The ENR regional editors have selected Martin-Harris Construction as the 2020 Contractor of the Year in the Southwest region.

Martin-Harris operates throughout the southwestern U.S. (Nevada, Arizona, California, New Mexico and Texas) in a wide variety of market sectors, providing design-build, CMAR, design-assist and design-bid-build services. The firms market-sector expertise includes health care, industrial, office, education, multifamily, special use, hospitality, public works and retail projects.

As a nod to its successful push for workforce diversity, more than 40% of Martin-Harris Constructions workforce is part of the millennial generation. The firm also has partnered in the creation of a STEM 101 curriculum for industry training and education, and expanded the educational reach of that to include the city of Las Vegas Dept. of Youth Development and Social Innovation.

Some of the firms recent, notable projects include:

Martin-Harris has compiled an extensive list of community volunteer endeavors, as well as strong industry involvement in all of the areas it serves.

A feature-length profile of the firm will appear in the June issue of ENR Southwest.

Read more from the original source:
Martin-Harris Construction Chosen as ENR Southwest's Contractor of the Year for 2020 - Engineering News-Record

Share This Article:Workers building a modular housing development in West OaklandBy Matt Levin | CalMatters

Toni Atkins stood on the state Senate floor in January and vowed, come hell or high water, that 2020 would see the state pass a bill to build more homes in California.

Support Times of San Diego's growthwith a small monthly contribution

Even her wrangling as Senate pro tem wasnt enough to saveSenate Bill 50, a zoning reform proposal pushing for more apartment buildings around California, from a third straight year of failure. The wonky bill had provoked the kind of polemical discourse typically reserved for Supreme Court nominations or Reddit threads on single-payer healthcare.

I want to personally commit to each and every one of you, and to the people of California, that a housing production bill to alleviate our housing crisis will happen this year, said Atkins, Democrat from San Diego, imploring her colleagues to bring productive ideas to the table to solve Californias most vexing issue making it cheaper to live here.

While neither hell nor high water materialized, a pandemic did.

Nevertheless, this week, Atkins and Senate Democratic leaders unveiled a suite of compromise legislation aimed at making it easier to build more housing. While no individual bill is as sweeping as SB 50, developers and housing experts say collectively the six proposals could make a meaningful dent in Californias housing shortage should they become law.

But while championing the art of the possible, Atkins admits that Californias new coronavirus-normal limited what the state could realistically pull off.

Things have altered and we had to pivot a bit because the world looks very different today, she said.

Heres what you need to know about California lawmakers latest plans to create more housing, and how COVID-19 has changed them.

Atkins suite of bills retains one of the more controversial provisions of Senate Bill 50, the upzoning proposal from Sen. Scott Wiener, Democrat from San Francisco:the elimination of single-family-only zoningthroughout California.

Wide swaths of cities around the state currently prohibit any type of housing more dense than a single-family home. A newjointly-authored billfrom Atkins and Wiener would force cities to allow homeowners and developers to convert single family homes into duplexes or even fourplexes, if the property is big enough. Those conversions would not have to be reviewed for environmental impacts by local governments, an often lengthy and expensive process.

There are hundreds of thousands of two-car garages that are just jammed with crap. And its ready for a builder to come in and demo the garage and scrape it and drop in a new home , said Ben Metcalf, managing director at the UC Berkeley Terner Center for Housing Innovation and former head of the state housing department. Theres lots of potential here.

While technically California ended single-family-only zoning with the passage of a2019 lawthat allows homeowners to build accessory dwelling units granny flats in their backyard, the prospect of duplexes, triplexes and fourplexes popping up next door is sure to engender more pushback from homeowner groups resistant to more visible changes to their neighborhoods.

I would not like to see fourplexes going up here, said Susan Kirsch, an anti-development activist in Marin County who founded a statewide lobbying group to help defeat Wieners earlier proposals. These streets are very narrow, its going to increase traffic, itll hurt parking.

Kirsch cautioned that if local governments wanted to pursue denser development, they should be allowed to. But she chafes at the idea of the state issuing a top-down edict.

As a state law, I think its an intrusion on community rights, pushed by developers with huge pots of money, she said.

The idea of loosening local zoning rules has gained traction in national progressive circles, with Democratic lawmakers inMinneapolisandOregonprohibiting single-family-only zoning last year. Local ordinances prohibiting denser development have historically been associated with excluding renters, who skew lower income and non-white, from more affluent communities.

Atkins says she doesnt think single-family-only zoning is inherently bad policy, and cautions that the option of converting a home into a fourplex wont erode neighborhood character.

