Affordable Housing

MIAMI BEACH, FLA. — The Housing Authority of the City of Miami Beach and Atlantic Pacific Cos. have broken ground on Vista Breeze, a 119-unit affordable seniors housing development. situated near the Normandy Shores Golf Course at 280 S. Shore Drive. The property represents the largest affordable housing development to break ground in Miami Beach in 45 years, according to the developers. Vista Breeze will feature Miami modern (MiMo) architecture and include onsite parking, a community center and a business center. Units will be reserved for seniors earning no more than 80 percent of the area median income (AMI). The community is funded by $9 million of subordinate debt provided by the Florida Housing Finance Corp.; a $1 million HOME loan from City of Miami Beach; $6 million Surtax loan from Miami-Dade County; $11.9 million permanent loan issued by Citi Community Capital; debt and equity from Bank of America; and bonds issued by the Miami-Dade County Housing Finance Authority. Construction is expected to be complete at Vista Breeze by late-spring 2025.

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BOSTON — Beacon Communities has completed the renovation of Lenox Apartments, a 285-unit affordable housing community in the South End/Lower Roxbury neighborhood of Boston. Lenox Apartments comprises 13 buildings and offers one-, two- and three-bedroom floor plans. According to Beacon Communities, the property was originally built in 1939 as the first public housing project in Boston dedicated to serving African Americans. The renovation was funded through a mix of state and federal housing and historic tax credits, as well as public and private loans.

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AUSTIN, TEXAS — Cleveland-based multifamily developer The NRP Group has completed The Markson, a mixed-income housing project in the Barton Springs area of Austin. Named after former company executive Dan Markson, the $60 million property comprises 330 units, more than half of which will be reserved for renters earning 80 percent or less of the area median income. Amenities include a pool, dog park, conference rooms, coworking lounge, coffee bar, fitness center, game room, outdoor kitchen, volleyball and bocce ball courts and access to surrounding nature trails. The NRP Group developed The Markson in partnership with the Housing Authority of the City of Austin. Amegy Bank and J.P. Morgan Asset Management provided financing for the project. According to the property website, monthly rents at The Markson’s essential worker living units start at $1,442 while market-rate units start at $1,790.

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DALLAS — Los Angeles-based Banyan Residential, in partnership with Bridge Investment Group, has completed Banyan Flats, a 289-unit multifamily project located at 2022 N. Beckley Ave., just west of downtown Dallas. Floor plans feature micro, studio, one-, two- and three-bedroom units ranging in size from 415 to 1,425 square feet. Roughly half the units are reserved for households earning 80 percent or less of the area median income. Amenities include a pool, fitness center, clubhouse, dog wash and a rooftop deck. JHP Architecture designed the project, and J.P. Morgan provided construction financing. Rents start at $1,345 per month for a studio apartment.

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349-S-La-Fayette-Pl-Los-Angeles-CA

LOS ANGELES — Colliers has arranged the sale of an affordable apartment community located at 349 S. La Fayette Place in the La Fayette Park neighborhood of Los Angeles. The asset traded for $43.4 million, or $362,000 per unit. Kitty Wallace and Kalli Knight of Colliers represented the buyer and seller in the transaction. Situated on a 43,000-square-foot lot, the three-story property features 120 affordable apartments. The buyer paid cash to preserve the right to create and maintain affordable housing, and purchased the property with the intent of promoting and advancing workforce and affordable housing initiatives. Built in 1971 and extensively remodeled in 2017, the property features 120 subterranean parking spots with third-party billing for electric vehicle charging stations. Currently, 85 percent of the units are fully renovated. The units feature stainless steel appliances, in-suite washers/dryers, hardwood floors with carpeting in the bedrooms and mini-split air conditioners and heaters. Community amenities include a new roof, updated plumbing and boiler, a resurfaced and modernized pool, built-in barbecue area, redesigned fitness center, electric vehicle charging stations and elevator modernizations. All units also include 100-amp electrical panels and new plumbing to accommodate the installation of in-unit washers and dryers.

