RHLS Director of Development Legal Services, Kim Dolan; Supervising Attorney, Raina Mehta; and Staff Attorney, Kathryn Robinson, represented Liberty Housing Development Corporation on the development of Liberty 53: Estelle B. Richman Place in Philadelphia. This new construction project builds upon the success of the adjacent Liberty 52: Stephen F. Gold Community Residence.
Liberty Resources, Inc. created Liberty Housing Development Corporation as a separate 501(c)(3) nonprofit so they could develop accessible and affordable homes for persons with disabilities who currently must reside in nursing homes. LHDCorp believes that “all people with disabilities should have the right to make their own choices and to live independently. In the housing units, they work with property managers, landlords, and developers to create opportunities for people to do just that.”
In April of 2018, LHDCorp was awarded a grant to construct more affordable, accessible, and integrated housing apartment units in West Philadelphia. The first building was intended for people with physical disabilities and people with autism. It was named after Stephen F. Gold, a civil rights attorney and long-time advocate and friend of LRI and LHDCorp. This building, Liberty52, has been up and running since 2020. RHLS was the attorney of record for that development as well.
Liberty 53 is the next phase of development, delivering 31 units of affordable, new construction housing. Liberty will build, lease, and manage the building, which will be ADA accessible and particularly sensitive to the needs of individuals who need sensory accommodations. The project will include both permanent supportive housing for people with physical and intellectual disabilities, as well as the general low -income population. The 32,088 sq. ft. building will consist of 23 one‐bedroom/one‐bathroom units and 8 two‐bedroom/one-bathroom units.
Liberty53 is a Faircloth-to-RAD project that closed on construction financing in September of 2024. Faircloth-to-RAD is a process that allows PHAs to build new public housing units and then convert those units to long-term Section 8 rental assistance contracts through the Rental Assistance Demonstration (RAD) program. As a Faircloth-to-RAD project, there are two closing processes: closing on the HUD mixed-finance phase and then the RAD conversion.
As part of the mixed-finance phase, RHLS attorneys assisted in structuring the transaction, developing the LIHTC application, drafting the architect’s and construction agreements, developing the LIHTC application, and reviewing and confirming compliance with HUD regulations and funding requirements. RHLS also negotiated loan agreements and addressed any title, zoning, and environmental issues. At closing, our attorneys coordinated with the lenders, investor, PHA, and HUD to facilitate the mixed-finance phase closing and initiate construction.
At present, construction is underway. Once construction is complete, the role of RHLS will be to focus on facilitating the RAD conversion which will include review of HUD’s RAD documents, drafting tenant lease agreements, subordination agreements, and overseeing the review and verification of overall project and procedural compliance with both the RAD and LIHTC regulations, as well as overall project and procedural compliance with both RAD and LIHTC regulations.
Call 215-634-2000 ext. 231 to get more info. There is contact form on the Liberty Development Corporation website to get more info.