With as many as 400 colleges and universities across the state, student housing makes up a sizable chunk of the California real estate market. And Southern California is a busy part of it. But an affordability crisis has many wondering how the market can keep up while also ensuring that many students aren’t priced out of it.
Research last year across 66 college campuses revealed a picture of college life for many students far at odds with the more recent specter of wealthy families attempting to buy their way into expensive private universities. The reality for college students across the country looks very different, researchers found, with 36 percent struggling to get enough to eat and pay for housing.
Meanwhile Southern California colleges continue to draw students from across the country and the world, ensuring that the demand for student housing will continue to create pricing pressure on a limited supply. These are the issues that developers and investors have on their plates as the Bisnow SoCal Student Housing and Higher Education Summit gets under way Oct. 2 in Los Angeles.
The event will include networking and discussions around the investment, development and economic trends impacting the Southern California market for student housing.
A Reliable Environmental Partner for the Student Housing Market
As an experienced environmental partner to many California colleges and universities undergoing renovation, redevelopment, and mitigation for environmental hazards, Omega plays a critical role in the market for safe and affordable student housing throughout the region and beyond. We’re proud to be a summit sponsor and to share our work in assessing and remediating asbestos, lead,PCB and mold contamination for a wide variety of campus housing and classroom structures. Our work provides developers, architects, investors and campus officials with the security of knowing that their projects will not be sidetracked by unidentified or unmanaged environmental hazards that threaten student health and safety and can send costs and deadlines spiraling out of control.
To learn how we helped Occidental College save $900,000 on a project to mitigate asbestos and lead from a more than 100-year-old building undergoing renovation, you can read our case study here.
To learn more about our expertise in providing reliable and cost-effective environmental consulting and assessment, join us at the summit at the L.A. Grand Hotel Downtown on Oct. 2, or give us a call, or click on the link below.
Orange County’s women of influence in commercial real estate, property management, local government, higher education, law, and business will share success stories and offer guidance to help pave the path for other women at Bisnow’s upcoming “Orange County Power Women” conference, the first in a series planned by the commercial real estate networking organization.
The Aug. 21 event in Irvine, Calif. will include recognition for 20 women designated as industry role models, including Orange County Board of Supervisors Chair Lisa Bartlett, Trammell Crow Residential CFO Sue O’Bannon, The Koll Company’s Director of Operations Bianca Curtis, and real estate and environmental attorney Pam Andes, among a group that also includes property managers and other real estate executives.
The event, at the Irvine Marriott, will include a panel on the “future of women in business and commercial real estate,” as well as an award ceremony.
Best Business Practices for Construction, Demolition and Renovations
We hope to see you there. As an environmental partner with comprehensive experience in environmental assessment and remediation for commercial construction, demolition and renovation, Omega Environmental provides the commercial real estate industry throughout Southern California and beyond with a strong defense against costly surprises.
Undetected environmental problems like asbestos, lead, PCBs, moisture and mold are budget and deadline-wrecking problems for commercial development. A thorough environmental assessment saves time, money and compliance worries by ensuring that any issues are managed in the most effective and efficient way.
That’s one reason most lenders will require a Phase 1 assessment to research a property’s environmental history before loaning money on a project. Depending on the results, a Phase 2 assessment may be required, including soil and groundwater testing. A Phase 3 assessment provides additional scope and the development of a mitigation plan.
Reliable Environmental Assessment and Remediation for Commercial Construction and Demolition
Omega Environmental Services has a rare combination of expertise in all levels of environmental assessments and mitigation. Find us at the conference to learn more about what a reliable, cost-effective environmental assessment and remediation partner can do for your next project.
With 25 years’ experience in environmental assessment, consulting and mitigation, Omega can help you comply with all government requirements for hazardous materials, as well as managing issues related to groundwater, soil or indoor air contamination, moisture intrusion, asbestos, lead, PCBs, mold and other hazardous materials.
Find us at the conference, give us a call or click on the link below to learn what you can do now to protect your investment and avoid budget-busting surprises.
As retail developers around the country invest millions in renovating properties to keep consumers coming back to stores, retailers are finding that their investment in brick-and-mortar locations has a way of boosting their online activity as well, according to the International Council of Shopping Centers.
Despite reports of the demise of shopping centers, physical stores still generate 90.7% of all retail sales, according to the ICSC. And the opening of a new physical location results in an average increase to online traffic of 27%.
Expert Retailers Gather for the Southern California Idea Exchange
Brokers, developers, retailers and property managers will be among the attendees at the ICSC’s Southern California Idea Exchange Feb. 28 at the Anaheim Convention Center, where the topics will include the latest trends in retail and “how clicks-to-bricks digital concepts are making big impacts with their physical spaces.”
Meanwhile, a period of transformation for shopping malls has given rise to renovations, demolition and transitions of all sizes.
At Omega Enivironmental, we partner with developers, engineers, architects and others to ensure that such projects move forward without environmental issues that can leave projects mired in health and safety problems, regulatory road blocks and budget-destroying surprises.
Full Environmental Survey Needed for Renovations and Demolitions
A full environmental assessment for renovation and demolition projects is often a requirement of state and federal environmental authorities. But it’s also a sound business practice, as environmental issues that go undetected leave projects vulnerable to spreading effects and increased liability.
