Bruno, Inc. | New Orleans, Louisiana. A Joshua Bruno Company

Riverview Luxury Apartments

October 25th, 2008

by admin

</ifame></p> </div> </div> <div id="mojo-post-26" class="post" > <h3> <a href="http://www.brunoinc.com/index.php?option=com_mojo&Itemid=&p=26" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent Link to $1.75M apartment complex slated for south Kenner">$1.75M apartment complex slated for south Kenner</a> <span class="userEdit"></span> </h3> <div class="post-date">October 25th, 2008</div> <div class="post-author"> by admin </div> <div class="post-entry"><p style="text-align: justify;">South Kenner could have a new 45-unit apartment complex by the first quarter of 2008, said a New Orleans developer.</p> <p style="text-align: justify;"></p> <p style="text-align: justify;">Joshua Bruno, president of Downtown Development Group, said he received permitting two days ago to build Riverview Apartments, a roughly $1.75-million project. <!–more–></p> <p style="text-align: justify;">The apartments are slated for 1039 Third St., where an assisted- living facility once operated, Bruno said.</p> <p style="text-align: justify;">Bruno plans to redevelop the site, which contains four buildings: two that comprised the assisted-living facility and two that housed medical services.</p> <p style="text-align: justify;">Construction began Tuesday with a crew of 30 people, he said.</p> <p style="text-align: justify;">Phase One, which will consist of 26 units and office and laundry facilities, should be completed by the middle of January. Phase Two, which will involve 19 to 22 units, should be ready about 30 days after that.</p> <p style="text-align: justify;">Units will start at 600 square feet and rent for about $730 a month. Luxury units of about 1,200 square feet and featuring larger windows overlooking the Mississippi River will rent for about $1,600 a month.</p> <p style="text-align: justify;">Bruno described the development as a "middle- upper-income apartment building."</p> <p style="text-align: justify;">The project will feature lush landscaping valued at around $100,000, he said.</p> <p style="text-align: justify;">The project will also include a horseshoe court, gated parking, a tetherball court, closed-circuit television surveillance and free high-speed Internet access inside and outside units.</p> <p style="text-align: justify;">The buildings will also be made more hurricane-resistant, he said.</p> <p style="text-align: justify;">The number of courtyards will be increased from one to two, he said.</p> <p style="text-align: justify;">Bruno plans to use Gulf Opportunity Zone incentives to build the project, but he is waiting for approvals. Private project financing will come from First Bank and Trust, he said.</p> <p style="text-align: justify;">Metrowide Apartments, Bruno’s firm, will manage the complex.</p> <p style="text-align: justify;">Bruno said he has a vision for South Kenner and plans to acquire more properties for other developments, including mixed-use projects.</p> <p style="text-align: justify;">"I want this to be the first kickoff of my redevelopment of south Kenner," he said.</p> <p style="text-align: justify;">There is demand to live in south Kenner, he said.</p> <p style="text-align: justify;">"It’s high and dry. It’s very close to the metro area. You’re right next to the airport .. right next to the casino."</p> <p style="text-align: justify;">But one challenge with acquiring more Kenner properties is dealing with multiple family members who often own the same site, he said.</p> <p style="text-align: justify;">Bruno said he bought the 2-acre site about a month ago for $572,500.</p> <p style="text-align: justify;">He said his goal is to provide "great housing at a reasonable price."</p> <p style="text-align: justify;"></p> <p style="text-align: justify;">Copyright 2007 Dolan Media Newswires<br /> Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights Reserved.</p> </div> </div> <div id="mojo-post-25" class="post" > <h3> <a href="http://www.brunoinc.com/index.php?option=com_mojo&Itemid=&p=25" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent Link to Developer to buy Treme hotel">Developer to buy Treme hotel</a> <span class="userEdit"></span> </h3> <div class="post-date">October 25th, 2008</div> <div class="post-author"> by admin </div> <div class="post-entry"><div class="individual story"> <h3>by The Times-Picayune</p> <div style="margin-top: 6px;">Thursday February 28, 2008, 12:09 PM</div> </h3> <p>Developer Joshua Bruno has signed an agreement to buy the Rainbow Hotel at 1937 St. Ann St. in the Treme for $320,000. Bruno, owner of the Downtown Development Group, plans to convert the 58-room hotel into 40 apartments for low- to moderate-income tenants. Construction will begin in late May and should wrap up by September.</p> <p>The smallest units in the St. Ann Square Apartments will rent for $600 a month, and the largest three-bedroom units will rent for $975 a month. Metro-Wide Apartments, another company owned by Bruno, will manage and lease the property; it also plans to open a laundromat nearby at St. Ann and North Prieur streets.</p> <p>The renovation and conversion of the hotel will cost an estimated $2 million and will be financed by Bruno and First Bank and Trust.</p> </div> </div> </div> <div id="mojo-post-24" class="post" > <h3> <a href="http://www.brunoinc.com/index.php?option=com_mojo&Itemid=&p=24" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent Link to Kenner renewal">Kenner renewal</a> <span class="userEdit"></span> </h3> <div class="post-date">October 25th, 2008</div> <div class="post-author"> by admin </div> <div class="post-entry"><h3 class="subhead">New apartment complex marks first project for new Rivertown</h3> <p><strong class="autor">by Ariella Cohen</strong></p> <p>A 27-year-old real estate developer and former nightclub owner has broken ground on a $1.75-million apartment complex in Kenner’s Rivertown neighborhood, a first sign of progress for Mayor Ed Muniz’s long-brewing plan to create a vibrant downtown in the historic town center.</p> <p>The 45-unit Riverview Apartments community, which will be gated and include courts for horseshoes and tetherball, will replace an assisted-living facility and hospital at 1039 Third St., well within the borders of the Third Street Corridor mapped for new retail, residential and commercial development by Muniz soon after he took office in 2006.