Location: Massachusetts Housing Partnership (160 Federal Street, Boston, MA)
Instructor: Jennifer Gilbert (VIVA Consulting)

Driving a Closing will be a one-day session, addressing how to push through an often trying stage of the development process, the closing. Time will be spent on the “art”, managing multiple team members, deadlines and funding sources, as well as the ”science,” the technical and legal issues which underpin this stage of development.

Registration Information:
$15.00/day

For more information, please contact dvargo@mhp.net.

A Program of Enterprise Community Partners

September 21-23, 2011
Cambridge, MA

The second annual Affordable Housing Design Leadership Institute will bring together leaders on the frontline of affordable housing design and development for a two-and-a-half day session focused on innovation and best practices. Two teams: a Design Resource Team of seven expert design innovators and a Development Team of seven forward-thinking developers with projects in the schematic design phase, will join forces to create solutions that will impact real affordable housing projects nationwide. The session will help community development leaders put into action best practices in sustainable community design, transit-oriented development, and green architectural design.

Additional Information and Registration

Date:  November 2-3, 2011
Time: 9:00am – 4:00pm
Location:  Third Sector New England Nonprofit Center, Community Room (89 South Street, Boston, MA 02111)
Instructor: Jennifer Pinck, Pinck and Co., Inc., a provider of Design and Construction Management Services

Registration Deadline: October 26, 2011

This training provided participating community development practitioners with strategies, techniques and resources to engage a General Contractor and to achieve economic development and hiring goals, comply with state and federal and funder regulations, and create the contractual language to manage the risks and challenges inherent in real estate projects.

 Agenda

Wednesday, November 2

 1.  Construction Contracts Overview – 9:30am to 12:00pm: This session focused on the key ingredients of construction contracts including important contractual terms and conditions that are essential to a good contract. The group examined the different types of contracts and understand when is each appropriate.  Using exercises and a case study, participants learned about the differences and similarities between lump sum, cost plus a fixed fee contracts and construction manager as advisor as well as understand when a project is of limited vs. major scope and how that impacts contract choices.

Lunch Provided on Site

2.  Creating Complete Contractor Documents and Incorporating Stakeholder Requirements  – 1:00pm to 4:00pm: This session focused on developing a complete set of contract documents that are “biddable” and how to integrate the key contract terms and conditions from the funders, local municipalities and everyone in between while addressing the real needs and specific constraints of a project. The group reviewed closing check lists, general conditions and other documents from real projects and in small groups will perform exercises.  The group also examined strategies for each project to maximize small business, M and WBE participation and some of the pros and cons of different ideas.

 Thursday, November 3

3.  How to Select and Hire a Contractor – 9:30am to 12:00pm: This session focused on the process of engaging a general contractor with an emphasis on the projects with subsidy or public financing. We will review best practices, the role of the Owner, the Architect, and the lenders. Participants learned about the differences and similarities between the private and public sector, how and when public bidding regulations apply and how to comply with public bidding laws and lender requirements.  The group examined how to identify contractors best suited to a project and how to address the union vs. open shop dilemma that often arises. Using a case study and role play exercises participants explored issues and solutions and strategies.

Lunch Provided on Site

4.  Accomplishing Economic and Other Objectives   - 1:00pm to 3:00pm: A panel of experienced partners shared their strategies for Section 3, M/WBE, local hiring, community development and other compliance.

5.  Wrap up – 3:00 to 4:00

Date: September 30, 2011
Time: 9:00am-4:30pm
Location: Boston LISC Conference Room B. First Floor (95 Berkeley St., Boston, MA 02116)

Overview

Introduction to Community and Economic Development was a full-day professional development/academic course provided by the Mel King Institute for Community Building.  The course content was intended to provide a broad surface level description of the main objectives, characteristics, and challenges of effective Community and Economic development, specifically in Massachusetts.
Intended Audience
Course participants included new community development practitioners and volunteers (CDC staff members, Interns/AmeriCorps Members, local students, and community leaders).

