Newly Launched Ballot Petition Demands Broader Solar-Energy Options

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Our state’s nickname, The Sunshine State, is more than just a bumper-sticker slogan: Florida has the best solar energy resource east of the Mississippi.

This potential, coupled with Florida’s size and growing population, means that we should be a national leader in affordable solar-energy generation. But we’re not.

Two of Florida’s big power companies have recently announced new large, utility-scale solar projects. However, the private investment market is clamoring to invest in solar in Florida, too. Florida’s distributed (roof top) solar market, which is funded by private investment dollars, is being artificially constrained by unnecessary barriers.

So far, Florida’s big monopoly utilities have been effective at controlling who generates power from the sun and what they can do with it. These barriers stifle innovation, constrain customer choice and prevent job creation, hurting my business and hundreds like it.

Kent Crook

Kent Crook

That why longtime solar advocate, CEO of Wiremaster’s Electric, an electrical-services company in Miami, and board member of the Florida Alliance for Renewable Energy, Kent Crook, supports a newly launched ballot petition to expand solar choice by allowing customers the option to power their homes or businesses with solar power and choose who provides it to them. This petition is not a mandate, and it won’t raise taxes. It simply removes barriers in order to expand the choices for Floridians who want to power their homes and businesses with clean, renewable solar power.

Solar choice would enable customers to contract with solar providers who can offer innovative financing plans to provide solar power systems at no upfront cost — much as we already purchase and finance homes or cars. Landlords likewise will have the opportunity to provide the economic benefits of solar power to tenants. And this ballot would also permit solar providers to sell power directly to the customer at a long-term fixed rate. Fixed rates lock in long-term savings and offer more control over our energy future. In addition, recent studies have shown that solar-energy systems increase homes’ resale value.

These benefits are great news for middle- and lower-income customers who may have been locked out of the solar market because they did not have the upfront cash to invest in a solar system. Clean, nonpolluting energy sources like solar can also reduce traditional energy’s health impacts, which disproportionately affect low-income and minority communities in our state and around the country. Thus we are able to leave cleaner air and water for future generations to enjoy.

Despite protests from the big power companies, solar energy does not raise electricity rates, and because the fuel source — the sun — is free, it will help customers control electricity rates. Monopoly power companies like Florida Power & Light make their money by building new power plants. They earn a guaranteed rate of return, which is then passed on as profits to its shareholders. The company doesn’t seem to consider its low-income customers when gutting customer energy-efficiency opportunities or building costly new power plants.

Monopoly utilities are understandably scared of losing their monopoly and the lucrative profits that the government guarantees them. When homeowners and businesses are able to generate their own power, it means less profit for power companies.

 By allowing the private market to invest in solar, investment risk is shifted away from the monopoly utilities’ customers to the private market, saving customers money and reducing the need to build new expensive power generating facilities.

It’s called the free market, and competition will benefit us all. More solar energy customers means businesses will hire and train more solar installers and electricians — resulting in more well-paid, local jobs that cannot be outsourced.

A recent poll found that 74 percent of state voters support a proposal to change the law and allow Floridians to contract directly with solar providers to power their homes or businesses with solar energy. Residents of the Sunshine State clearly support solar power, but they are currently being denied the right to choose it as their power source.

Floridians for Solar Choice is bringing the issue directly to the people. Sign the petition at www.FLsolarchoice.org.

 

Source: Miami Herald

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Nine Thousand Residential Units Planned For Doral

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With all the condo development going on east of I-95 in Miami-Dade County, what is happening in Doral?

Doral, a city of 50,200 residents, which was incorporated in 2003, is one of the strongest economic engines — and base for employers — in Miami-Dade County. This suburban city, located on reclaimed swampland located west of Miami International Airport, is known internationally for being home to numerous multinational operations, federal offices, a major golf tournament and most recently, the Miss Universe pageant.

Doral also has a reputation for offering reasonably priced housing options in Miami-Dade, aimed at primary users who are looking to live in a suburban setting near their jobs, in hopes of avoiding the area’s heavy traffic congestion.

In response to the projected demand for nearby housing, more than 9,000 new residential units — with 3,000 units currently under construction — have already been approved for this suburb, according to the city of Doral’s website. Currently, nearly 250 condo units are on the resale market in Doral at an average asking price of $214 per square foot as of Thursday, according to the Southeast Florida MLXchange.

In 2014, buyers purchased more than 320 condos at an average transaction price of $171 per square foot. A year earlier in 2013, buyers acquired more than 400 condos at an average asking price of $153 per square foot, according to the data.

