Embrace different. Connect with community. Ditch your car – Walk with friends. Urban Green Builders is a small company with enormous ideals. We’ve been committed to urban regeneration for over fifteen years, replacing the dilapidated with the modern and, sometimes hopefully, the surprising. But we want more. We want people to come together to live and work in communities again. We want them to embrace the concept of sustainability and cuddle up to public transportation (and even – yikes! – walking). And we also want them to have imaginative choices in their modern design – without sacrificing quality or efficiency. So, why a honeycomb as our logo? It’s not merely that we’re as “busy as bees” over here. It’s more of a daily reminder that the structure widely regarded as perfect actually occurs in nature and is built by and for communities… Project locations; 27-29 west 120th street (Historic West Harlem townhome of grand proportions); 202 lenox avenue (@ 120th street) (required close work with the Landmarks Preservation Commission); 542 west 140th street; 504 west 142nd street; 505 west 142nd street; 115 hamilton place (Located in the historic Hamilton Heights neighborhood in Harlem); 529-531 west 145th street; 328 pleasant avenue (Located in the “SpaHa” section of Harlem); 501 east 118th street; 309 alexander avenue, bronx, ny; 1429, 1431 & 1451 prospect avenue, bronx, ny; 672 crotona park south, bronx, ny; the knickerbocker press building (aka “Knickerbocker Lofts”), 52 webster avenue, new rochelle, ny (75,000 sq. ft. industrial building renovated to include 45 unique live/work loft apartments, near downtown New Rochelle) (Historic renovation of a 19th Century book bindery (G.P. Putnam & Sons) for which Urban Green Builders was granted a variance to create affordable residential units. The project also earned an historic designation from the National Parks Service. Architect: Cutsogeorge, Tooman & Allen); 529-531 west 145th street; 354 pleasant avenue; 56 east 1st street (architecturally unique Modernist townhouse with ground floor community facility space); 328 pleasant avenue; 231 lenox avenue; 45 main street, hastings-on-hudson (aka “Riverton Lofts”) (25 condominiums – lofts and townhomes – plus ground floor retail spaces); 10 west main street, hastings-on-hudson; 1 west 121st street; 3 west 120th street; 62 & 64 west 119th street (Brother and sister townhomes); mt. morris new homes 56, 58, 60, 62, 64, 66, 68, 70, 72 & 74 east 119th street & 55, 57, 59, 61, 63, 65, 67, 69, 71 & 73 east 118th street (Lovely, large and affordable three-family townhomes with rear yards and front garden plots. Jewels of the neighborhood, best examples in 20 years of the NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development’s Homeworks program); 58 west 124th street; 75 west 119th street; 106 west 120th street; the mckay condominium, 362 west 119th street (Five contemporary oversized units); the himes condominium, 24 & 25 west 131st street and 32 west 132nd street ( each with 5 modern loft-like units, including duplex first-floor units with rear gardens); the hurston condominium, 555 west 149th street; the locke condominium, 251 west 123rd street; the hughes condominium, 155 west 123rd street; 504 west 142nd street; 505 west 142nd street (The product of a six-building joint venture between Urban Green Builders (as A & F) and West Harlem Group Assistance); 115 hamilton place; 500 east 119th street (@ pleasant avenue); harlem united community AIDS center, 123-125 west 124th street (Urban Green Builders - in its A&F incarnation - teamed with Harlem United to build a day treatment center for HIV with a budget of $1.8M and a schedule of 14 months); lower eastside girls’ club, 56 east 1st street (Café, gallery and office space for the Lower Eastside Girls’ Club in the community space of a townhouse designed and constructed by Urban Green Builders with architects Cutsogeorge, Tooman & Allen); columbia university early head start; 110-116 hamilton avenue; st. mary’s episcopal church adult day treatment center, 512 west 126th street; le kiosk, first park, 1st avenue & 1st street (Restaurant with an outdoor seating area); 354 pleasant avenue (currently used as a gallery/studio by sculptor Paolo Pelasini. On the Horizon: Hastings-on-Hudson, NY: Along the Hudson River in Westchester County, just 30 minutes from Grand Central Station, lies a sweet town rich in art history, with a great school system (over 90% of its graduates enroll in private and state colleges and universities) and public parks galore. What a great place for a building project --- or three… On the Horizon: Bridgeport, CT: Just a few minutes’ walk from the MetroNorth station (35 minutes to Stamford) awaits a surprisingly hip downtown lifestyle in Bridgeport, Connecticut. Because of its former lack of housing and amenities, people have tended to work there and then head out to the suburbs or neighboring towns for the night. But Bridgeport has changed. The artists have already caught on (they’re always the first to find a good spot to settle into) and now it’s time for the rest of the folks who are i.t.k. (that’s “in the know” – but you already