MINNEAPOLIS — Dougherty Mortgage LLC has provided a $34.1 million HUD loan for the construction of 1500 Nicollet in Minneapolis. Construction of the 183-unit affordable housing property will involve the redevelopment of the southwest corner of 15th Street and Nicollet Avenue. All units will be restricted to families earning 60 percent or less of the area median income. Property amenities will include a community room, fitness center, yoga studio, rooftop decks, dog park and first-floor retail space. Dougherty originated the 40-year loan on behalf of the borrower, Minneapolis Leased Housing Associates IX LLLP. The project will also receive equity from the sale of low-income housing tax credits and funds from the Metropolitan Council and Hennepin County for environmental cleanup costs. Construction has begun and completion is slated for spring 2019.
Affordable Housing
Citizens Bank Provides $17M in Financing for Affordable Housing Project in Upper Dublin, Pennsylvania
by Amy Works
UPPER DUBLIN, PA. — Citizens Bank has provided $17 million in financing to NHM Housing, a partnership of Pennrose Properties and Montgomery County Housing Authority, for a redevelopment project in Upper Dublin. The project will replace 50 units of outdated public housing at 300 Linden Ave. known as North Hills Manor. The existing units, which were built in 1954, will be demolished and replaced with 50 new apartment units in 17 residential buildings ranging in size from one- to four-bedrooms. Additionally, the redevelopment will feature a community building offering a common room, computer lab and property management office. The units are dedicated to families with incomes at or below 60 percent of area median income.
MADISON, WIS. — Royal Capital Group has begun development of The Flats at Grandview Commons in Madison. The $20.3 million affordable housing property will feature 94 units. The property will include six two-story buildings with 28 two-bedroom units and 66 three-bedroom units. Amenities will include a library, computer lab, meeting space and playground. The project is slated to open in fall 2018. The project team includes architect Engberg Anderson and general contractor Horizon Construction. ACC Management Group will manage the property. The Wisconsin Housing & Economic Development Authority provided $11 million in both construction and permanent financing, as well as approved the use of low-income housing tax credits. UnitedHealthcare provided $5.4 million in equity funding through a partnership with Cinnaire and Minnesota Equity Fund. The partnership plans to invest over $85 million to help build 13 new communities in Wisconsin and the Great Lakes region.
Not-So-Affordable Affordable Housing: Low Cap Rates, Funding Challenges Impact Niche Sector
by Katie Sloan
Always on the lookout for new yield-producing products, commercial property investors have turned affordable housing into the latest hot alternative real estate asset. Backed by government subsidies and incentives, affordable housing investments provide the relative safety and income of a high-yield Treasury bond or net-lease investment, which is hard to pass up in the crowded field that has driven up conventional property prices. “A lot of cash buyers and funds have come into the affordable housing market. They see it as a stable asset class,” says Heidi Burkhart, founder and president of New York-based Dane Real Estate, an affordable housing brokerage that has closed some $1.5 billion in transactions since 2008. “It’s a cool time to be in affordable housing; it’s a hot topic.” It’s going to get hotter. Economic and cultural trends portend a shortage of the product for years to come as college debt, unpredictable job creation, high home prices, rising rents and other variables are blocking home ownership and weighing down renters, according to observers and Affordable Housing: Emerging Asset Class, Global Investment Possibilities, a report issued by CBRE in July. In New York City, some 54 percent of renters in 2015 were “cost-burdened,” paying more than …
Bellwether Enterprise Closes $42.1M Refinancing for Three Affordable Housing Properties in Charlotte
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Bellwether Enterprise Real Estate Capital LLC has arranged $42.1 million in refinancing for three affordable housing properties in Charlotte. Victor Agusta of Bellwether Enterprise arranged the loans under the FHA 223(f) program on behalf of the borrower, Horizon Development Properties Inc. (HDP), an affiliate of the Charlotte Housing Authority. HDP received a $24.1 million loan for Southside Homes. The income-based housing development serves seniors, families and individuals with disabilities and includes 381 one- to four-bedroom units. The property is located in Charlotte’s South End neighborhood. HDP also received an $18 million loan for CHA Towers, which includes Edwin Tower in Uptown Charlotte’s Fourth Ward and Charlottetown Terrace in Charlotte’s Dilworth neighborhood. The newly redeveloped Charlottetown Terrace includes 161 units and is LEED Gold-certified. Both loans paid off existing debt and funded reserves for a portfolio of over 40 properties that were converting from a public housing subsidiary program through HUD’s Rental Assistance Demonstration (RAD) program.
