Be recognized for your innovative designs
by entering the 2004 Best of Seniors Housing Design Awards competition. The NAHB Seniors Housing Council announces Call for Entries for its annual awards program, which honors architectural and interior designs that have brought quality, innovation, and spirit to the mature housing industry.

Now in its 13th year, the awards program is open to project owners, builders, developers, remodelers, operators, architects, land planners, interior designers, and marketing/advertising firms who serve the growing 50+ market. Winning a Best of Seniors Housing Design Award will give your company the opportunity to promote your community as "the best of the best" in the industry.

The Seniors Housing Council will present gold and silver awards to current and "on the boards" projects in 66 different categories, including active adult housing, continuing care retirement communities, assisted living, special needs housing, renovated seniors housing and newly expanded categories such as seniors multifamily and aging-in-place design. Deadline for entries is Oct. 10.

View the Call for Entries brochure for a complete list of categories and criteria. Find out more about the Best of Seniors Housing Design Awards program, including the 2003 winners, or check out NAHB's press release.

For additional details, contact Eucklan Matthews at 800-368-5242 x8220 or ematthews@nahb.com, or visit www.nahb.org/seniorsdesignawards.

Del Webb boomer report challenges conventional wisdom
about the relocation plans of the country's largest generation once they retire. According to the annual Boomer Report, a national opinion survey by Pulte Homes' Del Webb brand, a whopping 59% of people surveyed said they would move into a new home once they retire. Amazingly, 31% said they would move more than a three-hour drive from their current home. The results are a huge departure from Del Webb's 1999 boomer survey, which revealed that only 31% of the respondents, ages 48 to 52 at the time, planned to relocate after they retired.

As for where boomers will move, the two warm-weather states of Florida and Arizona continued to top the list at 21% and 18%, respectively. The other states mentioned were North Carolina and South Carolina (both 10%), Tennessee (9%), and Colorado, Texas, and Virginia (each 7%). Del Webb also asked boomers if moving into an active adult community was an option, and 7% of the respondents noted they would consider relocating to an age-restricted 55+ community upon retirement.

In terms of what features active adults want in their communities, respondents mentioned:

• Low-maintenance homes and aesthetic appeal/cleanliness (77%)
• Community security/safety (74%)
• Healthcare availability (73%)
• Recreational amenities (62%)

Click here to view a full copy of the Boomer Report, or check out the press release for the survey highlights. [return to top]

SHC 2003 Membership Directory is now available
on NAHB's Web site, www.nahb.org. The online directory includes a current list of all active Seniors Housing Council members as well as contact information for all SHC staff, the 2003 SHC Board of Trustees, an overview of Council products and services, and a summary of SHC committees.

In addition to an alphabetical listing, SHC members are categorized by state and speciality, with separate categories for active adult and service-enriched. Other specialities include architect, builder, developer, finance, interior design, market research, marketing, sales, and others. This information is a valuable tool for networking and to expand your circle of business contacts.

To access the directory, NAHB members can log in to www.nahb.org using their www.nahb.net username and password. Just to go to www.nahb.org, click on the blue “Member Log In” button, and enter your username and password. Once logged in, you will be prompted to change your username to a current e-mail address. There also is a tool for first-time users. Call 800-368-5242 x0 or e-mail login@nahb.org for details.

By getting an NAHB username and password, you can access members-only resources such as Seniors Housing Council meeting minutes, upcoming activities, and exclusive information and research. [return to top]

Register now for the 2003 Fall Board of Directors Meeting
to be held Sept. 17-21 at the Boston Marriott Copley Place and Westin Hotel Copley Place in Boston, MA. The Fall Board of Directors Meeting, one of NAHB's tri-annual meetings, is expected to attract more than 2,000 members of NAHB's Board of Directors from across the country. Register online today or make your hotel and travel plans. Or sign up for educational programs offered by NAHB's University of Housing.

NAHB Seniors Housing Council members are invited to attend committee meetings and special events. Click here for a complete Fall Board schedule and scroll down to Seniors Housing Council.

Council members are invited to attend the Leadership Dinner from 6:30-9:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 18, at the Harvard University Club. Reservations are required, and seating is limited to the first 50 who sign up. Contact Eucklan Matthews at 800-368-5242 x8220 or ematthews@nahb.com to make your reservation. [return to top]

Michigan city promotes accessible housing
by becoming the first community to enact a cash incentive program. In early June, the city council of Escanaba, MI, unanimimously approved an ordinance to encourage home builders to build more visitable homes.

Visitability Ordinance No. 1024 implements a voluntary compliance policy that rewards local builders who include design features that promote greater access for people with physical disabilties in new single-family homes. Builders who incorporate features such as wider doorways, ramps, and no-step entrances can receive a $150 cash rebate once the city completes a compliance inspection. Click here for more details on Escanaba's decision.

