Every two weeks, you will receive this e-mail with timely information about the building industry locally, statewide and nationally, that we hope will help you in your day-to-day, business practices. If you have input on how to make our E-News Briefs more effective for your needs, please do not hesitate to contact either Publisher Scott Costello at (352) 372-5854 or scott@buildingedgemag.com or Editor David Greenberg at (352) 331-4516 or david@greenbergcommunications.com. For advertising opportunities in the E-News Briefs, contact Scott Costello.
As you have probably heard, the issue of Impact Fees has reared its ugly head again in Alachua County. Behind the misnomer that our roads need to be fixed and new growth needs to pay for it, fees are expected to go up by unspeakable numbers. Forget the fact that impact fees don't even go to existing roads. Think for a minute about the number of businesses that will not come to Gainesville or homeowners who will not be able to afford housing due to these increases. I urge you to start now campaigning to your commissioner and getting the true message out before it is too late! |
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www.BuildingEdgeMagazine.com
The March issue of Building Edge Magazine is available online today. It features K&R Construction, and the National Focus Section is on the latest trends in windows. You should expect to receive this issue the 3rd week of March.
The April issue of Building Edge is in production. It features the builders of the Spring Parade of Homes™. This is the bonus distribution issue, with extra copies being mailed to the participating builders and delivered around Gainesville and Ocala. The National Feature is on Kitchens: Appliances, cabinets, sinks, faucets, lighting and countertops.
Coming up in Building Edge:
May issue: Cover feature is: The Ransome Group
National feature is: Outdoor Living: landscaping, outdoor lighting, outdoor kitchens, fireplaces. The deadline for participation is Thursday, March 29th. Please contact Scott today if you are interested in participating.
On the cover of our current commercial Building Edge issue is Ocala's Brian Ehlers Construction Co., Inc. Starting from a base of office building construction, Ehlers has now successfully branched out to larger commercial projects.
Our spring Commercial Building Edge issue, which is now in production, will feature Gainesville's BBI Construction Management, Inc. The national feature is on Surfaces. Coming up in Commercial Building Edge:
Summer 2007 issue: Cover feature is on Gray Construction Services. Sales open up on this issue Wednesday, March 14th. The National Feature is on Structural Support Systems.
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Hurricane Testing on Homes May Be Coming to UF
Entire houses would be built and subjected to winds more powerful than the strongest gusts recorded during Hurricane Andrew in a one-of-a-kind testing center the University of Florida hopes to bring to Gainesville. The university is now pursuing a grant from the Institute for Business and Home Safety, an insurance industry research association, to partially fund a $15 million center that Gainesville officials say could provide an economic boost to the area.Click Here
SpringHills Controversy Continues Alachua County and the developers of SpringHills could not come to an agreement over roads and other issues, so county officials will recommend the County Commission in May deny proposed changes to nearly double the retail space in the planned project. The primary issue remains road upgrades that would be needed to handle the traffic created by the changes sought at SpringHills, a development of regional impact at Interstate 75 and NW 39th Avenue.Click Here
Development Planned Around Ironwood
A 500-acre active adult community with more than 1,000 homes could surround Gainesville's municipal Ironwood Golf Course under a plan that city planners say would be the largest development on the east side. The project, which does not yet have a name, would be an age-restricted community designed for households with at least one member 55-years-old or older, said Rob Simensky, manager of East Gainesville Development Partners.Click Here
Public Vote Proposed on Newberry Village Newberry Village is a proposal for 900 residences, 240,000 square feet of retail and 27,000 square feet of office space on Newberry Road at Fort Clarke Boulevard. The Alachua County Commission voted for a comprehensive plan amendment that would allow the development. However, a sizable number of nearby residents or those who must travel on Newberry Road oppose the project. Developers will provide shuttle service to The Oaks Mall at peak times to ease traffic impacts. Riders can take Gainesville Regional Transit System buses to work or campus from the mall. Meanwhile, the state departments of Community Affairs and Transportation have concerns because of the potential traffic impacts.
MCBA's Parade of Homes™ will be held from April 28 to May 13. There will be more information in future issues of the E-News Briefs.
MCBA Calendar of Events
Click Here>>
North Central Florida Home Show
The North Central Florida Home Show has been set for March 10-11 at the University of Florida's O'Connell Center. The home and garden show will feature exhibit booths, seminars and a farmer's market. It is sponsored by The Builders Association of North Central Florida and the Gainesville Sun.
