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Smart Growthers Expand Interest in Green Building
At his keynote address to a recent green building conference held in Atlanta by Southface Energy Institute and the Georgia Environmental Facilities Authority, Urban Land Institute (ULI) Chairman Harry Frampton III told attendees that green construction will soon be "an accepted community building practice." Just as ULI promoted smart growth, Frampton believes the group must now focus its efforts on research and education pertaining to green building and sustainable development — especially if it hopes to gain the support of investors and developers. In response, ULI has created the position of the Charles Fraser Senior Resident Fellow for Sustainable Development — named after Frampton's mentor — and will soon publish a book that upholds green building as a practical business strategy. Frampton's Beaver Creek, CO-based company, East West Partners, embraced green building in response to demand from home buyers, universities and the public sector and support from environmentalists. "I can envision a time when not doing it will be unthinkable," Frampton remarked. (www.inman.com)
Inman News Features Online (03/18/04)
Slower Population Growth Could Have Dual Impact
The nation's population grew by 87% during the last 50 years, but the U.S. Census Bureau anticipates a more modest expansion of 49% by 2050. Fewer new residents could boost the quality of life in terms of more jobs and better wages and benefits. However, population growth helps the economy, props up the housing market, boosts tax revenues and provides greater funding to government-sponsored retirement programs. Many analysts are especially concerned about the impact of slower population growth on Social Security, considering that the number of beneficiaries for every 10 workers is expected to rise from three in 2002 to five in 2050. Some experts believe immigrants could build up the workforce once baby boomers retire and cushion the blow. (www.usatoday.com)
USA Today (03/18/04) P. 1B; Hagenbaugh, Barbara
The Spiritual Garden
Gardens spotted with religious symbols are gaining popularity among home owners, which landscape designers attribute to post-Sept. 11 spirituality. Home owners are creating so-called "sacred spaces" with stone crosses, Tibetan prayer wheels, statues of Buddha and Catholic saints and gardens full of Biblical plants and flowers. A home owner in Falcon Heights, MN, has gone as far as spending $17,000 on an elaborate stone labyrinth. Though Virgin Mary statues, Japanese reflecting pools and Zen gardens have been part of the landscape for many years, especially among the pious, the trend is now being embraced wholeheartedly by the non-religious. Many are using these spiritual symbols to create a sense of peace or comfort, facilitate meditation or simply unwind after a stressful day at work. (www.wsj.com)
Wall Street Journal (03/19/04) P. W10; Fletcher, June
California's New Building Standards to Save 500 Megawatts by 2008
Residential and commercial builders in California will have to comply with new energy-efficiency standards beginning in Oct. 2005. Among the requirements will be fluorescent lights in permanent fixtures; replacement windows with better glazings; and the inspection and sealing of ducts with installation of new heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems. The California Energy Commission expects the new standards to slash statewide energy demand by over 180 megawatts each year, with energy savings reaching 500 MW by 2008. (www.homeenergy.org)
Home Energy (04/04) Vol. 21.2, P. 45
Developer to Build Modular Community in Punta Gorda, Florida
MSM Land Investments Inc. is erecting the first modular-home development in Punta Gorda, FL, with 93 single-family homes for retirees priced at about $160,000. All of the residences in Rio Villa Lakes will be factory-built and assembled onsite. According to MSM managing partner Ben Maltese, modular homes are not exposed to the elements during the construction process and can survive 135-mph winds. Maltese says Rio Villa will be a "lifestyle" community, complete with a gated entrance, swimming pool and tennis court. Charlotte County Planning Services manager Thomas Cookingham notes that while some modular homes have been built locally by individual lot owners, Rio Villa appears to be the only 100% modular development at this time. (www.sun-herald.com)
Sun Herald (Port Charlotte, FL) (03/17/04) Mearns, Dan
Raising the Roof
Many Wall Street analysts expect home builder stocks to weaken this year, but Lennar and others have posted first-quarter gains due to continued low interest rates. In fact, Lennar's stock surged 28% from the first quarter of 2003, surpassing UBS's forecast of 15%. Even so, the sector is expected to decline once interest rates rise, demand diminishes and home prices moderate. It is possible that higher interest rates could inflict more damage on other sectors, but analysts will have to wait until rates jump before making assumptions about builders' profitability. (www.wsj.com)
Wall Street Journal (03/16/04) P. C1; Eisinger, Jesse
Living With Nature
