Let’s Get it Right, Charlotte

Charlotte is one of the nation’s fastest-growing cities, built amid diverse areas and unique neighborhoods, with families and people who recognize the qualities of a dynamic city. This growth, however, presents both challenges and opportunities alike. Due to this, the city is considering a plan that will guide this growth over the next several decades. This plan will directly affect every Charlotte citizen, both current and future, making it important you pay attention to this critical policy guide.

Over the past few months, you may have heard mentions of a “Charlotte 2040 Comprehensive Plan,” yet, the majority of Charlotte’s citizens have no idea what this is, much less what it means for our city.

Originally published on May 7, 2021, by the Building Design + Construction Network

Construction employment was unchanged from March to April as nonresidential contractors and home builders alike struggled to obtain materials and find enough workers, according to an analysis by the Associated General Contractors of America of government data released today. Association officials said the industry’s recovery was being hampered by problems getting stable prices and reliable deliveries of key materials, while the pandemic and federal policies were making it harder for firms to find workers to hire.

Originally published by Alice Devine for the NAIOP Spring 2021 Issue.

The South Landing project in Spokane, Washington, demonstrates how properties can benefit from shared energy infrastructure.

In Spokane’s University District, education meets industry in a 1.2-square-mile area adjacent to the city’s downtown. In this urban laboratory of sorts — populated by five of Washington state’s major universities, two medical schools and community colleges — students and nearby businesses enjoy a cluster of mutual benefits.

Join your peers virtually on June 3 to hear from Charlotte native and distinguished architect, David Furman, as he leads a discussion and talks about how he got started in the industry and what opportunities, successes, and challenges have shaped his 40+ year career. Take advantage of this opportunity to meet and learn from a leader in the Charlotte community at this Developing Leader exclusive event. 

Speaker

David Furman is a Charlotte native, architect, and developer, who has specialized in creating the urban experience through unique residential and mixed-use developments over a 40-year career. His Centro CityWorks, company has designed and/or developed over 40 projects in downtown Charlotte and SouthEnd, including Charlotte’s first downtown high-rise condo, Courtside, as well as the 28 story TradeMark building where he lives and works. He is currently on the board of Charlotte Center City Partners as well as an active participant in many initiatives to advance Charlotte’s urban presence as a premier place to live, work, and play.

Originally published on May 5, 2021, by Toby Burke for NAIOP E-Newsletter

The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the entire country and the world. Most state and local governments in the United States issued stay-at-home orders and imposed business restrictions on nonessential services to slow the spread of the virus. This caused an economic slowdown that initially concerned many state and local lawmakers.

Originally published on April 26, 2021 by Linda Strowbridge for NAIOP E-Newsletter.

Despite its traditional roots, construction has started to transform into a digital industry. Building information modeling, geospatial technologies, prefabrication and modular construction, drone services, augmented-reality wearables and other technologies are increasingly becoming a larger and more crucial part of successful, efficient, profitable construction projects.

Originally published on April 29, 2021, by Kathryn Hamilton for NAIOP.

Thinking of packing suitcase, grabbing your laptop and setting up shop in a new locale? You’re in good company! One-fifth of adults in the U.S. moved during COVID-19 or know someone who did, says Pew Research, whether for health and safety reasons, or simply because the space demands of full-time work from home increased the urgency for more square footage.

Originally published in NAIOP's Spring 2021 Issue by Shawn Anderton.

Advanced work packaging techniques can boost efficiency and lower costs.

Advanced work packaging (AWP) is a project management method that can improve efficiencies for capital project construction. While standard project management systems bring in construction stakeholders close to the execution stage, AWP is construction-driven and involves stakeholders during preconstruction. This allows for early alignment between engineering, construction management and construction execution.

Originally published on May 4, 2021, for NAIOP.

Last week President Joe Biden unveiled his American Families Plan to provide universal preschool, two years of free community college and a paid family and medical leave program, and to expand the Earned Income Tax Credit and other tax credits. The plan, estimated to cost $1.8 trillion, would be financed primarily through tax increases on investments and high-income earners. Many of the tax increases affect provisions important to commercial real estate.

Originally published on April 20, 2021, for NAIOP E-Newsletter.

