Affordable Housing

DETROIT — Flux City Development has broken ground on The Ribbon, an $8.2 million affordable housing community located in Detroit’s East English Village neighborhood. Of the 18 total units, 14 will be reserved for those earning at or below 80 percent of the area median income (AMI), and four of the units will be designated for at or below 60 percent of AMI. Affordability of the apartments is guaranteed for the next 25 years. The project will also feature retail space to be occupied by local favorite Gajiza Dumplings, which will make The Ribbon its first permanent home. Demolition of a former bank building at the project site was recently completed. Completion of The Ribbon is slated for fall 2024. Project partners for The Ribbon include LISC Detroit, a local organization founded in 1990 within the Local Initiatives Support Corporation network, and Invest Detroit, a nonprofit lender, investor and partner. The project received $600,000 in loans from the Detroit Housing for the Future Fund (DHFF) as well as $338,199 in preferred equity from DHFF. The Strategic Neighborhood Fund provided a $1.4 million grant. The development also received $2.2 million from Capital Impact Partners (CIP), a CIP equitable development initiative grant …

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NEW YORK CITY — Locally based brokerage firm Ariel Property Advisors has negotiated the $39.3 million sale of a portfolio of nine affordable housing properties totaling 309 units in New York City. Two of the properties are located in the Morrisania neighborhood of The Bronx, and the remainder are in Harlem. The portfolio also includes four commercial spaces. Victor Sozio, Shimon Shkury and Michael Tortorici of Ariel Property Advisors represented the undisclosed seller in the transaction. The buyer and property addresses were also not disclosed.

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MINNEAPOLIS — Woda Cooper Cos. Inc. has broken ground on Shelby Commons in the North Loop neighborhood of downtown Minneapolis. The development will offer 46 affordable and supportive housing units, with 12 units dedicated to those experiencing housing insecurity. Woda Cooper is co-developing the project with Project for Pride in Living. Shelby Commons marks the first community that Woda Cooper has developed in Minnesota. Amenities at the property will include a community room, underground parking, second-floor rooftop terrace, playground and community gardens. There will also be more than 2,000 square feet of public art across two large-scale exterior murals commissioned by Juxtaposition Arts. All of the units will be designated for households earning 30 to 80 percent of the area median income. The Minnesota Public Housing Authority is providing 12 project-based vouchers for rental assistance, and Hennepin County is providing five Housing Supports for subsidizing rents and supportive services. Primary financing for Shelby Commons comes from Low-Income Housing Tax Credits allocated by the Minnesota Housing Finance Agency and the City of Minneapolis. Merchants Capital is providing equity financing. Security Bank & Trust is providing a first mortgage, and Hennepin County Accelerator is providing a second soft mortgage. Huntington National Bank …

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MIAMI — General contractor ANF Group has begun construction on Southpointe Vista, a two-phase affordable housing development in Miami that will total 332 units. McDowell Housing Partners is the developer of the two 10-story residential towers, which will be connected by a central paseo. Located at 21255 117th Court in the city’s Goulds neighborhood, the towers will feature studio, one- and two-bedroom residences reserved for households earning up to 70 percent of the area median income. Amenities will include community rooms, laundry facilities, a cybercafé, fitness room and onsite management offices, as well as two two-story parking garages. This project was partly funded through Miami-Dade County’s Public Housing and Community Development Department with $2.5 million in surtax funds. Southpointe Vista’s first tower is scheduled for completion in fourth-quarter 2024.

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Suburban markets in the Carolinas are the big winners in the current multifamily landscape, both from a new development and rent growth perspective, according to the various panelists at the InterFace Carolinas Multifamily conference. Hosted by InterFace Conference Group and Southeast Real Estate Business, the annual event took place on May 25 at the Hilton Charlotte Uptown hotel. At the end of the leasing and operations panel, moderator Mike Susen, senior director of real estate at Greystar, asked the property managers on stage if they could manage any product type in any Carolinas market, which they would choose. The consensus was their dream assignments lie in the suburbs. “Let’s do mid-rise suburbs, something out toward Matthews or the Mint Hill area,” said Amanda Kitts, senior vice president of property management at Northwood Ravin, referring to the suburbs of Charlotte. “I’d want to do product that those markets haven’t seen yet.” “Suburban product is still really strong right now,” added Bob Moore, co-founder and CEO of FCA Management LLC. “Tertiary markets are going to surprise you. You’ll see opportunities to do some deals where there has been a lot lower supply.” Property managers are keen to handle suburban communities because those …

