Last month, workers began the demolition of an apartment building at 424 N. Queen St. to make way for a planned parking garage.

But the construction of that garage could be delayed as planners go back and attempt to lower the cost.

Earlier this month, construction bids for the 265-space garage came in $2 million over the anticipated $8.8 million estimate.

Randy Patterson, Lancaster city's Economic Development & Neighborhood Revitalization director, said Tuesday that he would soon meet with representatives of the low bidders on the project.

He will seek ways to "value-engineer" aspects of the project to come closer to that $8.8 million figure, he told members of the city Redevelopment Authority, which is constructing the garage.

The garage, with a total development cost expected to be $10.5 million, is planned for the site of an existing surface parking lot along North Market Street.

It is intended to provide parking for the $16 million redevelopment of the former Lancaster Press building into condominiums. It also will serve the restaurants and shops in the 300 and 400 blocks of North Queen Street, the 400 block of North Prince Street and the first block of West Lemon Street.

Patterson said plans could be altered to remove an extensive canopy over the ramp onto North Queen Street. One of three stair towers to the structure also could be altered or eliminated, he said.

Some items in the plans cannot be changed, he said. Parking equipment specified in the plans is compatible with that used in other garages of the Lancaster Parking Authority, which will operate the garage on behalf of the Redevelopment Authority, he said.

Major changes needed to bring the project under budget may require portions to be redesigned, Patterson said.

Originally posted here:
Garage plan may change to cut costs

Developers are quickly building new apartments in the Districts U Street neighborhood, and now grocery stores are following.

Executives at the JBG Cos., one of the regions largest real estate developers, said they plan to open a Trader Joes grocery store in an apartment building under construction on 14th Street NW, just south of U Street next year.

A few blocks northeast of that project, JBG and its retail arm, JBG Rosenfeld, have lined up a commitment from another grocer, Harris Teeter, but it will require winning the rights to some city-owned property on Sherman Avenue.

Last year JBG and a partner, Walton Street Capital, acquired three former Atlantic Plumbing Supply properties near the intersection of Sherman Avenue NW, Florida Avenue NW and V Street NW, after a previous development there petered out and its owner ran into difficult debt obligations.

Harris Teeter has signed a letter of intent to open a store there as part of a retail and residential development, said Grant Ehat, principal at JBG Rosenfeld. But to make the deal work, he said JBG will have to acquire a 1.5-acre lot next door that the city plans to offer to private developers in a request for proposals later this year.

Weve negotiated a letter of intent and we have a deal that were willing to make, but to do it we need to win the RFP, Ehat said.

Vincent C. Grays economic development office is expected to issue a solicitation for the Sherman Avenue property this fall. Ehat said he hoped that JBG would have a leg up on competition because its ownership of the Atlantic Plumbing property would allow the extension of W Street east through the site.

We are responding to that RFP. We want to win it. We also think well be competitive in this process because of what we can deliver to the city, which is something they want, is the extension of W Street, he said.

A spokesman for the District declined to comment, citing a policy against speculating on potential partners.

Students and neighbors of Howard University have long pined for a grocery store to serve the area, but the schools efforts to develop something called Howard Town Center have repeatedly collapsed.

Read the original:
Trader Joe’s on the way to U Street area and Harris Teeter could follow

HALFMOON The Twin Lakes apartment complex has had its share of fires over the last decade, but the Solomon Organization, which owns it, has always been willing to rebuild.

Construction began about two months ago on Lakeview Drive to replace a 12-unit building destroyed by an October fire, according to Sean Depew, Solomon's managing director. He said framing began recently and he expected the roof to be sheeted this past weekend.

According to a Twin Lakes resident, the old burned-out structure was demolished to make room for the new building.

"Our plan was to rebuild the entire time," said Depew.

Fire spread through the 12-unit building at 56-58 Lakeview on the morning of Oct. 29, leaving 12 residents homeless.

A barking dog roused a sleeping tenant who awoke to the smell of smoke around 2 a.m. Everyone safely fled the building, which was declared a complete loss after the roof collapsed.

At the time, Steffen Buck, Halfmoon code enforcement director and a volunteer fire chief, told the Times Union a wood-burning fireplace sparked the blaze.

Solomon is replacing all 12 units, with six one-bedroom and six three-bedroom apartments. Renting for the new units is under way, but occupancy won't begin until mid- to late October, Depew said.

Twin Lakes, which was built in the 1970s and currently has 693 units, has had three other fires in the last 10 years in 2004, 2006 and 2008.

