Apartment City

Government loves to create winners and losers.  The Chad Mayes led Assembly Republicans , the seven of them, voted to force some companies to buy “credits” to stay in business—this is a tax increase.  Then they also said they prefer government transportation by making it more expensive to drive a car—Mayes and friends voted to raise gas taxes by 63 cents a gallon.  In zoning matters, government really likes to create winners and losers. “Facing down a record number of vacancies on State Street and a citywide backlog of building permit applications , the Santa Barbara City Council voted unanimously this Tuesday to enact a six- month pilot program to improve and accelerate the review process for prospective commercial tenants along the downtown business corridor. Applicants for properties between Sola and Cabrillo streets, where more than 30 storefronts currently sit empty, will now be bumped to the front of the line at design review board hearings . Two members of the city’s ...

Downtown business owners and residents told the Portland City Council on Wednesday night that problems caused by aggressive panhandlers , mentally ill people and individuals under the influence of drugs or alcohol have reached crisis proportions , and that steps must be taken quickly to preserve the vibrant atmosphere that has made Maine’s largest city a popular destination for tourists and new businesses. Councilors said that although mental illness , substance abuse and homelessness have been problems in Portland since the state began closing mental health institutions in the 1980s – putting people with severe mental health issues on the streets – the city will need help from the community and the state to ensure that members of society’s most vulnerable population get the help and services they need. Many of those people come to Portland, which has developed a reputation for providing shelter and services to those in need. “We’ve heard some very powerful testimony tonight ,” s...

CHAMPAIGN - When brothers Jeff, Steve and Mike Hartman went into the real estate development and management business together, they combined more than the initials of their first names. They also merged everything their father taught them about the construction business and all their mother taught them about family loyalty in their three enterprises, JSM Apartments, JSM Development and JSM Management. Under the JSM umbrella, the Hartmans now own and manage 700 apartments and 114,000 square feet of commercial space in Champaign-Urbana, including the new Technology Plaza apartment/retail/office complex in Campustown. And they have more developments on the way. Already started are a new apartment/retail complex on Gregory Street in Urbana, near the Krannert Center for the Performing Arts, and a new retail center on South Neil Street in Champaign, where Hillcrest Lumber used to be. The Hartmans say they work well together in business, running things jointly and never undertakin...

Jennifer Lopez The property is a very nice place to live. The community is also very nice and always willing to help with any of my needs. The only recommendation I would make is adding central air to the units. … more » The property is a very nice place to live. The community is also very nice and always willing to help with any of my needs. The only recommendation I would make is adding central air to the units. Jacob Kushan I have lived at EP for three years now and have really enjoyed my time. It is a very nice place to live, I would reccomend it. … more » I have lived at EP for three years now and have really enjoyed my time. It is a very nice place to live, I would reccomend it. Business Response: Jacob, thank you for your feedback. We strive to have loyal residents who genuinely enjoy their living experience and we are so happy that you do! Heaven Henry Love how they have resident appreciation events such as waffle Wednesday and donut Friday. Love how safe I always f...

City Planning Commission that they reject the city's rezoning plan during a public hearing on August 23, 2017. " /> East Harlem Rezoning View Full Caption EAST HARLEM — The mayor is ignoring El Barrio residents ' input on rezoning the neighborhood, Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer charged Wednesday afternoon . “Despite our clear recommendations, the administration is not taking the community’s plan seriously,” said Brewer during a public hearing on East Harlem's proposed rezoning . After a two-year process in which residents and local business owners came up with recommendations of what they'd like to see in the rezoning, city officials came up with their own plan that doesn't include those recommendations, Brewer told the City Planning Commission . Nearly 100 speakers signed up to talk during a five-hour meeting at 1 Centre St. Wednesday. To maintain some semblance of balance, commissioners took turns listening to five people in favor of ...

