EB5AN’s Rocky River rural EB-5 project is making steady progress. On November 4, 2024, the project developer, The Kolter Group, successfully closed on 350 acres of land required for the successful development of the project. Construction is scheduled to begin in November 2024. Rocky River will be a single-family home community for active adults near Charlotte, North Carolina.
The Kolter Group is developing the Rocky River project, making this the 22nd collaboration between EB5AN and Kolter, and all of our EB-5 capital in these projects is in good standing or has already been repaid.
Since 1997, Kolter has invested in projects with an expected value of over $30.0 billion, completed over 100 residential projects, and delivered over 27,000 units. Today, Kolter has investments in over 90 additional residential projects that are expected to deliver over 65,000 units. In over 25 years of completing projects, Kolter has successfully repaid billions of dollars in loans and has never failed to repay a loan. Kolter’s track record of successfully repaying loans and finishing projects provides for strong and long-standing relationships with leading financial institutions in the United States, including some of the nation’s largest banks.
Land closing is the final major stage in a real estate project’s pre-development phase—it clears the way for the developer to begin construction.
With its proven business model under the Cresswind brand of active adult communities, Rocky River promises to be an exceptionally safe EB-5 project for our investors’ immigration and financial needs.
EB5AN’s Twin Lakes Georgia, one of the best-selling rural projects on the EB-5 market, is a similar development under the Cresswind brand.
Because two other Cresswind communities in the Charlotte area have already proven to be major successes for Kolter, Rocky River’s business model has strong precedents for success.
“We are excited for construction to begin on the Rocky River project,” says EB5AN managing partner Sam Silverman. “Similar to Twin Lakes, we expect Rocky River to become one of the premier rural EB-5 projects for its exceptional market potential under the Cresswind brand—in addition to its safeguards, such as a job creation guaranty, and its immigration benefits as a rural project.”
In this post, you will discover how investing in an EB-5 project that has already closed on its land increases your chances of quickly being approved for U.S. Green Cards and recovering your invested funds.
We also invite you to learn more about the Rocky River project’s financial and immigration safety—including by looking at previous examples of successful Cresswind communities in the Charlotte area.
EB-5 Projects that Have Already Closed Land Lower Your Risk as an EB-5 Investor
Kolter Purchases the Phase I Parcels of the Rocky River Project
Rocky River: An Exceptional Rural EB-5 Project with a Proven Business Model
Secure Your U.S. Green Cards Through EB5AN’s Rocky River Project
EB-5 Projects That Have Already Closed Land Lower Your Risk as an EB-5 Investor
No investment is risk free, and investing in an EB-5 project is no different. Indeed, USCIS does not allow EB-5 investors to receive contractual rights to repayment. However, you can significantly increase your chances of success by investing in an EB-5 project with strong financials and a reputable developer.
Before investing in any EB-5 project, make sure that both the project itself and any separate companies involved have strong balance sheets and sufficient capital to complete the project.
Another important quality to look for is whether, at the time you invest, the developers own the land they plan to build the project on. Land closing is an important indicator that an EB-5 project will succeed financially.
When a project has already closed land on a portion or all of the construction site, it means the developer has officially gained ownership of the property and can prepare for construction.
Completing the land closing process proves that there are no outstanding claims, legal disputes, or liens on the property tied to a prior owner.
Land closing also shows that the developer has reviewed all applicable zoning regulations, environmental assessments, and similar regulations for the property. This helps the developer avoid any unnecessary delays or risks during construction.
Reputable developers typically purchase the land using their own equity.
This is an especially important point to look for as an EB-5 investor. You’ll want to invest in a project where the developer has already committed significant equity—otherwise, the developer may not have much at risk in the project and might not prioritize its successful completion.
Kolter Purchases the Phase I Parcels of the Rocky River Project
Kolter has completed land closing on seven parcels for Phase I of the Rocky River community. The entire property to be developed spans 516.5 acres, which are divided into 11 parcels.
Kolter contributed approximately $23M in developer equity to purchase the Phase I site.
Having completed the final major hurdle for development to begin, construction is scheduled for November 2024, with the initial construction activities including land clearing and basic infrastructure.
Rocky River: An Exceptional Rural EB-5 Project With a Proven Business Model
Unless you have a background in U.S. real estate investment, it can be difficult to assess an EB-5 project’s risk profile. Rocky River, however, is merely following a business model that has already been highly successful throughout the Southeast United States—and particularly in the Charlotte area.
Kolter has already developed two other successful Cresswind communities for active adults in the greater Charlotte area: Cresswind Charlotte and Cresswind Wesley Chapel.
Cresswind Charlotte celebrated its 600th home closing in July 2024, demonstrating the high demand for active adult communities in the area. Similarly, Cresswind Wesley Chapel features 601 home sites and several state-of-the-art amenities.
Only a 45-minute drive away from Charlotte, the Rocky River project is set to replicate the success of the nearby Cresswind communities.
The Rocky River community will include 1,120 homes for 55+ senior citizens, complete with the lifestyle options and luxury amenities that have made the Cresswind brand highly successful throughout the Southeast.
For EB-5 investors, Rocky River is structured as a loan secured with a repayment guaranty from a Kolter parent company, with substantial assets and net equity.
Additionally, each EB-5 investor’s $800,000 tranche comes with an independent five-year loan term.
From an immigration perspective, Rocky River also offers unique benefits through its rural status. In particular, Chinese and Indian investors can avoid years of additional delays through the rural set-aside visa category.
Regardless of nationality, most investors in rural EB-5 projects are currently receiving I-526E approvals within 12 months—and many investors are receiving their physical U.S. Green Cards in similar time frames.
Multiple investors in our Twin Lakes rural project, another Cresswind community, have received their Green Cards in as little as 10 months.
Rocky River is expected to create 7,020 jobs for EB-5 investors. With only 1,000 jobs required for all EB-5 investors in the project to qualify for Green Cards, this means investors should be allocated well above the number of jobs they’ll need.
Secure Your U.S. Green Cards Through EB5AN’s Rocky River Project
Even though some risk is involved in every EB-5 investment, you can drastically reduce that risk by choosing a project that is financially viable and will create enough jobs for its investors.
We invite you to explore the Rocky River project further to make an informed investment decision.
“Comparing EB-5 projects and evaluating risk requires a significant amount of research and planning,” adds Silverman. “EB5AN makes this process easier by readily providing investors with important project documents, including financial statements, and additional information they need to make a fully informed decision.”
Silverman adds, “Among our portfolio of EB-5 projects, we believe Rocky River is an outstanding offering, not in the least for its proven business model as a Cresswind community. This project is set to replicate the success of Kolter’s previous Cresswind communities, making it an especially safe option for EB-5 investors.”
For more information on the Rocky River project and the EB-5 program, we invite you to schedule a free consultation with EB5AN.