The 2006 blaze destroyed a 16-unit building, and was caused by a mouse chewing on a wire, said Ron Simoncini, Solomon Organization spokesman. Solomon rebuilt the building with 20 units. The 2008 fire was small grease fire within a unit causing minor damage.

Read the original here:
Apartment owners rebuilding

When the economy began turning sour, Kevin Tuohey, owner of Roslindales Maggie Maes pub, thought he would turn the bar into a nine-unit apartment building.

Tuohey, a bartender of 28 years and landlord of properties in Mission Hill, is in the process of making that vision a reality. But before construction can begin, Tuohey must correct zoning violations in the original plans.

The plans are cited for multiple violations including excessive floor area ratio, insufficient side yard, insufficient rear yard and insufficient parking, according to the Mayors Office of Neighborhood Services.

To remedy the situation Tuohey said he plans to extend the building out 5 feet and appeal to allow parking on the street.

Plans for the proposed three-story structure, located at 635 Hyde Park Ave., will appear before the citys Zoning Board of Appeals at City Hall for approval to begin construction on Tuesday, July 10.

About 10 concerned community members gathered in the parking lot behind the Sacred Heart Elementary School Monday night to discuss the construction plans with Tuohey and Neighborhood Coordinator David McNulty.

The proposed plans for the three-story apartment building, located in a neighborhood shopping district, include building a wood structure using the faade of the bar, Tuohey said at the meeting.

Im not reinventing the wheel here, he said.

The nine-unit apartment building will have hardwood floors, granite kitchen countertops, two bedrooms and one and a half baths, according to the floor plans. The building also includes 16 parking spots and a place behind it for trash.

Were not putting up a shack, Tuohey said. Were building a luxury apartment building for business professionals.

See the rest here:
Roslindale pub could be replaced with apartment building

28-06-2012 13:07 Visit for details. Luxury living in Metro Moncton, with large, finely appointed apartments, 866-3439. What does it take to get a large, roomy luxury apartment in the Metro Moncton area? Just one call to 866-3439. WoodSide Terrace, a brand-new 50-unit luxury complex at 7 Point Park Drive (across from the Petro-Can), is currently pre-leasing finely finished one- and two-bedroom apartments (930 square feet), all with stainless-steel appliances. There's even a fitness center. Move-in date is fall 2012. Construction is under way now, so please check back often as we'll be adding photos of the site and our show suite once it's all put together and lookin' pretty!

View post:
Luxury Apartments Under Construction Right Here In Moncton New Brunswick - Video

Plan could create privately owned, upscale apartment on SDSU campus

BROOKINGS South Dakota State University could take a step forward this week with a plan that has been controversial in Brookings: to create a privately owned, upscale apartment building in the northwest corner of its campus.

The South Dakota Board of Regents, meeting today through Friday at Dakota State University in Madison, will vote Thursday on a recommendation by Executive Director Jack Warner. If approved, it would authorize the board president to appoint an ad hoc committee to issue a request for proposals (RFP) to build the apartments, evaluate proposals and make a recommendation to the board.

SDSU is requesting this in order to expand student housing through a ground lease to a private investor, who would assume full responsibility to finance, construct, operate and maintain the apartment building.

The object of the arrangement would be to provide for student housing without creating any obligation that would affect the debt capacity of the university or the board and without any adverse effect on the financial rating of the university or of the boards consolidated, multi-institutional revenue system, the boards agenda says.

Warner recommends the RFP state that acceptance of any proposal will be contingent upon confirmation by one or more rating agencies selected by the board that the financial commitments for the construction, operation and maintenance of the facility, from inception through termination of the ground lease and associated development and operating agreements, will not reduce the debt capacity of the university or the board and will have no adverse effect on the financial rating of the university or of the Boards consolidated, multi-institutional revenue system.

Part of master plan

According to SDSUs Updated Residential Life and Dining Services Master Plan for 2011-2018, this apartment building is planned as one step in the formation of an upper-division and graduate student neighborhood.

The university also plans to set aside 320 beds in Bailey and Berg apartments for upper-division students (these apartments would be modernized during Phase III of the plan), and to dedicate 132 beds in Waneta Hall and 52 beds in Wecota Annex to single-occupancy rooms for upper-division students.

The new apartment building would be located west of Medary Avenue, bounded by the Agricultural Heritage Museum on the south, Medary Avenue on the east and parking lots on the north and west.

