Features

How to Design, Develop Mixed-Use Projects for the ‘Live-Work-Play’ Consumer

by Taylor Williams August 4, 2022

By Nicholas Haines, CEO, Bromley Cos. The desire to live close to everyday retail destinations — grocery stores, restaurants, gyms — isn’t new. But demand for this type of amenity has become increasingly popular with the rise of mixed-use developments. Think about when you go on vacation. You pick a hotel or rental property that’s close to activities you want to do, sights you want to see or places you want to eat. Now, people are beginning to crave that same convenience in everyday life — and it makes sense. While the pandemic blurred the lines between living, working and playing, rental communities that include residential, office and retail space have more than doubled in demand throughout the United States over the past decade. These units, also known as live-work-play (LWP) apartments, have seen a substantial increase in interest, especially among millennials. Walkability is one of the primary traits that millennials seek when they’re searching for residential options, and LWP apartments present a unique opportunity to blend accessibility with desirable living experiences, world-class amenities, communal green spaces and exciting restaurant, retail and entertainment options. LWP apartments have proven to be worthy investments, but just like with any other development, there …

August 4, 2022

The Cost of Creature Comforts: What Multifamily Amenities Are Renters Most Willing to Pay For?

by Taylor Williams August 2, 2022

By Sarah Yaussi, vice president of business strategy, National Multifamily Housing Council What do renters want now? You might think that the latest and greatest tech upgrades would be at the top of their wish lists, or that fancy fixtures and finishes would be a powerful differentiator when choosing among their rental options. In reality, however, the most valued apartment features and community amenities for the 250,000 or so renters surveyed in the 2022 NMHC/Grace Hill Renter Preferences Survey Report were, in large part, far simpler. Those amenities and services that allowed them to simplify their to-do lists and take care of their families and their own health clocked in at the top of our list. About the Survey NMHC/Grace Hill survey respondents were asked about their levels of interest in a battery of apartment features and community amenities. Features are those design aspects contained within the unit or home itself. Amenities, on the other hand, are shared by residents of the community and most often refer to a rental community’s common areas. If respondents expressed interest, they were then asked how much more they would be willing to pay per month for an identical rental home that had that …

August 2, 2022

Features Multifamily

Proptech Improves Employee, Asset Performance While Giving Residents the Autonomy They Demand

by Jeff Shaw July 29, 2022

By Stacey Darden, senior director of innovation and compliance, New Standard Equities In the multifamily industry, we rely on technology to increase productivity and to help us make strategic decisions. Technology allows information and data from various sources to be collected and organized in a way that is easy to understand. Rather than looking at different reports to form an educated decision, technology can help synthesize data into predictive analytics based on historical activity and current trends. Previously, decision makers, such as asset managers or investors, would review various reports only using one piece of information to try and compare findings across portfolios or regions. The old-fashioned approach might include reviewing a box score report or resident activity detail to understand property operations for a given period. Or it may have involved reviewing a variance report to understand the financial activity for a given period. An asset manager would then try to discover any correlation between the two sets of reporting. Technology can help display all given metrics in a digestible manner to easily identify if any patterns or relationships exist. Selecting a technology provider who will partner with clients and help customize reporting based on the client’s needs will …

July 29, 2022

Features Office Western Feature Archive

Office Space Is Back in Demand — With a Wellness Component

by Jeff Shaw July 28, 2022

By Michael Brumley, Project Executive, Kiewit Building Group AT The pandemic sent ripple effects throughout the construction industry. Along the way, it also heavily influenced and impacted the way employees in the workforce now operate and interact. With COVID prompting a shift in remote work, many are wondering if it’s beneficial to go back to the office full-time, adopt a hybrid approach or forgo investing in office space altogether. There are many justifications for investing in office space when you consider variables like productivity, industry-specific jobs or trades, and overall employee satisfaction and benefits. The distinction is you need to invest in spaces that are successful for employers and employees alike. It’s All About the Benefits The pandemic proved work can be done anywhere as long as Wi-Fi is available. So, how can companies entice employees to work at an office once the investments have been poured into developing the physical space? According to a survey from McKinsey on consumer interest and purchasing power, 79 percent of respondents said they believe wellness is important while 42 percent consider it a top priority. Consumers in each market studied reported a substantial increase in the prioritization of wellness over the past two to three …

July 28, 2022

Features Multifamily Seniors Housing Western Feature Archive

Universal Design Strategies Foster Intergenerational Living in Multifamily Communities

by Jeff Shaw July 26, 2022

By Carol Cole, director of interior design, DAHLIN Group Architecture AT Intergenerational households are growing at a faster pace than they were pre-pandemic. Generations United, a nonprofit dedicated to supporting intergenerational programs and policies, estimates that 66.7 million U.S. adults live in a multigenerational household, with nearly 57 percent of this statistic spurred by COVID. Even after the immediate impacts of the pandemic subside, intergenerational living will remain prevalent for a variety of reasons. These can range from the need for child and/or elder care to cultural expectations and economic-related factors, such as loss of a job, high educational expenses or housing availability. Considering this trend and recognizing that more than 16 million Americans are currently over the age of 65, the movement toward incorporating universal design strategies on residential projects is key for creating aesthetic living spaces that are usable by everyone to the greatest extent possible. Already a standard in the healthcare community, universal design is the design and composition of a space set up to meet the needs of all users, not as a special requirement to benefit only a small fraction of a population. The practice results in inclusive environments that support high-functioning, independent living for …