Buildings erected before 1980 often have asbestos in the fire proofing and floor tiles that must be removed. Lead, PCBs and indoor air quality issues may also need to be addressed. Aging and faulty or poorly located ventilation systems can lead to indoor air quality problems. Degraded asbestos can also affect air quality. Chemical storage closets where a spill has occurred or where chemicals have leaked over the years are also a source of potential hazards. Depending on how a property has been used, there may be good reason to suspect soil and water contamination beneath the site. Only a thorough environmental site assessment by an experienced environmental partner can empower you with the information you need to move forward effectively and cost-efficiently.
To learn more about how we work with project developers of all sizes to assess, mitigate and manage environmental hazards that threaten health, safety and the success of your project, stop by our table at the Southern California Idea Exchange, or click on the link below.
VAPOR INTRUSION: A hidden risk for new developments
Development stakeholders have an array of risks to consider when constructing each new property or redevelopment of existing properties: placement of utility lines, safety compliance, the storage of hazardous materials, dry cleaning operations, industrial facilities, and manufacturing for example. But there is another invisible risk beneath a property’s surface that could degrade the quality of your building, property and indoor environment, before it’s even finished: vapor intrusion, a problem that often goes unnoticed to building occupants.
A site assessment is necessary to determine just how invasive these intrusive vapors will be in your building.
Consider Vapor Intrusion Assessment for Your Property
Vapor intrusion occurs when there is a migration of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) or chemicals from a subsurface source (i.e., contaminated groundwater or soil) into an overlying building’s indoor air. Vapors in soil gas enter buildings through:
cracks in the foundation
openings for utility lines, plumbing and other conduits, such as electrical outlets
In extreme cases, the vapors may accumulate into dwellings or occupied commercial and industrial buildings to airborne concentrations that may pose:
Near-term safety hazards (e.g., explosion)
Acute and adverse health effects
In buildings with lower concentrations of vapor-forming chemicals arising from vapor intrusion, the main concern is whether the chemicals may pose an unacceptable risk of health effects due to long-term (i.e., chronic) exposure.
So how do you know vapor intrusion should be investigated on your property/development? In the EPA’s terms, vapor intrusion is a potential concern at any building–existing or planned-building located near soil or groundwater that is contaminated with VOCs. This includes contaminated sites located within the near vicinity of your property. In general, sites most commonly contaminated with VOCs in the commercial and industrial areas may include the current or former businesses of following nature:
Manufacturing plants
Chemical processing plants
Landfills
Warehouses
Train yards
Dry cleaners
Gas stations
Coal gasification plants
Printers
Automobile repair shops
Any site where USTs (underground storage tanks) are leaking
Courtesy of MASSDep – This illustration portrays the potential for vapor intrusion on differing types of properties.
Developers and Property owners should also keep in mind that vacant properties may contain VOC contamination. As you can see in the illustration above, wind effects, groundwater flow, and stack effects (pressure differences inside and outside a building caused by differences in indoor and outdoor temperatures) are all factors when assessing vapor intrusion.
The EPA recommends that if vapor intrusion is a concern on your property, a risk assessment by qualified personnel is necessary to evaluate the degree of risk to future building occupants. If you are not sure based solely on the property’s location or current state whether a risk assessment should be conducted then it I necessary to research the history of the property, surrounding properties, site geology and hydrogeology, among other site characteristics, before beginning sampling and analysis.
Sampling and Analysis of Vapor Intrusion
Until fairly recently, there wasn’t much reason to believe vapor intrusion was anything more than an indoor air issue that could be assessed through indoor air sampling. In past years, many environmental consultants and services providers did not account for potential vapor intrusion impacts in Phase 1 site assessments. Omega principals know from decades of experience that vapor intrusion is a holistic environmental issue requiring multiple lines of evidence to form the most accurate site characterization and the best solution for mitigation. The initial step in creating a vapor intrusion mitigation plan is forming a conceptual site model, but first, sampling and analysis will be necessary through a combination of the following methods:
Characterize the nature and extent of subsurface vapor sources using:
Indoor Air Sampling
Sub-Slab Soil Gas Sampling
Soil Gas Sampling
Compare sample concentrations to health-based screening levels
Conduct and interpret human health risk assessment:
Perform indoor air risk analysis (modeling indoor-air risks using modified Johnson and Ettinger model for soil-gas and groundwater) to evaluate the potential for vapor intrusion.
Evaluate the vapor intrusion modeling results to determine whether the concentrations of VOCs detected in the soil vapor samples at the site present any potential unacceptable health risks to the workers/tenants inside the building.
If you think your property may be at risk for vapor intrusion or other subsurface contamination, Omega can help you characterize the issue and form a cost-effective mitigation plan. Please call us at (949) 252-2145 for more information.
Omega Environmental Services, Inc. has qualified and certified professionals (Certified Industrial Hygienists, Professional Engineers, Hydrologists, Geologists, Certified Asbestos Consultants, Certified Lead Professionals, Toxicologists) that have the expertise to assist businesses in assessing and managing hazardous materials and facilitating construction.