CLEMSON, S.C. — Eric Newton Real Estate has broken ground on Maverick Hills, a 517-bed student housing development located near the Clemson University campus in South Carolina. The property will offer cottage and townhome units in a mix of two-, three- and four-bedroom configurations with bed-to-bath parity. Shared amenities are set to include a resort-style swimming pool with lounge seating; clubhouse; full-service coffee bar; study rooms; 24-hour fitness center; courtyard for outdoor games; dog park; pickleball and basketball courts; and “The Rock” community center. The project is scheduled for completion in fall 2025.
AUSTIN, TEXAS — AMLI Residential has completed AMLI Branch Park, a 406-unit apartment community in Austin’s Mueller District. Units come in studio, one- and two-bedroom floor plans and are furnished with quartz countertops, stone backsplashes and soft-close cabinetry. Select units also offer wine refrigerators, fenced yards and built-in bookshelves and desks. Amenities include a pool, dog park, beer garden, outdoor grilling and dining stations, a fitness center, coworking spaces and 20,000 square feet of retail and restaurant space that is scheduled to come on line in spring 2024. Rents start at $1,910 per month for a studio apartment.
GUNTER, TEXAS — Locally based developer Wolfe Investments has begun leasing Four Cedars Apartments, an 88-unit multifamily project in the North Texas city of Gunter. The property offers one- and two-bedroom units and amenities such as a pool, clubhouse and outdoor grilling and dining areas. The first move-ins are expected to begin in December. Rents start at $1,450 per month for a one-bedroom apartment.
SACRAMENTO, CALIF. — A joint venture between GMH Communities and Wexford Science & Technology has announced plans for ANOVA Aggie Square, a 252-bed student housing community near the University of California, Davis campus in Sacramento. The community will be constructed during Phase I of Aggie Square, a larger mixed-use project that is set to include state-of-the-art research facilities and office space. ANOVA Aggie Square will offer micro-studio, studio, one-, two- and four-bedroom units for undergraduate and graduate students, as well as young professionals working in the technology, life sciences and healthcare industries. Shared amenities will include soundproof office pods, a micro-market with gourmet vending options, co-working spaces, conference rooms, a ride-share lounge and 24/7 concierge services. A timeline for the development was not announced.
RANDOLPH, N.J. — Locally based developer CrownPoint Group has acquired a 14.5-acre site in the Northern New Jersey community of Randolph with plans to construct a 125-unit multifamily complex that will be known as Liberty Village. Liberty Village will consist of 11 buildings that will house a mix of two- and three-bedroom units, about 20 percent of which will be subject to income restrictions. Amenities will include a fitness center, golf simulator and a dog park. Construction is expected to begin during the third quarter of 2024.
HOLBROOK, MASS. — NEI General Contracting has completed construction of Maple on Franklin, a seniors housing project located about 15 miles south of Boston in Holbrook. NeighborWorks Housing Solutions developed the $18.5 million project, which spans 67,000 square feet and features 72 one-bedroom units for residents age 62 and older. The Narrow Gate served as the architect of the project, which involved the demolition of two existing buildings on the site. More than 500 applications were submitted for the 72 available units.
VERNON HILLS, ILL. — A partnership between Focus, Affinius Capital, Atlantic Residential and Centennial has opened The Domaine at Hawthorn Row in the Chicago suburb of Vernon Hills. The 311-unit luxury apartment complex is part of the redevelopment of Hawthorn Mall, a 50-year-old shopping center. The Domaine also features 54,000 square feet of retail space. Amenities include a lounge, dining room, game room, two-story gym, pet spa and outdoor terrace with a pool, sundeck and grilling stations. Units range in size from 600 to 1,330 square feet, while monthly rents start at $1,775. Residents can now earn one month of free rent on select lease terms, according to the property’s website.
CEDAR PARK, TEXAS — Scheels, an employee-owned sporting goods retailer based in Fargo, N.D., plans to open a 240,000-square-foot store in Cedar Park, a northern suburb of Austin. The store will be the retailer’s second “All Sports” location to open in Texas, joining a store at Grandscape in The Colony that opened in 2020. Scheels plans to employ more than 500 associates at the store, most of whom will be local to Cedar Park. The Cedar Park Scheels is the second anchor tenant announced for CedarView, a mixed-use development that will also feature a 1.2 million-square-foot Nebraska Furniture Mart (NFM), a convention center and a hotel with at least 250 rooms. CedarView will be situated on a 118-acre site near the H-E-B Center. NFM is the master developer of both CedarView and Grandscape. The new Scheels store will stock more than 1 million pieces of inventory throughout 75 specialty departments and boutiques. The property will also host entertainment attractions, including a 65-foot Ferris Wheel, 16,000-gallon saltwater aquarium, a wildlife mountain and Fuzzyiwig’s Candy Shop. Other attractions at the store will include interactive arcade games, sports simulators and Ginna’s Café, a restaurant that will serve gourmet soups and sandwiches, homemade fudge …
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How to Maximize Agency Financing for Affordable Housing
There are a variety of ways to build affordable housing, but implementing these strategies has become an increasingly difficult proposition in 2023. Affordable housing projects seem to face challenges on every front. Generally affordable housing developers will: Despite intensifying renter demand for new units, developers are struggling to make their projects financially feasible, says John Ducey, chief production officer in the affordable lending group at Walker & Dunlop. “Affordable housing developers are facing some of the toughest headwinds I’ve seen in more than 20 years in the industry,” Ducey says. “That means developers are forced to work harder than ever to structure deals that stretch scarce housing subsidies and maximize agency financing.” Challenging Conditions One impediment to affordable housing efforts is reduced future rent levels, related to area median income (AMI) caps the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) imposed recently on LIHTC properties in many markets in the United States. The unexpectedly restrictive caps forced developers to slash revenue projections, scuttling some transactions and forcing many loan applicants to renegotiate or seek alternative financing to salvage deals. On the expense side, inflation and the labor crunch continue to drive up costs for new construction, renovation of older affordable …
HONOLULU — EAH Housing has broken ground on Aloha Iā Halewilikō, a 140-unit affordable seniors housing community in the Aiea neighborhood of Honolulu. The City and County of Honolulu are providing the land for the development. Other partners on the $62 million project include Hawai‘i Housing Finance & Development Corp. (HHFDC), the Bank of Hawai‘i and U.S. Bank. The development has been in planning stages for five years and is scheduled for completion in 2025. Located in a residential neighborhood adjacent to ‘Aiea Public Library on the former site of ‘Aiea Sugar Mill, Aloha Iā Halewilikō fulfills a part of the ‘Aiea Town Center Master Plan. The project is within walking distance to public transportation. A total of 13 units will be set aside for households with incomes at or below 30 percent of the area median income (AMI), 75 units for households with incomes at or below 50 percent of AMI, and 51 units for households with incomes at or below 60 percent of AMI. EAH is partnering with Lanakila Pacific, a local nonprofit services organization, which will provide access to its Meals on Wheels program. In Hawai‘i, EAH Housing currently manages 23 properties with over 2,700 units. The …