Grandview of affordable housing

New development funded through public-private partnership that includes $11 million from WHEDA and $5.4 million from UnitedHealthcare.

From the pages of In Business magazine.

Community leaders, newly moved-in residents, and development partners came together at the end of February to celebrate the completion of HARMONY @Grandview Commons, a new 94-unit affordable-housing community for working families in the Grandview Commons neighborhood of Madison.

HARMONY @Grandview Commons features six two-story structures with 28 two-bedroom and 66 three-bedroom apartment homes. On-site amenities for residents include a community clubhouse with a library, computer lab, and meeting ] space, fitness center, playground, picnic area with grills, and private garages. Residents have access to various services and programs such as health and nutrition classes, higher-education courses, financial training, and after-school activities, among others.

“This is an important day here in Madison, where so many community partners have helped bring affordable, quality, new homes for working families,” says Wisconsin Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes, who attended the ribbon-cutting ceremony. “This beautiful new community is a model for how we can support families and bring innovative thinking to how we support them as they build a brighter future.”

During the ceremony, the developers from Royal Capital Group officially unveiled the new name, HARMONY @Grandview Commons, which is meant to describe the community as a place for blending family and experiences for progressive living.

“Harmony, as a part of Royal Capital’s nationally branded properties, brings quality, affordable homes to working families who want a contemporary place to live with programs and services that add to their quality of life,” said Kevin Newell, president of Royal Capital Group. “What we have helped create with the support of our development partners will benefit the Grandview Commons neighborhood for years to come.”

The major funders for the new community were the Wisconsin Housing & Economic Development Authority (WHEDA) and UnitedHealthcare. WHEDA provided $11 million in permanent financing, and UnitedHealthcare provided $5.4 million in equity funding through a partnership with Cinnaire and Minnesota Equity Fund.

Ellen Sexton, CEO of UnitedHealthcare Community Plan of Wisconsin, notes that some of the greatest barriers to better health are not clinical issues, but rather social and financial barriers such as access to safe and affordable housing. “We are partnering with other socially minded organizations that understand the value of good health,” she states, “and how public-private partnerships like these can succeed in helping make a positive impact in our communities.”

UnitedHealthcare, which employs 11,000 people in Wisconsin and serves the health care needs of nearly 1.7 million people statewide, has invested $384 million to build more than 70 affordable-housing communities in 16 states, helping create more than 3,400 affordable homes for individuals and families. The investments, which include $12 million in Wisconsin, are part of the company’s efforts to redefine healthy living by helping address social determinants that affect people’s health and well-being.

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