Quality Building Award

After the posting on this blog several months ago about the builder who tried to sell a condominium unit without plumbing fixtures and appliances, and after this KSL story about Ivory Homes' installation of a fence around a yard without including a gate, I'm thinking I should start giving out "Quality Building Awards."

The first recipient is Ivory Homes, who responded to the woman's complaint by blaming her and her Realtor for the omission of a gate. According to their spokesperson Nate Parker:

"Paula had a Realtor acting as the buyer's agent for the transaction. The buyer's agent has the fiduciary responsibility to review paperwork to ensure that it represents the buyers' wishes."

I've reviewed Ivory Homes' standard paperwork and am quite certain that if anyone read it and understood it, they'd realize that it wouldn't represent any intelligent buyer's wishes. Of course that's only my opinion.

General Growth (Or the Lack Thereof)

Saturday's online Salt Lake Tribune included a reprint of an article from the Wall Street Journal from several weeks ago, regarding the developer [?] of the site that used to be the Cottonwood Mall. It appears that the developer will be giving us more progress in the form of another vacant lot. Perhaps that's better than a vacant mall.

Yet another condominium project being put on hold for a while.

Not exactly cutting edge, but since the Tribune's running this old story, and because I missed it, you may have as well.

The Collapse of Communism?

A community in Eagle Mountain is suffering from the business failure of Sundance Homes; according to KSL, the developer abandoned the partially-completed community, leaving the association in a mess.

KSL reported on the story yesterday; the story was not very informative, but the comments certainly were. I learned, for example that community associations are communist.

By this morning, for whatever reason, most of the communism references were gone. (A communist plot? KSL protecting its readership?) Anyway, the comment page still has some rather amusing and enlightening comments.

Bargaining for Eden

A good friend who is also a phenomenal photographer and writer, Stephen Trimble, is releasing his latest book next week. This book will be of interest to many readers of this blog; it deals with the conflict between the development and preservation of beautiful open spaces. It explores the expansion of Snowbasin ski resort by Earl Holding, one of the richest men in America, and Stephen's simultaneous development of his own smaller parcel of Eden, near Torrey, Utah.

As Stephen puts it:

As a lifelong environmentalist, I still hold my beliefs fiercely. But in telling Earl’s story and in confronting my new identity as a property owner, I’ve found cracks in the armor of my assumptions. I have been startled. I have been horrified.

On some levels, I am Earl—we all are Earl.

A celebratory event in connection with the book release will be held at the Main Branch of the Salt Lake City Library on July 10, at 7:00 p.m. More information on the book can be found at this page.

Holding Their Breath While Holding the Bag.

Lenders who financed major condominium projects while the economy was stronger, and prior to the current mortgage crisis, are now reaching the point where their purchasers need to decide whether to complete their purchases, or walk from their (often significant) down payments.

The New York Times reports that one lender, Corus Bankshares, has 92 percent of its developers' accounts receivables in condominiums. The condominium construction boom is peaking this year, with completed condominiums up 45 percent from 2006. Meanwhile, sales have fallen 12 percent. In the last three months, sales in Vegas are down 46 percent.

Right now, I think I'd prefer to have my money on a table than on a down payment.

Here's a link to the article.

Landslides in LaJolla, California

The New York Times is featuring the dramatic photo above, taken in LaJolla California earlier today. The photo and the accompanying New York Times article are a reminder of the need for developers and homeowners to be mindful of the risks associated with hillside development. Sliding slopes are, after all, the issue that led to the Yazd v. Woodside Homes litigation.

NIMBY in Holladay

It appears that certain residents of Holladay Utah are concerned that the renovation of the Cottonwood Mall will cause some disruption, and perhaps the loss of a buffer zone that they have had from the mall.

The Salt Lake Tribune reports that neighbors of the mixed-use development, planned for the 68 acres which currently contain the Cottonwood Mall, are afraid they will lose a historical buffer zone. Both sides purport to be working towards a deal, but it looks like this might just turn into a nasty legal dispute.

The article can be found here.

So, What is a View Worth, Anyway?

The New York Times has another interesting article on the values placed by New Yorkers on their views. It will be interesting to see the values and marketing of the City Creek and other high rise condominiums that are on their way to downtown Salt Lake City.

