Do, Cooney, Ho and Kinal of AKRF: Leaders working together, moving development forward

Linh Do, Senior Vice President I am fortunate to be involved in projects that have transformed the city landscape. I am fascinated by the diversity of its citizens, how land uses contribute to the evolution of neighborhoods, and how all of this makes our city one of the greatest in the world. I oversee the environmental reviews for some of the most exciting and complex developments in the city. I assess how a project may affect the surrounding community, consider evolving local concerns, and identify how to best meet the project goals while minimizing its impacts. During my 24 year career, I have been involved in projects that have transformed a derelict waterfront into vibrant public destinations, provided much needed housing, created entrepreneurial opportunities, and facilitated construction of new infrastructure to support such essential uses. It is exciting to be a part of the city's growth and to know that such growth can occur while balancing project goals, community needs, and the ever-changing regulatory requirements. Claudia Cooney, Vice President, Cultural Resources Finding a harmony between historic architecture, archaeological artifacts, and real estate growth has always intrigued me, especially in New York City where new development and history have collided in a relatively small space. Over the past 16 years, I've dedicated my work to creating a balance between modernity and history. My team has helped owners of historic properties meet the needs of a growing population with new development, while respecting the essential historic character of their property. We've also assisted clients such as LMDC with a number of projects where reconstruction required consideration of past history, how to best document findings, how to educate the public on the new discoveries, and where to incorporate aspects of the found history into the new design. A good example of harmony and coexistence is at the Fulton Street Transit Center where the MTA is incorporating and restoring the historic Corbin Building as part of the new Transit Center. Wendy Ho, PE, LEED AP, Senior Technical Director, Engineering Looking forward to July 2012, the new NYC Department of Environmental Protection Stormwater Performance Standard will take effect, resulting in major impacts on proposed developments that require a New Building permit from the NYC Department of Buildings. The new regulation will allow only 10% of previously allowable flow to be discharged into combined sewers. While these changes will ultimately result in positive environmental impacts, they require us to rethink the way we approach stormwater permitting and design. To meet the needs, I've been working with clients all over the city to develop alternatives to the traditional stormwater system by incorporating blue roof, green roof, and underground detention and infiltration systems into the stormwater design. Additionally, where the urban landscape allows, my team has incorporated green infrastructure, including porous pavements, rain gardens, bioswales, and bioretention systems into our stormwater designs. Rebecca Kinal, PE, Senior Technical Director, Hazardous Materials Having worked as an environmental engineer in and around New York City for over 16 years, I've been witness to the push to bring new developments back to urban centers. It's exciting because this trend has presented new opportunities for developers to reuse former industrial properties, which often occupy the most prime real estate in urban centers. Historically, developers have shied away from pursuing brownfield redevelopment because of the risks associated with real or perceived contamination. However, we are now at a point where the risks can be managed with thorough due diligence, an understanding of the regulatory requirements, and the appropriate integration of the remediation into future redevelopment plans. I'm happy to say that we've developed solutions for successful remediation and sustainable redevelopment of some of the most complex brownfields sites in the five boroughs, upstate, and on Long Island.