Building Edge E-News Brief has already doubled it's circulation since going weekly instead of twice a month. We knew when we launched this January 1, that it would be helpful, but had no idea how valued it really would become. There were more hits and readers for the April 16th brief then any other! Thank you for your response!
As always, if you would like to support Building Edge and E-news brief through advertising or sponsorship, please email us at: scott@buildingedgemag.com or call us at (352) 372-5854.
If you are in the need for a product or service that our advertisers/sponsors offer, please consider them first, as we would not be able to bring you such high quality sources of information without them. If you know anyone who might want to receive this brief, please email me their contact information.
Don't forget, Tuesday is the Property Tax Rally in Tallahassee. More than 500 industry professionals from around the state will be attending. For more information, please contact your local builder's association for an itinerary. You also can read about it here: Rally in Tally |
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www.BuildingEdgeMagazine.com
Sales for the June issue are now open. Our June Cover Feature is Jim & Pal Bennett with Bennett Construction Services in Ocala. We will have an Edge Spotlight this month on Via Bertolini . Our National feature is on Doors: Interior, Exterior, Patio and Overhead/Garage Doors. Sales will remain open until April 28th.
July's cover is Kara Sutton & Sutton Family Homes. Our National Feature is on Baths: Fixtures, faucets, home spas, hardware, tile and countertops.
Our August cover is Adams Homes. The National feature is Curb Appeal: Entry doors, brick and siding, roofing, lighting, landscaping, paving.
May is currently in production. The Cover feature is The Ransome Group.
On the cover of our current Commercial Building Edge issue is Gainesville's BBI Construction Management, Inc. The National Feature is on Surfaces.
Now open is the Summer 2007 issue of Commercial Building Edge. The Cover feature is on Gray Construction Services. The National Feature is on Green Building. To participate, please email scott@buildingedgemag.com.
New Home Magazine Coming This Fall
Home: Living in the Heart of Florida, a new magazine from Advantage Publishing will unveil its first issue this fall. Taking the experience we have gained from Building Edge and Commercial Building Edge, we are very excited about this new endeavor which will showcase the best of living in our community. Home: Living in the Heart of Florida will be a general circulation publication available to everyone in the community. It will include a wide assortment of features intended to enhance everything that is good about living our area. Sales for this first issue will open next month. For more information, please contact us at (352) 372-5854. |
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BANCF Spring Parade of Homes™
BANCF's Spring Parade of Homes™ started Saturday and runs until April 29. The Parade includes 52 homes in 15 subdivisions. Hours will be from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. weekends and 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. during the week. The early feedback has been fantastic.
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To view photos of the Parade homes, Click Here >>
MCBA Parade of Homes™
MCBA's Parade of Homes™ begins this Saturday and runs to May 13. The Parade will include 60 homes, a record for the MCBA. Models will be open Sundays through Fridays from 1 p.m. until 5 p.m. and Saturdays from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. Click Here >>
Alachua County OKs deal to split revenue from gas tax hike
An agreement splitting the revenue of a proposed gas tax increase of 5 cents a gallon between Alachua County and the city of Gainesville was unanimously approved by county commissioners, which means an increase of up to 12 cents a gallon. Under the agreement Alachua County would get about 52.1 percent of the revenue and Gainesville about 38.4 percent. The rest would be distributed to the county's smaller cities. State law requires the tax money be distributed among the county and cities. Most of the county's share would be used for improvements to existing roads, including surfacing limerock roads with alternatives to pavement. However, 10 percent of it will be used for bicycle and pedestrian facilities.
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Developers of Ironwood Community Ask for Incentives
A 1,200-home "active adult community" planned for the wooded properties around Gainesville's Ironwood Golf Course is asking commissioners and city officials to consider providing tax reimbursement incentives to the project in exchange for enhanced features on the property. The plan, which the project's developer discussed with city commissioners Monday, would require an expansion of the Eastside Community Redevelopment District - which now ends at NE 16th Avenue - to NE 39th Avenue. But city officials said economic conditions near the property probably would not be considered blighted, a finding that would be necessary for the expansion to be approved.
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Chiefland Adopts Impact Fees
With the approval of the second reading of four impact fee ordinance, Chiefland now has a method for collecting money from new developments to pay for the impact on the city from growth. With each impact fee, a separate trust account is created to keep the money. Impact fees can be spent only on improvements resulting from near growth. The money can be spent on capital improvements but not on salaries.
