A building that once housed wives and widows of Confederate veterans at 3710 Cedar St. is being reshaped into Waverly North, a 76-unit affordable housing development in Austin's North University neighborhood. Construction is already underway on the project, which developer O-SDA Industries says will serve households earning between 30% and 80% of area median income. The project is estimated to open in winter 2028.
The building's history stretches back more than a century. According to the Austin American-Statesman, the original structure at the site formerly served as a home for wives and widows of Confederate veterans, and the property has housed older women, students and nonprofit organizations over its 118-year history. The Texas Observer reports that the United Daughters of the Confederacy opened the Confederate Woman's Home in Austin in 1908 to house older wives and widows of Confederate soldiers who could not support themselves. The home housed more than 3,000 women during its 55 years of operation before closing in 1963, per the same outlet.
A Building That Changed Hands and Purposes Repeatedly
The home opened in 1908, and Texas took over the property a few years later, according to the Texas Observer. After its Confederate-era use ended, the property later served as a learning center for the Texas State School for the Blind. Age of Central Texas has used the building since the 1980s, and a Texas Historical Commission marker was erected in 2013, according to the Texas Observer.
The site's historic status and development limits shape the current redevelopment. An Austin Planning Commission staff report identifies Austin Groups for the Elderly as the property owner and O-SDA Industries as the applicant, and staff wrote that the rezoning would create additional opportunities for affordable housing alongside restoration of a centrally located historic structure. The site itself covers approximately 1.57 acres, or about 68,200 square feet, per the same staff report.
Two Historic Buildings to Be Preserved
Saigebrook O-SDA describes Waverly North as preserving and adapting two original structures alongside one new building. Mercy Housing likewise describes two historic buildings and one new three-story residential building.
Affordable Housing and Project Financing
All 76 apartments will be income-restricted, with affordability levels spanning 30% to 80% of area median income.
Mercy Housing says its Mercy Community Capital arm financed Waverly North with a two-note loan supporting 76 new LIHTC units affordable at 30-80% AMI, part of a 17-loan portfolio in 2025 that the organization says helped create or preserve more than 1,600 affordable homes across eight states.
The Austin City Council added another funding layer on October 22, approving an agreement providing up to $864,210 over 10 years through the Place-Based Enhancement program to support Waverly North, according to the Statesman. The incentive is intended to offset costs of developing and running office space.
Services and Amenities Planned for Residents
As part of the deal, Waverly North will provide free onsite office space for the Housing Support Services Alliance, a nonprofit that helps people stay housed. The group will provide eviction prevention, case management and other services to residents of Waverly North and nearby properties, according to the Statesman. Residents will also have access to a fitness center, cyber lounge and community room with a kitchen.
The 76 units will range from studios to three-bedroom apartments, with 10 studio units, 28 one-bedroom units, 29 two-bedroom units and nine three-bedroom units, per the Statesman's breakdown. Eligibility depends on household size and income, with rents set according to applicable affordability restrictions. Residents will be close to the University of Texas campus, public transportation and several hospitals, the Statesman notes.
Part of a Broader Pattern for the Developer
Waverly North fits a pattern the company has pursued elsewhere in the state. In Fort Worth, O-SDA developed Maren Grove, a 90-unit affordable housing complex inside the former Our Lady of Victory Academy. The Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported on August 21, 2026, that Maren Grove was opening soon. The academy was built in 1909 and later renovated into the Victory Arts Center in 2004, the paper notes, and the Maren Grove community serves families making between 30% and 80% of area median income — income bands matching those planned for Waverly North. Maren Grove also includes bilingual on-site pre-K services for up to 40 children through United Community Centers, and the Star-Telegram reports that project was funded using a patchwork of state and federal tax credits, grants and loans, a financing approach similar to the multi-lender structure assembled for the Austin project.
