Apartment Look

The continued discussion of housing issues in St. Helena raises the question of how to successfully develop and manage affordable housing in a community the size of our beautiful city. The family housing at the Stonebridge Apartments , located at 990 College Ave., is a proven example of how to create a sustainable community of children, parents and seniors. The Stonebridge Housing Tax Credit property is a type of regulated affordable housing serving low - and very-low- income households on fixed, i.e. Social Security, or lower incomes between 50 percent and not to exceed 60 percent of the Napa County area median income (AMI). For example, a family of four with an income below $51,650 per year would qualify for the program. Monthly rents are charged accordingly at the 50 percent or 60 percent AMI levels . The current rent schedule is the following: • A one-bedroom unit at 50 percent AMI is $420, or $768 at 60 percent; • Two-bedroom unit, $469 to $918; • Three-bedroom unit, $514 ...

ALLENTOWN — Talen Energy will vacate The Plaza at PPL Center in downtown Allentown early next year and move its employees into cheaper office space just blocks away on Hamilton Street, saving the company millions but leaving its landmark headquarters building mired in foreclosure and facing an uncertain future. Talen spokesman Todd Martin , responding to a request by The Morning Call, said Tuesday that the energy company has made a “five-year commitment” to rent two floors of the soon-to-be-opened Tower 6 at Sixth and Hamilton streets. The move will take effect in the second quarter of 2018, coinciding with the end of Talen’s lease at PPL Plaza at 835 W. Hamilton St. “We’re pleased to be able to maintain our historic roots in downtown Allentown ,” Martin said. “We see this decision as beneficial to our business, our employees and the Greater Lehigh Valley , especially to others in the business community in downtown Allentown .” Tower 6, owned by City Center Investment Corp ., is in...

Council Member Laurie Cumbo (@cmlauriecumbo) Hundreds of Crown Heights residents and community activists laughed and jeered at a recent community forum as a lanky man wearing a paper mask of Mayor Bill de Blasio joked about bringing affordable housing to their neighborhood. The event was punctuated by moments of levity but mostly dominated by anger from residents who feel their elected representatives have sold out their interests to the real estate industry , with a focus on the proposed redevelopment of the vacant Bedford Union Armory . The de Blasio administration , with a developer, is proposing a combination of affordable and market rate rental apartments , condominium units, and recreation space for the massive site. City Council Member Laurie Cumbo , who represents the district, did not attend the August 2 forum focused on the project -- she was just days from giving birth to a son -- and when representatives of her office tried to speak, they were shouted down. The ev...

(WSB photo: Tents and tiny houses at Camp Second Chance) By Tracy Record West Seattle Blog editor The Camp Second Chance residents who gathered Wednesday afternoon to hear from city reps and their future fiscal agent/operator had one main question: Will they be allowed to keep their self-imposed rules under new management – particularly, no drugs and alcohol? They did not get an immediate commitment from Sharon Lee of the Low- Income Housing Institute , which is expected to assume the city contract that is currently held by Patacara Community Services , withdrawing from its management of the city- sanctioned camp after questions about the status of privately donated money , as first reported here last Friday. At multiple times during Wednesday’s meeting, held under a canopy on the camp’s fenced site at the city-owned Myers Way Parcels , Lee said it was too soon for her to be able to say how things will work once her organization takes over, expected to happen at the start of Septe...

CLOSE Video and audio during the night of November 28, 2016. Angela Gosnell/News Sentinel Buy Photo Fire erupts on both side of Highway 441 near The Spur on Monday, Nov. 28, 2016. (Photo: Jessica Tezak, Special to the News Sentinel) Buy Photo The rain never came in time. Records released this week show authorities battling the deadly Sevier County wildfires looked to an expected downpour that came too late for salvation as crews struggled in a desperate tug-of-war with skyscraper-sized flames the night of Nov. 28, 2016. As the blaze approached the city limits, authorities knew the rain wouldn't arrive for another 12 hours. "Rain may not be in Gatlinburg until 4 a.m.," reads a 5:30 p.m. entry on notes kept by staff inside the incident command center . “Rain may not be in Gatlinburg until 4 a.m.” a 5:30 p.m. entry on notes kept by staff inside the incident command center Authorities didn't order a citywide evacuation for another three hours -- and had no effective wa...

This is Detroit, not Hobbiton. Just like the tiny homes of the hobbits in the "Lord of The Rings" series, the Cass Community Center Tiny Homes Project looks cute. But its small buildings house big hopes . Four years ago, Detroit became the biggest American city in history to file for bankruptcy, brought down by a snowballing financial crisis that followed huge layoffs at the city's major employers General Motors ( GM ) and Chrysler. Today, Detroit is in a period of economic recovery, yet many of its hardest hit residents still don't have adequate housing . The homeless population is around 2,000 and dwindling, according to city authorities. But uncertainty hangs over low-income earners, who struggle to keep up with the rising cost of living. "Purchase prices and rents are increasing faster than people's incomes," says Earl Poleski, executive director of the Michigan State Housing Development Authority . "That's a manifestation o...

fastest growing city ." src="src" /> Downtown revival: Eau Claire is now Wisconsin's second- fastest growing city . Andrea Paulseth /Volume One The small Wisconsin city is enjoying a cultural revival, thanks to its gorgeous setting, a few well-placed boosters, and a knack for smart development . Justin Green lived in Austin, Texas, most of his life. He opened a music studio there, got married, and had two kids. But by 2016, the 31-year-old felt it was time to leave behind the heat, crowds, and costs of the state’s fast-growing capital. He thought about Madison, Wisconsin, with its strong music scene . But bands kept telling Green to look further north, to Eau Claire. The town is known to indie music fans as the home of the Eaux Claires Music & Arts Festival, a two-day event co-founded and curated by singer- songwriter Justin Vernon of the band Bon Iver, who grew up there. So Green and his wife paid a visit. “We were just like, ‘Holy shit! This plac...