Real Estate Wire/Green Trends News Wire

By Mike Bonts, Editor DALLAS, Texas -- Alpine Start Development (ASD), a family-owned real estate development and investment firm, has announced the start of its first apartment development in Haltom City, "Alpine Fossil Creek".  This new apartment community features 296-units within three-story garden-style buildings situated on 15.6 acres, overlooking Big Fossil Creek. The community is just a 10-minute drive to downtown Fort Worth, and across the street from Haltom City High School.  "This is more than just the start of construction. It represents a long, shared vision between Alpine Start, the City, and our partners. We are honored to be a part of bringing this vision to life. This project is a testament to what can be achieved when dedicated partners come together with a unified goal of creating something special," said Jacobe Chandler, SVP of Alpine Start Development. "We are excited to debut our first development in Haltom City, a coveted market we've...

By Mike Bonts, Editor ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. – A water efficiency certification program developed by the St. Johns River Water Management District is helping to serve at-risk Veterans while conserving water in St. Johns County. Started nearly two decades ago, the Florida Water StarSM program offers an accessible and affordable path for builders and developers to follow so their projects use less water in landscapes, irrigation systems and indoors. Combined, these measures help achieve the water efficiency performance needed in new homes and businesses. Patriot Place is the most recent development to receive the Florida Water Star certification. St. Johns Housing Partnership, a nonprofit that develops affordable housing, built Patriot Place. The apartment home community for at-risk Veterans also received “Florida Green” certification from the Florida Green Building Coalition, the state’s leading certifier of residential and commercial construction projects, land developments and local gove...

  By Mike Bonts, Editor AUSTIN, TX  — Greystar Real Estate Partners, LLC announced that two Greystar on-campus student housing projects were recognized at the Student Housing Business 14th Annual Innovator Awards.  The Academe at 198, a 667-bed community on the campus of UC College of the Law San Francisco, was recognized for “Best On-Campus Implementation of Mixed-use or Live Learn” and “Best On-Campus Public-Private Financing Solution.” The Accolade on Chestnut, a 588-bed community on the University of Pennsylvania campus, was honored for “Best On-Campus Renovation of Existing University Housing.” The Academe at 198 is a 14-story mixed-use project that includes indoor and outdoor study and gathering spaces, a fitness center, a dog run, as well as 58,000 square feet of University academic space. The building features a 400-seat underground auditorium and event space for guest lectures, academic activities, and professional development opportunities. It replicates real-wo...

By Mike Bonts, Editor BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. -- A real estate fund managed by Kennedy Wilson has partnered with Haseko Corporation to acquire The Farmstead and Villas at 28th Street communities in Vancouver, Washington. The portfolio, which totals 350 multifamily units, was acquired for $90 million.  The two newly constructed, amenity rich communities build on Kennedy Wilson’s significant multifamily presence in the Pacific Northwest that is currently approaching 13,000 market rate and affordable apartment units. “This transaction furthers our corporate goal of growing our investment management platform alongside great strategic partners while leveraging our long-term experience of investing in multifamily across the Pacific Northwest,” said William McMorrow, Chairman and CEO of Kennedy Wilson. “Building on our 30-year history in Japan, we are thrilled to close our first joint venture with Haseko, an organization that shares our investment values as well as our focus on institutiona...

By Mike Bonts, Editor ATLANTA -- Assurant, Inc. (NYSE: AIZ), a leading global business services company that supports, protects, and connects major consumer purchases, today announced the launch of Assurant® TechPro, the multifamily housing industry’s first tech support solution specifically designed to assist residents facing technical challenges with consumer electronic devices. “By introducing Assurant® TechPro, we're setting a new benchmark for innovation within the multifamily housing industry” "By introducing Assurant® TechPro, we're setting a new benchmark for innovation within the multifamily housing industry," stated Ryan Lumsden, President of Renters Solutions at Assurant. “As leaders in the multifamily housing industry, our role is not only to protect our property management company clients and end customers, but also push the industry forward and enhance the rental experience. This new offering underscores our dedication to driving innovation and creating ...

 By Mike Bonts, Editor WASHINGTON - Apartments.com – a CoStar Group online marketplace – released an in-depth report of multifamily rent trends for the first quarter of 2024. The U.S. multifamily market staged a strong rebound in demand during the first quarter of 2024, as 104,400 units were absorbed, the highest number since the third quarter of 2021. While the increase in demand was impressive, it was still overwhelmed by the 140,000 new units delivered in the last quarter.  This supply-demand imbalance increased the vacancy rate from an upwardly revised 7.7% at the end of December 2023 to 7.8% in March 2024, marking the tenth consecutive quarter in which supply outpaced demand. However, the ten-basis-point rise in vacancy is the smallest seen over the past ten quarters. The national average annual asking rent rose by 0.7% in March compared to 0.8% in the two prior months. Since mid-2023, annual rent growth has been hovering around 1% after rapid deceleration in 2021 and 202...

 By Mike Bonts ST. AUGUSTINE – They are fondly known as the Ramp Squad. “They have made quite an impact on our mission in the community. They take on projects without hesitation,” said Susan Giddens, St. Johns Housing Partnership (SJHP) Rehab and Community Projects Manager. “We can count on them to build 10-12 ramps a year.” Many of us take for granted the simplicity of entering and exiting our own homes as we please. This can be a daily obstacle for the elderly, disabled and Veterans who depend on wheelchairs for much of their mobility. The volunteers from the Brotherhood of St. Andrew of Trinity Episcopal Parish, the first Protestant Church in Florida, built their first ramp in October 1998. “They are our gold star volunteer group! Going on 25 years since Father Jeff Batkin first asked them to partner with SJHP,” noted SJHP Executive Director Bill Lazar. “Our program’s goal is to help any family with a need for a ramp that has exhausted all other resources to   cons...

ST. AUGUSTINE – Meet Claudia Marcus. She’s a fixer of sorts. After one and a half years volunteering with the St. Johns Council on Aging (COA), a partnership between COA and the St. Johns Housing Partnership (SJHP) has Marcus on the property at Southern Villas as Services Coordinator . But her work goes much deeper than that, benefiting residents at the affordable housing community in numerous ways. “It must be an open door. We have numerous scheduled activities and events, but the crux of my work is to help residents navigate a variety of issues ranging from technology to Medicaid, to transportation, to applying for food stamps or learning how to prevent scams,” Marcus said. By the way. She loves her job. “There is joy, comfort, and fun. Providing a resource is very satisfying. It’s like my home away from home. Buoyed by the fact that most of the residents really appreciate what we are trying to do,” she said. SJHP owns Southern Villas, a USDA subsidized multifamily prope...