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A longtime vacant historic building in Mount Rainier is one step closer to being renovated into an affordable-housing building, thanks to last-minute federal money.

Hyattsville-based nonprofit developers Housing Initiative Partnership, Inc. is slated to receive $1.3 million for a project buy and renovate the Singer Building at 33rd Street and Rhode Island Avenue into an affordable, 11-unit housing site with commercial space on the first floor.

The 73-year-old building has been vacant since 1992 and is named for the store that it once housed, which sold Singer sewing machines.

HIP Executive Director Mosi Harrington said her organization is waiting for county officials to sign an agreement before proceeding.

"I don't have [the money] in my hands, but there seems to be willingness to get the project done," she said.

The $1.3 million allocation comes from a U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development program, HOME Investment Partnerships, and the county nearly missed out on more than $5.2 million from the federal program.

County officials scrambled to put together a spending plan before the Oct. 31 deadline. Other approved projects include improving a senior citizens rental building in Laurel and renovating low-income houses in Upper Marlboro.

Mount Rainier Mayor Malinda Miles said the city wants to see the Singer building revamped.

"The goal for the city is to redevelop the downtown area," she said. "We're going to do whatever is necessary to help [Harrington] develop that project because that project is one of our critical buildings."

The city bought another vacant building, the former site of Bass Liquors, last year and has plans to turn it into a commuter lot while waiting for a developer to buy the property. And the county's planning department is currently working to update the city's 1994 development plan, which sets development policies and design standards.

HIP owns a 12-unit building for low-income artists at 3801 33rd St. in Mount Rainier, called HIP's Artists' Housing. To qualify for those units, one-person households have to make between $14,400 to $26,338 a year.

Miles said HIP's Artists' Housing has had a positive effect in Mount Rainier.

"They help to enhance the art and art culture in the city," she said.

Brad Frome, aide for County Councilman Will Campos (D-Dist. 2) of Hyattsville, said his office found out about the available money about two weeks before the deadline.

His office pushed for some of the money to be used in Mount Rainier since the county has invested there before on previous projects.

"Money is very hard to come by right now and it'd be great to build upon what we got going on by bringing this money that has to be spent on something," Frome said.

Joe's Movement Emporium, a nonprofit performing arts studio and center also based in Mount Rainier, was paid for in part by county and state grants and bonds.

The $1.3 million isn't meant to pay for just the building's acquisition, but also for the renovation, Harrington said.

Even still, it won't be enough to cover the costs for the entire project, although the initial grant will make the project more attractive in terms of securing further grants, Frome said.

"We appreciate [that] there's a long road between where we are now and making this a reality," Frome said. "But this is a big step in right direction."

E-mail Elahe Izadi at eizadi@gazette.net.