GAINESVILLE, Fla. — KeyBank Community Development Lending and Investment has provided a $13 million construction loan to National CORE, a nonprofit developer, to finance Hawthorne Heights, an 86-unit affordable seniors housing project in Gainesville. KeyBank Commercial Mortgage Group also arranged a $6.5 million Freddie Mac permanent loan for the project.
Hawthorne Heights will serve seniors aged 62 and older with five units specifically set aside for individuals with special needs. The five-story building will be constructed on a 3-acre site, and, in addition to the special-needs units, will offer three apartments for residents earning no more than 22 percent of the area median income (AMI), nine apartments for households earning up to 40 percent of AMI and 74 apartments for households earning 60 percent or less than local AMI.
Completion of Hawthorne Heights is slated for November 2026. The lease-up period is expected to begin in August 2026. The property will be managed by The CT Group.
National CORE also secured additional funding from Red Stone, which provided Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) equity and bonds from the Florida Housing Finance Corp. The property qualifies for tax abatement, which provides tax exemption for nonprofit-owned properties that commit to using it for providing affordable housing for a minimum of 99 years.