A Sustainable Core

In a state where suburban sprawl and gated housing developments are more common than traditional neighborhood developments, Port St. Lucie, Fla.-based Core Communities has designed a master-planned community where connectivity and walkability are paramount.

A Shore Bet

Before New York’s Hamptons attracted wealthy homeowners and chic celebs, Long Branch, N.J., ranked as one of the country’s premier summer resorts with five miles of Jersey shoreline. Seven U.S. presidents vacationed there and attended services at an 1879 Episcopal church, which became known in their honor as the Church of the Presidents. Winslow Homer depicted its beach in his art.

Five Keys to Success

From the early 1900s to 1970, the brick building at 601 E. Pratt St. was a power plant fueling Charm City’s streetcar system. Today, electricity is no longer produced in the building, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t a hub for commerce. A Hard Rock Café and Barnes and Noble sit on the first floor, drawing office workers and visitors to Baltimore. But it’s on three floors upstairs where the real money is made. That’s home to the Cordish Cos.

by Les Shaver

Hurricane Proof: Gulf Coast Developers Look for Ways to Shore Up Their Properties from Stormy Weather

Charley, Frances, Jeanne, Ivan, Katrina, and Rita. Famous siblings? Well, they are related in a sense. They are the series of hurricanes that pummeled the Gulf Coast between 2004 and 2005, leaving thousands homeless and causing millions of dollars in damage. The devastation of Hurricane Katrina alone—the costliest and deadliest of all the storms—was enough to convince developer Jim Hayes to follow a different model with his new residential property, Audubon Village, along the Texas coast.

Developers dig deep to transform brownfield sites into vibrant properties

Even the most seasoned of developers can be scared of brownfield sites. Why? They know cleaning up the contaminants and debris on the grounds of an abandoned manufacturing site or vacant gas station is the easy part of the redevelopment process. It’s what’s underneath that poses the greatest threats.