Agenda

• Introduction and Group Definitions 9:00am-10:30am
• Community Organizing & Planning 10:30am-11:30pm-

What is community organizing:  Creating a responsive and collaborative community member base to identify issues and assess needs
How to begin organizing:  Ways to effectively connect with the community (organizing and outreach techniques)
Why is organizing important:  Leadership development and support for proposed local projects or initiatives

• Lunch 11:30am-12:15pm
• Real Estate Development 12:30pm-1:30pm

What do CDCs do in terms of Real estate development (affordable and healthy housing options à homeownership, commercial to a lesser extent) perhaps touch on community space and transportation if time permits
How are CDC real estate projects achieved?
Why are these real estate projects critical for the majority of CDCs

• Economic Development 1:30-2:30

What types of community development projects can infuse investment and money into a specific community?
How can community based organizations effectively contribute to local economic growth/stability
Why is promoting financial equity and opportunity critical to improving challenging social conditions in a sustainable way?

• Political/Legislative 2:30-3:30

What types of civic engagement activities can practitioners encourage amongst local residents?

How do communities attract and maintain political allies?

Why: identifying specific political avenues to achieving desired policy changes; establishing more political strength for traditionally underrepresented social groups

This course helped evaluate how your low-income housing tax credit project is performing compared to initial expectations. Participants learned whether changes to their strategy are needed to optimize the nonprofit owner’s position, especially with regard to purchase of the project at the end of the 15-year compliance period. This course dealt specifically with fair market, exit taxes and alternatives to continuing partnerships for the full 15 years. Participants were asked to bring project documents with them so that discussions and examples focus on the real-life situations many nonprofit organizations are facing with LIHTC projects.

Participants must have had development and LIHTC experience and be able to read audits, partnership documents, and navigate an excel spreadsheet.  This was a clinic, not a beginners course.

Date: Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Time: 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Location: College of the Holy Cross, Worcester, MA

Register online at CHAPA’s website

Download the Conference Brochure

CHAPA, MAHA and MACDC are sponsoring a statewide conference that will put forth a practical vision for sustainable homeownership policies and practices over the next several years.

Specific topics include:

• Homebuyer education and counseling
• Reform of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac
• Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) and Home Mortgage Disclosure Act (HMDA) updates
• Neighborhood stabilization focusing on communities hardest hit by foreclosures
• Affordable mortgage products
• Development of affordable homeownership units
• Monitoring and deed restrictions
• Creative ideas for homeownership such as Community Land Trusts

Sponsors:

Citizens’ Housing and Planning Association
Massachusetts Affordable Housing Alliance
Massachusetts Association of Community Development Corporations

Co-Sponsors:

Fair Housing Center of Greater Boston
Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation
Federal Home Loan Bank of Boston
Federal Reserve Bank of Boston
Massachusetts Association of Realtors
Massachusetts Community & Banking Council
Massachusetts Department of Housing and Community Development
Massachusetts Housing Partnership
MassHousing
NeighborWorks America
Regional Housing Network of Massachusetts
The Midas Collaborative

Register online at CHAPA’s web site

Please see the conference brochure for more details on the speakers and workshops and to register by mail or fax.

For more information, please contact CHAPA at 617-742-0820.

Advanced 3-Day Seminar

Co-Sponsored by the Hyams Foundation and the Citizens’ Housing and Planning Association

Date:  May 4, May 25, and June 14, 2011
Time:  9:00am – 4:30pm
Locations:
May 4: One Badger Rd., Framingham, MA 01702
May 25:  89 South St., Boston, MA 02111
June 14:  One Badger Rd., Framingham, MA 01702

This advanced seminar will examine unique foreclosure redevelopment issues that differ from other kinds of housing and real estate development.  Community developers have been pursuing diverse approaches to foreclosed properties in recent years.  This three part workshop will share their experiences, with presentations by CDC staff and other experts in the field.  All participants are encouraged to bring their own experiences and questions, so we all can improve our work to alleviate the foreclosure problems facing our communities.

