December 26, 2014 / Published in News & Events
Ofiice space Here's a place to escape in one of Google's innovative office spaces. Many companies believe that creating pleasing office space can improve employee morale, help attract top talent, and enhance a company's productivity.
Image source: Flickr CC user Marcin Wichary With ever-expanding California tech companies like Google and Facebook here in our backyard, it’s easy to forget that U.S. firms recently shed more office space than at any point in recent times. After the recession kicked in, tenants began pulling out of office space, with office vacancy rates reaching 17.4 percent in the second quarter of 2010. That’s the highest vacancy rate since 1993.
Transit oriented development The Oakland City Center, connected to BART, is an example of transit-oriented development helping to spark urban reinvention.
Image source: Flickr CC user Allie_Caulfield When the history of 20th-century urban development is written, one of the hidden key factors will be the development of shopping malls. Though they are now often reduced to kitsch and mocked as sterile, malls had a dramatic impact on cities and inner suburbs starting in the 1970s (not to mention the economically positive impact they had on the the often barren areas where they were built). Suddenly, there was a space where businesses could go that had hundreds or even thousands of free parking spaces. Stores left downtowns and main streets for less-expensive rent and easy access by consumers. Many municipalities took decades to recover, if they ever did at all.
December 19, 2014 / Published in News & Events
storage tank pic The U.S. Army Environmental Command removes an underground storage tank. An estimated 570,000 buried tanks hold oil, gas, and other hazardous materials.
Image source: Flickr CC user U.S. Army Environmental Command I've just read a story about a nice church with a bad environmental problem. It happened in Geneseo, Illinois, but could easily have taken place here in California. The Church of Promise owned a historic, though tumbling-down, 90-year-old schoolhouse, an eyesore that it wanted to tear down. However, they couldn't tear the building down until they removed the asbestos used in the building years before. And unfortunately, they couldn't remove the asbestos, either, as the bill would be a steep $130,000, which they couldn't afford.
December 17, 2014 / Published in Non-Profit Organizations
While moving into a nonprofit center may not cause workers to do cartwheels down the hall, 65 percent of nonprofit agencies reported in a survey that working in a nice facility did improve employee morale. Image source: Flickr CC user DAXKO A few years back, I stopped by the offices of a nonprofit in an
December 15, 2014 / Published in Education
School construction bond When schools need to build new resources, they may seek a school construction bond.
Image source: Flickr CC user USAG - Humphreys My mother use to say, "It's not polite to talk about money in public." I've mostly stood by this advice when exchanging casual niceties at the local coffee shop, but with this year's election results still hot on everyone's mind - perhaps more accurately, on their tongues - I was surprised to find myself in the middle of a public discussion about school bonds and new taxation. Our school district had succeeded in campaigning for a bond that would support the construction of a new elementary school in our district. Democracy had prevailed, I thought. We're all getting what we wanted!
December 15, 2014 / Published in Non-Profit Organizations
Non-profit Get your nonprofit out of the coffee shop and into a place where you can truly fulfill your mission. Image from unsplash/Alejandro Eskamilla All non-profit organizations face the same dilemma: they need a good space to attract volunteers, plan their events, host the community, and further their mission. The problem comes from the “non” part of the name, as many non-profits struggle to be able to balance the positive goals of their mission and the need to reduce overhead. No one wants to spend too much on a space, because that is money that can go toward making a positive impact on the community. On the other hand, not having a good working environment can have just as much a negative impact.
A pleasant and accessible building is crucial for government agencies looking to serve the public. If you work for a local government or a government-affiliated agency, you know that when people turn to you they are usually in need of help. They want to start a business, or help a family member in need, or
December 15, 2014 / Published in News & Events
In business, where you are matters almost as much as what you do. At DCG, we understand that getting the right building and space for your business matters. Your office, workshop, warehouse or any other kind of space has to do two things. It has to be in the right spot, and have the right space and services you need. It has to be properly outfitted for phone, the internet, shipping and receiving: whatever it is that your business does. It has to do more than that, though: it has to fit with your people.
December 12, 2014 / Published in Education
In parenting circles, there’s one question that becomes more and more pressing with the unveiling of each new iPhone: how do we get our kids to spend more time outside? Parents debate the overuse of smartphones and the importance of limiting screen time, and while there are rarely simple solutions, I will say this: there
December 10, 2014 / Published in Faith-Based
Too often, church congregations put faith in their member volunteers when buying and selling property. A church must understand its needs, the property, and the marketplace when going forward.
Image source: Flickr CC user Ted Sakshaug A few Sundays ago I heard a nice story about how a church found the land where its beautiful buildings now sit. The preacher at the time spotted a ‘for sale’ sign on the lot while out driving one day. He liked the property so much that he stopped at the house. The owner came out on the porch, and the two men starting haggling. Within a few minutes, the preacher had a deal and shook firmly on it. The man’s gut and strong faith told him it was the right thing to do, even though he wasn’t sure when, or if, his church would ever build there. They did build, decades later. Well, it all worked out.
December 8, 2014 / Published in Education
The phrase “failing public schools” is one we’ve all heard for decades. It becomes a hot-button issue during election season, and then is generally neglected by the same politicians afterwards. The issues are long-standing and of enormous importance, and finding solutions seems intimidating to all but the most dedicated public servants. The major issues are
December 5, 2014 / Published in Faith-Based
After a five year partnership with the Sisters of the Holy Family in Fremont, CA, DCG is proud to announce the 15-acre Master Plan for their property was approved by the Fremont City Council in November. The Sisters have been a part of the Fremont community since 1948, when they purchased the beautiful property they