ALAMEDA, CA – Lincoln Avenue Capital (LAC), a mission-driven acquirer and developer of affordable housing, and the Housing Authority of the City of Alameda (AHA) announced an agreement to preserve the affordability of up to 132 units at Rica Vista Apartments for the next 55 years.
LAC’s partnership with the Housing Authority of the City of Alameda will convert the existing market-rate property to workforce housing to bolster the supply of affordable housing in the Bay Area, one of most expensive housing markets in the nation. This agreement will provide long-term access to high-quality, affordable homes for Alameda residents earning up to 80 percent of the Area Median Income (AMI), including one- and two-bedroom apartments that remain in especially high demand in the area.
The 186-unit property currently serves approximately 250 lower-income and moderate-income residents. Most recently renovated in 2020, Rica Vista includes amenities such as a swimming pool, playroom, fitness center, laundry facility, and grilling/picnic area. The acquisition of the property was financed with the National Equity Fund as well as subordinate financing from the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative via the Bay’s Future Fund.
“Lincoln Avenue Capital is proud to work with the Alameda Housing Authority to preserve and expand access to quality homes at Rica Vista for decades to come,” said LAC CEO Jeremy Bronfman. “This agreement signifies our deep commitment to ensuring long-term affordability for families and individuals in communities like Alameda where our impact is most needed.”
Before its acquisition, Rica Vista operated as a fully market-rate property. Its conversion serves as a prime example of “Naturally Occurring Affordable Housing” (NOAH) that is increasingly rare across the nation and especially in California. The new regulatory agreement will ensure 55 years of affordability at the property, offering affordable housing units in the surrounding area for the long-term.
“The mission of the Housing Authority is to provide quality affordable housing alternatives to all Alamedans,” AHA Executive Director Vanessa Cooper said. “The partnership with Lincoln Avenue Capital will allow more low- and middle-income people to live and work in the City of Alameda.”

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GRAND RAPIDS, MI – Thompson Thrift, a full-service nationally recognized real estate company, announced the sale of The Grove, a 320-unit Class A multifamily community in Grand Rapids. A private real estate investment firm bought the community for an undisclosed amount.
“Our team at Thompson Thrift is proud to have developed a top-notch community where residents can delight in a lifestyle focused on convenience and luxury,” said Josh Purvis, managing partner for Thompson Thrift Residential. “The Grove has been an overwhelmingly successful residential community from the start, and we’re pleased to complete a successful sale of this generational real estate asset.”
Completed in August 2022, the 24-acre community offers two-tale farmhouse-style apartment homes with a mix of one-, two- and three-bedroom layouts that average 1,200 square feet. Apartment homes feature designer interiors including quartz countertops, stainless steel and energy-efficient appliances, walk-in pantry, hardwood-style flooring, large walk-in closets, patio and balcony options and full-size washers and dryers. Residents are treated to resort-style amenities including a resident social lounge, 24/7 fully equipped fitness center, heated pool and spa, community grilling areas, pickleball courts, dog park and pet spa.
With frontage on Beltline Avenue, a major north/south thoroughfare, the location offers residents a small commute to downtown Grand Rapids, where they can delight in local museums, the John Ball Zoo, and a host of breweries and restaurants. A fantastic majority of the area’s major employers, including Axios, Meijer and Spectrum Health, are within a 15-mile radius.
Jason Krug with Berkadia brokered the sale for Thompson Thrift.
“The Grove set a new standard for quality construction and luxury apartment living in the Grand Rapids market,” said Jason Krug, senior managing director for Berkadia. “Our team was able to generate demand and ultimately identify an ideal buyer for this transaction in the face of a transitioning marketplace. The asset’s quality and burgeoning Grand Rapids economy provide for a very bright future for The Grove.”
Thompson Thrift has made a name for itself by being one of the few developers to build Class A residential communities in markets across the country with a range of conventional, luxury leased villa and townhome-style communities. Throughout its history, the company has invested more than $4 billion and has become known as a trusted partner committed to developing high-quality, attractive communities.

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WASHINGTON, DC – The District of Columbia Housing Finance Agency (DCHFA) has financed the rehabilitation of 202 affordable apartments at scattered sites across Wards 7 and 8. DCHFA issued $43.1 million in tax exempt bonds for the acquisition and rehabilitation of this 16-building community formerly known as WDC 1 which spans Anacostia, Marshall Heights and Fort Dupont. The Agency also underwrote $33.4 million in federal Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) equity and $6.4 million in D.C. LIHTC equity to finance this redevelopment.
Preservation of existing affordable housing assets is an essential component of affordability, stated Christopher E. Donald, Executive Director/CEO, DCHFA. The residents at the Villages of East River will have their community renovated and modernized, while their rents remain affordable and allow them to remain in their neighborhoods.
The residents of the Villages of East River formed the Positive Change Tenants Association and exercised their rights under the D.C. Tenant Opportunity to Buy Act. They selected National Housing Trust Communities and IBF Development as the teams to rehabilitate their homes. The project will consist of restoring 16 buildings originally built between 1952 and 1967, and the total development cost of the project is $95.9 million. Additional funding came in the form of a $37.6 million Housing Production Trust Fund loan from the D.C. Department of Housing and Community Development.
Projects like this one are key to preserving affordable units, as we continue to make strides in the overall number of affordable housing units available to District residents, and continue to work towards the goal of 12,000 new affordable units by 2025 said Department of Housing and Community Development Acting Director Colleen Green. In that vein, we are thrilled to be part of the preservation of more than 200 homes.
The unit mix will remain the same in the existing buildings, to include 74 one-bedrooms and 128 two-bedrooms. Eighty-one units will be reserved for residents earning 60 percent or less of the area median income (AMI), and 80 units will be reserved for those earning up to 50 percent AMI. Forty-one units will be designated Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH) reserved for residents earning 30 percent or less AMI, and they will receive Local Rent Subsidy Program operating subsidy through the DC Housing Authority.
Renovations will take place in four phases with four buildings in each phase. Updates will include fully renovated kitchens, new roofs, repaired flooring, replacement windows, new hot water heaters, renovated bathrooms, new HVAC units, electrical upgrades, and the creation of accessible pathways. Once completed, there will be two new community centers among the Villages of East River (at 301 37th Street, SE and 450 1stStreet, SE). There will also be three new PSH offices within the community.
Through its Multifamily Lending and Neighborhood Investment and Capital Markets divisions, DCHFA issues tax-exempt mortgage revenue bonds to lower the developers costs of acquiring, constructing and rehabilitating rental housing. The Agency offers private for-profit and non-profit developers low-cost predevelopment, construction and permanent financing that supports the new construction, acquisition, and rehabilitation of affordable rental housing in the District.

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