See the Work
Spring Terrace SRO Conversion
Conversion of an extended stay hotel to efficiency apartments with supportive services for homeless adults.
“It gets people off the street into a much more stable and positive living environment,” said Walter Moreau, executive director of Foundation Communities. “It costs less to provide quality, supportive housing as opposed to leaving somebody on the street where they are in and out of jail or in and out of the hospital.”
— Austin American-Statesman
Spring Terrace, Austin’s newest supportive housing community, features 140 apartments with supportive services that promote permanent self-sufficiency. Spring Terrace fills a critical housing need for people who are homeless and those living alone on less than $24,900 a year. Each furnished apartment includes a private bath and kitchenette. Residents also share TV lounges, a fitness room, computer lab, laundry facility, and a courtyard. Spring Terrace was formerly an extended-stay hotel, purchased and renovated for a total cost of $5.4 million. Renovations include green building features that improve quality of life, conserve natural resources and reduce waste.
Rose Fellow Michael Gatto served as co-project manager, sustainable design specialist, and intern architect on the Spring Terrace project. Through the Michael’s work as a Rose Fellow all of the construction documents for this project were produced in-house at Foundation Communities.
Gallery
(hover over image to zoom)


by Foundation Communities
Courtyard and main entrance nearly complete


by Foundation Communities
Second floor resident lounge


by Foundation Communities
Third floor resident lounge


by Foundation Communities
Courtyard under construction


by Foundation Communities
Rainwater harvesting cistern and pavillion


by Foundation Communities
18kW solar electric array


by Foundation Communities
Entry lobby


by Foundation Communities
Front desk in entry lobby


by Foundation Communities
Second floor corridor
Project Summary
- Location:
- Austin, Texas
St. John’s - Program Scope
- 140 affordable rental housing units
- 8 common residential amenity rooms (3,134 sq ft)
- Common courtyard/terrace (13,000 sq ft)
- Project Status
- Completed, November 2006
- Location:
- Austin, Texas
St. John’s - Project Scope
- 4.10 acres gross site area
- Rehabilitation
- 3 stories
- 67,008 sq ft gross project area
- Program Scope
- 140 affordable rental housing units
- 8 common residential amenity rooms (3,134 sq ft)
- Common courtyard/terrace (13,000 sq ft)
- Residential Unit Profile
Affordable units serve very low income households.
140 Studio 256-509 sq ft 140 TOTAL - Green Benchmarks
- Green Communities
- Cost
2,970,777 Acquisition (land) 1,255,311 Hard (construction) 1,340,152 Soft (all other) 5,566,240 TOTAL - Major Funders
- Austin Community Foundation
- Enterprise Community Partners
- Home Depot Foundation
- Kresge Foundation
- Neighborworks
- Other
- Stillwater Foundation
- Topfer Foundation
- FHLB
- VA
- TDHCA-HOME
- TDHCA-HTF
- Austin Housing Fin. Corp
- City of Austin Rebate
- Project Status
- Completed, November 2006