Value of a View

The Salt Lake Tribune's Coverage on Energy Saving Condominiums

Condos take energy savings to new level
By Paul Beebe
The Salt Lake Tribune
Article Last Updated: 08/30/2007 11:44:01 PM MDT


Condominiums, which stand in what was once a patch of ground where three drug houses once cast a pall of fear over a West Temple neighborhood has been brought back to life by a Salt Lake City company that builds super-efficient dwellings.
Earlier this week, the Blue Conservancy took the wraps off of the Rowhaus Condominiums - two buildings containing 24 condominiums that look like East Coast row houses but take energy efficiency to new heights.
"We're trying to provide comfortable living spaces that have a long life span and utilize energy-efficient design and building techniques," Mark Wisniewski, principal officer of the conservancy and a freelance anesthesiologist, said earlier this week.
The condos at 1130 S. West Temple St. are separated by foot-thick insulated concrete partition walls that virtually stop sounds from traveling between units. The same material was used recently to construct sound-proof walls at movie theaters in West Jordan and Ogden, Wisniewski said.
Floors withstand ground temperature fluctuations, cutting heating costs. White membranes covering the roofs reflect summer solar energy away from the building. Gas-heat and air-conditioning units are mounted on the roof to minimize interior noise.
Each unit is priced around $300,000, which buys 2,000 square feet of living space - there is virtually no wasted area in the building, Wisniewski said. Each condo also comes with a 500-square-foot garage and a yard with sprinklers for gardens or xeriscaping.
Perhaps best of all, pets are allowed.
The neighborhood around 1100 South and West Temple used to be a high-crime area. That began to change 15 months ago after the drug houses were burned down by the Salt Lake Fire Department and construction began on the Rowhaus project. Over time, as some of the condos were sold, children returned to a park across the street that police say was notorious for drug-related crime.
"The Rowhaus project not only turned a former crime scene into a much-needed training experience, but also served as a catalyst in turning the neighborhood around," Salt Lake Police Chief Chris Burbank said.
"Where we used to get four or five calls per day to investigate criminal activity at the park, we now see a true community gathering place where people can walk safely," the chief said.
The conservancy has constructed 12 energy-efficient houses in Virginia, Montana and Salt Lake over the past decade. The Rowhaus project is the group's biggest effort, Wisniewski said.
So far, nine condos have been sold. Buyers include a University of Utah professor, a retired couple, a young family with one child, and two professional couples without children.
"They appeal to a wide range of people," Wisniewski said.
Another two units are for sale, and the rest will come onto the market at a rate of about two a month. Babs DeLay, owner of Urban Utah Homes and Estates, is the agent.
"There are certainly other projects that utilize sustainable design elements. But Rowhaus is an outstanding project in terms of energy-efficient design and efficient use of electricity and other resources," said Patrick Thronson, a spokesman for Salt Lake Mayor Rocky Anderson.
pbeebe@sltrib.com

KSL Reports....

Local Neighborhood Cleans Up and Goes Green
August 28th, 2007 @ 6:20pm
Jed Boal Reporting

A new condo development in Salt Lake City is serving as a unique catalyst to help revitalize a neighborhood. These "green" townhomes help solve several community troubles.

The Rowhaus Condominiums on West Temple strike a new look for an area in transition.

Just a five minute walk from a TRAX station and Franklin Covey Field makes the location attractive, but it did not used to be.

Dealers sold drugs out of three homes and in the park across the street. "We had received dozens of calls for help in this area, calls coming into our drug hotline, saying, ‘There are drugs going in and out of this house.' These three homes were the site of six search warrants by the police department alone, Salt Lake City Police Chief Chris Burbank said.

The developer bulldozed the drug houses 15 months ago. Now new homeowners are moving in, and these three level townhomes are energy efficient, too. "This is the kind of project that is definitely a trendsetter as people become more concerned about cost efficiencies, about doing things in an environmentally sustainable fashion," Salt Lake City Mayor Rocky Anderson said.

Blue Conservancy Developers used a different type of wall insulation; foam blocks pumped with concrete. "It's a reclaimed product, has a long lifespan. It's very quiet separation, you don't have to hear your neighbors, and provides superior energy savings for cooling and heating," explained Mark Wisniewski, builder and developer.

That savings can up to $100 a month, and the wall is solid in an earthquake.

The homes include Energy Star appliances, tinted windows, 2,000 square feet of space and prices are starting at $300,000.

Twenty-four units are built, 18 are ready to go and nine have been sold. Who are the buyers? So far it's retirees, young professionals and a university professor.

"When people have vested interests in their neighborhoods, we have a great partnership that forms, and we can keep out the bad elements," Burbank said.

Salt Lake City Green includes environmental programs that help conserve resources, reduce pollution and combat global climate change.