AMWA Begins Construction on a New Affordable Senior Community in Arlington, Washington

Artist's rendering of Cedar Pointe apartments

AMWA Development, Inc., announced  that it closed financing and will start construction on 255 new affordable apartments for seniors in the Smokey Point community of Arlington, Washington. located at 17309 40th Avenue, Arlington, WA 98223.

Cedar Pointe is a 55+ apartment community being constructed on a 4.05-acre site in a single, four-story elevator building with 175 one-bedroom units and 80 two-bedroom units, including a one-bedroom manager’s unit. Once completed, Cedar Pointe’s 1 and 2 bedroom apartment homes will feature modern appliances including washer and more. All units will be affordable to seniors earning 60% of the Area Median Income.

Interior community spaces will include a leasing office, community room, media room, exercise room, two private dining rooms, and a business center. The development will be located near shopping, recreation, transportation and other services.

“We are pleased to be developing these new high-quality apartments for seniors in the Smokey Point area and to be assisting the City of Arlington in meeting the city’s goals for a diverse and creative mix of new housing,” said Percy Vaz, CEO of AMWA Development, Inc. “It has been a pleasure working with the City of Arlington and we want to thank the Mayor, City Council and staff for all the cooperation and support.  We are also grateful our financing partners, including the Washington State Housing Finance Commission, Hudson Housing Capital and Citi Community Capital. This is our first partnership with WSHFC and we look forward to more successful partnerships.”

Construction is being overseen by AMWA Construction, Inc.

The community is set to be completed in August 2020 and will be managed by FPI Management, Inc.

Cedar Pointe is the first real estate development project in Washington for AMWA Development, Inc., an independently owned and operated affiliate of AMCAL, a Southern California-based real estate development organization.

AMWA Development, Inc. 

AMWA Development, Inc., is an independently owned and operated affiliate of AMCAL, a leading group of allied real estate companies. Founded in 1978, AMCAL and its affiliates have developed more than $1.5 billion in multifamily residential properties consisting of more than 6,500 units in California, Texas, Washington, Arizona and Louisiana, including affordable housing, luxury apartment housing and student housing.

Passion for Housing

Photo of Percy Vaz

AMCAL CEO Percy Vaz is featured in the current edition of Affordable Housing Finance Magazine in an article titled “Passion for Housing.”

Brick by brick and town to town, the AMCAL group of companies does the hard work of building affordable and market-rate housing throughout California and Texas.

During its 40 years, the firm has developed more than 80 communities with 7,500 units and an equally impressive reputation for creating quality housing for families, seniors, and, more recently, college students.

Not bad for a company that Percival Vaz and his wife, Lux, began in their garage.

Armed with an entrepreneurial spirit, Vaz, the firm’s founder and CEO, emigrated to California from India in the mid-1960s to study electronics, earning bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of California at Los Angeles, with the idea of returning to his home country to open an electronics assembly plant.

This article originally appeared in Affordable Housing Finance Magazine. Read more of the article on that website.

Multifamily Executive Magazine Recognizes AMCAL CEO Percy Vaz with 2018 Executive of the Year Award

Lux and Percy Vaz at Multifamily Executive Magazine conference holding award

CEO Percy Vaz was awarded the 2018 Executive of the Year Award by Multifamily Executive Magazine on September 18, 2018, at the magazine’s annual conference in Las Vegas. Recognizing his wife Lux, who helped him start the company 40 years ago, Percy thanked her in his speech at the festive event along with the magazine for recognizing his company’s accomplishments. MFE Magazine published a special article about Percy, titled “Percival Vaz’s Passion for Housing Defines AMCAL’s Development Strategy.”

Read more about this award at Multifamily Executive Magazine.

AMCAL Serves as Title Sponsor for the California Housing Consortium’s Policy Forum & Housing Hall of Fame Awards

Group shot of Percy Vaz, Dana Mayo, Mary Kaiser and Lux Vaz
AMCAL was proud to serve as the title sponsor for the 2018 California Housing Consortium’s Policy Forum & Housing Hall of Fame Awards in Santa Monica on May 11, 2018. It was wonderful for us to connect with friends and colleagues–old and new. Here was a great moment during the festivities with (L to R): Percy Vaz, Dana Mayo, Mary Kaiser and Lux Vaz.

CHC’s 2018 program featured an interactive federal policy discussion, an insightful look into the Terner Center on Housing Innovation at UC Berkeley’s LIHTC Resident Survey findings, a 2017/2018 California legislative update by two housing champions from the California Assembly and a thoughtful keynote speech from United States Senator Mike Crapo of Idaho.

The day started with a federal policy update from by David Gasson from Boston Capital. David spoke of tax reform, the Omnibus and a Congress in flux, covering what has happened recently and what lies ahead for federal affordable housing policy.

Carolina Reid from the Terner Center on Housing Innovation at UC Berkeley presented findings from their LIHTC Resident Survey, titled ‘Why Affordable Housing Works For Those We Serve.’ She shared how LIHTC promotes housing stability, economic mobility and improved educational outcomes for children.

This year’s honorees were:

Public Sector – U.S. Senator Mike Crapo, Assemblymember Richard Bloom, Assemblymember David Chiu

Non-Profit Sector – Cesar Covarrubias, The Kennedy Commission

For-Profit Sector – Michael Costa, Highridge Costa Companies

Lifetime Achievement – Mary Murtagh, EAH Housing

Thanks to all who attended and congratulations to those who were honored.