Affordable Housing

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.

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Agawam-Village-Ipswich-Massachusetts

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.

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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.

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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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Brian Cornell Hotel to Mulitfamily conversion

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 …

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BILLINGS, MONT. — PGIM Real Estate has provided $16.1 million in fixed-rate FHA financing to Lincoln Avenue Capital (LAC) for the acquisition and rehabilitation of South Forty Apartments, an affordable seniors housing community in Billings.  The property features 101 units and is 100 percent subsidized by a Section 8 contract. The property also has a tax credit LURA on title restricting half of the units to residents earning up to 50 percent of area median income (AMI) and the other half at 60 percent AMI through 2069.  LAC plans to complete an extensive rehabilitation of the property that will address deferred maintenance at the property, revitalize the apartments and update site amenities.  The property was originally constructed in 1987 and was last renovated in 2007. LAC’s scope of work will include new kitchens and baths, new windows throughout, upgrades to the clubhouse, new solar panels and accessibility repairs.  Alex Viorst, executive director at PGIM Real Estate, led the financing on behalf of the firm.

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TRENTON, N.J. — RPM Development will build a 120-unit mixed-income residential project in downtown Trenton. The site at 150-170 Broad St. spans 1.3 acres, and the development will consist of 70 market-rate units, 48 affordable housing units and two superintendent units. Units will come in one-, two- and three-bedroom formats. Amenities will include a fitness center, resident lounge and a rooftop deck, and the property will also offer 168 parking spaces and a 7,500-square-foot retail plaza. The New Jersey Economic Development Authority and the New Jersey Housing & Mortgage Finance Agency both provided tax credit equity to finance the project. A construction timeline was not disclosed.

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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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