May 2009 Vol. 7, No. 5
The May 2009 issue of New England Condominium magazine focuses on Community Building & Amenities.
In this issue, you can read about new urbanism, community building events and building community through communication.
Visit our archives to see other articles that were published in 2009.
News Briefs
- 06.11.09 Condominium owners are fighting to keep their trash removal service, which may be taken away. A revised agreement between Westbrook, Maine, and Casella Waste Systems to implement an automated trash and recycling program in the city proposes to remove the service altogether for hundreds of apartments and condos. [keepMEcurrent.com]
- 06.03.09 Developers converting apartments into condos in Portland, Maine, would pay thousands in new fees to the city under a proposal being prepared by a City Council committee. The fee would be 1 percent of the sale price the first time each condominium is purchased – $2,000 for a condo unit that sells for $200,000, for instance. [Portland Press Herald]
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05.31.09 River views, granite countertops, stainless-steel appliances, 9-foot ceilings. This is student housing? When classes start in the fall — if all goes as planned — some 300 students at Johnson & Wales University in Providence, RI, will be living in Capitol Cove, an upscale condominium project languishing on the market for more than six months. [Worcester Telegram]
- 05.23.09 Condominiums are becoming more difficult to purchase and refinance as lenders increase fees and tighten regulations to offset what they say is the higher risk of lending to buyers of condos as compared with buyers of single-family homes. [Boston Globe]
- 04.07.09 The Planning Board in Wilbraham, Mass., has issued a decision lifting the 55 and older age restriction on a condominium project approved in 2006. [Springfield Republican]
Featured Articles
Reaching Out
One irony of modern life is that being in close proximity to your neighbors doesn’t necessarily make you closer to your neighbors. Often people live near each other and don’t know each other well. At best, people might know just a handful of neighbors in their community. Many of us lead hectic lives, and justify our lack of community involvement by saying we just have too little time.Lack of time is an issue, no doubt about it, but residents can be persuaded to get involved, says Michael R. Pierson, an award-winning property manager and author of “Taking Control, Time Management and Communication Tools for Community Association Management.” Read More
Shoestring Socials
Americans today are working harder and spending more time on the job these days. And when they finally arrive home at night, they tend to turn on their computers, iPods or televisions as their primary source of entertainment. In fact, a study by the Entertainment Software Association found that 67 percent of American heads of households now play computer and video games.That type of “recreation,” however, doesn’t exactly build a sense of community among neighbors. Faced with that reality, homeowner associations must be more innovative and persuasive than ever if they hope to get residents off the couch, out the front door and participating in association events. Read More
What's Old is New
Condominium managers, boards and residents have long known the benefits of clustered housing. They know first-hand what it is like to live in a community with others. They've been able to enjoy the smaller ecological footprint of higher density living. And where amenities like parks, grocery stores, and post offices are nearby, condominium residents have embraced being able to walk much of the time. Read More