</p> <p>Riverview is the first of several high-end residential projects planned for South Kenner, said developer Josh Bruno, a Tulane University dropout who got his start as an entrepreneur at Club Ampersand, a nightspot he founded with partner Billy Blatty in the Central Business District of New Orleans.</p> <p>“I see a demand in South Kenner for higher-end rentals for young professionals who don’t want to live in New Orleans and aren’t ready to buy a home,” said Bruno, who plans to open a Kenner office in the near future.</p> <p>Bruno’s vision for an upscale, family friendly community coincides with Muniz’s goal to bring new investment to Rivertown, which has struggled to attract investment even though it is a historic district with attractions and elevation above the flood plain.</p> <p>“New residential development is definitely part of the plan,” said Mike Quigley, deputy chief administrative officer for Kenner. “Rivertown and the (vacant land around the airport) are areas that beg for a redevelopment, (which would) help bring back a tax base the city needs and generate more restaurants and stores for people in the area.”</p> <p>Just a few blocks from Bruno’s Riverview Apartments sits another site high on the city’s redevelopment radar: the old Kenner High School on Third and Duncan streets, which has been vacant since 1994.</p> <p>The red brick schoolhouse built in 1924 was recently placed on the National Register of Historic Places. Within several weeks, the city plans to invite developers to propose plans for its commercial redevelopment, Quigley said.</p> <p>“We are looking to someone to turn the high school into a retail or office development,” he said. The historic designation means any developer who leases the building for commercial use would not be able to change the building’s façade in any significant way, according to federal guidelines.</p> <p>Bruno, who has expressed interest in the old school building, sees the potential for a population boom in Rivertown.</p> <p>“It is high ground and there is room to grow and a large population of people who want to live in the area,” he said.</p> <p>Bruno is not the first to scope Rivertown as a potential hot spot. In 1982, then-Mayor Aaron Brousard funded the creation of eight museums, a park and two theaters in the 16-block commercial district. The new attractions were intended to inject new life and revenue into the aging downtown.</p> <p>In 2006, a monthly average of 5,501 tickets were sold for Rivertown attractions, earning $16,532, according to the city. Data for 2007 was not available, but museums, subsidized by the city to the tune of $400,000 a year, never made the kind of economic impact sought by city officials, Muniz has said.</p> <p>His plan includes revenue-generating elements intended to inject some new cash into the district in order to make it less financially dependent on the city, Quigley said.</p> <p>“We are looking at putting retail in the museum buildings,” Quigley said.•</p> </div> </div> <div id="mojo-post-23" class="post" > <h3> <a href="http://www.brunoinc.com/index.php?option=com_mojo&Itemid=&p=23" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent Link to Complex issue">Complex issue</a> <span class="userEdit"></span> </h3> <div class="post-date">October 25th, 2008</div> <div class="post-author"> by admin </div> <div class="post-entry"><h3 class="subhead">Kenner’s apartment ban highlights need for multifamily housing, growth plans</h3> <p><strong class="autor">by Ariella Cohen</strong></p> <div class="storyImage"><a href="http://www.neworleanscitybusiness.com/viewStory.cfm?recID=30512#"><img width="250" src="http://www.neworleanscitybusiness.com/APTImages/FOCUS%20main2%20n.jpg" alt="James Perry, executive director of the Greater New Orleans Fair Housing Action Center, opposes a ban on new multifamily housing construction, such as redeveloping the Redwood Apartment Complex at the intersection of West Esplanade Avenue and Williams Boulevard. (Photo by Frank Aymami)" /></a></p> <div class="caption"><a href="http://www.neworleanscitybusiness.com/viewStory.cfm?recID=30512#" onclick="window.open('/photo.cfm?recid=30512&storyType=nopg','newWin','width=640,height=480')"> James Perry, executive director of the Greater New Orleans Fair Housing Action Center, opposes a ban on new multifamily housing construction, such as redeveloping the Redwood Apartment Complex at the intersection of West Esplanade Avenue and Williams Boulevard. (Photo by Frank (more)</a></div> </div> <div id="adDiv"></p> <div id="beacon_6f6c0cd552" style="position: absolute; left: 0px; top: 0px; visibility: hidden;"><img width="0" height="0" src="http://adserver.neworleanscitybusiness.com/www/delivery/lg.php?bannerid=26&campaignid=20&zoneid=10&source=weekly%20edition&loc=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.neworleanscitybusiness.com%2FviewStory.cfm%3FrecID%3D30512&referer=http%3A%2F%2Ftheicecomputercafe.com%3A2095%2F3rdparty%2Froundcube%2F%3F_task%3Dmail%26_action%3Dshow%26_uid%3D8%26_mbox%3DINBOX&cb=6f6c0cd552" alt="" style="width: 0px; height: 0px;" /></div> <p><script type="text/javascript">document.context=’YzoyNiNjOjI2fA==’; </script> <noscript><a href=’http://adserver.neworleanscitybusiness.com/www/delivery/ck.php?n=aff342ff&amp;cb=INSERT_RANDOM_NUMBER_HERE’ target=’_blank’><img src=’http://adserver.neworleanscitybusiness.com/www/delivery/avw.php?zoneid=10&amp;source=weekly+edition&amp;n=aff342ff’ border=’0′ alt='’ /></a></noscript>A recently instated one-year moratorium on the construction of developments with five or more apartments in Kenner will not solve conflicts over post-Katrina growth facing the city and does not recognize the region’s need for affordable housing, real estate industry insiders and fair housing advocates say.</div> <p>The ban on new multifamily housing was unanimously approved April 3 by the Kenner City Council, less than a month after Kenner saw thousands of people line up outside its Housing Authority office to receive federal rental assistance vouchers.</p> <p>Already, it puts in limbo at least two developments in planning stages and threatens investment in future mixed-income projects, investors say.