More land use changes, VA nixes cul-de-sacs

Last week, Virginia announced it would no longer accept cul-de-sacs in the state highway system. Most intriguingly for developers was VDOT’s connectivity standard, which compels localities to complete linkages between neighboring parcels even if land usage is different. Much, much more is detailed at Greater Greater Washington and via WAMU’s Kojo Nnamdi (iTunes). VDOT Sec. Homer highlights slower speeds, improved connectivity (for residents and emergency vehicles), the inclusion of sidewalks, and reduced paving (for better stormwater management) as justifications for the regulatory revisions.

[Source: Millicent Bystander, flickr.com]

What’s particularly interesting about the connection requirements is that it should increase the accessibility of retail centers to surrounding neighborhoods by multiple means of transit (primarily auto and pedestrian). It will be interesting to see if some of the land use changes highlighted by Galley Eco come to pass more quickly in Virginia.

As a resident of an urbanized area of Northern Virginia, this is welcome news. I also suspect that when combined with a greater focus on reducing car use, Walkscore (see comments for how the NYT fumbled its citations), new funding priorities for HUD and DOT, and most importantly, new lending practices, we will start to see a long-term shift in development patterns over the next 5-20 years.

This is a fascinating real estate topic, so expect more posts.

[Note: For more info on street grid designs, see New Urban News.]
Update: VDOT began public hearings on the connectivity standards in early 2009. Charlottesville Tomorrow recorded this hearing in April.

DOT + HUD + HOZ = Livable Communities

Last week HUD Secretary Donovan announced the Sustainable Community Initiative, part of a working group with DOT to jointly administer a fund to encourage the integration of housing, land use, and transportation policy for metropolitan regions. One of the programs that might receive additional attention is the Homeownership Zone (HOZ) initiative that is now approaching the end of its 11-year interim study period.

The HOZ program required coordination across governments and agencies and an extended commitment to funding large-scale neighborhood redevelopment schemes. The program involved 11 neighborhoods across the US and directed $50 million (which led to $273 million in total funds expended) toward the rehabilitation of these neighborhoods. The neighborhoods selected were dominated by low-income households, a low percentage of homeownership, high crime rates, and large tracts of vacant or abandoned properties. Cities with a strong administrative framework were the most successful.

Winning projects broadly included the following:
1. Visible improvement—provide for a significant number of new homeownership opportunities that will make a visible improvement in a concentrated area and stimulate additional investment in the area.
2. New Urbanism—incorporate the basic principles of New Urbanist design.
3. Additional investment—use the HOZ grants to leverage other support for the project.
4. Partnerships and initiatives—establish extensive partnerships with the private and nonprofit sectors.
5. Comprehensive neighborhood revitalization—demonstrate how the HOZ will contribute to the overall improvement of the entire area.
6. Rapid turnaround—demonstrate the ability to begin significant construction projects promptly upon final HUD approval of the HOZ proposal.
7. Affirmatively further fair housing—address how the applicant will affirmatively further fair housing

(Source: An Interim Evaluation of HUD’s Homeownership Zone Initiative

Although the interim report was completed while many HOZ projects were still underway, the entire report is informative.

With an well studied and reasonably successful program in existence, HUD and DOT cooperation should highlight many of the HOZ successes when establishing funding guidelines for the Sustainable Communities Initiative.

Resources: New Design Resources (and a plug for low flow showerheads)

This post just calls attention to a few housing design resources:

Image courtesy Tom Phillips, Seattle Housing Authority

Energy Circle’s “Interconnected House” (many good resources here)

Affordable Housing Design Advisor

Green Communities Projects

Seattle Housing Authority provides summaries of projects, including a presentation on their financial model and urban design.

Finally, I purchased ($12 at Target) and installed Waterpik’s EcoFlow 1.5 gpm showerhead this weekend. It took about 3 minutes to install from start to finish and provides excellent pressure by using outside air to improve water flow. I can certainly recommend these for multifamily installation.

Sustainability: Green Communities at the NBM

In February, Dana Bourland, Director of Enterprise’s Green Communities program spoke at the National Building Museum as part of the multi-year Smart Growth program. If you are in the DC area, the series is well worth attending.

The audio of Ms. Bourland’s presentation is now available, as is a PDF of the presentation. The technical details of the program were touched upon in the audio, but the PDF provides additional details on utility allowances (pp. 29-32) and costs for meeting Green Communities benchmarks (pp. 40-42).

The presentation reviews progress made through Green Communities, including the launch of their $40m green equity fund to build 500 homes in California. After focusing on grants and capacity building initially, the program is now providing performance details and equity funding for green affordable housing.

