CAMBRDIGE, MASS. — Callahan Construction Managers has completed the renovation and expansion of Squirrelwood Apartments, an affordable housing project located across the Charles River from Boston in Cambridge. The project involved renovating 10 of the property’s buildings and constructing two more from the ground up. Of the 88 units, 64 are reserved for renters earning 60 percent or less of the area median income (AMI); 14 residences are restricted to households earning 30 to 50 percent of AMI, and the remaining 10 are designated as Massachusetts Workforce program units.
COLUMBIA, S.C. — New York City-based Exact Capital has plans to build the Villages at Congaree Pointe, a 240-unit affordable housing community in Columbia. Exact Capital is partnering with Charleston-based Armada Development. The construction timeline was not disclosed. The Villages at Congaree Pointe will be fully affordable and rented to households earning 60 percent or less of the area median income (AMI). The community will offer 10 three-story buildings with a unit mix of 60 one-bedroom, 144 two-bedroom and 36 three-bedroom apartments. Community amenities will include a fitness center, playground, splash pad, cabana with porch, clubhouse with a lounge, clubroom, computer room and a common laundry room. The total capitalization of the development is approximately $51 million with construction financing provided by J.P. Morgan Chase and Low-Income Housing Tax Credits (LIHTC) from Stratford Capital Group and Monarch Private Capital. In addition to the initial capitalization, Berkadia arranged permanent financing in the form of a Fannie Mae Municipal Tax-Exempt Bond offering. Located on a 14.9-acre site at 2701 Atlas Road, the project will be situated 5.9 miles from downtown Columbia and 5.4 miles from the University of South Carolina.
AURORA, DENVER AND GREELEY, COLO. — Capstone Apartment Partners has arranged the $30 million sale of a 184-unit LIHTC apartment portfolio in metro Denver. The names of the seller and buyer were not released. The portfolio comprises three Section 8 seniors housing assets: Aurora Village in Aurora, Kings Point in Denver and University Plaza in Greeley. Sean Holamon, Nik MacCarter and Adam Riddle of Capstone represented the seller in the transaction.
ERIE, PA. — Community Preservation Partners (CPP) has acquired Methodist Towers, a 138-unit affordable seniors housing community in Erie. About 40 percent (57) of the 13-story complex’s units receive subsidies under a Section 8 HAP contract. The sales price was not disclosed, but CPP plans to spend $20 million on the acquisition and renovation. CPP received tax-exempt bonds and Low-Income Housing Tax Credits (LIHTCs) from the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency (PHFA), with construction and permanent loans from Citibank as well as equity raised from the sale of LIHTCs from PNC Bank, to finance the property acquisition and rehabilitation. Cornerstone Group is a partner on the project.
DALLAS — Comunidad Partners, an investment firm that specializes in affordable and workforce housing, has acquired Villas del Zocalo, a 437-unit affordable housing community in East Dallas. Taylor Snoddy of Northmarq brokered the deal. The seller and sales price were not disclosed. The new ownership plans to invest in capital improvements to preserve the property’s affordability status. Specific information on income restrictions was not disclosed.
