Latest news with #apartmentcomplex
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Developer seeks flexibility for design of affordable housing project
Jun. 8—ROCHESTER — A Santa Monica, California, developer is seeking support for deviating from Rochester development code standards to construct a 149-unit apartment complex along Fourth Street Southeast, just east of the Bear Creek Bridge. Lincoln Avenue Communities is proposing a 360-foot-long building, with a decreased rear setback along the river trail south of the site. The proposal exceeds length standards by 60 feet. "The length of this new building should not have any adverse impact on any abutting lots," Scott England, a principal with Minneapolis-based DJR Architecture, stated in a letter with Lincoln Avenue. "The building's length is broken up by multiple vertical architectural components that visually provide for pleasing visual breaks in the façade." Staff from the Rochester Community Development department are supporting the request, pointing to the ability to add downtown-adjacent parking with infill development across five lots, as well as efforts to provide an active use for the site that sits on a transit corridor. "The applicant has worked closely with city teammates to ensure compliance with the unified development code and district design standards," Rochester planner Elliot Mohler stated in a report to the Planning and Zoning Commission. "This includes street activation strategies such as benches, raised planters, additional plantings and bike parking." Lincoln Avenue Communities, which specializes in constructing and managing housing with rents below market rate, plans to lease apartments at rates considered affordable for households earning 60% of the area median income. "For a single parent with a few kids, this equates to $60,000 to $70,000 per year for income to qualify for housing, so it really is true workforce housing," Sarah Robbins, an associate with Lincoln Avenue Communities, told neighbors in April during a required informational meeting. Current state guidelines would cap potential rents at nearly $1,700 for a two-bedroom apartment under the tax credit program Lincoln Avenue seeks to utilize. The project is slated to feature 41 one-bedroom apartments, 77 two-bedroom units and 31 three-bedroom apartments, as well as one level of underground parking. While a site consolidation and a development plan for the project remain under review, the Planning and Zoning Commission will be asked to determine whether the construction variance will be allowed. Before making a decision, a public hearing on the issue will be held during the commission's meeting at 5 p.m. Wednesday in council chambers of the city-county Government Center. If development plans are approved, the apartment complex could be added to more than 150 Lincoln Avenue Communities properties throughout the nation. Company Vice President James Riley said the goal for the company's first Rochester project is to start construction in early 2026, if required development and financing approvals are obtained. Meetings scheduled to be held during the week of June 9 include: Rochester —City Council study session, 3:30 p.m. Monday in council chambers of the city-county Government Center, 151 Fourth St. SE. The meeting will livestream at and be available on Spectrum cable channel 180 or 188. —Police Policy Oversight Commission, 3:30 p.m. Tuesday in room 164B of the Development Services and Infrastructure Center, 4001 West River Parkway NW. —Sustainability and Resiliency Commission, 4:30 p.m. Wednesday in room 104 of City Hall, 201 Fourth St. SE. —Planning and Zoning Commission, 5 p.m. Wednesday in council chambers of the Government Center. —Citizens Advisory on Transit, 4:30 p.m. Thursday in room 104 of City Hall. Olmsted County —Housing and Redevelopment Authority, 4 p.m. Thursday in board chambers of the Government Center. Rochester Public Schools —School Board study session, 5:30 p.m. Tuesday in the boardroom of the Edison Building, 615 Seventh St. SW.
BBC News
31-05-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Plans to turn old Gateshead police station into flats
A former police station that has stood empty for years could be turned into building on Sunderland Road in Felling, Gateshead, stopped being used as a police station in 1999. Planning documents showed it was later used as a youth probation centre and a school, but had been empty for more than five Leo Investments has applied to Gateshead Council to turn it into an apartment complex with 15 flats. Planning documents said the project would give "a diverse group of people" the chance to rent an affordable property in the area and bring the building back into use.A previous application was submitted and approved in 2018 to turn the former station into an aparthotel, reports the Local Democracy Reporting Service. Follow BBC North East on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram.
CBC
28-05-2025
- General
- CBC
Housing N.W.T. and N.W.T. Disabilities Council part ways on accessible apartment complex
For five years, the two organizations had been working together to build an apartment complex in Yellowknife specifically for people with disabilities. The project now won't be proceeding.
