PHILADELPHIA — Will today’s emerging aging-in-place technologies, designed to help the elderly remain in their own home for a longer period of time, lead to significantly reduced demand for seniors housing? The question was a hot topic at the InterFace Seniors Housing Northeast conference last Thursday in Philadelphia following a recent front-page article in The Wall Street Journal under the following headline: “Boomers Want to Stay Home. Senior Housing Now Faces Budding Glut.” The piece argues that aging-in-place technology poses a challenge to builders of senior living communities, particularly at a time when developers are adding new supply at a healthy clip and occupancy rates remain relatively stagnant. Nationwide, the occupancy rate for seniors housing (assisted living and independent living combined) was 88 percent in the third quarter of 2019, up 30 basis points from the prior quarter, but down from 90.2 percent in the fourth quarter of 2014, according to the National Investment Center for Seniors Housing & Care (NIC) based in Annapolis, Maryland. Seniors housing developers added 21,332 units in 2018, more than double the number added in 2014, The Journal reported based on NIC data. Venture capitalists and other companies are expected to invest about $1 billion this year …
Seniors Housing
POWAY, CALIF. — Owner-operator Cadence Living and Sabra Health Care REIT have acquired Sunshine Care, a 32-acre seniors housing community in Poway, a suburb of San Diego. Now named Cadence at Poway Gardens, the property is situated near the Palomar Hospital. The community is known for its horticultural therapy program that grows more than 20,000 pounds of organic fruits and vegetables every year. “To be able to produce an in-house farm-to-table experience as an activity that brings staff, families and their loved ones together sets Cadence at Poway Gardens apart from other assisted living and memory care communities,” says Rob Leinbach, a principal with Cadence. “We look forward to the community’s partnership with Backyard Produce that provides excess food grown by our residents to those in the Poway community in need.” Cadence Living currently owns, operates and/or is developing communities throughout the South and West.
NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y. — The Masonic Hall and Asylum Fund, a seniors housing owner-operator, has acquired the former College of New Rochelle campus just north of The Bronx for $32 million, according to reports from The Journal News. The college declared bankruptcy in September, and sister school Mercy College absorbed all the students, faculty and programs. Although specific plans for the future of the property were not disclosed, Masonic Hall and Asylum Fund operates Masonic Care Community, a seniors housing community in Utica.
Meridian Capital Group Arranges $60M Refinancing of National Seniors Housing Portfolio
by Alex Patton
NEW YORK CITY — New York-based Meridian Capital Group has arranged a $60 million loan to refinance two portfolios of memory care assets across Ohio, Georgia, South Carolina, Colorado, California and Tennessee. In the first transaction, Meridian arranged $27.5 million for four memory care facilities totaling 264 beds in Ohio and Georgia. The five-year loan features a fixed interest rate and limited personal guarantees. In the second transaction, the Meridian team arranged a $32.5 million loan for memory care facilities totaling 264 beds in South Carolina, Colorado, California and Tennessee. A balance sheet lender provided the five-year, non-recourse loan with a fixed rate. Further details on the properties, locations and borrowers were not disclosed. Ari Adlerstein, Ari Dobkin and Josh Simpson of Meridian negotiated the two transactions.
HALLOWELL, MAINE — Senior Living Investment Brokerage (SLIB) has arranged the sale of Granite Hill Estates, a continuing care retirement community in Hallowell, a southern suburb of Augusta. Granite Hill Estates features 46 independent living cottages, 60 independent living apartments and 24 assisted living/memory care units. The independent living portion was built in 2000 and assisted living was added in 2006. MaineGeneral Health sold the property to a regional owner-operator for an undisclosed price. Toby Siefert and Bradley Clousing of SLIB handled the transaction.
DALLAS — Buckner Senior Living has opened Ventana by Buckner, a 301-unit seniors housing community in North Dallas. Development costs were estimated at $140 million. The project, designed by D2 Architecture, features two 12-story towers that house 189 independent living residences, 38 assisted living residences, 48 nursing apartments and 26 memory care residences. Buckner is collaborating with Baylor Scott & White Health for medical and spiritual care services, Stephan Pyles for culinary services, Cooper Aerobics for health and wellness and Southern Methodist University for continuing education. Apartments range from 950 to 2,000 square feet.
CHICAGO — The NHP Foundation, in partnership with Low Income Investment Fund, has acquired Edwin C. Berry Manor Apartments, an affordable seniors housing community in Chicago. The purchase price was undisclosed. NHP plans to preserve and maintain the 57-unit property, which was built in 1991. The property is in the Woodlawn neighborhood, which features many new developments including the future Barack Obama Presidential Library. Operation Pathways, the resident services affiliate of NHP, will provide onsite services.
Hunt Capital, Burleson Break Ground on Phase III of Affordable Housing Project Near Little Rock
by John Nelson
MABELVALE, ARK. — Hunt Capital Partners and Burleson Development LLC have broken ground on Phase III of an affordable housing project near Little Rock. Hunt Capital Partners has committed $6.3 million in federal low-income housing tax credit (LIHTC) financing for the 48-unit expansion of Valley Estates at Mabelvale, an apartment community located eight miles southwest of Little Rock in Mabelvale. The project, scheduled for completion by November 2020, is intended for households earning up to 30, 50 and 60 percent of the area median income. One unit is reserved for a property employee. Phase III of Valley Estates at Mabelvale is Hunt’s third project with Burleson Development, the developer of the first two phases that were completed in 2011. The project also marks Hunt Capital Partners’ fourth transaction with RichSmith as developer consultant. RichSmith and its affiliates are serving as the general contractor, architect and property manager for Phase III. The total development cost of Valley Estates at Mabelvale Phase III is $7.2 million. Hunt Capital Partners facilitated the LIHTC financing through its proprietary fund with BancorpSouth Bank, which also provided an approximately $4.3 million construction loan. Arkansas Development Finance Authority provided a $450,000 construction-to-permanent loan through its HOME program, …
Pennrose to Convert Boston School into 74-Unit, LGBTQ-Friendly Seniors Housing Property
by Alex Patton
BOSTON — Pennrose Development and LGBTQ Senior Housing Inc. have unveiled plans to convert William Barton Rogers Middle School in Boston’s Hyde Park neighborhood into a 74-unit, LGBTQ-supported affordable seniors housing community. The $33 million project will transform the existing structure into a residential building with 74 units of income-restricted rental units. Tenants must be at least age 62, and the community will be specifically welcoming to seniors who identify as LGBTQ, according to the developers. The original school was built in 1899 on 74,000 square feet of land and closed in June 2015. Boston-based architecture firm DiMella Shaffer designed the project. A construction timeline was not disclosed.
Monticello Provides $40M Loan for Refinancing of Seniors Housing Community in The Bronx
by Alex Patton
NEW YORK CITY — Monticello Asset Management LLC has provided a $40 million loan for the refinancing of an assisted living facility in The Bronx. The borrower and name of the facility, which features 256 beds, were not disclosed. The borrower recently completed an extensive renovation of the facility, including updates to the resident rooms, lobby, common areas and landscaping. Monticello provided the long-term financing for the borrower after it received full licensure in New York and has since stabilized the operations and performance of the facility.