Page 6 - New England Condominium April 2021
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6 NEW ENGLAND CONDOMINIUM 
 -APRIL 2021   
NEWENGLANDCONDO.COM 
PLANTS,... 
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sales advantage. Buildings that weren’t built  designated as a quiet area.”  
with individual terraces and balconies can’t  
really overhaul their fundamental structure  garden-style apartments, and even single- 
to add those elements, nice as that would be.  family home HOAs, can increase their curb- 
There are, of course, other options available to  appeal by repurposing exterior areas as well.  and wider than in other markets. Small con- 
provide a safe, monitored, exterior space for  They can add paved walking paths for exclu- 
residents to access in good weather, but they  sive resident use, or even repurpose a parking  units are not unusual. At the same time, as in  
vary depending on building type; obviously,  lot into a playground (assuming they have  any market, there are large multifamily, multi- 
high-rise buildings have different options than  sufficient parking otherwise, or can create re- 
more horizontal communities. As always,  placement parking elsewhere on the property  ing townhouse developments and single- 
though, necessity is the mother of invention,  — which, Gaynor points out, can be a very ex- 
and boards and communities must be inven- 
tive if they want to build out, enhance, or up- 
grade their outside spaces. 
Alan Gaynor is an architect and a princi- 
pal of Boddewyn Gaynor Architects, a firm  property where the residents are consider- 
based in New York that works all up and  ing converting a tennis court to an outdoor  the possibility of reusing or repurposing ex- 
down the East Coast, including projects in  seating area. While residents would  use the  isting exterior areas. John Scibelli of First Re- 
New Jersey and New England. “Outdoor  courts normally, due to various local ordi- 
space has become very important since the  nances governing use during the pandemic,  none of his managers have received inquiries  
beginning of the pandemic,” says Gaynor.  plus concern about potential COVID-related  to create new exterior space configurations or  
“Buyers are increasingly looking for it — to  (and therefore un-covered by insurance) li- 
the point that anyone designing a building  ability claims, the community was reluc- 
today who is not including outdoor space is  tant to continue using the space for tennis.   
crazy, because it will affect salability. When I     
originally bought my apartment, I wanted    
outdoor space, but couldn’t afford it. Now it’s    
more important than ever. If you can’t have    
private outdoor space such as a terrace or    
balcony, outdoor community space is nice to    
have. We now have a roof garden in our build- 
ing. Truthfully, it’s not much of a garden, but    
it’s there and really valuable now.” 
Gaynor points out that there are many pos- 
sible places for a co-op or condominium com- 
munity to carve out outdoor space. First and    
foremost, there’s the roof. While an expensive    
and sometimes technically difficult undertak- 
ing, roof decks provide residents with what    
might be the best option in denser, more ur- 
ban areas where ground-level space is some- 
times just nonexistent. There’s also likely to  keeps the space in use while still en- 
be more direct sunlight for longer periods of  abling users to take proper precautions.  
the day on a rooftop than in a courtyard or al- 
ley at ground level, and it’s likely to be a larger  
space that can accommodate more people at  tional exterior spaces for community use may  
once, especially when factoring in the social  be a growing priority for urban properties, that  
distancing requirements which are likely to be  urgency or interest may not be quite the same  
with us for some time. 
Another option for some properties is to  that the market for all types of dwellings —  
use or repurpose courtyards, alleys, and un- 
used or underused backyards. This may not  is very strong across most markets. Listings  
be feasible with all such spaces, but for many  don’t remain unsold for very long. The move- 
it is, if it’s well considered and well executed.  ment of people from urban environments to  
“Greenery is always appreciated by everyone,”  suburban ones as a response to COVID-19  
says Gaynor. “A garden or courtyard or patio,  has been well documented. That movement is  
whatever  you  want  to  call  it,  must  have  an  likely to continue until the pandemic ebbs or  
amalgam of both greenery and paved spaces.  ends — and as a result, many suburban com- 
There should be space for benches and tables.  munities are putting plans for reuse or repur- 
The ability to eat one’s lunch outside, weather  posing on hold, since they simply don’t view  
permitting, is a great thing. If the space you  those types of projects as necessary to increase  
are considering using is on the ground floor,  or maintain their market position. 
you can dig up the earth under the concrete  
now covering it to create plant beds. If you  is that boards are being financially prudent.  
can’t, there are potted plants — which are  Many buildings and associations are experi- 
what’s typically used on roof decks today —  encing (or concerned about experiencing) a  
though those require more intensive care. You  shortfall in income due to residents experi- 
may even have more than one area — and  encing unemployment due to the pandemic.  
those can be designated for different segments  Simply  stated,  they don’t want to obligate  
of the community. Perhaps one area is for  themselves to new capital projects — even  
families with children, while another could be  relatively modest ones — until the economic  
Horizontal communities like townhouses,  
pensive proposition). 
Denise Becker, a regional manager with  to place; many already have adequate exterior  
Corner Property Management in Spring- 
field, New Jersey, mentions an over-55  agers surveyed in the region do not report  
Converting the already paved space into  
a seating area made sense for them — it  
Now, or Later?  
