NEW YORK CITY — A partnership between multifamily owner-operator Asland Capital Partners and locally based investment firm Pembroke Residential Holdings has received $100 million in financing for the development of a 154-unit affordable housing project in the Soundview neighborhood of The Bronx. Residences will be reserved for renters age 62 and above with income levels that represent various percentages of the area median income. In addition, 30 percent of the units will be set aside for seniors who were formerly homeless. Completion of the 14-story building is scheduled for fall 2024. The $100 million construction loan was procured through a combination of both taxable and tax-exempt bonds issued by the New York State Housing Finance Agency, with credit enhancement in an equal amount provided by Goldman Sachs. Goldman Sachs is also providing tax credit equity for the development.
Affordable Housing
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Four Ways Technology Can Keep Onsite Multifamily Staff Happier During the Great Resignation
by Jaime Lackey
The Great Resignation. The Big Quit. Call it what you will. The widespread trend of employees leaving their jobs in 2021 and 2022 has placed a burden on onsite property management staff at multifamily communities. Like other industries nationwide, the multifamily industry has been hit hard by this period where record numbers of employees are leaving their current positions. According to the National Apartment Association (NAA), rental owners and operators have reported up to 70 percent of their workforce resigning during this period. Historically, employee turnover ranges from 30 to 50 percent annually. In roles that often require wearing many hats to keep up with prospective renters and resident requests, leasing teams are feeling added pressure. With technology solutions that alleviate daunting tasks for onsite staff, you can save your staff valuable time and unnecessary manual effort. Your leasing team can simplify tour scheduling, automate routine communications, and set up seamless multifamily marketing campaigns that free up time for staff to better connect with renters. Here are four steps operators can take to maximize efficiencies and achieve better outcomes. 1. Automate Apartment Tour Scheduling The first step to helping your team thrive during a spike in renter demand is understanding …
NASHVILLE, TENN. — Amazon plans to invest a total of $10.6 million to help build and renovate more than 130 affordable housing units in Nashville. The investment is in partnership with the Metropolitan Development and Housing Agency (MDHA) and supports the social work of the local nonprofit CrossBridge Inc., which provides housing and supportive services to adults overcoming addiction. The investment is part of the Amazon Housing Equity Fund, which has earmarked more than $2 billion to create and preserve 20,000 affordable homes in Nashville, Washington state’s Puget Sound region and the Arlington, Va., region, which is home to Amazon’s HQ2 campus. The Seattle-based e-commerce giant has committed more than $94 million over the past two years to affordable housing efforts in Nashville. Amazon’s commitment to MDHA consists of a $7.1 million low-rate loan to support the construction of Cherry Oak Apartments, a mixed-income residential development in the Cayce Place neighborhood of east Nashville. Cherry Oak will feature 96 apartments, including 53 that are affordable at or below 80 percent of area medium income (AMI). MDHA has a 99-year ground lease at the site. Amazon is also providing a $3.5 million grant to support CrossBridge’s housing projects on Lindsley Avenue …
CHESTER, PA. — Locally based brokerage firm Starkman Realty Group has arranged the $3.1 million sale of Buckman Meadows, a 42-unit affordable housing building in Chester, a southwestern suburb of Philadelphia. The property was originally constructed in 1917 to house shipbuilders during World War I and subsequently converted to a veterans’ hospital and then an affordable housing complex for veterans in 2015. New Jersey-based Tunic Group purchased Buckman Meadows from an undisclosed partnership. Jason Starkman of Starkman Realty Group represented both parties in the deal.
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As Affordability Crisis Deepens, Policies and Market Shift to Assist the Underserved
By Omar Eltorai, Arbor Realty Trust To understand the affordable housing market in spring 2022, one needs to first assess how this sector weathered the pandemic and then assess the current state of housing affordability across the country. In-depth findings on these trends are included in the Arbor Realty Trust-Chandan Economics Affordable Housing Trends Report, from which this article is excerpted. Weathering the Pandemic When it comes to the pandemic response, federal policymakers proved effective at defusing a large-scale increase in homelessness from financially insecure households. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) eviction moratorium, while unpopular among industry advocates, prevented an estimated 1.6 million evictions, according to an analysis by Eviction Lab. After the Supreme Court struck down the federal moratorium in August 2021[1], the wave of evictions that many were forecasting did not immediately materialize. Nationally, tracked eviction filings ticked up but remained well below their pre-pandemic averages, according to Eviction Lab. A key reason why many at-risk renters have remained in their homes is the deployment of funds allocated in the Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERA) — a funding pool designed to assist households that are unable to pay rent or utilities. The ERA Program was …
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.
Capstone Negotiates $30M Sale of Three Affordable Seniors Housing Properties in Metro Denver
by Amy Works
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.