WHAT'S NEXT

The building will be up for initial approval from the Regional Planning Commission at 1 p.m. Jan. 13 in the Hamilton County Courthouse. The meeting is open to the public. After the planning commission, the plan will go to the City Council for final approval.

Bessie Smith Cultural Center, 200 E. M.L. King Blvd.: Built as a Chattanooga Times warehouse, the Bessie Smith Cultural Center renovated and moved into the space in 1996.

Urban League of Greater Chattanooga, 730 E. M.L. King Blvd.: Formerly the Boys' Club, the Urban League moved in during the 1970s or 1980s.

UTC South Campus Housing, North of 400-600 E.M.L. King Blvd: This string of UTC student housing was built in stages between 2001 and 2004, and housed more than 1,700 students last fall.

AT&T building, 300 E. M.L. King Blvd.: Built as a South Central Bell equipment building in the 1970s, the facility still serves AT&T and now includes offices.

Champy's, 526 E. M.L. King Blvd.: Seth Champion has been serving chicken and catfish at Champy's for five years.

A Chattanooga private developer plans to build a seven-story student apartment building just off M.L. King Boulevard aimed at helping to alleviate UTC's campus housing shortage.

It's a move that could bring hundreds of students into a neighborhood where empty storefronts now dominate -- and neighborhood leaders hope that influx will be a catalyst for M.L. King's rebirth.

Local firm Riverside Development proposed the project, which will include two stories of parking and five stories of student housing at 930 Douglas St. The building should be open by August 2015, said Chris Curtis, president of Riverside Development.

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7-story housing complex planned for Chattanooga's M.L. King Boulevard area

AAP Growth in the home building sector has helped in the expansion of Australia's construction industry.

New home building has recorded its second-highest rate of expansion since 2005, as low interest rates work to stimulate the housing market.

Strong growth in house building last month has helped drive the broader construction sector to its third consecutive month of expansion, after several years of decline.

The Australian Industry Group/Housing Industry Association's Performance of Construction Index fell 4.4 points to 50.8 in December, but remained above the 50-point level that separates expansion from contraction.

The house building sub-sector rose 1.5 points to 63.5.

"This is more evidence that low interest rates are doing their thing," JP Morgan economist Ben Jarman said.

"The housing market is doing quite well. It's one part of the economy playing the script on what is supposed to happen when rates are this low."

Mr Jarman said rising house prices were acting as a catalyst to drive people to think about building their own home and also helped property developers to get projects off the ground.

Ai Group public policy director Peter Burn said the figures indicated 2014 would be a better year for the construction industry.

"The continued growth of new orders means that builders - and the manufacturing and service industries that are linked to the commercial and residential construction sectors - can look forward to 2014 with a greater degree of confidence than prevailed only a few months ago," he said.

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New homes spur construction lift

AAP Growth in the home building sector has helped in the expansion of Australia's construction industry.

New home building has recorded its second-highest rate of expansion since 2005, as low interest rates work to stimulate the housing market.

Strong growth in house building last month has helped drive the broader construction sector to its third consecutive month of expansion, after several years of decline.

The Australian Industry Group/Housing Industry Association's Performance of Construction Index fell 4.4 points to 50.8 in December, but remained above the 50-point level that separates expansion from contraction.

The house building sub-sector rose 1.5 points to 63.5.

"This is more evidence that low interest rates are doing their thing," JP Morgan economist Ben Jarman said.

"The housing market is doing quite well. It's one part of the economy playing the script on what is supposed to happen when rates are this low."

Mr Jarman said rising house prices were acting as a catalyst to drive people to think about building their own home and also helped property developers to get projects off the ground.

Ai Group public policy director Peter Burn said the figures indicated 2014 would be a better year for the construction industry.

"The continued growth of new orders means that builders - and the manufacturing and service industries that are linked to the commercial and residential construction sectors - can look forward to 2014 with a greater degree of confidence than prevailed only a few months ago," he said.

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New omes spur construction growth

AAP Growth in the home building sector has helped in the expansion of Australia's construction industry.

New home building has recorded its second-highest rate of expansion since 2005, as low interest rates work to stimulate the housing market.

Strong growth in house building last month has helped drive the broader construction sector to its third consecutive month of expansion, after several years of decline.

The Australian Industry Group/Housing Industry Association's Performance of Construction Index fell 4.4 points to 50.8 in December, but remained above the 50-point level that separates expansion from contraction.

