Lument provided a $21.5 million Freddie Mac unfunded forward commitment loan to facilitate the substantial renovation of Jackie Robinson Memorial Apartments, an affordable multifamily property in El Paso, Texas. Lument is the combined organization of legacy industry experts Hunt Real Estate Capital, Lancaster Pollard and RED Capital Group.
“By combining the Freddie Mac unfunded forward loan with tax credit equity and other soft funding sources, we were able to put in place an attractive debt structure to help improve these much-needed affordable apartments,” said Josh Reiss, director at Lument.
Originally built in 1975, Jackie Robinson is a 186-unit, 4 percent low-income housing tax credit (LIHTC) community in the Housing Authority of the City of El Paso (HACEP) portfolio. As part of the transaction, the property will receive Section 8 assistance that will facilitate the conversion to long-term, project-based voucher rental assistance. Subsequently, all 186 units will be restricted to tenants earning income at or below 60 percent area median income.
The $21.5 million Freddie Mac loan features a low, fixed-interest rate, 18-year term with three years of interest only, and a 35-year amortization schedule. The forward commitment term will be 30 months with one six-month extension.
Jackie Robinson will undergo substantial interior and exterior construction, including a gut renovation of all residential units, from new drywall to new kitchen appliances. In addition, exteriors will be improved with new windows and doors, repaired or replaced roofs and new stair towers. Construction began in October 2020 and is expected to be complete within 24 months.
Reiss and the Lument team have financed over 960 units in partnership with HACEP, totaling $41 million. Since 2015, the team has financed over $565 million in RAD transactions for a total of approximately 6,500 units.