ST. PAUL, MINN. — Dougherty Mortgage has arranged a $31.5 million HUD 221(d)(4) loan for the construction of Union Flats in St. Paul. The 217-unit affordable housing property will be located at the intersection of Territorial Road and Hampden Avenue. All units will be restricted to residents earning 60 percent or less of the area median income. The project will be constructed on a site currently occupied by the Hunt Electric Corp. building, which will be demolished. Amenities will include a community room with kitchen, outdoor patio, fitness room, rooftop deck, dog park and storage lockers. Dougherty arranged the 40-year loan for the borrower, St. Paul Leased Housing Associates VIII LLLP. The project will also receive equity through the Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) program, as well as funds from the Metropolitan Council (a regional government agency), the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development, and Ramsey County, to be used for environmental cleanup costs.
WinnCompanies Completes $19.3M Rehabilitation of Affordable Housing Community in Malone, New York
by Amy Works
MALONE, N.Y. — WinnCompanies has completed the $19.3 million rehabilitation of The Trails at Malone, an affordable housing community in Malone. The project included the modernization of the units’ kitchens, bathrooms, wiring, heating and cooling systems, handicapped accessibility, exteriors, community room, playgrounds, security systems and landscaping. The 128-unit property comprises 26 two-story apartment buildings totaling 116,620 square feet. Of the 128 units, 100 are low-income housing tax credit units for residents earning 60 percent of area median income (AMI) or less. The property features 38 one-bedroom, 65 two-bedroom and 25 three-bedroom units. DiMarco Construction served as general contractor and The Architectural Team provided architectural services for the project. WinnResidential is managing the community.
BOSTON — Massachusetts Housing Finance Agency (MassHousing) has provided $2.1 million in financing to Traggorth Cos. and Southwest Boston Community Development for the construction of Residences at Fairmont Station in Boston’s Hyde Park. Located at 11 Nott St., the community will feature 27 apartments for low- and moderate-income households. MassHousing is providing a $1.8 million permanent loan and $300,000 through the agency’s $100 million Workforce Housing Initiative. The community will feature one studio unit, three one-bedroom units, 18 two-bedroom units and five three-bedroom units, as well as a community room, green space and an outdoor play area. Of the 27 units, six will be for low-income households earning at or below 30 percent of the area median income (AMI) supported by a federal Section 8 Housing Assistance Payment Contract, five will be for households with incomes at or below 50 percent of AMI, 13 will be for households with incomes at or below 60 percent AMI, and three will be workforce housing units for households earning at or below 80 percent AMI. The project is also receiving financing from the city of Boston, and the Massachusetts Department of Housing and Community Development as well as an allocation of Low-Income Housing Tax …
CHICAGO — The Joseph J. Duffy Co. has broken ground on Brainerd Park Apartments, a $12 million affordable housing project in Chicago’s 21st ward. The 36-unit property is located at 8920 S. Loomis St. The two-story building features one-, two-, three- and four-bedroom units. The property will serve families earning at or below 60 percent of the area median income. Chicago Housing Authority rental assistance will cover 25 percent of the units. Safeway Construction Co. Inc. is a partner in the construction of the building. Two nonprofit organizations, Full Circle Communities Inc. and Christian Community Health Center, are the co-owners and developers. Hooker DeJong Inc. is providing architectural services.
NEW YORK CITY — Jonathan Rose Cos., a green real estate investment, development and project management firm, has closed a $233 million impact fund. The fund is the firm’s fourth institutional fund focused on acquiring and preserving affordable multifamily housing, implementing practical green strategies to reduce environmental impacts and operating costs and to fund social, educational and other services for residents. The fund closed with aggregate capital commitments of $233 million, reaching the top end of its $150 to $250 million target. Institutional investors, investment advisors and leading impact-investment managers, as well as family offices and high net-worth investors, contributed to the success of the fund. A key component of the fund’s strategy is to develop “communities of opportunities,” adding programs and facilities to properties including on-site community centers, computer-filled classrooms, health and wellness rooms, social service rooms, exercise facilities and community gardens. The programs and facilities were implemented to develop initiatives to connect residents with a range of health, education and social services. As of July 2017, the fund has deployed more than $64 million equity investments. Among the fund’s initial investments is a portfolio of more than 3,300 apartment units across 18 assets in eight states and the District …