CHICAGO — Merchants Capital has provided more than $54 million of debt and $49 million in Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) equity financing for the rehabilitation of Island Terrace, a 21-story affordable housing property in Chicago. The building is situated across from the Obama Presidential Center in the city’s Woodlawn neighborhood. Preservation of Affordable Housing Inc. (POAH), the owner and developer, was the borrower.
Merchants Capital maximized equity via a structure called “twinning,” which leveraged both 4 percent and 9 percent tax credits issued by the Illinois Housing Development Authority (IHDA) and the City of Chicago. The 4 percent and 9 percent equity syndication generated $31.8 million and $17.3 million, respectively, matched by two corresponding HUD-insured permanent loans totaling more than $22 million and two equity bridge loans totaling more than $32 million. Merchants Bank provided $26.5 million for the property acquisition in 2021.
Planned renovations for Island Terrace include replacement of the roof, windows, plumbing and electrical systems; a redesigned first floor with a community room and laundry facilities; and updated kitchens and bathrooms throughout the 240 units. Prior to the recapitalization, only 88 of the community’s units carried affordable restrictions. The new financing structure enabled POAH to expand the affordability restrictions to include nearly all units while extending the restrictions for at least 30 more years.
Additional funding sources for the project include a combined $24 million of secondary loans from the IHDA and the City of Chicago. The AFL-CIO Housing Investment Trust also contributed funds to the transaction through its purchase of the securitized HUD loans.