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Garden-Towers-Bronx

NEW YORK CITY — A partnership between locally based developer Foxy Management, social services firm HANAC Inc. and JLD Advisory LLC has completed Garden Towers, a 149-unit affordable seniors housing project in the Morrisania neighborhood of The Bronx. Garden Towers consists of two midrise buildings that house 109 studios and 40 one-bedroom units. All residences are reserved for renters earning 50 percent or less of the area median income, and 30 percent of the units are designated for formerly homeless individuals. Amenities include multipurpose rooms, a social services suite, computer room and onsite laundry facilities. Newman Design served as the project architect, and Lendlease provided construction management services.

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Eagle-Mill-Lee-Massachusetts

LEE, MASS. — MassHousing has provided $5.8 million in financing for an affordable housing redevelopment project in the western Massachusetts city of Lee. The project will convert the two historic former Eagle Mill buildings, which were originally constructed in 1808 and closed in 2008, into a 56-unit complex with commercial space. Units will feature a range of floor plans and income restrictions. The developer is a partnership between Rees-Larkin Development LLC and Berkshire Housing Development Corp.

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Brooklyn Crossing

NEW YORK CITY — M&T Realty Capital Corp., a wholly owned subsidiary of Buffalo, N.Y.-based M&T Bank (NYSE: MTB), has provided a $414.8 million Freddie Mac conventional loan to refinance Brooklyn Crossing, a 51-story, 858-unit apartment tower in Brooklyn. The borrower is The Brodsky Organization, an owner and developer of luxury apartments, condos and retail properties in New York City. While the majority of the apartments at Brooklyn Crossing are luxury units, 258 are affordable. Located in the posh Prospect Heights neighborhood, the building is immediately adjacent to Barclays Center, home of the NBA’s Brooklyn Nets and WNBA’s New York Liberty.  The property offers studio, one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments. Amenities include a screening room, large fitness center, rooftop terrace and lounge, and outdoor pool. According to the property website, studio apartments rent for approximately $3,500 a month and three-bedroom units rent for approximately $9,000 monthly. Robert Barry, senior vice president in M&T Realty Capital’s New York City office, led the refinancing. Andrea Wagonseller of M&T Bank led the initial construction loan, which this transaction refinanced.  “With its unparalleled amenities and convenient access to multiple subway lines, Brooklyn Crossing has transformed the Prospect Heights neighborhood,” says Michael Edelman, CEO of …

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Villas-Shadow-Oaks-Austin

By Antonio Marquez, managing partner, Comunidad Partners Amenities are important when it comes to renter appeal. However, what residents want from their apartment complexes is based on different issues, like socioeconomic status.  Indeed, a resort-style pool, yoga rooms and fitness centers are nice. But residents at properties owned by Comunidad Partners, an operator of workforce housing communities across Sun Belt markets, want more than these features in their community. To understand our residents — our customer base — we asked them questions, tried programs and obtained feedback. From this, we determined that our residents’ top three concerns were health, community safety and managing finances. However, expense management didn’t involve debt restructuring or financial literacy. Instead, access to the financial system was the issue. Thanks to this feedback, we’ve developed and are implementing programs at two of our properties in Texas — Villas at Alameda in Fort Worth and the Villas at Shadow Oaks in Austin — to help residents access financial services like high-interest savings accounts. These intangible amenities help build and enrich communities while strengthening resident retention and other operational factors that benefit investors. Sensing Residents’ Priorities In determining the right amenities to support residents, it’s essential to understand …

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SHERMAN, TEXAS — GREA, a multifamily brokerage firm with a dozen offices around the country, has negotiated the sale of Hilltop Village, a 248-unit affordable housing property in the North Texas city of Sherman. According to Apartments.com, Hilltop Village was built in 1969 and offers one-, two- and three-bedroom units. Residences are reserved for households earning 80 percent or less of the area median income. Amenities include a playground, volleyball court and outdoor grilling and dining stations. Mark Allen led the GREA team that brokered the deal. The seller was not disclosed. The buyer, Brazos Residential, plans to invest about $11 million in capital improvements to the property.

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