Tax Credit Advisor Article Archives

Tax Credit Advisor March, 2006: For developers, large mixed-use projects pose special challenges. These challenges become even more daunting when the projects involve an adaptive reuse funded with Historic Rehabilitation Tax Credits (HRTCs).

Tax Credit Advisor March, 2006: While the Federal Home Loan Bank System’s Affordable Housing Program (AHP) has been used with some success in combination with the Section 42 Program, it has not been a well-known or often-used adjunct to tax credit developments. However, a recent proposed rule of the Federal Housing Finance Board published in the Federal Register on December 28, 2005 would make the program more user-friendly for tax-credit developers.

Tax Credit Advisor February, 2006: Investor resistance has taken the steam out of tax-credit equity price increases, according to syndicators interviewed in late January. Some syndicators said this was evidence that a peak has at last been reached in prices after more than a year of sharp increases. Others disagreed.

Tax Credit Advisor February, 2006: New Markets Tax Credit proponents have high hopes that when Congress passes tax reconciliation legislation, it will include a provision that would extend the NMTC program through 2008.

Tax Credit Advisor February, 2006: For rehabilitation projects involving more than one certified historic structure where the structures are judged by the Secretary to have been functionally related historically to serve an overall purpose, such as a mill complex or a residence and carriage house, rehabilitation certification will be issued on the merits of the overall project rather than for each structure or individual component.

Tax Credit Advisor February, 2006: The National Park Service had recent welcome news for the Corky McMillin Companies, as the developer works to complete its part of the Liberty Station project, the redevelopment of a huge former naval boot camp in San Diego, Calif. The NPS has agreed to allow McMillin, which is leasing one part of the Liberty Station property, to separately apply for historic tax credits.

Tax Credit Advisor February, 2006: As every tax credit developer and manager knows, there is no shortage of complex rules for the program, any one of which can threaten the credits of a property when incorrectly applied. But two issues have been recurring problems in 2005 and deserve special attention as we move into the New Year. They involve the incorrect inclusion of common area in eligible basis and failure to include mandatory charges to residents in gross rent.

Tax Credit Advisor February, 2006: Many cities and counties hope to reverse the growing scarcity of affordable housing through mandates. Most common is inclusionary housing, which requires developers to set aside a certain percentage of completed units for low and moderate-income households. The pot is often sweetened with offers of low-interest rate loans and zoning flexibility.

Tax Credit Advisor January, 2006: Developers who skimp on spending when rehabilitating affordable housing properties may face serious problems in renting those properties post-rehab, according to a recent study from Paramount Financial Group.

Tax Credit Advisor January, 2006: The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has identified an increase in households with severe housing needs in its latest report on the subject, documenting a worrisome trend.

Tax Credit Advisor January, 2006: After 13 straight years of annual increases in purchases of Low Income Housing Tax Credits (LIHTC), Freddie Mac’s investments in these credits finally leveled off in 2005.

Tax Credit Advisor January, 2006: A bill was recently introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives that seeks to correct what preservationists believe is a serious flaw in the facade easement reform provisions included in the Senate’s tax reconciliation bill.