American Building Atif Qadir

What does the housing crisis actually entail? To wrap up Season 3 of American Building, I’m joined by Keith Rand, Vice President at Mill Creek Residential, to discuss the main housing production issues Americans face today and different solutions to address them. We look at limitations with local and state government policy and unpack the proposed housing supply plan from the White House. 
In our conversation, Keith explains the root cause of the supply and demand imbalance in New York City. Between the exorbitant cost of land, insurance, and property taxes, the city that more than 8 million people call home is increasingly unaffordable and unsustainable. Keith breaks down a potential rezoning approach called “Own Your Air,” which promotes diverse housing stock and reinvestment into underserved neighborhoods. 
Keith shares his perspective on the most pressing issues we need to tackle when it comes to housing production and affordability, namely starting with local and state government policy. He highlights inefficiencies in large-scale tax credit programs and suggests ways to improve them. We also reflect on inspiring progress we've seen in state legislatures across the country, including California, Colorado, and Texas. 
About the Guest:
Keith Rand is Vice President at Mill Creek Residential, the 3rd largest residential rental development company in the country. Previously, he worked in senior roles at Stonehenge and Greystar. He began his career at Silverstein Properties and JP Morgan Chase. Keith is a graduate of Duke University, the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, and the Kennedy School at Harvard.

Topics Covered:
Shared housing challenges of rural and urban landscapes Highlights from Keith’s time working for the Bloomberg administrationHow the lack of standardization in real estate creates challenges in housing development Thoughtful ways to lower property taxes for rental housing in New York City Ideas for building out the Section 8 voucher program Approaching housing from an empathetic, holistic perspective 

Resources Mentioned: 
FACT SHEET: President Biden’s Budget Lowers Housing Costs and Expands Access to Affordable Rent and Home Ownership  Episode 62 with Melissa Román Burch Progress and Poverty by Henry George 

About Your Host: 
Atif Qadir is the Founder of Commonplace, a company dedicated to tackling one of the biggest barriers to more inclusive, affordable, and sustainable development: improving access to capital. Commonplace helps impact-driven developers and capital providers with shared values discover and connect with each other.

Connect with Keith Rand: 
Connect with Keith on LinkedIn

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Garden-style apartments offer residents the best of both worlds: green space and lower density living without the upkeep and price tag of a single-family home. In this episode, I trace back to the origins of garden-style apartments and highlight who lives in them now. I also revisit a conversation with developer Matt Giammanco of AvalonBay Communities to discuss Thanet Circle, a new multi-building garden-style apartment complex in Princeton, New Jersey.
Located in a suburban environment that is walkable, bikeable, and in need of rental housing, Matt shares how he and his team chose and developed this project. They saw the opportunity to redevelop a 1980s, vintage office building into a townhome neighborhood with a community clubhouse. Located on 15 acres of land, the four-story buildings are a secluded and quiet place for those looking for rental options in the Princeton area.  
We also dive into AvalonBay’s regional approach to development and how they use local, on-the-ground knowledge to ensure the successful completion of their projects. Listen in to learn how this project was financed, redeveloped, and to discuss the technology that is being used today in the development world. 
About the Guest:
Matt Giammanco is a Senior Director of Development at AvalonBay Communities. He previously worked at Goldman Sachs Real Estate Investment Group and began his career at Ernst and Young in their transactions real estate group. He is a graduate of Columbia Business School and Penn State.

Topics Covered:
Key characteristics of garden-style apartments The intersection of race, class, and garden-style apartments Examples of how garden-style apartments fill the gap between affordable and luxury housingWhy Princeton is a desirable town for development The benefits of public financing programs Affordable housing laws in New JerseyHow Thanet Circle was financed 

Resources Mentioned: 
Instead of a Balcony, How About a Garden Apartment? “The Suburbs” by Arcade Fire and the 2014 cover by Mr. Little Jeans on Spotify

About Your Host
Atif Qadir is the Founder of Commonplace, a company dedicated to tackling one of the biggest barriers to more inclusive, affordable, and sustainable development: improving access to capital. Commonplace helps impact-driven developers and capital providers with shared values discover and connect with each other.