The house building sub-sector rose 1.5 points to 63.5.

"This is more evidence that low interest rates are doing their thing," JP Morgan economist Ben Jarman said.

"The housing market is doing quite well. It's one part of the economy playing the script on what is supposed to happen when rates are this low."

Mr Jarman said rising house prices were acting as a catalyst to drive people to think about building their own home and also helped property developers to get projects off the ground.

Ai Group public policy director Peter Burn said the figures indicated 2014 would be a better year for the construction industry.

"The continued growth of new orders means that builders - and the manufacturing and service industries that are linked to the commercial and residential construction sectors - can look forward to 2014 with a greater degree of confidence than prevailed only a few months ago," he said.

Originally posted here:
New homes spur construction growth

The long-hoped-for recovery in Australia's residential construction sector may finally be underway, with low interest rates driving the second fastest rate of expansion in new home building since 2005.

Strong growth in house building has helped drive the broader construction sector to its third consecutive month of expansion in December, after several years of decline.

According to Australian Industry Group (Ai) figures, there were also solid gains from the commercial construction and apartment building sub-sectors during the month.

Growth across the entire sector was a little slower than in the previous two months but Ai Group public policy director Dr Peter Burn said the figures were good news after a long period of weakness.

He said low interest rates were finally having a positive impact on residential and commercial construction.

"Low interest rates are clearly having their long-awaited

impact," he said.

Dr Burn said the figures suggested 2014 would be a better year for the construction industry.

"The continued growth of new orders means that builders and the manufacturing and service industries that are linked to the commercial and residential construction sectors - can look forward to 2014 with a greater degree of confidence than prevailed only a few months ago," he said.

The Ai Group's Performance of Construction Index fell 4.4 points to 50.8 in December, putting it in mildly positive territory, while the house building sub-sector rose 1.5 points to 63.5.

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Home building spurs construction expansion

Grand Forks saw a spike in the value of building permits in 2013, driven largely by a jump in new apartment and commercial construction.

While the total number of building permits issued by the city grew by just 5 percent 1,506 in 2012 to 1,579 last year the value of those permits grew from $127.7 million to $212.1 million a 66 percent increase. There were eight multiple dwelling buildings that were permitted totaling $22.2 million in 2012. That grew to 31 buildings permitted valued at $76 million last year.

The average number of buildings for which permits were issued annually from 2003 to 2012 was 7.4, less than a quarter of those in 2013.

The citys growing and expanding and everything is doing quite well, said Bev Collings, the citys building and zoning administrator.

New construction saw an increase almost across the board. Single dwelling and townhome construction increased, as did garages and commercial projects.

Apartments

A jump in apartment construction is likely the result of low vacancy rates in Grand Forks, said John Colter, executive officer of the Greater Grand Forks Apartment Association. He said the overall vacancy rate shown by their July 2013 survey was 3.97 percent.

Investors are looking at the current vacancy rates and theyre seeing the need for housing in Grand Forks, he said.

Low vacancy rates were part of the focus of the citys Blue Ribbon Housing Commission, which issued its final report in early 2013.

Anecdotal reports suggest that new apartments are filling very quickly and vacancy remains low while rents continue to rise, the report stated. Housing professionals should actively monitor vacancy rates and prices over the short term to determine how the new units affect the market.

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Permits for Grand Forks apartment construction spiked in 2013

Australia's construction recovery slowed at the end of last year, but the sector continued to grow.

After several years of contraction, the building industry finally swung back to growth in October this year, and has been expanding since.

However, the Australian Industry Group's December Performance of Construction Index fell 4.4 points to 50.8 - only just above the 50-point level that separates expansion from contraction.

The fall was driven engineering construction, which slipped 6.4 points to 46.1 to be back in contractionary territory after two months of growth.

The Ai Group's director of public policy, Peter Burn, says the decline in engineering is to be expected as the mining construction boom wanes.

"In line with the easing of the mining investment boom, engineering construction was weaker in December and, with further falls in store, the time is ripe for a much more decisive focus on building new and upgrading existing transport infrastructure," he noted in the report.

In a positive sign that record low interest rates are boosting the domestic economy, home building continued to grow strongly.

The house building sub-index rose 1.5 points to 63.5, and is sitting just off an eight-year peak reached in October, while apartment building activity expanded at a slower pace - the sub-index dipping 1.9 points to 56 in December.

Peter Burn says there are signs the growth in residential construction will continue through 2014.