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Utilizing Tax Credits to Create Affordable Housing in High-Opportunity Communities
The Section 42 Low-Income Housing Credit program has been America’s primary tool in the effort to construct affordable homes for low- and moderate- income households and ease renter cost burdens since 1986. This public-private partnership has created or preserved more than 3.1 million rental units, accounting for over 30 percent of the nation’s affordable housing stock. Congress is considering legislation that would materially expand and strengthen the tax credit program. In addition to several technical changes to tax credit accounting and rules governing the use of private-activity bond financing, the legislation would authorize increases in credit allocation in 2021 and 2022. The impact of these changes would be substantial, catalyzing construction of more than 100,000 additional units per year over a 10-year period, perhaps trimming the number of rent burdened low-income households by half. Building more affordable housing will represent a significant step toward reducing housing instability and economic inequality in America. But are quantitative gains alone enough? Constructing affordable housing in low-poverty, high-opportunity census tracts is challenging. The following discussion explores some ways in which developers, lenders and credit allocating agencies can increase the level of affordable housing construction in low-poverty, high-opportunity areas (LPHOA) and optimize the …
NEW YORK CITY — Merchants Capital has provided $104 million in financing for Harlem River Houses I and II, a 690-unit affordable housing community located between West 151st and West 153rd streets in Manhattan. The buildings were constructed in the mid-1930s and were added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1979. The financing structure consists of a straight-to-permanent New York City Housing Development Corp. (NYCHDC) loan crafted by the NYCHDC, Freddie Mac and Merchants Capital. The borrower, a joint venture between the Settlement Housing Fund and West Harlem Group Assistance, will use a portion of the proceeds to fund capital improvements and preserve affordability. Upon completion of the renovation, the property will offer 693 apartments across eight residential buildings that will house more than 1,400 residents Renovations will include upgrades to apartments, common areas and elevators, as well as security and heating systems. Upgrades in units will include new kitchens, bathrooms, floors and appliances, along with updates to windows and building exteriors. Sidewalks, gardens and sculptures within the property grounds will be restored, and new playgrounds, benches and activity spaces will be installed. Additionally, all electrical, mechanical and plumbing systems will be renovated or replaced.
COSTA MESA, CALIF. — Avanath Capital Management LLC has acquired St. John’s Manor, a 36-unit affordable seniors housing community in the Orange County city of Costa Mesa, for $11.8 million. Built in 1984 and renovated in 2007, St John’s Manor is currently 100 percent occupied. This acquisition comes on the heels of Avanath’s acquisition of The Overlook at Anaheim Hills, a 261-unit seniors housing community in Anaheim, and The Grove Senior, an 85-unit seniors housing community in Garden Grove. “We entered the Orange County market earlier this year, and plan to continue to be extremely bullish in the region,” says John Williams, president and CIO at Avanath. “Seniors housing is an asset class that remains particularly of interest to us as it has been one of the best performing asset types within our portfolio throughout the pandemic.” Avanath currently owns more than 13,000 units across the United States, 2,550 units of which are age-restricted senior apartments. “There is an increasing need for affordable housing for seniors, especially in high-priced areas of Orange County,” says Williams. “Baby boomers, a large percentage of whom are expected to reach retirement age by 2030, will be looking to downsize and seek quality options that are …
SAN ANTONIO — New York City-based Dwight Capital has provided a $22.7 million HUD-insured loan for the refinancing of Stablewood Farms, a 252-unit affordable housing community in San Antonio. Built in 2002, the property comprises 16 two- and three-story buildings, five garages, a leasing office and a community center on a 22-acre site. The majority (75 percent) of the units are restricted to households earning 80 percent or less of the area median income (AMI), while 20 percent are reserved for renters earning up to 50 percent of AMI. Josh Sasouness of Dwight Capital originated the loan through HUD’s 223(f) program on behalf of the borrower, locally based nonprofit organization Merced Housing Texas.
WEST PALM BEACH, FLA. — Greystone has provided a $17.5 million HUD-insured loan for the redevelopment of Christian Manor Apartments, a 200-unit affordable seniors housing community located in West Palm Beach. Jon Morales of Greystone arranged the loan on behalf of the borrower, Phase Housing Corp. Inc. Located in Palm Beach County, Christian Manor includes four, three-story buildings that offer studio and one-bedroom units. Originally built in 1972, the property will provide affordable housing for low-income, which is classified as below 60 percent of area median income, and “extremely low-income” seniors (below 28 percent AMI) over 62 years of age. The project team worked with HUD and the West Palm Beach Housing Authority to obtain project-based rental assistance for over half of the residents who, although eligible, were previously not receiving this support. The expected construction cost for the redevelopment of the property is $38.7 million. Along with the funding from Greystone, the project also received 4 percent Low-Income Tax Credit (LIHTC) equity, and secondary debt consisting of a Florida State Apartment Incentive Loan and Florida Extremely Low-Income funds. The non-recourse loan carries a 40-year term at a low, fixed interest rate. Paul Ponte of Phase Housing Corp. Inc., Jason …