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Conference CoverageFeaturesMultifamilySeniors Housing

Design Teamwork Makes the Active Adult Dream Work, Says InterFace Architecture Panel 

by Taylor Williams

By Hayden Spiess DALLAS — Although tenant demand for active adult communities remains strong, the sector is not immune to escalating construction costs, labor shortages, tariffs and general economic uncertainty, say industry professionals. Teamwork across key disciplines can help make clearing those hurdles much easier. “We’re having a hard time getting things to pencil these days,” levels Erin Berry Harps, director of interior design at Direct Supply Aptura, a senior living design and construction firm. Simultaneously, residents are as price conscious as ever, she points out. “We also have increased consumer demand for affordability,” emphasizes Harps.  Editor’s note: InterFace Conference Group, a division of France Media Inc., produces networking and educational conferences for commercial real estate executives. To sign up for email announcements about specific events, visit www.interfaceconferencegroup.com/subscribe. Harps’ assessment came during the 5th annual InterFace Active Adult conference, which was held Wednesday, May 7, at The Westin Las Colinas in Dallas. Harps moderated a panel titled “Architecture, Design & Construction Trends for Active Adult Projects” at the daylong event, which attracted more than 300 industry professionals. In addition to Harps, the panel discussion included Bill Foster, a partner with Lantz-Boggio Architects; Lisa Warnock, principal and founder of Glow Interior Designs; Jarrett Cooper, vice …

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Conference CoverageFeaturesStudent HousingTexasTexas & Oklahoma Feature Archive

InterFace: Today’s Successful Student Housing Developments Pair Great Site Selection with Efficient Design

by John Nelson

AUSTIN, TEXAS — It’s no secret that finding and entitling sites and procuring development financing has been challenging over the past few years. But Kevin Kazlow, director of capital markets with JLL, who moderated one of the development panels at this year’s InterFace Student Housing conference in Austin, Texas, believes there is lots to be excited about for the year ahead. Chief among them is the fact that the amount of capital allocated to alternative asset classes like student housing has doubled since 2018.  “This group of panelists alone has a combined pipeline of about 40,000 beds under development, which is an incredibly impressive statistic and speaks to the continued demand for new student housing projects,” said Kazlow. Editor’s note: InterFace Conference Group, a division of France Media Inc., produces networking and educational conferences for commercial real estate executives. To sign up for email announcements about specific events, visit www.interfaceconferencegroup.com/subscribe. The first step in the development process is securing a great site, which Brandt Stiles, principal with Subtext, considers part of his firm’s ‘secret sauce.’ “We have a really high expectation for our team to find super high barrier to entry, hard to entitle, fortress sites and for us, it’s all about being …

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Conference CoverageFeaturesIndustrialNorth CarolinaSoutheastSoutheast Feature Archive

Tariffs Make ‘Challenging Deals Even More Challenging’ for Economic Development Officials, Says InterFace Panel

by John Nelson

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Tariffs are at the forefront of the U.S. economic landscape as they impact costs and timelines for a multitude of industries. For the industrial real estate sector, developers and tenants alike are monitoring the severity at which tariffs can complicate their everyday business activity, thus economic development officials are playing a crucial role in helping companies mitigate those costs and delays. “A lot of our business comes down to reducing risks for companies,” said Melissa Smith, senior vice president of the Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina. “There’s a lot of scrambling due to tariffs. They make already challenging deals even more challenging. We have to be ready to help [companies] navigate through these challenges so that they can make a successful decision.” Editor’s note: InterFace Conference Group, a division of France Media Inc., produces networking and educational conferences for commercial real estate executives. To sign up for email announcements about specific events, visit www.interfaceconferencegroup.com/subscribe. Smith’s comments came on the opening night of InterFace I-85 Industrial Corridor, a two-day networking and information event held at the Hilton Charlotte Uptown hotel on May 19-20. Brian Young, senior director of Cushman & Wakefield’s Greenville office, moderated the discussion called …

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InterFace I-85 Industrial Corridor panelists
Conference CoverageFeaturesIndustrialNorth CarolinaSoutheastSoutheast Feature Archive

