Latest news with #NorthBeach
ABC News
04-07-2025
- Business
- ABC News
Footy boot exchange program cuts waste, saves families money
A not-for-profit is ensuring aspiring young footballers with fast-growing feet always have access to boots that fit, and that their outgrown shoes go to a good home. The Boot Exchange helps families swap and share footy boots, free of charge, so no-one misses out. Matt Lawley, co-founder of enterprise, said the concept was simple: "You bring an old pair of boots that your children have grown out of and exchange them for a new pair." He said many parents, already facing cost-of-living pressures, struggled to buy new boots for their kids every year, but ended up with still-wearable spare pairs their children had grown out of. 'There were just so many pairs of boots that were gathering dust in sheds and garages,' he said. 'The idea of this is that you really never need to buy a new pair of boots. "You just grow out of them and exchange them for a different pair.' Mr Lawley said the kids at his local soccer club in North Beach loved coming out and seeing the pre-loved footy boots on display. "They're always coming in after their games on a Sunday and checking to see what new boots have been dropped off and what changes have been made to the display," he said. But it is the deeper lesson of learning how to reuse and recycle that is at the heart of this not-for-profit's mission. He said some boots had been worn only a few times and were in great condition. "They've got so much life left in them," he said. Sustainability expert Professor David Gilchrist, a director at the Centre for Public Value at the University of Western Australia, said buying used goods, through places like The Boot Exchange, could help reduce household waste simply by shifting shopper attitudes. "It helps young people … understand that second-hand goods are just as good as brand-new goods and that they should be using those resources wisely. "Where we have people struggling to make a living, we can actually enjoy the benefit of second-hand goods while still keeping our cost of living down. "I think there's some really good messaging as well as practical sustainability outcomes from this kind of activity." The program is having a positive effect on the community in North Beach. Mother-of-two Natalie Charlton, who has exchanged her seven-year-old daughter's soccer boots twice, said the experience helped teach her child about the importance of sustainability. "It's just that kind of mind shift change of, 'Does it have to be new to be good?'." Keeping costs down is something that is important to Ms Charlton and her family as they manage their household budget. "If we can reduce money in other ways and our kids can still continue to play sport, we're happy," she said. 'I think the boots are so good because they always look pretty new. "They've been used for one season. We've seen boots here that we haven't seen at the store." Mr Lawley said he hoped the concept could be rolled out to more clubs across Australia. He says any club could get started by building a "bank of boots".
Forbes
27-06-2025
- Business
- Forbes
There's New Life In South Florida's North Beach
The exterior of Ella Miami Beach, one of a number of new residential developments helping put the ... More formerly sleepy community of North Beach on condominium buyers' maps. Relaxed and leisurely. That's how North Beach, the Miami Beach neighborhood that stands in sharp contrast to oft-electric South Beach, was usually described. The family-friendly enclave marched to its own drummer, typically tapping a laid-back beat. But the enclave once best described as 'sleepy' is experiencing a true metamorphosis. A swell of new developments priced for just about every buyer has hit the nook, and North Beach is unlikely to ever be quite the same. In 2017, voters approved a change to the floor-area-ratio in North Beach Town Center. That opened the floodgates for the announcement of fresh new projects. Eight years later, 14 new developments are being created within an eight-block area. Noteworthy in Miami Beach, where new construction prices usually begin north of $1 million, Ella Miami Beach is a boutique condominium whose residences start at $600,000. With a slated completion in Q1 2027, the development from Constellation Group and Boschetti Group is 65% sold. 'North Beach has become the 'hole in the donut,' so to speak,' says Scott Wadler with Berkadia, which secured financing to develop Ella Miami Beach. 'Bal Harbour and Surfside to the north are largely built out with single-family density, and mid-beach to the south is also largely built out with single-family density. North Beach is ripe for new development and has become highly desirable, given proximity and incredible views both east and west – ocean and bay.' Evidence is mounting area buyers favor new condominiums, adds Eduardo Otaola, Constellation Group managing principal. 'In this corridor, there's a lack of boutique, well-amenitized buildings like Ella, especially those that allow short-term rentals,' he says. 'That combination has made the project especially attractive to today's buyers.' Iconic property Easygoing and low-key though it might have been, North Beach over its long history has not been without its brushes with the white-hot klieg lights of sudden fame. On Sunday, February 16, 1964, as Beatlemania gripped the nation, the then six-year-old Deauville Beach Resort at 6701 Collins Avenue played host to the second Ed Sullivan Show appearance by the Fab Four. Recently, the City of Miami Beach approved a proposal by Terra Group and the Meruelo family to develop on the site of the Deauville a new 100-unit branded condo and 150-room hotel in the MiMo style of its predecessor. Short for Miami Modernism, MiMo is an avantgarde architectural style that flourished in post-war Miami and Miami Beach. It was employed by architect Melvin Grossman in designing the Deauville, which opened in 1957. After falling into disrepair, the hotel was imploded three years ago. 