Community Celebrates Nearly 100 New Affordable Homes for Working Families in Madison

Corinne Hyzny

Feb 28^th, 2019

Cinnaire recently joined community leaders, new residents and project partners to celebrate the ribbon-cutting and open house for Harmony @Grandview Commons in Madison, WI.

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

Cinnaire, in partnership with UnitedHealthCare, provided $5.4 million in Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) equity funding to support the new development. The Wisconsin Housing & Economic Development Authority (WHEDA) provided $11 million in permanent financing.

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.

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 place for blending family and experiences for progressive living.

“Madison – and the State of Wisconsin – consistently rank high in lists of cities and states where it’s toughest for people of color to succeed,” said Christopher Laurent, senior vice president at Cinnaire. “Today – the last day of February, Black History Month – is notable because Royal Capital is making history as one of the first development groups led by a person of color celebrating the opening of a ground-up development in the City of Madison. My hope is that little boys and girls of all social backgrounds and colors can look to Royal’s president Kevin Newell as an example of what is possible.”

“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 new community was built on a vacant lot located in the Grandview Commons neighborhood on the east side of Madison, south of Milwaukee street and east of interstate 90, just a few miles from downtown.

‘This is an important day here in Madison, where so many community partners have helped bring affordable, quality, new homes for working families,” said Wisconsin Lt. Governor Mandela Barnes, who helped lead 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.”

“Together with our outstanding partners, WHEDA is continuing its mission to build quality, safe, affordable housing in the city of Madison and Dane County,” said WHEDA Board Chair Ivan Gamboa. “Harmony has a very urbanist feel to its design and has integrated on-site services that are very appealing for residents.”

“At UnitedHealthcare, we understand 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,” said Ellen Sexton, CEO of UnitedHealthcare Community Plan of Wisconsin. “We are partnering with other socially minded organizations that understand the value of good health, and how public-private partnerships like these can succeed in helping make a positive impact in our communities.”