New apartment fund to invest $220Min multi-family projects

Real Estate Weekly, Dec 25, 2002

TimesSquare Keal Estate Investors announced the closing of The Apartment Alliance Separate Account with the commitment of the New York State Teachers' Retirement System as the principal investor. The Separate Account and its alliance partner, The Bozzuto Group, will co-invest in the development of up to $220 million of multifamily projects.

"The Montgomery at Wheaton Metro", a multifamily complex in Wheaton, MD, is the Separate Account's first development. The property location was named the "Best New Location for a Suburban Maryland Apartment Community in 2002," by the research firm, Delta Associates, at' the Fall 2002 Sixth Annual Mid-Atlantic Apartment Industry Awards for Excellence presentation. Construction is scheduled to begin in early 2003.

"This project provides the New York State Teachers' Retirement system with an opportunity to invest in a region where population growth continues to build and the supply of new apartment sites is highly restricted," explained John M. Hurley, portfolio manager of the Separate Account.

He added that the apartment complex will be located near public transportation and major roadways, and is expected to attract young professionals who commute to downtown Washington, D.C. and the I-270 Rockville Pike biotech employment corridor.

"One of the attractions of this particular project is that there has been no new multifamily developments in the locale for more than a decade," said Tern Pandolfi, a real estate officer of the New York State Teachers' Retirement System, one of the nation's 10 largest public retirement systems, with more than $73 billion in assets.

TimesSquare Real Estate Investors structured The Apartment Alliance Separate Account and the strategic alliance with The Bozzuto Group, which will provide project development and property management services. TimesSquare Real Estate Investors will serve as investment adviser and manager.

According to Hurley, the Separate Account is designed for qualified corporate pension plans and government plans. Its highly focused investment strategy is to develop or acquire and reposition high quality apartment properties in the Greater Washington, D.C. metropolitan area and in the Philadelphia-Baltimore corridor. These markets were selected for their historical balance of supply and demand as well as The Bozzuto Group's experience as a premier developer and manager in these markets.