Northeast

U.S. Energy Group’s iPhone App Allows Easy Control for Property Managers

The U.S. Energy Group has released USE-Mobile, providing property managers with the ability to control their buildings with their mobile devices, including iPhones, Blackberrys and other smart phones.

2011 Budget Proposal Is Good With Regards to Housing

Clare Duncan, policy associate at the NHC, explains how the funding for HUD will go toward achieving some of its key goals.

RCA Acquires Real Estate Econometrics

Real Capital Analytics has acquired Real Estate Econometrics, bringing that company’s founder, Sam Chandan, on board as RCA’s global chief economist and executive vice president, and a member of RCA’s management committee. Chandan holds a Ph.D. in applied economics from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, where he currently serves as adjunct professor of real estate.

First Smoke-Free Rental Community in N.J.; Good for Health As Well As Turnover Costs

The second phase of Alexan CityView, a Trammell Crow Residential apartment community on the Peninsula at Bayonne Harbor, N.J. is designed to be 100 percent smoke-free. It is the first of its kind in New Jersey and nearly unheard of in the New York Metropolitan marketplace.

New LEED Credential Expands to Canada

The Green Building Certification Institute, which provides third-party confirmation of LEED building certification and LEED professional credentialing, has launched the LEED Green Associate (Tier I) credential in Canada. According to the Green Building Certification Institute, the new credential–launched only in 2009–is its fastest growing, having been earned by about 4,500 people worldwide already.

U.S. Energy Group Joins Residents, Management of Brooklyn Community in Fundraising Effort for Haiti

The U.S. Energy Group, TedPin Realty and Metropolitan Property Services, Inc., have all come together for a fundraising effort that will support Habitat for Humanity International’s work in Haiti.

HUD Funds Greening of Harlem Apartment Community

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development has awarded the West 135th Street Apartments, a 10-building complex in the Harlem neighborhood of New York City, a $3.6 million Green Retrofit Program (GRP) loan, the first of its kind to a multifamily residential property. The GRP loan will provide part of the funding necessary to make major renovations to the property, with an aim toward increasing its energy efficiency, reducing utility costs and otherwise greening the residences.

42-Story Crystal Point Wins Community of the Year Award

Most high-rise developments often have one thing in common: long, uninspiring hallways. But a new 42-story condominium project, Crystal Point, tries to change things up a little. The building is planned in such a way that its corridors are cut in half with elevators positioned in the middle of the residential floors. This provides the building with a very intimate feel, which is what the architects intended.

Harkins Begins Construction on Six State-Funded Projects Within 45 Days

Harkins recently completed loan closings on six projects and has begun construction on all in a matter of 45 days. These projects, located in Pennsylvania and Maryland, are funded by a variety of programs, including the Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC), and the Tax Credit Assistance Program (TCAP) and Section 1602 Exchange funds that are part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009.

Michaels Organization Taps Sweeney for Michaels Military Housing

The Michaels Organization has named Bill Sweeney as director of facilities management for Prestige Renovations, one of the six companies that comprise Michaels. In his new job, Sweeney will oversee facilities management and renovations at the five military installations where Michaels Military Housing is currently developing and managing family housing under the Department of Defense’s housing privatization program.