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Affordable Housing in Sweetwater: LIHTC Impact and Demographic Shifts
CATEGORY
Affordable Housing
DATA
LIHTC Projects
Median Income
Racial Distributions
Population
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Affordable Housing
LIHTC Projects
Median Income
Racial Distributions
Population
Sweetwater, a neighborhood in Columbus, Ohio, contains 188 units of Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) funded affordable housing, with 187 designated as low-income units. This represents approximately 3.5% of the neighborhood's estimated 5,345 housing units, based on the 2022 population of 13,951.
The LIHTC program has invested $200,884 in tax credits for affordable housing projects in Sweetwater, averaging about $1,069 per unit across all LIHTC-funded projects. Affordable housing has been present in Sweetwater for over two decades, with the first LIHTC project completed in 1998 and the most recent in 2010.
The 2010 project, Willow Bend Townhomes, added 92 low-income units to the neighborhood. LIHTC-funded projects in Sweetwater primarily feature larger units, with 48 two-bedroom units and 140 three-bedroom units, suggesting a focus on accommodating families or larger households.
Sweetwater's population increased from 12,612 in 2013 to 13,951 in 2022. The median income fluctuated during this period, peaking at $92,226 in 2021 before decreasing to $84,704 in 2022. The neighborhood's racial composition has become more diverse since 2013. The percentage of white residents decreased from 80% to 65% in 2022, while the Black population increased from 4% to 15%. The Asian population grew from 5% to 6%, and those identifying as two or more races increased from 2% to 7%.
No new LIHTC projects have been completed in Sweetwater since 2010, possibly due to the relatively high median income in the area, which may have reduced the perceived need for additional affordable housing units.
Sweetwater's LIHTC-funded affordable housing inventory represents a long-term commitment to providing low-income housing options. The neighborhood has two LIHTC projects, completed in 1998 and 2010, offering a total of 188 units, primarily consisting of two and three-bedroom apartments. While the population has grown and become more diverse over the past decade, no new LIHTC projects have been added since 2010. This analysis provides insight into the affordable housing landscape in Sweetwater and its relationship to the neighborhood's changing demographics.