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Building Department Plans Informational Licensing Day
In March the Marion County Building Department's licensing division issued 40 citations for either licensed or unlicensed building activity - the highest number on record. With more than 10,000 building professionals now in the county, the spike in the number of complaints filed against contractors is no surprise. But many homeowners still aren't armed with all the information they need before they hire someone to work on their house. An information session is planned for those desiring more information on the process of licensure.
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Marion County Wants Plan in Place to Prevent Flooding in Rainbow Park
No building permits for the Rainbow Park subdivision will be issued for six months unless property owners can prove construction on their property will not contribute to flooding problems. At a recent meeting, Marion County Commission voted 4-0 to approve the temporary moratorium and called for a $408,000 engineering drainage plan to be developed for the subdivision. Rainbow Park is a 4,500-lot development north of State Road 40 and east of Dunnellon. Two issues - paving roads and the need for drainage - are facing the community, and the two issues have begun to overlap causing a bevy of issues both internal and external.
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South Florida's Water Needs Challenge Ocala
The need for more water in South Florida poses a serious challenge for Ocala's continued growth, City Manager Paul Nugent said Wednesday. Addressing the government affairs committee of the Ocala/Marion County Chamber of Commerce, Nugent said the city must plan now as water demands from areas outside the county grow. The city must be ready to respond to demands for water from this area to supply fast-growing South Florida. Even neighboring developments, such as The Villages, have the potential to affect Ocala's water supply. The average per-capita water use in Ocala is 100 gallons per day, while The Villages' average per-capita use is 240 gallons per day.
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Redevelopment Going Strong in West Ocala Historic District
In the shadow of the Silver Springs Boulevard overpass near downtown stands the latest project in the residential redevelopment of the West Ocala Historic District. Just before West Silver Springs Place ends in a cul-de-sac next to the CSX railroad tracks, three new homes sit on land formerly occupied by tin-roofed shacks. For this neighborhood - once a thriving residential and commercial black community - the homes are another plus in the ongoing recovery from decades of absentee ownership, boarded homes and drug activity.
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Belleview City Officials to Discuss Future
Belleview City officials have long talked about holding a workshop to discuss the city's future, with some commissioners believing if they don't have a five-year plan, they'll wake up one day and notice so many problems they won't know where to start to fix them. Wednesday, beginning at 6 p.m. at City Hall, commissioners, with the assistance of a moderator, will discuss issues affecting the community, such as growth, traffic and recreation.
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MCBA Calendar of Events
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FHBA Members to Rally on April 24
Over five hundred members of the Florida Home Builders Association are expected in Tallahassee on April 24 to blitz the state capitol in an effort to keep new homes from being taxed out of existence. The rally will include a press conference, and will attract diverse members of the Florida's construction industry - from laborers to superintendents, engineers to developers, Realtors to vendors - who are concerned about the property tax reform debate. Both the MCBA and BANCF will provide bus transportation to the rally. Contact your local office for more information.
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GreenTrends Booths Almost Sold Out
Twenty exhibits in the GreenTrends section of the Southeast Building Conference exposition have already been reserved, which leaves only 13 that remain to be reserved. The conference is set for July 12-14 at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando. All products displayed in this section must meet approved green building standards. The conference is expecting 18,000 construction professionals in attendance.
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Local Associations' Identity Crises
Of the 29 local affiliates of the Florida Home Builders Association, 18 have decided to drop "home" from their name to better describe the more than half of the members who represent other aspects of the building industry. These people include suppliers, subcontractors, architects and engineers. By changing the name to a Building Industry Association, the affiliates are able to reach out to a broader segment of the industry in the area.
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Senate-House Have Competing Tax Bills
A tax-protest leader told a Senate committee Friday the chamber's bipartisan property tax reform package is too weak, while business interests and local government officials offered mixed reactions. Republican and Democratic Senate leaders released their plan Thursday. It includes a rollback of city and county taxes to 2005-06 levels, then a two-year freeze and cap on future increases. The plan is expected to save taxpayers $11 billion over the next five years. A competing proposal offered by House Republicans would slash taxes by more than $25 billion over the same span.
