Two dozen townhomes could soon be constructed near Powell High School as part of an affordable rental housing project.

A Phoenix-based developer plans to break ground on the roughly $8.97 million endeavor next spring and is asking the City of Powell to help it secure the last bit of funding.

Park County property records show G.A. Haan Development, LLC acquired the 2.41 acres on Panther Boulevard in early 2024.

“Since the beginning, it’s had a little bit of a rocky road with some construction cost increases,” Haan Development Vice President Andrew Schorfhaar told the Powell City Council at its Aug. 18 meeting, “but we are very close to getting to closing.”

The Powell Meadowlark Apartments would consist of 24 units spread across three buildings, according to information presented to the council. The two- and three-bedroom units could only be rented by low-income families. Preliminary information shared with the council indicates the townhomes would be limited to households earning 60% or less of Park County average median income.

Based on U.S. Housing and Urban Development income limits for the 2025 fiscal year, that means a family of four could earn no more than $59,700 to be eligible. (Larger households could earn more while smaller ones would face a lower limit.)

To date, the Wyoming Community Development Authority (WCDA) has awarded nearly $2.85 million worth of federal funding to help construct the new townhomes. That includes $2 million from the Home Investment Partnerships Program (HOME) and $847,500 worth of Low Income Housing Tax Credits (LIHTC), said WCDA Deputy Executive Director Chris Volzke.

Thanks in part to that government assistance — and after changing the plans to cut costs — Haan Development has about 95% of the financing in place, Schorfhaar said. But the company now hopes to secure an additional $300,000 Community Development Block Grant from the WCDA.

The grant needs to pass through a governmental entity, which is why Haan Development is asking the city to act as the applicant for the funds.

Though the company still is working with the WCDA to answer some questions about how the funds can be transferred from the city to the project, “we think this is a great option,” Schorfhaar said.

The council unanimously agreed last week to submit a letter of intent to apply for the $300,000 worth of funding, but that’s only the first step.

“It doesn’t commit you to anything at this point, other than saying you’re interested,” City Administrator Zack Thorington told the council before the vote.

“Obviously, if there is something that doesn’t qualify, we don’t go any farther with the application,” he said, “but we think it will.”

Thorington said the city has pursued Community Development Block Grants on behalf of other entities in the past, though it’s been some time. 

Although the company’s offices are in Arizona and Michigan, Haan Development has completed several similar affordable projects in other parts of Wyoming. On its LinkedIn page, the company says its goal is “to ensure that all developments complement the existing fabric of the communities served.”

There’s typically strong competition for the federal affordable housing dollars distributed by the WCDA, Volzke said, with applicants typically seeking three to four times the amount of money available. Applicants are scored across 18 different categories that include housing needs, quality of construction, the applicant, the financials and the project’s location and characteristics.