This seminar is designed for nonprofits, municipal officials and others who want to improve their tools and techniques for improving the redevelopment of foreclosed housing.  Participants should have experience in real estate development and be actively involved in foreclosed property redevelopment.

Specific curriculum areas of focus include:

• How redeveloping foreclosed housing fits within larger community improvement plans
• Multiple strategies for acquiring foreclosed properties, and which sellers are most active in Massachusetts
• Diverse approaches to renovating foreclosures
• Issues in redeveloping occupied foreclosures, such as regulatory concerns and property management needs
• Discussion of public policies and programs that can promote successful
  restoration of foreclosed property and ways to improve them

This training seminar will be led by Louise Elving of Viva Consulting

Full Seminar Agenda

MACDC Member Registration: $150.00
Non MACDC Member Registration $300.00

(Registration fee includes on site breakfast and lunch for Day 1 & 2)

Online Registration requires credit card payment

For invoice payment & group discounts information, please contact Jay Rosa:
Jayr@macdc.org
617-426-0344 x.33

April 6 & 7, 2011
Omni Parker House Hotel, Boston, MA

Why You Should Attend - Only Time Offered on the East Coast in 2011!

This seminar is intended for newcomers to the field as well as those seeking an up-to-the-minute refresher course. It will present the basic rules governing the LIHTC and use of the tax credit in today’s transactions; a “hands-on” analysis of a financial model generated for a typical tax credit project; an overview of the legal, accounting, and business issues involved in negotiating transactions; a practical look at tax credit transactions from the lender, agency, developer, and investor perspectives; special issues that arise in deals involving non-profits; the basic rules for when tax credits are used together with tax-exempt bonds; options for tax credit properties in Year 15; how to incorporate solar energy in a tax credit property; and real-world advice on the occupancy and compliance essentials that are critical to the long-term success of every project. For the first time ever, we will spend the afternoon of day two giving a primer on the Historic Tax Credit. You can attend the entire conference or choose to attend the one and a half days of the Housing conference or just the afternoon of the Historic conference.

Who Should Attend: Housing Tax Credit conference

• Owners, developers, syndicators, property managers, and applicable staff and advisers who need a basic understanding of how the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit works
• Investors, lenders, underwriters, and others in the housing finance community looking for straightforward and practical analysis of the business as well as the technical issues surrounding today’s use of the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit
• Housing agency and community development staff, nonprofit representatives, and others who want step-by-step information on the use of the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit and how it fits into the overall development process
• Real estate and tax attorneys, accountants, and other advisors to tax credit participants who need an overview or update of the fundamental rules, techniques, and practices applicable to today’s transactions

Who Should Attend: Historic Tax Credit afternoon primer

• Developers and owners of residential, commercial, or mixed-use, market-rate or low-income property who are interested in learning more about the rules, strategies and opportunities of historic credit deals as well as how to twin them with Low-Income Credits.
• Investors, lenders, syndicators, underwriters and others involved in financing properties that use, or are considering using, Historic Tax Credits in combination with other financing tools
• State, tribal and local officials, non-profit representatives and those interested in historic preservation seeking to stay current on the latest techniques designed to finance development as well as preserve or rehabilitate older buildings
• Real estate and tax attorneys, accountants, consultants and other advisors to the development community who want up-to-the minute analyses of applicable regulations, processes and business considerations to help clients get the most from their Historic Tax Credit projectsAdditional Information and Registration

Co-sponsored by Mass. Association of CDCs, CHAPA, and Mass. Affordable Housing Alliance

Date:  Tuesday, May 17th, 2011
Location:  The College of the Holy Cross (Worcester, MA)

The overall theme of the conference is to put forth a practical vision for sustainable homeownership policies and practices over the next several years.  There will be a focus on several current topics and debates, including:  the latest research on homeownership and what caused the crisis; the enormous changes in homeownership that have occurred over the past few years (lending, counseling and monitoring practices), the status and future of new homeownership production, the reform of the regulatory agencies, the future of the GSEs, and ideas on where we can go from here to ensure sustainable homeownership in the future.

The conference will include a combination of workshops, a plenary session and a keynote luncheon speaker.