Affordable Housing

TYSONS, VA. — The Fairfax County Redevelopment and Housing Authority has purchased a two-acre site near the Spring Hill Metro station in Tysons. The county has reached an agreement with regional nonprofit Arlington Partnership for Affordable Housing (APAH) to develop Dominion Square, a 516-unit affordable housing development that will feature two 20-story towers and a 33,000-square-foot community center operated by the county. The land, which formerly comprised surface parking lots used by auto dealerships, is ground-leased to APAH for 85 years. APAH plans to break ground later this year and deliver the community in 2027. Amazon provided a $55 million loan from its Housing Equity Fund for the Dominion Square project, and Fairfax County has approved the issuance of up to $89 million in tax-exempt bonds.

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NEW YORK CITY AND YONKERS, N.Y. — Wells Fargo (NYSE: WFC) has provided $780.3 million in construction financing to fund the development of five affordable housing projects in the New York City metro area. The San Francisco-based bank provided the financing through its Community Lending and Investment (CLI) group, and all five loans closed in the month of June. The developments, which total more than 1,100 apartments, are underway and include: Peninsula Phase II, Wakefield Yards and Blondell Commons in The Bronx; Edgemere Commons Building B1 in Queens; and St. Clair in Yonkers, about 20 miles north of New York City. The Peninsula community is the second phase of the redevelopment of the former Spofford Juvenile Detention Facility located in the Hunts Point neighborhood of The Bronx. Wells Fargo CLI provided a total of $250.6 million in debt and equity financing to the borrowers: Gilbane Development Co., The Hudson Cos. and MHANY Management. The project will total 359 affordable units, all reserved for tenants earning 70 percent or less of the area median income (AMI), and 54 of the apartments will be set aside for formerly homeless tenants. The project will include a Head Start daycare facility, as well as community …

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NEW YORK CITY — Locally based brokerage firm Ariel Property Advisors has negotiated the $5.8 million sale of a 25-unit affordable housing complex located at 201 W. 148th St. in Harlem. Information on specific income restrictions was not disclosed. Victor Sozio, Shimon Shkury and Michael Tortorici of Ariel Property Advisors represented the seller in the transaction. Additional terms of sale were not disclosed.

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SPRINGFIELD, MASS. — MassHousing has provided $13.3 million in financing for Van der Heyden Apartments, an affordable housing complex located in the western Massachusetts city of Springfield. The undisclosed borrower will use the proceeds to acquire and renovate the property as well as preserve its affordability status. Built in 1914, the property totals 45 units. Under the new affordability agreement, 18 of the units are reserved for households earning 30 percent or less of the area median income (AMI). The other 27 are earmarked for renters earning 50 percent or less of AMI. Residences come in one- and two-bedroom floor plans. As part of the renovation, the building’s commercial space will be converted into a supportive services area with an office and meeting room.

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INDIANAPOLIS — Locally based Birge & Held has begun pre-leasing for its newest community, West Village of Avondale Meadows in Indianapolis. Located at 4115 Meadows Drive, the affordable housing community features 216 units across six buildings. Units are reserved for residents earning annual incomes between $40,620 and $67,320. Amenities include a clubhouse with a community room, exercise room, TVs and billiards. Birge & Held received Low Income Housing Tax Credit funding from HUD through the Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority. Strategic Capital Partners also served as a key partner in the development.

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LOS ANGELES — KeyBank Community Development Lending and Investment (CDLI) has provided $46.4 million in financing for the construction of 2111 Firestone, a supportive housing property located in unincorporated Florence-Graham in the Watts neighborhood of Los Angeles. The Prime Co., a giving-focused, vertically integrated multifamily development firm, is the sponsor of the project. KeyBank CDLI provided $19.7 million in federal and state Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) equity, a $21.4 million construction loan and a $5.3 million permanent loan to finance the development. Located at 2111 Firestone Ave., the six-story residential complex will feature 85 one- and two-bedroom apartments designed to serve families and individuals exiting homelessness. Forty-two of the units will be designated for individuals exiting homelessness and earning no more than 30 percent of the area median income (AMI) and 41 apartments will be restricted to households earning no more than 50 percent of AMI. Additionally, the property will feature two manager units. The project team includes Prime, Domus Development and Kingdom Development. KeyBanc Capital Markets Group also sold $20.7 million of tax-exempt bonds through a public offering, the proceeds of which will be used to support financing the project. Housing Works will provide supportive services for residents …

