Boynton Beach City Commission Approves Public-Private Partnership Project, The Pierce, In Partnership With Affiliated Development

Boynton Beach City Commission has voted unanimously to approve all agreements between the City, the Boynton Beach CRA and Affiliated Development in order to advance highly anticipated $80+ million mixed-use, mixed-income workforce housing project, The Pierce.

Located in west of Federal Highway between Ocean Avenue and Boynton Beach Boulevard, The Pierce will offer 16,800 square feet of restaurant and commercial space, a minimum of 236 apartment units and a parking garage that will include 150 public parking spaces. Affiliated Development was the only proposer that had an agreement with longtime Boynton Beach restaurant, Hurricane Alley, which secured the business’ future in Boynton Beach.

Fort Lauderdale-based Affiliated Development outbid 4 other firms that responded to a RFP in Decemeber 2021 issued by the Boynton Beach CRA, including Related Group. Negotiations have been ongoing since that time and all agreements have been finalized and approved by the CRA Board and City Commission.

“We are community builders and have a track record of working alongside our City and CRA partners to create a transformative projects that increase the quality of life for the city’s residents,” says Jeff Burns, CEO of Affiliated Development. “We have had our eye on Boynton Beach for a while and strongly believe that Boynton Beach is poised to reach its full potential.”

With housing affordability at unprecedented levels, The Pierce will offer 50% of the project’s units at varying workforce housing levels in order to accommodate the overwhelming demand for Class A living at attainable rents. The Pierce’s 8-story apartment building will offer luxury finishes, features and amenities including a resort style pool with private cabanas, state of the art fitness facility, co-work collective and keyless Bluetooth door entry. The Pierce will be built and certified to national green building standards.

Boynton Beach leaders have been setting the stage for this moment for many years. The CRA had assembled over 2 acres of property and received many unsolicited suiters over the years. Instead of moving forward with those proposals, the CRA underwent a competitive process that not only vetted the merits of the project, but the strength of the developer. Affiliated Development specializes in public-private-partnership development and has several completed projects in Broward and Palm Beach Counties.

Affiliated Development’s next step is to begin the land use entitlement process. “If all goes smoothly, we anticipate getting underway during the mid 2023,” says Burns.

Affiliated Development Launches $125 Million Impact Housing Fund

Affiliated Development, a real estate development, investment and asset management firm, has announced the launch of an impact investment fund to invest in multifamily mixed-income workforce housing throughout South and Central Florida. Affiliated Housing Impact Fund, LP (or the “Fund”) will provide equity capital to finance Affiliated Development’s pipeline of workforce housing projects and investments. Affiliated Development’s principals, Jeff Burns and Nick Rojo, will be the sole general partners and managers of the Fund.

The Fund’s overall investment objective is to generate a positive social and environmental impact, while delivering attractive risk-adjusted returns for its investors. The Fund’s investment strategy is to capitalize the development of high-quality multifamily housing, offering a superior living experience at attainable rents. Each project will be constructed to meet the stringent requirements for green building certification standards.

“Over 60% of renters in the South Florida area are cost-burdened, meaning they pay more than 30% of their income on rent. Most South Florida residents are forced to either allocate too much income toward rent, live with one or more roommates, or move away from major employment centers in order to find reasonably priced housing.” Burns said. “The tremendous demand for attainably priced housing in South Florida has been compounded by the influx of new residents and businesses migrating to the area. We feel a sense of responsibility to work alongside local government to help find solutions to this growing issue.”

Affiliated Development specializes in public-private-partnerships, which typically result in the utilization of government financing incentives necessary to make these types of projects work. The company has a track record of completing workforce housing projects in various South Florida cities.

The Fund has the requisite capital commitments for an initial closing which is scheduled for December. Current committed investors include the Fort Lauderdale Police and Firefighters’ Pension Fund, West Palm Beach Police Pension Fund, Hollywood Police Pension Fund, Hollywood Firefighters’ Pension Fund, Miramar Police Pension Fund and a locally based family office.

“We are thrilled to be partnering with local public pension plans. We see an inherent alignment of interest with our pension partners who can reinvest capital back into the community while providing housing for their contributors and the local workforce. We are also attracting interest from family offices and individuals seeking a double bottom line outcome with both financial and social returns.” Said Rojo. “Having discretionary capital also provides us the flexibility to move quickly and take advantage of opportunities while focusing on what we do best, which is executing.”