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Jefferson Avenue Apartments in Jefferson-Chalmers: 52 Affordable Apartments Under Construction at 13041 East Jefferson Avenue, Detroit

16 min readBy VoucherMatch Editorial Team
Quick answerAs of October 7, 2026, Jefferson Avenue Apartments, 13041 East Jefferson Avenue in Detroit's Jefferson-Chalmers, is under construction and not yet taking applications. It will have 52 income-restricted one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments for households at 30%, 50% and 60% of area median income, eight of them with project-based vouchers. The City expects construction to finish in early 2027. No rents are published. Watch the developer's rental listings and Detroit Home Connect.

Last checked: October 7, 2026, against the City of Detroit's release of March 26, 2026, environmental notice of December 9, 2025, multifamily housing dataset and building permits; CHN Housing Partners' announcements of April 10, 2024 and March 27, 2026; the Detroit Housing Commission's project-based voucher list; and the Michigan State Housing Development Authority's (MSHDA) 2026 income and rent limits and payment standards. Nothing here is an offer of an apartment: the building has no leasing office yet.

Jefferson Avenue Apartments in numbers
  • 52apartments with one, two or three bedrooms, all income-restricted
  • Early 2027when the City expects construction to finish
  • 8apartments with project-based vouchers, where rent follows income
  • 30%, 50%, 60%the income levels the apartments are held for
  • $62,880the most a household of four can earn at the 60% level in 2026
  • $20.9 millionthe funding listed in the City's notice
Architect's elevation drawing of part of a four-story apartment building with a brick ground floor of storefront windows, three floors of pale panels above and a dark brick entrance bay, labeled South Elevation (E. Jefferson)
The East Jefferson front and main entrance in the architect's 2023 elevation, published with the developer's 2024 announcement. Photo: Hiti, DiFrancesco + Siebold, via CHN Housing Partners, architect's rendering, via chnhousingpartners.org (cropped and enlarged).

What Jefferson Avenue Apartments Is and Who Is Building It

Jefferson Avenue Apartments is one four-story building going up on 13 vacant lots on East Jefferson Avenue "between Dickerson and Lennox", the City says. All 52 apartments are income-restricted.

  • Developers: CHN Housing Partners, a Cleveland-based housing developer that began working in Detroit in 2017, and TRIBE Development, a Detroit firm whose founder lives in Jefferson-Chalmers.
  • Architect and builder: Hiti, DiFrancesco + Siebold (HD+S); MHT Housing is the general contractor, and Giffels Webster the engineer.
  • Money from: MSHDA's Low-Income Housing Tax Credit, the City's federal HOME funds, Enterprise Community Partners, Independent Bank, Citizens Bank and the Federal Home Loan Bank of Indianapolis.
  • Earlier work by the same developer: CHN co-developed and manages Orchard Village Apartments in Old Redford, finished in late 2024.
  • Manager: not named. The plans include "offices for an on-site property manager."
13041 East Jefferson Avenue, from drawings to opening
  • October 6, 2023the date on the architect's elevation drawings.
  • April 10, 2024CHN announces the tax credit award from MSHDA.
  • May 8, 2025the building permit is filed.
  • December 9, 2025the City publishes its finding of no significant environmental impact.
  • February 27, 2026the City issues the permit for a "New 4 Story, 52 Unit Multi-Family Dwelling".
  • March 26, 2026the mayor and the developers celebrate the start of construction.
  • Early 2027construction is "expected to be completed".

What it means: the building is about seven months past its permit, on a schedule that ends in early 2027. No lease-up date has been published.

Source: architect's drawing on CHN's 2024 announcement; CHN announcement of April 10, 2024; City permit BLD2025-00962; City environmental notice; City release of March 26, 2026.

Where the money comes from, in the City's notice of December 9, 2025
SourceAmount
Tax credit equity, Enterprise$14,601,040
Permanent mortgage, Independent Bank$2,500,000
City of Detroit HOME funds$1,750,000
Federal Home Loan Bank$1,000,000
Deferred developer fee$565,607
Sponsor's Capital Magnet funds$500,000
Total$20,916,647

What it means: about 70% of the money comes from investors in the tax credit, which is given in exchange for the income and rent limits. TRIBE put the cost at $19 million in June 2025 and CHN at $21 million in March 2026.

Source: City of Detroit, Notice of Finding of No Significant Impact and Notice of Intent to Request Release of Funds, December 9, 2025. The notice also lists "DHC Project Based Vouchers – 8".

