Envy Apartment

A few dozen people spent their lunch hour Aug . 22 discussing City of Carmel projects as part of the Carmel Small Business Network . Carmel Mayor Jim Brainard spoke in the city council chambers about issues such as property taxes, debt and proposed projects such as purchasing an antique carousel and constructing a luxury hotel. Brainard told the group of business owners he’s sending his 2018 budget to the Carmel City Council and that he expects the tax rate to remain flat. He defended his plan to spend approximately $5 million to acquire an antique carousel built in 1907. “It will make it a more interesting visit to Carmel,” he said. Brainard also explained how it makes financial sense for the city to become part owners of a luxury hotel in the Carmel City Center area . He said most hotel chains wants to see big returns on investment, and the city is happier with smaller profit margins from the hotel because of what it will mean for economic development. “If we’re going to g...

~ by Rick Langenberg ~ Three, old classic buildings in Cripple Creek, which have incurred more than their share of “nine lives,” could once again get revived. The buildings, located directly across the street from the Imperial hotel on Carr Street, once served as a living headquarters for actors and performers of the classic melodrama, when it was hosted by the Mackin family at the Imperial. The structures, known for highlighting the district’s Victorian era grandeur , also have a colorful history in both the town’s pre and post-gambling period. They were the source of a huge controversy in the early years of gaming, capping an era of wild historic preservation fights that once prompted an investigation by the National Park Service . This occurred when hotel expansion plans , proposed by former owners of the Imperial casino, called for the historic gems to get demolished.    This plan was rejected, following an outcry by residents and state preservation officials , who arrived in Crip...

A nonprofit in Missoula is set to purchase 160 units of apartments next to the Clark Fork River in Missoula in order to preserve them as affordable housing . Homeword is currently in the process of buying the Creekside Apartments on East Broadway, which are currently owned by an out-of-state company. The apartments are currently available to people earning $27,720 or less annually, which is 60 percent or less of the area median income of $46,200 per person. However, the affordable restriction was set to expire in 2026, at which point the property would most likely have been converted into market rate rentals due to its desirable location. This would have made them "prime" for rent increases that would likely have caused the majority of residents to have to seek a place to live at lower rates elsewhere in an already competitive rental market , according to Homeword executive director Andrea Davis . “We know that rentals are in high demand here and there’s a significant ne...