LAWRENCE, MASS. — MassDevelopment and Reading Cooperative Bank have provided a $6.6 million loan for a project that will convert two vacant buildings in Lawrence, located near the Massachusetts-New Hampshire border, into a 24-unit affordable housing complex. The buildings previously housed a mix of office and retail uses, and the residential complex will include a food hall in the remaining retail space. MassDevelopment and Reading Cooperative Bank were equal participants in the loan, and MassDevelopment also enhanced the loan with a guarantee. Construction will begin in July and last about a year. The borrower is The Jowamar Cos.
LOS ANGELES — CIM Group has broken ground on a 168-unit mixed-income multifamily development with 40,000 square feet of ground-floor retail space in Los Angeles. The project at 3045 Crenshaw Blvd. is located on the former north campus of the West Angeles Church of God in Christ. The six-story apartment community will offer 17 affordable housing units. Floor plans will consist of studios, one- and two-bedroom units. Amenities will include a courtyard, pool, fitness center, clubroom and two outdoor sky decks on the fifth level. The development offers convenient access to the Metro E Line light rail station on Crenshaw Boulevard, which connects east to downtown Los Angeles and west to Santa Monica. After 43 years at its north campus location, West Angeles Church has consolidated its facilities and now operates from its south campus location at 3600 Crenshaw Blvd. West Angeles Church’s sale of the property at 3045 Crenshaw Blvd. to CIM Group took place in March and was part of the church’s long-planned property dispositions announced in 2019 to bring new community-serving developments to the neighborhood. The church used the sale proceeds to fund various church programs and initiatives, including the construction of a Family Life Center that …
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The District of Columbia Housing Finance Agency (DCHFA) has provided $63.2 million in tax-exempt bonds for the rehabilitation of Worthington Woods Apartments in the Washington Highlands neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Originally built in 1944 and renovated in 2002, the property comprises 394 affordable housing apartments. The Worthington Woods Tenants Association acquired the building and selected Montgomery Housing Partnership Inc. and the Anacostia Economic Development Corp. to oversee the $133.6 million overhaul. The DCHFA also underwrote $45.5 million and $9.1 million in federal and local Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) equity for the preservation of the affordable apartments. Additionally, the D.C. Department of Housing and Community Development is providing a $38.8 million loan from the Section 108 Loan Guarantee Program for this project. Following the redevelopment, Worthington Woods will feature units in one-, two- and three-bedroom layouts reserved for residents earning 30, 50 and 60 percent of the area median income (AMI). Amenities will include a playground, community room, laundry facilities, onsite tenant services and 156 parking spaces. Communities Together Inc. will provide resident services to tenants.
MERIDIAN TOWNSHIP, MICH. — Woda Cooper Cos. Inc. has opened Woodward Way Apartments in Meridian Township, just east of Lansing. The 49-unit affordable housing community is comprised of two buildings and features amenities such as a multipurpose room, laundry facility, playground and picnic area. Units are reserved for those who earn 30 to 80 percent of the area median income. There are five units for residents with physical disabilities and one unit for sight and hearing disabilities. Eight units have rental assistance through project-based vouchers awarded by the Lansing Housing Commission. Monthly rents range from $391 to $1,175, depending on income restriction and size of unit. Financing for the $13.9 million development came from Low-Income Housing Tax Credits allocated by Michigan State Housing Development Authority through its Qualified Allocation Plan, which aims to identify where affordable housing is most needed in the state. Syndicator Marble Cliff Capital provided equity financing by purchasing the tax credits. Cedar Rapids Bank & Trust provided a permanent mortgage, and First National Bank of America provided a construction loan. Hooker DeJong Inc. was the architect, and Woda Construction Inc. served as general contractor. Woda Management & Real Estate is providing onsite management and maintenance as …