In other seniors housing news across the country:

• The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has commissed three papers on demographic trends important to housing in order to better understand how these trends will shape housing supply and demand over the coming decade. The third paper, to be written by former Census Bureau Director Martha Farnsworth Riche, will address the nation's aging population, the growing prevalance of minority households, and the effect these trends will have on demand. More details will be available at a later date. Visit www.huduser.org for other news from HUD.
• A new Web site has been launched that enables retirees to compare taxes by state. With many states looking to raise taxes to narrow their increasing budget deficits, older Americans are paying closer attention to how much of their retirement income will be lost to taxes. Many seniors, including those on fixed incomes, prefer to retire to a state with a low tax burden. The Retirement Living Information Center's new Web site, www.RetirementLiving.com, includes information about taxes for every state, such as income tax rates, exemptions for seniors, and how retirement income and property are taxed. It also reports on taxes on military retirement pay, as well as inheritance and estate taxes. 
• Elders who were living at a skilled nursing facility moved into the nation's first Green Houses in Tupelo, MS, earlier this year. Green Houses are based on The Greenhouse Project™, a new model for long-term care in America that borrows from The Eden Alternative™ and focuses on improving the quality of life of frail elders. These Green Houses are small 10-person group homes that use a social and habilitative model of care and empower staff to better serve older people who need higher care. The first four of 12 Green Houses filled up quickly, and staff reported a number of successes in the lives of their residents: several wheelchair-bound residents were able to navigate homes without their chairs; and seniors' appetites increased and their spirits lifted. Other Green Houses are planned in Utica, NY, Portage, MI, and Lincoln, NE. Visit www.thegreenhouseproject.org for more details.

Hear from affordable housing experts and industry leaders
at the “The Tax Man Cometh: A Summit on Local Tax Assessments of LIHTC Properties,” sponsored by NAHB Multifamily Housing Credit Group. The event will take place from 9:15 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 17, at the John Hancock Conference Center in Boston, prior to NAHB's Fall Board of Directors Meeting.

As 40 of 50 states face budget deficits, state and local governments are searching for review from any possible source — including affordable housing. NAHB's Multifamily Housing Credit Group and its program partners, the National Housing & Rehabilitation Association and Texas Credit Advisor, will bring together leaders in the Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) community to discuss the impact of aggressive local tax assessments on affordable rental housing.

Other topics will include valuation of LIHTC properties vs. market-rate properties, the politics of property tax assessment, and state and local efforts to protect affordable housing. This forum is a must for Seniors Housing Council members who do tax-credit housing. Click here for more information or register online. [return to top]

A significant court ruling on Fair Housing accessibility
supports NAHB's stance on the enforceability of HUD's guidelines and the position that "accessible" entrances to apartments do not have to be deemed as "primary." In Fair Housing Council v. Olde St. Andrews, the Federal District Court for Western Kentucky determined that HUD's guidelines are in fact not binding. Regarding compliance isssues, the court maintained that the real question should be whether "the units and common areas as designed are reasonably accessible and useable for most handicapped persons." These decisions mirror arguments outlined by NAHB in a separate but similar ongoing case. The court also specifically allowed that a garage entrance can serve as the accessible entrance to a dwelling if it meets applicable requirements. The court's decisions are good news for builders and architects currently engaged in litigation over accessibility issues, especially those who are building or designing seniors housing. Contact Bruce Lundegren at blundegren@nahb.com or 800-368-5242 x8305. [return to top]

Nominate your community service project
for the Home Builders Care Award. The National Housing Endowment and NAHB will present the National Housing Endowment/Home Builders Care Project of the Year Award to recognize an outstanding home builders association or member community service project. The deadline to submit projects entries is Oct. 15.

This is the final year for the Home Builders Care award program, which honors the industry's commitment to the community. The winner will receive recognition at the 2004 International Builders' Show, a plaque, and a $5,000 check to be donated to a charity of the winner's choice.

Projects will be evaluated on whether they provided a needed service in the community; effectively promoted the goal of providing safe, decent, affordable housing; succeeded in motivating NAHB members or company staff to participate; had a positive impact on the beneficiaries; was creative; met project goals; and whether it is sustainable in the future. To be eligible, projects must have been started or completed between Jan. 1 and Oct. 15, 2003.

Download entry guidelines and the official entry form or contact Kimberly Wilbur at 800-368-5242 x8132 or Kym Kilbourne at x8447 for more information. [return to top]

Member Advantage: Save $500 on Mobile Offices
With 90 locations in North America and more than 50 years of experience, Williams Scotsman has a money-saving plan specifically designed for NAHB members that offers up to one month's free rent. When you sign up, your seventh month is FREE — a maximum value of $500. Williams Scotsman offers a full line of temporary-space products and accessories, including sales office and centers, construction trailers, mobile offices, storage products, and floor plans and specifications.

For more information, call 800-782-1500 today. Identify yourself as an NAHB member. To order online and to view details on more than a dozen other money-saving Member Advantage discount programs, click here, or send a blank e-mail to membersavings@nahb.com.

Go to www.nahb.org to explore the numerous advantages associated with membership in your local, state, and national home builders association. [return to top]