San Mateo, Calif. -- Prometheus Real Estate Group, which has over 18,000 housing units planned or underway in California and the Pacific Northwest, has implemented a no-smoking policy for all its new multifamily communities. The company is said to be among the first leading apartment owners to implement the policy in the San Francisco Bay Area.
The policy bans smoking inside apartment units and common areas, including balconies and patios, and within 25 feet of the building. Prospective residents must sign a no-smoking agreement upon leasing a unit and will be responsible for enforcing the policy within their apartments.
"One hundred percent of Prometheus' new development communities will be non-smoking in the future," says Rod Standard, senior vice president of property management services. "We certainly hope that this trend will catch on and we will see widespread adoption of no-smoking policies."
In the San Francisco Bay Area, Prometheus Real Estate Group has implemented smoke-free communities at 550 Moreland, a new 430-unit multi-family project in Santa Clara and the Icon at Doyle and Icon at Park, 81 units in Emeryville. Also smoke-free is the new 123-unit luxury community 128 on State in Kirkland, Wash.
Opening smoke-free in late December is the new Portland, Ore. luxury apartment community, The Wyatt, owned by Sobrato Development Co. and managed by Prometheus Real Estate Group. The Wyatt is a 245-unit building located in Portland's Pearl District.
According to a recent U.S. Surgeon's Report, there are no safe levels of exposure to second-hand smoke. Smoke-free apartments also greatly lower the risk of fire and help minimize cleaning and maintenance costs, with savings available to be passed on to residents. Smoke-free apartments create a healthier environment as well for adults and children with chronic illnesses such as asthma or lung disease.
"The policy has been received very well by our residents," says Nancy Whelan, director of property management services for Prometheus in Northern California. "It is something people want and view as a positive for their community and the larger environment as a whole."
For existing multifamily communities, the policy will be implemented building by building, with consideration for residents who have already signed a lease without the non-smoking provision. No-smoking policies will eventually affect new leases for existing properties with the timeline for phase-in determined by each owner and local market demand.
According to The Center for Tobacco Policy & Organizing, a California Department of Health Services project of the American Lung Association of California:
- 40 percent of California's housing stock is composed of multi-unit residences according to the findings of the 2000 U.S. Census; and
- 70 percent of apartment residents support no-smoking sections in apartment buildings.
