ALEXANDRIA, VA. AND ORLANDO, FLA. — Avanath Capital Management LLC has purchased tow affordable housing communities for a combined $99.2 million. The first property, Alexandria Station Apartments, is located in Alexandria and sold for $52.7 million. The 290-unit community was built in 1965 and renovated in 1998 and 2010. The property comprises 25 three-story buildings that were 97 percent occupied at the time of sale. Alexandria Station is a 251,579 square-foot property consisting of studio, one-, two- and three-bedroom floor plans. Communal amenities include a swimming pool, grilling and picnic areas, playground, on-site-laundry facilities and a clubhouse. The other property is Brooke Commons, a 288-unit complex in Orlando that sold for $46.5 million. Built in 2000 and comprising 36 two-story buildings, Brooke Commons was 99 percent occupied at the time of sale. Five percent of the community’s units serve those making 55 percent of the area median income (AMI), while 50 percent are reserved for residents earning 60 percent AMI and 45 percent of the units are for residents earning 60 to 80 percent AMI. The property is located three miles from the University of Central Florida campus and 12 miles northeast of downtown Orlando. Communal amenities include a business …
Affordable Housing
For the past 10 years, Walters has been creating premium affordable housing that is 100 percent income-restricted and sustainable. The company has delivered a dozen developments throughout New Jersey, and several more are currently under development. The positive benefits and lasting effects of affordable housing impact both the residents living in the homes as well as the communities in which they are located. Each year, more people struggle to afford living in the communities where they work because of a lack of affordable housing stock. Even older adults who have lived for decades in a community have few opportunities to downsize. Many young adults who want to raise their own families in the communities where they grew up cannot afford “starter homes” today. Affordable housing, however, enables people to live where they choose based on their needs and aspirations. A Princeton University study of affordable housing development in Mount Laurel, New Jersey, found numerous benefits: Families moving into high-quality affordable housing experience a safer neighborhood, lower crime rates, better mental health, strong rates of employment and higher wages. By saving money on rent, families can spend more of their household incomes on essentials such as food and healthcare. The study …
CUPERTINO, CALIF. — Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) has announced a $2.5 billion plan to address the housing availability and affordability crisis in California. Much like Facebook’s recent announcement to commit $1 billion and build 20,000 affordable housing units in the Golden State, Apple cited the major discrepancy between the paces of population growth and affordable housing development as the key catalyst behind its plan. Earlier this year, Microsoft Corp. and Alphabet Inc., the parent company of Google, also pledged a combined $1.25 billion toward the development of affordable housing in metro Seattle and the Silicon Valley area, where those two firms are respectively based. In supporting this measure, Apple referenced a recent study by real estate brokerage firm Redfin that found that some 30,000 people had vacated the San Francisco area between April and June of this year. The study also found that the rate of homeownership in the Bay Area has hit a seven-year low. Both pieces of information suggest that residents, whether buying or renting, are simply being priced out of the region. In response to the growing cost of housing in California, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill in October that would cap annual rent increases imposed …
Despite evidence of their own experience, developers of affordable housing can still minimize the incidence of unforeseen delays and underestimate their costs. Capital One has 75 such developments under construction, and more than half are in some way behind schedule. This is neither unusual nor a comment on our partners’ skills as developers of much-needed affordable housing. The point is that making up for lost time can be particularly costly. While unforeseen delays are no more common in affordable housing than in other building types, developers of this product type run the unique risk of losing crucial tax credits when they miss a place-in-service deadline. Loss of tax credits as a funding source, which can account for as much as half the capital funding project costs in some cases, upends the carefully crafted funding structure of the development. Other developers might be content to pay an extra month’s interest on their construction loan while addressing the source of delay, as this constitutes a less-significant sacrifice at today’s rates than in the past. But affordable housing developers must incur extra expenses and do whatever is necessary to get the project back on track. Unforeseen Bedrock A case in point is the …
Facebook Commits $1B, Partners with State of California to Build 20,000 Affordable Housing Units
by Alex Tostado
MENLO PARK, CALIF. — Facebook (NASDAQ: FB) has committed $1 billion and will partner with the State of California to build 20,000 affordable workforce- and low-income housing units over the next 10 years. Many of the units will serve first responders and teachers who can’t afford to live in the communities they serve, according to a press release from Facebook. According to David Wehner, CEO of Facebook, a family of four making $100,000 in San Francisco is considered low income. “The issue of affordable housing affects people across middle-class and low-income families alike,” says Wehner. Facebook will invest $1 billion over the next 10 years as follows: $250 million to a partnership with the State of California for mixed-income housing on excess state-owned land in communities where housing is scarce. $150 million for production of affordable housing, including housing for the homeless, in the San Francisco Bay Area. Facebook will contribute to the Bay’s Future Fund, the affordable housing investment fund of Partnership for the Bay’s Future, to work toward a more livable, equitable and racially and economically diverse Bay Area. $225 million in land in Menlo Park. This is land Facebook previously purchased, that is now zoned for housing, on which …
OAHU, HAWAII — Hunt Capital Partners has provided $10.4 million in federal and state low-income housing tax credit financing, as well as federal solar tax credit equity financing, for the construction of Hale Makana O Maili in Oahu’s Waianae district. Upon completion, Hale Makana O Maili will feature 52 affordable housing units spread across six garden-style residential buildings. Construction began in late September, with completion slated for November 2020. The development team comprises the Hawaiian Community Development Board, Pacific Development Group and 3 Leaf Holdings. Moss & Associates is serving as general contractor and Mark Development will serve as property management for the project.
