Multi-Housing News - September 2009 - (Page 6)

readers respond New Urbanism ‘Kool Aid’ While my comments are a bit late, I can’t help but to respond to “A Transit Stop for All” (MHN, February 2009). As a multifamily developer in Louisville, Kentucky who was part of a team that successfully zoned a “traditional neighborhood” development, I would like to say that architect Andres Duany’s concept of returning “ to traditional town planning concepts” is utopian in theory but unrealistic in most land use situations. After spending more than a half million dollars in architectural fees for a community based on “new urbanism,” and subsequently finding ourselves in an economy in which lenders wouldn't touch the financing with a ten foot pole, we have returned to what has proven successful over the years… I drank the “New Urbanism” Kool-Aid years ago, but when hit in the face with reality, recovered and returned to “traditional” developer common sense. For now, I think I'll sit back and enjoy my apartment community's “… dopey landscaping and desiccated pool house” while drinking a glass of bourbon and laughing at not having gone broke developing a traditional neighborhood development. —Wendy Hagan, developer, Louisville, Ky. The Water War In reference to your blog (‘The Green Picture’ with Erika Schnitzer: Water—The New War?) one easy and costeffective way to save water is to install an on-demand water pump. After pushing a button that is installed on the side of the vanity, the water in the hot tap is diverted back into the cold water pipe and back to the water heater until the hot water actually reaches the tap. The pump has a temperature gauge so that when it senses hot water it turns off. Then when you turn on the faucet or shower, there is already hot water. No more pouring water down the drain waiting for it to get hot. How much does this cost? Between $200-$300 and a couple of hours of your time. —Katherine Austin, architect, Sebastopol, Calif. Water is a big issue, although I’m not sure I agree that it’s at the same level as our looming oil shortage…. At my firm, we design a lot of water catchment systems. This is one way to “conserve” water without really changing any habits. In most cases, the water harvested is used for irrigation, but we built a couple of systems where the homes are completely “off the grid” from a water standpoint. With our zHome project, we are using harvested rainwater for irrigation, toilet flushing and laundry. This is low-hanging fruit, as far as I’m concerned. —Mark Wierenga, Vandervort Architects, Seattle Time for an Energy Tax The problem I have with all of these proposals (‘The Green Picture’ with Erika Schnitzer: It’s Not Easy Being Green) is that they place a new burden on [multi-housing residents] who already live more efficiently. If the country is going to get serious about reducing energy consumption, there is just one easy answer: a broad-based energy tax. With an incentive to reduce their own energy costs, people will find the most costeffective way to do so. For many, this may simply mean giving up their energy-guzzling single-family or detached house and moving to a multi-unit building. Though multi-unit dwellings would also be incentivized by such a tax, at least the residents of such buildings would not be unfairly directed to achieve even greater levels of efficiency than they already achieve. —William K. Clark, Lisa Management Inc., New York MHN ONLINE Letters are edited for clarity and length. See full-length versions at www.multi-housingnews.com/letters Elevating property management to a new level of intensity Kaplan Management Company is now accepting fee management assignments 6363 Woodway Dr, Suite 300 Houston, TX 77057 (713) 977-5699 Contact Michael Kaplan or Geoff Simpson at Kaplan@KapCorp.com over 31 years of property management experience http://www.multi-housingnews.com/letters

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Multi-Housing News - September 2009

Multi-Housing News - September 2009
Contents
From the Editor
Letters to the Editor
Executive Insight: Jack Kern
Market Pulse
Conversation with Shaun Donovan
Property Management
Global Market Report
Development & Design: Low-Rise
Directory: Top Architects
Kitchen & Bath: Cabinets
Products: Leasing Tools
Technology: Lead Management
NMHC Notebook

Multi-Housing News - September 2009