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Property Tax Plans Leave Out Affordable Housing
None of the property tax plans moving through the Legislature provide targeted relief for the thousands of low to moderate-income Floridians looking for a place to live. Tax reform has become in the monster issue, leaving affordable housing without the time for debate that it deserves. High tax bills have left home buyers with houses that they cannot afford and builders with houses that they cannot sell. Property tax relief will make housing less expensive for all income levels.
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Taxing Choices Will Not Include Income Tax
One legislative proposal would reduce Florida's rapidly rising property taxes by increasing the state sales tax. Another would raise property taxes for homeowners to lower the bills for other taxpayers. But one potential new revenue source, common in most states, remains unthinkable and unmentionable in Florida: a personal income tax.
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Register Now for the SEBC
The FHBA-sponsored Southeast Building Conference is set for July 11-15 at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando. The show is the largest regional building industry event in the south with over 1,000 exhibits of industry products and services. Registration is available online at www.sebcshow.com and at www.fhba.com.
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Fight Against Fire Sprinklers
The Florida Home Builders Association is assisting the National Association of Home Builders in its campaign to fight fire sprinkler mandates in single-family homes in the International Residential Code. Fire sprinkler advocates are conducting an aggressive campaign to overturn the past defeated proposal. The vote is set for May 22 or 23. If fire sprinklers are mandated in single-family homes, it is estimated that I would increase the cost of construction by $2 to $4 or even as much as $7 more per square foot. More lives could be saved by education and working smoke alarms.
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Tool Kits Make Efficient Windows More Likely
Funded by the US Department of Energy, The Efficient Windows Collaborative has released three new tool kits for builders, designers and window manufacturers that bundle information about the essentials of energy efficient windows, such as consumer demand, code requirement and more. The tool kit gathers resource materials designed to enhance sales.
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New Safety Program Released
The National Association of Home Builders recently announced the release of its latest safety product, the Home Builders' Safety Program. This guide shows builders how to develop and implement an effective in-house safety program. This resource is accompanied by a companion CD that presents a model safety program listing safe work practices for the most common construction operations.
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Semi-Annual Construction Forecast Conference
NAHB will be hosting its semi-annual Construction Forecast Conference at the National Housing Center on Thursday, April 26 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. The conference will cover major concerns over the housing market, such as where the home prices are headed and how will the subprime mortgage market affect housing. The event will feature a series of panel discussions on the economic and housing outlook for 2007 and beyond.
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NAHB Urges FHA Reform
The National Association of Home Builders called on Congress to enact legislation that would reform and revitalize the Federal Housing Administration's single-family mortage insurance programs. Bill Killmer, NAHB's group vice president for advocacy, said that statutory and regulatory constraints have limited the FHA's ability to respond to the needs of borrowers, resulting in many home buyers ending up with inappropriate mortgages. If Congress grants the proper authorities, mortgage insurance programs could insure fixed-rate, adjustable-rate and hybrid adjustable-rate mortgage loans to borrowers with limited cash reserves and/or slightly tarnished credit.
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NYC Housing Construction Tops Other Cities
Housing construction in New York City has hit a more than 30-year high. Permits for a total of 62,526 new housing units were issued in 2005 and 2006, the most since 1971-1972. This is due to the re-urbanization trend occurring in the city. However, the city still had housing permits fall 14 percent in the fourth quarter of 2006 versus a year ago.
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Construction Materials Prices Could Increase
The Associated Builders and Contractors have released news that the March Producer Price Index indicates that prices for many construction materials could continue to climb in coming months. This index was released by the US Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics. Supply disruptions coupled with strong global demand are not expected to allow for a significant decline in most material prices over the next term.
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Green Demand Exceeds Supply
Green building and remodeling is one corner of the marketplace where demand is riding higher than the available supply. According to a National Association of Home Builders teleconference, there is a strong sentiment among consumers that there are not enough green builders. Energy-efficiency is now a primary concern of housing consumers. Prospective buyers are hearing about green homes mostly by word of mouth and from television shows.
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Energy-Efficiency Leads to Tax Breaks
Through recently extended provisions in the Energy Policy Act of 2005, home builders, commercial builders and commercial building owners can lower their energy costs and their federal tax liability by construction highly efficient properties and making energy-saving improvements to existing buildings, according to the Tax Incentives Assistance Project. TIAP is designed to give consumers and businesses information on federal income tax incentives for energy-efficient products and technologies.
