Apartment Choice

Leonnel Davis sees change in Rochester and wonders what it means for her new neighbors. "I see growth in the community but not growth around where I live," she said. Up until about three months ago, Davis was living in a home in northeast Rochester, which she was hoping to buy through a contract for deed. However a pending divorce changed her plans, and she moved with her two grandchildren, one 12 and the other 15, to a three-bedroom apartment in the Andover Apartments complex in southeast Rochester. It wasn't the first choice for the 53-year-old grandmother, but searches for three-bedroom apartment kept coming with price tags as high as $1,900 a month in buildings near the city's core. "Who are they building that for? They couldn't be building it for me," she said, noting she pays $900 for rent in her new apartment as she points to needed repairs and cites safety concerns . "I'm on disability, and I'm a single grandparent....

LEWISTON — The city is seeking a large federal grant that would address housing and other issues in the poorest areas of downtown Lewiston , and neighborhood advocates say the funds could go a long way toward implementing goals they've had for years.  If successful in its bid, Lewiston could receive $1.3 million from the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development and what's known as a  Choice Neighborhood Planning and Action Grant. The city council approved the application last week, and will commit $237,500 in local Community Development Block Grant funds during implementation if the grant is successful.  The city hopes the funding can lead to long-term changes in the downtown neighborhood , where nearly half of residents live below the federal poverty level . According to 2015 census figures, the median family incomes in downtown census tracts 201 and 203, are $12,417 and $16,047, respectively.  The main purpose of the funds is to plan and execute major housing...

Designed by KTGY Group, 2525 El Camino Real Senior Apartments , a development by ROEM Corporation , in collaboration with Pacific Housing , Inc. and the City of Santa Clara, broke ground on a new affordable apartment community for low income seniors . 2525 El Camino Real Senior Apartments in Santa Clara, CA" title=" 2525 El Camino Real Senior Apartments in Santa Clara, CA" width="154" height="87" class="im2" /> 2525 El Camino Real Senior Apartments in Santa Clara, CA June 21, 2012 - PRLog -- SANTA CLARA, CA - On Wednesday, June 20, 2012, Santa Clara broke ground on 2525 El Camino Real Senior Apartments , a development by ROEM Corporation , in collaboration with Pacific Housing , Inc. and the City of Santa Clara. The groundbreaking ceremony began at 2:00 p.m. at 2525 El Camino Real , Santa Clara, California 95050 (cross streets: El Camino Real and Buchanan Drive). " Providing affordable housing for our community is a very im...

Shares 355 By Amy Wenk and Maria Saporta As published in the Atlanta Business Chronicle on August 4, 2017 An Atlanta developer is planning an innovative co-working space along one of Atlanta’s most historic streets — a project that’s already lured high- profile investors including top Home Depot executives . Historic preservation developer Gene Kansas in front of the 135 Auburn Ave. building, which he and a group of investors have acquired to turn into a “Constellations” project on the second floor (Photo by Maria Saporta) Gene Kansas Commercial Real Estate plans to open Constellations, a $2 million project that will offer “culturally-inspired” workspace with the hope of bringing together great minds who care about making a difference in the city. It’s coming to the second floor of the circa-1910 former Southern School Book Depository at 135 Auburn Ave., a building that was designed by famed Atlanta architect Neel Reid . Constellations will replace the Southern Education Foundati...

Last week the East Design Review Board threw a wrench in plans to begin construction on the complex planned around Capitol Hill Station when they declined to recommend any part of the project, including Capitol Hill Housing ’s planned 110 affordable homes on the B-North site. Board members voiced a variety of concerns, from Kenny Pleasant ’s objections to color palette to the chair Curtis Bigelow ’s concerns about the location of the daycare on Broadway, which he found to be in poor taste or perhaps dangerous. There was also Bigelow’s feeling that the building just hadn’t reached a high enough pinnacle of greatness. “This is a really good building. I think we were expecting it to be a great building,” Bigelow said, as quoted by Brandon Macz in Capitol Hill Times . Capitol Hill Housing ’s Communications Manager Ashwin Warrior said not getting the recommendation last week will certainly delay completion of the affordable housing and increase costs on the non-profit. “We anticipate...

A few months ago, the “ community room ” at La Mirada Apartments wasn ’t exactly a hub of community activity. A mop bucket and a rolled-up carpet occupied the space, and the roughly 150 children living in the apartment complex had no reason to give the room a second glance. But on June 19, a transformed room opened , with brightly colored walls , shelves of books and plenty of furniture for little people to spread out and read. The new focus of the room: literacy. The United Way of Manatee County debuted its READ UNITED Reading Room program for the children at La Mirada, in the Pride Park neighborhood . From 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. each day, children can read, play and have access to books they likely would not see until school started again in the fall. “We are trying to bring reading and program access to students who need it the most,” said Cindy Cavallaro Day , a co-founder of Visible Men Academy and a consultant for United Way of Manatee County for the Suncoast Campaign for Grade...

POWAY -- The city's newest affordable-housing development received its first residents over the weekend, after being cleared by the city for occupancy late last week. Escondido- based nonprofit Community HousingWorks teamed up with the city to build Solara Apartments on the southwest corner of Community Road and Hilleary Place, just south of Hilleary Park. The $16.5 million, 3- acre project added 55 apartments to the city's supply of housing for low- and very- low income people . Contractors are still putting finishing touches on the complex's landscaping. Community HousingWorks asset manager Rosemary Stabrawa said Monday, however, that Solara's first residents moved in over the weekend, and more are expected to follow by the end of this week. All the development's tenants should be in their new homes by the end of the month, she said. "Approximately jubilant," Stabrawa said, describing her mood while handing out Solara apartment keys . "It...

Shares 372 By Maria Saporta First in a multi-part series about Atlanta’s precious tree canopy Hundreds and hundreds of trees will be cut down in the Peachtree Hills community as a result of two developments currently being proposed. Ashton Woods – an ironic name for the developer – is planning to clear cut a 4-acre parcel next to Peachtree Hills Park ­– removing a total of 148 trees. Peachtree Hills " /> A look at the trees that will be cut down as part of the easement through the park (Photo: Peachtree Hills ) Across Peachtree Hills Avenue , Isakson Living will be developing a residential community on 20 acres of land that used to house the a modern- style Peachtree Hills Apartments , which were built in 1938 and were demolished in 2008. The property has been vacant – with the exception of the grand trees that have shaded the area for decades. Brian Thomas, vice president of construction of Isakson Living, wrote in an email that “the existing tree canopy has been and will...