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.
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.
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.
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.
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 …
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 …
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.
PORTLAND, ORE. — A public-private partnership between USA Properties Fund, Northwest Housing Alternatives and Oregon Housing and Community Services (OHCS) has opened The Canopy Apartments at Powell, a multifamily property at 12475 S.E. Powell Blvd. in Portland. Situated 12 miles east of downtown Portland, The Canopy Apartments at Powell features 169 one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments for residents earning less than 60 percent of the area median income. Community amenities include elevators, laundry facilities on each floor, on-site parking, bike room, an after-school program for children, a courtyard with a tot lot, a dog wash and a donation pantry. The $63 million development is the first of two apartment communities in Oregon for USA Properties Fund. The public-private partnership, including $15.2 million from OHCS’ Local Innovation and Fast Track (LIFT) housing program, was critical in paving the way for the project, as well as The Portland Housing Bureau’s waiving of millions of dollars of development fees. Additional project partners included WNC & Associates and JP Morgan Chase as financial partners and WALSH Construction Co. as general contractor.
BELLEVUE, KIRKLAND, SEATAC AND SEATTLE, WASH. — JLL Capital Markets and JLL Public Institutions have arranged $139.6 million in financings from The Amazon Housing Equity Fund over the last six months. The loans are for the development and preservation of 11 affordable housing communities, totaling 1,970 units, spread across the Puget Sound region of Washington State. JLL acted as the credit underwriter for Amazon, which provided long-term, fixed-rate loans for nine separate borrowers. Through Amazon Housing Equity Fund, Seattle-based tech giant Amazon provided low-rate subordinate financing to carry out the acquisition, construction and rehabilitation of the properties and assure that the properties will deliver high-quality housing and 99-year income rent restrictions. The properties included in the financing are: C.W. Early, Mary Davis and David Lott of JLL Capital Markets Debt Advisory worked with Amazon to underwrite and structure the transactions, while Martine Combal and Eileen Tumalad of JLL’s Public Institutions will focus on program management for Amazon.
SWEETWATER, FLA. — CREI Holdings has secured a $67 million construction loan for the development of Li’l Abner III, an affordable and workforce housing community in Sweetwater, roughly 15 miles outside of Miami. Centennial Bank provided the financing. Upon completion, which is scheduled for the second quarter of 2026, the property will feature an eight-story building with 328 one- and two-bedroom apartments, with 40 percent of the residences reserved for households earning 80 percent of the area median income (AMI). Additionally, 40 percent of units will be designated for residents age 55 and older. Amenities at Li’l Abner III, which will be situated adjacent to Li’l Abner I and II, will include a fitness center, lounge, central courtyard and storage facilities. Yuleisy Montalvo of Centennial Bank arranged the financing internally. Attorney Manny Diner represented CREI in the loan transaction, and attorney Richard Barbara represented Centennial Bank.