Based on the 2014 sales pace of about 27 condo resales monthly, Doral currently has about 9.3 months of supply available for purchase. A balanced market is thought to have about six months of supply. More months of supply indicates a buyer’s market, and less months suggests a seller’s market.

The Doral market has an additional 191 townhouses available for purchase, at an average asking price of about $207 per square foot. Buyers purchased more than 235 townhouses, at an average price of $175 per square foot in 2014, compared to 285 townhouses at an average price of $161 per square foot in 2013. Currently, Doral has about 9.6 months of supply of townhouses available for purchase, based on the 2014 resale activity.

On the rental front, nearly 290 properties are currently available for lease at a median asking price of $1.43 per square foot monthly. Tenants leased more than 1,820 properties, at a median price of $1.36 per square foot monthly in 2014, compared to less than 1,500 properties at a median price of $1.32 per square foot in 2013. Doral currently has about 1.9 months of rental properties available for lease based on the 2014 leasing activity.

The unanswered question going forward is whether Doral has enough primary users to fill up all of the existing and new residential units that are currently available and planned for this suburban economic powerhouse.

 

Source: The Real Deal

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When A ‘Green’ Building Isn’t Really Green: It’s More Common Than You Think

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When Scott Hardin found a home four years ago for his real estate appraisal firm, The Appraiser Guy, at Woburn’s Trade Center 128, he was pleased to settle into the “green” building.

Besides the convenient location on Route 128, the building was equipped with solar panels, low-flow toilets, and even bathroom towel dispensers that use smaller sheets of paper. The building’s advertised LEED credentials played a big part in Hardin’s decision to rent there. The LEED award – Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design – is the building industry standard for environmental and energy efficiency used worldwide and issued by the non-profit U.S. Green Building Council.

A bronze wall plaque in the lobby of the half-million-square-foot Trade Center, owned by Cummings Properties, features a USGBC logo. Posters displayed in hallways highlight the building’s green features with a logo touting “LEED Gold pre-certified,” using the USGBC name. But the office complex is not, in fact, certified for any LEED award by the non-profit group.

“It’s not?” asked Hardin, when told by a reporter who had checked the USGBC registry. “I just thought the building was.”

While Cummings uses the LEED branding in promotional material and registered the building to become certified for the award, the company decided not to continue what it considered an onerous process merely to obtain “a piece of paper,” said Dennis Clarke, the company’s president. Company officials maintain that the building was built as “green” as if it were certified by the USGBC.

LEED administrators are concerned about “a small group of developers or project owners who may take advantage of the LEED name” by using their simple registration of intention to build green as an actual LEED award, said Marisa Long, the USGBC spokeswoman. They may use it in their advertising, while never following through to get certified.

GreenLeedHowACommercialBuildingIsCertifiedGreenIn the world of building green, there may be no bigger influence than the US Green Building Council and its LEED certification, which can assure higher rents and sale prices for commercial buildings. But the New England Center for Investigative Reporting has found that limited USGBC oversight allows developers to misappropriate the LEED brand. Some use misleading advertising that can deceive renters or buyers by exaggerating a project’s LEED certification status – or by obscuring the lack of one.

“There’s a lot of gamesmanship and strategy promoting buildings as LEED-certified,” said Norm Miller, a professor of real estate at the University of San Diego. Miller helped produce a 2011 study in 14 American cities that found that buildings advertising LEED certification bring an average of 7 percent higher rents than ones without the designation. In Boston, where large-scale projects are legally required to meet LEED standards, the researchers found LEED-certified buildings command nearly double the rent of those without it.

A LEED award only goes to projects that have completed a rigorous certification process, said Long: “The only way to measure a building’s sustainability – energy efficiency, environmental features – is through certification. There’s no other way to do it. If a project is not certified to LEED standards, it’s not verified by USGBC that it’s a green building.” But, Long added, the policing of the standards – and public misunderstanding of them – is not something the council can fully control. “It’s like any trademark or any copyright – we can’t control everyone who is using our name. We can only address it when it’s brought to our attention.”

In an informal review of Boston-area developers, NECIR found eight projects – including Trade Center 128, the current home of Middlesex Superior Court – that have used the LEED brand to advertise their green features without LEED certification.

Some building owners inflate the fact that they are “LEED registered,” and some say they are “pre-certified” – but that simply means a builder has submitted green construction plans for preliminary review. Neither is an award, said USGBC officials, and one even called these designations “pretty minor.” “A lot of buildings have filed papers to become a LEED project, but that doesn’t mean they’ve completed the LEED certification process,” said John Scofield, an Oberlin College professor who has studied the energy efficiency of LEED-certified buildings and is a critic of the USGBC system. “It’s a huge difference.”

