About New Seasons Development
New Seasons Development’s President Wendy Cohen is a well-respected, Boston-area housing professional with a strong background in real estate development, real estate finance, non-profit finance, multi-family residential lending and state-sponsored affordable housing development.
Since launching New Seasons Development LLC in 2014, Wendy has focused her development consulting work on helping both non-profit and for-profit developer clients in the preservation and production of both family and elderly housing projects located in several neighborhoods of Boston, and in Arlington, Cambridge, Dracut, Hudson, Lawrence, Lowell, Medway, North Adams, Salem, Salisbury, and Truro, among other communities.
New Seasons also assists developers in obtaining permitting under Chapter 40B from conception to project eligibility, and final approval to cost certification.
In addition, New Seasons performed financial peer reviews for the Town of Sudbury and the Town of Shrewsbury in relation to two separate proposed new construction projects. At the conclusion of her research and analysis, she rendered an opinion on the economic feasibility of a change in scope and size of the project, proposed by the ZBA.
Since the expansion of New Seasons began in 2017, the team has grown to include exceptional and knowledgeable housing professionals, including Consultants Toni Coyne Hall and Mike Rodriguez. New Seasons’ team understands the realities, constraints and opportunities of the Massachusetts housing market and how to manage the barriers to getting affordable housing built.
Wendy Hanna Cohen – President and Managing Member
A Boston native, Wendy Cohen is a graduate of Oberlin College with a B.A. in Economics and Women’s Studies. She earned a Master of Public Policy degree from Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government.
After graduating from the Kennedy School, Wendy was a housing development project manager at CASCAP, Inc. in Cambridge. Wendy moved on to be a lender at the Massachusetts Housing Partnership Fund (MHP), a quasi-public state agency that funds affordable and mixed income housing projects, including Chapter 40B projects. MHP is an issuer of project eligibility letters. Including her work at MHP prior to graduate school, she was a member of MHP’s lending team for over 11 years, in a progression of roles that lead to her role as Deputy Director of Lending. After leaving MHP, she became Director of Housing Development for the Allston Brighton CDC.
Approximately 10 years ago, Wendy assumed the position of Director of the Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts’ Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD), where she was responsible for the allocation of 9% and 4% LIHTCs. She oversaw program compliance for over 40,000 tax credit units in the MA tax credit portfolio. Wendy also managed the allocation and disbursement of funds under the Tax Credit Assistance Program and the Section 1602/”Tax Credit Exchange” Program and oversaw the asset management of the 32 projects that were assisted under these American Recovery and Reinvestment Act programs. She remained in this position and underwrote and assisted hundreds of affordable housing projects.
While at DHCD, Wendy also participated as a representative of DHCD on the interagency committee in which many Chapter 40B policy matters faced by one or all of the state subsidizing agencies are discussed. She is familiar with the Chapter 40B rental housing cost certification guidelines (LIHTC and non-LIHTC) as well as the Chapter 40B Comprehensive Permit Guidelines and standards for economic feasibility. In addition to site eligibility application review, she has reviewed final approval requests and 40B cost certifications in her capacity as LIHTC Director.
Wendy left DHCD in 2014 to launch New Seasons Development, LLC.
Wendy is a member of CREW and her firm, New Seasons, is a WBE certified by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Supplier Diversity Office. In her spare time, Wendy enjoys time with her family, as well as biking, hiking, and cross-country skiing.
Toni Coyne Hall – 40B Housing Consultant
Toni Coyne Hall was the Local Initiative Program (LIP) program manager for the Massachusetts Department of Housing and Community Development from 2007 through 2015. She was responsible for providing oversight of the comprehensive permit process with LIP including technical assistance on affordable housing for municipalities, non-profit agencies and developers.
Toni’s previous professional responsibilities within the Massachusetts Department included policy development and implementation of smart growth development, management and delivery of federal Community Development Block Grant programs. She has provided training and technical assistance to municipalities, state agencies and other entities in community development and housing predevelopment.
With New Seasons since 2017, Toni is responsible for working with government agencies on Chapter 40B projects, preparing project eligibility letter applications as well as financial and feasibility analysis. Toni holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Geography/Urban Affairs from Bridgewater State College, a Masters in Community Planning from the University of Rhode Island and a Masters in Business Administration from Bentley University.
A Boston native, Toni is an experienced downhill skier and hiker. She and her husband Greg have two grown children.
MICHAEL RODRIGUEZ - Housing Consultant
Michael is a real estate professional focused on delivering affordable housing through the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) program. Prior to working at New Seasons Development, Michael was a Development Director with Herman & Kittle Properties, Inc., where he was responsible for delivering eleven (11) affordable and market rate housing developments, featuring nearly 1,700 apartment units and over $250MM in total development costs.
During his ten (10) years at Herman & Kittle, Michael successfully navigated several affordable housing transactions, with extensive experience with both 4% and 9% deals (rehab and new construction) for families, seniors and supportive housing populations. Michael has extensive experience in due diligence, underwriting, and application preparation for both tax credit and subordinate debt applications. Prior to his work at Herman & Kittle, Michael spent five (5) years at Takeda Pharmaceuticals as a project manager and financial analyst.
Michael earned his Bachelor of Science from Indiana University and his MBA, concentrating in Real Estate and Finance, from the Kellogg School of Business at Northwestern University. Michael is originally from Indiana and currently resides in Indianapolis with his wife and two sons.
Bruce Sorota - Senior Housing Consultant
With a career in affordable housing dating back to 1993, Bruce brings to New Seasons Development LLC extensive experience structuring the financing of affordable housing development for a wide range of clients including for-profit developers, non-profit developers, community development corporations, social service agencies, and religious organizations. Since 2011, Bruce has served as Senior Vice President at Stratford Capital Group, a syndication and development firm based in Peabody, MA, a role in which he has had the responsibility for originating and structuring affordable housing investments as well as leading Stratford’s underwriting and closing teams to achieve successful closings, which requires extensive interaction with development teams and their advisors as well as an understanding of numerous federal and state housing programs.
Over the course of his career prior to joining New Seasons Development LLC, Bruce has also served in a development consulting capacity. He co-founded Housing Advisors, an advisory group that provided marketability studies, operating feasibility analysis and due diligence to developer clients. In addition, prior to his taking a position at Stratford Capital Group, he was a consultant for a Boston-based non-profit developer with operations in Massachusetts and several other states. Bruce also served on the Andover Housing Partnership Committee for six years.
After 30+ years of experience in the affordable housing industry, Bruce continues to be motivated by the satisfaction of working with other industry professionals to achieve successful closings with the shared goal of supporting the development of affordable housing. When not involved in these endeavors, Bruce enjoys spending time with his wife and family at a camp in the Western Maine mountains.