As credit loosens, churches will have more options to borrow money for building projects. The question is, should they? Image source: Flickr CC user susieq3c Across the U.S., banks and lenders are loaning money again, giving churches the chance to borrow money for buildings and expansions. After one of the worst foreclosure crises in the
Waiting at the DMV and other government agencies can seem like an eternity, but it doesn’t have to be that way. Image source: Flickr CC User Omar Barcena There’s an inherent paradox when it comes to government buildings. They are there to serve the public and perform vital services that would otherwise become an unregulated
San Francisco’s office market isn’t in a bubble, analysts say, but a tech boom is driving up lease rates and lowering vacancies. Credit: Flickr CC user Scott Carr If you think office space rents are outrageously high in San Francisco and other office markets along the California coast, you’re right. San Francisco could potentially eclipse
A thriving neighborhood can be many things, but it usually has a few special features that define it. Credit: Flickr user josh In neighborhoods in Los Angeles, Oakland, and San Francisco, city governments and community leaders have been rolling out the welcome wagon to developers with good ideas. An entrepreneur who can see beyond the
The next time you pass a church, look up and take a closer look at its steeple. There is a reasonably good chance it’s a cell phone tower. Churches have been loading wireless antennas on their steeples, bell towers, and spires, and also on rooftop crosses, trees, and billboard signs on the property. In some
Are school libraries becoming outdated and old-fashioned? Image source: Wikimedia Commons Schools are bound by their physical space. Sometimes they can expand but, more often than not, they are forced to contract. Expanding can be very difficult even in the best of times. After all, most schools are firmly ensconced in a community and there
Dutra Cerro Graden is proud to announce that once again, we are partnering with School Services of California to present workshops that provide important information on asset management for California school districts in April 2015. The workshops are designed for districts that have surplus property or a need for additional property. Topics covered include: Assessment–First
In the lead up to a commercial sale, buyers may find environmental problems that make them think twice about the property. Asbestos, lead-based paint, soil contaminants, and underground storage tanks are issues that crop up. But one nasty problem that is sometimes found lurking in buildings can cause expensive problems. We’re talking about mold.
As budgets get tighter, and competition for dollars becomes fiercer, nonprofits often opt to move in together and share common areas, conference rooms, break rooms and even office equipment. As we have previously written, many organizations find a home in a nonprofit center. A cash-strapped nonprofit can work in a shared first-class facility for a
Around the county, a unique commercial building niche has emerged in cities where space is at a premium and ground-up construction is hard to do. Developers have taken unused, unprofitable parking garages and turned them into office buildings and condos. For example: In Greenwich Village, developers are turning two parking garages into condos. For one
In some schools, traditional computer labs are going obsolete or being repurposed. Image source: Flickr CC user woodley waterworks Once upon a time, the school computer lab was the ‘it’ place to be at school. Kids were privileged to enter a magical room filled with bubble-shaped computer screens and tall terminal towers, and a new
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