NBN Online for the week of June 18, 2007

(Plain Text Version) for full graphical version, click here.

In This Issue:

Front Page
Builders Sharpen Attack on Flawed Immigration Bill
Builders March on Capitol Hill With Housing Priorities
‘Buy Now’ Campaign Moves Fence Sitters in Upstate New York Market
Coast to Coast
Subprime Crash Squeezes Out First-Time Home Buyers
Politics & Government
Changes for Disabled Veterans Housing Program Sought
Tax Issues in the Hopper Could Hit Home Builders
Southern Arizona Builders See Major Impact Fee Reform
Oregon Builders Find Alternative to Development Fees
Reforms Give Florida a Fighting Chance Against No-Growth Bids
North Dakota Eases Restrictions on Marketing Out-of-State Homes
Economics & Finance
Housing Upturn Will Be ‘Solid’ But ‘Not Rapid’
Builder Confidence Slides More in June
Mortgage Rate Spike May Slow Housing Recovery
Home Price Growth Continues to Slow on OFHEO Index
California Sees Buy-Now Market Ready to Wind Down
California Markets Stabilizing, But Home Prices Raise Questions
Eye on the Economy: Housing Upswing May Be Long Climb Back
Useful Links to Monitor Economic and Housing Trends
Tips
Builders’ Tip: A Temporary Extension for Table-Saw Tops
Green Building
NAHB to Launch Green Home Certification Program
Voluntary Programs Certify Nearly 100,000 Green Homes
MIT Team Envisions Home Made From Living Materials
Research
NAHB Lab to Help Move New Products Into Housing Market
Business Management
Last Chance to Get Free 'Cost of Doing Business' Study
Help NAHB Help You With Software and Technology Issues
50Plus Housing
Best Of 50+ Housing Honored at Symposium in Denver
Environment
Agencies Provide Guidance on Wetlands Jurisdiction
Legal
NAHB Sues Over Equipment Exhaust Air Pollution Rule
NAHB Sues Corps Over Rules for Upland Ditches
Register for Upcoming Construction Law Seminar
Codes and Standards
NAHB Members Encouraged to Join ICC Process
Multifamily
Excess Inventory Takes a Toll on Condo Market
HUD Endorses Accessibility Requirement Safe Harbor
Texas Developer Honored for Affordable Housing Achievements
Remodelers
NAHB Remodelers Unveil New Logo to Go With New Name
Building Systems
Enter the 2007 Brick in Home Building Competition
Custom
Register for Custom Builder Symposium in Naples, Fla.
Design
Sustainable Communities on Design Institute Tour
Enter the 2007 Best in American Living Competition
Apply for HUD Secretary’s Award for Excellence
Women
Online Learning Tool Bridges Technology Use Gap
Federal Contracting Program Urged for Women-Owned Businesses
Education
Education Calendar
Safety
NAHB Extends OSHA Alliance for Two More Years
BuilderBooks to Give Away DVD Player for Safety Month
Labor
Disaster Mitigation Course Debuts in New Orleans
Building Products
Retractable Screens Let Custom Windows Shine
TV
NAHB-Produced Programs on HGTV and DIY This Week
Endowment
Lewis Ranieri Gives $1 Million to Endowment
Echo Valley, Inc. Renovates Home Ravaged by Katrina
Association News
James Shimberg, Sr., 84, Created Tampa's Suburbs
Drive Away With a Shiny New $500 GM Offer
Get One Month Free Credit Card Processing With Solveras
Get Free CD of Customer Service Forms From Biz Forms and Checks
Willams Scotsman: First-Month Storage Container Deals
NAHB Career Center: For a True Competitive Edge
Calendar of Events
NAHB Career Center

Related Articles

Enter the 2007 Best in American Living Competition

Apply for HUD Secretary’s Award for Excellence

Sustainable Communities on Design Institute Tour

Two award-winning communities in the Seattle area that are noted for promoting good urban design, lessening their impact on surrounding neighborhoods and protecting sensitive areas will be on tour during the NAHB/BALA Design Institute for Builders from Monday through Wednesday, June 25 to 27 in Bellevue, Wash., near Seattle.

The Design Institute is the only design conference specifically for building industry professionals.

Onsite registration will be available.

The two communities to be toured are Issaquah Highlands, the best selling new-home community in the Northwest, and High Point, a newly-transformed and sustainable community in West Seattle that was originally built to provide temporary housing for defense-industry workers during World War II.

The community tours will be held Tuesday, June 26 from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Communities on Tour

  • High Point — The 130-acre High Point community was planned with input from thousands of citizens, city leaders and countless community groups, as well as existing High Point residents.

The community goal was to meld the former High Point neighborhood of “temporary” homes that through the years became home to low-income residents back into the fabric of West Seattle. High Point is being developed as a sustainable, high quality and healthy residential environment offering a range of housing types for residents of all income levels.

When completed, High Point will have parks, trails, open space, an elementary school, community center, commercial areas and a pond to serve as a natural drainage area and filter rainwater. The community’s drainage will also mimic the drainage qualities of open meadows.

The new homes at High Point are being constructed  to Built Green™ three-star standards and include the recycling of previous community’s old-growth lumber.

High Point is the winner of the American Institute of Architects’ Show Your Green and Gold Nugget Design awards. The tour will include visits to model homes by The Dwelling Company, Polygon Northwest, Devlin Company, Lyle Homes and Saltaire Homes.

  • Issaquah Highlands —  Issaquah Highlands in Issaquah, Wash. is being built using NAHB’s Model Green Home Building Guidelines.

    The urban village includes a variety of product types for a range of income levels — from rental, market rate and affordable single-family and multifamily homes to multi-million dollar customs on half-acre lots with sweeping views or two-acre lots that offers privacy.

    Issaquah Highlands in the eastern suburbs of Seattle was named one of the 10 best communities to live in by Seattle Metropolitan magazine and has been a Gold Nugget Award for its innovative design of a sustainable Built Green home, a Silver Award for Master Planned Community of the Year by NAHB and two Green Globes by the Green Building Initiative.

    Most recently the community was recognized as Best Sustainable Community and Best Master Planned Community by the Pacific Coast Builders Conference.


The NAHB/BALA Design Institute for Builders also feature features workshops and discussion about residential housing design trends from the industry's top professionals, an interactive design charette and more.

For More Information

For more information about the conference, visit www.nahb.org/designinstitute.


 

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