ELLICOTT CITY, MD – Howard County Executive Calvin Ball today joined the Mission First Housing Group, Autism Society of Maryland, Howard County Housing Commission, fellow elected officials, and community members to officially open the transformational Patuxent Commons. Located at 6441 Freetown Road in Columbia, this 76-unit apartment community is designed to address housing instability among low-income adults with disabilities, older adults, and younger adults/families in Howard County. Photos from the event can be found on Howard County Government’s Flickr website.
We are taking another step towards a more inclusive, compassionate, and connected community. Years in the making, Patuxent Commons took a village to bring it to life. This intergenerational community represents the best of who we are. It represents the power of collaboration. It represents the possibilities that we can unlock when we dream boldly. And, most of all, it represents our compassion as a community. I want to especially thank our friends at Mission First Housing Group, Autism Society of Maryland, Howard County Housing Commission, Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development, the Maryland Department of Disabilities, and my state and local elected partners for bringing this vision to life.
Developed by 501(c)(3) nonprofit developer Mission First Housing Group and based on an intergenerational housing concept created by the nonprofit Autism Society of Maryland, Patuxent Commons will bridge connections across generations and abilities, creating an inclusive community where residents with disabilities can live as independently as possible. Nineteen of Patuxent Commons’ 76 units are being rented to low-income residents with disabilities, while the remaining units are rented to older adults (30 units) and individuals and families (27 units).
Additionally, this project pioneers a viable, innovative solution to the growing housing crisis facing adults with disabilities that can be adapted elsewhere in Maryland and serve as a model for similar housing developments throughout the United States.
“Patuxent Commons may be one project, but it embodies a vision that we are determined to see replicated,” said Melissa Rosenberg, Executive Director, Autism Society of Maryland. “Together with Mission First and our many partners and supporters, we’re demonstrating what’s possible when affordable housing truly includes people of all abilities.”
Positioned at the northeast corner of Cedar Lane and Freetown Road near transit, shopping, recreation, and job opportunities, Patuxent Commons epitomizes what an age-friendly, or livable, community seeks to offer. In addition to helping facilitate the integration of residents with disabilities into the surrounding community and promoting their ability to live as independently as possible, Patuxent Commons also:
- Creates a true neighbor-helping-neighbor concept by bringing together and promoting interactions between families with children, older adults, and adults with disabilities, groups that are often segmented from one another.
- Features space inside and outside the building, where residents of all ages and ability levels can enjoy events, occasions, programs, crafts, classes and more, together.
- Ensure residents are able to move about the county to live freely live their lives by being located shopping, restaurants, healthcare, and on a public bus route. This is especially important as driving may not be an option for some persons with disabilities or older adults for physical, financial, or other reasons.
- Offers lower priced rental apartments for older adults, helping meet a growing need in Howard County. Many older adults want to remain in the county they have called home for decades, but the high cost of living on a fixed income makes that difficult. Most surveys, including national surveys by AARP, show that more than 90 percent of older adults want to remain in their own homes or communities (that is, age-in-place or age-in-community); Howard County residents consistently express the same goals.
“Our new and innovative Patuxent Commons housing community is a ‘proof of concept’ development. We are excited to open our doors to this long-awaited project that welcomes all abilities and incomes to a supported living environment. We expect this project will be a model for further developments where adults with disabilities, seniors and families can live together in an environment that encourages social connections through community-building events and services.”
A $44 million project, Patuxent Commons was financed using: County Department of Housing and Community Development grant funding; Tax Exempt Bonds issued by the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development’s Community Development Administration, along with Rental Housing Program subordinate debt; and an FHA loan through Capital One with 221d4 mortgage insurance, JP Morgan Chase as the bond buyer, and Enterprise as the tax credit investor.
Ball specifically committed more than $6 million in County funds, including:
- $1.6 million in gap financing from the Department of Housing and Community Development’s Housing Opportunities Trust Fund and $1 million from Community Renewal Program Fund to support construction;
- $3.2 million from Community Renewal Program Fund to support land acquisition; and
- $276,000 from Community Renewal Program Fund to support soft costs.
In addition to the aforementioned direct County funding, the County also provided a Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILOT) agreement to provide critical financial support for the project.
Mission First Housing Group also raised additional grant funds for the project through federal, state, and private sources, including The Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation.
To learn more about Patuxent Commons, visit https://patuxentcommons.com/.