For example, in Northampton, PeoplesBank advertised the green attributes of a LEED “registered” branch for at least a year; but it did receive certification for the LEED gold award Jan. 26.

The Nantucket Dreamland theater’s website touted conflicting claims about its renovation – one that it had earned a LEED silver certification, the other that it was in the process of becoming LEED certified. When NECIR reached them by phone Feb. 3, the executive director Melissa Murphy said the certification claim was an error and she removed it.

In Braintree, the Campanelli construction company advertises three Massachusetts projects with the LEED branding, even though none is certified by the Green Building Council. “Even if you don’t have the formality of [LEED], the building is still sustainable,” said Danielle Simbliaris, the Campanelli marketing manager.

Campanelli advertises the 400 Uplands Woods Corporate Center in Norwood as LEED “registered” – but it was never built and has been replaced by an apartment building that broke ground in November. The company stretches LEED branding in wording that says its 2 Pond Park Medical office in Hingham “could have” achieved a LEED award. And it also highlights the LEED “pre-certification” of the Presidential Woods Corporate Center project in Woburn, says Simbliaris, which will not likely be built.

“There is nothing that is said here that is incorrect,” said Simbliaris. “It’s the truth, whether [the customers] understand that or not.” And that’s what LEED administrators are concerned about – as in the case of The Appraiser Guy, Hardin, who did not understand his building’s LEED status. “[W]e don’t want to dilute the LEED brand by having projects that haven’t gone through that rigorous third-party verification to be promoting it as a LEED building,” said Long.

LEEDing The Way To Green

LEED is in demand. A 2014 Turner Construction study of 300 executives found that 62 percent said it was “extremely or very likely” they’d seek LEED certification for constructing green projects, up from 48 percent in 2012.

McGraw Hill Construction reported that between 2005 and 2011 (the latest data available) the green building business grew from $10 billion worldwide to about $78 billion. And according to the latest tax records available, USGBC earned revenues of more than $74 million in 2013 – up nearly 40 percent – from $53.6 million in 2012. LEED certifications are issued by the Green Building Certification Institute, a sister organization of the USGBC, which also issues professional accreditation to about 190,000 members who do reviews of LEED award applicants.

“People who are in the US Green Building Council and people who get LEED certifications are looking for a financial edge. This is a very big money operation,” said John Scofield, an Oberlin College professor who has studied the energy efficiency of LEED-certified buildings and is a critic of the USGBC system.

Across the U.S., more than 140 federally owned or leased office spaces are LEED-certified, according to the Government Services Administration. Since 2007, Massachusetts has required LEED certification for state-owned building projects larger than 20,000 square feet. And Boston and Cambridge require some developers to ensure their projects meet LEED standards; while a handful of towns in the state encourage building to LEED standards.

In Massachusetts, there are more than 680 certified commercial properties, including hospitals and schools, according to the USGBC. (Among them is WGBH headquarters in Brighton, which hosts some offices of the New England Center for Investigative Reporting.)

Other local LEED-certified projects include UMass Memorial Medical Center’s Lincoln Street ophthalmology facility in Worcester, as well as the U.S. federal courthouse and the White Street fire station in Springfield. Worcester State University’s administration building, Worcester Polytechnic Institute’s recreation center, and Clark University’s Blackstone Hall all have LEED certifications. Local retailers also operate LEED-certified spaces, including a Stop & Shop in Springfield and a Shaw’s in Worcester.

LEED certification is a point-based system – scores increase with each feature, such as making use of sustainable materials, implementing energy and water efficiency, and taking advantage of mass transit. “What a sophisticated consumer or potential tenant needs to ask, [is], ‘What kind of certification, and what level?’” said Miller, the University of San Diego professor.

Deciding what makes a building “green” is judged by a growing number of private and governmental groups. But few have the influence of the non-profit USGBC LEED program, which has certified more than 25,000 new construction and retrofit commercial projects and government offices globally with its LEED award. “Getting LEED certification is a very long, drawn-out process that requires a lot of time and documentation with the USGBC,” said Scott Weiss, managing director of commercial development at the Burlington-based Gutierrez Company. His company’s office building at 5 Wall Street in Burlington was LEED certified in 2009.

