Structure

URFA is empowered to issue tax exempt bonds to make below market interest rate mortgage loans to developers for rental housing provided Internal Revenue Service section 142 requirements are met to ensure that a percentage of the rental units benefit low and moderate-income renters.

Each year URFA receives a tax-exempt bond allocation from GA Department of Community Affairs. URFA serves as a conduit bond issuer. Bonds are issued on a first-come, first-served basis based on availability of allocation. There is no maximum amount of bonds that can be allocated to a single development. Eligible projects must be located within the city of Atlanta.

Any tax-exempt bond funds allocated pursuant to this program must be used to provide permanent financing for the development. The allocation is not intended for short-term financing, or “bridge” financing, or any refinancing, which is not the permanent financing for the development; however, it can be used for construction financing and be taken out by another source under certain conditions.

Eligible Developments

• New Construction or Acquisition and Rehabilitation. Minimum of 75 units and $5MM in Total Development Costs.
• Conversion of an existing property not being used for housing
• 40% of units must be set aside to persons at 60% AMI or 20% of units set aside at 50% AMI. See http://www.huduser.org/portal/datasets/il.html for AMI limits.
• A minimum of 15% of units must be set aside for market rate tenants with no income restrictions
• Be located within the City Limits of Atlanta

Use of Funds

• Bond Financing must be at least 50% of capital stack
• Cost of Issuance financed by Tax Exempt Bonds cannot exceed 2% of bond amount
• Affordability period is the greater of 15 years or as long as bonds are outstanding
• Tax-Exempt bonds can be coupled with 4% LIHTC’s & must be enhanced by letter of credit or by a financial guarantee unless the bonds are sold via private placement or the bonds are rated and the project has a HUD HAP contract of at least 15-years
• Bond Financing can be used for up to 100% of total development costs provided debt supports a minimum 1.20x DSCR.
• For Acquisition and Rehabilitation, rehabilitation costs must equal at least 10% of the total project cost

Developer Guidelines

• Developer must have experience commensurate with scope and size of the project
• Developer must have a successful track record of property management and marketing
• All workforce units must be comparable in size and quality to market rate units within the same development. Affordability must be disbursed across unit types and floors.
• Developer must have financial capacity
• Development must meet sustainability requirements

Neighborhood Compatibility

• URFA encourages developers to plan/develop projects that are located in the following areas:
  • Economic Development Priority Areas
  • Qualified Census Tracts
  • Difficult to Develop Zones
  • Within 1/4 mile of MARTA Mass Transit, Atlanta Streetcar, or Atlanta Beltline
  • Within a Tax Allocation Districts (TAD)
• Development must complement and enhance the existing character of the neighborhood
• NPU Letter

How To Proceed

Check out our Developer Application Process below for information on how to proceed.

Structure

Moneys held in the program fund will be used for low interest loans to developers to finance in part the acquisition, construction or renovation of housing. These funds may be used in conjunction with conventional financing, bond financing or other private/public financing to construct and/or rehabilitate residential housing and finance predevelopment and site development costs. No HOB loan may be made or unconditionally committed to be made unless the developer has evidence of a firm commitment letter from funding sources detailing the terms and conditions for the balance of the total costs of the housing development.

The obligation to repay the loan shall be evidenced by a promissory note and shall be secured by a deed to secure debt. Each housing project financed with HOB funds shall be regulated by a land use restriction agreement for a minimum of 15 years. Funding is subject to availability.

Eligible Developments

• New Construction or Acquisition and Rehabilitation < 70 units (HOUSING PRESERVATION PREFERRED)
• Conversion of an existing property not being used for housing
• 30% set aside for a population at or below 80% of AMI for rental housing projects. See http://www.huduser.org/portal/datasets/il.html for AMI limits.
• Be located within the City Limits of Atlanta
• Project must demonstrate evidence of funding need.

Use of Funds

• Funds may be leveraged with conventional, bond, or other private or public financing
• Funds serve as gap/bridge loans only; Underwritten based on financing need
• Used as second mortgage loan (gap financing)
• Loan cannot exceed
  • Maximum amount per affordable unit:
    • 61% - 80% AMI = up to $50,000/Affordable Unit
    • 31% - 60% AMI = up to $60,000/Affordable Unit
    • 0% - 30% AMI = up to $70,000/Affordable Unit
  • Maximum amount per project
    • Up to $700,000

Developer Guidelines

• Developer must have experience commensurate with scope and size of the project
• Developer must have success in leveraging additional funds
• Developer must have a successful track record of property management and marketing
• Development must meet sustainability requirements

Neighborhood Compatibility

• URFA encourages developers to plan/develop projects that are located in the following areas: 
  • Economic Development Priority Areas 
  • Qualified Census Tracts 
  • Difficult to Develop Zones 
  • Within 1 mile of MARTA Mass Transit, Atlanta Streetcar, or Atlanta Beltline
• Development must complement and enhance the existing character of the neighborhood
• NPU Letter 

How To Proceed

Check out our Developer Application Process below for information on how to proceed.

In February 2017, the City of Atlanta announced the $50 million HomeFirst initiative to achieve these goals by investing in proven housing strategies and supportive services and made a bold commitment of $25 million in city funds to match private contributions to the HomeFirst initiative.

Structure

The City of Atlanta designated the Urban Residential Finance Authority (URFA) as the administrator for the Trust Fund. Through the Trust fund, loans in the total amount of $8 million were made to for–profit, non-profit developers and homebuyers to provide for new and rehabilitated rental housing as well as homeownership opportunities.

