Archive for the ‘Return Of Investment’ Category
Posted on July 29, 2009 - by admin
Free Car With Purchase of Solar Condo?
In Asheville, North Carolina, where a disheveled real estate market has million-dollar homes sitting on the curb like abandoned pets, a local development company is trying to attract a new generation of “green” home buyers to a 13-story building with solar on the roof and a free subcompact in every garage.
The proposed 10-condominium development, at 73 N. Market Street, will sell units for a hefty $2.1 to $2.6 million and occupy a 40- by 70-foot lot in the heart of downtown. The building will compete quite favorably with adjacent structures in terms of height, and definitely outrank them in luxury. The theme, up but not out, is the new definition of sustainability in a world whose land is being increasingly given over to housing rising populations and increasing food production.
The clincher, however, may be a fuel-efficient Smart Fortwo, a rear-engine two-seater car that gets an average of 50 miles per gallon. Manufactured by Smart, a division of Daimler AG Company, the Fortwo, distributed in the United States and Puerto Rico by smart USA, a division of Penske Automotive Group, is part of the sales package, and promises to entice buyers looking for green options in housing.
The development awaits only buyers. A developer building a nearby condo at 60 North Market questions if there is even a market for such green luxury, given today’s strained economy. The units, which would be about 2,300 square feet, one on each floor of the building, cost $1,000 per square foot compared to a current average of $115 per square foot in the prestigious Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill area known as the Triangle, about 450 miles to the east.
The condos will offer “…luxury living in downtown Ashville, but in an innovative and eco-friendly way,” Says Jeremy Goldstein, a local real estate broker. The condos will also offer a “living roof” on half the building, as well as water conserving fixtures, energy-efficient appliances and automatic lighting and shading systems to conserve electricity and cooling needs.
Other features of the building include a first-floor commercial mall, a second-floor exercise room with an endless lap pool, spa, and guest rooms for visitors. At the top of the building, in the half not designated as living-roof status, a lounge and garden will offer residents their very own oasis in the center of the city.
The two-level, underground garage will be designed exclusively to accommodate the Smart Fortwo, and will be the first facility would be the first of its kind in the U.S. designed only for one model of car. Larger vehicles will not fit, and this might be the first drawback, as U.S. and foreign car manufacturers develop more and more efficient cars on the scale of the family-sized American sedan.
The second drawback might be its location. It will occupy an area described as “mostly brick buildings given over to law offices and subsidized housing”, a venue that may not be rescued by the building’s green status.
We’re all in favor of solar power. We even like the idea of gentrification, but the whole concept behind these condos seems a splendid idea put forward at the worst possible time, in the worst possible area, and sounds increasingly like a Herbert Hoover election promise which offered “a chicken in every pot and a new car in every garage”. After which the United States went into the Great Depression.
The proposed 10-condominium development, at 73 N. Market Street, will sell units for a hefty $2.1 to $2.6 million and occupy a 40- by 70-foot lot in the heart of downtown. The building will compete quite favorably with adjacent structures in terms of height, and definitely outrank them in luxury. The theme, up but not out, is the new definition of sustainability in a world whose land is being increasingly given over to housing rising populations and increasing food production.
The clincher, however, may be a fuel-efficient Smart Fortwo, a rear-engine two-seater car that gets an average of 50 miles per gallon. Manufactured by Smart, a division of Daimler AG Company, the Fortwo, distributed in the United States and Puerto Rico by smart USA, a division of Penske Automotive Group, is part of the sales package, and promises to entice buyers looking for green options in housing.
The development awaits only buyers. A developer building a nearby condo at 60 North Market questions if there is even a market for such green luxury, given today’s strained economy. The units, which would be about 2,300 square feet, one on each floor of the building, cost $1,000 per square foot compared to a current average of $115 per square foot in the prestigious Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill area known as the Triangle, about 450 miles to the east.
The condos will offer “…luxury living in downtown Ashville, but in an innovative and eco-friendly way,” Says Jeremy Goldstein, a local real estate broker. The condos will also offer a “living roof” on half the building, as well as water conserving fixtures, energy-efficient appliances and automatic lighting and shading systems to conserve electricity and cooling needs.
Other features of the building include a first-floor commercial mall, a second-floor exercise room with an endless lap pool, spa, and guest rooms for visitors. At the top of the building, in the half not designated as living-roof status, a lounge and garden will offer residents their very own oasis in the center of the city.
The two-level, underground garage will be designed exclusively to accommodate the Smart Fortwo, and will be the first facility would be the first of its kind in the U.S. designed only for one model of car. Larger vehicles will not fit, and this might be the first drawback, as U.S. and foreign car manufacturers develop more and more efficient cars on the scale of the family-sized American sedan.
The second drawback might be its location. It will occupy an area described as “mostly brick buildings given over to law offices and subsidized housing”, a venue that may not be rescued by the building’s green status.
We’re all in favor of solar power. We even like the idea of gentrification, but the whole concept behind these condos seems a splendid idea put forward at the worst possible time, in the worst possible area, and sounds increasingly like a Herbert Hoover election promise which offered “a chicken in every pot and a new car in every garage”. After which the United States went into the Great Depression.
Free Books
These 2 books are jam-packed with critical information you don't want to miss out on if you'd like to reduce your bills or do your part for the environment.
Normally these 2 books sell for $27 each. Enter your first name and email address below and we'll send them to you, totally free. We're good like that :p
-