View post:
Regents asked to issue apartment RFP

The Lackawanna County commissioners approved a property tax break Wednesday for a company that plans to build a 121-unit senior citizens apartment building in Scranton's Green Ridge neighborhood.

Under the tax break, which the Scranton School District and the city also have approved, for-profit Affordable Senior Housing Opportunities of New York Inc. will pay no property taxes for 10 years.

At a city council meeting several months ago, several city residents ripped the tax break, but company officials say the break will be large enough to pay the mortgage on the building and keep rents affordable.

The rents will range from $700 to $900 depending on whether someone will rent a one- or two-bedroom apartment, said attorney Frank Hoegen, who represented the company at the commissioners meeting.

The company plans to build a 115,000-square-foot, three-story "Green Ridge Senior Housing" building on 5.5 of 11.7 acres near the former Daron Northeast Block site at Dickson Avenue and Delaware Street.

The project is expected to cost between $10 million and $15 million, and create 200 construction jobs and five to 10 permanent jobs, Mr. Hoegen said. Neighbors long objected to noise and dust from Daron before it closed, but Mr. Hoegen said more than 200 signed a petition supporting the housing project.

"That's a really quiet area you're going to be building in so all of the neighbors are on board," Commissioner Patrick O'Malley said.

In other business, the commissioners:

- Voted to amend the county hotel tax ordinance to clarify that people who occupy hotel rooms must pay a 4 percent tax on the room for up to 30 days no matter how much longer they stay there.

- Hired Infocon Corp. of Ebensburg to put the county's criminal records online at a cost of $20,000, plus $250 a month. The commissioners also hired Infocon to install a system summoning prospective jurors for $1,000, plus $1,000 a day for training.

See the rest here:
Commissioners back tax break for senior housing

By KATHY STEELE | The Tampa Tribune Published: June 27, 2012 Updated: June 27, 2012 - 12:00 AM

Two more apartment buildings planned at the Encore site northeast of downtown are fully funded with construction scheduled to begin by the end of this year, Tampa Housing Authority officials say.

Funding for The Trio, a $26 million multifamily apartment building, fell into place recently with approval of more than $8 million in bonds provided through the Housing Finance Authority of Hillsborough County. A funding agreement for The Reed, a $29 million senior apartment building, was reached in recent weeks with a closing anticipated in October.

Money for the two buildings and The Ella, a third apartment building now under construction, has come from federal, state and local sources, including federal stimulus grants, tax credits and bond financing.

The Ella, intended for seniors, is expected to have its first tenants in November. It will be the first completed building of a nearly $450 million urban community planned on the former site of the Central Park Village public housing apartments. Encore will have apartments, shops, a hotel and a black-history museum.

Central Park was torn down nearly five years ago and its nearly 1,300 tenants moved elsewhere. The 28 acres are bordered by Nebraska Avenue, Cass Street and Interstate 4.

In December the housing authority will learn if the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development will award the agency as much as $30 million to help pay for more construction at the Encore site.

With or without that grant, The Trio and The Reed are headed for groundbreakings, said Leroy Moore, the housing authority's chief operating officer.

The Trio likely will be first, with a construction start by early September and a planned 12-month completion schedule; The Reed would follow sometime after October and take about 18 months to complete.

A statewide court decision regarding how tax dollars are spent in designated areas of blight, along with the poor economy, at times delayed the project. So far, no retail development or hotel construction has been announced.

Read more:
Two more Encore housing projects acquire funding

LEWISTOWN - Every construction project offers unique challenges and Mann Edge Terrace, the new apartment building for the elderly in Lewistown, is no different.

Despite comprehensive planning, testing, and budgeting, issues developed once construction was under way. Everything has been resolved, however, and the 31-unit building at the corner of Dorcas and Water streets is expected to welcome its first tenants early next year.

As the home of the former Mann Edge Tool Company, the property was known to be a "brownfields" site. The SEDA-Council of Governments Housing Development Corporation, developers of the project, worked closely with the Mifflin County Industrial Development Corp. and the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection to ensure the site's environmental safety. Test borings of the soil were taken and water samples were tested from the several wells that were dug. Permits were granted and ground was broken in November.

MCIDC has been pursuing the project for several years as a means of reusing the industrial site and creating a significant addition to downtown Lewistown.

Soon after excavation on the site began, large slabs of concrete rubble were found, unrelated to the old tool company. It appeared to be pieces of an old bridge, with twisted remnants of rebar winding in and around them. As contractors took the concrete away to be disposed of properly, they removed much of an earthen bank, revealing part of the old factory that had stood on the site. It had to be removed, and clean fill was brought in to level the site.

