Bendix Anderson • 5 min read
The rehabilitation of Cumberland Arms in Cumberland, Md., mixes housing, historic and energy tax credits. To get the maximum tax credit award, the developers committed to meet tough standards for energy efficiency. That meant creating significant energy cost savings even though energy costs are now low – a challenge that almost derailed the project.
Thomas Amdur • 3 min read
I find it inspiring that many of the communities developed by the first generation of NH&RA members in the 1960s are still prospering 50 years later. Indeed, many of these firms, and even a few of the founders, are still actively developing new or preserving existing affordable housing around the country today.
Mark Olshaker • 10 min read
Simply stated, it is an emphasis on wellness that, in many cases, can preempt an emphasis on sickness and infirmity. And it is paying off in measurable financial results for the facilities that have embraced the approach.
Bendix Anderson • 9 min read
Bodaken was born and raised in Storm Lake, Iowa, studied history at the University of Iowa and received his legal degree from Peoples College of Law in 1979. After 11 years as a Legal Aid lawyer specializing in housing, he was appointed Housing Coordinator-Deputy Mayor for the City of Los Angeles. Under this leadership, the City of Los Angeles dramatically increased its housing funding and created a Housing Department and Housing Commission.
Bendix Anderson • 6 min read
The Rayette Building in the Lowertown section of St. Paul, Minnesota has been a lot of things over the last 100 years, starting as a hat and clothing wholesaler in 1911. It became the Raymond Rayette Laboratories in 1936, where scientists developed products like Aqua Net, once the most popular hairspray in the U.S. In the mid-1990s, the building changed again into a giant, seven-story parking garage, with room for 300 cars.
Mark Olshaker • 7 min read
The result of this National Housing & Rehabilitation Association initiative, now in its second year, has been a program that encourages sustainable efficiency in affordable housing. But that is not how PTEE was sold. “We present utility efficiency as an economic imperative and a business opportunity,” states NH&RA Executive Director Thom Amdur. “How can we leverage energy efficiency to increase the residual value of a property, increase cash flow and decrease operating expenses? The word green doesn’t even show up in our literature; this is about dollars and cents.”
Joel Swerdlow • 4 min read
The principal reason for this greening, Daskalakis says, is competition: The vast preponderance of projects seeking NMTC funding do not receive it, and projects are “greened” to make them more attractive. The Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFI) Fund documents the odds: For 2014 allocations, $19.9 billion in total applications were made for an available $5 billion; $25.8 billion in applications were made for an available $3.5 billion in 2013; and $21.9 billion seeking $3.6 billion in 2012.
Matthew Holden • 6 min read
Developing, owning and managing commercial real estate is a complicated, labor-intensive and expert-driven endeavor, and it is unreasonable to think that one individual can “play all positions.” Just as the owner of a pro football team needs an entire roster of on- and off-the-field talent to make his enterprise successful, owners and developers of affordable housing need a variety of teams to acquire, develop and maintain properties. These days, one of the most critical teams in maximizing efficiency and profit is an energy team. And what separates out the high-performing energy/maintenance teams is their ability to maintain results for the 15-plus years of the building’s compliance life.
Timothy Leonhard • 5 min read
With the mid-term elections behind us, and with Republicans controlling both the Senate and the House, it is possible that 2015 will see some movement toward change, subject to a potential White House veto. Expect 2015 to be very interesting on this front, with numerous discussions and proposals, and with much back and forth.
Marty Bell • 8 min read
On the first Monday in February each year, the day on which what is generally referred to as “the President’s Budget” is released, Washington is sated with that giddiness you feel on the night of a Nats’ playoff game or an all-star holiday concert on the Mall. After all, the federal government is the biggest bank in America and there are a whole lot of folks eager to dip into its coffers.
Thomas Amdur • 3 min read
Frequent readers of my column know that energy and water efficiency is one of my professional passions and after getting my electric and propane bills this month, I took some of the lessons we have learned from our Preservation Through Energy Efficiency (PTEE) Road Shows and embarked on some winter efficiency measures and operations and maintenance at home, too. There is nothing like the winter vortex to inspire action and I hope our readers will take some of the lessons and strategies we have highlighted in this month’s issue and put them into action.
David M. Abromowitz • 4 min read
A recent article in Multihousing Pro, entitled “The Incredible Shrinking Tradesman,” highlighted what many in the affordable housing development world already understand first hand: A generation of construction workers is leaving the workforce, and no one knows just how we will replace them.