Competition for Labor, Land Is Reshaping the I-85 Industrial Corridor, According to InterFace Panelists

by Abby Cox

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Stretching from Alabama to Atlanta, through the Carolinas and into Virginia, the I-85 corridor has long been a backbone of industrial growth in the Southeastern United States. Once celebrated as a magnet for logistic hubs, manufacturing plants and warehouse developments, this valuable category of real estate is now showing signs of strain. Editor’s note: InterFace Conference Group, a division of France Media Inc., produces networking and educational conferences for commercial real estate executives. To sign up for email announcements about specific events, visit www.interfaceconferencegroup.com/subscribe. During the COVID-19 pandemic, industrial real estate, especially warehouses and distribution centers, saw a dramatic surge in demand due to a rise in e-commerce, inventory stockpiling due to supply chain issues and lower interest rates. Fast forward five years later, the industrial market is now experiencing a slowdown due to new pressures that are reversing or slowing down many of those trends. “People are concerned about making a decision today without knowing what’s going to happen tomorrow,” said John Coleman, senior vice president of Graham &. Co. Coleman specializes in representing both tenants and landlords across the Birmingham and Montgomery industrial markets in Alabama. Coleman’s comments came while on stage during the closing panel at InterFace …

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Conference CoverageFeaturesSeniors HousingTexasTexas & Oklahoma Feature Archive

Active Adult Sector Still in Early Stages of Its Evolution, Says CEO Panel 

by John Nelson

DALLAS — The evolution of active adult product is in the third inning of a nine-inning game, but some markets are clearly ahead of the curve, says Zach Crowe, managing director of U.S. real estate for private equity giant The Carlyle Group. “There are markets like Dallas, Las Vegas and Denver that have had active adult for 20 years at this point, and the product is well known. The consumer understands what it is. There are other markets with very few properties, and people have no idea what it is. It’s still incredibly early [in the game],” reports Crowe, who is based in Washington, D.C., and focuses on real estate investment opportunities in multifamily, 55+ housing and medical office properties. Editor’s note: InterFace Conference Group, a division of France Media Inc., produces networking and educational conferences for commercial real estate executives. To sign up for email announcements about specific events, visit www.interfaceconferencegroup.com/subscribe. The insights from Crowe came during the CEO panel at the fifth annual InterFace Active Adult conference. The daylong conference, which took place May 7 at The Westin Los Colinas in Dallas, attracted more than 300 industry professionals.  Moderated by Ryan Maconachy, vice chairman of health and alternative assets for Newmark, the …

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MD-Anderson-Zayed-Building-Houston
Features

Utilizing Artwork in Commercial Real Estate Can Enhance Tenant Well-Being, Property Values

by Taylor Williams

By Fernanda Ogazon, president and CEO, American Art Resources Incorporating art into commercial real estate is more than just decoration. It’s a strategic investment in tenant wellness, satisfaction and overall asset performance. Evidence-based design (EBD) plays a crucial role in effectively integrating art into spaces, especially in environments like healthcare, hospitality and corporate offices. By relying on credible research, EBD helps ensure that the art chosen contributes to the stakeholders’ specific goals. What It Means According to the Center for Health Design, EBD is the process of basing decisions about the built environment on reliable research to achieve the best possible outcomes. In healthcare spaces, the right artwork can provide comfort, reduce stress and anxiety and support healing. For example, patients in intensive care units may suffer from a condition that researchers have termed “ICU Syndrome,” which is characterized by hallucinations, delusions, psychotic episodes and sleep disturbances that have no direct link to the illness itself. Art for ICU patient rooms must therefore be very clear and completely unambiguous so as not to aggravate these symptoms. Nature photographs with sunlight and full-spectrum color are successful choices for these settings because they are reality-based. The role of art in non-patient areas …

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Affordable HousingConference CoverageFeaturesGeorgiaSoutheastSoutheast Feature Archive

Affordable Housing Developers Aim to Control What They Can Control, Say InterFace Panelists

by John Nelson

ATLANTA — Interest rates. Tariffs. Natural disasters. These three factors alone frighten any developer, let alone those who are tasked with delivering our nation’s affordable housing supply. Just to get to the ribbon-cutting ceremony, developers have an uphill climb. They have to obtain the land outright or in a ground lease agreement, navigate the permitting and entitlement processes, overcome any neighborhood pushback, raise equity and borrow the necessary capital and then build these communities on time and on budget. Editor’s note: InterFace Conference Group, a division of France Media Inc., produces networking and educational conferences for commercial real estate executives. To sign up for email announcements about specific events, visit www.interfaceconferencegroup.com/subscribe. “We try to stay in control of what we’re in control of,” said Christopher Byrd, Southeast region development director of LDG Development, an affordable housing developer based in Louisville, Ky. “As long as we are in the right markets with the right growth and the right partners, we are safe and insulated.” Byrd’s comments came while on stage during the development panel at InterFace Affordable Housing Southeast, a networking and information conference held at the Cobb Galleria Centre in Atlanta on Tuesday, May 7. Kelly Williams, vice president of …

