Top 10 of 2014

December 31, 2014

As the clock marches toward midnight and the calendar turns to 2015, we take a final look back at the year that was and celebrate the top stories of 2014 for Flaherty & Collins Properties:

#10: The Snow Must Go On

Winter hit hard throughout the Midwest, and our staff did their best to respond as quickly as possible to keep residents moving and active throughout the early part of 2014.

#9: Maintenance Mania

Our own Paul Palacios took home the best time in four of the seven events at the annual Indiana Apartment Association Maintenance Mania . He won the Kwikset Key Control Deadbolt Test, Seasons Ceiling Fan Installation, CFG Faucet Installation, and the Fluidmaster Duo Flush Toilet Conversion. F&C also won the Spirit Award.

#8: Grand Opening of The Boulevard at Oakley Station

In May, we officially cut the ribbon on The Boulevard at Oakley Station, a Silver-LEED certified development in Cincinnati, Ohio.

“The Boulevard at Oakley Station is a cutting-edge development in an area of Cincinnati that is experiencing phenomenal growth,” says David Flaherty, CEO of Flaherty & Collins Properties. “We are excited at the reception the property has received thus far and what it means for the community and residents that call The Boulevard at Oakley home.”

#7: F&C Gives Back

We take pride in giving back our time, treasure and talents at Flaherty & Collins. While it always feels like more can be done, we were able to work with several groups to make a difference this year.

Our chili cook-off to benefit the Mozel Sanders Foundation event raised over $1,000, which Flaherty & Collins Properties combined with a pledged donation of $2,000 to assist with the Mozel Sanders Foundation Thanksgiving Day campaign, which served 41,500 meals the week of Thanksgiving.

The Boys & Girls Club of Noblesville recognized F&C for our work with the Outsanding Community Service Award, and we worked hard in the spring to help assist in the

#6: The Depot Welcomes First Residents

The Depot at Nickel Plate, which broke ground in October 2013 in Fishers, Ind., began nearing completion in late 2014 and welcomed first residents in December.

#5: Whole Foods Market Coming to Market Square Mixed-Use Project

In May, we announced that a 40,000 square foot Whole Foods Market will anchor the forthcoming Market Square Mixed-Use Development.

“This will be one of the finest mixed-use towers in the Midwest, if not the country,” says David Flaherty, CEO of Flaherty & Collins Properties. “With the tremendous value Whole Foods Market will add to future residents and to downtown, this is truly a great win for the city of Indianapolis.”

The project continues to progress toward groundbreaking in 2015.

#4: A Brave New (Web) World

In June, we announced a brand refresh for our logo, which came with a new corporate website, www.FLCO.com. The site would win “Best Corporate Online Marketing” at the Indiana Apartment Association Prodigy Awards in October.

#3: New Projects Begin

Our development team worked extremely hard in 2014, announcing projects across the Midwest. In June, we announced plans to begin a mixed-use project in 2015 on the Kansas City Riverfront at Berkley Park. In December, we began the necessary steps to begin a project in downtown Kokomo.

#2: Industry Recognition

In September, it was announced that The Landing had been named Top Rural Development in the Affordable Housing News Reader’s Choice Awards category. This prestigious national award is a proud accomplishment for the team and one that we can tout for years to come.

Concluding the 2014 Indiana Apartment Association (IAA) Midwest Multifamily Conference, the Prodigy Awards and Awards of Excellence were handed out at the President’s Dinner in October and Flaherty & Collins Properties was recognized and nominated in several categories, winning seven (7) awards – the most of any company. Our winners were:

Prodigy Awards –

Axis – Color Advertisement: More than 200 Units
Axis – Brochure: More than 200 Units
The Residences at Keystone – Color Advertisement: Less than 200 Units
Vision 1505 – Industry Related Innovation
Flaherty & Collins Properties – Best Corporate Online Marketing (Corporate Website)

Awards of Excellence Winners –

Gavin Greene – Donald J. Williams Volunteer of the Year Award
Alma Slash – Rick Stapp Regional Property Supervisor of the Year

#1: Axis Opens in Downtown Indy

In May, Marsh opened a 42,000 square foot flagship grocery store at Axis, located in the heart of downtown Indy. The design for the new store was the first of its kind in the nation and features extra space for produce, meats and a bakery. It became the first new downtown grocery store to open in 30 years.

By August, first residents moved into Axis, a mixed-use, multifamily development featuring 330 luxury apartments and more than 25,000 square feet of exterior amenity space. In addition to Marsh, residents of Axis have an amazing array of living and entertainment options in the heart of downtown Indianapolis, including a sixth floor Sky Bar with incredible views of the skyline, 24-hour state-of-the-art fitness club, indoor and outdoor yoga and Pilates studios, a resort-style pool with sundeck, outdoor grilling stations, a Zen garden with fire pit, study lounges, billiards and gaming lounges and a pet walk.

Here’s to a fantastic 2014! We wish everyone a very Happy New Year and hope your 2015 is another year to remember!

Nest Best Thing

December 29, 2014

The Depot at Nickel Plate welcomed its first residents earlier this month and as the project marches toward completion over the next few months, residents and guests will be delighted at the amenities presented on the property. From the awesome game room to the Fitness OnDemand and clubhouse area, The Depot is packed with great features and amenities.

It is also a tech-savvy community, highlighted by the Nest^® thermostats and pre-wired Bluetooth^® Surround Sound in select units.