Meaningless Logos

In the case of the Woburn Trade Center, with about 150 tenants, Clarke, the Cummings Properties president, downplayed the significance of the LEED award. After his company obtained pre-certification for the Trade Center, he said, it decided that obtaining a LEED award wasn’t worth the time.

But Trade Center advertising suggests there is value in LEED branding – it liberally uses USGBC logos on its lobby plaque and on posters around the building. Management removed custom-made USGBC logos from its website after NECIR asked questions about them. Told of the logos used by the Trade Center – which is, indeed, pre-certified by the Council – the USGBC’s Long, said an official logo for pre-certification “doesn’t exist.”

In Newton, Elaine Construction Company’s president, Lisa Wexler, removed a USGBC membership logo from her company’s website after being asked about it by an NECIR reporter last summer. The membership, which offers reduced rates on building reviews, had expired in December 2008. Wexler said its continued use was an oversight.

The Elaine website highlights the firm’s LEED experience, including eight projects it says are LEED-certified. Six are listed as certified in the USGBC database. One, Boston Coach, in Everett, is not in the council public database at all. And Elaine’s renovation of the Presentation School Foundation in Boston – touted on its website as “LEED gold,” with “pending” added after NECIR queries on Feb. 3 – is not certified, according to the database and a former board member of the school who maintains the building at Oak Square, Michael Green. But Green expects certification by March, and said the foundation needed three years to raise the $12,000 to $15,000 to pay for the certification process. USGBC would not confirm that certification is pending.

Elaine also advertises six projects that it claims haven’t sought LEED but meet its standards. The company advertises that its own office space has “the rigorous standards of LEED Gold certification,” without claiming actual certification.

It Pays To Check Your ‘Green’ Status

The USGBC’s public database is not always an accurate picture of LEED certification in Massachusetts. Abandoned projects, such as IKEA’s aborted Somerville store proposal, remain listed as “in progress” for certification. And some LEED-certified projects aren’t listed, such as Staples’ Roslindale store, which received a LEED certification in 2009.

The USGBC typically relies on project managers to provide updated data on any project registered in the LEED system, said Long. Another USGBC official said that the council has three employees and some “informal data stewards” who follow up on reports of misuse of the LEED brand. Long, who could not confirm that, did say that the organization can only investigate misuse when informed of it and would have “no reason” to track all registered projects until they’re ready to begin the certification process.

In the case of the Gutierrez Company’s office building at 5 Wall St. in Burlington, the USGBC repeatedly told a NECIR reporter that the project was never certified, even though the USBGC’s own press release said it was certified in 2009. Upon further NECIR questions, USGBC discovered that Gutierrez did achieve a LEED gold certification, but the company had not clicked an online form that would trigger notice of certification.

Gutierrez’s Weiss said he was not aware of the error until a reporter raised the issue. “We’re not typically looking up our own buildings online to see if they’re there or not,” Weiss said. “Perhaps in the future we should do that.”

 

Source: WGBH News

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Miami Market Enjoys Strong Q4, Condo Prices Up 18.5 Percent In 2014

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According to the Miami Association of Realtors, the Miami real estate market continued to perform robustly in the fourth quarter of 2014 due to increasing demand from both domestic and international buyers.

Median and Average Sales Prices Continue to Rise

The median sales price for single-family homes in Miami-Dade County increased to $246,140 in the fourth quarter, a 4.7 percent jump compared to the same period last year. The median sale price for condominiums increased 8.6 percent to $190,000 in the fourth quarter compared to a year earlier. Miami-Dade County has now seen 12 consecutive quarters of growth for both single-family homes and condominiums.

“We expect Miami home prices to continue to increase in 2015 but at a more moderate rate,” said Christopher Zoller, a 27-year Miami-based realtor and the 2015 Residential President of the Miami Association of Realtors. “Limited supply and strong demand for single-family homes is still reflective of a seller’s market. There is also strong demand for both new construction and existing condominiums, so we will continue to see price growth for residential properties in Miami-Dade.”

Nationally, the median sales price of existing single-family homes was $208,700 in the fourth quarter, up 6.0 percent from the fourth quarter of 2013, according to the National Association of Realtors.  The national median sales price for condominiums was $203,300, a 3.3 percent increase over the previous year.

The statewide median sales price for single-family existing homes in the fourth quarter was $180,000, up 5.9 percent from the same quarter a year ago, according to the latest housing data released by Florida Realtors. The median sales price for condominiums in Florida was up 7.9 percent compared to the same quarter last year at $143,000.

