Yearly Archives: 2016

Nation’s Top Construction Official Says New Rule Allows Federal Officials to Punish Firms at Will and Impose Arbitrary Consequences, Making it Hard for Many Firms to Continue Federal Work The chief executive officer of the Associated General Contractors of America issued the following statement today in response to the release of a final federal regulation that would allow unelected federal officials to blacklist firms who run afoul of vague guidelines

Following is a statement from Sean Gallagher, vice president of state affairs at the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA), on the wide support of Amendment 4 by Florida voters

Labor Day signals the unofficial end to summer, and for many Michigan residents it is also the time when vacation homes are closed for the winter. Consumers Energy recommends several tips to help ensure these homes stay safe when unoccupied during the cold weather.

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) today awarded approximately $300 million more in grants under the Supportive Services for Veteran Families (SSVF) program to help thousands of very low-income Veteran families around the nation who are permanently housed or transitioning to permanent housing. The SSVF grant program provides access to crucial services to prevent homelessness for Veterans and their families.

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) today awarded approximately $300 million more in grants under the Supportive Services for Veteran Families (SSVF) program to help thousands of very low-income veteran families around the nation who are permanently housed or transitioning to permanent housing. The SSVF grant program provides access to crucial services to prevent homelessness for veterans and their families.

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Green Sports Alliance and National Institute of Building Sciences launched a survey today to get the input of sports venue owners and operators about their facilities’ energy and water usage. The purpose of this ground-breaking initiative is to identify opportunities to reduce energy and water use, save money and lead the way towards the possible development of a new ENERGY STAR® score and certification for stadiums and arenas

The Coalition for the Homeless released a policy brief today citing the lack of supportive housing in New York City as one of the primary drivers of the marked increase in homelessness among single adults. The report, “A Growing Crisis for Single Adults: Supportive Housing Placements Decline as Homelessness Among Single Adults Remains High,” says failure by the State government to move more quickly on creating the 20,000 supportive housing units promised by Governor Andrew Cuomo is his January 13th budget address is exacerbating the crisis.

On August 26, HUD published a notice in the Federal Register announcing the Fiscal Year (FY) 2017 Fair Market Rents (FMRs). FMRs are used to determine payment standards for a number of housing assistance programs, including the Housing Choice Voucher and the Project-Based Section 8 programs.

Buoyed by a steadily improving labor market and strong demand for multifamily housing, commercial real estate activity should remain on an upward trajectory, with a growing share of it is expected to be in smaller markets, according to the National Association of Realtors® quarterly commercial real estate forecast.

Informa Exhibitions U.S., Construction & Real Estate and USGBC are excited to announce singer/songwriter Aloe Blacc and alternative rock band X Ambassadors will perform an outdoor concert at the 2016 Greenbuild International Conference and Expo Celebration, held in conjunction with the Plenary, scheduled for Thursday, Oct. 6, 2016, from 6:30 p.m. to 11 p.m

A Consumers Energy meter reading supervisor has been recognized by the U.S. Defense Department for her willingness to accommodate an employee and National Guard reservist’s military training schedule.

Capital Impact Partners announced today that it provided $52.5 million in financing to projects delivering social impact for underserved communities across the U.S. during the first half of 2016. In particular, second–quarter loans increased 55 percent over the same quarter in 2015. These loans support projects that increase access to housing, health care and education for low-income communities while also creating hundreds of jobs.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development announced today that owners of privately owned apartment buildings under Section 8 contract can now offer Family Self-Sufficiency programs to the more than one million households living in their properties. HUD will now allow owners of multifamily properties to use funding from residual receipt accounts to hire service coordinators for their own Family Self-Sufficiency program.

The Securities and Exchange Commission today charged a California-based company and two executives with using baseless financial projections and other misleading statements to defraud investors in a venture to manufacture environmentally-friendly building materials.

Washington, D.C. – The District of Columbia Housing Finance Agency (DCHFA) has a new Chief Financial Officer (CFO), Yvette Downs. This week Downs began...

Buying a condominium may become easier in the near future, thanks to recent changes in the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) mortgage program. The new FHA mortgage rules, applying specifically to condominiums, became effective August, 2016 with the passage of Bill H.R. 3700.