</p> <p>“There is clearly a significant demand for affordable housing in Kenner as evidenced by the long line of people who showed up to apply for affordable housing and it concerns me that the government hasn’t recognized that need,” said Mark Madderra, a commissioner for the Louisiana Housing Finance Agency and a real estate investment banker at Madderra & Cazalot.</p> <p>Madderra, who is also on the New Orleans Apartment Association’s board, hopes Kenner “would be willing to consider the affordable housing needs of its citizens” as it enforces the ordinance over the next year.</p> <p>The move to block new multifamily housing came after more than a year of debate over the fate of sites that before Katrina housed hundreds of renters, many of whom qualified for federal aid because of low or non-existent incomes.</p> <p>Homeowners in the quiet, tree-lined neighborhood of single-family homes near the 400-unit Redwood Apartment complex at the intersection of West Esplanade Avenue and Williams Boulevard have spoken against the complex’s redevelopment, citing concerns about noise, traffic, safety and strain on area infrastructure. The law is a response to that opposition, said Councilman Joe Stagni.</p> <p>“We have an abundance of multifamily housing in Kenner and we have a responsibility to study the impacts (of development) on drainage, sewerage and other infrastructure matters before we build more,” Stagni said.</p> <p>News that the Council’s vote will keep the 15-acre site an open, grassy field for at least another year evoked cheers at Highway Park, a playground around the corner from the vacant lot.</p> <p>“The less apartments, the better,” said Kenner homeowner Ronnie Grassel as he pushed his 2-year-old daughter in a swing. “I think when you buy a home you don’t want to see those buildings around. It is what it is. Call it prejudice or whatever, but it’s pretty much the opinion of everyone you talk to.”</p> <p>Fair housing advocates agree prejudice is at work in Kenner, but that is where the similarities end.</p> <p>“There is a shortage of affordable rental housing in the region and to ban new construction will only worsen that,” said James Perry, executive director of the Greater New Orleans Fair Housing Action Center.</p> <p>Kenner tried to pass a similar ordinance in June but didn’t after housing advocates argued against it. Instead, the council asked the University of New Orleans to study the Redwood site.</p> <p>The study, which found no shortage of multifamily housing in Kenner, recommended the city rezone the site to allow for a mixed-use district of shops, restaurants and mixed-income apartments.</p> <p>“Mixed-use developments are popular around the country and are now beginning to pop up around Louisiana,” the UNO report said.</p> <p>Wendell Dufour, director of the University of New Orleans Division of Planning in the Center for Urban and Public Affairs, said he doesn’t believe an all-out ban of multifamily development is the answer to unease about growth in Kenner.</p> <p>“You hear people say we don’t want any multifamily because there is a perception that (the buildings) automatically translate to Section-8 tenants, crime or other problems,” said Dufour, who is working with city officials on a completing a larger land-use plan for Kenner. “But a lot of the time it is not multifamily housing that is per se the issue, it is landlords that aren’t properly maintaining developments or some tenants that aren’t doing what they should be doing.”</p> <p>The land-use plan will recommend high-density residential development in the north and western regions of Kenner along Joe Yenni Drive and Vintage Drive near the St. Charles Parish line, Dufour said.</p> <p>New Orleans developer Josh Bruno is one investor who has had his eye on Kenner. Last month, he broke ground on a $1.75-million apartment complex in Rivertown and announced his interest in working with Kenner Mayor Ed Muniz on his plan to bring new upscale apartments, shops and restaurants to the historic area.</p> <p>“I see a demand in south Kenner for higher-end rentals for young professionals who don’t want to live in New Orleans and aren’t ready to buy a home,” said Bruno, who has expressed interest to the city about working with officials to redevelop the long-shuttered Kenner High School in Rivertown into a mixed-use anchor of the proposed district. Bruno said that he also has begun planning for a second upscale residential project in the neighborhood.</p> <p>The new law could hinder progress in Rivertown, Bruno said.</p> <p>“For a city that is trying to be developer-friendly and attract investment, this is not the kind of thing that investors like to see.”•</p> </div> </div> <div id="mojo-post-22" class="post" > <h3> <a href="http://www.brunoinc.com/index.php?option=com_mojo&Itemid=&p=22" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent Link to The Living Mall">The Living Mall</a> <span class="userEdit"></span> </h3> <div class="post-date">October 25th, 2008</div> <div class="post-author"> by admin </div> <div class="post-entry"><h3 class="subhead">Plans to turn a Metairie strip mall ‘green’ leave some tenants outside</h3> <p><strong class="autor">by Ariella Cohen</strong></p> <p>A Metairie strip mall is coming alive.</p> <p>A vertical eco-system of hardy climbing vines and lush, flowering plants will soon be scaling the concrete exterior walls of a Veterans Boulevard shopping center. The living “bio-walls” will be the first such planted edifices in the area, bringing Metairie into the ranks of New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and Toronto, where such walls have literally flowered.</p> <p>“We want to show people that you can put a live, green building in a place of tar and cement,” said property developer Josh Bruno.</p> <p>The New Orleans-based developer and former nightclub owner purchased the 4427 Veterans Blvd. shopping center earlier this year with $1.7 million and a dream of giving the aging, nondescript row of stores located on the corner of Clearview Boulevard a green facelift, he said.</p> <p>Bio-walls are essentially gardens planted on plastic trellises and attached to concrete walls. From a distance, they appear like the furry, overgrown edifices of medieval castles. Closer inspection reveals layered designs where thick foliage grows between two layers of loosely-woven plastic screwed into the concrete wall. Plant roots reach downwards, sometimes extending several stories.