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U.S. March Housing Starts Rise
Housing starts in the US rose for a second month in March, bolstering expectations that the worst housing slump in 15 years may be easing. This was an increase of 0.8 percent form February, according to the Commerce Department. Building permits, a sign of future construction, also rose 0.8 percent. Unusually warm temperatures last month encouraged builders to start work on more homes. The Federal Reserve predicts the economy will pick up in the course of the year as the drag from housing diminishes.
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University Corners incentives OK'd
University Corners will move ahead with the assurance of receiving up to $98 million in property tax reimbursements from Gainesville and Alachua County following a decision Monday reaffirming commitment to the project where Gainesville city commissioners re-approved the incentive package after noting the commitment the city had made to developers. The Community Redevelopment Agency first voted to give the eight-story project the same incentives package in 2005. But when developers submitted new plans for the project earlier this year that trimmed the amount of retail space and added residential units, city officials asked that developers resubmit an application for incentives to ensure commissioners still approved.
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State OKs E-One Cash Incentive to Keep Company in Marion County
State lawmakers on Monday approved $5 million to keep firetruck manufacturer Emergency One's operations in Marion County, which does not mean a deal is done, but it is a strong indication that negotiations are close to an agreement that would keep the company in Marion County. The incentive approval means the location of E-One's new factory, as well as its 1,282 jobs, is squarely in the hands of Federal Signal Corp., E-One's parent company.
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Church's Development Proposal Raises Concerns
A plan for a new mixed-use development by The Rock Church drew concern from residents and county officials regarding traffic and the environment. Part of the property has an old-growth forest, strategic ecosystems, unique geological features, wetlands and other areas that could be degraded by the development proposal. The Alachua County Planning Commission's Growth Management Department will recommend approval of zoning changes needed for the development if certain conditions are met. It wants to build a new church, seminary and subdivision with 500 residences and shops on 160 acres off Newberry Road west of 98th Street.
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AGC Report Cites Ways to Reduce Air Emissions
The Associated General Contractors of America released the findings of a joint study with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) focused on low-cost ways to reduce air emissions from non-road construction equipment. The report, released just prior to Earth Day on April 22, examines a variety of equipment operation and maintenance measures, fuel strategies and technologies that companies can employ. AGC collaborated with EPA's Sector Strategies Program and the Office of Transportation and Air Quality (OTAQ) to document the costs and benefits of the strategies and discuss practical implementation issues. The findings suggest that operating practices such as reduced idling, improved preventive maintenance and operator training will produce both business and environmental benefits.
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Small Businesses Need Affordable Health Care
Associated Builders and Contractors urged Congress to heed the growing call of small business owners nationwide for increased access to affordable, quality health care for their employees and employees' families. ABC encouraged lawmakers to consider the enormous contribution small businesses make to the nation. A 2006 report by the Commonwealth Fund found that employees in the nation's smallest firms pay, on average, 18 percent more in health insurance premiums for the same benefits than those in larger firms. ABC wants Congress to make health care a top priority.
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Opportunities Exist Outside of the U.S.
Samuel Zell, Real Estate Investment Trust Symposium keynote speaker, predicted that the real estate market will likely remain strong until early 2009, but the greatest financial opportunities lie outside of the United States. According to Zell, the US is becoming increasingly limited and niche-based. His company, Equity Group Investments Llc, has found success looking for opportunities outside of the US, which he says is the most competitive environment in the world.
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2008 Awards of Excellence Applications Available
The National Commercial Builders Council is accepting applications for its 2008 Awards of Excellence program, which recognizes achievements in the national commercial building industry for design, market appeal, energy efficiency, challenges faced during building and overall success of projects. The deadline for entries is August 1. One or several projects may be entered into the competition. Winners will receive a public announcement at the National Association of Home Builders' International Builders' Show, a desk obelisk and a photo on display at the Builders' Show.
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| Current Issues |
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Residential April 2007
Commercial April 2007
HOME: Living in the Heart of Florida
Coming Soon
Fall 2007
For more information,
Please contact
Scott Costello |
If you are interested in joining the BANCF and taking advantage of these great opportunities,
Please visit
www.bancf.com |
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