TRAVERSE CITY, MICH. — Greystone has provided a $28.2 million HUD-insured 221(d)(4) loan for the construction of Corners Crossing in Traverse City. Wallick Communities and Homestretch Nonprofit Housing Corp. are co-developing the 192-unit, $45 million multifamily community. Plans call for 96 one bedrooms, 78 two bedrooms and 18 three-bedroom units across eight buildings. Units will be designated for those earning between 80 and 120 percent of the area median income. Corners Crossing will also feature a clubhouse with an onsite management office and resident amenities, including a fitness center, computer center and patio. Construction is expected to take approximately 24 months and be completed in the second quarter of 2026. Brian Jones of Greystone originated the loan on behalf of JHT Wallick Holdings LLC. In addition to the loan from Greystone, the property will be financed with funds from the American Rescue Plan Act awarded by Grand Traverse County and the Michigan State Housing Development Authority. Additionally, Blair Township passed its first-ever Payment in Lieu of Taxes ordinance for the project, creating a fixed rate for the development’s real estate taxes.
Affordable Housing
DULUTH, MINN. — Standard Communities led a public-private partnership in acquiring Lenox Place Apartments in Duluth, an eastern Minnesota city along Lake Superior. The transaction is capitalized at $37.1 million. Built in 1980 and located at 701 W. Superior St., the affordable housing property features 152 units. There are 143 one-bedroom units and nine two-bedroom residences for seniors and individuals with disabilities. Standard will extend the affordability of Lenox Place Apartments for 30 years, with resident income restricted to 60 percent of the area median income. Funding for the acquisition included Low-Income Housing Tax Credits secured through the Minnesota Housing Finance Agency, and the Housing Redevelopment Authority of Duluth issued tax-exempt bonds. Huntington Bank provided the tax credit equity. Standard will significantly renovate the 14-story property at a cost of approximately $12 million. Residents will not be relocated during the renovations.
LONG BEACH, CALIF. — Los Angeles-based Meta Housing Corp., in partnership with Foundation for Affordable Housing, has broken ground on 1400 Long Beach, an affordable housing community in Long Beach, a suburb south of Los Angeles. Located at 1400 Long Beach Blvd., the development will be a six-story residential building offering 163 one-, two- and three-bedroom units. Onsite amenities will include a community room, technology hub and private courtyard. The project will offer housing for low- and moderate-income family households earning between 30 percent and 70 percent of the area median income. Project partners include Foundation for Affordable Housing, California Housing Finance Agency, Bank of America, Century Housing Corp., California Tax Credit Allocation Committee and California Debt Limit Allocation Committee.
PITTSBURGH — New Jersey-based Tryko Partners has completed Cedarwood Homes, an age-restricted affordable housing project located at the site of the former Fairywood School in Pittsburgh. The majority (39) of the property’s 46 one-bedroom units are reserved for renters earning 60 percent or less of the area median income. Merchants Capital provided $11 million in financing for Cedarwood Homes, and The Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency awarded 9 percent Low-Income Housing Tax Credits to the developer to fund the project. Construction began last summer, and leasing commenced in February.
AUSTIN, TEXAS — Comunidad Partners, an investment firm that specializes in affordable and workforce housing, has acquired the 358-unit Toscana Apartment Homes in northwest Austin. Built in 2001, the property features one-, two-, and three-bedroom units that are reserved for households earning between 60 and 120 percent of the area median income. Residences are furnished with stainless steel appliances, faux wood flooring, stone countertops and individual washers and dryers. Amenities include a pool, playground and a pet park. Comunidad Partners plans to implement a capital improvement program that elevates common areas and living spaces, including installing a pickleball court and adding private yards. The seller and sales price were not disclosed.
