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The Quick-Change Artist - South of Fifth page 2CMYK NxMB,2013-02-17,RE,006,Bs-4C,E1 6 THE NEW YORK TIMES, SUNDAY,FEBRUARY17, 2013 REMB GETTING STARTED Reducing Your Carbon Footprint Householdscouldsee of Energy, provides a customized list of tips based on information you enter about utility-bill savingsadd up your appliances, home construction and substantially over the years. energy use. Tackle Home Improvements By SUSAN STELLIN Once you know how youre wasting ener- Many people believe that Hurricane Sandy gy, the challenge is fixing those problems. made the consequences of climate change Some of the easiest chores you can tackle painfully clear, so itmightbetempting to are caulking, weatherstrippingdoors and think that stricter emissions standards windows,and sealing gaps around heating and renewable-energy investments could and cooling ducts. lead to a less stormy future. But while Ronda Wist, vice president forpreserva- these high-level policy initiatives are im- tion and government relations atthe Mu- portant, changes on the home front matter, nicipal Art Society of New York, said peo- too. ple living in older homes should consider Residential housing accounts for 29 repairing rather than replacing things like percent of all the energy used in New York windows.People often think that new is State,Ž said FrankMurrayJr., the presi- better,Ž shesaid. The problem with new dent and chief executive of the New York windows is that there are often gaps be- State Energy Research and Development tween the window frame and the ma- Authority, which goes by the acronym sonry.Ž Nyserda. That includes a lot of home print- The Municipal Art Society, working with ers with their poweron 24/7 and lights illu- the citys Landmarks Preservation Com- minating empty rooms. mission,recently published a Green Row- If the virtue of reducing your carbon house Manualofenergy-saving advice for footprint is not enough of an incentive, the residents of older buildings, which make United States Department of Energyesti- up much of thehousing stock. A lot of the mates that the typical American family advice in the guide also applies to newer spends about $2,000 a year on utility bills. homes, but residents of buildings subject Changing some energy habits mightnot to landmark restrictions face hurdles drastically reduce your totalbill, but even when contemplating improvements. small savings addup over the years „and Last spring, New York City passed the your home wouldbe less of a drain on the Zone GreenŽ amendment,which relaxed grid. zoning regulations to remove some barri- ers to environmentallyfriendly home im- Turn Down, Screw In, Unplug provements. For instance, it is now easier Many energy-saving strategies are free or to install awnings, solar panels and green ILLUSTRATION BY PHIL MARDEN inexpensive, and technology makesit easi- rooftops, thanks tomore flexibility on er to follow through on advice most people things like what can be puton a roof. have heard, but dont always heed. Smart Before making any improvements, in- power strips, for example, automaticallyready have one, and washing your clothes with incomesofup to $260,000, the audit vestigate what rebates, tax credits and Many energy-saving in cold water is much more energy-effi- shut down power to electronics that arentcosts$50 to$320.The auditassesses how other incentives you might qualify for, ei- cient than choosing warmer cycles.strategies are free or in use „like your printer or DVD player „ you can save energy, what any recom- ther from government sources or utilities. but also have outlets marked always onŽMr. Olert sayslighting is another bigmended improvements will cost,and the inexpensive. There are all kinds of incentives for for devices that need continuous power,source of residential energy waste, espe-returntime on your investments. heating, cooling and lighting upgrades,Ž cially in the summer when the heat from like a DVR. Other advanced power strips A typical audit involves evaluating appli- Mr. Olert said. There are even some for come with a remote control, so you cantraditional bulbs adds to cooling costs. In- ances and lighting, checking insulation, changing out your shower heads to save switch them off without crawling aroundcandescent bulbs throw more heat than and looking for air leaks around doors, on hot water use.