News Updates: (show all)

Read About Us in American Builders Quarterly
We Need Your Vote!
CPM Projects in the Spotlight at USGBC’s Greenbuild 2011 Affordable Housing Summit
Temple I North 16th Street receives LEED GOLD Certification!
Temple I Families Ready to Move Home
Temple I - North 16th Street in the Green Spotlight
 
WHAT'S NEW?
Read About Us in American Builders Quarterly
Wednesday, August 01, 2012

A quick read, and an excellent snapshot of what we do and why it’s important. Read the full article...

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We Need Your Vote!
Tuesday, July 24, 2012


Affordable Housing Finance (AHF) Magazine has selected CPM Housing Group’s Temple I & II property in north Philadelphia as a finalist for this year's Readers Choice Awards. AHF received more than 140 nominations and selected only 34 developments “that go above and beyond providing housing” all across the country as finalists in nine categories. Temple I & II was selected in the Green category. 

Now, it's up to the AHF readers to choose their favorites. Voting is open only to AHF subscribers and the deadline to vote is August 15.  If you don't already have a subscription to AHF you can subscribe here. Then cast your vote.

Thank you for your support. Please pass this on to any other AHF subscribers you know and start voting for these great properties today!

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CPM Projects in the Spotlight at USGBC’s Greenbuild 2011 Affordable Housing Summit
Tuesday, November 01, 2011

CPM has requested tax-exempt volume cap bond financing
for the Montgomery Hill Apartments project, which will
repurpose the closing Montgomery Hospital into a mixed-
use development that combines senior housing with senior
services and child care to create an innovative blend of inter-
generational programming. We expect a decision on the
funding allocation in April 2012.
What do computers and M&M® candies have in common? What about Burka and bikinis? Hydrogen and housing? Thanks to the critical thinking of the late Steve Jobs, ideas from other fields and cultures have collided to create extraordinary new innovations like the color computer case. This phenomenon boosted Apple Computer® sales by simply adding color to the same old black case. In the same way, fashion designers have taken respect for the Burka and combined it with sensitivity and respect to create swimwear that meets religious and customs requirements while allowing Islamic women to swim. And what does all this have to do with affordable housing? Last month at the Greenbuild 2011 Conference in Toronto, the message was clear: Green building is here to stay, and those with the ability to navigate the intersection between disciplines will be the future leaders in sustainability.


Greenbuild is the annual international conference held by the U.S. Green Building Council.  This year, our Temple I North 16th Street project was highlighted, due to its prominence as the largest substantial rehabilitation project to be certified under LEED for Homes® at the Gold level. But most exciting for me was the selection of our Montgomery Hill Apartments project as a case study for a Charrette in the Affordable Housing Summit. Although the project is still awaiting funding, it is never too early to start planning.

By definition, a Charrette is “a fast-paced  intensive  workshop  with  key  client,  design,  engineering,  and  building  participants.... Charrettes  provide  a  framework  for  achieving  significant  production  and  meaningful  agreement  among  participants  in  relatively  brief  amounts  of  time.” With eight attendees in various roles as part of the case study team, and Walker Wells from Global Green USA facilitating, we discussed the project for four hours. Topics included: use of the commercial space; heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems; potential for solar or alternative power; interior finishes; and many other topics. We even discussed how to get the highest yields from a community garden, along with the possibility of an “edible campus” – using fruit and vegetable trees and bushes as the main landscape material so that residents can pick and consume the ripe produce.

Many of the outcomes of the Charrette were predictable and others were already being planned for, but one of the most technologically advanced ideas was the proposal to set a hydrogen fuel cell on the site. This cell could generate electricity and provide thermal energy in the form of hot water to heat the building, domestic hot water, and air conditioning. This sustainable technology has the potential to completely remove the project from the electrical grid and reduce carbon emissions by over 400 metric tons per year! While this technology is fairly new, the project lends itself to the use due to size, nature of the project and the potential for being LEED® certified at the Platinum level. Over the next few months, I will be researching this possibility further as we fine-tune the plans for Montgomery Hill.
As you know, CPM Housing Group has committed to meeting Enterprise Green Communities criteria in all of our new construction and rehabilitation projects. With this in mind, we continue to explore cutting edge possibilities that will not only improve the energy efficiency and lessen the environmental impact of our portfolio, but even more importantly, increase the long-term health of our residents. I look forward to the day when green housing and affordable housing are one and the same.

- David Hahn, Director of Construction & Corporate Operations, CPM Housing Group

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Temple I North 16th Street receives LEED GOLD Certification!
Tuesday, June 14, 2011

On Flag Day, June 14, 2011, community residents, project funding sources and City representatives gathered to celebrate the ribbon cutting and LEED plaque presentation for Temple I - North 16th Street: the historic and LEED certified rehabilitation of 22 brownstone buildings along the 1700 Block of N. 16th Street – two blocks from Temple University.

