Affordable Housing

COLUMBUS, OHIO — Woda Cooper Cos. Inc. and its co-developer Community Development for All People (CD4AP) have opened Columbus Renaissance Housing, a 46-unit affordable housing community located at 33 W. Morrill Ave. in Columbus. The property is reserved for renters with household incomes up to 60 percent of the area median income, which is $61,980 per year for a family of four. The project is comprised of one three-story building. There are 12 one-bedroom units, 28 two-bedroom apartments and six three-bedroom units. The property is certified LEED Silver. Amenities include a community room, parcel room, fitness center, central laundry, a playground, onsite office and bike racks. CD4AP is operating an onsite office to assist residents with advocacy, financial literacy, community enrichment activities and goal setting as well as referrals for addiction counseling, childcare, healthcare, employment and legal counsel. Columbus Renaissance Housing represents a combination of public and private investment from entities, including the City of Columbus, Franklin County, Ohio Housing Finance Agency (OHFA), Affordable Housing Trust for Columbus & Franklin County (AHT) and Columbus-Franklin County Finance Authority, as well as several commercial investors and lenders. The City of Columbus provided a low-interest permanent loan and approved a 15-year tax abatement …

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CHICAGO — Walker & Dunlop Inc. has arranged $22.6 million in equity for Parkside 5, the fifth and final phase of the Parkside at Old Town development, a 99-unit community located on the former Cabrini-Green public housing site in Chicago’s Near North Side. Jennifer Erixon led the Walker & Dunlop team that syndicated Low-Income Housing Tax Credits and Illinois Donation Tax Credits on behalf of the borrower, Holsten Real Estate Development Corp. Walker & Dunlop Affordable Equity syndicated the equity to JP Morgan, resulting in $22.6 million of equity to support the development. In addition to syndicating the credits, JP Morgan is also providing a construction loan. The funding will support the construction of a mix of market-rate and affordable units, with 37 of the units benefitting from a 20-year Section 8 Housing Assistance Payment contract. The affordable units will be reserved for households earning between 50 and 60 percent of the area median income. Parkside 5 will feature three three-story, walk-up buildings and an eight-story mid-rise structure with townhome units at its base. Planned amenities include a community room, fitness center and onsite social services for residents. A playground and dog park will be open to the community.

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ST. PAUL, MINN. — Merchants Capital has arranged $32.9 million in financing for the construction of East 7th Street, a 60-unit affordable and supportive housing development in St. Paul. Merchants Capital provided $18.9 million in 9 percent Low-Income Housing Tax Credit equity and secured a $14 million bridge loan from Merchants Bank. The project will include 17 units designated for individuals earning up to 30 percent of the area median income (AMI) and 43 units for those earning up to 60 percent AMI. Seven units will be set aside for people with disabilities and seven units will be reserved for high-priority homeless housing via Ramsey County Housing Support Program and Coordinated Entry System. Developed by Project for Pride in Living, the community was designed to accommodate “grandfamilies” with large family kinship. East 7th Street will offer one- to five-bedroom apartments. Amenities will include a fitness center, package lockers, onsite management and maintenance, bike storage, a playground, lounge area, conference room and storage units. Construction began in December and is expected to be completed in 12 months.

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The investment sales panel at Interface Affordable Housing Southeast

ATLANTA — Affordable housing is facing a tumultuous second half of the year. Tariffs on building materials such as lumber, steel and aluminum are slowing development activity as they elevate construction costs. Investment sales are also likely to be impacted by unstable economic conditions in the affordable housing sector, where many transactions are conducted within a limited budget due to the nature of income restrictions for renters. Amid high costs and trade uncertainty, many investors are making the decision to stay on the sidelines or invest in markets with more stable conditions. Editor’s note: InterFace Conference Group, a division of France Media Inc., produces networking and educational conferences for commercial real estate executives. To sign up for email announcements about specific events, visit www.interfaceconferencegroup.com/subscribe. “The most experienced, best qualified buyers are being careful about what they purchase,” said Kyle Shoemaker, a managing director at Affordable Housing Investment Brokerage. The Downers Grove, Illinois-based company arranges acquisitions and dispositions of Section 8, Section 42, low-income housing tax credit (LIHTC) and tax credit housing.  “The affordable housing sector was heated in 2021,” Shoemaker continued. “At that point in time, we were getting more calls than ever from multifamily investors who were interested in entering the affordable …

