Affordable Housing

SAGINAW TOWNSHIP, MICH. — Greystone has provided a $10.8 million HUD 223(f) loan for the refinancing of Lakeside Village Apartments in Saginaw Township within central Michigan. The 200-unit affordable housing community was constructed in 1980. Lisa Fischman of Greystone originated the 35-year loan, which features a fixed interest rate and a 35-year amortization schedule. The Altman Cos. was the borrower. The property qualifies for a lower annual mortgage insurance premium (MIP) of 0.25 percent because it is rent-restricted. In addition to the refinancing, loan proceeds will enable the borrower to continue with ongoing property improvements, according to Greystone.

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Dana Wade LIHTC Walker Dunlop

Forty-year-high inflation rates that are outpacing wage growth and eating away at personal income are exacerbating already outsized resident demand for affordable housing financed by the federal Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) program. But it seems that obstacles to supplying new units to meet that demand are only multiplying. Those range from a shortage of housing tax credits needed to fund new supply to resistance to multifamily development at the local level. Meanwhile, higher mortgage rates are making home buying more difficult and expensive. In turn, that is creating more apartment renters, thereby putting upward pressure on rental rates. In September, for example, the average monthly rent price nationwide hit $1,759, an increase of 7.8 percent from the prior year, according to Realtor.com’s monthly rental report. That’s also nearly 25 percent higher than September 2019, the organization reports. What’s more, from 2015 through 2020  — long before mortgage rates spiked — the U.S. lost 4.7 million apartment units with rents less than $1,000 per month, according to U.S. Apartment Demand Through 2035, a report by the National Multifamily Housing Council and National Apartment Association. “Demand for affordable units is only going to become more acute between now and the end of …

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MIAMI — Housing Trust Group (HTG) and AM Affordable Housing have broken ground on Tucker Tower, a $44 million affordable housing community in Miami for seniors aged 62 and older. Located at 9940 W. Hibiscus St. in the city’s Perrine neighborhood, the eight-story property’s apartments will be reserved for income-qualifying residents who earn at or below 25, 30 and 60 percent of area median income (AMI), with rents ranging from $457 to $1,317 per month. Amenities will include a fitness center, business center with computer stations, swimming pool, pet grooming station, lighted pathways along accessible routes and a library. The property is scheduled to deliver in early 2024. The project team for Tucker Tower includes general contractor BDI Construction; engineer HSQ Group LLC; architect Corwil Architects; landscaper Witkin Hults; and interior designer B. Pila Design Studio. Tucker Tower is the fifth affordable housing collaboration between HTG and AM Affordable Housing, a nonprofit developer founded by former NBA player Alonzo Mourning. Capital sources for Tucker Tower include $28.4 million in 9 percent Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) equity syndicated through Raymond James and purchased by Bank of America; a $30 million construction loan from Bank of America; a $9.5 million …

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CINCINNATI — Northsiders Engaged in Sustainable Transformation (NEST) and Pennrose have opened John Arthur Flats, Cincinnati’s first LGBTQ-friendly affordable seniors housing community. Located in the Northside neighborhood, the development adds 57 affordable units for residents age 55 or older. The three-story, elevator-serviced building includes studio, one-, and two-bedroom apartments available for residents earning 30 to 60 percent of the area median income, with rents ranging from $444 to $1,212 per month. The new community helps meet the demand for inclusive, affordable housing in the region, where the National Low-Income Housing Coalition reports only 43 available rental homes per every 100 low-income renters in Ohio. Studies also show that LGBTQ seniors experience higher rates of housing discrimination and poverty, making them especially at risk of housing vulnerability. The community is named in recognition of the late John Montgomery Arthur, a Cincinnati native and husband of the plaintiff in the Supreme Court case that legalized same-sex marriage in the United States. This $13 million redevelopment was financed through Low-Income Housing Tax Credits from the Ohio Housing Finance Agency, equity syndicated by CREA, HOME funding from the City of Cincinnati, an award from the Affordable Housing Program of the Federal Home Loan Bank …

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KENMORE, N.Y. — Bellwether Enterprise has provided a $6.5 million HUD-insured loan for the refinancing of Ken-Ton Presbyterian Village, a 150-unit affordable seniors housing property located near Buffalo in the upstate New York community of Kenmore. The borrower was Beechwood Continuing Care. Lundat Kassa and Anthea Martin led the transaction for Bellwether Enterprise.

