Archives for January 2014

 
The US Bureau Of Labor Statistics have issued fresh job growth projections for the positions with the most job growth over the next eight years. These numbers hit the web in December and I caught up with them while doing research projections for growth in demand for medical properties.
The table from BLS I’ve linked to points to the medical sector growing in the next ten years with very clear indicators. with the largest growth in jobs expected to be in the position personal care aides, followed by registered nurses coming in at number two.
While news like this surely brightens the mood at healthcare REIT offices and at other real estate enterprises meeting the expansion in demand for medical care coming with the greying of the population,  health care is not the only sector in the top three of BLS job growth expectations.
At the #3 position we find retail salespersons, currently at 4.4 million jobs and expected to be at 4.8 million in 2022, for a bump of 9.8%.
At #5, food preparation including fast food ( 2.9 million currently, 3.4 million expected in 2022, for a expected bump of 14.2% over next eight years).
Some interesting facts:

• Of the top ten job descriptions, only two (nurses and nurse assistants) needed more training than high school.
• Of the top ten, six require only grade school education.
• The lowest-paying median annual wage on the list, food preparation, ranks fifth on the list at $18,260.
• Four of the top five positions were in health care

Take away what you will from the Dept. of Labor’s tea leaves, but one thing is clear. We can add the BLS to the giant pile of indicators that healthcare is expanding to meet the needs of a newly insured (and aging) populace.
By: Wayne Grohl (The Source)
Click here to view source article.

Community development consultant and author Peter Kageyama’s new book “For the Love of Cities” uses economic, social and psychological perspectives to look at cities and property markets to uncover the relationships that drive value. Peter shares insights into how we can turn peoples’ emotional engagement with their place into tangible action. Listen and be inspired about how your role in commercial real estate can make a difference in creating love for your city or town.
By: (National Association of REALTORS)
Click here to view source article and listen to podcast.

Rio Rancho Governing Body members have decided to host work sessions review city area plans and any recommended changes.
They reached that consensus after a presentation by Councilor Chuck Wilkins at their meeting Wednesday at City Hall.
Rio Rancho has 13 area plans that give specifics as to land use, access management (meaning roads) and facility design standards for certain parts of the city.
Wilkins said strict design standards in area plans make lessened regulation in the zoning ordinance symbolic instead of practical.
Everywhere likely to develop in the next 10 or 20 years has an area plan, he said.
“Planning is essential for our city, but we can do it more efficiently with less confusion,” Wilkins said.
Land use and access management guidelines are good, he said, but stricter standards aren’t. Even some access management rules need fixing, Wilkins said.
The city has a lot of plans for developers to figure out before they can start work, he said, and having two sets of rules can lead to misinterpretation.
Wilkins proposes to fix or remove design standards in most area plans. He’d prefer to move land use and access management guidelines to the city comprehensive plan and get rid of most, though not all, area plans.
He said the zoning ordinance should set design standards.
“I don’t think the whole city should look like Loma Colorado or Cabezon,” he said. “Some areas need to, and there’s nothing wrong with them, but there’s people that don’t like that.”
Repealing area plans would allow Rio Rancho to get ahead of Albuquerque and be more business-friendly, he said.
Wilkins proposed reviewing one area plan a month, starting after the election in March.
NAIOP Commercial Real Estate Development Association New Mexico Chapter President Lynne Andersen asked the governing body not to follow in Albuquerque’s footsteps. Some sites there have up to seven sector plans, akin to Rio Rancho’s area plans, overlapping, she said.
“It is total confusion,” Andersen said. “It is frustrating.”
Such arrangements are a way to stop growth, she continued. Rio Rancho only has 13 area plans, Andersen said, but the second layer of regulations makes development harder.
“I would just like you to look at these very closely because they do create a hurdle to economic development,” she said.
Mayor Tom Swisstack said the city must be doing something right since it has received recognition from top journals as one of the best places to live in the nation. He suggested holding work sessions to lay out a baseline of concerns so the governing body didn’t have to handle every line.
Councilor Tamara Gutierrez said she agreed with holding a work session, but hadn’t agreed with getting rid of area plans. Some plans were created with input from area residents, she added.
Gutierrez said she wanted the business community involved.
“We’re not trying to make that investment outrageous for them,” she said.
Area plans aim to protect someone doing quality development from someone who isn’t, she continued.
The governing body agreed to accept Swisstack’s suggestion.
They didn’t decide on the composition of the group to be involved in the work sessions.
By: Argen Duncan (Rio Rancho Observer)
Click here to read source article.