“This exciting development is the first new urban infill project in this neighborhood in decades.  By utilizing existing urban areas, we are countering sprawl and creating affordable housing in a sustainable manner. Lextran’s bus stop will help make this a great workforce housing opportunity, convenient to all our community has to offer,” says Holly Wiedemann, President of AU Associates, the developer of the project.

Parkside brings much needed safe and decent affordable housing for families in the Lexington area.  The apartments will include well-appointed kitchens with dishwashers, microwaves, and disposals; private balconies; individual climate control; ceiling fans; and washer and dryer hookups.  Energy star appliances and many elements of “green” technology including an eco-friendly elevator have been utilized to make this a sustainable new construction project. 

There are 12 one bedrooms, 16 two bedrooms, and 8 three bedrooms apartments.  The apartments are restricted to individuals and families making 60% or below of the area median income.  Rents range from $500-700 per month which includes water, sewer and trash.

In addition to the residential floors on levels two through four, the first floor has three commercial space areas.  The Parkside leasing and onsite management office and community room for the residents occupies Suite 110.  The Sunflower Kids occupy Suite 160 and Bluegrass Domestic Violence Program occupy Suite 190. 

Organized as a nonprofit agency in 2001, Sunflower Kids was created to respond to the need for a safe, affordable, and supervised child visitation setting, mainly for families affected by domestic violence and child abuse. Sunflower Kids has proudly served over 450 families since 2003.

Bluegrass Domestic Violence Program (BDVP) is the primary domestic service provider for prevention and intervention services in the Bluegrass Area Development District, along with a safe, healing shelter program. The Bluegrass Area Development District is made up of 17 Central Kentucky counties including Fayette.  BDVP plans to use their new space at Parkside as a community outreach office which will offer counseling and support groups.

Parkside is the most recent addition to AU’s portfolio of more than $63 million of projects in Kentucky and West Virginia. AU has generated more than 350 units and over 100,000 square feet of commercial space in its 21 years of existence.  For more information, please visit: www.auassociates.com or contact Martha Dryden, Director of Operations, at martha@auassociates.com or call (859) 233-2009.      

CLENDENIN, WV (October 26, 2011)  AU Associates, a Lexington, KY based development firm, announces the completion of its first West Virginia project, Riverview at Clendenin School.  In celebration, AU Associates is hosting a dedication ceremony for the $5 million project on October 26, 2011 at 4 PM at 107 Koontz Avenue in Clendenin, WV. The project includes 18 units of senior housing and an expansion of Cabin Creek Health Care’s Clendenin clinic.

AU was called upon to find a solution to a problem that had plagued Clendenin for years: find a solution for renovating the abandoned school that could serve the community and be economically feasible. In doing so, AU’s innovative approach to re-using Clendenin School resulted in one of the most creative solutions to West Virginia’s dual challenge of providing access to affordable health care and housing for seniors. AU Associates Director of Development Johan Graham puts it this way, “By capitalizing on the multitude of funding programs available, we were able to forge new partnerships with financial sources that had never before worked together. Specifically, we combined Neighborhood Stabilization Program funds, USDA-Rural Development, historic tax credits and medical stimulus funds to make this project work. It has been a challenging but rewarding effort. We appreciate the assistance of Terrell Ellis of Terrell Ellis Associates, and Jack Suttle of 25045 – A New Clendenin, Inc., for helping to make this possible. Our partners at Poca Valley Bank, and The Foss Special Historic Equity Fund filled in the puzzle pieces that were necessary to make this project happen.”

AU’s President and Founder, Holly Wiedemann, concurs. “We are also thrilled to have worked with Cabin Creek Health Care, whose steadfast vision allowed us to accomplish this remarkable feat. We appreciate our West Virginia partners and look forward to doing more here.”

The school was originally donated to the community by the Kanawha County Board of Education.  Redevelopment was funded by a combination of federal and state funds and historic tax credits, including $1.2 million from USDA Rural Development, $2.7 million from the State of West Virginia’s Neighborhood Stabilization Program, $400,000 from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and $1 million in state and federal historic tax credits.  Construction financing was provided by Poca Valley Bank.
Riverview at Clendenin School brings much needed affordable housing to the area for independent seniors who want to age gracefully in place. Apartments will boast a complete set of amenities including: secure entry into the building with buzz-in capability; help/call buttons in each bathroom and bedroom; furnished community room; laundry room on-site; built in microwaves; ceiling fans; wiring for cable, telephone, and high speed internet access; and individual climate control.  All units are also equipped with energy saving appliances and other “green” technology.

The expansion of Clendenin’s Cabin Creek Health Care’s clinic into this building will greatly improve access to a variety of health care services in the region. The clinic will be expanding its presence in the community by doubling its size causing employment to increase from 11 to 24 including medical staff of physicians, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, and a fulltime behavior health consultant and pharmacy staff. It is anticipated that with facility expansion and expanded services the clinic will nearly double the number of people it currently serves.

According to Jack Suttle, President of 25045 A New Clendenin, the local nonprofit group working to revitalize the community, “We are excited as we unite with AU to develop this property as the center piece for Clendenin which will serve the citizens of the area for many years."

