New Trio
In an unexpected but powerful partnership, National Multi Housing Council, the Sierra Club, and the Urban Land Institute have teamed up on “Re-Thinking Density,” a program designed to help citizens and local leaders understand how density can benefit a community. The groups will focus on selling the many advantages of high-density communities, including a reduction in traffic and taxes, additional housing, and lower pollution levels. –L.S.
Case Closed
After being sued over alleged lack of full compliance with the Fair Housing Act and Americans with Disabilities Act at 71 of its properties, Archstone-Smith has settled with three national disability organizations for $1.4 million in damages. Under the agreement, the REIT also agreed to make capital improvements in a number of its communities to make them fully compliant. –L.S.
Early Bird Special!
Want to stay ahead of the competition? Come to the Multifamily Executive Conference, which is Oct. 17-19 at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas for networking, knowledge, and more. Register by Aug. 12, and you’ll save $125 on your registration. To sign up, please visit www.mfeconference.com. See you there!
Going Public
There’s a new REIT on the block. Boston Capital Corp. announced in July that it will begin offering stock in its $1 billion multifamily REIT, which will focus on market-rate properties. The portfolio, which currently consists of 10 properties located in four states, is expected to grow as the company raises additional equity. –A.R.
Safety Check
Lane Co.’s employee safety program is paying off. Between 2001 and 2004, the number of worker accidents dropped 42 percent. Plus, accidents serious enough to cause an employee to miss work dropped roughly 50 percent. The safety program includes mandatory training classes for all employees and weekly meetings for Lane Management associates. “Even in a field which doesn’t seem inherently dangerous, there is always opportunity for improvement,” says Lane’s CEO Bill Donges, who started the program in 2002 when he joined the company. “One of my top goals became to make Lane the safest company in the multifamily industry.” –R.Z.A.
Short and Sweet
Apartments.com’s Renee Doerre hit a home run with her acceptance speech when the multifamily online listing firm’s Web site received a “People’s Voice” Webby Award in June. Traditionally, Webby award winners are allowed to say just five words at the podium. What were Doerre’s? “Live. The. American. Dream. Rent.” Other Webby nominees in the real estate category included Rent.com, www.houseplans.com, www.realestatejournal.com, and lastly, www.rowsatsoma.com, which won an overall Webby in the category. –A.R.
Last Call for the Who’s Who The deadline to list your company in the 2006 directory is fast approaching! All listing requests and edits to last year’s listings must be received by Aug. 15 to be included in the 2006 edition. Please visit www.multifamilyexecutive.com to download a listing form. Questions? Send an e-mail to mfewho@hanleywood.com.