Page 10 - New England Condominium April 2021

10 NEW ENGLAND CONDOMINIUM
-APRIL 2021
NEWENGLANDCONDO.COM
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enforcement of the CDC order. Although the
Department of Justice is appealing the order,
Flynn says, “It is a big first win for many land-
lords who have been financially impacted by
the CDC’s ‘nationwide moratorium’ on evic-
tions.”
Flynn adds, “For now, the CDC order is
still in effect for most of the country until
March 31, 2021. As a reminder, the CDC in
September 2020 issued a ‘nationwide mora-
torium’ on evictions. However, the headline
and news around the ‘eviction moratorium’
was always misleading as many eviction ac-
tions have continued subject to state and local
moratoriums. The CDC order only prevents
the physical move-out at the end of a non-
payment eviction case and only if a tenant
completes a declaration that the
non-payment
was due to COVID related reasons.”
Landlords receiving such declarations
should contact their attorneys before taking
any action, Flynn says.
REAL ESTATE &
DEVELOPMENT
Condo Conversion Spells ‘The End’ for
Movies
It looks like the Mill Wharf Cinema in Sci-
tuate Harbor, Massachusetts, is falling victim
to the COVID-19 pandemic and will be con-
verted into condominium units.
The
Boston Globe
recently reported that
South Shore Cinemas plans to shut down the
two-screen theater, which has been shuttered
since March 2020, due to the pandemic. Bret
and Michelle Hardy, owners of South Shore
Cinemas, told the
Globe
that the financial
costs of the pandemic led directly to the con-
dominium proposal. South Shore Cinemas
had operated the theater, which is located
inside the Mill Wharf Plaza condominium
complex, for 10 years.
Harbor Development LLC, which owns
the building, received permission from the
town to replace the theater with four condo-
miniums, along with 900 square feet of retail
space. The Zoning Board of Appeals voted
unanimously at the end of February to ap-
prove the project.
“Unfortunately, we were unable to con-
tinue paying rent [in Scituate]. We closed last
March 15th and have been unable to reopen
since,” Bret Hardy said in an e-mail. “So, un-
derstandably, the landlord told us they would
explore other options.”
n
individual homeowner. A desert region like
Las Vegas looks a lot different from a tropi-
cal climate like Florida or a temperate region
like the Northeast. Even within these general
climates, microclimates and the particular
topography of a specific area will influence
what can be grown and where. In urban ar-
eas, height and density of buildings creates
shadows, wind tunnels, and water runoff that
must be factored into landscaping design and
maintenance.
EPA.gov, the website of the Environmen-
tal Protection Agency (EPA) advises that
“when planning your landscape design, in
addition to primary use, also consider factors
such as local climate, sun and shade locations,
and the maintenance schedule. This plays a
big part in how often your landscape receives
rainfall and whether your plants must be pre-
pared for a warm or cool climate. Although
the plant choice will depend on the region,
you can still have an attractive, functional
landscape with water-efficient plants.”
This is another area where a professional
landscape designer or horticulturalist can
offer your association or building expert ad-
vice—which ultimately can save a lot of mon-
ey and headaches in the long run. According
to Debbi Edelstein, executive director of the
New England Wild Flower Society in Fram-
ingham, Massachusetts, “It’s always a good
idea to find a professional who is up to speed
on environmentally friendly landscaping
and sustainable practices. One of the main
reasons to go with a professional is because
most of them have done their homework
on the combination of science and aesthet-
ics—the science of how to root trees, for in-
stance—and they’ll know how to plant things
so they’ll thrive more.”
What’s the Budget?
Kristen Deinhardt-Faught, an account
manager with BrightView Landscape Ser-
vices based in Oceanside, New York, says that
budget is one of the first things she discusses
with a client when taking on a landscape
project. The costs associated with landscap-
ing can range widely, and encompass a vari-
ety of services. Deinhardt-Faught emphasizes
SMART...
continued from page 8
that different tiers of service call for different
budgeting approaches. For example, lawn
maintenance may or may not include irriga-
tion. Some contracts include tree care; some
don’t. The scope of design has to factor in the
costs of the design plan itself — not just the
material and plant choices and the installa-
tion, but the ongoing maintenance as well.
For clients with more limited budgets, or who
have new concerns in light of COVID, Dein-
hardt-Faught suggests phasing larger proj-
ects or enhancements over time. “If you’re
looking to do enhancements,” she says, “like
a large-scale project, we can phase it out for
you—you can do one phase the first year, and
another phase of the project another year.
And we’ll just work with [a client’s] budget as
much as we can. We try to at least give them
something for what they’re looking for.”
Morales agrees, and adds that there can be
a bit of a learning curve for some boards in
terms of how much they have to spend and
over what timeline. “We need to know how
much they have to spend — and sometimes
these boards don’t know what things cost,”
she says. “They’ll say, ‘Well, we only have
$100,000,’ and then we’ll go to a site meeting
and they’ll be talking about powder-coated
aluminum planters; they want to do ipe
[wood] decking and an ipe fence, and pavers;
and it’s like, ‘That’s great — sounds beautiful!
But your budget can’t give you that.’ So we
find a happy medium.”
For this reason, Morales adds that it’s a
good idea to include more than one decision-
maker in meetings and site visits with the
landscaping vendor. Ideally, the team should
at least include the property manager, but
could also include key maintenance person-
nel or supers, executive board members (or
the entire board, depending on the size of
your community) and any non-board resi-
dents who participate in grounds commit-
tees, gardening clubs, or working groups
tasked with landscaping issues or projects.
That way, information doesn’t get lost in
translation, and the board has more aware-
ness of where the community’s money is go-
ing. They can also be educated on the time it
takes for certain plants to grow to their full
potential and the maintenance involved.
You Dig?
Considering the investment in both time
and money that a smart landscaping plan
requires, there is no time like the present to
get the process rolling. Don’t let the inspira-
tion of springtime go to waste! Consult with
your professionals, establish your goals, and
once you’ve got a game plan, get digging. The
right landscaping choices will provide value
and visual appeal for any multifamily com-
munity.
n
Darcey Gerstein is Associate Editor and
Staff Writer for New England Condominium.
PULSE
continued from page 4
Flynn Law Group
185 Devonshire St., Suite 401 • Boston, MA 02110
617-988-0633
“Quality Representation at Reasonable Rates - $150/Hr.”
Contact Attorney Frank Flynn
Frank@flynnlaw-ne.com
www.flynnlaw-ne.com
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