2014
"Housing in Berkeley"
Hard hats and construction trucks may become a familiar sight to Berkeley residents within the next few years as Downtown Berkeley experiences a surge in housing developments.
...More"Panoramic Interests’ buildings featured in Rizzoli Publications’ new book: Traditional Architecture…Timeless Building for the Twenty-First Century (2014)"
N.B.: The August 15, 2001 edition of the Berkeley Daily Planet included a letter to the editor describing the Gaia Building as “…a monstrous, Stalinist-style monument to civic corruption.”
PCK
...More"EXPANDING HOUSING OPTIONS IN THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN WEST BY REDUCING LAND USE REGULATIONS"
Even a cursory review of today’s real estate market reveals that there’s a lack of choice for certain households in the American West. If you’re on the market for an apartment without parking, or would like to build a “granny flat” for an aging parent, or desire to live in a tiny apartment in a hip neighborhood, you’re probably out of luck. Unfortunately, today’s building codes and land use regulations frequently prevent these types of moderately-priced housing options from being developed. In the “new normal” American economy, with limited resources at every level of government, the affordability crisis will only deepen if we don’t change regulations that prohibit sensible development.
...More"Developer’s macro loan for micro units shows small is big"
Builder Patrick Kennedy had landed a big construction loan for small pads in Central SoMa.
With half of the 11-story, 160-unit rental building at 1321 Mission St pre-leased to the California College of the Arts,Jones Lang LaSalle capital markets team has lined up a $50 million construction loan on the deal.
Washington Capital provided the first mortgage with TDA Capital Management providing the mezzanine financing. Managing Director John Manning and Senior Vice President Alex Witt led the JLL team on the transaction.
...More"S.F. apartment rents cool in winter but still red hot"
The incredible, escalating prices for apartments in San Francisco, the South Bay and East Bay edged down or flattened in the final three months of 2013 – but don’t get too excited.
The slight slump is a typical seasonal slowdown. After a year of rocket-like gains, asking rents remain sky-high compared with just a year ago.
...More"It’s Not Too Late to Make San Francisco Affordable Again. Here’s How"
My city, San Francisco, is in the midst of an affordability crisis. People here are angry and afraid. The skyrocketing cost of housing comes up in seemingly every conversation and dominates local news and local politics.
The recent piece on San Francisco’s housing crisis I wrote for The Atlantic Cities seemed to hit a nerve. But it was mostly devoted to describing how the city got to be a place with the highest housing costs in the country. Now, I want to turn to what we can actually do about it.
We face a complex problem. It has roots in income inequality, a national issue, as well as regional anti-growth attitudes that extend well beyond the city boundaries. But at the city level, there are a surprising number of things we can definitely do.
...More"SRO 2.0 Hits Harlem"
We’ve talked a lot about the merits of the SRO (single room occupancy). Throughout the 20th Century, the once-common, small and spartan apartments provided affordable urban dwellings for people looking for basic living accommodations. Unfortunately, in the latter part of the century, they became synonymous with drugs and graft. As neighborhoods gentrified, the unseemly SROs were excised from most cityscapes. Their demise left a gap in urban dwelling typology: i.e. the affordable crash pad. A nearly complete project in New York City is bringing back the SRO, albeit from decidedly 21st century perspective.
...More"Building Begins on 160 Micro-Units at 9th and Mission"
160 micro-units are officially under construction in Mid-Market now that the single-story furniture store at the corner of 9th and Mission streets has been cleared away. Dubbed Smartspace Mission, the building will strategically maneuver the 160 units into an 11-floor frame that will also include nearly 3,400 sq. ft. of ground floor retail and parking for 240 bicycles. A rooftop garden will satiSFy the open space requirements and a snazzy lobby is planned. The building will be constructed to energy-efficient standards using all Energy Star appliances, sustainable building materials, storm-water management systems, and low-flow plumbing fixtures. The building is expected ready for occupancy late next year.
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