Ž light,and compact fluorescent lamps on the floor. A quick scan of your home is pipes and windows. They bring a door Federal tax credits for investments like likely to reveal appliances that can be un-throw more light than heat,Ž he said. New with them and they put it in your front solar energy systems and residential wind federal standards require incandescent plugged, like a window air-conditioner in door and create a suction that allows them turbinescan be found at energystar.gov. the winter or a gaming console the kids nobulbs to operate at a lower wattage for a to identify where the leaks are occurring,Ž Anothersite, DsireUSA.org,offers a similar light output, but energy-saving longer use.Mr. Murraysaid. searchable database of state, federal, local LED bulbs and compact fluorescent, or Adjusting temperature controls is also Many utility companies also offer free or and utility incentives that support energy CFL, bulbs have come down in price and an easy task. According to Nyserdas rec- subsidized home energy audits. Con Edi- efficiency. For New York State residents,a are generally more efficient. Nyserdas ommendations, a typical home water heat-son charges $50 for customers who live in bulbologyŽ pageprovidesa good over-program called Green Jobs „ Green New er should be set no higher than 120 de- a one- to four-unit home; that price covers view of your options, and advice on deci-Yorkprovides low-interest loans forun- grees, arefrigerator should be around 35a free smart power strip and CFLbulbs. If phering lighting labels. dertakingrecommendations emerging to 38 degrees and afreezer at 0. you dont qualify for one of these pro- from an energy audit. grams, the Building Performance Institute Chris Olert, a spokesman for Con Edi- Do an Energy Audit lists accredited contractors you can hire toYou end up paying back that loan son, saysthe refrigerator is the top ener- through the energy savings on your utility gy-consuming appliance in most homes.perform a similar audit. If you live in a one-to four-family resi- bill,Ž Mr. Murray said. Your annual loan Cleaning the condenser coilsof dust anddential building in New York City and yourThere are also online tools that guide grime can also help reduce its energy use.you through the process of doing your ownpayment is calculated so it doesnt exceed annual household income is below A programmable thermostat should be on$130,000, you qualify for a free home ener-energy evaluation. The Home Energy Sav-the amount of money youre going to your hardware shopping list if you dont al-gy audit, Mr. Murraysaid. For householdsercalculator, created for the Departmentsave.Ž BIG DEAL Quick-Change Artistat the Beach Properties and then a city commissioner. CONTINUED FROM PAGE1 been upgraded. More than a dozen restau- He wanted to buy whatever he could,and rants, including several considered the he was willing to pay whatever people most exclusive in Miami Beach, have were asking;he wasnt even negotiating.Ž opened in the neighborhood, which is also Mr. Kramer invited 11 architectural home tothe 18-acre South Pointe Park. firms to develop plans for the area. After Of all the high-end stories of rapid urban six days of discussions, Miami Beachs renewal and massive accumulation of original city center was ready for its most wealthI have encountered around the spectacular facelift,Ž he said. world in the past year, the area South of But Mr. Kramer was not a developer by Fifth Street stands out for the sheer pace trade, and after starting work on the Porto- of its transformation. fino Tower, he ran into financing problems. What happened there in less than a In 1995he turned to JorgePérezof the Re- decade is absolutely mind-boggling,Ž said lated Group, a developer who had been fo- William Cary, the citys assistant planning cusing on building affordable living units. director, who drew up the historic district. Mr. Pérez eventually bought 22.5 acres in Dating to1912, South of Fifth Street was the South Pointe area from Mr. Kramer for the first subdivision of Miami Beach to be $125 million, re-branding it South of Fifth. developed. The brothers James and John The one parcel Mr. Pérez missed out on Lummus set out to create an affordable was where a Coast Guard station had seaside community for the proletariat,Ž been. Mr. Kramer sold that to Bruce Eich- Mr. Cary said. They plotted lots 50feet ner, the NewYork developer, and it be- wide, small enough that even people with came the site of Continuum Towers. modest incomescould afford to buy land Back then there were no height re- and build homes, Mr. Cary said. strictions. When Mr. Kramer and develop- The area served as the industrial and ers like DonaldJ. Trump „who in the transportation hub of the city back then, mid-1990s proposeda 100-story hotel-casi- with railyards and oil tanks. no with residences where the Continuum Buildings of three stories or less contin- now stands „announced plans to fill the ued to be built in an Art Deco style until 