APAH’s Growing Development Team Supports 1,000 Unit Pipeline

 Arlington, VA (January 29, 2021) – APAH’s Board of Directors promoted Mike Chiappa to Vice President, Real Estate Development.

Mike joined APAH in 2013 and has led financial underwriting efforts for APAH projects with extraordinary success. He was the project manager for APAH’s first 4%/9% hybrid tax credit project for the 229-unit Columbia Hills, which was completed in 2018 and was the first project of its kind proposed to Virginia Housing (formerly VHDA).  Most recently, Mike oversaw the underwriting and closing of Lucille & Bruce Terwilliger Place, Gilliam Place, Mt. Sterling Senior, APAH’s first project in Loudoun County, and Queens Court, slated to open mid-2021.

With APAH’s rapid expansion throughout the DMV and five projects under construction in 2021, Mike leads an experienced and growing eight-person development team. APAH’s reputation for innovation and excellence has drawn talent from across the country that bring deep expertise and new ideas to the organization’s work. Charles Sims, recently promoted to Senior Project Manager, joined the team in 2019 from Miami where he worked New Urban Development; Mitch Crispell, also Senior Project Manager, came to APAH from BRIDGE Housing in San Francisco.

“As a best-in-class non-profit housing developer, APAH has had a thoughtful growth plan for its real estate development staff in place for several years,” observed Matt Birenbaum, vice chair of APAH’s Board of Directors and Chief Investment Officer for AvalonBay Communities, one of the nation’s largest Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT).  “These recent additions to the team bring great depth and expertise in the field and allow Mike the opportunity to continue his career development and step up to a new level of leadership as APAH continues to grow its pipeline across the broader DMV region.”

“The future for APAH has never been brighter and our mission never more important,” stated Nina Janopaul, APAH’s President and CEO. “I am so proud of our development team and so excited for the year ahead, which will include the opening of 249 affordable homes through our redevelopment of Queens Courts Apartments, renovating our first property in Maryland, Snowden’s Ridge, and managing multiple projects from pre-development through construction to operation in Fairfax, Loudoun, and soon, the District of Columbia.  All of that is possible because of our incredible team.”

Mike succeeds Carmen Romero who has assumed the new role of Executive Vice President and will oversee an expanded portfolio that includes Resident Services and public policy work.

###

Download a PDF of the press release.

 About APAH: APAH’s mission is to develop, preserve, and own quality, affordable places to live; to promote stability and opportunity for our residents; and to advocate with the people and communities we serve. Founded in 1989, APAH now helps more than 1,800 households live in stable, secure, and affordable rental homes. APAH is working to bring more than 1,000 additional affordable apartments to the DC metro area over the next 5 years. APAH’s Columbia Hills Apartments, received the 2019 ULI Washington Trends Award for Excellence in Affordable Housing. APAH was recently named one of the nation’s Top 50 Affordable Housing Developers by Affordable Housing Finance magazine.

About Mike Chiappa: Prior to joining APAH in 2013, Mike worked for Berkeley Point Capital where he underwrote multifamily properties across the eastern United States. With a B.A. in Mathematics from Harvard and an M.B.A. from Tulane, Mike has more than 15 years of experience in investment management and financial modelling.  A native Spanish speaker, Mike and his husband have lived in Washington, DC since 2005.