The repayment dollars for these loans revolves into a program income account and is used to make additional loans for eligible housing development in Vine City and English Avenue.

Eligible Developments

• Acquisition, construction, or renovation of multifamily and single family housing
• Conversion of an existing property not being used for housing
• For sale housing that sets aside a minimum of 20% of the homes in the development must be marketed and sold to families of two or less not to excess of 100% of AMI and 115% AMI for 3 or more with purchase price less than $252,890 or current 203 FHA limit
• 20% set aside for a population at or below 80% of AMI for rental housing projects. See http://www.huduser.org/portal/datasets/il.html for AMI limits.
• Provide for long-term affordability provisions of 15 years or more for rental; 10 years for single family

Use of Funds

• Funds used as second mortgage loan (gap financing)
• Funds cannot exceed 50% of the capital stack or $1.5 million
• Will have an interest rate of up to 4%

Developer Guidelines

• Developer must have experience commensurate with scope and size of the project
• Developer must have success in leveraging additional funds
• Developer must have a successful track record of property management and marketing
• Must obtain, through a firm commitment, a secure funding source for the balance of the total costs of the project
• Development must meet sustainability requirements

Neighborhood Compatibility

• The target area for the Trust Fund is the area bounded by Donald Lee Hollowell Parkway on the north; Joseph Lowery Boulevard on the west; Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, Walnut Street and Beckwith Street as extended to Walker Street on the south and Walker Street, Martin Luther King Jr. Drive and Northside Drive on the east.
• See map below. The shaded area is the boundary for the Trust Fund
• NPU Letter

How To Proceed

Check out our Developer Application Process below for information on how to proceed.

Structure

The program funds costs associated with new construction, acquisition and rehabilitation of rental properties.

The HOME assisted project must meet the affordability requirements for not less than the applicable period specified in the chart below beginning after project completion. The affordability period is based on the HOME investment per unit.

Eligible Developments

• May finance, in part, the acquisition, construction, or renovation of multifamily housing for low and moderate income families
• Be located within the City of Atlanta
• Must have a minimum of 5 HOME-assisted units.
• All Projects must meet the Model Energy Code
• May be used for multifamily developments and will not be made or unconditionally committed to be made unless secure funding sources are identified for the balance of the total project cost of the housing project
• Projects are eligible for a maximum of $40,000 per HOME Assisted Unit
• Ensure all units receiving HOME assistance must be occupied by households earning no more than 80% of the area median income
• Ensure at least 20% of the HOME units must be affordable to households earning no more than 50% AMI and 20% at 60% of AMI. See http://www.huduser.org/portal/datasets/il.html for AMI limits.

Use of Funds

• Funds used as second mortgage loan
• Will undergo a subsidy layering analysis to determine the minimum amount subsidy needed based on HUD guidelines for HOME Units
• Will be evidenced by a promissory note and shall be secured by a deed to secure debt; and
• Will have an interest rate of up to 3%

Developer Guidelines

• For-profit developers and non-profit developers are eligible to apply for HOME funds
• Development must meet sustainability requirements

Neighborhood Compatibility

• Correspond with approved neighborhood revitalization plans
• NPU Letter

How To Proceed

Check out our Developer Application Process below for information on how to proceed.

Structure

Affordable housing is a critical component of the Beltline development. Grant funds from BAHTF add a necessary, flexible and unprecedented tool to Atlanta’s affordable housing toolkit. These funds can be combined with other affordable housing programs and city incentives and leveraged with private dollars to construct or renovate affordable housing units in the city. The goal of the BAHTF is to create a balanced mix of rental and owner occupied housing units and to encourage the distribution of affordable housing around the beltline.

These grants will be provided to non-profit and for profit multifamily developers offering affordable workforce housing rental units along the Atlanta BeltLine. Grant funds may be used to finance acquisition, construction or renovation of multifamily housing for families at or below 60% of Area Median Income (as defined by the Department of Housing and Urban Development). These grants to developers are enforced by a Land Use Restriction Agreement (LURA). The total amount of the grant dollars may not exceed 30% of the total development costs with a cap of $2 million per multifamily development. The developer is required to obtain additional financing from other sources to complete the development.

Projects involving a combination of nonprofit organizations with for profit partners and investors, adhere to the Atlanta BeltLine Design Guidelines, have affordable rental units for persons at or below 30% of AMI and market to public servants (city, county, Atlanta Public School employees) and City of Atlanta residents will be given top priority.

The program components of the BAHTF include

• Multifamily Rental Developer Incentives
• Single Family Developer Incentives
• Community Housing Development Organizations (CHDO) Set-aside for Multifamily Rental
• Community Housing Development Organizations (CHDO) Set–aside for Single Family Homeownership     

Grants are available to multifamily, single family and CHDO developers from the Beltline Affordable Housing Trust Fund to finance multifamily and single family developments along the Beltline.

BAHTF dollars will only be awarded to those developments that would not be economically feasible without this public subsidy. The amount of funding granted to a specific development may reflect an award of less than 100% of the requested amount based on the assessment of financial need made by Invest Atlanta and other factors as determined by Invest Atlanta.

Verify that your property/parcel is in the Beltline TAD at gis.atlantaga.gov

How To Proceed

Check out our Developer Application Process below for information on how to proceed.