</p> <p>The living installations, requiring pumps and a drainage system for regular watering, can increase the cost of a building significantly. Bruno pegged the cost of his exterior bio-walls at $2 million, more than he paid for the entire building. Plans also include interior bio-walls.</p> <p>What makes the green installation more than simply on-the-building landscaping is the bio-wall’s ability to filter toxins and impurities from the air that enters the building, Bruno said. “Think about all the chemicals in an office building,” said Bruno. “The bio-wall is a living, breathing filter so you don’t take that in.”</p> <p>Indoor bio-walls have long been touted as a cure for so-called sick building syndrome, a health ailment related to exposure to the toxic gases emitted by chemicals found in the paint, cleaning and office supplies of many buildings.</p> <p>Recent research, however, shows the health benefits may be hard to discern or even non-existent in a structure the size of the Veterans bio-mall, said David Lay, operations manager of a much-studied bio-wall at the Integrated Leaning Center at Queens University in Ontario.</p> <p>“A bio-wall is a pretty thing to look at and in theory, it should clean the air,” Lay said. “In practice, you need a whole lot more plants than you can fit on a vertical wall to get quantifiable results. It’s a beautiful, impressive thing, but the benefits are primarily psychological.”</p> <p>Bruno is counting on the bio-walls to raise the value of the aging two-story retail and office space, which sits directly across the street from Clearview Mall.</p> <p>Though his team of designers hasn’t started working on the building’s green-habilitation, Bruno informed tenants this week that their rents will rise. The strip is now occupied by a mix of small, locally-owned stores on the first floor and offices on the second story. First-floor tenants include Louisiana Insurance; Perfume y Accesorios, an accessories and perfume store that caters to Spanish speakers; D&L Hair Salon; V Nails & Tanning Salon, Pizza Florence and Nordic Kitchens and Bath. On the second floor is EPS Alarms, Progressive Insurance and a number of other small business tenants.</p> <p>The bio-wall second-story, which will be completely renovated, is expected to attract a new tenant base that can “afford the rental increase,” according to a market projection done by Bruno. The only retail tenants expected to stay on under the new owner are Nordic Kitchens and Bath and Pizza Florence, according to the projection.</p> <p>The sit-down Italian restaurant and the designer kitchen showroom cater to an upscale audience, and owners of both say the bio-wall and other planned improvements to the building will do their business good.</p> <p>“The concept is phenomenal,” Nordic owner Randall Shaw said.</p> <p>Bruno envisions replacing some of the lower-end stores on the building’s street-level with upscale tenants, including a brand-name cosmetic retailer and possibly, a spa that could capitalize on the cleansing appeal of the bio-wall.</p> <p>“The boutique places that are in Old Metairie and on Magazine Street are lacking on Veterans,” said Bruno. “The market is there and the bio-wall is a good complement for (those business.)”</p> <p>A rendering of Bruno’s plans for the strip mall does not include the neon signs of the salons that exist at the mall now. Looking at the rendering, the owner of V Nails & Tanning Salon, V Nguyen, said she would she would probably leave the space when the rents rose, regardless of the “cool” bio-wall.</p> <p>“We are a regular salon,” Nguyen said, standing next to an empty foot bath, the air thick with the scent of nail solvents and rubbing alcohol. “If the rents go up, we need a bigger parking lot for more customers, not trees on the wall.”•</p> </div> </div> <div id="mojo-post-21" class="post" > <h3> <a href="http://www.brunoinc.com/index.php?option=com_mojo&Itemid=&p=21" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent Link to Developer plants â€˜bio-wallâ€™ project at Metairie building">Developer plants â€˜bio-wallâ€™ project at Metairie building</a> <span class="userEdit"></span> </h3> <div class="post-date">October 25th, 2008</div> <div class="post-author"> by admin </div> <div class="post-entry"><p><strong class="autor">by Ariella Cohen Staff Writer</strong></p> <p>NEW ORLEANS - Green building is going live. Literally.</p> <p>New Orleans developer Josh Bruno has taken the first step toward creating a vertical ecosystem of hardy climbing plants and lush foliage on the concrete exterior of a Veterans Memorial Boulevard shopping center. The living “bio-walls” will be the first in the Gulf South, bringing Metairie into the ranks of Paris, Tokyo, New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and Toronto, where living walls have flowered.</p> <p>“We want to show people that you can put a live, green building in a place of tar and cement,” said Bruno, 27, who bought the two-story strip mall at 4427 Veterans Blvd. earlier this year for $1.7 million.</p> <p>Bio-walls are essentially gardens planted on rectangular panels packed with moisture-retaining soil that are attached to concrete walls. Plant roots reach downward, sometimes extending several stories.</p> <p>The living installations, which require a drip irrigation system, typically cost $40 to $60 a square foot, without plants. Including the greenery, costs can run up to $150 a square foot, depending on the type of vegetation chosen, said Eliot Pister, sales manager for G-Sky, the British Columbia-based bio-wall manufacturer designing the Veterans Boulevard walls. Annual maintenance of the landscaped walls runs about $5 per square foot per year, Pister said.</p> <p>Bruno pegged the cost of his exterior bio-walls at $2 million — more than the building’s purchase price. He plans interior and exterior bio-walls and no plants that produce pollen will be used.</p> <p><b>Health, environment benefit</b></p> <p>First developed in the 1990s, the walls have been touted for their oxygen-producing capabilities and ability to purify air. Some advocates say bio-walls can be used indoors to prevent so-called sick building syndrome, a health ailment related to the gases emitted by chemicals found in paint, cleaning and office supplies.