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FORT MYERS, FLA. — National CORE has announced plans to develop Oak Park Senior Living, an affordable seniors housing project in Fort Myers. Upon completion, the four-story community will feature 144 apartment units for residents age 62 and older earning between 30 and 65 percent of the area median income. Residences will include 124 one-bedroom apartments and 20 two-bedroom apartments. Amenities will include a community room, cybercafe, swimming pool, fitness room, community garden and a pickleball court. Residents will have access to computer training, daily activities and free assistance with light housekeeping, grocery shopping and laundry through AGPM, National CORE’s property management partner. KeyBank Community Development Lending and Investment has provided $16 million in low-income housing tax credit (LIHTC) equity. KeyBank’s Commercial Mortgage Group privately placed $22 million in tax exempt bonds for the construction and originated a $7.4 million Freddie Mac Forward commitment for permanent financing, which will be funded upon stabilization of the community. Florida Housing Finance Corp. has committed $22 million to the project in the form of a Multifamily Mortgage Revenue Note, as well as $9.5 million from the Rental Recovery Loan Program, $1.2 million of Extremely Low-Income funding and $1.9 million in 4 percent LIHTC …

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Baldwinville-School-Apartments-Templeton-Massachusetts

TEMPLETON, MASS. — A partnership between metro Boston-based MPZ Development and Capstone Communities will undertake a $36 million multifamily adaptive reuse project in Templeton, about 65 miles northwest of Boston. Designed by ICON Architecture, the project will convert the historic Baldwinville Elementary School, which was originally built in 1923, into a 54-unit apartment complex that will be known as Baldwinville School Apartments. Residences will come in studio, one-, two- and three-bedroom floor plans, and the majority (49) of the units will be reserved for households earning between 30 and 60 percent of the area median income. Amenities will include a children’s playground, fitness center, electric vehicle charging stations, onsite laundry facilities and a community walking trail and green space. Rockland Trust provided $21.5 million in construction financing for the project. A groundbreaking ceremony will take place in May.

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WASHINGTON, D.C. — Colliers Mortgage has arranged a $5.7 million HUD-insured loan to refinance Stanton Park Apartments, a 62-unit affordable housing community located in Washington, D.C.  As part of the refinance, the Non-Profit Community Development Corp. of Washington, D.C. (NPCDC) has obtained an extension for its use restriction to preserve its affordable housing options while operating under the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) program. The HUD loan features a 35-year term and amortization schedule. Stanton Park Apartments comprises three one-bedroom units, 42 two-bedroom units and 17 three-bedroom units. Laundry facilities are located in each building, while disabled-accessible units contain an in-unit washer/dryer. Additional amenities at the property include barbecue and picnic areas and onsite parking.

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WHITEHALL, OHIO — Woda Cooper Cos. Inc. and co-developer IMPACT Community Action have opened The Enclave in Whitehall, six miles east of Columbus. The 102-unit affordable housing community is located at 3540 E. Main St. The $29.9 million development is reserved for renters who earn between 30 and 80 percent of the area median income. Rents range from $435 to $1,240 per month, depending on income restriction and size of unit. The City of Whitehall approved a Payment in Lieu of Taxes related to the real estate taxes for 15 years on 100 percent of the residential improvements. The development also received significant support from Franklin County. The Board of Commissioners approved a permanent mortgage loan through its Magnet Fund program. The project also benefits from a $25 million linked deposit fund created by the Franklin County Treasurer Brooks Sullivan. The four-story building features a large mural created by Ohio-based muralists Lucie Shearer and Thom Glick. Units at The Enclave offer one-, two- and three-bedroom layouts. Several units are adapted for those with mobility challenges and/or sight and hearing disabilities. Amenities include a community room with kitchenette and management office. The development is certified LEED Gold. The project also features …

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Cornerstone-at-Galloway

GALLOWAY, N.J. — Locally based developer Walters is underway on construction of Phase I of Cornerstone at Galloway, a project in southern coastal New Jersey that will deliver 66 affordable housing units to the local supply. Residences will be furnished with full-size washers and dryers and fully equipped kitchens, and amenities will include a multipurpose clubhouse with a fitness center, as well as a children’s tot lot, basketball court and computer workstations. Cornerstone at Galloway will ultimately offer 198 units in one-, two- and three-bedroom floor plans that will be developed across two phases and will be reserved for households earning 60 percent or less of the area median income.

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La-Central-Bronx

NEW YORK CITY — A partnership between locally based owner-operators, The Hudson Cos. and BRP Cos., has received $343 million in financing for Phase II of La Central, a multifamily project in the South Bronx that will add 420 affordable and supportive housing units to the local supply. The second phase will encompass Building C (166 units) and Building E (254 units), which will rise 13 and 26 stories, respectively, and house one-, two-, three- and four-bedroom units that will be reserved for households earning between 30 and 80 percent of the area median income. In addition, Phase II, which is slated for a 2028 completion, will include 1,567 square feet of commercial space, 13,000 square feet of community space and 7,134 square feet of public garden space. Building C will be constructed to meet Passive House standards, operating entirely on electricity to eliminate carbon emissions, while Building E will be built to achieve LEED Gold certification. Following completion of Phase II, La Central will comprise more than 1,000 units across five buildings. Buildings A and B, which opened in 2021, house nearly 500 affordable apartments between them, and Building A is also home to a YMCA. Building D, completed …

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