Page 6 - New England Condominium April 2021

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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