knew that, didn’t you?). Spacious and modern housing in historic buildings is coming right to the new downtown Bport, where theaters, restaurants and shops have been flourishing for some time now. So, why drive home? We are planning to renovate twenty-five buildings in three phases, beginning with the eleven-story Citytrust tower at 961 Main Street, the Arcade Hotel and Mall at 991-1019 Main Street and the Wheeler Medical Building at 144 Golden Hill Street. So, the word is out. Don’t say we didn’t warn you. Urban Green Builders, LLC is a team of urban planning gurus, construction know-it-alls, financial wizards and jills and jacks of all trades, headed by Eric Anderson – community development mastermind. Our main focus is problem solving. When the problem was insufficient high-quality affordable NYC housing and vacant city-owned property, we built the Novel Condos, the widely regarded Mount Morris New Homes and 20 other projects to boot. When we learned that downtown Bridgeport Connecticut was ready for a facelift (and in need of modern and convenient housing), we signed on to provide grand-scale regeneration. High energy bills and clogged traffic? We lower homeowners’ costs with geothermal heating and put them closer to public transportation. Under various previous names, including most recently A&F Commercial Builders, the firm has been solving construction and planning problems for over fifteen years by performing quality private renovations and new construction, publicly financed affordable housing renovations and new construction, and retail-related build-outs. People: The UGB Gang, PARTNERS/STAFF: Alex Abreu (Property Manager). Eric Anderson (Principal) - The guy who puts the Green in UGB, Eric has been a Partner and all around bada$$ at UGB since 1990. He sees his job as twofold: (1) solving small problems created by others; and (2) creating large problems for all to enjoy. A “big thinker” who considers his higher education and language study abroad to be equally relevant and irrelevant past experiences, Eric confesses that if he didn’t have UGB he’d probably write unpublishable poetry. While he complains that there isn’t enough cursing in the office (and how much, really, is ever enough?), he is happily responsible for a fair amount of the spitting that takes place there. Eric’s favorite UGB project? Like children, he’s loved them all. Even the ones he’s loathed. He admits that he doesn’t love the UGB staff equally – he heaps favors on the last one to make him laugh. After hours, you’ll catch him listening to anything by Joanna Newsome or Nina Simone and reading Charles Simic or Mark Strand – unless, of course, the Golden State Warriors are playing. And, at 6’9”, Eric wants the world finally to know his secret – he’s “a small person inside.” Johnny Baptiste (Construction Supervisor). Michael Campbell (Project Manager). Art Gillman (Construction Supervisor). Kate Greco (Marketing Coordinator). Millie Hernandez (Property Manager). James Huang (Project Manager). Nnenna Lynch (Principal & Project Manager). Steve Parsons (Assistant Project Manager). Jennifer Perez (Receptionist). Susan Rogers (Office Manager). Yasmin Rosado (Comptroller). John Waters (Project Manager). Michael Williams (CFO). Brad Pierce (Technical Support). Lisa Slocum (Marketing Coordinator). PLANNING PARTNERS: Urban Green Builders hires award-winning architects and other consultants who share its vision. They are resources local to the community, who know the people and have earned their trust. In the end, then, each building is a joint venture in the truest sense of the term: Stephen Tilly, Architect; Cutsogeorge, Tooman & Allen; Phillip Kuchma (excellent resource on all things Bridgeport). COMMUNITY PARTNERS: We work closely with government agencies, financial institutions and corporations whose public policies mirror our vision. Their commitment to such goals as affordable housing and central residential zoning districts make them ideal Urban Green Builders partners: The NYC Department of Housing, Preservation and Development; The Village of Hastings-on-Hudson, NY; Nancy Hadley, Director of Planning & Economic Development, City of Bridgeport, CT; Naomi Bayer, Director of the Fannie Mae New York Partnership Office; Alicia Glen, Goldman Sachs – Urban Investment Group; The Phipps Houses Group. Mission Statement: Location, Location, Location. It’s an old joke about the three most important rules in real estate. But they’re also serious rules for communities. A big part of the Urban Green Builders mission is to bring people closer together – in a literal sense. When people live in homes near the center of town, they can walk more. They are less dependent on their cars. And while that’s an increasingly important environmental issue, we think it’s an even more crucial social issue. Sidewalks encourage conversations with neighbors, where roadways only sponsor gesturing. A Departure from Fear-Based Design. It often happens that, with an eye toward a wider purchasing audience, new homes are built in the same way they have always been built. There’s comfort in continuity. Even if the continuity is bad design. But what if people