Photograph of nine people standing on a gravel construction site in front of a yellow excavator, beside an easel with a poster of the planned building
The construction site on March 26, 2026, in the developer's photograph of the celebration. Photo: CHN Housing Partners, developer photograph, via chnhousingpartners.org (cropped).

Where 13041 East Jefferson Avenue Is and How to Get Around

The site is on the north side of East Jefferson Avenue, from Dickerson Avenue to Lenox Street, on Detroit's far east side. The ZIP code is 48215 and the City Council district is District 4.

StopRouteStraight-line distance
Jefferson & Dickerson, westboundDDOT 9 Jefferson0.02 miles
Jefferson & Dickerson, eastboundDDOT 9 Jefferson0.04 miles
Jefferson & CoplinDDOT 9 Jefferson0.15 miles
Jefferson & AlgonquinDDOT 9 Jefferson0.17 miles
Freud & DickersonDDOT 68 Chalmers0.29 miles

What it means: the Jefferson bus stops in front of the site in both directions.

Source: City of Detroit DDOT Bus Stops dataset, read October 7, 2026. Distances are straight-line from the City dataset's point for the site, calculated by VoucherMatch, so the walk is longer.

One building, several addresses
AddressWhere it appears
13041 East Jefferson AvenueBuilding permit; TRIBE's project slide
13003 East Jefferson AvenueCity housing dataset
13003, 13011, 13025, 13035 and 13041 East Jefferson; 1126, 1132 and 1138 Dickerson; 1011, 1035, 1041, 1047 and 1053 LenoxCity environmental notice, which counts 13 parcels
13100 East Jefferson AvenueTitle block of the architect's 2023 drawings

What it means: they are the same project. This guide uses 13041, the address on the permit.

Source: each record named, read October 7, 2026.

  • Neighborhood names: Jefferson-Chalmers in the City's release and the developers' pages; "Riverbend" on the City's map.
  • Parking: the City's notice mentions "on-site EV charging parking". The number of spaces is not published.
Watch outthe City's environmental notice sets two conditions on the site: "Remedial action must be employed under the guidance of the Michigan EGLE to address onsite contaminants" and "Floodplain actions must be employed". The site is in a floodplain, so ask about flood coverage when you price renters insurance.

Rents and Income Limits at Jefferson Avenue Apartments

No rent has been published. What is public is the income level of every apartment, and the State's table says the most each level can be charged.

Income levels at Jefferson Avenue Apartments and the 2026 limits that go with them
Income levelApartmentsMost 2 people can earnMost 4 people can earnState maximum: one-bedroomTwo-bedroomThree-bedroom
30%11$25,170$31,440$589$708$817
50%8$41,950$52,400$983$1,180$1,362
60%33$50,340$62,880$1,179$1,416$1,635

What it means: these are ceilings, not rents. A building may charge less, and the 2027 table will apply when this one opens.

Source: City of Detroit multifamily housing dataset, site HRD12380, for the apartment counts; MSHDA, Income and Rent Limits effective May 1, 2026, Wayne County. The State maximum includes utilities the tenant pays.

Apartments at Jefferson Avenue Apartments by income level
View the data table
Income levelApartments
30%11
50%8
60%33

What it means: 33 of the 52 apartments, nearly two thirds, are at the 60% level. Eight apartments carry project-based vouchers; no source says which income level they sit in.

Source: City of Detroit multifamily housing dataset, last edited October 2, 2026.

  • Other household sizes at 60%: $44,040 for one person, $56,640 for three and $67,920 for five.
  • Bedroom mix: not published. The releases say "one-, two- and three-bedroom units"; the permit describes "2 Bed/1 Bath Units".
  • Sizes, fees, deposit and utilities: not published.

For other counties and household sizes, use the Section 8 income limits tool.

Architect's elevation drawing of the full length of a four-story apartment building along East Jefferson, with material notes and floor heights
The whole East Jefferson front in the same drawing, four stories and about 44 feet to the roof. Photo: Hiti, DiFrancesco + Siebold, via CHN Housing Partners, architect's rendering, via chnhousingpartners.org (cropped and set on a white field).

Using a Housing Voucher at Jefferson Avenue Apartments

Eight apartments will have a voucher attached. For the rest, the question is whether the rent comes in under the payment standard, and at the 60% level the State's ceilings are above it.

