Table of Contents October 2006

FEATURES

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  Disappearing Act

  Imagine 2 million houses and apartments just disappearing from the American landscape. As dramatic as that sounds, that's exactly what happened between 1993 and 2003, according to the Joint Center for Housing Studies at Harvard University.

   
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  Failed Luxury

  The condominium market is cooling, and even a star as hot as actor George Clooney can't heat it up again.

   

Cover Story

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  2006 Executive of the Year

  Everyone has a story to share about Ron Ratner. One business associate recalls how Ratner stayed up nearly all night reviewing every single floor plan of a new property and reworking the plans until each one was absolutely perfect. Another colleague remembers how Ratner completely changed a...

   

FROM THE EDITOR

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  Online Endeavors

  Who can live without the Web these days? I check the weather, look up phone numbers, research stories, and book entire business trips via the Internet, thanks to a few swipes of the mouse, a handful of clicks, and a long list of site-specific passwords. (So much for The Weather Channel, the Yellow...

   

NEWS + NUMBERS

Direct Reports

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  Demo Report

  Chicago has faced a bit of criticism for its groundbreaking and controversial plan to tear down its collection of dated and dangerous high-rise public housing properties and replace them with lower-density, mixed-income housing built by private developers.

   

PEOPLE + PLACES

Apartment Life

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  Closer Look

  Imagine losing half of your employees every year to turnover. For many multifamily companies, that's a stark reality, according to the National Multi Housing Council. Even worse, the relationship was probably doomed from the start. Researchers at Harvard Business School found that more than 75...

   

Facelift

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  Room Service

  Ah, the 1920s. Back then, The Florida qualified as one of the grandest structures in Lakeland, Fla. With its bell tower and Spanish Revival-style architecture, the 180-room hotel stood out at the center of downtown. It entertained famous guests such as inventor Thomas Edison and architect Frank...

   

Corporate Ladder

• Career Designs

  By his own testimony, Rob Orme started at the bottom of the multifamily industry–cleaning toilets as an apartment community maintenance man. Ah, but how far he?s come: Today, Orme is the regional director for the new Phoenix office of Humphreys and Partners Architects. Previously a principal...

   

SALES + SOLUTIONS

New Developments

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  Rural Revival

  Rural is where it's at if you're considering affordable housing projects, according to Simpson Housing Solutions, which is using federal tax credits to build affordable apartments throughout California.

   

Done Deal

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  Borrowed Ground

  Unfortunately for multifamily buyers today, apartment properties in good locations remain difficult to find at yields that work. So, if you really want to own something in a top market, you may have to take a second look at something you wouldn't have considered before. Case in point: land leases.

   

Tech Specs

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  Pod Power

  Observers say that kind of short, hip production style is exactly what a good podcast, or any Internet presentation, should entail. "You don't want to make your audience download too much," says Ross. "Podcasting is a short cut, a quick shot. Everything about it is abbreviated. And that's the way...

   

PRODUCT STUDIO

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  See the Light

  For years, compact fluorescent lighting has gotten a bad rap, with a reputation for its harsh white color and ever-annoying buzzing sounds and flickering motions. But these once-true characteristics are history, thanks to new technologies and savvy manufacturers who are designing better products.

   

LANDMARKS

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  Central Station

  Memphis' Central Station was once the heart of the city, serving as the main passenger rail hub for the region. With so much activity streaming in and out, the station quickly became the economic pulse of Memphis, fueling the construction of hotels, retail stores, and restaurants nearby. Built in...

   

MFE AWARDS

• Big Winners

  Ron Ratner, president and CEO of Forest City Residential, was named our Executive of the Year in the 2006 Multifamily Executive awards contest. Plus, more than two dozen multifamily firms also were honored last week at the Multifamily Executive Conference in Las Vegas for their architecturally...