Marty Bell • 23 min read
Like all major metropolises in the Northeast and Midwest, Boston is a city with a complexity of identities – a city of long history with lingering remnants of colonialism, a city of great ethnic diversity that provides it a strong sense of family and has also at times provoked racial conflict, a city of almost unmatched intellectualism.
Glenn Petherick • 14 min read
The conversion of a former cider vinegar factory in Kansas into a high-end art gallery and events center, and the renovation of a vacant former hotel in Los Angeles to create affordable apartments and a Mariachi Cultural Center, are among the 13 real estate projects named as winners and finalists for the 2014 J. Timothy Anderson “Timmy” Award for Excellence in Historic Rehabilitation.
Thomas Amdur • 3 min read
Earlier this week I returned from Minneapolis, the third stop on the NH&RA Preservation Through Energy Efficiency Road Show series. Having been born and raised in New England and the Mid-Atlantic, I haven’t spent much time in the upper Midwest, and was really struck by the creativity of local developers in adaptively reusing the local historic infrastructure and the remarkable local commitment to sustainability.
Glenn Petherick • 5 min read
Some say to keep it simple when trying something new.
Glenn Petherick • 6 min read
The nation is seeing unprecedented growth in its older population but is not prepared to meet the housing needs of this group, which change with aging, according to a new report by the Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies and AARP Foundation.
Glenn Petherick • 7 min read
Sometimes a developer’s best new project is replacing an existing property with a larger new development on the same site.
A. J. Johnson • 7 min read
On March 7, President Obama signed into law the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2013 following earlier passage by Congress. The new law (P.L. No. 113-4) significantly expands the number of federal housing programs subject to the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), creating new responsibilities and requirements for owners and managers of many types of affordable multifamily rental housing properties.
Glenn Petherick • 6 min read
When it comes to turning around a troubled low-income housing tax credit property, Minneapolis-based Dominium is a Mr. Fix-It: it gets to work early and taps multiple funding sources to begin tackling the remedial work even before being formally admitted to the restructured limited partnership as the replacement general partner.
Mike Beck • 3 min read
On March 14, 2013, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) Emerging Issues Task Force (EITF) considered, Accounting for Investments in Affordable Housing Tax Credits (Issue 13-B), and voted to propose new guidance regarding when those investments will qualify for use of the effective yield method.
Glenn Petherick • 9 min read
The low-income housing tax credit remains a main driver of transactions for renovating existing multifamily properties and preserving them as affordable rental housing for years to come. Yet there are some new wrinkles that promise additional opportunities for sponsors, including the new Rental Assistance Demonstration program of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).
Glenn Petherick • 3 min read
A bipartisan commission has called for expanding the annual amount of federal low-income housing tax credits and deeper targeting of federal rent subsidies, as part of a package of national housing policy recommendations. Unveiled February 25 by the Bipartisan Policy Center (BPC), a Washington, D.C. think tank, the recommendations are contained in a report entitled Housing America’s Future: New Directions for National Policy.
Glenn Petherick • 5 min read
Among affordable housing projects, Linda Vista Senior Apartments in Los Angeles has a unique and haunting backstory.