Kenny joined Civilitude and its various branches as director of public affairs. Now, Capital A is in the midst of negotiations on two affordable housing projects.

While Aspen Heights Partners, the NHP Foundation and Capital A work to craft a final agreement with the city to create affordable housing and other amenities at the old Brackenridge Hospital site, city staffers are also working with Capital A and NHP to reach a deal to build affordable housing and other amenities at the Seabrook Square site. While all those involved with the downtown site hope to complete negotiations to bring the deal back to City Council next spring, NHP and Capital A are also working to complete an agreement on the Seabrook Square development.

Kazi told the Austin Monitor that negotiators have been working to finalize the Seabrook deal for about six weeks. He estimated that they were about 75 percent done and hope to be moving forward quickly because of a tight timeline for getting permits and using bond funds.

Kazi said Capital A has worked on “all of the Guadalupe Neighborhood (Development) Corporation projects, for some of Habitat (for Humanity’s) projects, for Green Doors, really for all the affordable housing developers in town. And I knew that all of these developers combined couldn’t meet” the city’s goal of 60,000 new affordable housing units in 10 years.

“We haven’t even gotten to 6,000 for nearly five years,” he said, noting that he and his company are “trying to jump in with both feet.”

The Austin Monitor’s work is made possible by donations from the community. Though our reporting covers donors from time to time, we are careful to keep business and editorial efforts separate while maintaining transparency. A complete list of donors is available here, and our code of ethics is explained here. This story has been changed since publication to correct an assertion that Capital A had previously worked on Foundation Community projects.