Services for the UnderServed’s Post

Oftentimes the wisest real estate purchases are made when one considers what other, more seasoned, investors are doing. I've watched Mike Harrah for years. And I know how much our community owes to this visionary man. For example he designed, built and financed the Orange County School of the Arts where many of our most talented youngsters are taught to embrace their uniqueness. This is one of his many, many projects. Mike has supported local schools, children's programs, police organizations, countless charities and research entities. And of course has contributed decades of commercial investment and development within Santa Ana and the community overall. Yet shockingly few residents know his name. My husband and I decided to buy a home in Santa Ana, after watching Mr. Harrah, and researching the City's plan for future development. It has proven to be a smart choice. I encourage everyone to critically evaluate what is important, with respect to their real estate investments, and then do the homework of researching what is coming, and possibly not yet done, in areas that may not have been initial targets. I think many will be surprised. Let me help you make better informed, inspired investments in residential property. It's my favorite things to do. Here are a few resources for you: Mike Harrah & Caribou Industries projects: https://lnkd.in/g7gZtFMX City of Santa Ana projects: https://lnkd.in/gBTSeFYz City of Tustin projects: https://lnkd.in/gkgzN_3x #realestate #research #goals #strategicthinking #investinginrealestate

This article was posted in our USC Ross Program Alumni group by our Program Manager Mary. There’s a few things I noticed that I would offer as solutions not just here but for most everything, especially building (homes or office) that are created for longevity. 1. During the construction phase, attention to details by trades, QAQC and inspection are super important it creates an environment that ensures equipment / material failure doesn’t cause concerns (health hazards and money spent). 2. Facilities Management / Operations / Handymen (and reporting issues from the tenants, both residential and commercial) are required, it’s not something to forego. Delayed maintenance and repairs wreak havoc by increasing cost because more things or areas require repair and increases the cost. The above may seem obvious, however we know it isn’t standard. Here’s solutions for the problem: A. Adaptive Reuse - I’m certain a TAP Panel from ULI could bring more ideas in a group discussion but conversion of some units to create a Jack and Jill style bathroom OR purchase prefab bathroom/toilets for install in the communal, I assume border style or communal living house. B. Working downtown I’m familiar with some of these locations, and using commercial space on the ground floor or adjacent buildings would help with services and general retail everyone enjoys/needs. #realestate #communitybuilder #developer #housing https://lnkd.in/g3ffePMK

Is this the best example of a community-led, town revitalisation project in the U.K? I was so pleased this week to see one of my favourite town centre-based community enterprises announced as one of 12 worthy beneficiaries of the expansion of the The Architectural Heritage Fund's Heritage Development Trust model. I have been tracking the work of GALERI CAERNARFON CYF since I visited it nearly a couple of decades ago. That it appears to go from strength to strength does not surprise me. What does surprise me though is that its heritage development trusts model does not have more plaudits and its approach is not replicated in town and cities across the U.K. The development trust's properties are split over three town centre locations: 16 town centre businesses premises that are all fully let as shops, offices, salons, café/restaurants and additional residential lettings over five streets. 14 arts/creative companies in workspaces that collectively employ over 80 members of staff, as part of a cinema/theatre, café-bar and galleries complex. 19 units/workshops (pictured) that are suitable to makers of all kinds following a restoration project working with the site’s owners, the Caernarfon Harbor Trust. For me, heritage development trusts such Galeri Caernarfon provide a win, win, win situation for a town’s built heritage and economic vitality whilst creating a sustainable model for re-investing in the community. Get it right and as the look and feel of the town improves, so does the value of the trust’s property portfolio. See link in comments below to full story including more about £5million of funding awarded to 12 communities as part of a new partnership between the National Lottery Heritage Fund and charity the Architectural Heritage Fund, to expand the Heritage Development Trust model across the UK. #caernarfon #towncentre #citycentre #socialenterprise #heritagebuildings #communitydevelopment

This story was interesting and shocking to me. Now, I have not heard of this ("Poor Door") happening in Chicago, but Chicago is gearing up to convert office buildings to mixed-use residential developments (rightfully so) and there needs to be a review to ensure residents occupying affordable units are not treated differently. Another possibility to ensure some of these office conversions are equitable is to set aside projects for BIPOC affordable housing developers, nonprofits, or combination partnerships. Imagine if we were able to leverage a downtown asset to do more development in communities - that was a plug for all our neighborhood developers. My second is the lesson of not building in affordable neighborhoods. We cannot only think about the four corners of the affordable apartment walls but also the other occupancy aspects, such as food/grocery, clothes, dining, parking, etc... With the negative impacts of inflation and price gouging, we need to continue to ensure our neighborhoods are affordable as well. https://lnkd.in/grgSR263

