APPA's Impact Investing Approach

An experienced real estate developer in Los Angeles, California, Aaron Marzwell’s real estate career began in student housing and single family real estate around the U.S. From there he worked with on some notable project that include the entitlements for the High Line Park in New York City and the Fulton Street Transit Center. We was a member of the LMCC, which was a public private partnership tasked with coordinate the operating and rebuilding of lower Manhattan after 9/11. In 2007, he joined CIM Group as an associate before advancing to the role of vice president of investment and development. Aaron Marzwell currently serves as the CEO of APPA Real Estate and has experience in various real estate fields, including workforce housing and impact investment.

An accredited B corporation, APPA Real Estate is a US-based investment firm that funds sustainable real estate projects. APPA is utterly dedicated to impact investing - a form of investment where funds are allotted to the development of facilities that will benefit the public while also generating returns for investors. APPA focuses on promoting affordable housing and environmental sustainability. To that extent, it has partnered with a diverse network of impact investors (not limited to individuals, pension funds, and institutional advisors) to initiate and manage multiple projects geared toward these goals.

APPA devotes the vast majority of its housing projects to workforce housing and co-living. The firm focuses on workforce housing as a means to support more affordable housing for essential workers like police, teachers, and healthcare workers in various communities. Workforce housing is designed to be affordable for young, employed individuals. APPA saw the sparseness of workforce housing in its primary market and has stepped in to complement the federal and state efforts in this regard.

Co-living apartments share similar objectives with workforce housing in terms of affordability. The difference, however, is that co-living apartments are designed for multiple tenants. Each tenant has their own personal rooms and bathrooms but shares common areas with other tenants. Co-living apartments typically come furnished and are suitable for students, newly-relocated individuals, corporate travelers, and digital nomads.