Every year, NAHMA seeks to highlight the best in newly developed or rehabilitated affordable multifamily housing communities through its Vanguard Awards. The award pays tribute to developers of high-quality, affordable housing; demonstrates that exceptional new affordable housing is available across the country; reflects the creativity and innovation that must be present to create superior properties given the financing and other development challenges; highlights results of private-public partnerships required to develop today’s affordable housing; and shares ideas for unique design and financing mechanisms with industry practitioners to further stimulate creative development in the affordable multifamily industry.
NAHMA announced the winners of its 2026 Vanguard Awards in September. Details on each community are available at nahma.org/award/vanguard-awards-2026.
While not everyone who enters can win, that doesn’t mean the communities don’t have anything to offer their colleagues. After serving as a judge for this year’s contest, as well in past years, Jim McGrath, chairman emeritus of PRD Management Inc., compiled a list of what he called value-added repeatable best practices culled from the award applications.
“Over the years of judging, I noticed things as I read the applications that I thought were a really good idea or saw that they were doing what we were doing,” McGrath said. “I started jotting ideas down. They are low-hanging fruit. These are things that can be replicated at not a lot of cost. Most of these ideas aren’t going to break the bank. You can do them over time and get a payback.”
Not only has PRD incorporated some of the ideas, but McGrath said many can be replicated for little to no cost and still deliver big payoffs for residents and owners.
For example, McGrath said he noticed a couple of years ago that one community had installed elevated gardens—something PRD had also tried. The garden not only sprouted fresh fruits and vegetables for the residents but created a meeting place where they could get outside for fresh air and socialize over a common interest. The gardens themselves are relatively inexpensive to construct, and the residents maintain them. The elevated gardens bring together people who might not have otherwise ever met, he said.
“I look at things that can save money or create enhanced value to residents, McGrath said. “When I looked at this year’s applications, I saw pickleball courts, outdoor terraces. These things aren’t expensive to put in and increase socialization, especially for senior properties.”
Some ideas McGrath highlighted from this year’s applicants fall into one of three categories: energy conservation, resident amenities and resident service programs.
Energy Conservation
McGrath said some of these ideas might have an up-front cost but will eventually pay for themselves through lower expenses—savings that can then be put back into other community enhancements.
“Making it sustainable is really important,” he said.
Passive House & Solar: McGrath pointed out that the three residential buildings at Walnut Knoll in Foxborough, Mass., were constructed to “passive house” standards, which, according to the Passive House Institute, “provide a very high level of comfort coupled with an extremely low energy consumption.” Walnut Knoll includes highly insulated, airtight envelopes and advanced mechanical systems that reduce energy demand.
The community also has an Enterprise Green Communities certification and an on-site solar photovoltaic (PV) system, which produces renewable energy and lowers the carbon footprint while supporting long-term utility cost savings and comfort.
High-Performance Rehab: Evergreen East in Fairport, N.Y., reconstructed units using all‑electric systems, cold‑climate air‑source heat pumps, energy recovery ventilation, triple‑pane windows, continuous insulation, and enhanced air sealing.
The upgrades achieve an average energy use intensity of 28.7, about a 72% improvement over baseline, dramatically reducing energy consumption and operating costs in a major preservation project.
All‑Electric, Solar, and GreenPoint Rated Platinum: The building at Mitchell Park Place in Palo Alto, Calif., is all‑electric, with a rooftop solar PV system designed to offset at least 90% of common‑area electrical load.
It achieves GreenPoint Rated Platinum through combined energy efficiency, water conservation, sustainable materials, indoor air quality, and site design, plus drought‑tolerant landscaping, smart irrigation, low‑flow fixtures, and Energy Star appliances.
McGrath said incorporating things such as power-flush toilets or LED outdoor lighting can significantly reduce utility costs.
Resident Amenities
Resort‑Style Senior Campus: Walnut Knoll’s amenities include a fitness center, pickleball courts, community gardens, outdoor grilling terraces, fire pit seating, pet exercise area, and a substantial community center.
The apartment interiors feature modern finishes, including quartz counters, Shaker cabinetry, luxury vinyl flooring and generous storage, designed specifically for aging in place.
Reimagined Campus Amenities: Evergreen East is a formerly private building that was converted into a community hub with a gym, computer lab, and recreation/clubhouse spaces, becoming the heart of campus life.
The sitewide rehab added improved landscaping, playground and outdoor spaces, upgraded hallways and unit finishes, and a new monument sign that reinforces identity and pride.
Inclusive, Sensory‑Informed Design: Mitchell Park Place includes community spaces such as a teaching kitchen, courtyard, community room, garden areas, and a dedicated 2,773‑square‑foot AbilityPath program space.
The design includes color‑coded floors, tactile wayfinding, a meditation labyrinth, quiet outdoor areas, and neurodivergent‑friendly interiors that support residents of all abilities.
Mitchel Place Park was developed through a partnership between Eden Housing
and AbilityPath; the project seeks to address a shortage of affordable housing opportunities for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) while fostering an inclusive community where residents could live independently with access to supportive services.
McGrath said that while adding a gym can be pricey, creating a computer lab is relatively inexpensive these days. He said one of the things PRD practices is having management and maintenance personnel do a walkthrough and create a punch list of items that would bring the property to an “as new” standard. PRD would then work on the punch list over time.
“It brings greater awareness to making the property look really nice,” he said. “We saw the quality of properties go up because the changes were done incrementally. It doesn’t need to be hard. It doesn’t need to be monumental. It communicates to the residents you really care about the property and care about the residents. The tenant amenities can be mimicked. You don’t have to do them all at once. Try to make improvements over time.”
Resident Programs and Services
“Housing is a place to get support to develop family values,” McGrath said. “Adding extra benefits helps families build off the shoulders of the property. It can enhance the lives of families.”
Connected Communities Suite: Evergreen East’s Resident Services include education support, youth enrichment, workforce prep, financial literacy, and health/wellness programs, with partners like Learning Links providing tutoring, summer enrichment, and back‑to‑school events.
In the 2025 fiscal fourth quarter alone, Evergreen East delivered 239 resident services to 116 households, including 19 events with 235 participants, and credit‑building programs where 65% of participants improved scores by an average of 28 points.
I/DD‑Focused, Integrated Services: Mitchell Park Place has 25 of its 50 homes reserved for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities, referred through San Andreas Regional Center and Housing Choices. Residents receive independent living services, employment assistance, benefits navigation, behavioral health supports, and community integration programming.
AbilityPath’s ground‑floor program space offers life‑skills, educational, creative and community‑building programming for both residents and the broader I/DD community. At the same time, Eden Resident Services adds on-site coordination and community‑building activities.
Senior‑Focused Supportive Services: At Father Augustus Tolton Place Senior Housing in Philadelphia, Penn., residents receive individualized case management, wellness checks, and benefits assistance (Medicare, Medicaid, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program), plus telehealth coordination and transportation support.
Weekly workshops, educational sessions, holiday celebrations, and resident‑led initiatives target social isolation and foster meaningful relationships and engagement among seniors.
“One of the things about these awards, you see what others are doing well, and why wouldn’t you want to copy that?” McGrath said. “Case histories are good to talk about.”
Vanguard Awards winners will be recognized at the 2026 NAHMA November meeting awards ceremony in Washington, D.C.
Jennifer Jones is the senior director of communications and public relations for NAHMA.