Brian Moore, Marketing & Communications Director at Flaherty & Collins Properties, installed a Nest thermostat in his home over the holiday weekend for those who are curious what the fuss is all about. Below is his “Nest Best Thing” Journal.

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If you are like me, perhaps you’ve thought that thermostats are just thermostats. They exist to alter the temperature in your home depending on what suits you.

And they were – until technology recently introduced a device that learns what suits you without you ever needing to touch the thermostat again. Nest is much more than a slick looking gadget with cool colors and no “buttons.” Nest learns what your preferred temperatures are for your humble abode, day or night, home or away.

Add in the phone app and you can control Nest – and the temperature of your home – from any where in the world. So, leaving for a trip and forgot to turn down the heat or air conditioning? Just open the app and adjust. Coming home from vacation and don’t want to walk into a cold house or a stuffy room? Same thing – just open the app and your home will feel just the way you want upon arrival.

The installation process was fairly simple. There are videos posted on the Nest website, as well as printed directions for even the most non-handy of home dwellers (I fall into the latter). Within 20 – 30 minutes, we had successfully removed our old thermostat and installed Nest. The device connects to your WiFi and automatically downloads the latest software updates.

From there, you simply begin adjusting the temperature to your desire. Over the next few weeks, Nest will remember when you changed the temperature and what you changed it to. Say you like it a little cooler in the middle part of the day because you’re moving about and the natural sunlight is warming your home, so between 10am and 8pm, the temperature is 68 degrees. But you want it a little warmer before bed, as everyone is relaxing about. You up the temperature to 70 between the hours of 8pm and 10pm. And since you’re a person who knows the body sleeps better at cooler temps, you bump it down again to 68 degrees before bed. Lastly, you don’t like waking up to a cold house and getting ready for your day, so you up the temperature to 71 degrees.

Within a week or so, Nest will remember all this information and store it to create a customized schedule for your home, called Nest Sense^TM. You can repeat the same process when the weather changes each season by simply adjusting the temperatures again for a few days to a week. So when summer rolls around, you could wake up to 68 degrees and go to bed at 72 – Nest has got you covered.

If this part sounds like work, rest assured, Nest thought of people like me when it comes to adjusting the thermostat. Who wants to walk into the dining room to adjust the thermostat four times a day to get started? The solution is the app – you can adjust it from upstairs in the bedroom or from the garage. You can adjust it on your flight back from Hawaii or that business trip to Chicago. You could adjust it from a friend that lives 20 minutes away.

My wife notoriously decides that it is either too hot or too cold in the house after we have long settled in to bed, the lights are out and I am nearly asleep. Within the first several hours of installing the Nest thermostat and downloading the app, I avoided getting up and trudging downstairs to alter the temperature of our house by a single degree.

I just opened the app, raised the temperature to her preferred state and then sat the phone back on my nightstand. Presto! My wife was warm and I didn’t have to leave the room.

What we’ve found thus far is that Nest creates ease when it comes to adjusting and maintaining the temperature of your home.

Oh, and Nest can save you money on your heating/cooling bills as well – an average of 20% according to the Nest website. Nest also provides other functions, like reminding you a filter needs changed and monitoring your heat pump.

The Depot Welcomes First Residents

December 9, 2014

A lot of excitement around the office this week, as yesterday saw our first residents move in at The Depot at Nickel Plate, a mixed-use development in Fishers. Our team has been working hard on the project and we’re proud that new residents can officially call The Depot “home.”

The Depot at Nickel Plate, which broke ground in October 2013, provides an upscale blend of residential and retail uses in a pedestrian friendly, mixed-use development set in the emerging heart of downtown Fishers. With 242 units and 17,000 square feet of retail space, construction is to be completed in April 2015. The Depot also includes approximately 430 structured parking spaces.

New residents of The Depot at Nickel Plate will enjoy incomparable amenities, including a health club with Fitness OnDemand and a Pilates studio, screening lounge, cyber cafe, gaming lounge, a pet wash, secured bike storage, with a bike wash and repair shop to complement the new Fishers Bike Share program. In addition, two courtyards will create a relaxing and entertaining environment with grilling and dining areas, extensive landscaping, an outdoor TV lounge, fire pit, and a resort style pool with cabanas and a sun shelf.

Apartments feature 9-foot ceilings, 42-inch kitchen cabinets, wood-style floors throughout, glass-tile kitchen backsplash, granite countertops, stainless steel energy efficient appliances and full size washer and dryers. Select units will include Nest^® thermostats, Bluetooth^® Surround Sound, an upgraded appliance package and rooftop terraces for penthouse units.

Our onsite team, Michael Collins, Crystal Gray and Lizzy Robertson were all smiles in welcoming our first residents.

“We are very excited that The Depot at Nickel Plate is becoming home for several new residents this week,” said Michael Collins, Regional Property Manager at Flaherty & Collins. “The apartments look fantastic, and with more units scheduled for completion over the next few months and the addition of Brixx early next year, the area will really be active.”

Brixx Wood Fired Pizza, which will serve as the anchor tenant of The Depot, will occupy the 3,824 square feet of retail space, with an additional outdoor dining patio, on the southeast corner of Municipal Drive and 116^th Street at The Depot. In addition, Dottie Couture, a chic boutique carrying high quality, affordable and trendy accessories for women, plans to open in early 2015 as well.

For more information on The Depot at Nickel Plate, please visit www.dnpinfo.com.