TAMPA, FL – ZOM Florida and Northwestern Mutual will commence construction on SEAZEN, a 323-unit multifamily apartment community located on the island of Rocky Point, just off the coast of mainland Tampa.

The Rocky Point site, currently home to a Chart House restaurant, boasts over 750 linear feet of direct waterfront, maximizing breathtaking views of the water from the thoughtfully configured three- and six-tale building layout. Construction will start in August this year.

“We are excited to partner again with Northwestern Mutual on a high quality project in Florida,” said Greg West, ZOM’s Chief Development Officer. “The Rocky Point site is unmatched in terms of waterfront location, amenities and convenient proximity to employment.”

John Jacobs, Director of Field Production for Northwestern Real Estate Investments, LLC, added, “The moment I saw the site, I knew it was something very special. There is nothing like it on the west coast of Florida. Nearly 85% of the units have views of the expansive Tampa Bay. As I had hoped, ZOM has done a terrific job in designing a community that matches up perfectly with the site, giving it that upscale and contemporary feel while still fitting in with its surroundings. We are most excited about this exceptional opportunity with ZOM.”

Seazen is conveniently located to major employment centers and enjoys brilliant linkages to a vast array of shopping, dining, cultural and entertainment venues, as well as connectivity to major transportation networks. Seazen is expected to be completed Summer 2018, with pre-leasing starting in late 2017.

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ATLANTA, GA – Federal Capital Partners is making its first multifamily investment in Atlanta, GA with the recapitalization of two apartment communities totaling 369 units in strong submarkets of Atlanta, GA. Magnolia at Whitlock, with 152 units, is located in Marietta, GA, and The Clarion, with 217 units, is in Decatur, GA. FCP is investing in the two communities through a joint venture with Virginia Beach based real estate investment firm, FortCap Partners.

FCP’s investment in the Atlanta communities comes after an active year expanding into multiple southeastern markets, including Orlando, Tampa and Nashville, and in conjunction with an increasing presence in the Raleigh-Durham, Charlotte and Charleston markets.

“Following the plotted renovations, Magnolia at Whitlock and The Clarion will both be extremely well positioned to have an enhanced appeal to residents in their respective submarkets,” said FCP Sr. Vice President, Bryan Kane. “These communities fit nicely within FCP’s portfolio. We look forward to working with FortCap to reposition the communities and maximize their operations.”

The Clarion is positioned within the densely populated Decatur submarket near the Avondale MARTA station, Emory University, the Centers for Disease Control and other major employers. The community is surrounded by established residential neighborhoods and is proximate to downtown Decatur, Midtown and Buckhead. The Clarion will receive unit renovations along with improvements to the common areas and community amenities.

Magnolia at Whitlock is one of the most affordable rental communities in Marietta, a submarket that has experienced strong rental rate appreciation as well as a reduction in the number of workforce housing communities. The property consists predominantly of two and three bedroom units with in-unit washers and dryers and spacious floor plans. Magnolia at Whitlock, built in the 1970’s, will receive improvements to common areas, landscaping and amenities. The community is proximate to leading employers, Lockheed Martin and Dobbins Air Force Base and is within simple reach of the new SunTrust Park and historic downtown Marietta.

Joint venture equity was arranged by Mike Ryan and Telly Fathaly of Cushman & Wakefield’s Atlanta-based Equity, Debt and Structured Finance team.

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LOS ANGELES, CA – Kermit the Frog was incorrect. It really is simple to be green! But it’s vital to first know what being “green” really means.

Most people reckon of energy efficiency, recycling and drought-tolerant landscaping and believe that LEED Certification, or one of the other rating systems, is the stamp of approval for inclusion of all of those things and more. But, you may not realize that you can be certified without doing any of those things. In California, if you just meet the minimum building code requirements and go through the cost of having a third-party verification, nearly every single new development could be LEED Certified.

Probably the most vital step to getting certified is first selecting a site that meets all of the prerequisites of the rating system, but more importantly, this can place you well on your way to getting to one of the higher rating levels.

Primera Terra and Skylar’s location in Playa Vista in Los Angeles County helped the builder, KB Home, achieve a LEED Platinum rating, the highest rating the USGBC has. But even more than that, Primera Terra was named the 2011 LEED for Homes Multifamily Project of the Year and Skylar achieved an astounding 95 points when all that is needed for Platinum is 80.

It takes an experienced design team who understands sustainability and a developer who embraces it like KB. The development and design team also has to be willing to control their construction waste and monitor the carbon footprint of the materials they use, both in the manufacturing and delivery of the products, along with numerous other things.

The first ABC Green Home was designed to demonstrate how the homebuilding industry could build a single-family home that was “Affordable, Buildable and Certifiable”… ABC. The design started with some low-tech thoughts like simply using 2×6 studs in the exterior walls. By going to 24” spacing, eliminating the double plate and using drywall clips at the corners, we were able to double the insulation value of the exterior walls while at the same time really using less wood product than conventional 2×4 construction. That’s just one example of how you can be green and a huge part of what allowed the ABC Green Home to attain the highest certification from all six major rating services.

There’s a bit of a difference between what the value of being certified or green means between a rental property and one that’s for sale. The energy and water efficiency mean a lot more to a buyer than a renter. In fact, I believe that a Home Energy Rating System (HERS) index is more import there than any LEED or other certification. It’s like looking at the window sticker on a car and knowing what your expected gas mileage will be.

On the rental side, many equity investors, especially the Dutch and Chinese, require LEED Certification; but, my feeling is that the renter really doesn’t care about certifications. If there are two competing properties with similar rents and amenities, then certification may be a differentiator.

One final thought I want to leave with you is how you can make those Millennials buy into being green. Nearly every one of them grew up with a PlayStation, Wii or some other gaming platform, so what you need to do is make energy conservation a video game! In the property lobby you need to place a dedicated video monitor that displays the consumption of electricity, gas and water, or whichever of those you have and can monitor, but in this case low score wins. You would be amazed how green these Super Mario and World of Warcraft veterans can be!

Article By: Manny Gonzalez, FAIA, LEED AP and principal is the senior partner with international award-winning KTGY Architecture + Plotting. He is based in Los Angeles and can be reached at (310) 394-2623 or mgonzalez@ktgy.com.

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