'The Deauville project is more than just a high-profile development,' Otaola says. 'It further validates North Beach's potential and shifts Miami Beach's center of gravity northward.' Beach activity Also engaged in North Beach is an array of other developers, among them New York city-based Lefferts. The developer built 72 Park, the first luxury condo in North Beach. Prices begin at approximately $800,000 and extend to about $2 million, helping explain the condo tower having reached the 90% sold threshold. Lefferts' pipeline also includes the 125-residence 72 Carlyle, the LEED-gold Palma Miami Beach and the boutique four-story residential community at 880 71st Street. 'North Beach is one of the last frontiers of Miami Beach with untapped potential,' says Daniel de la Vega, president of One Sotheby's International Realty, which is handling sales for Ella. 'You have a two-mile stretch of pristine coastline that's been historically overlooked, compared to areas like South Beach or Sunny Isles. But that's rapidly changing. North Beach is benefitting from the same upward trajectory we saw in neighborhoods like South of Fifth a decade ago.'
Perth Now
04-06-2025
- General
- Perth Now
WA All Abilities footy volunteers honoured
The unsung heroes behind the WA All Abilities Football Association have been recognised with a prestigious volunteer award for their tireless work championing inclusive footy. The association, based out of Tuart Hill, received the WA Inclusive Volunteering Award at the recent 2025 WA Volunteer of the Year Awards. It was one of seven winners chosen from more than 230 nominations. Your local paper, whenever you want it. The WA All Abilities Football Association was created to promote and grow disability football across the State. It provides opportunities for people of all abilities to participate in Aussie rules, whether it's wheelchair football, Starkick junior footy, blind AFL, or through its integrated competitions. From coaching training sessions and managing match days to mentoring players with disabilities, a committed volunteer team comprising family, friends, and passionate community members has worked tirelessly to make footy accessible to all, regardless of ability or background. Sportsmanship was on full display in the Integrated football competition as North Beach took on Fremantle CBC. Credit: Kiara Blake WA All Abilities Football Association executive officer Hayden Marchetto said the volunteers were the true champions behind the success of disability footy across WA. 'Our volunteers are everything; they're the ones doing the hard work to make inclusion real at the grassroots level,' Mr Marchetto said. 'The award gives volunteers a moment to pause and realise they're part of something bigger that really matters. 'Knowing inclusion is being recognised and valued at a State level means the world to us all.' From Warnbro and Kelmscott in Perth's south to North Beach and the newly established Wanneroo team in Perth's north, more than a dozen football clubs have a dedicated all-abilities team. Kristen Stevenson from the Minderoo Foundation presents the Inclusive Volunteering Award to Hayden Marchetto. Credit: Supplied Not only have players in competitions run by the association gained the opportunity to play footy and be part of an inclusive community, but they have also enjoyed the rare experience of competing at Optus Stadium before an AFL match and travelling interstate for national events such as the Toyota AFL Open, where WA's inclusion team secured third place overall in last year's inaugural event. Mr Marchetto hopes more clubs recognise the value of all-abilities sports and believes inclusive teams should be embraced wherever possible. 'We believe every club should have a place for inclusion. If a club has 10 teams, at least one should be for people with disabilities; the club is better off with it,' he said. 'Sport should be for everyone — all cultures, all backgrounds, all abilities. If we get that right, society is better for it. 'Footy happens to be our vehicle, but any sport can create this kind of impact.' The Wanneroo Amateur Football Club Integrated Team joined the competition this year. Credit: Perth Football League / Facebook Mr Marchetto believes the interactions players experience by being part of a wider community and club are immeasurable — not just for them but for their families as well. 'When you've got 200 or 300 people from the one club connecting, forming natural supports, it might just be a passing conversation, but for someone with an intellectual disability that's powerful. They're not just in the club, they're part of it,' he said. 'Then there's the mental health benefit for parents, especially fathers — seeing their child included in a community sporting club, just like their friends' kids, can really make a difference. 'And all this wouldn't be possible without the dedication of our volunteers, who give their time and energy to support the programs.' Sport can benefit both players and their families. Credit: Kiara Blake Speaking at the 2025 WA Volunteer of the Year Awards, Volunteering WA CEO Tina Williams said giving back brings people together. 'Volunteering WA is proud to celebrate the 2025 WA Volunteer of the Year Award recipients, who exemplify the highest standards of service and altruism, proving that every individual has the power to create meaningful change,' she said. 'This year's winners are ambassadors for connecting communities and show us that with passion, dedication and selflessness, any one of us has the potential to make a real difference in the lives of others.'
