A major low-income housing project is being planned at an old soccer field on Lemen Avenue, which could lead to an overall revitalization of the Donnelly Circle area off East Street.

After several years of work, the Tupelo Affordable Housing Project, and Armfield-Lemen Avenue Neighborhood revitalization are still years away, although the 73-unit apartment complex could be completed by late 2028.

Work on the Affordable Housing Sustainable Communities grant is now gaining traction following a series of community meetings over the past several years and if all goes according to plan then preliminary work on bicycle lanes, new sidewalks, and even new buses could get under way by Fall 2026.

There are more than 100, single-story homes — generally in the form of duplexes or fourplexes — in the Lemen Avenue and Donnelly Circle area which have largely been used by low-income families, including farmworkers.

But all that could change over the coming years.

During the latest in a series of sessions held last week, Director of the Yolo County Housing Authority Ian Evans and others affiliated with the project, outlined timing for the work and took recommendations from residents on the public about what they want to see happen.

The information session and public survey took place at the Woodland Community & Senior Center. It was attended by around 30 people, including residents and city representatives.

The immediate project is extensive and being coordinated with the city of Woodland and Yolo Transit Authority, which will be providing infrastructure as well as 10 new bus shelters along with three electric buses, whose arrival times would be roughly every 30 minutes, 24-hours a day.

The city of Woodland, meanwhile, would build new bicycle lanes on Lemen Avenue, Matmor and Cannery Road and Industrial Way.

But the overall Armfield-Lemen Avenue Neighborhood revision involves a reconfiguration of an area encompassing East Main, East Street, Donnelly Circle, Lemen Avenue and Armfield Avenue to include greater access along with more housing and integrated businesses.

The intent is to cluster higher-intensity development on either side of Lemen Avenue to create a “central mixed-use node.” It would also “focus higher-intensity development on either side of East Main Street to take advantage of good access and visibility,” and would allow small neighborhood multi-family buildings in the interior of the neighborhood.

A neighborhood plan has been in the works since February 2022 and is still undergoing study. It is meant as a foundation to guide future public and private investment in the Armfield-Lemen Avenue area and will be years in development after a formal plan is approved.

The immediate Tupelo development, located between 1224 and 1230 Lemen Avenue, is two three-story, multi-family buildings with community space, offices, and shared laundry rooms. Additional structures could be added in the future according to renderings.

The initial project would see 12 four-bedroom units, 24 three-bedroom units, 29, two-bedroom units and eight single-bedroom units on 2.80 acres.

The Tupelo development’s timeline is more compressed than the overall Armfield project. According to information provided by Evans, bike lane and sidewalk construction would begin in Spring 2026 with new buses purchased in the Fall of 2026 and construction on the apartment complex itself starting in November 2026. Bike lane and sidewalk work would be finished by March 2027 and expanded bus service would begin by Mid-2028 with work on the apartments done in November 2028.

All the of work, however, may be affected by changes being implemented by the Trump administration, which on Friday stalled at least $60 million in funding intended largely for affordable housing developments nationwide, throwing hundreds of projects into a limbo, according to information and documents obtained and reported by The Associated Press.

The move is part of a flurry of funding freezes, staffing cuts and contract cancellations by the Trump administration at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, changes that have instilled widespread uncertainty in the affordable housing industry.

It’s probably too soon to tell if the Woodland project will be affected. That won’t be known until lenders have evaluated how much money they are getting from the federal government and private investors.

But the $60 million is intended to go to small community development nonprofits in small grants. The money is often used as seed funding for affordable housing projects, turning a concept into a viable development and consequently drawing in more public and private investment.

Congress chose three nonprofits to distribute the grants, but HUD said in letters that it was cancelling contracts with two of the organizations which together were to distribute the $60 million. That’s pushed millions in funding already promised to small nonprofits, or yet to be awarded, into the twilight zone, the Associated Press reported.