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Extra-Space-Storage-Miami
FeaturesIndustrialSelf-Storage

Falling Rents, Shifting Demand Among Self-Storage Trends to Watch in 2025

by Taylor Williams

By Maggie Stankiewicz, senior content manager, Storable The self-storage industry is expanding steadily in 2025, fueled by rising housing costs, smaller homes and changing relocation patterns. As Americans seek more flexible storage options, the market is quickly adapting — rents are dropping, technology is streamlining operations and demand is rising in new regions. According to a recent study by SelfStorage.com, the U.S. market is projected to reach $85.3 billion by 2030, pointing to continued long-term growth. Because of this sustained, projected growth, new self-storage trends are shaping how renters and operators navigate the evolving landscape. Key Trends Driving the Market As of early 2025, a few notable trends are shaping the self-storage industry: Short Vs. Long-Term While short-term storage demand is growing — especially among frequent movers — longer rentals are still the norm. The aforementioned study found that renters use their units for an average of 20 months, up from 16.5 months in 2020. Over one-third of renters planning a move in the next year say they’ll use storage for three to six months. States like Oregon, North Dakota and Mississippi have seen a notable uptick in demand, driven in part by migration from expensive metro areas. After hitting highs …

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Conference CoverageFeaturesMultifamilySeniors Housing

Perception Is Paramount in Active Adult, Say InterFace Panelists

by John Nelson

DALLAS — What’s in a name? Plenty, according to the industry professionals that operate and market active adult communities.  Jane Arthur Roslovic, co-founder and CEO of Treplus Communities, says that “if anybody called [her] a senior” she’d “smack them.” Roslovic’s quip came during a panel discussion — titled “Operating and Marketing: Best Practices in Lease-Up, Sales and Programming” — at the 5th annual InterFace Active Adult conference. The daylong event took place Wednesday, May 7, at The Westin Las Colinas in Dallas.  Editor’s note: InterFace Conference Group, a division of France Media Inc., produces networking and educational conferences for commercial real estate executives. To sign up for email announcements about specific events, visit www.interfaceconferencegroup.com/subscribe. Roslovic and her fellow panelists argued that the same reluctance to be branded as a “senior” extends to prospective residents of active adult communities. The key to attracting and retaining residents, the panelists insisted, is to not only provide excellent product but also understand and cater to the public’s perception of age-restricted properties. Active adult communities are age-eligible, market-rate multifamily properties with enhanced lifestyle programming, according to the National Investment Center for Seniors Housing & Care (NIC). Unlike independent living communities, active adult properties do not …

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FeaturesMixed-Use

Mixed-Use Developments Help Distill Urban Priorities

by Taylor Williams

By Ashley O’Connor, executive managing director at MGAC Large-scale mixed-use developments are reshaping urban landscapes, offering opportunities to reimagine cities as more appealing places to live, work and visit. Unlike traditional single-use developments, these projects blend various real estate verticals — residential, commercial, recreational — into cohesive ecosystems. The versatility of these projects both mitigates risks during economic downturns, such as oversupply in specific sectors, and fosters resilience and adaptability, making them stand out as sustainable investments in an evolving urban environment. Enhancing Visual, Functional Landscapes The shift away from monolithic single-use buildings has transformed skylines, replacing them with dynamic, multi-purpose structures that blend into their surroundings. These projects often feature green spaces, public art installations and architectural elements that enhance aesthetics and functionality. For instance, the redevelopment of the Century Plaza Hotel in Los Angeles demonstrates how historical preservation can coexist with modern innovation. Once celebrated for its mid-century design, the property’s transformation added sleek residential towers while maintaining its iconic charm, creating a vibrant hub that reflects the city’s evolving identity. Similarly, the Etobicoke Civic Center in Toronto illustrates how well-designed mixed-use developments contribute to urban appeal. By combining civic, residential and commercial spaces into a single 800,000-square-foot …

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