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LINC Unveils $43M PepperWood Complex
GlobeSt.com, August 20, 2007
By Bob Howard
RANCHO CUCAMONGA, CA -- LINC Housing Corp. of Long Beach has unveiled its $43
million PepperWood Apartments complex, a 230-unit property at 9055 Foothill
Blvd. that the company has retrofitted for improved for energy efficiency while
completing a host of other upgrades. LINC, which is a nonprofit developer of
affordable housing for families and seniors throughout California, worked with
the city of Rancho Cucamonga to buy the PepperWood complex in 2006.
Through the acquisition, LINC made previously market-rate apartments affordable
to limited-income residents who were at risk of being priced out of their
neighborhoods during the citys new wave of prosperity. The complex features
units ranging from studios to two-bedroom apartments that range from 487 sf to
975 sf, all of them set aside for families earning from 35% to 60% of the area
median income for San Bernardino County, or about $321 to $732 per month depending
on household income.
The renovations include new paint, insulation, electrical and plumbing systems,
energy-efficient water heaters, new heating and cooling systems, new appliances,
double-paned windows, doors and weather stripping, CFL lighting, low-flow toilets
and hard-wired smoke detectors. The renovation also included the addition of an
all-new computer lab for residents.
Hunter L. Johnson, LINC Housing president and CEO, notes that LINCs
acquisition and renovation of the PepperWood complex were a response to
growth in Rancho Cucamonga, which has caused property values and rents
to rise rapidly. Rents in the city have increased more than 32% since
2001, forcing people out of the area, Johnson observes.
Funding for the PepperWood acquisition and renovation came from a number
of sources including Century Housing, Citibank, tax exempt bonds with
Housing Partnership Securities, tax credit equity from Enterprise Community
Investments, and a loan from the Rancho Cucamonga Redevelopment Agency. In
addition to renovating he complex, LINC has instituted its LINC Cares resident
services program at PepperWood.
Through the LINC services program, the company has conducted a series of
credit management workshops to teach residents about credit, finance,
banking and how to protect themselves from identity theft. Upcoming resident
services programs include a first-time homebuyer program, health care programs,
tutoring program for the propertys children and homelessness prevention
workshops.
Copyright © 2007 ALM Properties, Inc. All rights reserved.
Reprinted with permission.
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