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ALBANY, N.Y. — New York Gov. Kathy Hochul has announced that the State of New York will provide $406 million in financing to deliver approximately 800 new affordable housing units across the state. The financing will be awarded through bonds and subsidies. The New York Division of Homes and Community Renewal (HCR) is providing the financing for the five developments, which comprises $286 million in tax-exempt housing bonds and $120 million in subsidies. The awarded projects are as follows: Income restrictions for these five developments were not disclosed. “Addressing New York’s housing crisis requires a comprehensive and holistic approach,” says Hochul. “That’s why we’re working overtime to face the crisis head-on by spurring the development of a variety of housing options that meet the needs of New Yorkers from all walks of life, from seniors to families to young adults.” Hochul’s statement came during the ribbon-cutting ceremony celebrating the completed renovations at The New Amsterdam Apartments, a 116-unit affordable seniors housing community at 26 Wall St. in Amsterdam. The property is restricted to tenants earning at or below 80 percent of the area median income (AMI) and with at least one household member age 55 or older. Funded by the …

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PROVIDENCE, R.I. — A partnership between developer Pennrose, the I-95 Redevelopment Commission and the City of Providence has broken ground on a 127-unit mixed-income residential project in the state capital’s Fox Point neighborhood. Phase I of the project will consist of 66 affordable housing and market-rate units, retail space and a childcare facility. Residences will come in studio, one- and two-bedroom formats. Income-restricted units will be reserved for renters earning between 30 and 120 percent of the area median income. Delivery of Phase I is slated for next September. Eastern Bank provided a construction loan and served as the investor of the tax credit equity used to finance the project. Cedar Rapids Bank & Trust will provide permanent debt.

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AURORA, COLO. — Grovewood Community Development has broken ground on Sapling Grove Apartments, a four-story, mixed-income apartment community in Aurora that is slated for completion in late 2024. Located at 10151 E. Jewell Ave., the first phase of the property will feature 81 units in a mix of one-, two- and three-bedroom floor plans, a rooftop deck and lounge, work pods, an exercise room and an onsite community resource center offering health- and wellness-focused resident programs and services. The property will also feature community spaces for resident gatherings, intergenerational lifelong learning workshops, outdoor recreation via walking trails, a fenced playground, an outdoor exercise stations and gardens. The project is being financed through 22 grant, loan and equity sources provided collectively by the City of Aurora, Arapahoe County, the Colorado Division of Housing, the Colorado Housing and Finance Authority, Impact Development Fund, the Aurora Housing Authority, National Development Council and Sugar Creek Capital. Additional funding includes a four-year grant awarded by The Colorado Health Foundation. BC Builders is serving as the project’s general contractor, and Santulan Architecture is serving as architect.

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Dudley Benoit Walker & Dunlop LIHTC HUD

New income limits for low-income and very-low-income housing in 2023 represent a mixed blessing for the industry’s providers, who gain more potential renters but face ubiquitous caps that restrain their ability to adjust rents. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) publishes the income limits annually based on changes in each housing area’s median income, and typically places caps on outlier markets to prevent wide year-to-year swings. From 2010 through 2021, about 10 percent of areas were capped each year. Also in that period, the caps predictably checked the increase in an area’s qualifying income levels to no more than double the annual percent change in national median income. HUD published national median income based on three-year-trailing American Community Survey (ACS) data that HUD adjusted forward using the Consumer Price Index (CPI). In 2022, however, HUD omitted the CPI factor and based limits on historical survey data alone, producing lower results for median incomes and a smaller percentage change to be doubled into a cap. Even so, calculated incomes rose significantly, spurring HUD to cap increases in 57 percent of areas. Industry experts had predicted HUD would add the CPI adjustment back into its calculations in 2023, resulting …

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