Riverwards Group secures $17.9MM in energy efficiency financing for 220 apartments through C-PACE program expansion
The Philadelphia Energy Authority and Nuveen Green Capital announced the closing of $17.9MM for a 220-unit multifamily property in the Port Richmond neighborhood of Philadelphia on East Somerset and Tulip Streets. This project is the first in Pennsylvania to take advantage of expanded eligibility for multifamily properties and it is the 12th project in Philadelphia, bringing total C-PACE investments to $117MM.
Commercial Property Assessed Clean Energy (C-PACE) financing allows for investments in energy efficiency, water conservation, renewable energy, and now IAQ and resiliency, that are paid back over time through special property assessments.
The Riverwards Group development, known as Somerset Station, is set to open in 2024. “We are grateful that this development is the first multifamily project in Pennsylvania to benefit from the newly expanded C-PACE program,” said Mo Rushdy, Managing Partner, Riverwards Group. It is a transformative project that brings an unprecedented large-scale development to North of Lehigh Avenue, in an area that has been neglected development-wise. This development would not have happened without the use of C-PACE and Community Revitalization Act funding. Nuveen Green Capital and Citizens Bank worked together to make this project happen.”
Shelah Wallace, Director of Origins at Nuveen Green Capital stated “we are thrilled to be able to help Riverwards reduce their equity requirement by utilizing our C-PACE product. We are also very proud to have partnered with Citizens Bank as they recognized the benefits of having C-PACE in the capital stack.”
Senate Bill 635 expanded eligibility for C-PACE financing to include multifamily commercial buildings, indoor air quality and building resiliency improvements. The bill was signed by Governor Wolf in July 2022 and took effect in September 2022. Act 43 of 2022 expands on Act 30 of 2018, which first enabled C-PACE financing in Pennsylvania for commercial buildings. Sponsored by Senator Yudichak, the Act extends eligibility to multifamily commercial buildings of 5 or more units, as well as indoor air quality and building resiliency improvements. Representative Heffley sponsored the House companion bill, HB 1760.
“We are grateful to Senator Yudichak and Representative Heffley for their sponsorship of expansion,” said Emily Schapira, President & CEO of the Philadelphia Energy Authority, Philadelphia’s C-PACE Administrator. “This project is evidence of the importance of the expansion.”