Bellwether Enterprise Provides $22M Construction Loan for Affordable Housing Development in Hampton, Virginia
by Alex Tostado
HAMPTON, VA. — Bellwether Enterprise Real Estate Capital LLC has provided a $22 million Virginia Housing Development Authority (VHDA) construction loan for Monroe Gates Apartments, a planned 162-unit residential complex in Hampton. The property will offer eight two-story townhomes, four carriage homes and 150 one- and two-bedroom floor plans, 20 percent of which will be priced as affordable housing. The site is located at 200 S. Mallory St., two miles east of downtown Hampton and two miles west of the 409-year-old Fort Monroe. Communal amenities will include a clubhouse, fitness center, media room, conference facilities, dog park and a swimming pool. Kelly Martone of Bellwether originated the 35-year loan on behalf of the borrower, The Whitmore Co.
Housing Trust Group Breaks Ground on 110-Unit Affordable Housing Community Near Tampa
by Alex Tostado
DADE CITY, FLA. — Housing Trust Group (HTG) has broken ground on Osprey Pointe, a 110-unit affordable housing community in Dade City, 40 miles north of downtown Tampa. Located at 13021 U.S. Highway, the property will offer 99 units for those making 60 percent or below the area median income (AMI), while 11 units will be reserved for those making at or below 40 percent AMI. The property will offer one-, two- and three-bedroom floor plans with rents ranging from $544 to $1,044 per month. Communal amenities will include a fitness center, dog park, green space, gathering rooms and swimming pool. HTG expects the first units to be ready in April 2020. Financing for the $32.8 million development comes from a combination of 4 percent low income housing tax credits (LIHTCs), a construction loan by Fifth Third Bank and a permanent loan from Key Bank. Pasco County also contributed a $50,000 SHIP loan, and Florida Housing Finance Corp. provided $6 million in SAIL funds and $556,900 in ELI funds.
Urban Innovations Completes Construction of 16-Unit Affordable Housing Project in Evanston, Illinois
EVANSTON, ILL. — Urban Innovations Ltd. has completed construction of a ground-up, 16-unit affordable housing project in Evanston on behalf of Housing Opportunities for Women (HOW). The three-story building is located at 1305 Pitner Ave. Amenities include community space on each floor, first-floor storage units, laundry facilities and parking. Michael Newman of SHED Studio served as the architect. North Wells Capital is the investment affiliate of Urban Innovations. HOW is a Chicago-based nonprofit that provides affordable housing solutions and poverty prevention strategies.
NorthMarq Secures $69M Refinancing for Four Affordable Housing Properties in New Jersey
by Alex Patton
NEW JERSEY — NorthMarq has secured a $69 million loan for the refinancing of four affordable housing properties all in Hudson County, a western suburb of New York City. The properties include Church Square South, an 81-unit property in Hoboken; Eastview Apartments, a 79-unit property also in Hoboken; New Floral Gardens, a 91-unit property in North Bergen; and Parkview East, a 71-unit property in Weehawken. Gary Cohen of NorthMarq secured the refinancing through two New Jersey-based banks. The borrower was not disclosed.