Thomas Amdur • 3 min read
The season of holiday parties and the last minute push to close transactions will keep us all busy this month. That’s right; we made it to the end of the year, mostly intact, and not a moment too soon. Frankly, after observing our political system in action this year (or, perhaps more accurately, inaction) I was not sure we were going to make it.
Glenn Petherick • 5 min read
In the city of Milwaukee, Wisc., where many neighborhoods have been pockmarked by foreclosed and abandoned homes, two for-profit developers are teaming up to restore some of these derelict properties to productive use as renovated, affordable rental housing.
Glenn Petherick • 3 min read
My heavy old dictionary – a thousand-plus yellowed pages – defines transformation as a major or radical change in the appearance or nature of someone or something.
David A. Smith • 4 min read
Isaac Newton thought light was a particle: it moves in straight lines, reflects off smooth surfaces, and refracts if deflected. But Newton couldn’t explain interference effects; a century later, Fresnel and Thomas Young gave wave proponents the upper hand. Yet waves need a medium in which to travel, and light travels everywhere in the universe, including through a perfect vacuum.
Glenn Petherick • 3 min read
If variety is the spice of life, as the saying goes, then the world of low-income housing tax credits is very well seasoned.
David A. Smith • 4 min read
Short egocentric architect Frank Lloyd Wright must have hated tall people; his homes all have low ceilings. Similarly, transportation czar Robert Moses hated trucks; clearance under his stone bridges on New York State’s parkways goes as low as seven feet.
Eric Gockel • 5 min read
Today’s low interest rates provide a window of opportunity for urban communities to take a bold step to increase the energy efficiency of their privately owned apartment buildings. Maturing 5- and 10-year mortgages can now be refinanced at interest rates that are 100 to 150 basis points lower, creating the potential for additional investments in these properties.
Timothy Leonhard • 6 min read
Since our last report in August, we have seen the recent federal government shutdown, which stalled operations at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), along with a sharp drop in multifamily mortgage interest rates.
Glenn Petherick • 5 min read
Four community development financial institutions (CDFIs) plan to offer long-term fixed-rate first mortgages for affordable apartment projects and other eligible developments using funds raised under the new federal CDFI Bond Guarantee Program just now getting underway.
Glenn Petherick • 5 min read
National Housing & Rehabilitation Association (NH&RA) has announced the three projects winning Judges Awards in its 2013 J. Timothy Anderson “Timmy” Awards for Excellence in Historic Rehabilitation competition.
Glenn Petherick • 3 min read
If you’re not from Georgia or don’t live there, chances are you haven’t heard the name of the following rural communities: Pine Mountain, Midville, Preston, Talbotton, Cusseta, or Willachoochee.
Glenn Petherick • 6 min read
In the East Harlem section of Manhattan, a Minneapolis-based developer is partnering with a local community organization to produce affordable live/work units for artists and their families while promoting community development and preserving the neighborhood’s rich Latino cultural heritage.