</p> <p>The syndrome became notorious locally in 2001 when state employees working in the 44-story Plaza Tower filed a class-action lawsuit against the building’s owner, claiming mold, asbestos and other chemicals in the skyscraper had made them ill. The since-vacated building is undergoing a $10-million mold remediation project.</p> <p>“Think about all the chemicals in a regular office building,” Bruno said. “The bio-wall is a living, breathing filter, so you don’t take that in.”</p> <p>In a building the size of 4427 Veterans Blvd., however, the air-purification benefits may be hard to discern, or even nonexistent, said David Lay, operations manager of a much-studied bio-wall at the Integrated Leaning Center at Queens University in Ontario.</p> <p>“A bio-wall is a pretty thing to look at and, in theory, it should clean the air,” Lay said. “In practice, you need a whole lot more plants than you can fit on a vertical wall to get quantifiable results. It’s a beautiful, impressive thing, but the benefits are primarily psychological.”</p> <p>Bio-wall manufacturers say the energy savings produced by exterior installations can also be significant.</p> <p>“A living wall acts as an insulating layer for the building,” Pister said. “We estimate it will bring down the temperature of the area behind the wall by 10 to 15 degrees Fahrenheit and reduce the need for air conditioning.”</p> <p><b>Enhancing property value</b></p> <p>Bruno is counting on the bio-walls to raise the value of his aging two-story retail and office space, which sits directly across the street from Clearview Mall.</p> <p>Though his team of designers hasn’t started work on the building’s bio-walls, Bruno has already informed tenants he’d like to see a little more green from them. In addition to the rent increase, he envisions replacing some of the current lower-end stores with upscale tenants, including a brand-name cosmetic retailer and possibly a spa that could capitalize on the cleansing appeal of the bio-wall.</p> <p>“The boutique places that are in Old Metairie and on Magazine Street are lacking on Veterans,” Bruno said. “The market is there and the bio-wall is a good complement.”</p> <p>The strip is filled with a mix of small, locally owned stores on the first floor, with office tenants above. First-floor tenants include Louisiana Insurance; Perfume Y Accesorios, an accessories and perfume store that caters to Spanish speakers; D&L Hair Salon; V Nails & Tanning Salon; Pizza Florence; and Nordic Kitchens and Bath. EPS Alarms, Progressive Insurance and a number of other small business tenants occupy the second floor.</p> <p>The second story, which will be completely renovated, is expected to attract a new tenant base that can “afford the rental increase,” according to a market projection done by Bruno. The only retail tenants expected to stay on under the new owner are Nordic Kitchens and Bath and Pizza Florence, according to the projection.</p> <p>The sit-down Italian restaurant and the designer kitchen showroom cater to an upscale audience, and owners of both say the bio-wall and other planned improvements to the building will be good for their business.</p> <p>“The concept is phenomenal,” Nordic owner Randall Shaw said.</p> <p>A rendering of Bruno’s plans for the strip mall holds no hint of the neon-lit salons that exist in the strip now. Instead, there is a silver Porsche parked in front of a blank storefront.</p> <p>Looking at her landlord’s illustration, V Nguyen, who owns V Nails & Tanning Salon, said she would she would probably leave the space when the rents rose, regardless of the “cool” bio-wall.</p> <p>“We are a regular salon,” she said, standing next to an empty foot bath, the air thick with the scent of nail solvents and rubbing alcohol. “If the rents go up, we need a bigger parking lot for more customers, not trees on the wall.”</p> <p><b>Concept sprouting in U.S.</b></p> <p>Bruno is also developing a $20-million “green” office and retail complex in Slidell, on a site adjacent to the planned 400-acre University of New Orleans Research and Technology Park.</p> <p>The Century Park complex will likely include a bio-wall, said the developer, who is also renovating a 14-story office building at 1600 Canal St. and apartment complexes in Kenner and the Treme.</p> <p>“The New Orleans region is actually the perfect environment for bio-walls,” Bruno said. “We have high humidity so the tropical plants will grow, plenty of rain and a clear need for sustainable architecture.”</p> <p>The United States has been relatively slow to pick up on bio-walls. Of the 200 bio-walls or roofs done by G-Sky, only a quarter of them have been in North America, said Pister, who credits government incentive programs in Europe and Japan with spurring popularity there. There are no incentives for bio-walls in the United States, though there are such programs for green roofs.</p> <p>The eco-minded salesman believes bio-features will bloom as more corporations hop on the green bandwagon and look for new ways to convey that eco-consciousness to consumers. In the past five months, G-Sky has put the finishing plants on walls inside the Whole Foods Market flagship location in Austin, Texas, and on the exterior of a W Hotel in Atlanta.</p> <p>“The biggest benefit is marketing,” Pister said. “The pedestrian and press attention a bio-wall brings is huge.”</p> <p>Last week, Bruno shopped for retail tenants at the annual International Council of Shopping Centers conference in Las Vegas. Bruno was not be the only developer with a green pitch, and he may need more than a living wall to fill his project, said Jerry Yudelson, the shopping council’s green expert.</p> <p>“By itself, the wall might just look like the aftermath of Katrina,” Yudelson said. “I saw one in a development in London last week. It’s visually interesting but I don’t think it particularly says anything to the average person.”</p> <p>Yudelson recommended the developer consider more effective — and less pretty — green additions to the building, such as a wind turbine or solar panels to supply clean energy.</p> <p>“There is a lot of competition out there to be green,” he said.