NEW YORK CITY — Greystone has provided a $45 million bridge loan for three Section 8 affordable housing properties in Manhattan. The properties are located in Washington Heights, Morningside Heights, and West Harlem. The borrower was undisclosed. The financing will go toward preserving affordability for residents across the three properties through a new 30-year regulatory agreement with New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development and the extension of the Section 8 contract with HUD.
Affordable Housing
PROVIDENCE, R.I. — Standard Communities has acquired Curtis Arms Apartments, a 106-unit affordable housing community in Providence. The sales price was not disclosed. Standard Communities plans to invest more than $6 million to renovate and modernize the property, including updating unit interiors and upgrading buildings systems such as the roof and elevators. No residents will be displaced as a result of this work.
CHICAGO — Evergreen Real Estate Group has broken ground on Oso Apartments, a 48-unit affordable housing community in Chicago’s Albany Park neighborhood. Located at 3435 W. Montrose Ave., the five-story building will house 32 one-bedroom units and 16 two-bedroom units. First move-ins are scheduled for late summer 2019. Of the 48 units, 32 will be set aside for renters on Chicago Housing Authority’s waiting list. The remaining 16 units will be reserved for households earning up to 60 percent of the area median income. Amenities will include a public plaza, community room, in-building laundry, bike storage and 22 parking spaces. Chicago-based Canopy Architecture + Design served as the project architect. Evergreen Construction Co., a division of Evergreen Real Estate Group, will construct the property.
AURORA, ILL. — SunTrust Banks Inc. has provided a $5.6 million Fannie Mae loan for the refinancing of Fox Shore Apartments in Aurora, a suburb of Chicago. Built in 1970, the five-story building includes 94 units, all of which are designated affordable under Section 8 of the U.S. Housing Act. The property was 96 percent occupied at the time of the loan closing. Evan Hom of SunTrust originated the 10-year loan on behalf of the non-profit borrower.
CHICAGO AND WILLOWBROOK, ILL. — Avanath Capital Management LLC has acquired two affordable housing properties in metro Chicago totaling 668 units for $72.2 million. Avanath’s institutional fund, Avanath Affordable Housing III, was used to acquire the assets. The properties include the 582-unit Hinsdale Lake Terrace in Willowbrook and the 86-unit Drexel Court in Chicago. Avanath plans to upgrade amenity spaces at both properties. Sellers were not disclosed. At the Hinsdale property, 100 percent of the rents are restricted for those earning no more than 60 percent of the area median income. At the Drexel property, resident incomes are restricted per the Illinois Housing Development Authority.
FORT WORTH, TEXAS — Hunt Capital Partners has closed an $11.9 million in LIHTC equity financing for the construction of The Vineyard on Lancaster, a 104-unit apartment project in Fort Worth. The property, which is expected to be complete by late 2019, will include commercial space for a medical clinic. The sponsor was Union Gospel Mission of Tarrant County, a Christian nonprofit organization.
CLEVELAND — KeyBank Community Development Lending & Investment has provided a $6 million construction loan for the acquisition and rehabilitation of the Stuyvesant Motor building in Cleveland. The borrower, Woda Cooper Communities, plans to transform the historic five-story building into Prospect Yard, a 42-unit affordable housing development. The property will serve persons earning at or below 60 percent of the area median income. Constructed in 1911, the building originally housed a production plant, service center, garage and storage for Stuyvesant Motor Co. Kelly Frank of KeyBank originated the loan. CREA, Woda Group and Ohio Housing Finance Agency provided additional funding for the project. Completion is slated for May 2019.
ATLANTA — Capital One has provided a $14.9 million HUD 221(d)(4) rehabilitation and permanent financing loan for Bethel Towers Apartments, an affordable multifamily property located in Atlanta’s Sweet Auburn neighborhood. Capital One’s Carolyn Whatley originated the loan, which features a fixed interest rate and a 40-year term. The Benoit Group, the borrower, is partnering with the Big Bethel AME Church to renovate the community in accordance with Georgia Department of Community Affairs’ architectural and rehabilitation standards. Big Bethel AME Church built the community in 1972 and will share ownership of the newly rehabilitated development. The 16-story building features 180 units in a mix of one- and two-bedroom floorplans. The property is covered by a project-based rental assistance contract through the Section 8 program. Additionally, the property features 165 surface and garage parking spaces, a playground and access to a laundry facility and community meeting space in adjacent commercial and church buildings. The renovation program includes the replacement of electrical wiring, plumbing risers and flooring, kitchen and bath upgrades and the addition of accessible units, a fitness room, business center and picnic pavilion with a grilling area. The rehabilitation plan also calls for environmentally sustainable improvements including high-efficiency common area lighting, …
MassHousing Provides $24.7M in Financing for Affordable Housing Community in Cambridge
by David Cohen
CAMBRIDGE, MASS. — MassHousing has provided $24.7 in financing for Concord Highlands, a six-story, 98-unit affordable housing community in Cambridge. MassHousing provided the borrower, Homeowners Rehab, with an $8.9 million permanent loan, $11.9 million tax credit equity bridge loan and $3.8 million in workforce housing funding. All apartments at the community will be deed-restricted and affordable to low-, moderate- and middle-income households. The project is the largest affordable housing community to be built in Cambridge in 40 years. Ten of the 98 new apartment homes at Concord Highlands will be affordable to households earning 30 percent of the area median income (AMI). Fifty units will be affordable for households earning up to 60 percent AMI. Thirty-eight units will be workforce-housing units, with 21 of the workforce units affordable for households earning up to 80 percent AMI, and 17 workforce housing units for households earning at or below 100 percent AMI. The AMI for Cambridge is $107,800 for a family of four. NEI General Contracting is serving as general contractor for the project. The architect is ICON Architecture.
FORT WORTH, TEXAS — General contractor and design/build firm Fort Construction has broken ground on Vineyard on Lancaster, a 104-unit affordable housing project in Fort Worth. The development costs will total approximately $19 million, according to The Fort Worth Star-Telegram. The builder has partnered with Union Gospel Mission of Tarrant County for the project, which is aiming to begin leasing units by December.