SG Holdings Delivers 578-Unit Affordable Seniors Housing Community in Miami’s Overtown Neighborhood
by John Nelson
MIAMI — SG Holdings, a partnership between Swerdlow Group, SJM Partners and Alben Duffie, has completed the housing component of Sawyer’s Walk, marking the delivery of the largest affordable senior living community in the United States within the last decade, according to the developer. The studio, one- and two-bedroom housing units, which are designated for seniors earning at or below an average of 60 percent of the area median income (AMI), sit atop Sawyer’s Walk’s shops and parking garage. Sawyer’s Walk, a $350 million mixed-use development, is underway in the Overtown neighborhood of Miami. Upon full build-out it will total 1.5 million square feet, including the 578 residential units completed that will be home to low-income seniors; 175,000 square feet of retail space committed to tenants including Target (50,000 square feet) and Aldi (25,000 square feet); a 25,000-square-foot public plaza; and 130,000 square feet of office space acquired by MSC Group that will anchor its North American cruise division headquarters. The retail component is slated to open this fall. SG Holdings broke ground on the 3.4-acre, mixed-use development in June 2021. The public-private partnership was made possible through a collaboration with the City of Miami’s Southeast Overtown/Park West Community Redevelopment …
KeyBank Funds $45.4M Financing for Camas Flats Affordable Housing Project in Oak Harbor, Washington
by Amy Works
OAK HARBOR, WASH. — KeyBank Community Development Lending and Investment (CDLI) has provided $17.9 million in federal Low Income Housing Tax Credit equity and a $19.3 million construction loan for the construction of Camas Flats, an affordable residential property in Oak Harbor, located on an island north of Seattle. KeyBank Commercial Mortgage Group also arranged an $8.2 million Fannie Mae MTEB permanent loan for the project. Shelter Resources Inc., a Bellevue-based affordable housing developer, is the borrower. Additionally, Opportunity Council (OC) will service as the nonprofit general partner for the project, providing supportive services and case management to tenants on site. Camas Flats will consist of 10 garden-style, walk-up apartment buildings offering a mix of one-, two- and three-bedroom units, as well as one manager’s unit. Community amenities will include a playground, park and community building. The community will provide 81 affordable housing units for residents earning between 30 percent and 80 percent of area median income. Camas Flats will also include eight units that are specifically Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH) for those experiencing homelessness and two units for veterans. For the PSH units, OC will offer full-time case management services that are focused on wellness, medical health and behavioral health …
DETROIT — The Community Builders has broken ground on Phase I of Preserve on Ash, which will consist of a 69-unit mixed-income housing development in Detroit. The new development marks the first groundbreaking for what will ultimately comprise nearly 600 new and preserved units of affordable housing in the greater Corktown area made possible thanks to a $30 million Choice Neighborhoods grant that the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development awarded to the city in 2021. The city had sought the grant anticipating the rising rents that would be coming to Corktown as a result of Ford’s revitalization of Michigan Central Station. Preserve on Ash Phase I will include five buildings and more than 5,800 square feet of retail space. Of the 69 units, 48 will be reserved for those who earn up to 60 percent of the area median income. Phases II and III of Preserve on Ash are expected to begin construction next year.
AURORA, ILL. — McShane Construction Co. has completed Fox Valley Apartments in Aurora on behalf of Housing For All LLC in collaboration with Visionary Ventures, Cordogan Clark & Associates and JTE Real Estate Services. The project includes one new building and two renovated historic school buildings to offer a total of 47 affordable housing units. McShane remodeled Lincoln Elementary School, a 39,000-square-foot building originally constructed in 1893, to accommodate 14 units. The school closed in 2007 due to low enrollment and remained vacant until construction of the apartments began. Also on that site, McShane constructed a new, two-story building to offer 22 units. Originally an elementary school, Mary A. Todd School was transformed into 11 apartment units and a healthcare clinic for uninsured or underinsured families. The building was originally constructed in the early 1900s and most recently housed West Aurora School District’s early childhood programs until the programs were moved to a new facility in 2019. During the remodeling process, McShane kept historical features of the schools, including trim, flooring, chalkboards, lockers, windows and doors. Cordogan Clark & Associates designed the units, which are offered in one- to three-bedroom floor plans. Amenities include a laundry room, community room, computer …
ATLANTA — The City of Atlanta, through Atlanta Urban Development (AUD), has unveiled plans for three new affordable housing projects, including the redevelopment of the Mall West End. Together, the projects will add nearly 350 affordable housing units for residents earning up to 80 percent of the area median income (AMI). At least one community is scheduled to begin lease-up by the second quarter of 2025, with the others beginning construction this fall and summer 2025. The Mall West End would be the largest of the redevelopments, transforming the 12-acre mall into a 1.7 million-square-foot mixed-use development. BRP Cos. is the developer. Key elements of the Mall West End redevelopment plan include: approximately 120,000 square feet of retail space, including a grocery store, fitness center, food and beverage, and local boutiques; 893 mixed-income rental units; 152 beds of student housing; a 150-key hotel; 12,000 square feet of medical office space; and community amenities. The project site is located steps from four Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) that make up the Atlanta University Center — Clark Atlanta University, Morehouse College, Morehouse School of Medicine and Spelman College. According to a news release from the city, the Mall West End redevelopment …