"Low interest rates are clearly having their long-awaited impact and the continued growth of new orders means that builders and the manufacturing and service industries that are linked to the commercial and residential construction sectors - can look forward to 2014 with a greater degree of confidence than prevailed only a few months ago," he added.

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Residential construction booms while mining construction falls

Published: Monday, 1/6/2014 - Updated: 1 minute ago

BY TOM TROY BLADE POLITICS WRITER

Toledo City Council put off until its next meeting the vote on a proposed apartment building on West Bancroft Street near the University of Toledo after several newly sworn-in councilmen asked for the delay to get more information.

The delay occurred when a majority of council voted down a motion to hold the vote at its meeting last Thursday, after first apparently becoming confused veterans as well as newcomers by what it was voting on.

Council swore in five new members Thursday night.

Developers are seeking to demolish a former night club, coffee shop, and other buildings on Bancroft near campus for the $27 million construction project to put up a 143-unit building designed to appeal to college students.

The developer needs a special-use permit and zoning of mixed commercial-residential on the 6-acres at the southeast corner of Bancroft and Westwood Avenue.

The plans won approval from the city plan commission and from councils own zoning and planning committee, where it was the subject of about 90 minutes of discussion.

But council has been peppered by complaints from some neighbors in the adjacent Bancroft Hills subdivision who say the project will worsen the problems linked to student housing in the area, as well as compete with existing student rentals.

Mark Rose, a Toledo lawyer representing the builder, Guy Totino of Cleveland, said the project will be first-class, which he said appeals to a trend among college students.

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City council delays apartment vote

January 06, 2014

Rescue workers look on as an excavator is used to move rubble at the site of a collapsed building that was under construction in Canacona town in the western Indian city of Goa, today. - Reuters pic, January 6, 2014.Indian rescuers pulled two more bodies from the rubble of a collapsed apartment block, taking the death toll from the country's latest building accident to 17, an official said today.

The building, which was under construction, crumbled mid-afternoon on Saturday while more than 40 poorly paid daily-wage labourers were on site in the southern tourism state of Goa.

Rescue workers discovered the two bodies overnight yesterday as efforts continue around the clock to try to find survivors still trapped in the rubble of the building that a witness said collapsed like "a pack of cards".

Although about 16 people are still unaccounted for, the official said the chances of finding survivors were slim given the length of time since the accident.

"Only a miracle can save them," said the official, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Another 16 people were recovering in hospital, the official said.

Rescue workers were using bulldozers, shovels and bare hands to try to shift concrete slabs and other debris from the site in the seaside village of Canacona, south of the state capital Panaji.

"The rescue work is tedious. You have to ensure that the nearby buildings don't get damaged and also the debris doesn't collapse further while digging in," the official said.

Sniffer dogs have also been brought in to try to find those trapped.

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india-building-collapse-reuters-060114.JPG

PANAJI, INDIARescuers using backhoes and shovels searched for survivors Sunday under a massive pile of broken concrete and dust that was left when a residential building under construction collapsed in southern India, killing at least 15 workers.

Authorities suspected dozens more may be trapped under the rubble, but were still trying to determine how many workers were on site when the five-story structure crumpled Saturday afternoon in the state of Goa. Witnesses reported seeing at least 40 workers.

Soldiers and firefighters listened for movement or cries from the wreckage as they worked overnight to clear the debris, state official Venancio Furtado said.

At least 10 people were pulled out alive overnight, but the chance of finding survivors was dwindling, Furtado said. By Sunday afternoon, the death toll had reached 15, according to the state government.

Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar said he ordered a review of the construction project, after seeing cracks that developed in the adjacent apartment building constructed by the same company, Mumbai-based Bharat Developers and Realtors Pvt. Ltd.

The design is faulty, which is why the tragedy happened, Parrikar said.

Police began investigating both the building company and city officials who approved the construction on a patch of marshland in Canacona, about 70 kilometres from the state capital of Panaji. But they have been unable to track down the construction manager and building contractor.

Without the contractor, it is impossible for us to know how many labourers were on the shift, said state official Ajit Panchwadkar, who was supervising the rescue effort Sunday.

Many of the workers had come from other, poorer states, including Jharkhand, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, in search of jobs in Indias thriving construction business. One worker who was not at the scene when the building collapsed said he earned about 300 rupees ($4.80) for a days work, according to Press Trust of India.

Several workers took the day off Saturday to attend a nearby state cultural fair.

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Building under construction collapses in India; 15 reported killed