January 13, 2006
The Lander
Group wins four Best in American Living Awards, national recognition
for design and Smart Growth development
Award recipient Midtown
Lofts sells out
Minneapolis— The Lander Group, the Twin
Cities leader in urban multi-family and mixed-use developments,
received four Best in American Living Awards (BALA) from Professional
Builder Magazine and the National Association of Home Builders
(NAHB) at a ceremony held in Orlando on January 10. The annual
Best In American Living Award (BALA) residential design competition,
sponsored by Professional Builder Magazine and NAHB, is
the foremost residential design competition in the country. It
pays tribute to those individuals who produce homes that illustrate
design quality, success in the marketplace, and exemplify the best
in American living. The awards recognized Midtown Lofts and West
River Commons (both in Minneapolis) and Water Street Brownstones/Vine
Street Lofts (located in Des Moines, IA).
Midtown Lofts, the celebrated anchor of
a new urban village which sits directly on the Midtown Greenway
between Lyn-Lake and Uptown Minneapolis, was honored twice, winning
the top award for all entries in the Central Region and garnering
a Silver Award in the category of Best Attached Home 20 Units
Per Acre and Over. This development
was the first of a new wave of residential development in the Uptown
area, and recently sold its last unit. Locally, Midtown Lofts has
been lauded for its compelling exterior design and responsible
approach to urban redevelopment.
West River Commons, a mixed-used development
featuring 53 rental units, retail space, a public plaza and three
ownership townhomes which is located at the intersection of East
Lake Street and West River Road in Minneapolis, was recognized
with a Gold Award for Best Urban Smart Growth Neighborhood/Community.
Waterstreet Brownstones and Vine Street
Lofts, a new rental and ownership community instrumental in kickstarting
the revitalization of the downtown Des Moines’ residential
boom, were recognized with a Silver Award for Best Smart Growth
Community up to 150 units.
The projects are recognized in the January 2006 issue of Professional
Builder Magazine. Details can also be found at www.housingzone.com.
These awards bring national recognition to the Twin Cities for
leadership in Smart Growth, a concept becoming more widely recognized
and supported in light of environmental and social complications
as a result of “suburban sprawl”. Smart Growth principles
help to outline development strategies for accommodating increasing
populations, in both urban and ex-urban areas.
The Lander Group is a Minneapolis-based,
award-winning development firm specializing in urban in-fill
development. The firm
is known locally for its support of new urbanist, smart growth,
and green building principles, and its focus on high-quality design.
It is currently working on 38, a new mixed-use development at 38th & Nicollet,
comprised on 40 condo units and 9000 sq. ft. of new retail/commercial.
Lander Group is also in design and planning discussions regarding
the Weisman site at 2626 West Lake Street, next to Calhoun Beach
Club.
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