Regions

By Anuradha Kher, Online News EditorGlassboro, N.J.–Harkins Builders has unveiled its plans with SORA Housing LLC to build new student housing for Rowan University in Glassboro, N.J. The $21.5 million Glassboro Student Housing is part of the Rowan Boulevard development partnership between Rowan University and the Borough of Glassboro, N.J., which is also being developed by Harkins Developers.The 154-unit student housing component will be four-story wood frame construction with slab-on-grade, comprising mostly four-bed, two-bath units, each with a kitchen and living area. Construction is planned in two phases, with Phase I featuring 568 beds.The building wraps around the site, creating…

By Erika Schnitzer, Associate EditorSt. Louis, Mo.–The $14 million renovation of G.W. Lofts, a six-building, 60-unit rental community in St. Louis, has been completed. The development was originally a warehouse for the Edwin F. Guth Lighting Co.“The original aesthetic was maintained as much as possible,” says Gary Rogowski, the project architect for Rosemann & Associates, the architecture and interior design firm that worked on the project. “The floor plans are generally very open and we were able to maintain that character. Each building still has its individual aesthetic and character to it.”Developed by St. Louis, Mo.-based Blue Urban (formerly McGowan…

By Anuradha Kher, Online News EditorMiami, Fla.–MCZ Development Corp. is betting on the weak U.S dollar to sell its remaining units in Florida to overseas buyers. “The South Americans have been interested in this market for nearly a decade now,” Michael Lerner, president of MCZ, tells MHN. “In recent years, we have seen a lot of interest from Europeans, the British, Italians and French, in particular.”International buyers, says Lerner, are mostly interested in Florida, in specific in South Beach, Aventura, Orlando and Sarasota. “They either want it as an investment or as a holiday home in many cases,” says Lerner.To…

By Anuradha Kher, Online News EditorLas Vegas–The Siegel Group Nevada Inc. and Great American Capital together recently completed the acquisition of the Deer Creek Apartments, a 330-unit bankrupt apartment complex in Las Vegas, for $19.10 million.Deer Creek Apartments is situated on approximately 6.68 acres of land adjacent to the corner of Flamingo and Swenson.In late June 2007, the Siegel Group had been negotiating the purchase of Deer Creek with the prior owner of the property, Atherton Newport Investments, which acquired the property in February of 2006 with the intention of demolishing and constructing a condominium development. In early 2008, the…

By Erika Schnitzer, Associate EditorMiami–Marquis, a 67-story condominium and hotel tower, which is expected to be the second-tallest building in Miami, was recently topped off. Designed by Miami-based Arquitectonica for New York-based Leviev-Boymelgreen Marquis Developers, the tower is comprised of 305 loft-style condominiums and a 56-key boutique hotel.The L-shaped building, located at 1100 Biscayne Blvd., is wrapped in blue tinted glass and reflects the surrounding water and sunlight. It is composed of interlocking parallelograms. Glass-railed balconies are visible on the east and north sides of the project.“The building will appear to be a sparkling crystal stalagmite formation in the skyline,”…

By Anuradha Kher, Online News Editor New York–The Ursuline Bedford Park Community, Fordham Bedford Housing Corp. and Enterprise, along with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD), recently broke ground on Serviam Gardens, an 83-unit affordable housing project for medium- to low-income senior citizens. The project, located in Bedford Park in the Bronx, New York, is part of Mayor Bloomberg’s New Housing Marketplace plan to build or preserve 165,000 units of affordable housing over 10 years. It will be ready in 2009.The land for Serviam Gardens was…

By Anuradha Kher, Online News EditorDallas–JPI recently broke ground on Jefferson, a 228-unit luxury rental community in the Arts District in downtown Dallas.Located at the northeast corner of Ross Avenue and Routh Street in Dallas, Jefferson at the Arts District will be a part of the city’s 68-acre urban cultural district featuring the Dallas Museum of Art, the Nasher Sculpture Center, the Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center, the Margot and Bill Winspear Opera House (currently under construction), and the Dee and Charles Wyly Theatre (also currently under construction).The community is situated five blocks from the city’s planned Woodall Rodgers Park,…

By Anuradha Kher, Online News EditorChicago–The Institute of Real Estate Management (IREM) and the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) recently signed a Memorandum of Intent outlining collaborative efforts to promote green building development, energy efficiency and environmentally responsible building operations across all property types.The memorandum establishes a cooperative working relationship between IREM and the USGBC that will include educational webinars and conferences available to IREM’s members for a discounted price, as well as a research publication. Also, through this memorandum, IREM will be able to offer Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification to its members.IREM has 18,000 members…

By Lisa Iannucci, Green Building Corresspondent New York–According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), a “brownfield” is a property where the expansion, redevelopment or reuse of which may be complicated by the presence or potential presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant or contaminant. Although some developers are hesitant to work with brownfields, especially because of the costs, other developers, such as the New York City-based The Arker Cos., are transforming brownfields into high-quality, affordable housing. The Arker Cos. transformed one Bronx brownfield that was formerly occupied by a shuttered gas station into the White Plains Courtyard. The Courtyard is a 100-unit,…

By Anuradha Kher, Online News EditorWest Toluca Lake, Calif.–Hendricks & Partners recently arranged the sale of Toluca City Place, a multifamily development site located at 11022 Camarillo St. in West Toluca Lake, Calif., for $1,850,000. A 15-unit condominium or rental project will be built on the fully entitled 14,500-sq.-ft. vacant lot. The sale price equates to $127 per sq. ft. of land and $123,333 per unit.The sellers – developer Hugh Finkle, engineer Eric Lieberman and architect Stanley Brent – spent more than two years gaining approvals for a four-story building featuring two- and three-bedroom units ranging from 1,425 to 1,613…