Construction Maison

Volvo’s surprise announcement that it will phase out the internal combustion engine by 2019 should be a wake-up call across industries that disruptive technology is already impacting short- term business planning . Anticipating how the economy and human behavior will be reshaped in the years ahead is an important exercise that should inform business leaders’ decisions and help position their businesses to more readily adapt to the future.        Commercial real estate is not disconnected from the challenges and opportunities posed by technology. Quite the opposite; it will be at the epicenter as outside forces impact how people live, commute, work and interact. As commercial real estate leaders , we should be mindful of how the developments we’re building now will be used in 10 or 15 years, when today’s emerging technology has become tomorrow’s ubiquitous convenience. Here are four technologies and trends that could shape commercial real estate in the not-too-distant future. Autonom...

TOLLING THE TYCOONS — Albanese calls for 'politically popular' pied-à-terre tax, by POLITICO New York’s Conor Skelding : Foreign "oligarchs" who own real estate in New York but don't live in the city should have to pay two or three times what they pay now in property taxes, Democratic mayoral candidate Sal Albanese said Wednesday. The "politically popular" new tax's revenue, which Albanese said would amount to billions, could then be put toward the development of affordable housing . "Look, there's a lot of money across the world that people want to outsource," he said during a news conference outside the gates of City Hall. "There's a lot of money there, and we can use that to build real affordable housing ." Mayor Bill de Blasio promised years ago to "take a look" at a pied-à-terre tax, but the proposal is opposed by many of the city's real estate interests . "They own Bill de Blasio , big real estat...

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- A Lyndhurst hotel and a pair of projects that will bring nearly 500 apartments to Cleveland won financing support Tuesday from the Cleveland- Cuyahoga County Port Authority . The port's board signed off on nearly $200 million in real estate- related bond transactions , setting the stage for construction to start within months on a trio of projects. The agency acts as a conduit for development financing, issuing bonds and helping to structure deals that involve longer terms , lower interest rates or cheaper construction materials than a borrower might find in the private market. Tuesday's headline deals were: A  Hyatt Place hotel and a 355- space parking garage at the Legacy Village shopping center in Lyndhurst. Developer Mitchell Schneider hopes to start construction in May and to complete the $33 million project by June 2016, in hopes of grabbing hotel- room demand generated by the Republican National Convention in July. The 135-room hotel and gara...

SAN FRANCISCO — A forum Thursday on the Bay Area’s egregious housing situation — the high prices, the scarcity of new construction — brought together academics, developers, real estate agents , government officials and housing advocates, all in the name of seeking creative solutions to the crisis. It was both a cry for help and a call to action. “They have their crazies. We need our crazies,” said panelist Laura Foote Clarke , executive director of YIMBY Action, which advocates for housing growth. Yes, that’s YIMBY, as in “Yes In My Backyard,” and the “they” she referred to was the other side — the many and often well-organized “Not In My Backyard” NIMBY opponents of housing development and densification in neighborhoods around the region. For more Bay Area housing affordability , home sales and other real estate news follow us on Flipboard. Held at LinkedIn San Francisco in front of an engaged audience of about 175 people, the forum was titled “California Housing Crisis : Examinin...

NEW YORK, NY -  Centerline Capital Group (“Centerline”), a provider of real estate financial and asset management services for affordable and conventional multifamily housing , and a subsidiary of Centerline Holding Company (OTC: CLNH), announced today it has provided an $11. 4 MM Fannie Mae DUS Choice refinancing for the Woodchase Apartments in St. Louis, Missouri. Woodchase Apartments is a garden style multifamily facility that was built in 1984 and comprises 17 two- and three- story residential buildings , and one single-story office/clubhouse.  The property consists of a total of 186 units, and the unit mix is made up of 92 one-bedroom and 48 two- bedroom apartments , and 18 one-bedroom and 28 two- bedroom townhome units .  The loan is a 10- year fixed rate facility with a 30- year amortization period . The portfolio was refinanced to secure a new low interest rate . Centerline is one of the nation’s leading Mortgage Banking institutions in the multif...

It was the type of celebration that’s become commonplace in the Seaport District . Investors, developers, and other real estate types mingled earlier this summer at a groundbreaking ceremony for Echelon Seaport — $900 million worth of luxury condos and apartments set to rise from a parking lot on Seaport Boulevard. Advertisement Under a big white tent , guests sipped cocktails and listened as Governor Charlie Baker and Boston Mayor Martin J. Walsh touted the glassy, gleaming business district sprouting around them.Away from the festivities, Alex Shing of Los Angeles- based Cottonwood Management — the project’s developer — spoke about the strong interest from investors all over the globe who wanted to buy into Boston’s booming Seaport. Get Talking Points in your inbox: An afternoon recap of the day’s most important business news , delivered weekdays. “This is probably the most valuable piece of dirt in the world,” Shing said. Yet to help finance the project, Cottonwood and its...

We offer our predictions on communities that will rank among the city's most desirable in 2026. Plus a look at developers who are working to make those visions a reality. February 18, 2016 (page 7 of 7) 8 developers with insight who are rethinking our urban neighborhoods   BY DEBRA SMIT G reat neighborhoods — with ample green space , commerce and good housing stock — empower their residents to grow and prosper. Developers are key when it comes to weaving together the physical threads of a community, particularly in urban neighborhoods frayed by years of blight and decay. These are among the developers who are working to revitalize some of the city’s most challenged neighborhoods, striving to be restorers of streets in which to dwell. All have one eye, certainly, on the bottom line. Still, they are well aware of expectations that they give measured consideration to quality of life in the neighborhoods in which they build.   Wi...