Compared to the fourth quarter of 2013, the average sales prices for condominiums in Miami-Dade County increased 18.5 percent to $375,269. The average sales price for single-family homes decreased 2 percent to $394,095.

Sales Continue to Rise for Single-Family Homes

Sales of single-family homes, which set an all-time record for all of 2014, increased 7.7 percent to 3,426, while condominiums decreased 3.3 percent to 3,981 compared with the same period in 2013.

There were 7,407 homes and condos sold in Miami-Dade County during the fourth quarter of 2014, an increase of 1.5 percent compared to the fourth quarter of 2013.

“Much of the increase in single-family home sales activity is due to consumer confidence,” said Carlos Gutierrez, the principal Realtor of Gutierrez Group Miami Real Estate and the 2015 president-elect of Miami Association of Realtors. “Many buyers who were staying on the sidelines are now buying. Huge gains in job growth and more solid economic indicators are resulting in more consumers returning to the housing market.”

Nationally, total existing-home sales, including single family and condo, declined 1.0 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 5.07 million in the fourth quarter from 5.12 million in the third quarter, but are 2.6 percent higher than the 4.94 million pace during the fourth quarter 2013.

Statewide closed sales of existing single-family homes totaled 62,080 in the fourth quarter 2014, up 14.9 percent over the fourth quarter 2013 figure. Statewide closed sales totaled 26,070 during the fourth quarter 2014, up 4.8 percent compared to the same period last year.

Residential Inventory Moving Rapidly Despite More New Listings

Home and condominium listings also increased in the fourth quarter of 2014. There were 5,716 new single-family home listings during the fourth quarter, a growth of 3 percent relative to the same period last year. New condominium listings increased by 4.2 percent from 7,585 in the fourth quarter of 2013 to 7,907 in the fourth quarter of 2014.

Fourth quarter active listings in Miami-Dade County totaled 17,695, representing an increase of 10.8 percent.

At the current sales pace, the number of active listings represents 5.6 months of inventory for single-family homes and 8.4 for condominiums. Compared to the fourth quarter of 2013, the months’ supply of inventory for condominiums increased 19.7 percent. The inventory for single-family homes decreased 0.2 percent compared to the same period from last year. A balanced market between buyers and sellers offers between six and nine months of supply inventory.

The median days on the market of single-family home listings during the fourth quarter was 45 days compared to 40 days during the same period last year, an increase of 12.5 percent. Similarly, the median days on the market for condominium listings were 58 days compared to 47 last year, an increase of 23.4 percent.

Percentage of Cash Sales Declines

In the fourth quarter of 2014, 55 percent of closed sales were all cash compared to 60 percent a year ago. All cash sales were 41.4 percent of single-family home closings and 66.9 percent of all condominium sales. Since nearly 90 percent of foreign buyers pay cash, this reflects Miami’s top position as a prime market for foreign buyers. Miami has a significant percentage of international buyers, generating more than double the cash transactions than the national average.

December 2014 New Construction Market Update

Strong sales in the coastal new construction condominium Miami market (east of I-95) continue to reflect significant demand for new properties, according to the latest New Construction Market Status Report released today by Cranespotters.com and the Miami Association of Realtors.

As of December 29, there were nine (9) towers with 981 units that had been completed through 2014 in Miami-Dade County east of I-95, 66 towers with 9,598 units under construction, and 73 towers with 10,554 units that are planned but have not begun development.  There are also 54 towers with 7,905 units that have been announced but not approved.

Overall in Miami-Dade County, developers had announced 202 towers with 29,038 units since 2011 through December 29.

 

Source: World Property Journal

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US Green Multi-Residential Buildings To Receive Lower Interest Rate Loans

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The US Federal National Mortgage Association has announced it will provide lower interest rate loans to green multi-residential buildings.

Rick Fedrizzi, chief executive and founding chair of the US Green Building Council, commented:

“This is a great demonstration of leadership from Fannie Mae, and the partnership between the multifamily finance industry and the green building industry…This is real money and an incentive to not only build green but also for existing buildings to achieve certification. For the first time, Fannie Mae multifamily lenders will be able to reward building owners for their better buildings.”

Jeffery Hayward, executive vice president for multifamily at Fannie Mae said the organization was leading the way in financing through its low interest rate offering:

“We clearly see the value in the triple-bottom line of certified green buildings: financial benefits of lower operating costs for owners and tenants; social benefits of better quality housing for renters; and environmental benefits for everyone.”

All loans financed under the lower interest rate will be securitised as green mortgage-backed securities, growing the total volume of green bonds in the market. Fannie Mae provided $28.9 billion in financing to the multifamily market in 2014, working with lenders to finance 446,000 multifamily housing units.