Conservation communities go beyond golf courses, restaurants and other standard luxury amenities by locating development near preserved forests, marshlands and beachfront. As a means of protecting the natural environment, these developments have open-space and low-density requirements and measures to keep home owners from expanding their dwellings. The most notable conservation communities are Sea Pines in Hilton Head, SC, and Amelia Island Plantation on Amelia Island in Florida. Amelia Island Company Executive Vice President Norman Bray says preserved lands are not subject to development and notes that builders often revamp their building plans to avoid destroying trees. (www.uniquehomes.com)
Unique Homes (03/04) Vol. 33, No. 2, P. 118; Burke, Robert
West Bench Area Called Model of Smart Growth
Kennecott Land is being praised by Envision Utah for applying the group's "Quality Growth Strategy" to 93,000 acres under development in Salt Lake Valley's west bench area. These smart-growth principles call for open-space preservation and resource conservation in an effort to minimize sprawl. Kennecott's Daybreak development will feature 13,667 homes, 9 million square feet of commercial space and 1,200 acres of parks on a total of 4,200 acres. The community will be "walkable, workable and liveable," according to an advertising slogan. Moreover, the homes will be energy-efficient and feature landscaping and secondary water systems that cut water consumption by 15%. "By building quality housing, protecting open space and creating a pedestrian-friendly transportation plan, they will create quality, timeless communities for Utah families," says Gov. Olene Walker of Kennecott Land. (www.desnews.com)
Deseret News (03/12/04) Kinkead, Lucinda Dillon
Developers Throw Lavish Parties to Promote Homes That Aren't Yet Built
Amid fierce competition in the real estate market, some Florida developers are hosting exclusive social events for prospective buyers to generate early interest in projects before they have even entered the construction phase. Hundreds or thousands of guests are chosen as potential buyers and invited to parties that can cost developers anywhere from $25 to $300 per person. The invitation-only events frequently feature food, drinks, entertainment and celebrity guests along with promotional information ranging from information packets to virtual-reality tours of planned housing units. Developers say the parties are a good way to garner publicity and entice buyers in the earliest stages of a project.
(www.miami.com)
Miami Herald (03/14/04) P. 1H; Roth, Patti
Beyond the Gateways
Figures from the Census 2000 reveal that 60% of Hispanics living in the United States had changed households between 1995 and 2000 and that 75% lived in just 10 states, including California, Arizona, Florida and Texas. During the five-year period, Hispanics were more likely than any other demographic to move from one county to another within the same state and far less likely to move from state to state. Also, Census figures show that between 1999 and 2001, Hispanics increased their median household incomes to $33,600 from $30,700, marking a faster pace than that experienced by any other subpopulation. When looking for the greatest up-and-coming markets and business opportunities for Hispanics, one should consider Los Angeles, Miami, Houston and New York, with cities like Charlotte and Raleigh-Durham, N.C., Milwaukee, Minneapolis and Portland/Vancouver, Oregon and Washington state also drawing their fair share of interest and relocations. (www.demographics.com)
American Demographics (03/04) Vol. 26, No. 2, P. 24; Reynolds, Christopher
Verizon Wireless Lets You Get Online and Get Out — Quickly
Verizon Wireless offers a wireless data service, BroadbandAccess, that works as well as a cable or digital-subscriber-line connection, but it costs $79.99 per month in the District of Columbia area and is only offered there and in the San Diego area. BroadbandAccess has cellular service coverage and the speed of broadband, but cannot easily replace a cell phone or a broadband connection, since its modem takes adjusting to work in a PC and it has no e-mail accounts or voice phone service. It is easy to use, requiring Verizon's PC Card, and its speed performs as promised. The service is best for people who use Internet access all day for their jobs, yet are mobile, such as real estate agents and consultants. According to analyst Jane Zweig, Verizon could offer the service for a lower price, but without competition it is not likely to do so. (www.washingtonpost.com)
Washington Post (03/14/04) P. F7; Pegoraro, Rob
Smart Hardware Maintenance Strategies
A small business can lower its total hardware upkeep expenses while maintaining its computer systems at top efficiency by employing a combination of outsourcing repairs and keeping a particular stock of certain parts to cover hardware with high rates of failure. To keep those systems running well, a business needs to have a surplus of spare disk drives and monitors. If there are numerous laptops to keep running, have a couple of "loaner" laptops available in case one breaks down. Reduce the number of manufacturers and hardware configurations employed in the office. Also, reduce the number of operating systems and versions the business is maintaining. Lower the amount of user information on the desktop systems and standardize the system image. If the system is four years or older, get a new one. Consider a more lengthy repair cycle contract with the business' hardware maintenance vendor, and check out the hardware manufacturer's mean time to repair record. (www.smallbusinesscomputing.com)
Small Business Computing (03/16/04) Cohen, Beth
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