Building for Boomers & Beyond Hits Windy City
Make your plans to attend Building for Boomers & Beyond: Seniors Housing Symposium 2004 to be held April 14-16 at the Hyatt Regency Chicago. Sign up today for the premier education and networking event for industry professionals who serve the 50+ housing market. Register by Monday, March 29, to take advantage of the early bird discount!

For newcomers to the seniors housing industry, Building for Boomers & Beyond is the place to learn more about the lifestyle component of 50+ seniors housing. Explore the mindset of boomers and older consumers, their quest to live life to the fullest, and their demand for homes and communities that satisfy their diverse needs. Also, find out how to size up local market demand, increase referrals through customer satisfaction, plan public relations and special events, and much more. Choose from 19 different education sessions, with separate tracks for design, finance, marketing and sales, and research and trends.

Those who have attended past symposiums in Phoenix, Orlando, and Indian Wells, CA, wlll find an all-new multifamily track for builders and developers of condominums, townhomes, and rental communities for seniors. Sessions with a multifamily focus include:

• Design Trends in Multifamily Rental Active Adult Communities: Regional Differences and Similarities
• How Dollars Drive Affordable Deals
• Multifamily Zoning: The New Freedom to Create Tomorrow's Seniors Housing
• New Directions for For-Sale Active Adult Multifamily Design
• And much more!

Listen to nationally recognized speakers and experts in the seniors housing field. The keynote speaker is Rob George of the famed Ritz-Carlton Leadership Center in Atlanta. Jon Fels of  Avatar Properties in Orlando, will headline the Icons of the Industry Awards breakfast. Other highlights include an active adult community tour, an exhibit area with the hottest products tailored to 50+ consumers, networking events, and more.

Check out the Building for Boomers & Beyond brochure for a description of sessions, activities, and special events. Register online today to reserve your spot and enjoy the early bird registration fee. Seniors Housing Council members receive an additional discount, and there is a price break for spouses or additional attendees from the same company. Also, make your hotel reservations by March 24 to take advantage of the special guest room rate. Contact the Hyatt Regency Chicago at 800-233-1234 for more information.

E-mail NAHB's University of Housing, Office of the Registrar, or call 800-368-5242 x8338 for more details.

NAHB, Seniors Housing Council Put On A Show At The 2004 International Builders' Show
For those of you who couldn't be there, you missed the biggest International Builders' Show ever — for NAHB and the Seniors Housing Council. The show attracted a record 104,000 attendees to the Las Vegas Convention Center. The Council's activities and events also were a big success.

Here are a few of the highlights:

• 2004 Best of Seniors Housing Design Awards Luncheon — The annual awards luncheon, held at Treasure Island Hotel, was a near-sellout. The Council presented  117 platinum, gold, and silver awards as well as seven special Jurors' Innovation Awards. Check out the press release and complete list of winners. Descriptions of the winning projects will be available online very soon.  
• Education sessions — The Council's 13 sessions were well-attended, including several that were standing-room-only. The Council plans to significantly expand its education offerings at the 2005 IBS in Orlando.
• "Meet the Experts" — This pilot program allowed IBS attendees to engage with industry veterans on topics such as design, land planning, marketing and sales, and seniors multifamily. Standing-room-only crowds packed the Council's hospitality suite for all five sessions. This popular program will return in 2005 — look for more sessions and a bigger venue.

The Council also took care of some official business in Las Vegas:.

• The Board of Trustees recognized the Seniors Housing Council of the HBA of Metro Denver and Seniors Housing Council of Central Washington as the seventh and eighth local Seniors Housing Councils. Special thanks to Larry Armstrong of Retirement Living Services in Denver, and Mike Elliott of Mike Elliott Construction in Yakima, WA, for their behind-the-scenes work.
• The Trustees also voted to expand the Best of Seniors Housing Design Awards program to include marketing categories in 2005 and selected Scottsdale, AZ, as the site for Building for Boomers & Beyond in 2006.  The 2005 Symposium will be in Chantilly, VA.
• The Trustees honored 2003 Chair Earl Armiger of Orchard Development Corp in Ellicott City, MD. It also welcomed 2004 Chair Bonnie Solomon of Delmar Gardens Enterprises in St. Louis. Bonnie is familiar with the job: she previously served as the council's chair in 1992.

Visit www.nahb.org/seniors and go to Seniors Housing Council Meeting Materials to view meeting minutes. Check out the complete list of Seniors Housing Council committees to find out more about the various committees. [return to top]

Are You Having Trouble With Your Local Planning Board?
If that's the case, the Seniors Housing Council has the answer to your problems. The Council, in conjunction with BuilderBooks.com, recently published “Approving Seniors Housing: Facts That Matter,” a series of studies designed to help seniors housing developers get their projects approved by illustrating how seniors housing projects will not adversely impact the surrounding community.

In today's climate, most zoning ordinances still do not recognize seniors housing as an allowable land use, so special exemptions or use permits are required. Developers also have to contend with stiff infrastructure requirements and high impact fees. Because seniors housing is a relatively new and rapidly evolving industry, little relevant information has been available.

“Approving Seniors Housing: Facts That Matter” includes vital statistics that can help you present a compelling case. Chapters cover topics such as education issues, planning for road improvements, parking standards, public safety services, water and sewer services, public parks and libraries, and local economic benefits of an active adult community.

For a limited time, NAHB Seniors Housing Council members can download the studies — an exclusive member benefit. The studies eventually will be available for sale to NAHB members for a fee. Click here to access the studies and print out your copy. Or e-mail Jeff Jenkins or call him at 800-368-5242 x8292 for more details. [return to top]

NAHB Launches New 50+ Senior Builder 20 Club
NAHB is seeking single-family and multifamily builders and developers who build for-sale and rental communities that cater to boomers, empty nesters, pre-retirees, active adults, and seniors. Architects and industry professionals involved in assisted living and other types of seniors housing are invited to join.

NAHB's 50+ Senior Builder 20 Club is open to CEOs, presidents, owners, principals, and partners in companies involved in the seniors housing industry. Members will be grouped with other industry leaders from non-competing markets whose companies are similar in size and operations. They will meet privately to exchange ideas and develop business, strategic, and marketing plans that position their companies for success.

Becoming a member of a Builder 20 Club is a proven way to improve your operations and increase your bottom line. E-mail Kristin Peck or call her at 800-368-5242 x8105 for more details. [return to top]

Share Your Expertise At The 2005 International Builders' Show
Do you have an interesting topic in mind? Submit your proposal to be a speaker at the 2005 International Builders' Show to be held Jan. 13-16, 2005, at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando. NAHB's University of Housing is accepting requests for proposals (RFPs) through March 19. Visit www.nahbises.com to submit your proposal. All RFPs must be submitted online; no mailed, faxed, or hand-written RFPs will be accepted.

The Seniors Housing Council's Convention Education Committee is looking for programs on all seniors-related topics.  The Council is most interested in programs on:

• Small and midsize active adult developments
• Organizing your company for active adult or other seniors housing
• How seniors housing differs from regular developments
• Options marketing for active adults
• Changing trends in active adult design
• Managing buyer's expectations
• Economics of active adult developments
• Community center or club house design

If you plan to submit an RFP to NAHB's University of Housing, e-mail the proposal to Janice Coyle to verify it was received, or call 800-368-5242 x8386 for more information. [return to top]

Seniors Housing Council Member News

• Hunter Johnson, CEO of Long Beach, CA-based LINC Housing Corp., one of California's leading builders and managers of seniors and affordable housing, has been appointed to the board of directors of the Housing Partnership Network. The Housing Partnership Network is a national nonprofit organization that promotes the development and preservation of affordable housing. It works closely with business and government leaders to revitalize neighborhoods, develop and finance affordable rental housing, help lower-income families become homeowners, and provide vital social services.
• Del Webb, a brand of Pulte Homes, announced the opening of its second active adult community in Maryland, Carroll Vista by Del Webb in Taneytown, MD. An age-qualified community for ages 55 and older, Carroll Vista by Del Webb is located 10 miles from Gettysburg, PA, and an hour from Baltimore. It will feature approximately 395 single-family detached homes and attached villas with open floor plans; some include optional lofts.
• Burnside Homes, based in Downers Grove, IL, is launching Traditions — a community concept it has dubbed “the active adult alternative” — to extend its reach beyond Greater Chicago into the Midwest. The company will introduce its first three Traditions communities — Traditions at Olympia Fields in Olympia Fields, IL, Traditions at Glen Flora in Waukegan, IL, and Traditions at Fitchie Creek in Elgin, IL — in early 2004. Within the next decade, Burnside Homes expects to open six to 12 Traditions projects in the Chicago area and up to 20 in other markets.

If you've got a news item, e-mail Jeff Jenkins or call him at 800-368-5242 x8292. [return to top]

NAHB Sets Policy To Improve Low Income Housing Tax Credit
NAHB Multifamily's Housing Credit Group has advocated for some time that technical changes be made to the Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) program to improve its effectiveness and efficiency in meeting the nation's affordable housing needs. Building on housing credit industry discussions and recommendations of the Millennial Housing Commission, an HCG working group crafted a package of the most important improvements. Some, but not all, were already NAHB policy, but NAHB's Board of Directors codified the remaining items during the recent board meeting. NAHB improvements call for:

• Fixing tax credit percentages at 4% and 9% instead of the current floating percentages pegged to interest rates.
• Making the 10% carry-forward requirement incontestable once a building has been placed in service.
• Allowing separate ownership of housing credit units and market-rate units in mixed-income properties.
• For projects financed with tax-exempt bonds, conforming the next-available unit rule to the LIHTC rules instead of the tax-exempt bond rules.

The complete list of proposed program improvements is available on HGC's Web page. Or e-mail Greg Brown or call him at 800-368-5242 x8207 for more information. [return to top]

General Liability Insurance And Other NAHB headlines
Addressing the general liability insurance crisis continues to be a high priority for NAHB this year. During NAHB's Board of Directors meeting in Las Vegas, GLI Task Force Chair Mike Sivage presented his group's final report and recommendations, including news of a promising new partnership with insurance services from Marsh USA. Beginning with a survey of select NAHB members to gather essential information, Marsh will help NAHB develop new insurance products for the exclusive use and benefit of NAHB members.

It is critical that those who received the Marsh survey promptly and clearly complete the form and send it in as instructed. The sooner NAHB has the information, the quicker it can develop a solution to this ongoing crisis.

E-mail Mary DiCrescenzo at 800-368-5242 x8250 or David Jaffe at 800-368-5242 x8317 for more details.

Other headlines include:

• Mississippi builder Bobby Rayburn was elected NAHB president during the 2004 International Builders' Show. A former president of his local and state HBAs, Rayburn is dedicated to expanding housing options for America's working class. Learn more about Rayburn and his 2004 agenda in this press release.
• The increasing popularity of condominiums is expected to continue in the coming year, driving construction starts of for-sale multifamily units to highs not seen in more than a decade, according to David Seiders, NAHB's chief economist. Seiders added that condos represented more than a quarter of all multifamily development started in 2003 — similar to the 1987 and 1993 booms in condo construction. See the press release for more details.
• Want to know what's hot in homebuilding for 2004? NAHB's "Housing Facts, Figures, and Trends 2004" is a free 50-page resource of information on single-family and multifamily real estate. From the top markets, to economic data, to in-demand design trends, this report is your one-stop primer for the coming year. Read more about this project here and download your own copy today!

Member Advantage: Save 15% At NEBS on First-Time Purchases & Future Orders
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To order online and for details on more than a dozen other money-saving Member Advantage discount programs click here, or visit http://memberadvantage.nahb.org. 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]

Contact Seniors Housing e/Source
Have an interesting idea for an upcoming issue of Seniors Housing e/Source? Please send us company news, interesting articles, or tell us what you'd like to see in your monthly newsletter. Feel free to contact me:

Seniors' Housing e/Source

c/o Jeff Jenkins

NAHB Seniors Housing Council

1201 15th St., NW

Washington, DC 20005-2800

jjenkins@nahb.com

800-368-5242 x8292

202-266-8195 (fax) [return to top]