icon Blueprint for September

New Ideas in an Old Town

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3 min read

It may be called Newport, but it’s a town that joyously celebrates the old. On a visit there in July, I toured the oldest library and synagogue in America and had dinner in the oldest tavern, the White Horse. But, there was nothing quaint about the conversation in the meeting rooms at the Viking Hotel where NH&RA members gathered for the 34th annual Summer Institute. In the city of old, the conversation focused on the new—new ideas, new strategies, new rulings, new solutions.

Most of the content in this month’s issue was inspired by those conversations in Newport.

Just because we’re successful doesn’t always mean we are capable of managing success. As portfolios grow, it becomes more complicated to juggle all the balls without dropping one. So, for the first time, NH&RA devoted an entire day to a seminar focused on asset management, a current topic of frequent conversation among members. Almost everyone in the crowded room had something to say about their company’s own approach to the issue. In Success Means More: Approaches to Asset Management, we share excerpts from that day of lively and enlightening conversation.

At the Board of Directors meeting during the conference–a session I always find filled with an unusual level of candor–two recent issues of concern were raised: one was actions by the Tax Credit Allocation Committee in California that seems to be concerned with the profitability of affordable housing (Not So Golden a State) and the other was the recurrence of confusion over LIHTC property tax assessment, and the conflict between developers and assessors in some states that has been ongoing for some 30 years. (50 Opinions)

A topic NH&RA has been focusing on this year is the convergence of senior housing and healthcare and other services being provided by empathetic property owners. One of the most comprehensive service programs is taking place at the Jewish Community Home for the Elderly in Boston, which was presented in Newport by Jessica Boatright. So, we had staff writer Mark Olshaker follow up with Jessica and her team so we could share their successful approach. (More Than Just a Home)

Another thing that’s new (though it was not on the Newport agenda) is the attempt to create a New Markets tax credit program to encourage development and create jobs in South Carolina, which would become the 15th state with its own such program. Staff writer Joel Swerdlow visited with those involved in advocating for the program to evaluate its progress. (The Spread of State NMTC Programs)

I hope as you venture forward into these new stories from the old town, you will be inspired to consider joining in future conversations by attending an NH&RA meeting. And if that meeting happens to be in Newport, you must visit the White Horse (built in 1653) and order the local swordfish.

Marty Bell
Editor