Congressional committees are moving ahead with plans to hold hearings and draft legislation to implement President Joe Biden’s $2.3 trillion infrastructure proposal at the same time a group of Republican and centrist Democratic senators are trying to negotiate a smaller, bipartisan package. Republicans have objected to the inclusion of what they consider non-infrastructure provisions, such as $400 billion to cover care for the elderly and disabled people, in Biden’s American Jobs Plan. They also object to financing the program by increasing the corporate tax rate from 21% to 28% rather than fees such as the gas tax or an alternative mechanism.

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Originally published on April 13, 2021, by Roger Heerema and Dan Elkins for NAIOP.

Effective workplace design has never been about simply making an office look nice; it’s about supporting and inspiring those who will move within and around it. Now, a historic pandemic is highlighting a new opportunity for flourishing companies whose space needs have changed: To invest in build- or redevelop-to-suit design projects that enable them to manage the health and wellness aspects of their space – during a time when both are paramount.

Originally published on April 20, 2021, by Erin Goff for NAIOP.

Colorado legislators are poised to introduce what is being referred to by proponents as the “Energy Performance in Buildings Act of 2021.” The draft bill, which mandates energy benchmarking and performance standards, requires owners of most commercial, multifamily and public buildings over 50,000 square feet to collect and report the building’s energy use to the Colorado Energy Office (CEO). The building will then be given an Energy Star score compared to other buildings. By 2026, owners of buildings that do not meet a certain score must make improvements that lead to a 15-point Energy Star score increase, a 15% energy use intensity reduction, or other options. Failure to reach energy reduction mandates will result in hefty civil penalties for commercial and multifamily building owners. Buildings exempt from the penalty provision include buildings owned by the state, municipalities, counties, special districts, school districts and state institutions of higher education.

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On April 26, we will open nominations for the 2021 NAIOP Developing Leaders Award. Please encourage Developing Leaders in your chapter to apply for this annual honor. It is an excellent resumé booster. The deadline for applications is Friday, June 25.

Applications will be submitted online (link coming soon). Each applicant must submit a form completed by either the chapter executive director or a board member supporting the DL’s nomination (Chapter Support Form) as well as a Supervisor Consent and Recommendation form. Both forms will be available for download from the application website. Chapter executives will be notified of their chapter’s applicants once nominations are closed.

Originally published on April 15, 2021 by Kathryn Hamilton for NAIOP.com.

Employees – office workers, in particular – have firm expectations about returning to the workplace as vaccines become more widely available and companies begin bringing the team back together. At the top of their wish lists: hybrid work schedules, says start-up workforce platform Envoy’s Return to the Workplace report.

Originally published on April 19, 2021, by Larry Getlen for CommercialObserver.com.

Clockworks Analytics makes building software that, among other benefits, helps to build owners optimize energy performance and improve indoor air quality.

Originally published on April 19, 2021 by Eric Butterman for WealthManagement.com.

Even amid a pandemic, the construction pipeline for data centers in the U.S. has kept growing. While in 2019, 4.92 million Rentable Building Area (RBA) sq. ft. of data centers were built and renovated, according to CoStar Advisory Service, last year the figure rose to 6.78 RBA million sq. ft. The planned pipeline for 2021 is now at 7.66 million RBA sq. ft. The CoStar data “largely includes properties under construction, but maybe missing renovations of existing space as research continues to investigate these,” notes Juan Arias, senior consultant with the CoStar Group.

Originally published by Marta Soncodi for NAIOP's Spring 2021 Issue.

A new ratings system quantifies how effective they are across several important criteria. 

Investing in smart building technology may not be seen as a priority after commercial real estate investments were hit especially hard in 2020. However, if improving tenant experience was being considered before the pandemic, it’s now an imperative.

A few spots are still available to attend the Spring Social at The Olde Mecklenburg Brewery! We will be gathering in an outdoor space and request that each attendee self-certifies they are symptom-free and sign a waiver in advance. This is a NAIOP Charlotte Member Only Event.

Registration
Registration is $15 for members. 

Register Here

Location
This event will be held at The Olde Mecklenburg Brewery 4150 Yancey Road, Charlotte, NC 28217.

Originally published by Brent Carroll for NAIOP's Spring 2021 Issue.

An adaptive reuse project revitalizes an iconic retail tower in Portland, Oregon.

For residents of a certain age in Portland, Oregon, the phrase “meet me under the clock” meant the clock on the main floor of the Meier & Frank department store, which first opened nearly 150 years ago. The 16-story terracotta landmark building at 555 Southwest Morrison Street encompasses an entire city block near Pioneer Courthouse Square, widely known as “Portland’s living room.”