The Temple I project not only preserves 58 units of affordable housing for families living in the community, it also marks the largest affordable gut rehab project in the country to receive LEED for Homes Gold certification. The project features Forest Stewardship Council-certified lumber, non-toxic finishes, high-efficiency plumbing, white roofs, and drought-tolerant landscaping.


Here are some of the day’s highlights in photos:

Councilman Darrell Clarke chats with local constituents.


David Hahn accepts the check from Enterprise Green Communities Offset Fund, presented by Esther Toporovsky, for 822 metric tons of carbon emissions reductions from this project which will be retired, measured and verified over the next ten years.

  
Ms. Patricia Young, a long-time resident of North 16th Street, invites attendees to come tour her newly-remodeled apartment.

The LEED for Homes Gold certification of Temple I North 16th Street highlights 1260 and CPM Housing Group’s commitment to environmental stewardship and the long-term health of its residents.
Walt Kubiak, Alfredo de la Pena, and David Hahn display the LEED and Carbon Offsets plaques.


The rehabilitation of these historic buildings preserves the integrity of the neighborhood and eliminates the need for new construction.

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Temple I Families Ready to Move Home
Monday, December 13, 2010

Last week, CPM held an Open House for Temple I tenants to check out the newly remodelled units.
Elizabeth Farabella, could hardly contain her joy: “I am so excited!!!  I can NOT wait to move in. I am already looking forward to Bar-B-Q-ing with my new neighbors this summer! The apartments are stunning - just beautiful!  And the laundry – it’s delicious!  There are six washers and dryers onsite – no more lugging everything to the laundromat!"

Nearly 80% of the residents who lived in the buildings prior to the rehab are moving back in. Winter Culmer is especially looking forward to getting back to her familiar neighborhood. “It’s a nice spot by Temple University.  There are a lot of things going on there. I look forward to getting back because I can get around a lot easier on public transportation.”

Aisha Harris lived on North 16th Street for three years prior to the rehab, and is absolutely thrilled with the new look of her apartment. “They did a real nice job!  The kitchen... these floors.. it’s just beautiful! I am so ready to move back in!”

Some of the new tenants moving into Temple I - North 16th Street are transferring from the Temple II - North Gratz Street property, just around the corner, which is getting ready to undergo a substantial rehabilitation in 2011. Jocelyn Marrow couldn’t stop the smile from spreading across her face as she checked out her new one-bedroom accessible unit.

“This is perfect.  I am totally impressed!  I’ve lived just around the corner on Gratz Street for 18 years. That’s where I raised my family… so I am very connected to this neighborhood.  But now all the children are gone, and I am newly disabled, so this will be just the perfect place for me.”

In addition to the gorgeous new hardwood floors and updated kitchens, residents will enjoy additional windows to increase day-lighting, as well as a number of energy-efficient improvements in their “new” LEED® Gold apartments. More information about this property is available here.

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Temple I - North 16th Street in the Green Spotlight
Wednesday, August 18, 2010

Today the the NeighborWorks Training Institute (NTI) is touring our Temple I - North 16th Street project as a part of the Greening Affordable Housing course led by Kimberly Vermeer of Urban Habitat Initiatives.  The course offers an in-depth look at green affordable housing that is “energy efficient, durable, healthy and environmentally responsible.”

Currently under construction, Temple I involves the substantial rehabilitation of 22 certified historic townhomes, which will preserve 58 units of affordable housing for families in North Philadelphia as part of a larger plan to revitalize the neighborhood.

This project is designed to qualify for LEED® certification. Sustainable design elements include: Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified lumber; extra insulation in exterior walls; low VOC emitting finish and adhesive materials; high efficiency plumbing fixtures; high content recycled building materials and Energy Star and HCFC-free mechanical systems. New Energy-Star Low E argon filled replacement and new windows installed will increase day-lighting. A white roof system will help reduce the “heat island” effect.

All site work is conducted in a manner to minimize disturbance of native vegetation and soil within the construction area. Erosion and sedimentation controls are in place, as is a construction waste recycling program to divert 75% of the waste from landfills to recycling facilities.

Financed through Low Income Housing Tax Credits, Historic Tax Credits, the HUD Section 811 program, and the Federal Home Loan Banks of Pittsburgh and New York, the project is sponsored by 1260 Housing Development Corporation with Columbus Property Management & Development, Inc. serving as the General Contractor.

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2042-48 Arch Street, 2nd Floor      Philadelphia, PA 19103      Ph: 215.557.8484      TTY: 215-496-0321      Email: ContactUs@columbuspm.org  
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