FORT WORTH, TEXAS — Locally based general contractor KWA Construction has broken ground on Phase II of Columbia Renaissance Square, a multifamily project that will add 120 independent living units for senior citizens to the local supply. Units will feature vinyl plank flooring, ceramic tile and carpeted bedrooms. Phase I of the project, which is being developed by Columbia Residential and Renaissance Heights Development Group, delivered 140 units, the majority of which were affordable housing residences. Phase II is expected to be complete in December.
Seniors Housing
Coastal Rim Properties Acquires Land Parcel for 20-Story Seniors Housing Development in Honolulu
by Amy Works
HONOLULU — Coastal Rim Properties has purchased a 12,842-square-foot land parcel in downtown Honolulu from an affiliate of Next Realty for an undisclosed price. The buyer plans to develop a 20-story affordable seniors housing tower on the property, which is located at 1192 Alakea St. The site currently houses a vacant parking lot. Steven Sofos of Sofos Realty Corp. represented the seller, while Matt David and Terry Jackson of Cushman & Wakefield’s Land Advisory Group in San Diego provided advisory services for the transaction.
CHICAGO — Ventas Inc. (NYSE: VTR), a Chicago-based REIT and one of the largest owners of seniors housing in the United States, has adjusted its corporate cost structure in response to the COVID-19 pandemic’s impact on the company. In mid-June, Ventas plans to eliminate roles representing over 25 percent of its corporate positions, excluding onsite field personnel, according to a May 27 SEC filing. In addition, for the second half of 2020, the company will reduce the base salary of CEO Deb Cafaro by 20 percent, while reducing the salaries of other executive officers by 10 percent. As a result of these actions, Ventas predicts third-quarter selling, general and administrative (SG&A) expenses will be $25 million to $30 million lower than during the same period in 2019. The move is a continuation of Ventas’ initiatives to conserve capital as the pandemic drives expenses up and revenues down. Though the company reported $3.2 billion in cash on hand during its first-quarter report issued in May, Ventas plans reduce capital expenditures this year by between $300 million and $500 million. The company has paused construction, offered rent deferrals to struggling communities and issuing free COVID-19 tests to its operators. Like most companies …
Greystone Provides $8.6M Construction Loan for Seniors Housing Community Near Buffalo
by Alex Patton
CLARENCE CENTER, N.Y. — Greystone has provided an $8.6 million construction loan for the expansion of Bristol Village, an 84-unit, 110-bed seniors housing community in Clarence Center, located approximately 20 miles northeast of Buffalo. The fixed-rate loan will fund the construction of 23,000 square feet of residential and community spaces, which will include 32 additional beds. The loan will convert to permanent financing when the expansion project is completed and will run concurrent with the property’s existing HUD-insured loan, which Greystone originated in 2011. The facility was originally constructed in 2003. Lisa Fischman of Greystone arranged the loan.
OHIO — Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine has formed Congregate Care Unified Response Teams to test residents and staff members for coronavirus within the state’s nursing homes. The teams, which include medically trained members of the Ohio National Guard, will begin testing this week. All nursing home staff will be tested. Testing of residents will be based on a clinically driven strategy that targets those who have likely been exposed to COVID-19. As of Tuesday, May 26, there were 33,006 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Ohio and 2,002 deaths.
AURORA AND KANKAKEE, ILL. AND NOVI, MICH. — Walker & Dunlop Inc. has provided $37 million in financing for two senior living facilities in Illinois and one in Michigan. Walker & Dunlop provided $14.9 million for The Grove Fox Valley, a 156-bed skilled nursing facility in Aurora, Ill.; $14.9 million for WellBridge of Novi, a 100-bed skilled nursing facility in Novi, Mich.; and $7.4 million for Asbury of Kankakee, a 98-bed supportive living facility in Kankakee, Ill. Joshua Rosen of Walker & Dunlop led the origination team, which utilized HUD’s Lean 232/223(f) refinance program. The permanent financing for The Grove Fox Valley will replace existing debt previously provided by Walker & Dunlop’s bridge lending program. The permanent financing for WellBridge of Novi and Asbury of Kankakee enabled each of the property owners to refinance both their current bank and partnership debt.
DENVER — Blueprint Healthcare Real Estate Advisors has arranged the sale of two skilled nursing facilities in the Denver metro area and a third in Eastern Colorado. The portfolio totals 250 skilled nursing beds, as well as 25 assisted living units. LTC Properties sold the assets as part of its plan to divest all its Preferred Care-branded communities. The buyer is a private company looking to expand its presence in Colorado, as well as its relationships with its third-party operators in the state. The price was not disclosed.
LOS ANGELES — Panorama Senior Housing has released plans for an assisted living and memory care community on Holt Avenue, 200 feet south of Los Angeles’ Beverly Hills neighborhood. KTGY Architecture + Planning designed the 61,000-square-foot project. Construction is slated to start in early 2021, with delivery planned for late 2022. The community will have a total of 80 resident rooms, 62 for assisted living and 18 for memory care. The memory care units will be on the second floor of the five-story building, with a dedicated common area, dining room and patio. “[My goal is to] come up with buildings that reflect the urban setting,” says Daniel Kianmahd, founder and principal with Panorama. “That’s where baby boomers want to age, in the same urban neighborhood where they raised their families.” “I’m keenly aware of the scarcity of developable sites,” continues Kianmahd. “The solution is to get creative with layouts so we can build the housing needed to combat the housing crisis. Bringing this and other senior-focused developments to fruition is essential to achieving balanced housing solutions for the entire region.”
By Chad Thomas Hagwood, Hunt Real Estate Capital Thanks to the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA), forbearance is now one of the biggest buzzwords in multifamily finance. When the FHFA announced at the end of March that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac would offer mortgage forbearance to multifamily properties facing hardship as a result of COVID-19, many multifamily owners adopted a wait-and-see attitude. That was the right decision. As April went on, the NMHC Rent Payment Tracker steadily trended higher. By May 13, full or partial rent for the month of May was 87.7 percent collected. But with unemployment spiking to record levels, rent collections through the spring and into the summer will most certainly decline at many properties, causing owners to give those forbearance offers a second look. My advice: if there is anything owners can do to avoid forbearance, they should. While tempting, mortgage forbearance should be considered a last resort. Forbearance could take a reputational toll It’s generally implied that entering into a forbearance agreement will not impact a borrower’s ability to secure financing in the future. In an age that obsessively collects and retrieves data of all sorts, experience — and common sense — suggests that …
Watercrest Senior Living Breaks Ground on Seniors Housing Community in Macon, Georgia
by Alex Tostado
MACON, GA. — Watercrest Senior Living Group and its equity partners, Peninsula Alternative Real Estate and Corecam Capital Partners, have broken ground on Watercrest Macon Assisted Living and Memory Care in Macon. The community will feature 76 assisted living and 22 memory care units. Renasant Bank provided construction financing, and EMJ Corp. is serving as the general contractor. Watercrest Macon will be located within the Providence at Bass development, which offers residential, retail and dining establishments, as well as entertainment venues. Watercrest Macon is scheduled to welcome residents in summer 2021.