null - not stated anywhere in the QAP or any UHC document reviewed; UHC does not publish a stated "competitive" or historically-winning score threshold.
Select a category to read its scoring criteria.
01Lower Income Targeting (Preference Selection Criterion)
5000 pts+
Weight = 50 (raw 0-100 scale x50 = 5,000 max weighted points). Rewards deeper/broader income and rent targeting across the LIHTC unit mix. Non-Income-Averaging projects: up to 60 pts for the 'Mid Rent Range' (40%-45% AMI, 1 pt per % up to 60% of units), up to 20 pts for the 'Low Rent Range' (<40% AMI, 1 pt per % up to 20% of units), up to 20 pts for the 'Upper Rent Range' (45%-50% AMI, 1 pt per % up to 20% of units; no points above 50% AMI). Income-Averaging projects: analogous point scale spread across 20/30/40/50/60/70/80% AMI tiers. Homeless units below 25% AMI earn additional points elsewhere. 100% Supportive Housing projects are exempt from the tiering matrix and receive the full 5,000 points automatically.
02Project Location
300 pts+
Weight = 20 (raw max 15 pts x20 = 300). Points for: location in a designated 'Area of Opportunity' (5 pts); being the first Housing Credit project in a 'Non-Participating Area' county, municipality, or on tribal land (5 pts); and proximity (within 1/3 mile) to a FrontRunner/TRAX/Bus Rapid Transit station (5 pts) OR a qualifying core local bus route (3 pts).
03Project Characteristics
530 pts+
Weight = 20 (raw subtotal stated as 30.5 pts x20 = 530 per the QAP's own math, though the QAP's own subtotal arithmetic does not fully reconcile -- reported as literally stated). Sub-scores: Large Units/3-4BR unit mix (max 4 pts); Project Amenities from an itemized list of ~20 options -- covered parking, tot lot, solar, clubhouse w/wo kitchen, in-unit internet, life-skills classes, bike storage, garden beds, renter's insurance, in-unit storage, park/school/senior-center proximity, exercise room, car-share, EV charging/EV-ready parking, in-unit washer/dryer, etc. (max 10 pts); Historic Character -- National Register or historic district building (max 3 pts); Energy Certification beyond the required Energy Star baseline -- Enterprise Green Communities, Energy Star NextGen, DOE ZERH, Green Globes, LEED, NGBS, or Passive House (max 5 pts); Local Jurisdictional Support -- dollar commitment from the local jurisdiction, scaled by county and contribution size (max 1-2 pts); Other -- Community Revitalization Plan/QCT combo (0.5 pt) and 'twinned' 4%/9% development (2 pts).
04Applicant Characteristics
200 pts+
Weight = 20 (raw max 10 pts x20 = 200). Rewards prior Housing Credit development experience of the applicant team: 5 pts for ownership-interest experience on out-of-state Housing Credit projects; 10 pts for ownership-interest experience on Utah Housing Credit or tax-exempt bond projects (Utah-based JV partners qualify if they receive >25% of the Developer fee). Only one sub-category may be claimed.
05Tenant Populations with Special Housing Needs
500 pts+
Weight = 20 (raw max 25 pts x20 = 500). Sub-scores: Persons with Mobility Impairments -- no points (a 5% fully-accessible-unit minimum applies to all projects regardless); Older Persons -- 3 pts for >=80% age-restricted 55+, or 5 pts for 100% age-restricted 62+ (mutually exclusive; Supportive Housing projects, which can't be age-restricted, are ineligible here); Homeless/Chronically Homeless units at or below 25% AMI with a Service Provider referral agreement -- up to 10 pts (small projects: 1 pt per 2% of units; larger projects: 2 pts/unit up to 5 units); Other special-needs populations (persons with disabilities, domestic-violence survivors, aging-out foster youth, refugees, veterans, or other UHC-preapproved groups), each requiring an active marketing plan and third-party Service Provider letter -- up to 10 pts (1 pt per % of low-income units set aside).
06Credit Efficiency
240 pts+
Weight = 20 (raw max 12 pts x20 = 240). Measures Federal Tax Credit requested per LIHTC bedroom and per LIHTC unit against the rolling 2-round average (published as Exhibit 8E) plus a CPI-based inflation adjustment. Points awarded on a stepped scale: 12 pts if <=95% of average, 9 pts if 95.1%-105%, 6 pts if 105.1%-115%, 3 pts if 115.1%-125% (or, for 20%-30% basis-boost projects only, 3 pts up to 135%), 0 pts above that. The two sub-scores (per-bedroom, per-unit) are averaged, then the average is multiplied by the weight of 20.
Scoring source2027 State of Utah QAP, Section 8 "Selection Criteria" -- "Preference Selection Criteria" §A Lower Income Targeting (p.59); "Secondary Selection Criteria" §A Project Location (p.63), §B Project Characteristics (p.64), §C Applicant Characteristics (p.70), §D Tenant Populations with Special Housing Needs (p.72), §E Credit Efficiency (p.74), §F Tie Breaker (p.75). Separate 4%/State-Credit scoring scale in "State of Utah Housing Credits," "4% Project Application Scoring" (pp.77-78).
