COLUMBUS, IN – Herman & Kittle Properties announced the opening of Ashford Park Apartments, a groundbreaking new apartment development in downtown Columbus, Indiana. Ashford Park is currently taking applications for its 209 apartment homes.
Ashford Park is a new development conveniently located in downtown Columbus just north of 10th Street. Its 209 apartments feature one-bedroom apartments at 705 square feet, two-bedroom apartments at 1,020 square feet, and three-bedroom apartments at 1,334 square feet. Both the two- and three-bedroom apartments feature two bathrooms, and they offer spacious walk-in closets in addition to new appliances and a patio or balcony.
The entire project was completed in 2019 and offers both market rate and affordable apartments. Its location is conveniently near the public bus routes offered by Columbus Transit and is just a few blocks north of the Columbus Cummins Engine Plant. This offers convenience to both work and leisure opportunities for residents.
In terms of nearby opportunities for shopping and dining, Honest Oaks Mall is located nearby with dozens of retails options. The property is also located near Central Middle School and Columbus North High School.
Ashford Park offers a wealth of amenities such as two fitness centers, an on-site library, a fully equipped business center, theater, billiard/game room, pet spa, car wash station and a baja shelf pool. Residents can also delight in a wealth of opportunities for recreation in the community, as Columbus is well known for its modern architecture and public art. In 2004 it was named as one of “The Ten Most Playful Towns” by Nick Jr. Family Magazine.
Columbus, Indiana is a growing city of just over 47,000 residents and is located in southern Indiana near one of the state’s most well loved state parks. Brown County State Park, located just 22 miles west of the city, offers natural beauty and a wide variety of outdoor recreational activities.
Columbus is a city known for its modern architecture and public art. J. Irwin Miller, 2nd CEO and a nephew of a co-founder of Cummins Inc., the Columbus-headquartered diesel engine manufacturer, instituted a program in which the Cummins Foundation paid the architects’ fees, provided the client selected a firm from a list compiled by the foundation. The plot was initiated with public schools and was so successful that the foundation chose to offer such design support to other non-profit and civic organizations.
The city also has a number of public parks available for recreational activities. The city features 23 parks with over 1,000 acres of public lands. There are also 23 miles of maintained trails within the city.
The city is also located roughly one hour from Indianapolis via Interstate 65 and 45 minutes from Bloomington and Indiana University. Interstate 65 offers simple access to both Indianapolis and Louisville, and both cities offer international airports with numerous destinations worldwide each day.

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HAMILTON, NJ – According to Dodge Data & Analytics, total construction starts in the final month of 2019 dropped 21% from the previous month to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $800.4 billion. The sharp decline was largely a response to hefty gains posted in November s utility and manufacturing sectors. When removing the influence of these two very volatile sectors, total construction starts only fell 3% in December. By major sector, nonresidential building starts fell 20% in December, while nonbuilding starts dropped 41%, and residential starts lost 4% over the month.
The pullback in December pushed the Dodge Index down to 169 (2000=100) compared to the 213 posted in November, and just below the 12-month average of 174.
For the full year, total construction starts were essentially flat when compared to 2018 at $817.6 billion. In 2019, nonbuilding starts gained 7% due to large gains in utility starts, while nonresidential starts fell 1% and residential starts declined 3%. Removing the massive 112% gain in utility starts from the total would result in total construction declining 3% from the previous year.
Last year (2019) will go down as one of the most volatile years for monthly construction starts due the lumpy nature of large projects, stated Richard Branch, Chief Economist of Dodge Data & Analytics. Looking beyond the influence of these massive projects, it is evident that the uncertainty surrounding trade policy weighed on construction activity last year.
Nonbuilding construction fell 41% in December to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $171.4 billion following an extremely strong November, which saw the start of several large projects. The only category to post a gain in December was environmental public works, which increased 1%. Starts of electric utility/gas plants fell 76%, while highway and bridge starts fell 18% and miscellaneous nonbuilding starts dropped 17% from November to December.
The largest nonbuilding construction project to break ground in December was the $900 million Sagamore Wind Farm project in Roosevelt County NM. Also starting in December was the $400 million Deuel Harvest Wind Farm in Clear Lake SD and a $400 million extension of US 401 to I-40 in Raleigh NC.
For the full year of 2019, nonbuilding construction rose 7% thanks to a 112% gain in the electric utility/gas plant category. When removing that category from total nonbuilding, starts were down 8% for year. Environmental public works gained 4% in 2019, while miscellaneous nonbuilding fell 19%. Highway and bridge starts were down 8% for year.
Nonresidential building dropped 20% from November to December to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $289.5 billion. The main reason for the decline in December was a 93% decline in manufacturing after a large petrochemical plant broke ground in November. Institutional starts rose 6% over the month fueled by gains in healthcare and recreation. Commercial starts rose 5% in December due to solid gains in warehouses and parking structures.
The largest nonresidential building project to break ground in December was the $712 million National Geospatial Agency Headquarters in Saint Louis MO. Also breaking ground in December was a $570 million medical center renovation in Bethesda MD and a $400 million consolidated rental car facility at Newark International Airport.
For the full year, nonresidential building starts fell 1%. Commercial building starts rose 6% last year due to gains in warehouses and offices, while institutional starts fell 5% with activity in all major categories seeing a pull back. Manufacturing starts fell 15% in 2019.
Residential buildings starts fell 4% in December to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $339.5 billion. During the month single family starts lost 7%, while multifamily posted a tepid 1% gain from November.
The largest multifamily structure to break ground during the month was the $470 million 1000 Michigan South Loop Condo Tower in Chicago IL. Also starting in December was the $215 million Koula Mixed-Use Tower in Honolulu HI and the $170 million Alta Xmbly Block 23 facility in Somerville MA.
For the full year, residential starts were 3% lower than in 2018. Single family starts finished 2019 down 1%, while multifamily starts lost 7% for the year.

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FEDERAL WAY, WA – San Diego-based S. Lew & Associates and investors have bought the 401-unit Avery at the Reserve apartment community from The ConAm Group of San Diego for $90 million. The acquisition strengthens the company s presence in the Pacific Northwest, representing its fifth multi-family apartment community acquisition there and bringing its total units in the area to more than 1,200.
The community, located at 125 SW Campus Drive near Interstate 5 at the midpoint of the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue MSA, is ideally situated to serve the area s robust technology and industry employment centers.
The 39.15-acre community situated in a lush forest-like setting features one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments, averaging 887 square feet, and extensive amenities that include two indoor pools, indoor spa, outdoor pool, clubhouse, fitness center and yoga studio, children s playground, dog run and business center.
The deal was brokered by David Young, Corey Max and Chris Ross of JLL.
Avery at the Reserve will be energized and rebranded as Encore Apartment Homes, said Stephen Lew, president of S. Lew & Associates, Inc. Our acquisition reflects our belief that this region will continue its tremendous growth in economic potential and superior job growth. We believe Encore will enhance the performance of our existing portfolio in the region and will result in strong returns for our investors.
Lew added, Residents will also benefit from our hands-on approach and our association with Epic Asset Management of Seattle, a full-service property management company with over 50 years of success attributed to attention to details that drives client growth in value and an exceptional level of care for its residents.
Lew & Associates, Inc. is a privately held real estate investment firm with an emphasis on stable, income-producing multifamily apartment communities and commercial real estate assets, focusing on Southern California and the Pacific Northwest. Since 1978, S. Lew has successfully invested in real estate assets valued in excess of $1 billion with $600 million in current assets under management.

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