•</p> </div> </div> <div id="mojo-post-20" class="post" > <h3> <a href="http://www.brunoinc.com/index.php?option=com_mojo&Itemid=&p=20" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent Link to N.O. group fixing 61 apartments in 60 days">N.O. group fixing 61 apartments in 60 days</a> <span class="userEdit"></span> </h3> <div class="post-date">October 25th, 2008</div> <div class="post-author"> by admin </div> <div class="post-entry"><h2> </h2> <p>Officials with New Orleans-based Downtown Development Group say they plan to finish redeveloping 61 low- to moderate-income apartments in the city and in Metairie within 60 days.</p> <p>The buildings are Washington Gardens, 2119 Washington Ave.; Washington Place, 2316 Washington Ave.; and Metairie Heights, 1609 S. Arnoult Road.</p> <p>The apartments are being marketed to returning residents and migrant workers. Apartment managers will speak Spanish and English, and parking will be available for oversized trucks and other machinery.</p> <p>The apartments will consist of studio and one-, two- and three-bedroom units that will range from $550 to $950 a month with water and gas fees.</p> <p>DDG officials say they are now pre-leasing the apartments.</p> <p>DDG President Joshua Bruno, a native of New York who attended Tulane University, said he will start a neighborhood crime watch at each apartment to ensure tenant safety. Each building will be equipped with closed-circuit televisions and gated off-street parking.</p> </div> </div> <div id="mojo-post-19" class="post" > <h3> <a href="http://www.brunoinc.com/index.php?option=com_mojo&Itemid=&p=19" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent Link to N.O. developer plans to shelter migrant workers">N.O. developer plans to shelter migrant workers</a> <span class="userEdit"></span> </h3> <div class="post-date">October 25th, 2008</div> <div class="post-author"> by admin </div> <div class="post-entry"><p><strong class="autor"><br /> </strong></p> <div id="adDiv"> <div style="position: absolute; left: 0px; top: 0px; visibility: hidden;" id="beacon_7ff8dd1d2a"><img width="0" height="0" style="width: 0px; height: 0px;" alt="" src="http://adserver.neworleanscitybusiness.com/www/delivery/lg.php?bannerid=26&campaignid=20&zoneid=10&source=up%20to%20the%20minute&loc=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.neworleanscitybusiness.com%2FUpToTheMinute.cfm%3FrecID%3D9434&referer=http%3A%2F%2Ftheicecomputercafe.com%3A2095%2F3rdparty%2Froundcube%2F%3F_task%3Dmail%26_action%3Dshow%26_uid%3D8%26_mbox%3DINBOX&cb=7ff8dd1d2a" /></div> <p><script type="text/javascript">document.context=’YzoyNiNjOjI2fA==’; </script> <noscript><a href=’http://adserver.neworleanscitybusiness.com/www/delivery/ck.php?n=aec8a15b&amp;cb=INSERT_RANDOM_NUMBER_HERE’ target=’_blank’><img src=’http://adserver.neworleanscitybusiness.com/www/delivery/avw.php?zoneid=10&amp;source=up+to+the+minute&amp;n=aec8a15b’ border=’0′ alt='’ /></a></noscript></div> <p>NEW ORLEANS – Developer Joshua Bruno said there’s a deep need for affordable housing in post-Hurricane Katrina New Orleans.</p> <p>Hispanic laborers helping rebuild the city and residents still displaced by the hurricane are having a hard time finding such housing, he said.</p> <p>He’s hoping to fill that need with two Central City apartment developments totaling 49 low-income units that should be completed within 50 days.</p> <p>Bruno, president of New Orleans-based Downtown Development Group, is converting old apartment complexes on Washington Avenue into new housing without using tax credits that many developers are seeking post-Katrina.</p> <p>He said his project is privately financed, although he will take advantage of the Gulf Opportunity Zone’s bonus depreciation incentive.</p> <p>Washington Gardens, a $1.4-million development at 2119 Washington Ave., will feature 24 apartments. Washington Place, a $1.3-million development at 2316 Washington Ave., will have 25 apartments.</p> <p>Washington Place should open in 30 days, and Washington Gardens should open 20 days later, he said.</p> <p>Bruno said the one-bedroom, 400-square-foot studio apartments will rent in the mid-$600 range.</p> <p>Before Katrina, the complexes were magnets for drugs and crime and a thorn in the side of the 6th District police, he said.</p> <p>Bruno, a New York native who attended Tulane University, said his apartments might house some of his own employees. Fifteen employees, or about 20 percent of his total workforce, are from Mexico, Argentina or Honduras, he said. Some of the workers are living in Kenner and Treme, he said.</p> <p>Since they came to the city to help with the rebuilding, migrant workers have “not been accepted by a lot of other landlords,” he said.</p> <p>In some cases, landlords have asked migrant workers for double deposits out of fear they might suddenly leave, he said.</p> <p>Bruno said he has been able to keep the cost of construction down by relying on his in-house construction company. By buying materials in bulk at a discount, the cost-per-square-foot can be lowered, he said. Other developers should consider building without tax credits, which bring with them high carrying costs, he said. Also, private financing often allows a developer to build quicker, he said.</p> <p>The two Washington Avenue complexes will have gated entrances and gated parking, he said. Also, closed-circuit television cameras will monitor the property, he said.</p> <p>High-efficiency electric and gas systems will keep costs down for tenants, he said. Also, gas and water usage is covered in rent, he said.</p> <p>The properties also have courtyards that provide green space for tenants to use, he said.</p> <p>Bruno is also developing Metairie Heights apartments, a 12-unit complex at 1609 S. Arnoult Road in Metairie. The site was home to an apartment complex that dated to the 1960s, he said.</p> <p>Metairie Heights is 65 percent complete, with tenants already living there, he said.</p> <p>One-bedroom units will rent in the low-$700 range, he said.