CHELSEA, MASS. — MassDevelopment has provided $24.5 million in tax-exempt bond financing for a 66-unit affordable housing project that will be located just south of Boston in Chelsea. The building at 170 Cottage St. will ultimately house 11 three-bedroom units, 43 two-bedroom apartments and 12 one-bedroom residences. Units will be reserved for households earning up to 30, 50 or 60 percent or the area median income. The development will also include onsite parking and 15,000 square feet of open green space. A subsidiary of Eastern Bank purchased the bond, and the project is also being funded by $19.7 million in federal tax credits. The developer is nonprofit agency The Community Builders.
NEW YORK CITY — CL Credit, a division of New York-based investment firm Castle Lanterra Properties, has provided a $24 million loan for the refinancing of an 81-unit affordable housing property located at 53 E. 177th St. in The Bronx. Completed in 2023, the property comprises three studios, 38 one-bedroom units, 30 two-bedroom apartments and one ground-floor retail space. The undisclosed borrower will use a portion of the proceeds to retire senior construction debt and fund remaining lease-up costs.
MADISON, WIS. — McShane Construction Co. will build Canyons, a 60-unit affordable housing community in Madison. Lincoln Avenue Communities is the developer. The four-story project will be constructed atop a concrete parking garage. The property will feature 3,750 square feet of amenity space, including a fitness center, laundry room, mail room and clubroom. The project is designed to achieve Wisconsin Green Built Homes Gold Certification and EnergyStar Multifamily Certification with a solar panel system on the roof to offset electricity costs for the common areas. Completion is slated for June 2025. Knothe & Bruce Architects is the project architect.
CHICAGO — Habitat has received $4.5 million in Low-Income Housing Tax Credits (LIHTC) from the City of Chicago for major renovations to Riverside Village, a 258-unit affordable housing property in the city’s Riverdale neighborhood. Located at 13215 S. Indiana Ave., the community is comprised of 39 buildings. The tax credits will enable Habitat to refinance existing debt on the property and fund onsite rehabilitation work, including new plumbing and HVAC systems, upgraded unit interiors, improved accessibility in common areas and exterior improvements to the playground and basketball court. No residents will be displaced during the renovation, which is scheduled to begin in 2025 and be completed in 2026. Riverside Village was among 13 LIHTC developments selected by Mayor Brandon Johnson and the Chicago Department of Housing to be funded through the 2023 Qualified Allocation Plan. Every two years, the City of Chicago publishes an updated Qualified Allocation Plan, which sets the rules for assessing federal tax credits. Constructed in the late 1960s as a mix of rental and co-op units, Riverside Village was originally known as Eden Green. Habitat purchased the property in 2007 and subsequently rehabbed the buildings using tax credits, conventional debt and subordinate loans from the city …
NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. — The Community Builders, a nonprofit multifamily developer, has broken ground on Stirlingside Residences, a 53-unit affordable housing project in the Central New Jersey community of New Brunswick. Stirlingside Residences will feature 13 three-bedroom units, 30 two-bedroom residences and 10 one-bedroom apartments, with six units set aside for families and individuals who previously experienced homelessness. The majority (47) of the units are reserved for households earning 60 percent or less of the area median income. Amenities will include a community room, fitness room and onsite laundry facilities. Delivery is scheduled for mid-2025.
BOSTON — Marcus & Millichap has brokered the $5.3 million sale of a 20-unit workforce housing building in the Dorchester area of Boston. The four-story building at 820-828 Blue Hill Ave. offers one-, two- and three-bedroom units across 21,410 square feet of space. Information on specific income restrictions was not disclosed. Evan Griffith and Tony Pepdjonovic of Marcus & Millichap represented the seller and procured the buyer, both of which requested anonymity, in the transaction.
With elevated prices on everything from land to debt financing, insurance, building materials and labor, developers face an uphill climb attempting to pencil out multifamily projects at a profit. That’s why in 2024, developers are opting for practical and convenient amenities over luxury and choosing builder-friendly suburban locations over complex urban sites. And with diminishing room to raise rents on market-rate apartments, many investors and developers are shifting their attention to affordable and workforce housing, where incentives offset some expenses and, ideally, help position projects to deliver positive returns. “Market-rate developers in our region are starting to change their model to embrace more of an affordable product,” confirms Chad Riddle, Atlanta branch manager at Bohler. “Unfortunately, that puts them behind the eight ball because they may not know the tricks of the trade and they are competing with affordable housing developers that already know the business and are thriving.” There is no single strategy to pencil out a profitable multifamily project, but developers are achieving success by sticking to proven, cost-effective design elements and amenities, avoiding costly missteps and cutting down unnecessary spending throughout the development process. Drawing on affordable housing specialists and other in-house experts, Bohler helps clients avoid …
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.
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.
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.