Daily Mail
22-05-2025
- General
- Daily Mail
Woman sparks debate over 'dramatic' handwritten note about her 'noisy' neighbour's 'frightening' kids
A woman has sparked a heated debate over a 'polite' yet 'dramatic' handwritten note she penned for her 'noisy' upstairs neighbours who recently moved in with two young kids in tow. The woman and her husband have lived on the ground floor of the apartment complex for more than four years. Things started to change when a new family moved into the unit on the second floor above them, with the kids 'screeching, yelling and crying'. However, the woman took particular issue with the 'disruptive and sometimes frightening' youngsters, who were constantly running and jumping, causing her ceilings and thin walls to shake. She decided to write a letter to her neighbours, and return the toys she found on her patio after they were thrown from their balcony during playtime. 'Is this an okay note to leave for the noisy upstairs neighbours?' she asked the internet in a Reddit thread. The note in question goes: 'Hi neighbours, welcome to the apartment complex. We live below you and think your kids' toys keep falling off the balcony and the landscapers put them on our patio thinking they are ours, so we wanted to return them to you. 'We were also hoping that you could please try to keep the kids' running and jumping indoors to a minimum, especially in the mornings. 'We know little ones have a lot of energy and unfortunately the floors and ceilings of these apartments are almost as thin as the walls, but the running and jumping shakes our ceiling and walls a lot and is very disruptive and sometimes frightening. We'd really appreciate it. 'We'll keep an eye out for any more toys and bring them back as we can :) Thanks so much, your downstairs neighbours.' She hasn't plucked the courage to leave the note at her neighbour's front door just yet, but wanted to gauge everyone's thoughts on how to handle the situation. 'I know it's an inherent risk in first floor units that you'll hear noise from above, but the kids run and jump indoors almost all day and into the evening,' she said. 'We can deal with their screech, yells and crying but our ceiling and walls shake with how loud and hard the kids run and jump around their apartment all day and it's very disruptive and jarring. 'They also throw their toys off the their balcony where they also play. I'm glad they get to play outside on the balcony but the landscapers think the toys that appear outside our unit belong to us and put them on our patio when the grass gets mowed.' The woman explained that she 'didn't expect anything to change' but she just wanted to 'politely bring awareness to the issue'. 'If the parents choose to address it, we'll appreciate it immensely,' she said. 'We don't mind the yelling and screaming and crying, those are things that kids can't control because they don't have control of their emotions which we totally understand. We wear earplugs at night and throw headphones on for that reason.' The woman, believed to be a renter, said she's considering asking management to move to her to an upper-level apartment as soon as one becomes available. 'We actually love living here so hopefully they can accommodate us because we don't want to and can't leave anyway,' she said. 'We're maybe financially in a position that we can take a more expensive unit, even. But otherwise, we are stuck here.' Her post was met with more than 700 comments - with many suggesting they thought there was nothing wrong with the woman's letter. 'Perfectly polite but I doubt it'll change anything. Kids are gonna yell and scream,' one said. 'Your note is extremely polite and understanding. I know that with apartment living, you have to expect some level of noise, but if your neighbours are decent people, they'll make an effort to be accommodating. For example, my upstairs neighbors have a shared space they use a lot, and every now and then when it gets too loud, I'll gently knock on the ceiling - and it usually quiets down right away,' another shared. Some people suggested she rethink some of her wording - particularly the word 'frightening'. 'Especially the word "frightening". As a parent, it is a VERY loaded word... It's one thing to be mindful of your neighbours, and it's another thing to be terrified of them,' one said '"Startling" might be better than "frightening"?' one shared. However, many defended the woman's letter, with one saying: 'But what if it actually is frightening? I've had upstairs neighbour's kids knock my mounted photos off the wall and scare the bajesus out of me at 7pm before they slammed and jumped around so hard. I'm not sure there's a better word than what it actually is sometimes.' Meanwhile, one person recounted their own experience of attempting to 'respectfully approach' a situation with a disruptive neighbour. 'In my experience a polite note didn't work well, and a polite personal follow up visit, was even worse,' one shared. 'I really doubt people are unaware that they are making noise and causing vibrations (as it also happens in my building), they know and don't care so any politeness is futile in my experience, sadly. 'People love to claim "community" but are so entitled and have individualistic rotten mentality. Currently living with three college kids above me that share a two bedroom apartment. New to renting, I'm sure and very unaware that 2:30am is not a normal time to work out and constantly drop dumbbells on my ceiling.'
Daily Mail
18-05-2025
- Business
- Daily Mail
20,000 crammed into 'mega-town' apartment complex where residents need never venture outside
A mega Chinese hotel built for globe-trotting entrepreneurs has become a city within a city for 20,000 permanent residents. The enormous S-shaped apartment complex in Qianjiang Century City sprawls over 39 floors and has everything found in a typical town - from supermarkets to swimming pools. Comprising 5,000 individual suites, the snaking building covers several city blocks and accommodates everyone from laborers renting windowless boxes to large apartments with balconies and city views appealing to the middle classes. SCROLL DOWN FOR VIDEO The Regent International Apartment Complex is designed to be its own mega-town, stuffed with so many amenities that, theoretically, a resident need never step foot outside. Want to provide for your family? Get a job in one of the countless shops that exist to serve. Want to get some exercise? Go to one of the many gyms and swimming pools inside? Need some food? There are dozens of supermarkets inside to do your weekly grocery run. The building was designed in 2013 by celebrated architect Alicia Loo as a six-star luxury hotel designed to serve the wealthy businesspeople flying in and out of the city. Visitors can still see these influences, with the lobby being supported by thick marble colonnades and lit up by intricate chandeliers. The complex was later repurposed as an extensive housing block for the ordinary person. As a result, it became much more purpose-focused, and integrated spaces including schools, hospitals, supermarkets and gyms, with the aim of creating an entirely self-sufficient space for its residents. Prices vary massively. The cheapest units are windowless boxes in the center that can be rented for just 1,500 Chinese yuan ($200) per month, while the largest properties, which each have their own balconies and city views, can be rented for 4,000 Chinese yuan ($550). Residents can easily go from one side to the other without ever leaving the building, meaning that anyone who wants to change up their routine only needs to go left instead of right to go to a completely different part of the building. The building draws energy from solar panels, and is able to recycle rainwater and graywater to reduce the impact it has on the planet. It also has sophisticated heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems to limit energy usage. On top of this, it is considered incredibly safe given that it is covered by an extensive CCTV camera network and employs a complex biometric access control system. But having the watchful eye of the Chinese state forever scrutinizing you and your family raises serious questions about how good living in the city-building would be. There is also little to no real privacy, with neighbors on all sides and CCTV cameras on every corner. On top of this, the high density of people would likely lead to high noise pollution, which studies have repeatedly shown is linked to poor quality of life. And there's the question of how to deal with such a stratified class system, with high earners in massive flats and panoramic views of the city living so close to people with few prospects in a small, windowless box. Though Alicia Loo's vision of the enormous building was to foster a sense of community between the 20,000 people who live there, perhaps by keeping everyone together, she has unintentionally made it harder for the residents of the Regent to connect with each other.