</p> </div> </div> <div id="mojo-post-16" class="post" > <h3> <a href="http://www.brunoinc.com/index.php?option=com_mojo&Itemid=&p=16" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent Link to Riverview Apartments GRAND OPENING 1039 Third Street. Kenner, LA">Riverview Apartments GRAND OPENING 1039 Third Street. Kenner, LA</a> <span class="userEdit"></span> </h3> <div class="post-date">October 14th, 2008</div> <div class="post-author"> by admin </div> <div class="post-entry"><p> <meta content="text/html; charset=utf-8" http-equiv="Content-Type"><br /> <meta content="Word.Document" name="ProgId"><br /> <meta content="Microsoft Word 12" name="Generator"><br /> <meta content="Microsoft Word 12" name="Originator"></p> <link href="file:///C:%5CDOCUME%7E1%5CJOSHUA%7E1%5CLOCALS%7E1%5CTemp%5Cmsohtmlclip1%5C01%5Cclip_filelist.xml" rel="File-List" /> <link href="file:///C:%5CDOCUME%7E1%5CJOSHUA%7E1%5CLOCALS%7E1%5CTemp%5Cmsohtmlclip1%5C01%5Cclip_editdata.mso" rel="Edit-Time-Data" /></p> <link href="file:///C:%5CDOCUME%7E1%5CJOSHUA%7E1%5CLOCALS%7E1%5CTemp%5Cmsohtmlclip1%5C01%5Cclip_themedata.thmx" rel="themeData" /> <link href="file:///C:%5CDOCUME%7E1%5CJOSHUA%7E1%5CLOCALS%7E1%5CTemp%5Cmsohtmlclip1%5C01%5Cclip_colorschememapping.xml" rel="colorSchemeMapping" /><style type="text/css"><br /> <br /> </style><span style="font-size: 14pt;">New Orleans developer</span> Joshua Bruno of Downtown Development Group is proud to announce the <b>Grand Opening</b> of his newest apartment community, <b><u>Riverview Apartments</u></b> located in Kenner’s historic Rivertown. These luxury apartments have wrap around balconies, lush landscaping, enclosed courtyards, gated parking and endless views of the river is the first development that Mr. Bruno has completed as a part of his “Reinvention of Rivertown.” </meta><br /> </meta><br /> </meta><br /> </meta> </p> <p>“Riverview Apartments, the first of several multi-family communities I have planned for South Kenner, has the advantages of great location in a high demand area, high ground and modern lifestyle in a suburban setting.” states Bruno.</p> <p>Theses Forty-five 1, 2, & 3 bedroom units feature many high end amenities including: large bedrooms, marble and granite countertops, cherry oak cabinets, polished stained concrete flooring, walk in closets, plasma screen TV’s, close circuit TV & 24 hr Fire Security Monitors, FREE High Speed Wireless Internet (Inside/Outside units), elevator access, ADA/Handicapped Units, On-site Office Staff and Laundry Facilities, and much more! Amenities include Basketball, tennis, handball, tether ball and horseshoe courts with a private park overlooking the Mississippi river.</p> <p>Metro-Wide Apartments, our in-house leasing company, is currently leasing these brand new, never lived-in, apartments. Every Saturday there is an Open House (11am-2pm) at the community located at 1039 Third St. Kenner, LA where potential tenants, accompanied by the property manager, can view the unique homes and experience the natural settings of the riverfront community. No two units are the same, each home has a different combination of floor plans, kitchen cabinets, marble and granite countertops. Come choose your perfect fit today!</p> <div> Joshua Bruno’s real estate development philosophy is based on increasing the quality of life on the Gulf Coast by bringing the outside ‘in’ to working or living environments and creating outdoor spaces that provide more opportunity for workers or residents to enjoy lush green spaces. <b>His properties integrate the convenience of city living with the beauty and security of suburban life.</b></div> <div> </div> <div>Architect for Riverview Apartments is Steven J. Finegan Architects Ltd. of New Orleans who specializes in ergonomic and hurricane resistant architectural design. </div> <p>The construction was managed by Joshua Bruno, President of Bruno, Inc which is a vertically integrated company in Acquisition-Design-Development-Construction-Management.  </p> <p>Leasing for the project is being handled by Metro-Wide Apartments. <script type="text/javascript"><br /> \n </script><script language='JavaScript' type='text/javascript'>  </script>This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it <script language='JavaScript' type='text/javascript'>  </script></p> <p> </p> </div> </div> <div id="mojo-post-12" class="post" > <h3> <a href="http://www.brunoinc.com/index.php?option=com_mojo&Itemid=&p=12" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent Link to 1937 St. Ann Square Apartments Groundbreaking">1937 St. Ann Square Apartments Groundbreaking</a> <span class="userEdit"></span> </h3> <div class="post-date">October 14th, 2008</div> <div class="post-author"> by admin </div> <div class="post-entry"><p>     Downtown Development Group (DDG), headed by New Orleans developer Joshua Bruno, has begun construction on a new low to moderate income housing facility located at 1937 St. Ann Street in Treme.  The former Rainbow Hotel is being renovated into St. Ann Square Apartments; forty 1, 2, & 3 bedroom units.  The apartment development will feature a gated court yard and off-street parking with lush usable green space.  The units will be constructed with hurricane resistant steel and concrete construction, energy efficient electrical and plumbing systems, and reinforced windows that comply with Dade County, FL hurricane codes.  Other St. Ann Square Apartments amenities include:  wrap-around balconies, central air and heat, outdoor barbeque grills, a digital phone system, free wireless Internet (inside/outside units), and closed circuit TV security surveillance system. Unit sizes start at 600 square feet and will rent for $600 a month.  The three-bedroom units at 1200 square feet will rent for approximately $975 per month.</p> <p>      DDG is designing and developing the St. Ann Square Apartments and Bruno, Inc., a vertically integrated real estate development company, will do the construction and redevelopment. Metro-Wide Apartments, another Bruno company, will manage and lease the property.   “</p> <p>St. Ann Square will provide additional affordable housing in the historic Treme area where there was considerable damage from Hurricane Katrina,” states Joshua Bruno.  “Hopefully, this project will contribute to the overall redevelopment of this important area adjacent to the French Quarter.”   This type of development is needed in the metro New Orleans area, Bruno explains, to house residents who have no place to live and are forced to live on the streets.</p> <p> </p> <p>    In addition to the St. Ann Square Apartment units, Metro-Wide Apartments will open Soap-n-Suds Laundromat which features flat screen TV’s, arcade games, and internet connected computers for use while washing clothes.  