Riverside BIA - June Newsletter

June 5, 2008

Message from BIA President, Bob Yoder

Leading the State in Fee Deferrals!

The BIA is always fighting to protect your business, your employees and your bottom line by being proactive on deferring impact fees. As an industry we know first hand the enormous costs and financial burden placed on home builders through impact and developer fees. Your BIA is currently leading the state in making the cost of doing business in Riverside County affordable.

To date we have been successful at deferring or lowering fees in 23 local government jurisdictions and special districts. Even with these successes, we are not stopping our efforts to deliver our message of providing stimulus measures to our local economies.

We know that deferring development fees makes it easier to build communities that stimulate our economy. Even with my own company, Shea homes, we are starting to build again and can see some clear skies ahead.

Shea Homes is not the only company moving forward. VanDaele Development Corporation has a positive outlook for the future as they have recently bought land for future projects. As we know our industry focuses on planning for the future and in this troublesome market, it should be taken by our elected leaders as a sign that the worst is over.

Now more than ever we need your help in advancing our message that planning for our future is essential to our economic recovery, so please send us your stories about how recent state, federal or local stimulus measures are impacting your business. You can send them to tthompson@riversidebia.org.

Government Affairs Update

As we move into Summer, the BIA has secured the deferral or lowering of fees for 23 local governments and special districts. As you can see your BIA has been successful at making sure the climate is right for new home construction. While the steps we have taken may not be visible today, we are planning for our future and our efforts will be noticed tomorrow.

As we continue to gain support from local jurisdictions, it is crucial to hear from you the impact of fee reductions, fee deferrals and any regulatory relief we’re achieving. Getting your stories enables your BIA team to support our elected officials who are helping, and moreover, it provides further proof to those who haven’t helped to realize the importance of supporting Riverside County’s most important industry. Click here to send us your stories.

Click here for a complete list of school districts and local governments that are working with your BIA to bring economic recovery to the region.

At the state level, with your support, BIA and CBIA are actively pushing two exciting bills for our industry that are continuing on the path to the Governor’s desk.

SB 1185 (Lowenthal), which would extend existing and unexpired tentative subdivision maps for one year is currently awaiting action on the Senate floor. It has received no votes in opposition to date.

AB 2604 (Torrico), which would allow most developer impact fees to be deferred until certificate of occupancy was approved by the Assembly on a 78-0 vote and is now awaiting action in the Senate.

In Washington, Congress has acted upon the Neighborhood Stabilization Act, which authorizes a $15 billion federal grant and loan program to help state and local governments purchase, rehabilitate, and resell or rent foreclosed homes. The enactment of this measure provides some relief to local governments hit hard by the foreclosure crisis, especially here in Riverside County.

Grassroots Efforts: Achieving Results Together!

The American Dream Team is a group of California residents working at the grassroots level to ensure that our industry regains the strength of past and is poised for sustained growth in the future.

The American Dream Team is a way for likeminded individuals to join together to support efforts to bolster the building industry and fight against attempts to further weaken the industry. The philosophy is simple: When we speak together as one voice we are stronger and better positioned to achieve success for our industry.

The American Dream Team is the making our message known; housing is the heart of our economy. By being a member of the team you’re voice will make us stronger. Join the American Dream Team here.

In addition to the American Dream Team, we have our own BIA membership, our local team.

BIA Membership

Every May, the BIA holds a membership drive to increase participation in our association.

We are pleased to welcome 39 new member companies. Combined with our existing members, we now have 650 members companies who comprise the Riverside County Chapter of the BIA. We understand that times are tough and that every penny counts, so we can’t tell you how much we appreciate the confidence you’ve shown the BIA to invest in a membership. Our commitment is to deliver you value and utilizes your voice and the strength of our impressive membership to deliver results.

Click here to see the latest membership news and activities.

Important Links

BIA Riverside’s Telethon

Huge Success!!

On Monday, May 19^th, BIA-Riverside held a kick off party for the much anticipated California Statewide Membership Drive. The party was themed “Margarita Monday” and was proudly sponsored by Paul A. Peck & Associates. This party was attended by all of the volunteers that would be participating in the membership drive. Margaritas were served while attendees snacked on chips and salsa, taquitos, empenadas and chimichangas. A good time was had by all.

With over 40 volunteers, BIA-RC embarked on a two day telethon held at the BIA House. The theme of this telethon was the “BIG HUNT”, deriving from NAHB’s 2008 membership theme. The volunteers broke up into six teams. The team names were Serengeti, Hakuna Matata, Gobi, Tigers, Tarzan and Team Jane.

The teams began their “hunt” on Wednesday, May 21^st at 10:00 a.m. and continued to “hunt” until Thursday, May 22^nd at 5 p.m.

We are thrilled to announce that over the two days, BIA-RC recruited 31 Primary and 8 Duplicate Members for a grand total of 39 new member companies. As a result the Chapter’s membership increased by 10.66%.

A special congratulations to our top three recruiters:

1^st Place: Amy Moore, D.R. Horton

2^nd Place: Michael Vairin, Fieldstone Communities

3^rd Place: Diane Ziemer, Southern California Gas Company

Over all team winner: Team Jane

We would like to thank all of our telethon volunteers for a job well done! Click here for a list of participants.