What is settled and what to ask
  • Vouchers attached"eight project-based vouchers from the Detroit Housing Commission (DHC) where tenants will pay no more than 30% of their income on rent", the City says.
  • Not on the list yetthe commission's project-based voucher list had no entry for the building on October 7, 2026.
  • Michigan lawa landlord with five or more units may not deny a tenancy "based on the source of income" of a renter (MCL 554.601c). See whether landlords have to accept Section 8.
  • State tax-credit ruleMSHDA's compliance manual lists "imposing minimum income requirements for Section 8/HCV participants" as a prohibited practice.
State rent ceilings at the 50% and 60% levels against MSHDA's payment standard for ZIP code 48215, dollars a month
Ceiling at 50%Ceiling at 60%MSHDA payment standard
View the data table
ApartmentCeiling at 50%Ceiling at 60%MSHDA payment standard
One-bedroom$983$1,179$1,044
Two-bedroom$1,180$1,416$1,309
Three-bedroom$1,362$1,635$1,595

What it means: a 50% apartment has to cost less than the standard. A 60% apartment priced at its ceiling would be $135, $107 or $40 over it, so ask for the actual rent before assuming a voucher covers it.

Source: MSHDA, Income and Rent Limits effective May 1, 2026; MSHDA Housing Choice Voucher Payment Standards effective December 2, 2025, ZIP code 48215, unchanged in the schedule for December 2, 2026. Both columns of ceilings and the payment standard include utilities.

How the Rent Ceilings Compare With Rents in ZIP Code 48215

With no rents published, the fair comparison is between the State's ceilings and what HUD estimates an ordinary apartment rents for in ZIP code 48215.

State rent ceilings at the 50% and 60% levels against HUD's fiscal year 2027 fair market rent for ZIP code 48215, dollars a month
Ceiling at 50%Ceiling at 60%HUD fair market rent, ZIP 48215
View the data table
ApartmentCeiling at 50%Ceiling at 60%HUD fair market rent, ZIP 48215
One-bedroom$983$1,179$980
Two-bedroom$1,180$1,416$1,230
Three-bedroom$1,362$1,635$1,500

What it means: the 60% ceilings are $199, $186 and $135 above HUD's figures for this ZIP code, so a 60% apartment here would be a bargain only if it is priced well under its ceiling. The 30% ceilings, $589, $708 and $817, are far below.

Source: MSHDA limits; HUD Small Area Fair Market Rents for fiscal year 2027, in effect since October 1, 2026: HUD's estimate of the 40th-percentile rent in the ZIP code, utilities included.

Small rendering of a four-story apartment building with white panels, a dark brick ground floor and a taller brown entrance bay, seen from a corner
A rendering from a TRIBE Development slide shown at a Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago event in June 2025. The original is 474 pixels wide. Photo: TRIBE Development, developer rendering, via chicagofed.org (enlarged and set on a white field).

Preferences and What Is Planned

No preference for any group of applicants is published, and nothing in the records limits the building by age: CHN's 2024 announcement speaks of "individuals and families." Everything below is a plan.

Planned in each apartment
  • Appliances"an Energy Star refrigerator, electric range and hood, dishwasher, washer and dryer, air conditioner and mini blinds", in the City's release.
  • Sizesone, two and three bedrooms. Square footage is not published.
Planned in the building
  • Shared rooms"a community room with a kitchen, a fitness room and offices for an on-site property manager"; the City's notice adds a "computer lab".
  • Services"On-site tenant services will be available ... to assist them in achieving their personal and financial goals." In 2024 CHN expected "financial counseling, youth programing and other supportive services."
  • Outsidethe architect's drawing shows a brick ground floor with storefront windows on Jefferson and three floors of lighter panels above.
  • Accessibilitynot published.

What it means: laundry is planned inside each apartment. Pet and smoking rules are not published.

Source: City release of March 26, 2026; City environmental notice of December 9, 2025; CHN announcement of April 10, 2024; architect's elevation dated October 6, 2023.

How to Get Ready Before Jefferson Avenue Apartments Opens

Applications are not open, and no leasing office, phone number or site has been published. These are the places an opening would show up first.

Getting ready for Jefferson Avenue Apartments
  1. 1Check your income and household sizeagainst the table above, and again when the 2027 limits come out.
  2. 2Watch CHN's rental listings.Its property listings page is where its other Detroit building, Orchard Village, is listed with a link to apply.
  3. 3Watch Detroit Home Connect.The City's listing site had no page for this building on October 7, 2026.
  4. 4For a voucher apartment, watch the housing commission's list.Its page says "You may apply to more than one waiting list", and it has an entry for each building.
  5. 5Call CHNat (216) 574-7100, the number on its site, and ask for the Detroit office and the lease-up date.
  6. 6Get your documents togetherfrom the checklist below.
  7. 7If you have a vouchertell your agency you are waiting on a building that opens in 2027, and ask how long your search time runs.
What happens next
  • Nowunder construction, with no listing and no rents.
  • Before openingrents are set and applications open. Neither date is published.
  • Early 2027construction is expected to be completed.