It will be located on St. Ann Street and N. Prieur.  The company will hire Treme residents to run the laundry and to provide janitorial services for the apartment complex.   Metro-Wide will also start a neighborhood crime watch program in Treme.  “We will continue the partnership we began after the storm with numerous non-profit, housing programs like UNITY, Catholic Charities and the Archdiocese of New Orleans, along with FEMA, to provide attractive, safe, and affordable home environments,” states Bruno, who has developed six other rental properties in Treme in the last 2 ½ years.</p> <p> </p> <p>    Since 2005, DDG has developed more than 200 residential housing units—from low and moderate income communities, to the middle and upper income 45-unit, Riverview Apartments on the river in South Kenner.  Bruno is planning to develop over 150 additional multi-family, low- to moderate-income and middle- to upper-income units by the beginning of 2009.  One of the keys to the success of Bruno’s real estate developments is designing his projects to add value and services to a larger surrounding community.  In addition, Bruno is one of relatively few private developers who has been willing to invest his own money in areas of the city he believes to be critical to the city’s recovery. </p> <p>Bruno’s real estate development philosophy is based on increasing the quality of life by creating outdoor spaces that provide opportunities for residents and workers to enjoy ample green spaces and to integrate light and outdoor views into interiors.  His properties combine the convenience of city living with the beauty and security of suburban life.</p> <p> </p> <p>Architect for St. Ann Square Apartments is Steven J. Finegan Architects Ltd. ofNew Orleans who specializes in ergonomic and hurricane resistant architectural design. </p> <p>The construction will be managed by Bruno, Inc which is a vertically integrated company in Acquisition-Design-Development-Construction-Management.   Leasing for the project is being handled by Joshua Bruno of Metro-Wide Apartments.</p> <p> <script language='JavaScript' type='text/javascript'> \n </script><script language='JavaScript' type='text/javascript'>  </script>This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it <script language='JavaScript' type='text/javascript'>  </script>, Office: (504) 309-1849, Fax: (504) 598-9387].</p> <p> <br />  </p> <p>  <br />  </p> </div> </div> <div class="navigation"> <span class="alignleft"></span> <span class="alignright"></span> </div>  </div>  <div id="mojo_footer"> <div class="feedage">rss <a class="rss" href="http://www.brunoinc.com/index.php?option=com_mojo&Itemid=&feed=rss2">     Entries</a> or <a class="rss" href="http://www.brunoinc.com/index.php?option=com_mojo&Itemid=&feed=comments-rss2">     Comments </a></div> <div id="get_mojo"> </div> </div> </td> <td class="rightcol"> <div class="module"> <div> <div> <div> <table width="100%" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"> <tr align="left"><td><a href="http://www.brunoinc.com/" class="mainlevel" >Home</a></td></tr> <tr align="left"><td><a href="http://www.brunoinc.com/Contact/" class="mainlevel" >Contact</a></td></tr> </table> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="module"> <div> <div> <div> <h3>News Sidebar</h3>Categories<ul> <li><a href="http://www.brunoinc.com/index.php?option=com_mojo&Itemid=0&cat=1" title="View all posts filed under Development Updates">Development Updates</a> (8) </li> <li><a href="http://www.brunoinc.com/index.php?option=com_mojo&Itemid=0&cat=2" title="View all posts filed under News Releases">News Releases</a> (9) </li> <li><a href="http://www.brunoinc.com/index.php?option=com_mojo&Itemid=0&cat=3" title="View all posts filed under Press Articles">Press Articles</a> (17) </li> <li><a href="http://www.brunoinc.com/index.php?option=com_mojo&Itemid=0&cat=4" title="View all posts filed under Television & Radio">Television & Radio</a> (5) </li> <li><a href="http://www.brunoinc.com/index.php?option=com_mojo&Itemid=0&cat=5" title="View all posts filed under Public Relations">Public Relations</a> (1) </li> </ul>Archives<ul> <li><a href='http://www.brunoinc.com/index.php?option=com_mojo&Itemid=&m=200906' title='June 2009'>June 2009</a> (6)</li> <li><a href='http://www.brunoinc.com/index.php?option=com_mojo&Itemid=&m=200905' title='May 2009'>May 2009</a> (3)</li> <li><a href='http://www.brunoinc.com/index.php?option=com_mojo&Itemid=&m=200901' title='January 2009'>January 2009</a> (4)</li> <li><a href='http://www.brunoinc.com/index.php?option=com_mojo&Itemid=&m=200811' title='November 2008'>November 2008</a> (1)</li> <li><a href='http://www.brunoinc.com/index.php?option=com_mojo&Itemid=&m=200810' title='October 2008'>October 2008</a> (11)</li> <li><a href='http://www.brunoinc.com/index.php?option=com_mojo&Itemid=&m=200809' title='September 2008'>September 2008</a> (1)</li> <li><a href='http://www.brunoinc.com/index.php?option=com_mojo&Itemid=&m=200805' title='May 2008'>May 2008</a> (6)</li> </ul> </div> </div> </div> </div> </td> </tr> </table> </div> <div class="bottom"></div> </div> </div> <div id="footer_divider"></div> </td> <td class="right_shadow"><img src="http://www.brunoinc.com/templates/home/images/rside.png" width="11" /><br /></td> </tr> <tr> <td class="left_bot_shadow"><img src="http://www.brunoinc.com/templates/home/images/spacer.png" alt="spacer.png, 0 kB" title="spacer" class="" height="55" width="11" /><br /></td> <td class="bottom"> </td> <td class="right_bot_shadow"><img src="http://www.brunoinc.com/templates/home/images/spacer.png" alt="spacer.png, 0 kB" title="spacer" class="" height="55" width="11" /><br /></td> </tr> </table> <div class="bottomspacer"></div> </div> <center> <span class="style1"><a href="http://www.brunoinc.com/">Home</a> :: <a href="http://www.brunoinc.com/Privacy-Policy.php">Privacy Policy</a> :: <a href="http://www.brunoinc.com/Terms-of-Use.php">Terms of Use</a><br /> Maintained by <a href="http://www.infintechdesigns.com">New Orleans Web Design</a> Company - <a href="http://www.infintechdesigns.com">InfintechDesigns.com</a></span><br /> <br /> </center> </body> </html>

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Riverview Luxury Apartments