Riverview at Clendenin is the most recent addition to AU’s portfolio of more than $63 million of projects in Kentucky and West Virginia. AU has generated more than 350 units and over 100,000 square feet of commercial space in its 21 years of existence. This development represents AU’s first foray into the medical realm, and adds to its experience of residential, office, education, arts and mixed use project experience. For more information, please visit: www.auassociates.com or contact Johan Graham at johan@auassociates.com or call (859) 233-2009.      

For more information and to read the article about AU Associates, Inc. on page 161, go to http://www.ddcjournal.com/ and click on the current issue.

For more information go to www.lexnawbo.org. Or to view the video, from FOX56 News got to http://www.foxlexington.com/newsroom/top-stories/videos/vid_540.shtml

The symposium, free and open to the public, will bring together professionals with historic preservation expertise within real estate development, economics, urban planning and the nonprofit sector to share their wisdom about the importance of adaptive reuse.

"The historic preservation symposium is to help further the mission of the College of Design and historic preservation efforts within Lexington and the larger Kentucky region," says historic preservation graduate student Rebecca Gall. "To help facilitate our mission, we are bringing together national speakers and local respondents in a conversation about the 'best practices' within these fields, adapting larger concepts to a local context."

Instructor Rob Magrish feels the speakers will be able to provide a real world perspective in the field of historic preservation. "I think the speakers will offer realistic and practical insight into the adaptive use of historic structures. This information will help Lexingtonians understand the positive impact that preservation can have on the community."

Symposium sessions, speakers and times include:

- "Adaptive Reuse: Urban Planning," presented by Roberta Brandes Gratz, journalist, urban critic, lecturer and author of "The Living City" and "Cities Back From the Edge," 10 a.m. Thursday, March 31;

- "Adaptive Reuse: Real Estate Development," presented by Holly Wiedemann, principal at A.U. Associates Inc., 2 p.m. Thursday, March 31; - "Adaptive Reuse: Economics," presented by Donovan Rypkema, economist, historic preservationist, author and principal of PlaceEconomics, 10 a.m. Friday, April 1; and - "Adaptive Reuse: Nonprofit Redevelopment," presented by Matthew Kiefer, attorney, Harvard University Loeb Fellow and board president of Historic Boston Inc., 1:30 p.m. Friday, April 1.

All lectures will be followed by a community response panel and audience question and answer session.

Lectures presented as part of "Adaptive Reuse" will be registered with the American Institute of Architects for continuing education credit. Each lecture is worth two credits.

"Adaptive Reuse" is made possible with support from the Blue Grass Trust for Historic Preservation, Professor of Architecture Clyde Carpenter, architect David E. Gall, Morgan Worldwide and UK Student Government Association.

Parking for the symposium will be available in the Carnegie Center parking lots and the First Presbyterian parking lot.

In addition to the symposium, Roberta Brandes Gratz will also participate in a book signing for her new book, "The Battle for Gotham: New York in the Shadow of Robert Moses and Jane Jacobs," while visiting Lexington. The signing, which is free and open to the public, will begin at 7 p.m. Wednesday, March 30, at Joseph-Beth Booksellers. Her book will also be available to purchase at the symposium.

The Carnegie Center for Literacy and Learning is located at 251 West 2nd St., in Lexington.

For more information on "Adaptive Reuse," contact Derrick Meads, at UK College of Design, at (859) 257-5367.

Article from Business Lexington http://www.bizlex.com

For more information about AIA Kentucky, visit www.aiaky.org.

For more information on the Lexington Chapter of the National Association of Women Business Owners go to http://www.lexnawbo.org/

"Filling the Funding Gap on Rural, Small Housing Tax Credit Deals"
http://www.housingonline.com/

http://www.kentucky.com/latest_news/story/871870.html

Located in the Northside Residential Historic District, the First Presbyterian Church Apartments encompass two historic buildings built in the mid 1800s.  The Colonial is the oldest original apartment building in Downtown Lexington at 179 Market Street.  185 Market Street was originally part of the neighboring house and was used as a former servant’s quarters.   The Northside District consists almost entirely of juxtaposed blocks of varying and often contrasting socio-economic, architectural, and urbanite character.  Arranged in a recognizable pattern reflecting the continuing evolution of a primarily 19^th-century residential area, these diverse ingredients comprise a remarkable integrated whole, making it a viable place to live. 

The original apartment units have been carefully and expertly renovated to include all modern systems and amenities.  The apartments feature hardwood floors, large windows, spacious closets, individually controlled thermostats, and fully equipped kitchens.

There are 10 gracious apartments in total with 1 studio, 2 one-bedroom units and 7 two-bedroom units.  All homes located in the Colonial building are fully accessible with a new elevator that serves all levels.  A Community Library located in one of the buildings will serve all residents.

Development made possible by:   AU Associates, Inc.
Architect:  S + A Architecture, Inc.
Contractor:  Churchill McGee LLC

Financial assistance provided by:

Central Bank
City of Lexington Community Development
First Presbyterian Church
Kentucky Housing Corporation
Kentucky Heritage Council

Dedicated to the vision of Lee Bowman
Pastor of First Presbyterian Church from 2000-2009