 

Source Intelligent Building Today

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Miami River Spilling Over With New Development

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Edge, Sushi Samba, River Oyster Bar and Fox Hole Marketplace and Deli —  are just some of the planned new eateries banking on the Miami River.

 New restaurants, retail and increased public access along the Miami River were among the highlights of a development boat tour of the five-mile-long waterfront district on Thursday.

Renderings of River Landing Project

Renderings of River Landing Project

Developers and real estate professionals toured the river as part of an Urban Land Institute and NAIOP partnership. Brett Bibeau, managing director of the Miami River Commission, said that popular restaurants Seaspice (formerly Sea Salt and Pepper), Garcia’s Seafood and Casablanca have brought business to the area.

Among the restaurants awaiting permits or under construction are Sushi Samba, at 40 Southwest North River Drive; Edge at 39 to 55 Southwest Miami Avenue Road; a new location for the River Oyster Bar at 350 Flagler Street, and Fox Hole Marketplace and Deli at Latitude on the River, 615 Southwest Second Avenue.

River Landing rendering and Andrew Hellinger

River Landing rendering and Andrew Hellinger

The Miami River has increasingly drawn interest from developers who are embracing the river lifestyle. “It’s a place that people don’t have to see as up and coming. It exists,” said Andy Hellinger, developer of the River Landing project, a massive nine-acre development that will include apartments, retail and a linear park along the riverwalk.

River Landing’s retail component will include a five-story vertical shopping center, with a different theme for each floor. Among them: restaurants and supermarkets, sporting goods and entertainment. Two acres of the project are dedicated to parks and pathways. Hellinger compared the linear park, with a 50-foot setback, to the Highline in New York.

River Landing recently applied for a seawall permit, and digging for the foundation will be complete in a few weeks, Hellinger told The Real Deal.

Cleaning up the water and building the riverwalk are both key to the area’s success. Bibeau said his organization, the Miami River Commission, sends clean-up crews to pick up trash, pressure clean and paint over graffiti. “If the riverwalk is not maintained,” Bibeau said, “it will not live up to its potential.”

 

Source: The Real Deal

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Miami Among Top U.S. Cities For Green Commercial Buildings

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Many Miami real estate investors are doing their part to ward off global warming and save energy as the city ranked high for green commercial real estate.

A new study by CBRE Group and Maastrict University ranked Miami ninth in the nation, with 19.4 percent of its commercial real estate certified as green. There are 79 buildings totaling 21 million square feet of office space with either U.S. Green Building Council LEED certification or Energy Star labels.

Given that South Florida would be among the first places in the nation to be swamped by sea level rise, that’s a helpful move.

“Miami was slow to embrace green building standards relative to cities like San Francisco and Manhattan, but has caught up quickly thanks in part to good public policy and buy-in from owners and investors who realize there is growing demand from tenants for more sustainable, energy efficient space,” said Patricia Nooney, LEED AP, who leads investor services for CBRE Florida, in a news release.

In fact, Miami’s municipal code requires all new private development over 50,000 square feet to achieve LEED Silver certification.

The study rated Minneapolis as the greenest city for commercial real estate, with 77 percent of buildings certified as green.

Since 2005, the number of LEED certified buildings has increased more than 1,000 percent nationwide.

Florida homeowners are also going green. A recent study by the USGCB ranked Florida seventh for the most LEED-certified homes, with 1,860. California was first, with 9,186.

 

Source: SFBJ

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‘Floating’ Parking Garage, 352 Residential Units, Proposed Above Historic Biscayne Boulevard Church

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Architect ADD Inc has prepared a creative plan to preserve the historic church at 1836 Biscayne Boulevard, while adding 352 residential units and a parking garage.

1836 Biscayne Boulevard - 2Under a proposal scheduled to be reviewed by Miami’s Historic and Environmental Preservation Board, the church would be restored and retrofitted to become hurricane-resistant. Instead of a place of worship, a grocer would occupy the space.

A 34-story residential tower would be built next to the church. ‘Floating’ above the former church would be a parking garage. In total, up to 480 parking spaces are planned.

Developer Fifteen Group paid $14.25 million for the property last year. R.J. Heisenbottle Architects is working alongside ADD Inc for the developer as a historic preservation consultant.

The church is directly across the street from Atlas Capital Group’s newly proposed 429-unit residential tower at 1900 Biscayne.

 

Source: The Next Miami

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