Summaries of funded projects.

Operations: Why Women Matter (via Greater Greater Washington)

One of the reasons I became involved in real estate was the recognition that eventually, everything ties into real estate. Demographics, politics, economics, culture, (building) science, nearly everything can be brought back in a Grand Unified Theory to real estate. For liberal arts majors such as myself, this is immensely satisfying.

So I’m linking today to a February post at Greater Greater Washington, a blog that covers urban planning and development news in the DC Metro area. “ Sex and the City: why women and families matter ” is an urban planning-focused article that provides an example of the type of piece that should provoke additional discussion.

• How does your property encourage people to arrange their lives around your community and live where their life takes place?

• Can you name child care centers, religious congregations, grocery stores with the best pre-made meals, or other aides to a more convenient lifestyle?

• What can you do differently to make life more convenient?

• Can you identify and market your community in a way that reinforces this “convenience lifestyle”?

Look at what your residents need, look at what you know, and get to know more of what they need.

Operations: Can’t Someone Else Do It? (or, where am I?)

In the days before handheld and car based GPS, asset managers were either good map readers or took no detours between their office/airport and the property inspection.

Invariably there was a failure and after 10, 15, or 30 minutes we’d call the property. The phone call always started with “Where are you?” followed by “Where am I?” All to often the reply was a laugh before hearing, “I don’t live here” or “Let me ask someone”.

I had one of those experiences again last week, so I’m re-linking to a January post on this subject.

To take it a step further, I want to highlight some other ways that owners and managers are letting someone else do it, particularly in the area of marketing communities. J. C. Hart of Indianapolis recently ran a contest for residents called “Live the Life”. Run as a way for residents to share what and why they liked living at a Hart property, the resulting videos were posted on YouTube. The contest resulted in 44 entries and generated over 30,000 views.

Urbane Apartments in Royal Oak, Michigan recently created the “Urbane Lobby” as a social network for their residents. Together with the “Urbane Blog” residents contribute blog posts, highlight local businesses, and build the type of community that most advocates of ‘social media’ can only dream of. Taking things even further, the owner of Urbane Apartments, Eric Brown, has found this model to be so successful that he eschews typical multi-family advertising such as printed guidebooks and uses Twitter and other social media avenues for part of his outreach. Leasing materials are provided on a flash drive, tours are self-directed, and units are improved, not rehabbed.

In my own portfolio, we’ve provided open space and materials for garden plots, worked with local religious centers for relationship counseling (which helped reduce delinquency from 8% to 1.5% in 4 months), arranged classes with the local Home Depot, and recruited local health agencies for on-site blood pressure monitoring, nutritional advice, and children’s dental care.

Even in straitened times, many towns and cities have a wealth of untapped resources. From saving money to creating a better environment for residents, it makes imminent sense to let someone else do it.

Finance and Investment: Can’t Someone Else Do It?

And we’re back.

As a longtime “Simpsons” watcher, I can find something from their 20+ years to apply in nearly every situation. In Trash of the Titans, Homer runs for Sanitation Commissioner by promising personalized trash handling, including in-house ‘cram downs’ by sanitation personnel. As you would expect, the whole enterprise ends in disaster with the town moving several miles away by the end of the episode.

But the lament that started Homer’s quest, “Can’t Someone Else Do It?” naturally contains a bit of truth.

[Note: Let's not pretend this is an original thought. Both "The Tao of Pooh" and "The Gospel According to Peanuts" applied children's characters or cartoons to weighty philosophical matters.]

Since the layoff I’ve been working on several ventures, consulting on others, and generally trying to promote sustainability in affordable housing. Many of these ideas include making use of stimulus funds for weatherization, community-based ESCOs, or enforcement of green building laws.

These conversations with people in DC and around the country have shown me that much of the work is repetitive. Everyone is so eager to solve foreclosures, propose stimulus funding, require sustainable building codes, that the work is inherently duplicative. As an antidote, I’ve pushed the belief that someone else can do this. Someone else can (or has) created a weatherization program, a foreclosure response protocol, or a useful residential green building code.

Thinking indirectly, there are already ways to verify or enforce programs. for weatherization, affordable housing, and green building by working with state and local housing agencies, utility companies, and tax assessors. Want to make sure that weatherization or modernization funds were spent correctly? Make it part of the annual filing to the state housing agency. Concerned about the energy efficiency of a new building (regardless of LEED status)? Use remote meter reading or create a review template as part of the annual assessment process.

Can’t someone else do it? Yes they can.