February 2006 Table of Contents

Featured
CDFI Fund rewrites rules, deadlines

December saw a long series of announcements from the Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFI) Fund. Read more

GUEST COMMENTARY

Debates about affordable housing often involve accusations of ethical lapses or claims of personal righteousness. Read more

Report: Housing moves further out ofreach

THE NATIONAL HOUSING WAGE has grown to $15.78 an hour, reported the National Low Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC) in its annual Out of Reach report. Read more

AHIC plans busy year Bank of America’s Votta named president

Marianne Votta has a full agenda ahead of her as the new president of the Affordable Housing Investors Council (AHIC). Read more

FHLBanks provide $21 million for hurricane disaster relief

In response to the hurricane damage in the Southeast, the Federal Home Loan Banks (FHLBanks) have donated more than $1 million to help with immediate relief efforts. Read more

What’s a ‘managing’ generalpartner? California board rules on nonprofit participation

The California Board of Equalization (BOE) has apparently resolved a high-stakes regulatory dispute stemming from allegations that housing businesses were avoiding property tax by teaming with nonprofit "managing general partners" that did no real managin Read more

CDLAC’s Weir takes new post

Feb. 21, 2006, Sacramento – There’s a change in leadership at the California Debt Limit Allocation Committee (CDLAC), the agency responsible for the distribution of the state’s $2.9 billion in annual tax-exempt bonds. Read more

RBC buys Apollo Housing Capital

Feb. 10, 2006, Cleveland – RBC Capital Markets has purchased low-income housing tax credit (LIHTC) syndicator Apollo Housing Capital. Read more

Expert opinions Affordable housing professionals diagnose readers’ development proposals

The ability to tap into the broad range of experience and knowledge within the affordable housing industry is a too-rare opportunity for most developers. Read more

GSEs surpass affordable housing goals

When the final accounting was completed and penalties assessed, Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae both managed to beat their 2004 goals for funding mortgages for low-income housing and underserved areas. Read more

LIHTCs refresh Sec. 202 deals

Little by little, getting new money into old Sec. 202 seniors properties keeps getting easier. Now, developers are finding ways to mix equity from low-income housing tax credits (LIHTC) into their deals. Read more

CharterMac cranks up new enhancement vehicle

NEW YORK CITY Before an audience of Wall Street analysts and financial journalists at the 21 Club, CharterMac unveiled its plans to expand its services and take more market share in 2006. Read more

Fair housing rules loosen for hurricane victims

New and upcoming revisions to the Fair Housing Act address two separate issues – housing victims of last year’s hurricane disasters and the provision of language translation services for tenants with limited English skills. Read more

Ins and outs of adding household members to a tax credit unit

In this issue: Correct procedures to add a family member in a tax credit unit; units set aside for security officers; and an update on transfers between buildings based on reasonable accommodations. Read more

Volunteers of America balances income limits, financial needs

Hayward, Calif. The redevelopment of a 37-year-old property here required careful handling of the tenants, regardless of whether they would be remaining on the property or would be leaving it permanently. Read more

Affordable housing tech briefs

Apartment firms are generally happy – but not ecstatic – with their property management software, according to the National Multi Housing Council’s (NMHC) Property Management Software User Satisfaction Scorecard.  Read more

ASSET & PROPERTY MANAGEMENT

The California Board of Equaliza-tion (BOE) has apparently resolved a high-stakes regulatory dispute over allegations that housing businesses were avoiding property tax by teaming with nonprofit “managing general partners” that did no real managing Read more

Small mixed-use buildings created at HOPE VI development

ORLANDO, FLA. Many affordable housing developers are still scratching their heads over how to economically mix retail and commercial space into their affordable housing projects Read more

Carlisle triples its tax credit allocations

miami Lloyd Boggio, CEO of The Carlisle Development Group, is coming off his greatest year as an affordable housing developer. Read more

Auger maps out Florida’s strategy

Stephen Auger worked his way up to the position of executive director of the Florida Housing Finance Corp Read more

N.C. meets challenges with multiple programs

RALEIGH, N.C. North Carolina’s qualified allocation plan (QAP) for 2006 includes a maximum federal tax credit award of $850,000 to any one project, or $8,500 per low-income unit. Read more

REGIONAL NEWS

CHICAGO The Chicago Housing Authority (CHA) broke ground on the first new mixed-income development along the State Street Corridor since the authority’s sweeping Plan for Transformation began in 1999. Read more

Washington Update

Congress has approved an increase in low-income housing tax credit and tax-exempt bond authority as part of a package of tax incentives (H.R. 4440) to promote recovery from the devastation of Hurricane Katrina Read more

Auger

Stephen Auger worked his way up to the position of executive director of the Florida Housing Finance Corp. after five years at the agency, most recently serving as deputy development officer of multifamily programs. Read more

NEF, Artimus pioneer financing structure

HARLem, n.y. Land and construction costs have been increasing to record levels here, but Manhattan-based Artimus Construction has found a way to make mixed-income developments easier to build in the city. Read more

Survey finds broad opposition to development – ofany kind

Developers are twice as likely to find local opinion opposed to their real estate development than in support of it, according to a new survey of American attitudes about land use. Read more

Congress approves tax incentives for Gulfhurricane recovery

Congress has approved an increase in low-income housing tax credit and tax-exempt bond authority as part of a package of tax incentives (H.R. 4440) to promote recovery from the devastation of Hurricane Katrina. Read more

Final deadline nears for M2M

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Mark-to-Market (M2M) program, one of the most successful preservation programs ever run by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), is set to close for business Sept. 30, 2006. Read more

LIIF tackles tough deals

San Francisco — For more than 20 years, the Low Income Investment Fund (LIIF) has quietly gone about its business, providing loans for projects in struggling neighborhoods. Read more

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