The affordable housing crisis hits home for me – literally. I see the families struggling, the communities impacted. Building communities, not just homes – this is the heart of GRM. Attainable housing is crucial, but true community means thriving families, respect for the land, and opportunities forged through collaboration. Modular solutions, combined with Indigenous leadership, stewarding, and partnerships, make this vision a reality. This is the power of hands-on reconciliation. Our greatest available asset as a community is KNOWLEDGE SHARING and this LinkedIn community holds many of the thought leaders I admire most. With that being said, what does a thriving community look like to you? Can we express our support for any of your initiatives that align with our mission? There is no competition only a shared responsibility for the housing of generations to come! If you haven't heard of our team yet that's largely due to our time spent in Doing rather than Marketing(Promising to do) feel free to check us out and reach out anytime! If you're suggesting collaborations please read up on the 7 Grand Father Teachings first, should your team align with these we have a lot to discuss, if not no offense but don't bother. https://lnkd.in/eNBiZdRy #modularconstruction #affordablehousing #reconciliationinaction Clarence Cachagee Two Rivers Community Development Centre NICHI (National Indigenous Collaborative Housing Inc.) Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) Société canadienne d'hypothèques et de logement(SCHL) NACCA Cody Lewis Kaitlyn Stark Mary Musson, CD, BA (Hons), Dipl MM Conestoga College Anthony Piscitelli Caitlin C. Michel Tremblay Michael Montour Natalie Adams Jeffrey Cyr Kirsten Wright NPAAMB Indigenous Youth Employment and Training Six Nations of the Grand River Development Corporation Trevor Bomberry Gary Fleisher NUQO Modular Mike Farwell KAY VALLEY Mike Morrice Mark B. Hill Tooketree Passive Homes Sean Geobey Berry Vrbanovic Filomena Tassi Dave Vince Ryan Stupica Carol Anne Hilton, MBA, ICD.D Crow Shield Lodge

Some unfortunate news came out of CKUA this week - the organization is asking their listeners and the broader community to help them fundraise $3M before the end of September to help them survive. I would encourage everyone to join me in supporting this institution that’s so important to not just Downtown Edmonton but the whole Province of Alberta. CKUA is a fascinating piece of the Alberta media landscape. A 97 year old community-owned radio station broadcasting across the province, nearly entirely funded by their supporters. And not only that, but they have been maintaining their advertising base and growing their listenership. In a world where most legacy media are dropping advertisers and viewers, and becoming increasingly reliant on government support, they’re bucking the trend. So how does this seeming success result in a dire fundraising ask - well a big part of their struggle is under the weight of the ownership of their home, the Alberta Hotel on Jasper Ave. In 2012, the story of the Alberta Hotel was a great one - 28 years after the 1903 vintage hotel was dismantled and put into storage to make way for Canada Place it was given a second life by Gene Dub who restored, modernized, and then sold the building to CKUA. What’s not to like about a storied historic hotel being brought to life as an arts & culture hub by a leading non-profit. During the purchase process a tri-partite funding agreement turned into a bi-partite agreement and a loan was taken to complete the project. This arrangement went well for years - until the double whammy of rising interest rates met an office market permanently changed post-pandemic. This is far from a CKUA problem - they’re on a long list of other owners, major REITS, pension funds, and high net worth families to name a few, that have found what they thought was a safe, stable asset class turned upside down. I speak with non-profits on a regular basis who desire to own their own real estate - and I understand. The idea of controlling your destiny and paying down a mortgage is appealing and in some cases it works. But real estate asset management is outside of the core function of most non-profits and, as seen with CKUA, elements out of your control can threaten your entire existence. Having a team of strategic advisors to help understand and navigate the risks is critical. If your non-profit organization is looking at its real estate needs, don’t hesitate to reach out. If you’re inclined to learn more about CKUA’s request, here’s their donation page: https://lnkd.in/gZ9UXbmA Read more about the Alberta Hotel here: https://lnkd.in/gRGKNpd2

Great article, Bad idea I know its looks CUTE to put unhoused ppl in a little house ... But its a lot MORE expensive than an apartment building: To build Heat & Cool Maintain INDIANA extreme hot/cold/rainy climate makes insulating and detailing them MUCH more difficult(expensive) than places where the concept worked better like California When you look at actual TINY homes that get built in the midwest you'll see they usually end up costing $50K -$100K EACH or more This is not a good investment and will be difficult & expensive to manage over time, building an apartment building would house more for less money, more amenities and lower utilities https://lnkd.in/giQ3959y