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BOSTON — Boston-based lender UC Funds has provided an $11 million acquisition loan for a portfolio of four West Texas workforce housing properties totaling 275 units. The properties — Winwood Village of Amarillo, Casa Orlando, Plains Village and Winwood Village of Plainview — are located in Amarillo, Lubbock and Plainview. The loan carried a floating interest rate. The borrower was not disclosed.

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CHICAGO — The Habitat Co. and P3 Markets have opened Phase I of 43 Green in Chicago’s Bronzeville neighborhood. The 99-unit, mixed-income apartment building is located at 4308 S. Calumet Ave. The project marks the first equitable transit-oriented development (ETOD) on Chicago’s South Side, according to the developers. Since 2013, the City of Chicago has been encouraging transit-oriented development near Chicago Transit Authority and Metra rail stations. In 2020, the city published its ETOD Policy Plan, which aims to drive investment near transit in disinvested communities, preventing displacement in communities facing rising housing costs and promoting affordable housing options near transit in low-affordability communities. Phase I is the largest of three planned buildings within the $100 million 43 Green development. The 10-story building features 5,500 square feet of retail space and amenities such as a fitness center, rooftop terrace, business center, picnic area, community room, laundry facilities and bicycle storage. Half of the units are reserved for households earning up to 60 percent of the area median income, with the remainder leased at market rate. Habitat has also secured construction financing for Phase II, and is expected to break ground on that 80-unit building by the end of June. Completion …

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WEST BADEN SPRINGS, IND. — TWG is building West Baden Lofts, a $9 million affordable housing community in West Baden Springs, a town within French Lick Township in southern Indiana. Located at 942 Main St., the 44-unit development will feature two- and three-bedroom layouts. Units will be reserved for households making 30 to 60 percent of the area median income. Amenities will include a free bikeshare program, free Wi-Fi in common areas and units, a meditation area, fitness center, community room, indoor children’s area, playground and community garden beds. Project funding comes from the Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority, Innovative Veteran Affairs Real Estate, Merchants Capital, Cedar Rapids Bank & Trust and the Town of West Baden Springs. Construction is expected to begin this month and be completed in late 2024.

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NEW YORK CITY — Locally based brokerage firm Ariel Property Advisors has negotiated the sale of a partial interest in three affordable housing buildings totaling 163 units in Brooklyn’s Williamsburg and Brownsville neighborhoods. The percentage was not disclosed, but the interest fetched a price of $9.3 million. Victor Sozio and Shimon Shkury of Ariel Property Advisors represented the seller, Dunn Development Corp, in the deal. The buyer was a partnership between The Community Preservation Corp., The Community Development Trust, Monadnock Development, Red Stone Equity Partners and the Black Developers Network Triboro.

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HOLLYWOOD, FLA. — Housing Trust Group (HTG) has broken ground on University Station, a $100 million mixed-use development, in a public-private partnership with the City of Hollywood. The project will comprise 216 units of workforce housing, a 635-space parking garage, retail space and new home for Barry University College of Nursing and Health Services. All of University Station’s apartments will be reserved for individuals and families at various income thresholds, including 22, 30, 40, 60, 70 and 80 percent of the area median income (AMI), with rents ranging from $374 to $1,634. The three-building development will be situated on 2.5 acres of city-owned land next to the future Broward Commuter Rail (BCR) South Station. Funding sources include LIHTC equity from Raymond James and debt from Bank of America and National Housing Trust Fund. The State of Florida and Broward County also contributed debt and civic funds for the project. The development team includes Corwil Architects and general contractor ANF Group Inc. HSQ Group will serve as the civil engineer, BNI Engineers will serve as the structural engineer and RPJ Inc. Consulting Engineers will serve as the MEP engineer. B. Pila Design Studio will handle interior design, and Witkin Hults + …

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