Jun 24, 2010

Enterprise Community Partners

Maryland-based Enterprise Community Partners and the Washington State Housing Finance Commission created the Washington Green Communities Retrofit Loan Fund, a $2 million financing pool for affordable housing. The average multifamily affordable housing property incurs more than $700 per unit in annual utility costs. Program officials say retrofitting can save up to 20 percent in utility costs. The program is now in the pilot stage. The fund targets urban and rural properties financed through the federal low-income housing tax credit program.

GVA Kidder Mathews

The Sustainability Practice of the GVA Kidder Mathews' commercial real estate brokerage said EDAW/ENSR's new downtown Seattle office has won LEED gold certification. The office occupies 19,000 square feet in the Dexter Horton Building. Low-flow plumbing fixtures reduce water usage by 40 percent and 75 percent of the space is illuminated by natural light. Reused/refurbished products are located throughout the office. EDAW/ENSR is a subsidiary of Aecom.

Multi-family housing awards

Three multi-family projects in the Seattle area are finalists in the National Association of Home Builders' Pillars of Industry Awards: Essex Property Trust's Eastlake 2851, Seattle, in the four-stories-or-less garden apartment category; Legacy Partners Residential's Legacy at Riverpark, Redmond, non-garden, five stories or less; and Seco Development's 77 Central, Mercer Island, mid-rise category.

NabeWise

NabeWise, a website designed to let people learn about neighborhoods, has launched a Seattle page. The free site compiles private and public data, and ranks neighborhoods. The URL is nabewise.com.

NAIOP Developing Leaders

Today, from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m., the NAIOP Developing Leaders group will meet with NAIOP lobbyists and government affairs leaders on the roof deck of the Collins Buildings, 524 Second Ave., in Seattle. Lobbyist Greg Hanon and NAIOP leaders Don Marcy and Glenn Amster will discuss laws introduced during the last state legislative session. It's free for students and $20 to $30 for others. Ninety percent of the fee will go to the NAIOP Political Action Committee.

CREW topic: Gates' new campus

Martha Choe, who heads the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, will talk about the foundation's new Seattle campus at CREW Seattle & Sound's July 8 lunch at noon. Norma Miller, director of the new campus, will also speak. The lunch will be at the Washington Athletic Club, 1325 Sixth Ave., Seattle. It's $37 for members and $52 for others. Register at crewseattle.org.

Jun 17, 2010

CB Richard Ellis

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Milgard Medical Pavilion

Frauenshuh Healthcare Real Estate Solutions, developer of Milgard Medical Pavilion, selected John Bauder and Steven Perovich of CB Richard Ellis to market the 85,000-square-foot medical office building on the St. Anthony's campus in Gig Harbor. Completed in 2009, the project currently has 28,000 square feet of office space available.

Wolfgang Rood Hospitality Consulting

Hotel occupancy rates increased slightly to 66 percent in Washington in April, while average daily room rates dropped 2.6 percent to $115, according to Wolfgang Rood Hospitality Consulting's latest report. Downtown Seattle's occupancy (72 percent) was unchanged from the same month a year ago. The Bellevue/Eastside and Spokane/Eastern Washington markets were down slightly to 53 and 61 percent, respectively. The Sea-Tac Airport area (71 percent) and Pierce County (72 percent) recorded the biggest occupancy increases. Average daily rooms rates were down 6 percent to $149 in Seattle; down 2 percent to $95 in the airport area; up nearly 8 percent to $147 in the Bellevue/Eastside market; down 6 percent to $96 in Pierce County; and even at $90 in Spokane/Eastern Washington.

Network Mortgage Services

Regional mortgage lender Network Mortgage Services of Lynnwood is now Network Home Loans. The company also is expanding and upgrading the company's office at the Alderwood Business Campus. Ken Lane, president of the 23-year-old company, says the new name better reflects the company's core business of originating, servicing, and selling residential home loans. Construction will begin soon on the office renovation. When completed, the building will be renamed the Network Financial Center. The expansion will allow for an additional 25 employees.

Keller Williams Realty

Dan Wible and Geoff Hill joined Keller Williams Realty's Seattle Metro West Market Center. Previously, Wible owned and operated two small businesses and was a structural engineering consultant for 30 years. Hill, who has been a Realtor for four years, continues to run a house painting company, a company that rehabs vacant properties, and a company that evaluates photovoltaic solar power systems.

June 24 ‘Journey to Success' program

Four regional leaders in the building design and real estate development industry will speak at MulvannyG2 Architecture at 5 p.m. on June 24 about their careers and the challenges that inspired them as women. Panelists are Sue Baugh of Cushman & Wakefield Commerce, Kerry Carlson of Legacy Partners, Karen Niemi of MulvannyG2 and Lisa Wright of GLY Construction. Ginger Wesley of MulvannyG2 will moderate the discussion that MulvannyG2's Women in Leadership group and the Association for Women in Architecture are hosting. The event benefits AWA's scholarship fund. Cost is $25; register by e-mailing Women.InLeadership@MulvannyG2.com by Monday. MulvannyG2's address is 1110 112th Ave. N.E., Bellevue.