Connect with Matt Giammanco
Connect with Matt Giammanco on LinkedInFollow AvalonBay Communities on LinkedInLearn more about AvalonBay Communities 

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Dorm life is a quintessential part of the American university experience, but that wasn’t always the case. In this episode, I outline the history of dormitories and share an edited version of my conversation with Arthi Krishnamoorthy, Senior Principal at TenBerke, to discuss the firm’s residential college project on the Princeton campus. 
After three years of attending Zoom school, college students are setting records for on-campus housing demand. Mixed with the ever-rising rent prices in college towns, many universities are reimagining the traditional dorm model to accommodate the crowds. 
Arthi is working closely with the stakeholders at Princeton to ensure the new multi-building dormitory complex enhances student well-being, integrates living environments, and fosters a sense of community and responsibility. 
Located strategically on the edge of campus in a woodland area, the two new residential colleges consist of eight new buildings that house approximately 1,000 students. Each building features a transparent base that encourages community involvement through visibility and encompasses a contemporary style to the rest of the campus. 
Princeton's ten-year plan aims to significantly increase the undergraduate student population as well as their living and dining hall options on campus. Arthi explains how symbolic and detailed architecture ensures that students will be overcome with a sense of discovery and community through this new endeavor. 
Note: New College East has since been renamed Yeh College since this episode was originally recorded.

About the Guest:
Arthi Krishnamoorthy is a Senior Principal at TenBerke, which is the new name of Deborah Berke Partners, the NYC-based design firm. Prior to Deborah Berke Partners, she worked at and started her career at Pelli Clarke & Partners. Arthi is a graduate of the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign and the University of Pennsylvania.

Topics Covered:
Historical dormitories associated with colonial collegesHow on-campus student housing has changed since the inception of dormitories The controversial trend of windowless dorm rooms Examples of universities that are exploring unconventional off-campus housing solutions How the undergraduate residential college system worksWayfinding and its importance on a college campusBuilding community and awareness on a campusHow to give students choice through architecture 

Resources Mentioned: 
The Dystopian Windowless Dormzilla Trend Continues 

About Your Host
Atif Qadir is the Founder of Commonplace, a company dedicated to tackling one of the biggest barriers to more inclusive, affordable, and sustainable development: improving access to capital. Commonplace helps impact-driven developers and capital providers with shared values discover and connect with each other.

Connect with Arthi Krishnamoorthy
Connect with Arthi Krishnamoorthy on LinkedInConnect with TenBerke on LinkedInLearn more about TenBerke

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Between the global financial crisis, tanking housing production, and rapid inflation, housing affordability for middle income workers has become increasingly out-of-reach. Workforce housing, a type of unregulated affordable housing, addresses the limitations that professionals like teachers, healthcare providers, and retail clerks are facing when it comes to owning a home. 
In this episode, I unpack the concept of workforce housing and revisit a conversation with Peter Brosens, founder of Stolar Capital, where we cover the details of Chatham on Main, his firm’s garden-style, multifamily complex in Chatham, New Jersey.

Located in an affluent town 45 minutes from Manhattan, Chatham on Main is a 118-unit property featuring one- and two-bedroom floor plans. The extensive renovations include roofing, shutters, lighting, and landscaping. 

Stolar Capital specializes in buying mixed-use or multifamily properties and repositioning them through asset management. Peter shares the challenges he faced starting out, which ultimately led him to specialize in this area. He also walks us through approval processes, why he prefers buying and fixing existing property, and the importance of relationships in real estate. 

About the Guest:
Peter Brosens is the founder of Stolar Capital, a real estate investment firm with offices in Hoboken and in Philadelphia. The firm's focus since 2012 has been on developing large mixed-use projects in transit-oriented downtown locations in New Jersey. In addition, he has raised a 10 million specialty financing fund to focus on investment in repositioning multi-family residential assets across the country. Prior to starting at Stolar Capital, Peter worked at the JBG companies in Washington, DC. He is a Columbia University alum.

Topics Covered:
What workforce housing is and who it serves Why the term ‘workforce housing’ is considered controversial Ways that Chatham on Main delivers a best-in-class living experience What goes into the development approval processThe metrics and criteria that Peter uses to determine which communities to invest in Key takeaways from the early days of Stolar Capital 

Resources Mentioned: 
Workforce housing and middle-income housing subsidies: A primer 

About Your Host
Atif Qadir is the Founder of Commonplace, a company dedicated to tackling one of the biggest barriers to more inclusive, affordable, and sustainable development: improving access to capital. Commonplace helps impact-driven developers and capital providers with shared values discover and connect with each other.