The simple truth is that while adding addi- 
for suburban communities. Becker points out  
condos, co-ops, and single-family homes —  
Another consideration, Becker explains,  
picture has stabilized. 
The Great New England Outdoors 
The range and variety of condominium  
housing in New England are both broader  
dominium associations of just three to 10  
story, mid- to high-rise buildings and sprawl- 
family home HOAs. The dynamics of these  
associations can be very different from place  
amenities. Given that reality, property man- 
requests by boards of directors to investigate  
alty Management based in Boston reports that  
amenities. Scott Wolf of Boston-based BRIGS  
reports the same. 
An Opportunity for the  
Landscape Industry 
Kevin Dulio is president of Native Fields  
Landscaping, located in Jefferson Township,  
New Jersey. His clientele consists mostly of  
large HOAs. In contrast to Scibelli’s and Wolf’s  
reports, Dulio says he has seen an increase in  
inquiries  from  the communities  he  works  
with for additional exterior amenities —ev- 
erything from dog parks to walking paths and  
community gardens. That said, he confirms  
Becker’s observation that communities are  
behaving very conservatively about spending  
money right now. “They’re interested in cre- 
ating new outdoor spaces and amenities for  
their communities, but they’re also concerned  
about undertaking new projects at this time,”  
he says. “They are asking questions, doing  
their due diligence.” Dulio says he expects that  
as the economy stabilizes and improves, com- 
munities will be moving towards increasing  
exterior community spaces in the future. 
The effects of COVID-19 have been and  
will continue to be many and myriad as well  
as unexpected. Boards of Directors of condo- 
miniums, co-ops, and HOAs must be vigilant  
to keep ahead of trends within their market  
to keep their properties competitive with new  
buildings and communities constructed af- 
ter the arrival of the pandemic and with the  
needs of residents in a post-pandemic world  
in mind. Options are many. They may in- 
clude the reuse or repurposing of underused  
or unused parts of their property to better  
serve their residents. What was once a place  
to store trash before collection may now be- 
come a beautiful Zen garden, where residents  
can find respite from the stress of the world  
around them.   
n  
A J Sidransky is a staff writer/reporter with  
New England Condominium. 
“Outdoor space has  
become very important  
since the beginning of the  
pandemic. Buyers are  
increasingly looking for it.” 
              — Alan Gaynor 
Mix It Up 
As with most things biological, diversity is  
generally best. Having a combination of soft- 
scape (plantings and grasses) and hardscape  
(concrete, paving, turf) creates visual appeal  
and can demarcate different outdoor spaces  
for different uses. A carefully planned land- 
scape can also maximize water run-off and  
absorption, take advantage of sun and shade,  
make better use of otherwise dead space, and  
account for seasonality—a particularly im- 
portant consideration in the face of climate  
change and the severe weather events it can  
bring to all regions.  
Similarly, making use of plants native to  
the region where they’re being planted has  
both maintenance and sustainability benefits.  
Landscaping experts advise that native plants  
are already adapted to local climate and soil  
conditions, and therefore require less water- 
ing, fertilizers, and pesticides than non-native  
vegetation. According to Ellen Sousa, author  
of  
The Green Garden: The New England Guide  
to Planning, Planting and Maintaining the  
Eco-Friendly Habitat Garden, 
 the best bet is  
to “choose plants suited for your particular  
site conditions, rather than trying to change  
your conditions to suit certain plants. … We  
should let go of the idea that we need fussy,  
high-maintenance, exotic plants in order to  
have a beautiful garden.”  
The National Wildlife Federation has  
launched a Native Plant Finder on its website:  
www.nwf.org/nativeplantfinder/. Enter your  
zip code, and find all the flowers, grasses,  
trees, and shrubs that are native to your area.  
The New England Wildflower Society, devot- 
ed to conserving and promoting the region’s  
native plants to ensure healthy, biologically  
diverse landscapes, also has a comprehensive  
list of plants native to New England specifi- 
cally: www.newfs.org. 
Tom Lupfer, owner of Lupfer Landscaping  
in Lyons, Illinois, and member of the Illinois  
Landscape Contractors Association (ILCA),  
says that an integrated landscape approach  
will also become a more sustainable system.  
Where plants are dying or struggling, he says,  
pests tend to proliferate, which increases the  
need for chemical applications. This has fur- 
ther negative consequences for the health  
and vitality of the landscape. “When you put  
down  herbicides,  for  example,”  says  Lupfer,  
“you kill not only the harmful elements, but  
many of the beneficial microbes that foster  
life and growth in the soil. The soil becomes  
barren, in a way, and has to be supplemented  
artificially, which means more chemicals.” As  
with any organic system, the less need for in- 
tervention, the better. Native plants are more  
likely to thrive on their own in the conditions  
natural to the region, requiring fewer chemi- 
cals, less watering, and less impact. 
Go for Low Maintenance  
A sustainable landscape is one that mini- 
mizes use of non-renewable resources, ac- 
OUTDOOR SPACES... 
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