Page 11 - CooperatorNews NY April 2021

COOPERATORNEWS.COM COOPERATORNEWS — APRIL 2021 11 F A S T AT YOUR PROPERTY www.veritasmanagement.com 1995 Broadway, NY, NY 10023 Tel: 212.799.2365 At Veritas, we’re always just a hop, skip or subway ride away, making responsive service a priority. In a digital age, we’re on top of technology. But we also handle things the old-fashioned way; we’re at your property in person, when you need us. Co-op, Condo and Rental Management • Online Services Project Management • Sales and Leasing • Compliance and Filings • Emergency Services • Staff Supervision Connect your property to Veritas Call us to learn more continued on page 12 PLANTS... continued from page 10 With a little more effort—but a lot of payback both financially and sustainability- wise—installation of a rain garden will al- low storm water runoff to be collected and used for the property’s irrigation, rather than being wasted and leeching impuri- ties into our water- ways. “Rain gardens are becoming very popular,” says Debbi Edelstein, executive director of the New England Wild Flow- er Society in Fram- ingham, Massachu- setts. “The water you use in rain gardens will feed back into the soil and not run off the site. That way, nature is managing the water. You don’t have to manage the water when the site has been designed properly by making it a sustainable landscape. When you make a sustainable landscape, you make a maintenance-free landscape.” Look Toward the Future Even a small investment into an associa- tion’s landscape design or maintenance can have big payoffs for the long-term financial and physical success of the property. By the same token, what might seem like a costly change or addition at first might have posi- tive repercussions for the future. For exam- ple, Lupfer points out that investing in per- meable pavers reduces the amount of land needed for drainage solutions like retention ponds or drains, leaving more of it available for other uses. A thoughtful plan for an un- derused outdoor space can add exponential value and desirability for a community and its homeowners. Making land- scaping decisions with an eye on the environmen- tal shifts brought about by climate change and other factors is also a smart move. Da- vid Mendelson and Annamaria Mo- rales of QG Land- scape based in New York tell Coopera- torNews that in new developments, builders and designers are planning outdoor space that can remain open further through the seasons. They are accounting for not only climate change, but the changes currently taking place as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. “Outdoor spaces have always been a sought-after commodity,” says Mo- rales. “Now with COVID, everyone wants to social distance, and they want to be outside. … We have to adapt to the new normal.” Martin Rosen of the Office of Planning and Sustainable Communities at the New Jersey Department of Environmental Pro- tection (NJDEP) reinforces the benefits of a holistic approach to landscape design and maintenance. He says, “As land itself be- comes scarce and ever more precious, out- door spaces need to be designed to deliver value in as many ways as possible; i.e., in- creasing land values, rewarding the senses, promoting environmental quality, and en- hancing mobility. Sustainable landscapes in- corporate and balance the human desire for beautiful and functional landscapes with the imperative to preserve valuable resources.” Looking at every aspect of a development site—its topography and layout, natural and artificial lighting, hardscape and softscape, vegetation, irrigation, and intended or po- tential uses—can create a landscape that is sustainable both now and for years to come. It’s Easy Being Green Contrary to the famous assertion of Ker- mit the Frog, being green is easy—and this goes for any multifamily property. Even small and inexpensive changes to the way an association or corporation plans and main- tains its outdoor spaces can have major im- plications for the value of the property, the health of the earth and its inhabitants, and the community’s bottom line. Understand- ing the interrelationship among the three greens—plantings, money, and sustainabil- ity—will help any co-op, condo, or HOA achieve a beautiful landscape that is pleasing and useful to residents, friendly and ben- eficial to the planet, and a long-term value proposition for today’s challenging times. n Darcey Gerstein is Associate Editor and Staff Writer for CooperatorNews. “When you make a sustainable landscape, you make a maintenance-free landscape.” — Debbi Edelstein SMART MULTIFAMILY... continued from page 1 for passive activities like reading or medi- tating; paved areas for high-impact games or groups; planters and shrubs to sepa- rate areas and provide visual interest. Even small spaces can be designed in a way to maximize usage and accommodate differ- ent populations; unsurprisingly, the coro- navirus pandemic has accelerated some of this thinking. While private outdoor space has always been a highly sought-after ame- nity in a dense urban environment like New York City, a whole year-plus of staying home and keeping socially distant has put an even higher premium on convenient access to fresh air and greenery. “I have a client building on the East Side \\\\\\\[of Manhattan\\\\\\\] that had this dead space in the back of the building,” says Morales. “All of a sudden, they’re like, ‘This is dead space, we’re doing nothing to it. Let’s put up a nice fence around it; let’s put some pavers down. Let’s put a couple of benches.’ And now the