Connect with Peter Brosens
Connect with Peter Brosens on LinkedInFollow Stolar Capital on LinkedInLearn more about Stolar Capital

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You can’t have a conversation about affordable housing without acknowledging the impact of rent regulation. Also known as rent control, rent stabilization or rent limits, these coveted units offer occupants a sense of stability by guaranteeing their monthly rent payment won’t skyrocket year after year. So, why is regulated affordable housing so hard to come by? Developer Andrew Regenstreich has an idea. 
Andrew was the former Director of Real Estate and Economic Development of Housing and Neighborhood Development Services (HANDS). In this episode, I’m revisiting a conversation we had to discuss the agency’s affordable housing project at 523 Freeman Street in Orange, New Jersey. The site is a centrally-located mixed-use property with four stories. Perfect for young professionals, the building houses one and two-bedroom units with 1,500 square feet of commercial use on the ground floor, as well as access to public art and a rain garden. 

In this episode, Andrew and I discuss what affordability means, the funding involved, and what kind of timeline to expect when developing affordable housing. Andrew shares the team he put together for this project and how he makes sure that his buildings reflect the community around them and the people who live there. 

About the Guest:
Andrew Regenstreich is the former Director of Real Estate and Economic Development at Housing and Neighborhood Development Services (HANDS). HANDS is a developer of affordable housing in New Jersey. Andrew previously worked at New Jersey Community Capital. He's a graduate of NYU and Northeastern and while at NYU he had an opportunity to work at the Massachusetts legislature, the US Senate and the US State Department.

Topics Covered:
The difference between unregulated and regulated affordable housingWhy many developers are interested in the unregulated affordable housing marketWhat a Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) is and the role it plays in affordable housingChallenges of building in Orange, New JerseyWhy is affordable housing necessary? The difference between federal, state, and local funding for affordable housing  Different incentives for developing affordable housing 

Resources Mentioned: 
Multifamily Series: How Affordable Housing is Changing 

About Your Host
Atif Qadir is the Founder of Commonplace, a company dedicated to tackling one of the biggest barriers to more inclusive, affordable, and sustainable development: improving access to capital. Commonplace helps impact-driven developers and capital providers with shared values discover and connect with each other.

Connect with Andrew Regenstreich
Connect with Andrew Regenstreich on LinkedInFollow Housing and Neighborhood Development Services on LinkedInLearn more about Housing and Neighborhood Development Services

Follow Us: 
Grab our exclusive guide: How Eight Developers & Designers Are Responding to the Housing CrisisLearn...

As the old adage goes, a man's home is his castle. That doesn't mean that every home is a castle or a mansion, but in this day and age, it could very well be a McMansion. In this episode, I explore the history of mansions and how the style has been interpreted by millions of suburban homeowners. I also revisit a conversation I had with Kirk Mitchell of AKT Designs about his single-family home renovation in Englewood, New Jersey that exemplifies how to avoid tired McMansion tropes. 
In the suburbs of New York City, it’s common for developers to knock down existing properties and replace them with supersized homes. Instead, Kirk found a way to marry the client's desires, budget, and current design trends to create a modern ranch-style home. 

By adding a second kitchen, home gym, and billiards room, the house now strikes a balance between the client's request for a modern ski chalet and a bachelor pad. Kirk shares his step-by-step process for renovating this type of property, including coming up with floor plans, construction drawings, and interior design ideas. 

We also discuss the importance of having the right development team, using Pinterest to create mood boards and design ideas, and some of Kirk's other multi-family and commercial projects. 

About the Guest:
Kirk Mitchell is the Founder and Principal at AKT Designs, an architecture and interior design firm based in Bergen County, New Jersey. He focuses on residential projects across New York and New Jersey. He has particular expertise in combining historic details with modern technology, having completed over 80 townhouse projects at AKT Designs and previously as the Director of Design and Construction for a Dixon Advisory.

Topics Covered:
What is a mansion? Typical design elements of mansions and McMansions How the McMansion trend continues to affect suburban neighborhoods Insight into the community in and around Bergen CountyHow to add value to a property while honoring a client's desiresThe pros and cons of modernizing instead of rebuilding 

Resources Mentioned: 
Bad Manors by Kate Wagner Kate Wagner’s blog: McMansion Hell 

About Your Host
Atif Qadir is the Founder of Commonplace, a company dedicated to tackling one of the biggest barriers to more inclusive, affordable, and sustainable development: improving access to capital. Commonplace helps impact-driven developers and capital providers with shared values discover and connect with each other.

Connect with Kirk Mitchell
Connect with Kirk Mitchell on LinkedInFollow AKT Designs on LinkedInLearn more about AKT Designs

Follow Us: 
Grab our exclusive guide: How Eight Developers & Designers Are Responding to the Housing CrisisLearn more on the American Building websiteFollow us on a href="https://www.instagram.com/americanbuildingpodcast/" rel="noopener noreferrer"...