PALM BEACH GARDENS — Trying to catch up with massive construction and deal with future growth in Palm Beach Gardens , traffic engineers say they have a 20-year plan for Interstate 95 and a central-west intersection. Florida Department of Transportation officials explained it Thursday at Palm Beach Gardens City Hall . They talked about the upcoming projects at Central, Northlake and PGA Boulevards and at the intersection of the Beeline Highway and Northlake during the workshop. No construction will begin until 2021, they said. Palm Beach Gardens residents questioned a timeline that could have Northlake and Beeline and the Northlake and I-95 interchange under construction at the same time. Here’s a look at some of the key spots that will undergo changes: NORTHLAKE AND BEELINE FDOT quashed plans for a flyover at the intersection of Northlake and the Beeline Highway amid complaints from PGA National residents . Instead, engineers plan to build a new connector road through a triangular...

HARRISBURG, Pa. -- New developments in last year's wall collapse in Harrisburg, raises concerns about the potential for another collapse. It's a potential danger for people who walk or drive along Cameron Street near the Mulberry Street Bridge . This comes less than a month after Dauphin County documents showed the owners of MacFarland apartments admitted to owning the retaining wall that fell on a business below. This is a story that FOX 43 News has been following since May 2016, but for business owner Howard Henry , it's a story that has yet to have a happy ending. Ever since a retaining wall came loose and sent a wall debris onto and into Howard Tire and Auto last May, the store has closed, the customers are gone, and a dozen employees are out of a job. Attorney Mark Wendaur explains that a recent engineering study shows the aftermath might not be the end of the damage. Attorney Mark Wendaur said "with Greg Lebo's report, he actually picked up on essential...

Bernard Condon, Ap Business Writer Updated 2:05 pm, Tuesday, August 15, 2017 NEW YORK (AP) — Residents of a building owned by the Kushner Cos. filed a lawsuit Tuesday alleging the business once run by Jared Kushner is charging too much rent in violation of state regulations . The lawsuit in New York State Supreme Court in Brooklyn alleges that the Kushner Cos. is charging nine residents much higher free-market rents than the rent-stabilized ones they are entitled to under state rent rules . The suit says it's likely that more than 100 current and former residents of the 48-unit building have also been overcharged, and so it is seeking class-action status. "Greed colored the owner's decision-making process, and clearly blinded its judgment," said plaintiff's lawyer Lucas A. Ferrara, senior partner at Newman Ferrara. "It's inexcusable for any landlord to sidestep New York's rent law." A spokesman for the Kushner Cos., James Yolles, said they wer...

By Johnathan Hendricks PORTLAND, OR — A popular Portland food cart pod is being forced to move to make way for a new apartment complex development . Tidbit Food Farm and Garden sits on Southeast Division Street and Southeast 28th Place . The food cart pod opened in 2014 and has become a Portland favorite among many visitors and those who live in the neighborhood. On Monday, the food cart pod posted on Facebook that the last day of business will be on October 8, 2017. They also extended a thank you to the community, saying: "When we set out to create Tidbit we never imagined how well received it would be by the community. It has been inspiring. Though we knew it wouldn't last forever, we're sad to say that October 8, 2017, will be our last day. Thank you to the neighborhood and all the people throughout the world whose hearts, minds and taste buds were captured by the magic created by this lively group of entrepreneurs. We began this place with the idea of creating a...

We all make choices — building companies or products or communities — around how much control and authority each of the participants has. Do we tightly control our users in order to streamline our product, or do we open up multiple interfaces and allow our users to drive? Do we share our data with others in the belief that a rising tide lifts all boats, or do we hide it to improve our competitive advantage? Do we allow users to deconstruct and reassemble our products, or does that void their warranty? Do we respect current norms of our industry, or do we see the need for disruption? In many instances, these are questions of centralized versus decentralized authority  — who has the right and ability to make choices. Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold; Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world. —  William Butler Yeats   In this post, we argue that we now have the ability to build more decentralized systems , and that these can often create a competitive advantage over existing solut...