July 26, 2022

Features Retail

Retail Design Adapts to New Technology, Consumer Behavior, Supply Chain Issues

by Katie Sloan July 21, 2022

It’s a challenging world right now. Inflation, rising interest rates, persistent supply chain lags and labor shortages are affecting the retail industry. That’s to say nothing of the always changing retail environment. But there are also consumers who are ready to put COVID behind them — who are looking for a reason to venture out, be entertained and spend some money (though maybe not as much money, thanks to inflation). You also have shopping center owners who are quite eager to give these consumers what they want. While architects and designers can’t remove problems like rates or inflation from an owner’s plate, they can help them navigate — and win — in this new market. How? By making sure every detail, dollar and person counts. Multifaceted Designers Strength in numbers is always appreciated when times are tricky. Frankie Campione, principal at CREATE Architecture Planning & Design in New York City, notes designers are collaborating more than ever to get the job done. This type of collaboration is particularly useful during the current materials shortage, he notes. “There doesn’t seem to be any way to know what shortage may affect any particular project,” Campione says. “There are two projects, both on Long …

July 21, 2022

Bohler Content Partner Development Features Midwest Northeast Southeast Texas Western

Streamlining Permits and Entitlements: How to Avoid Timeline Creep

by Sarah Daniels July 19, 2022

Developers have seen permitting and entitlement timelines lengthen exponentially over the past few years. What is causing increased timelines and how do developers overcome challenges and avoid unnecessary delays? If expanded timelines are inevitable in some cases, how can developers ensure that slowdowns do not spread to other aspects of development? Many municipalities have been overwhelmed by an explosion in projects and applications in the development queue, and the issues are compounded by employee turnover within these organizations. Municipal slowdowns in upgrading utility capacities have further stalled the process of development. Additionally, the process for obtaining permits and entitlements has grown increasingly complex in certain regions, regardless of property type. REBusiness Online spoke with experts at Bohler, a land development design and consulting firm, to learn the best practices for keeping delays and budgets under control in the face of growing timeline uncertainties. To avoid problems before they begin, these experts recommend early due diligence and local expertise, as well as an approach that incorporates the community, local agencies and the authority having jurisdiction at crucial points. Bohler’s team also emphasizes the importance of working through waiting periods and working on different elements of a project concurrently, so that if …

July 19, 2022

Features Loans Southeast Southeast Feature Archive

Borrowers, Lenders Reach an ‘Inflection Point’ in the Wake of Rising Inflation and Interest Rates

by John Nelson July 14, 2022

By John Nelson The period between mid-June and mid-July has become a pivotal moment in the capital markets world as commercial real estate borrowers and lenders navigate inflation levels and interest rates not seen in decades. Scott Cook, commercial real estate market manager with TD Bank’s Charlotte office, says that borrowers and lenders are reshaping the market on the fly, and it’s too early to tell if the elevated capital costs are going to drastically suppress borrower demand. “We’re at an inflection point: the natural, healthy tension between borrowers and lenders where borrowers want more but lenders want to give less,” says Cook. “I don’t know that we’ve seen the full effect yet. Generally speaking, borrowers are still looking for business as usual. They’re aware of the rate hikes but still believe in the product, and certainly there’s overwhelming demand. We’re redefining it as we speak, it’s too early to call.” Cook says that the first true “wake up” call was when the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) relayed that the Consumer Price Index (CPI), one of the standard inflation measurements that tracks price changes for goods and services, had increased 8.6 percent in May, which is the highest …

July 14, 2022

Features Leasing Activity Multifamily Single-Family Rental Western Feature Archive

Redfin: US Residential Median Asking Rents Up 14.1 Percent in June on Annual Basis

by John Nelson July 12, 2022

SEATTLE — Redfin, the residential real estate brokerage giant, has reported that the national median asking rent in June is $2,016 per month, a 14.1 percent increase year-over-year. The Seattle-based company analyzed data from 20,000 separate multifamily and single-family properties from its RentPath platform across the top 50 U.S. metro areas. The June figure is a slight increase from May at 0.7 percent, which represents the smallest month-over-month gain since the start of the year. The median asking rate is also the smallest annual increase since October 2021. Daryl Fairweather, Redfin’s chief economist, says while still elevated, the current slowdown in rent growth could be anticipatory on the part of landlords in reaction to overall inflation. (The Consumer Price Index saw its biggest annual gain since 1981 in May, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics). “Rent growth is likely slowing because landlords are seeing demand start to ease as renters get pinched by inflation,” says Fairweather. “With the cost of gas, food and other products soaring, renters have less money to spend on housing.” “This slowdown in rent increases is likely to continue, however rents are still climbing at unprecedented rates in strong job markets like New York …

July 12, 2022

Features Healthcare

APTC: Minimize Property Taxation of Medical Office Buildings

by Kristin Harlow July 7, 2022

By Brian Morrissey, Ragsdale Beals Seigler Patterson & Gray LLP How municipalities and counties tax medical real estate can vary by modes of ownership, location and how a property affects the local economy. Much, however, depends on each taxing entity’s goals and its degree of interest in attracting hospitals, creating medical hubs, enlarging commercial areas or encouraging excellent healthcare locally. A typical approach to achieving some or all of these goals is for local government to control the property. This can be through outright ownership, where the facilities are leased out. Governments can also create an economic zone and issue bonds to finance the area’s development. Each of these methods poses property tax issues. In a direct ownership scenario, the government owner is exempt from taxation. The operating and management company that leases the property has tax liability for its going concern, however. That going concern has untaxed intangible value, but also will have onsite assets such as medical equipment that can be taxed under standard code approaches at fair market value. They can also be taxed under a modified fair market value, which is a common incentive designed to entice investment by medical businesses. If the local government chooses …

July 7, 2022

Newer Posts

Older Posts