Ithacating in Cornell Heights

Poet’s Landing is moving along. Framing for the first eight-unit building is underway; the slab foundation has been poured for two more. The other four buildings in the 48-unit project will come along as the weather warms up – it’s possible that LeChase may have the sites cleared forms ready for the rest of the foundation pours, but they may be buried under the snow (this was the first place I visited last Saturday morning, so the unseasonable heat had yet to do its melting magic).

According to an article published just yesterday, Boston Capital has bought the Low Income Housing Tax Credits (LIHTCs) awarded to Conifer Realty to help finance the project. The Boston-based real estate investment firm paid $7.6 million. Boston Capital can apply those credits to the taxes on its holdings, and Conifer gets the money it needs to pay for hard and soft development costs (which total $10.8 million, the rest coming from federal/state grants and equity). Boston Capital is a frequent partner of Conifer, having bought their LIHTCs many times in the past, including those awarded to the 72-unit first phase of Poet’s Landing that opened a few years ago.

Quoting Housingfinance.com, which also had the first actual render of the project shown above:

“Located on 10 acres, Poets Landing II will feature 16 one-bedroom, 24 two-bedroom, and eight three-bedroom units in six two-story buildings. Units will include central heating and air conditioning, dishwashers, patios/balconies, and storage. Residents at Poets Landing II will have access to the community amenities at Poets Landing I, which feature a leasing office, a great room, a computer workstation, a laundry center, and a playground. The apartments will be available to families earning 60% or less of the area median income.”