CBS News
16-05-2025
- Business
- CBS News
San Francisco's historic Verdi building faces uncertain future: demolition or preservation
SAN FRANCISCO — For more than 100 years, the Verdi building has stood on the corner of Columbus and Union in the North Beach area of San Francisco. But today, it is a ruin, crumbling away. The building caught fire in 2013 and then again in 2018. The flames spared nothing inside, but the shell and the façade remain. Nobody wants to see it stay the way it is, but what to do with it remains the million-dollar question. Katherine Petrin is helping champion a possible Historic District Designation for North Beach. "It's at the symbolic heart of North Beach, right across from Washington Square Park. It's a busy corner," she said. "There is every reason to save the building. It still has the potential to be a thing of beauty and to recall the Italian palazzo that was the inspiration for the architects who designed it." Her ideal proposal is to bring the building back to life with new housing while preserving the historic façade. "For over a century, it has been one of the most distinctive architectural buildings in North Beach," she said. "It would be great if what is coming is the right scale, instead of like, a tower." "There's every reason to think that this building could be rebuilt using the existing walls," she said. A plan for that was in the works, but now, the Verdi building's part-owner, Jeff Jurow, has changed course. He'd like to demolish it and start from scratch. His proposal is a mixed-use site with retail, housing, a hotel, and a rooftop restaurant. He declined CBS News Bay Area's request for an on-camera interview, but did answer questions via email. "We respectfully disagree with those who believe demolishing the walls would destroy this corner of North Beach. North Beach is much more than four burned-out walls. The walls themselves are not particularly significant or unique," he said. "Preserving them would also cost millions of dollars that the family simply cannot afford. Our proposed project is far superior in every way to a burned-out building that has remained in its current condition for far too long." Jurow believes he's fighting against time to get the project underway, as the state considers the Historic District Designation, saying, "We see no path forward if the historic district is put in place." "We've wanted to start building since day one. The proposed historic district doesn't change that, but we should see it for what it is: nothing more than an anti-housing measure masquerading as an effort to preserve North Beach," Jurow said. "North Beach is in no danger of being redeveloped, as there are already very strict laws protecting rent-controlled housing from demolition. If a historic district is established, it's very unlikely there will be a path for us—or anyone else—to build new housing in North Beach." "We intend to utilize pro-housing state laws to help expedite our project," Jurow added. Those laws could include SB 423, which streamlines multi-family housing approval if there are enough below-market-rate (BMR) units in the proposal, and, SB 330, which locks in a site's development rules to the date an application is filed. "I don't know what the proposed project looks like for this site, but I do know that a 24-story tower would be allowed, and I just don't think that's the right solution for this site," Petrin said. "This is not an anti-housing stance. It's just a very symbolic building and symbolic corner, and that would not be the right project at this site." Petrin believes a project needs to push forward, but says the site's future shouldn't push its past aside. "Buildings like this will never be built again," she said. "I think we should do everything we can to save it, restore it, and return it to its former glory."
