NEW YORK CITY — Locally based real estate giant Tishman Speyer will develop a 237-unit affordable housing complex in the Far Rockaway area of Queens. Units will come in studio, one-, two- and three-bedroom floor plans, with the majority (201) reserved for renters earning between 30 and 80 percent of the area median income. The remaining 36 apartments will provide supportive housing for formerly homeless individuals. The project will also include 8,000 square feet of retail space and 7,500 square feet of community center space. Completion is scheduled for 2025.
ATLANTA — Novare Group, in collaboration with BCDC and ELV Associates, has opened Populus Westside, a multifamily community located in the Upper Westside neighborhood of Atlanta. Situated at 1315 Northwest Drive, the property features 286 units and amenities including outdoor grills, a pet park, clubhouse, fitness center and a swimming pool. An initiative by Invest Atlanta, the City of Atlanta’s economic development arm, as part of a property tax incentive program will make 15 percent of the residences available at reduced rents to individuals and families earning between 60 and 80 percent of the area median income (AMI). The community is located along the proposed extension of the Proctor Creek Greenway, which will offer access to Westside Park and the Atlanta BeltLine. RAM Partners will manage the property, which was designed by Dynamik Design.
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Rising Interest Rates Take Toll on Fannie, Freddie Deal Volume
The multifamily divisions of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are off to a slow start this year as the government-sponsored enterprises (GSEs), their network of lending partners and multifamily borrowers contend with rising interest rates. Fannie Mae’s volume of new multifamily business totaled $10.2 billion in the first quarter of 2023, which is a 36 percent decrease from the same period a year earlier when the agency closed $16 billion. Freddie Mac closed $6 billion in new multifamily business in the first quarter, a year-over-year decrease of 60 percent. Seasoned agency lending professionals all point to elevated borrowing costs as the primary reason for the two agencies closing less business thus far in 2023. “The rapid increase in rates across the board has really been a shock to the industry,” says Vic Clark, senior managing director and head of conventional multifamily production at Lument. At its May meeting, the Federal Open Markets Committee raised the federal funds rate to a target range of 5 to 5.25 percent. The fed funds rate is the interest rate that U.S. banks charge each other to lend funds overnight. This time a year ago, the short-term benchmark rate was at a range of 0.75 …
DEERFIELD BEACH, FLA. — Housing Trust Group (HTG) has formed a joint venture with the Broward County Housing Authority to develop Hillsboro Landing, a 75-unit affordable housing project in Deerfield Beach that will be reserved for renters age 62 and older. The duo broke ground on the $41 million development last month and are aiming for an October 2024 completion date. The project is the first of a two-phase redevelopment of a former public housing site that was demolished in 2007. Located at 3851 N. Dixie Highway, Hillsboro Landing will be a six-story, pet-friendly residential building featuring 45 one-bedroom units spanning 702 square feet and 30 two-bedroom units spanning 927 square feet. Apartments will be reserved for income-qualifying seniors who earn at or below 22, 25 and 60 percent of the area median income (AMI). Monthly rents will range $374 to $1,225. Amenities will include a multipurpose room, fitness center, bocce ball court and outdoor rooftop terraces, along with 96 parking spots. Debt and equity partners on the project include Raymond James, Fifth Third Bank, Grandbridge Real Estate Capital, the State of Florida and Broward Housing Finance Authority. The design-build team includes architect ATL Architecture, general contractor Ferncore Corp., engineer …
CHICAGO — Structured Development has opened Wendelin Park, a new mixed-income housing community and park in Chicago’s Lincoln Park neighborhood. Replacing a former industrial site, the Wendelin Park development includes three residential buildings oriented around a new publicly accessible park. The master plan includes The Seng, a 34-unit affordable condominium building and Post Chicago, a co-living community with 431 beds. Foundry, a 27-story, 327-unit apartment tower, is under construction and scheduled to open in the fourth quarter. The new park features a community garden, dog park, children’s climbing and play area and 20-foot sculpture from Chicago artist Ruth Aizuss Migdal. Attending the grand opening celebration were descendants of Wendelin Seng, founder of the Seng Furniture Co., which previously occupied the project site.
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 …