Click Here>>
BANCF Spring Parade of Homes™
BANCF's Spring Parade of Homes™ will start April 21, and run until April 29. We will have more information in future issues of the E-News Briefs.
BANCF Calendar of Events
Click Here>>
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Seventy-five years after their father founded the company that became Florida Rock Industries Inc., the Baker brothers who now run the business didn't take it lightly when Vulcan Materials Co. offered to buy it. But Vulcan's $4.6 billion buyout of Jacksonville-based Florida Rock, announced earlier this week, was an offer that the Bakers couldn't refuse.Click Here
Insurers Sued
Three large insurers underpaid homeowners for roof damage from storms and failed to factor in the cost of building permits for major repairs, three lawsuits filed in Florida allege. The lawsuits, filed in three different Florida courts, named Allstate Floridian Insurance Co., Citizens Property Insurance Corp. and State Farm Florida Insurance Co. as defendants.
BUILD Molding New Leaders The Building University for Individual Leadership Development (BUILD) program began molding tomorrow's leaders this past week in Tallahassee. The two-day campaign is intended to build the skills necessary for men and women to lead in all areas of life. BUILD was created by a task force chaired by Florida Home Builders Association president, John Wiseman. Subjects covered in the two-day session include economics, state government, Florida politics, advocacy and more.Click Here
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Economic Growth to Slow Restrained by a worse-than-expected slump in housing, the economy will grow at the slowest pace in five years in 2007, leading economic forecasters say. They predict consumers will get a break on inflation from falling energy prices. The survey of 47 top forecasters, released earlier by the National Association for Business Economics, found a greater expected impact from the ailing housing market this year than did the previous forecast in November. Stronger consumer spending will help offset the housing drag, according to the survey. The panel predicted that the overall economy will grow by 2.7 percent this year. It would be slowest annual increase in the gross domestic product since a 1.6 percent rise in 2002, when the economy was pulling out of the last recession. In 2006, the GDP rose by 3.4 percent.Click Here
Home Changes to Come More Quickly The pace of change in the American home is expected to accelerate dramatically in the next several years, according to 60 NAHB interviews with some 500 architects, designers, manufacturers and marketing experts asking them about what they expect to be prevalent in average and upscale homes in 2015. The high cost of housing has forced consumers to start making trade-offs, and higher quality is trumping additional space. The new single-family homes that were completed during the first three quarters of last year had floor areas averaging 2,459 square-feet, he said, up from about 1,500 square feet in 1973.Click Here
Remodelers Changing Name
The NAHB Remodelors™ Council has changed its name to the NAHB Remodelers in order to broaden industry and consumer recognition of the services its membership provides. The name change took effect at the 2007 NAHB Winter Board of Directors Meeting in Orlando. The name change is also expected to spur more remodelers to join NAHB and local HBAs. Click Here
Housing Starts Down in January
Total housing starts declined 14.3% in January as builders worked own their inventories of unsold homes, according to the Commerce Department. This is 37.8% below the January, 2006 pace. Home sales stabilized late last year, but the overhang of unsold housing inventory is still heavy. Therefore, builders have been cutting back on starting new units to bring supply and demand back into balance. Click Here |
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AGC to Host Gainesville Conference The Associated General Contractors of America Leadership in Construction Workshop will be held at the Hilton Conference Center at the University of Florida., March 10 to 13. Attendance is open to all individuals in the construction industry. The workshop will help enhance individual skills, and classes are taught by successful construction company leaders. Click Here
AGC Member Testifies About TransporationAssociated General Contractors of America member James D. Waltze recently testified before the National Surface Transportation Policy and Revenue Study Commission to express the construction industry's interest to create a system to address the problem of the nation's aging transportation infrastructure. The aging system requires maintenance, reconstruction and expansion, and the funding is not in place to help. He used the traffic movement in California as an example of concerns facing the entire country.Click Here
| The National Association of Women in Construction (NAWIC) will be celebrating the 10th anniversary of Women in Construction (WIC) Week March 4-10. WIC Week is a national event designed to increase the visibility of women working in the construction industry. Click Here |
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If you are interested in joining the BANCF and taking advantage of these great opportunities,
Please visit
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