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 …
Affordable Housing
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.
Merchants Capital Secures $16M Construction Financing for Affordable Housing Property in Minneapolis
MINNEAPOLIS — Merchants Capital has secured $16 million in construction and permanent financing for The Redwell, a 109-unit affordable housing property in the North Loop District of Minneapolis. The financing includes a Merchants Bank of Indiana construction loan and a Fannie Mae mortgage-backed security as tax-exempt bond (M.TEB) forward loan. This type of Fannie Mae loan can be used to finance the new construction and rehabilitation of multifamily affordable housing properties. Financing also included $7.9 million in low-income housing tax credit equity. Schafer Richardson and WNC were the borrowers. The Redwell will rise six stories and include first-floor commercial space. The Minneapolis Public Housing Authority (MPHA) will provide 22 Section 8 vouchers whereby households will pay 30 percent of their income toward rent, with the balance paid by federal subsidies administered by MPHA. The remaining units will be priced at the fair-market rate for 60 percent of the area median income.
ATLANTA — Legacy Shamrock Community has sold Shamrock Gardens, a 344-unit affordable housing community in Atlanta, for $23.5 million. Built in 1967, Shamrock Gardens is an all-brick property offering one-, two- and three-bedroom floor plans. Communal amenities include a community center, computer room, two playgrounds, onsite laundry facilities, community garden and an orchard. The property also offers a state-certified onsite daycare for children ages six weeks to 12 years old, which is open to both residents and non-residents. The daycare is a recipient of the Georgia Lottery Pre-K program, which is free and based on “Bright from the Start” requirements and standards. Located at 1988 Plaza Lane, the property has MARTA bus stops onsite and is near Camp Creek Market and Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. Barden Brown, Cory Caroline Sams, Taylor Brown, Chandler Brown and Bo Brown of Greystone Brown Real Estate Advisors represented the seller in the transaction and procured the buyer, Alcott Capital. Greystone also provided a 10-year, $19.3 million Fannie Mae acquisition loan to Alcott.
WNC Closes $210M in Institutional LIHTC Funds to Develop, Renovate More Than 1,900 Affordable Housing Units
by Amy Works
IRVINE, CALIF. — WNC, a provider of investment, asset management and development services in the affordable housing industry, has closed two institutional Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) funds. WNC Institutional Tax Credit Fund 47 (WNC Corp. 47) and WNC Institutional Tax Credit Fund 10 California Series 17 (CA 17) total approximately $210 million in equity. Together, the equity from the funds will be used to develop and renovate more than 1,900 affordable housing units in the United States. WNC Corp. 47 raised $134.6 million in equity, and CA 17 raised $75.5 million. The closure of the funds brings Irvine-based WNC’s total equity raised since inception to approximately $5.2 billion. The properties that will be funded are located in Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Montana, Virginia and Wyoming. The assets will include multifamily and seniors housing projects in urban, suburban and rural areas. One project of note is Mason Square Apartments II in Springfield, Mass., which is an adaptive reuse of two historic buildings — the former Indian Motorcycle manufacturing mill complex constructed in 1890 and the Masson Square Fire House, originally constructed in 1920. Another notable project is Park West Estates in Los Angeles County, Calif. …
Housing Trust Group Delivers Phase II of Affordable Housing Complex in Central Florida
by Alex Tostado
BROOKSVILLE, FLA. — Housing Trust Group has delivered Phase II of Freedom Gardens, an affordable housing complex in Brooksville. Phase II comprises 94 units, bringing Freedom Gardens to a total of 190 units. A majority of the units are reserved for residents earning 60 percent of the area median income (AMI), while 10 units are reserved for those making 40 percent of the AMI. The community offers one-, two- and three-bedroom floor plans, with monthly rents ranging from $503 to $1,045 per month. Freedom Gardens is located at 932 Freedom Way, about 50 miles north of downtown Tampa. Phase II was financed with an $8.4 million construction loan from CitiBank backed with a Multifamily Mortgage Revenue Note from Florida Housing Finance Corp., permanent financing from CitiBank of up to $5.2 million, $5.9 million of 4 percent low income housing tax credit (LIHTC) equity through Raymond James, a $5.5 million State Apartment Incentive Loan (SAIL) and a $493,400 Extremely Low Income (ELI) loan, both through Florida Housing Finance Corp.