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WASHINGTON, D.C. — Foulger-Pratt has broken ground on Paxton, an affordable housing development located at the intersection of Benning Road and 16th Street in northeast Washington, D.C.’s Kingman Park district. The $101 million project will feature eight studio, 87 one-bedroom, 16 two-bedroom and 37 three-bedroom rental apartments upon completion, which is set for April 2024. A majority (133 units) will be reserved for households earning at or below 50 percent of the area median income (AMI). The remaining will be reserved for households earning at or below 30 percent of AMI and are designated as “permanent supportive housing.” All residents will have access to services through Hope Multiplied, a locally based nonprofit providing community development, health-and-wellness and socio-economic programs. Residents in the permanent supportive housing units will receive support services through Community of Hope, a local organization working to end family homelessness and improve health. Financing partners for Paxton include the District of Columbia Housing Finance Agency, which issued $46.9 million in tax exempt bonds and underwrote $42 million in D.C. and federal Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) equity, in addition to a $29 million Housing Production Trust Fund loan from the D.C. Department of Housing and Community Development. …

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CARMEL, IND. — Indiana-based Merchants Capital has closed Merchants Capital Tax Credit Equity Fund X LP. The fund represents the company’s second and largest national multi-investor fund with a total capital raise of $180 million from 15 institutional investors. The fund will infuse equity into 18 affordable housing properties that will create or preserve more than 2,400 affordable housing units in 12 states. The properties are in California, Texas, North Carolina, Connecticut, Missouri, Indiana, Ohio, Michigan, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Mississippi and Oregon.

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East-Boston-Affordable

BOSTON — The East Boston Community Development Corp. (EBCDC) has acquired a portfolio of multifamily properties totaling 114 units in East Boston for $47 million. The units are spread across 36 buildings in the Jeffries Point, Eagle Hill and Orient Heights neighborhoods and primarily feature one- and two-bedroom floor plans. Kellie Coveney, Jacqueline Meagher, Madeline Joyce and James Burr of JLL represented the seller, a joint venture between The Grossman Cos. and Hodara Real Estate Group, in the transaction. The new ownership plans to convert the assets to affordable housing. Of the 114 units, 28 units will be restricted to households earning 50 percent or less of the area median income (AMI); 40 apartments will be reserved for renters earning 60 percent or less of AMI; 26 residences will be earmarked for families earning 80 percent or less of AMI; and the remaining 20 units will be restricted to renters making 100 percent or less of AMI.

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Aaron Hargrove Walker Dunlop Affordable Housing

With transaction volume for market-rate housing beginning to ebb, affordable housing investment is poised to play a more central role in the months ahead. Several factors have broadened the allure of affordable housing as an investment vehicle in recent years. When the pandemic began taking a toll on market-rate housing performance, investors saw federal, state and even local governments enact measures to help residents at affordable communities maintain their rent payments and help ensure housing remained available for people struggling financially. We saw the interest level in Section 8 properties, for example, increase significantly during the pandemic, due chiefly to federal guarantees backing those rent streams. From a financing perspective, the strong commitment shown by Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and the Federal Housing Administration to preserve liquidity for affordable housing has bolstered development and investment in the space. Due to the required hold periods, affordable housing investments are less affected by market cycles, so liquidity should remain strong. Now, changing economic forces promise to drive new equity to the affordable sphere and fuel further investment. The Federal Open Market Committee’s resolve to combat record inflation is exerting upward pressure on mortgage rates and, eventually, cap rates, which could discourage sellers …

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KANSAS CITY, KAN. — Rau Construction has completed a significant renovation of Town House in downtown Kansas City. Formerly known as Cross Lines Tower, the property is now home to 130 units for seniors age 55 and older who earn between 30 and 60 percent of the area median income. The building originally opened in 1951 as a hotel and was converted into affordable housing in 1981. Amenities include a meeting room, tenant lounge, outdoor patio and garden area, community room and laundry facilities. UMB Bank provided $25.5 million in construction and equity bridge loans and, through Hunt Capital Partners, a $17.4 million low-income housing tax credit equity investment to fund and finance the $42 million project. KeyBank provided permanent financing. Additional financing partners included Commerce Bank, Kansas Housing Resource Corp., Kansas Development Finance Authority and the North East Economic Development Corp. The development team included Foutch Brothers as the architect, Hughes Development Co. and Tier 1 Development Group LLC as co-developers and Universal Management Inc. as property manager.

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