had a choice? Spacious (and affordable) lofts amid the railroad apartments in Harlem? Modern luxury condominiums in downtown Hastings-on-Hudson -- where we hear there hasn’t been such a building project in thirty years? Geothermal heating and bamboo products instead of oil furnaces and further deforestation? What would it be like if we weren’t afraid? And what kind of person would choose to live in an unexpected home? We think it might be you… Development -- In some circles, “development” is a dirty word. It conjures up images of the “greedy developer” who comes to town with big plans to build big things for big bucks. He’s the guy who builds the same thing wherever he goes, with no regard for the needs of the specific site. At Urban Green Builders, rhythm and context are part of the conversation we have with a site to determine what it wants. Sites do want development. Things get run down and development can be rejuvenation. A good developer will not just build exactly what is next door (only bigger). He will listen to the site and build something different. Not different for the sake of being different. Different for the sake of being better. Urban Green Builders is drawn to sites that suggest lives organized around walking over driving. Places where young families can grow next to empty nesters and seniors. Where affordable housing can be seamlessly established amid luxury homes. We go on vacation and love strolling down winding cobblestone streets and narrow alleyways, with their mysterious hidden stairways. Then we come home and live on the interstate. We at Urban Green Builders are trying to bring a bit of vacation home to you. It’s all about choice. At Urban Green Builders, our development team works closely with our construction team from the beginning of each project to coordinate how best to translate its ideology into reality. When each component works together, under one roof, sensational designs are accomplished. General Contracting – As a general contractor we specialize in new build and modernized renovations of mixed-use condominiums, rental buildings and multi-family homes, as well as commercial, industrial and institutional properties. We take the time to understand our customers’ needs and respond to them with quality workmanship and a commitment to keeping projects on time and within budget. Modern management style. Old-fashioned elbow grease. Our over 15 years of general contracting experience has taught us to place a high value on maintaining effective communication between ourselves and our clients, architects and sub-contractors. Our hands-on principals and project managers have earned their deft communication skills through years of coordinating complex jobs with multiple partners. Like life, however, few construction projects are snag-free. Even with preparedness and the best of communication. What you need in a general contractor, then, is a team of qualified and innovative individuals who have your budget and time table in mind and who efficiently can work around any snag that might present itself. Our years of experience and flexible style make Urban Green Builders just such a team. Go ahead. Give us a snag. We dare you. Property Management – Our property management company, Urban Green Management, a wholly owned subsidiary of Urban Green Equities, LLC., manages over 400 rental apartments and condominium units throughout New York State. Our buildings serve as examples in the communities in which they are located. It is UGM's mission, therefore, to provide the best possible services in our buildings in order to maintain the quality of life of our tenants and owners and the quality and attractiveness of each of our buildings. UGM’s mission is accomplished through a full-time staff dedicated to the maintenance and service of our buildings and ensuring full occupancy in our rental properties. Press Clippings: While excavating a building site at 45 Main Street in Hastings-on-Hudson, Urban Green Builders discovered a treasure trove of “Westchester Marble,” an exact match for the rare stone needed to restore the Lyndhurst Mansion, the Gothic Revival landmark in Tarrytown, NY. “’[Urban Green Builders’] Citytrust project will help redefine and re-energize downtown Bridgeport,’ [Connecticut Governor M. Jodi] Rell said in a statement. ‘The new housing, stores and parking garage planned for the site means more people will live, work, shop and visit the city’s Main Street.’ She said the Citytrust project is one of several “key” efforts to jumpstart Bridgeport’s downtown. “There is great reason for optimism about the future of the city’s downtown, with the Citytrust project, [Urban Green Builders’] conversion of the nearby Arcade into housing and stores, [Urban Green Builders’] residential project on Golden Hill Street and the already successful transformation of the former Read’s department store into the Sterling Market Lofts, ‘Rell said.” Front page, Connecticut Post, February 1, 2005. Where Credit Is Due: Web design— Textural Design Web programming— Eric Rounds Original logo design— Sheryl Chapman Designs Web Updates-– Happy Viper HappyViper, Edgar Sanchez, Sven Johnson