What it means: only 19 of the 52 apartments are at the 30% and 50% levels, so ask early which level you fit.

Source: City release of March 26, 2026; CHN's listings page and Detroit Home Connect, read October 7, 2026.

Documents to have ready
  • Government ID. for each adult
  • Proof of income. pay stubs, benefit award letters or a tax return
  • Social Security cards. and birth certificates for the household
  • Bank statements. and other asset records
  • Your voucher paperwork,. if you have one

Source: no document list is published for the building. This one is VoucherMatch's, from what a tax-credit building has to verify. Ask the office for its own when there is one.

What Is Known and What Is Not Yet Published

The count, the income levels, the builder and the schedule are public. Rents, sizes and the way to apply are not.

Known and not yet known, as of October 7, 2026
  • Known52 apartments in one four-story building; 11 at the 30% level, 8 at 50% and 33 at 60%; eight project-based vouchers; a permit issued February 27, 2026; completion expected in early 2027.
  • Sources disagree on bedroomsone, two and three bedrooms in the releases and the City's notice; "2 Bed/1 Bath Units" in the permit.
  • Sources disagree on cost$19 million, $20.9 million and $21 million, as noted above.
  • The contractor changedContinental Construction Management in CHN's 2024 announcement; MHT Housing in 2026.
  • Not publishedrents, the number of each bedroom size, square footage, utilities, fees, the manager, the application date, and pet and smoking rules.

Until a leasing office exists, CHN at (216) 574-7100 is the place to ask.

If You Need an Apartment Sooner

The building is months from opening, so look at apartments that are available now.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Jefferson Avenue Apartments open?

No. The permit was issued on February 27, 2026, the start of construction was celebrated on March 26, 2026, and the City expects construction to be completed in early 2027.

How much will rent be at Jefferson Avenue Apartments?

No rents are published. Under the State's 2026 table, the most a 60% apartment can cost with utilities is $1,179 for a one-bedroom, $1,416 for a two-bedroom and $1,635 for a three-bedroom. The 30% ceilings are $589, $708 and $817.

Who qualifies for Jefferson Avenue Apartments?

Households at 30%, 50% or 60% of area median income. In 2026 the 60% limit is $44,040 for one person, $50,340 for two, $56,640 for three and $62,880 for four.

Will Jefferson Avenue Apartments take Section 8?

Eight apartments will have project-based vouchers through the Detroit Housing Commission. For the others, Michigan law bars a landlord with five or more units from refusing a renter over a voucher.

How do you apply for Jefferson Avenue Apartments?

You cannot apply yet. Watch CHN Housing Partners' rental listings page and Detroit Home Connect, and call CHN at (216) 574-7100 to ask when leasing starts.

Is Jefferson Avenue Apartments in a floodplain?

The City's environmental notice of December 9, 2025 says "Floodplain actions must be employed under guidance of the Michigan EGLE to complete work in the floodplain." Ask about flood coverage when you buy renters insurance.

Where is Jefferson Avenue Apartments?

At 13041 East Jefferson Avenue, Detroit, MI 48215, between Dickerson Avenue and Lenox Street in Jefferson-Chalmers. The DDOT 9 Jefferson bus stops in front.

Sources for this article (15)
  1. release of March 26, 2026 (detroitmi.gov)
  2. environmental notice of December 9, 2025 (detroitmi.gov)
  3. multifamily housing dataset (data.detroitmi.gov)
  4. building permits (data.detroitmi.gov)
  5. April 10, 2024 (chnhousingpartners.org)
  6. March 27, 2026 (chnhousingpartners.org)
  7. project-based voucher list (dhcmi.org)
  8. 2026 income and rent limits (michigan.gov)
  9. payment standards (michigan.gov)
  10. DDOT Bus Stops dataset (data.detroitmi.gov)
  11. MCL 554.601c (legislature.mi.gov)
  12. compliance manual (michigan.gov)
  13. 24 CFR 982.508 (law.cornell.edu)
  14. Small Area Fair Market Rents (huduser.gov)
  15. property listings page (chnhousingpartners.org)
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VoucherMatch Editorial Team

Every rule, date and dollar amount in this article is checked against the agency document it comes from, and the sources are listed above. How VoucherMatch articles are researched and corrected

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