1954 when the Fontainebleau Hotel opened farther north. With 1,504 rooms and mul- In 1912, two brothers set tiple restaurants, theaters, arcades and out to create an coffee shops, it began to suck all the ener- affordable community gy out of South Beach,Ž Mr. Cary said. South of Fifth became desolate. Condi-for the proletariat. tions worsened after 1980, when the Mariel boatlift dropped 125,000 Cubans in Florida. area with large condo towers, residents be- South of Fifth was disproportionately af- fected, city officials said. The area becamegan to react. A Save Miami BeachŽ cam- paign resulted in a referendum to rein in known for drug dealing,and the streets uncontrolled development. were considered unsafe at night. It de- cayed into a zone of abandoned ware-While Mr. Kramer saw the older build- houses, seedy efficiency hotels andingsas a slumnot worth saving, city offi- cials created a historic district in 1996 to boarded-up properties. Mr. Cary recalled protect the low-riseArt Deco structures at seeing vagrants living in the then-vacant PHOTOGRAPHS BY DIANA ZALUCKY FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES; ABOVE RIGHT Browns Hotelon Ocean Drive, lighting thea remove from the beach. Thereferendum roomswith candles. passed in 1997 and put in place height re- apartments for $650asquare foot. Re-borhood, including Prime One Twelve, Big The South of Fifth areain strictions for future developments. Then, while on vacationin early 1992, cently units there have been averagingPink and Prime Italian, as well as the Miami Beach has high-rises Thomas Kramer, a German businessman,Mr. Cary gerrymandered the historic more than $1,500asquarefoot, with pent-Prime Hotel.along the waterand low-rises took a helicopter ride over South Beachdistrict aroundhalfa dozen towers that houses selling for over $3,000asquare in the center. A penthouse at Ocean House is just halfa block from and had a vision: to create a version ofhad already been approved, including the OceanHouse, aboveleft, is on foot, said Dora Puig, a broker with Puig- two of Mr. Chefetzs restaurants. He New Yorks Battery Park City on theMurano, the Apogee and the Icon. Mr. the market for $18.5 million. Werner. Ms. Puig has Mr. Eichners pent- bought the 4,176-square-foot penthouse for southern tip of Miami Beach.Pérez developed all of them. He also has Miami Beach in 1964, above house on the market for $39 million. $7.2 million in 2009. He said he spent three Before German reunification, Mr. Kra-the last site left for development, on which right. Even lower-lying developments thatyears and $5 million renovating it. Fea- he plans a 32-residence condoat prices ex- mer had started a fund to invest in East once struggled are nowluxury propertiestures include 5,200square feet of outdoor pected to average $3 million. German real estate. The fund soon went South of Fifth. Ocean House, expandedspacewith a pool area and an outdoor bankrupt. But he had also married into aIn the end the towers gave the neigh- from an Art Deco building on Ocean Drive,kitchen with eightVikingrefrigeratorsand wealthy German family.borhood a distinctive character.Some resi- has become an exclusive enclavethat Ms.wine chillers. Not to mentionthe $14,000 With a reputation for knowing how todents gripe that more infrastructure „ like Puig likened to the Hamptons, with privatebird-suppressionŽ system„ a fancy term get things done quickly,Mr. Kramer spentgrocery stores„ isstill needed, but the in- beach access and cozy sittingrooms. iStarfor a rotating reflective device meant to more than $100 million to buy real estate increasein prices is stunning. Consider that Financial took it over during thedownturnprotect the deck fromdroppings. Miami Beach, including 45 acres south ofin the mid-1990s it was still possible to buy when sales were slow. Its another stunning example of the a one-bedroomon Ocean Drive for under Fifth Street.The area was then called Ms. Puig is selling the seventh-floorneighborhoods turnaround, and a far cry South Pointe;itstill had a dogtrack,and$100,000. Today finding something for un- OceanHouse penthouseowned by the res-from the Lummus brothers original vi- the dilapidated buildings served as chic lo-der $1 million „ in a new development, cations for fashion model shoots.certainly „ would be a feat.taurateur Myles Chefetzfor $18.5 million.sion. In the Miami Beach of 2013, Mr. Cary Mr. Chefetz, a New Jersey native, hasconcluded, the proletariat can no longer Everyone thought he was crazy,Ž saidBefore construction finished in 2002,the Saul Gross, the president of StreamlineContinuums south towerwas sellingopened severalrestaurants in the neigh-afford to liveŽ south of Fifth Street.