Disposal costs were about $80,000; new clean fill costs were around $24,000. In all, there have been approximately $240,000 in unbudgeted costs, significantly more than the amount in the project's contingency fund.

The HDC has also taken steps to save money on the project, particularly in the matter of a sewer line in poor condition, which ran under the site. After reconfiguring the building's design, there was no need to remove the line, but its condition did have to be addressed. The matter was resolved, with Lewistown Borough Council's cooperation, through the use of "slip line" technology, i.e., essentially fortifying the line from inside the sewer pipe.

The Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency has come forward with $170,000 in additional funds for the Lewistown project, recognizing both the difficulties inherent in a brownfields site, and the HDC's efforts to control costs while resolving environmental concerns. It was PHFA's approval of two zero-interest loans, plus federal tax credits last July that originally allowed Mann Edge Terrace to move forward. The tax credits enabled the HDC to raise $4.6 million from the Juniata Valley Bank, which is a limited partner in Mann Edge Terrace.

The Mifflin County Commissioners, which had put $100,000 toward the project, is considering an additional contribution, and the contractor and HDC continue to seek means of reducing costs.

See original here:
Edging forward

You know that people care about something when theyre willing to sit in sweltering heat for it. (Jess Schiewe)

Last Friday morning, Felix Guzman woke up early, grabbed his fishing pole, and headed over to the East River for some catch and release fun. For 40 years he has lived in the same building on Academy Street in Inwood and in that time he has seen a lot. So when he got back to his apartment around 11 am and saw that his street was teaming with newscasters, elected officials, cameramen, and local community members, he wasnt surprised. Theyd been there before. Its always been tough here, Mr. Guzman said. Im glad theyre doing something about it.

The building in question was 552 Academy Street, a crumbling 72-unit brick building located across the street from Mr. Guzmans apartment. A year ago he had stood outside and watched as dozens of tenants dragged their belongings onto the sidewalk, confused and frightened and wondering where they would relocate to next.

The building, the city told them, was unsafe, which was why they had to vacate the premises. Although Mr. Guzman had never been inside, he heard rumors that at times the units lacked gas, running water, and electricity. This is what happens when you get these slumlords and all they care about is the money, Mr. Guzman said, referring to the buildings landlord, Rachel Arfa, whom the City blames for the hazardous conditions.

With the help of the Department of Housing Preservation and Development, the tenants31 families in total were relocated to temporary apartments around the city, in neighborhoods like Hillside, Thayer, and Elmwood.

But on Friday, many of the tenants were back in their old neighborhood, rubbing shoulders with the suits and construction workers who were there to announce the good news: 552 Academy Street would be rehabilitated and open for residency in the next 18 months. As part of Mayor Michael Bloombergs New Housing Marketplace Plan, the structure has received $21.1 million in funding that will be used to rebuild, stabilize, and improve the old, defunct building.

This is a really big step for us, said Iris Bertoni, a representative of the buildings tenant association who had lived in the same apartment on the third floor for 50 years. Were coming back home.

In addition to improved mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems, the building, which was formerly a walk-up, will be redesigned to include an elevator line, a community room, and new kitchens, bathrooms, and laundry room. The renovations, which will modernize the building and bring it up to code, are the result of a lengthy battle between the City and Arfa for possession of the building. According to the Department of Buildings website, Arfa was charged with allowing structural stability and egress issues to develop over the last ten years, and has since been removed as the buildings owner.

This building has a history that is unfortunately not as uncommon as we would like, HPD Commissioner Mathew Wambua said,but one thing that it has in its favor is a support network equal to no other.The rehabilitation of the building, Mr. Wambua said, as well as the selection of a new owner, will bespearheaded by the Community League of the Heights (CLOTH) and Alembic Development Corporation.

Council Member Ydanis Rodriguez, who donated $1 million to the project from his discretionary funds, was at the event on Friday, donning a plastic hardhat and black suit. I feel great, he said minutes after plunging a golden shovel into a pile of dirt as part of the symbolic groundbreaking ceremony. Not only was he glad that the tenants would be able to return to their former homes, he said, but he hoped that the event would serve as a warning to inept landlords throughout the city. We have no tolerance for negligence, he said. This is a message to any other landlord who doesnt reflect what they are supposed to be doing in terms of providing decent living situations for their tenants.

Read the rest here:
Inwood Stability: City Saves Neglected Apartment Building with New Program and Private Partnership