Articles Archives

The folly of ‘perpetuity’

4 min read

As Heraclitus said, all things change – including properties. Not only is perpetuity in affordable housing unattainable, questing for it can be harmful.

A Powerful Pause

3 min read

With the talk and action about tax reform legislation heating up in Washington, it’s an opportune time to highlight the benefits of our current federal tax credit programs that produce and preserve affordable rental housing, foster the rehabilitation of historic building, and promote economic development, including in our nation’s low-income communities.

The Winners: Treasury Announces 2012 New Markets Tax Credit Allocation Awards

5 min read

The new allocatees are based in 28 states and the District of Columbia and expect to make investments in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.

Lessons from the Road

3 min read

This past month has taken me to Lansing, Los Angeles, Louisville, and Nashville and provided me the opportunity to meet with developers to try to put my finger on the pulse of our industry. Along the way, I’ve noticed a few trends and opportunities are apparent:

More Than Coincidence: New Study Documents Correlation Between CRA and Housing Credit Pricing

7 min read

According to CohnReznick, approximately $10 billion in total LIHTC equity was raised in 2012. Of this amount, the banking sector accounted for approximately 85%. Moreover, of the bank-supplied equity investment, CohnReznick estimates that 60% came from the top five U.S. commercial banks alone.

Creative Urban Infill: Developer Carves Out Site for Affordable Housing from Shopping Center Parking Lot

6 min read

Once their new affordable apartment complex is completed, the seniors living at The Greens at Logan Field in Dundalk, Md. won’t have to travel far to shop.

The Winners: Treasury Announces 2012 New Markets Tax Credit Allocation Awards

3 min read

The Internal Revenue Service and U.S. Treasury Department have begun work on developing guidance expected to outline the conditions under which a limited partner investor in an historic rehabilitation tax credit transaction will be respected as a partner for federal tax law purposes.

QAP is DNA

5 min read

Competition is the lifeblood of existence, for only through competition does natural selection harness the self-interest of autonomous beings into evolutionary advance. Though the same principle is the fuel that powers the success of entrepreneurial capitalism, it was a long time coming to affordable housing, arriving serendipitously in the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) program, which mandates a trifecta of ring-fenced individual-state autonomous allocations, annual award cycles, and Qualification Allocation Plans (QAPs) as modifiable DNA.

Transforming Neighborhoods, Transforming Lives

3 min read

To paraphrase Mick Nelson, a policy analyst at the Tennessee Housing Development Agency and recent panelists at NH&RA’s 2013 Multifamily Housing Exchange, the housing market doesn’t work like an NFL draft – the households with the least resources and greatest challenges don’t get to choose their unit first. Whether it’s the senior living on a fixed-income, the wounded veteran transitioning back to civilian life, or the working class family living in a blighted neighborhood, the marketplace provides few options for the families and individuals served by our federal affordable housing programs.

A Mixed Bag: HUD FY 2014 Budget Proposal Reflects Winners and Losers

4 min read

The Obama Administration’s budget request for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) for Fiscal Year 2014, which begins October 1, reflects a mix of winners and losers and contains a number of proposed program changes. The Administration’s budget also includes positive and negatives for rural housing programs along with some tax credit proposals (see p. 12).

Park Service Outlines Proposals for Improving Historic Credit Program

7 min read

Stakeholders have reacted favorably to recommendations made by the National Park Service for promoting greater awareness, efficiency, and use of the federal historic rehabilitation tax credit program.

LIHTC Multi-Investor Fund Activity

3 min read

LIHTC Multi-Investor Fund Activity

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