Recently, the New York Post published a news story about a large, new #affordablehousing project in the City of Los Angeles. Developed by The Weingart Center , constructed by Swinerton, designed by AXIS Architecture with backing by Chelsea Investment Corporation, the Weingart Tower is a 19-story, 278-unit Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH) development located in #SkidRow. It is the largest of any project to receive Proposition HHH funding, with more than double the funding of the next closest. “We’re trying to make our little corner of the world look and feel a little better,” said Senator Kevin Murray (ret), President and CEO of the Weingart Center. This new center appears to be an innovative and "take the bull by the horns" approach for the Los Angeles Housing Department to combat #homelessness. Rather than just providing shelter, the Weingart Center's provides a variety of services, such as: Case Management • Medical & Mental Health Services • Personalized Client Plan Development • Substance Use Counseling • Legal/Benefits Counseling & Advocacy • Financial & Budgeting Guidance • Life Skills & Wellness Classes • Employment Assistance • Job Training • Educational Support • Pet & Service Animal Services. Interestingly, the article focuses on the fact that "the kinds of amenities the building offers aren’t common in the normally bare-bones shelters the homeless might be used to." The article mentions a gym complete with treadmills, rowers, bikes and a cable machine, communal patio area for residents to congregate, an art room, a soundproof music room, a computer room, a library and a cafe. According to the Los Angeles Times, $165M project cost, which turns out to be just under $600,000 per unit, is at the high end of Proposition HHH projects (understandably) but well below the most expensive. https://lnkd.in/gM9sB7eR One reason that the costs were probably not significantly higher is that #EIFS typically save millions of dollars over other #exteriors on buildings of this scope. EIFS not only include #continuousinsulation in the wall system, but they also have a tremendous cost advantage over other #commercial #cladding systems. The 2Q, 2024 cost data from RSMeans Data from Gordian shows the following on new construction: $127+M, 15-story, 450K sq ft hotel in Los Angeles: * #Brick Veneer over #reinforcedconcrete costs 73% more than an EIFS wall on the same building * #Stone veneer over reinforced concrete costs 126% more than a comparable EIFS-clad building $40+M, 15-story 145K sq ft apartment building in Los Angeles: * Brick veneer on steel studs costs 66% more than a comparable EIFS-clad building * #Curtainwall system over steel studs costs 63% more than EIFS and windows on steel studs on the same building Learn about EIFS-clad case studies at https://lnkd.in/eidm8q8Z and see how architects use EIFS with #Drainage today at https://lnkd.in/ddjUwqxS www.eima.com #eima #nypost #losangeles

👏 Great that the East Street Property Partnership is underway; helping to unpick the complexity of who owns and controls a high street like East Street, and how space can be unlocked to help it thrive again. It’s important to remember that amongst the property owners, lease holders, businesses, community groups, council representatives and local residents involved and interested are artists, creative projects, and community-based cultural organisations. They are a vital and sometimes invisible force for local placeshaping and transformation - Southville and Bedminster are strong examples of that. They provide space for meeting, engaging and creating, they build trust, grow skills, enable local voices to be heard, provide magical, memorable experiences, reimagine and re-purpose buildings and spaces, and help build communities. They can be ‘imagineers’ who not only paint shutters and bollards (great as that is) but also help develop alternative ways for places and communities to evolve healthily, economically and sustainably. Looking around the room at the launch of the East Street Property Partnership there were many represented: Upfest, Acta Theatre, Tobacco Factory Theatres, Windmill Hill City Farm, WeCanMake Artspace Lifespace Storytale Festival Bedminster Lantern Parade East Street Emporium BS3 Studios and others. There are cultural ecologies like this in other areas of the city which can and will be part of local solutions if we can collectively enable the right conditions, and, despite the challenging environment, investment. Eleanor Freeman Emma Harvey Bertel Martin Melissa Mean Makala Cheung Heidi Vaughan Stephen Hayles Oliver Jones Elise Hurcombe Tabitha Clayson

It's not every day when you see #EIFS-clad buildings get profiled in major news outlets like the New York Post. Well, the new Weingart Tower in Los Angeles did. The $165M tower is the substantial, comprehensive and innovative #Skidrow project developed by The Weingart Center . The article below focuses on the extensive amenities and services that the #homeless residents will benefit from in this new project as they go far beyond "bare-bones" shelters. What the article does not mention is how #modernbuildingmaterials probably helped make these amenities a reality. For example, the project probably saved millions of dollars in #constructioncosts by using #EIFS rather than other #exterior #wallsystems like #brick, #stone or #curtainwall. But don't take my word for it. The EIFS Industry Members Association (EIMA) post below cites current data from RSMeans Data from Gordian. There has never been a better time to consider #EIFSwithdrainage for a #newconstruction or #retrofit project. #eima #construction #affordablehousing #financialvalue #performance #aestheticflexibility #losangeles #curbinghomelessness