WEST SACRAMENTO, CALIF. — Avanath Capital Management LLC has acquired Rivers Senior, a 120-unit affordable seniors housing community in West Sacramento, for $19 million. Constructed in 2008, Rivers Senior was built utilizing the California Tax Credit Allocation Committee’s Low-Income Housing Tax Credits (LIHTCs) along with bond financing via multiple agencies. Additionally, the asset benefits from the State of California’s Welfare Tax Exemption. The community features 96 one-bedroom and 24 two-bedroom units, 60 of which are reserved for residents earning up to 50 percent of area median income (AMI) and 59 units of which are reserved for residents at 60 percent of AMI. The property consists of nine two-story buildings situated on 4.8 acres, located approximately 2.5 miles west of downtown Sacramento, the main employment center for the city of Sacramento. The property, Avanath’s 19th acquisition in Northern California and its 13th in the greater Sacramento area, was purchased in an off-market transaction with the seller, from which Avanath has previously purchased numerous Sacramento-based multifamily assets. Avanath will manage the property internally and plans to implement several capital improvements at the property, including replacing the roofs and boilers. The firm will also incorporate ESG principles aligned with its mission, including upgrading …
PITTSBURGH — New Jersey-based Tryko Partners has broken ground on Cedarwood Homes, an age-restricted affordable housing project that will be located at the site of the former Fairywood School in Pittsburgh. The majority (39) of the units will be reserved for renters earning 60 percent or less of the area median income. Merchants Capital secured an $11 million construction and equity bridge loan financing for the project. The Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency also awarded a 9 percent Low-Income Housing Tax Credit to fund the project. Completion is slated for some time next year.
IPSWICH, MASS. — MassDevelopment, the state development finance agency and land bank, has provided a $32.5 million tax-exempt bond for Agawam Village, a 94-unit affordable housing complex in Ipswich, located northeast of Boston in Essex County. Agawam Village was built in 1970 and offers one-, two-, three- and four-bedroom units across seven buildings. Specific information on income restrictions was not disclosed. The borrower, a joint venture between an affiliate of The Ipswich Housing Authority and Harborlight Homes of Beverly, will use the financing to acquire and renovate the property. The Massachusetts Department of Housing & Community Development also provided $20.1 million in Low-Income Housing Tax Credit equity for the purchase and rehabilitation.
JOHNSON CITY, TENN. — Blue Vista Capital Partners has acquired Stoneybrook Heights Apartments, an 88-unit multifamily community located in Johnson City. Blue Vista purchased the mixed-income property in partnership with Standifer Capital. Built in 1998, Stoneybrook Heights comprises 11 two-story buildings and a single-story leasing office, with apartments averaging 1,032 square feet in two-, three- and four-bedroom layouts. Originally constructed as affordable housing, the community will become a fully market-rate property in the second half of 2024. Amenities at the property include a clubhouse and green space for pets. The seller and sales price were not disclosed.
TORRRANCE, CALIF. — Intracorp Homes purchased 22501 Hawthorne Blvd., a 3.8-acre site in Torrance, from a locally based private investor for $21 million. John Read, Greg Sullivan and Trent Steeves of CBRE represented the seller. The property was historically a retail center anchored by a bowling alley called Gable House Bowl. Intracorp Homes plans to redevelop the site into a mixed-use project, which will include 17 affordable rental units as well as commercial space. Details on rent restrictions for the affordable units have not yet been disclosed.
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Underutilized Hotel Properties Present Conversion Opportunities for Multifamily, Affordable Housing
Walker & Dunlop is finding financial success while helping to provide high-demand, affordable housing in key markets by converting hotel assets into multifamily buildings. Brian Cornell, managing director at Walker & Dunlop Investment Partners (WDIP), says his firm is identifying hotels that are already built out and can accommodate market-rate multifamily use. Extended-stay hotels have the best layout for this type of conversion because their footprint already includes the floor plans and many of the amenities that multifamily residents expect. “The units are typically one-bedroom, but with some two-bedroom suites and studios,” he outlines. “This creates a variety of unit types within the existing physical build-out of the property, and these assets can operate as true multifamily without having to combine walls and do extensive capital renovations.” When it comes to location, Cornell explains, “We prefer infill locations that have strong employment drivers and a dearth of affordable housing.” Underutilized Properties, Multifamily Strategies The three investments Walker & Dunlop has done in the past two years are in the heart of commercial corridors, in areas where there are limited multifamily projects within a two-to-three-mile radius offering rents that can support an 80 percent area median income (AMI) threshold. One is …