Thom Amdur Author Archives

Ballard Spahr announced that Christopher D. Bell, a real estate attorney whose broad transactional experience includes more than 10 years at Fannie Mae, has joined the firm as a partner in the Washington, D.C., office.

Sheila Dillon, Chief of Housing for the City of Boston, and Bill Machen, a Boston-based tax credit attorney and partner at the law firm Holland & Knight, will each receive a 2015 Vision Award for their contributions to affordable housing and community development.

An old school building is keeping seniors in their neighborhood after they sell their homes. An out-of-use factory provides shelter and services to individuals with special needs. A former motor club offers tourists a sustainable place to stay. These innovative historic rehabilitations are among the finalists for J. Timothy Anderson Awards for Excellence in Historic Rehabilitation.

Governor Charlie Baker has appointed Ms. Margaret F. Wagner and Mr. Ping Yin Chai to the MassHousing Board, filling two vacancies on the nine-member governing body that oversees the Commonwealth’s quasi-public affordable housing bank.

Michael Rubinger announced he will end his tenure as president and CEO of the Local Initiative Support Coalition in June 2016. In a parallel statement, the LISC Board of Directors announced plans to form a search committee to plan for succession.

Rittenberg Manor provides 100 home to seniors over the age of 62, and sets aside five of those units for homeless individuals. The new affordable apartment community in Egg Harbor City, NJ, which is providing homes to seniors displaced by Hurricane Sandy, has earned an ENERGY STAR certification.

Independent state housing organizations have formed a new council to advocate for the housing tax credit.

La Fonte Nesbitt joins Love Funding’s Washington, D.C. office as Vice President and General Counsel after serving as a real estate partner at the law firm of Holland & Knight for almost 20 years.

Love Funding announced the closing of three loans totaling $8.59 million to refinance the debt on a group of age-restricted, Section 8 apartments in Haslett, Michigan.

HUD released answers to frequently asked questions about a recent notice that outlines a new methodology for completing a multifamily housing utility allowance.

The year 2015 marks 25 years since The Michaels Organization’s founder and CEO Michael J. Levitt first created a scholarship program for residents of the affordable housing communities that his companies own and manage. To celebrate this milestone, The Michaels Organization has kicked off its “I Am A Michaels Scholar” campaign, which tells the stories of some of these resident scholars, both in print and on video.

The historic tax credit helped created 78,000 jobs and $3.4 billion income during FY 2014, according to a report from the National Park Service and Rutgers University Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy.