Archive for September, 2009
The churn over at mega-landlord CitiApartments— they’ve lost dozens of properties to banks now— is turning out to be a gold mine for property owners who have wanted in on more of the market but have been shut out in recent years. According to the SFBT some 30 of the properties that CitiApartments once owned (and had to give up to their lenders) have now been sold at a discount of 25 to 40 percent of what they were bought for. And thus heralds the birth of the baby Citis… [SFBT, via SocketSite]
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The Ferry Building has become a shining example of successful adaptive reuse ever since it was turned into a bustling foodie marketplace, but the vast gray space behind it is said to reflect San Francisco’s ongoing challenge in reengaging its waterfront. As part of the Architecture and the City Festival, GOOD magazine hosted a powwow last night where they stuck city groups and idealistic designers together in a room to see if intractable problems could be solved in a couple hours. Easy peasy, right? The proposal above, for a flexible and greened space behind the Ferry Building, is inspired by ancient Greek agoras and is the brainchild of Surfacedesign, Inc.
Mobile, collapsing kiosks would bring vendors in to keep the space active during off-market days, and large planters with trees and “floating gardens” would tickle the water’s edge. When brought up to discuss the design, a partner from Ferry Building developers Wilson Meany Sullivan wasn’t so sure about the viability of the floating gardens, but he raved about everything else: the mobile kiosks ensure the space can be kept open for other uses, while the trees bring life to the water’s edge without impeding views of the bay— not to mention add more space for sitting (or making out, as the case may be).
While the designs were all purely a collective exercise in the so-called power of “design,” above design included, GOOD magazine notes that some of their forced collaborations down in L.A. have unexpectedly begun to bear fruit.
Lenders are ramping up efforts to avoid home foreclosures, but a report by bank regulators says more than half of borrowers who get help fall behind again.
U.S. mortgage applications fell last week despite the lowest loan rates in four months, the Mortgage Bankers Association said.
A four-bedroom house on a golf course in Palm Springs, Calif., and homes in Lumberville, Pa., and Tarpley, Tex.