Our

History

Over 20 Years Of development and expansion

Völker was born from over 20 years of development experience coming together to develop over 60 affordable housing communities across 12 states. This all started back in 2001 when Louie Lange set out on his own, seeking to make an impact in communities across the country. Since then, organizational structures have come and gone, but the impact of our developments is stronger than ever.

Louie Lange
2001

Company Founding

The Commonwealth Companies was founded in 2001 with Commonwealth Management Corporation, Commonwealth Development Corporation of America and Commonwealth Construction Corporation. A few years later Louie added architectural and design services to the portfolio by purchasing the well-established firm Meiklejohn and Associates and rebranding it as M+A Design, Inc.

This vertical-integrated approach provided Louie the ability to be involved from development all the way to management. Ultimately, the projects developed with this approach and self-managed throughout their lifecycle serve as the foundation for what Völker is today.

2002 - 2018

Development

Between 2001 and 2018 Commonwealth developed 62 affordable housing communities in 12 states contributing 2,553 homes to the ecosystem. Commonwealth Development was named the 7th largest affordable housing developer in the nation according to the 2018 Affordable Housing Finance Top 50.

older woman smiling and looking out window
apartment building exterior
young family hugging in kitchen
2019 - 2023

New Structure

In the interest of expanding the development capabilities of Commonwealth, Mr. Lange welcomed two partners into the development, design and construction operations in the fall of 2018. Commonwealth had traditionally focused on historic preservation and new construction projects financed by 9% tax credits, these partners helped diversify the company’s geographic and project expertise. During this time, he continued to own all the interests in Commonwealth Management Corporation and its legacy portfolio.

Today

New Horizons

After developing more than 100 projects and 5,000 units under the Commonwealth name, Louie sold his remaining interests in The Commonwealth Companies and, along with top executives from Commonwealth, reestablished an organization true to the values and work that he is passionate about.

Our 70+ person strong management company continues to manage most of the legacy portfolio properties, albeit under the new Volker flag.

The Völker organization is comprised of passionate and caring professionals operating under Volker Development Inc. and Volker Management. The portfolios of Volker Housing Partners, LLC and Volker Legacy Holdings Inc. are cultivated and residents cared for by these employees as our Core Values are on display every day.

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