I love my neighborhood, I live in a neighborhood that is single-family and has some multi-family spread throughout and it works, said Atkins. I wouldnt call this the death knull of single family neighborhoods. I would think thats a mischaracterization.

Eliminating single-family-only zoning has a new allure for lawmakers in a post-coronavirus world: It doesnt cost the state any money.

Conspicuously absent from Senate Democrats housing package is any proposal that would devote new state dollars to building low-income housing or allow cities to beef up infrastructure to accommodate it. Confronting arecession-induced budget deficitthe Newsom administration has pegged at $54 billion, Atkins said proposals that might have been possible in January simply arent feasible right now.

In the moment we have to be strategic and focused, but it doesnt mean all those things go by the wayside, said Atkins.

Instead, Atkins package tries to incentivize market-rate developers to include more low-income units in their projects.A bill from Sen. Nancy Skinner, Democrat from Berkeley, would enhance an existing state density bonus program that allows developers to build taller and denser if they charge below market-rates for some of their units.

But while low-income housing advocates say they are pleased Senate Democrats are still addressing housing issues, they want a stronger focus on helping those who were already struggling before the novel coronavirus threatened their livelihoods.

My sense is that theres a real desire to see the market help fix our problems, and I think thats kind of fundamentally at odds with our perspective, said Chione Flegal, managing director at PolicyLink, an organization that advocates for greater equity in housing policy. Although theres certainly a role for the market, the last two decades have shown that the market is not working to build supply for people at the bottom of the income spectrum and its never worked for communities of color.

Flegal and other advocates say more density must also be accompanied by stronger protections for communities sensitive to gentrification and displacement pressures.

Some of the precious dollars cities and low-income housing advocates are seeking have instead found their way intoanother part of Atkins housing proposal: a $300 million to $500 million annual plan to help renters and landlords impacted by coronavirus.

Unveiled last week but included in this package of housing bills, the program would give renters 10 years to pay back rent bills missed because of COVID-19 directly to the state. Landlords would be compensated with tax credits they could sell on secondary markets for cash.

Beyond Atkins package, other proposals for affordable housing dollars are still circulating in the Legislature. But the pandemic-induced budget deficit has made the road ahead for those bills daunting.

A proposalthat would have eliminated the mortgage interest deductions on vacation homes to fund homeless housing died earlier this week. Two remaining high-profile bills that would spend billions annually on low-income housing have not identified a new revenue source, meaning cuts would have to come from elsewhere in the budget to offset their cost.

Cash-strapped local governments are especially dismayed at how the pandemic has reshaped state housing proposals. Before coronavirus struck, they had hoped to see portions of a January budget surplus devoted to low-income housing, infrastructure grants and local planning departments.

That hope has dimmed significantly. And while Gov. Gavin Newsoms post-pandemic budget proposal preserves funding for an important tax credit program for low-income developers, it claws back some money cities had hoped they could tap for housing-related programs.

A spokesperson for the League of California Cities, which represents municipalities across the state, said it was still reviewing Atkins proposals and not yet taken a position on the package.

Cities did score one housing-related victory because of the pandemic: A slew of bills aimed at reducing the impact fees local governments could charge developers on new projects has been shelved as cities cling to any source of revenue they can get their hands on.

The economic downturn caused by the novel coronavirus could contain a silver lining for California: When that big box retailer or shopping mall goes out of business, all that real estate could be converted to new housing.

The new Senate housing plan tries to seize on that opportunity.A billfrom Sen. Anna Caballero, Democrat from Salinas,would make more land zoned for office parks or retail outlets eligible for housing development and streamline the approval process for developers who want to build on that land.

There is real interest in combining housing and retail, said Dan Dunmoyer, president of the California Building Industry Association, the primary developer lobbying group in the capital. Some of the national home builders and regional builders are looking at these sites.

While homebuilders may be bullish on converting retail to housing, they are less enthusiastic about incentivizing construction in denser, urban environments near public transit.

A billfrom Sen. Wiener included in the Senate housing package would give cities the option to speedily approve smaller-scale housing developments in transit-rich areas and urban infill sites.

Although outbreaks of novel coronavirus have been more associated with overcrowded housing than density, Dunmoyer says that the pandemic could be reshaping where Californians want to live.

If youre going to be forced to shelter in place, do you want a two-bed, two-bath condo in a city or do you want a three-bed, two-bath home with a backyard? said Dunmoyer.

For his part, Wiener doesnt believe demand for living in urban environments close to jobs will be all that affected by the pandemic.

People have a lot of different reactions to the virus, but anyone who is really looking at the facts knows that the whole notion that housing density fuels COVID is simply false, he said.

Key to any housing bills moving forward in the state Legislature is the support of the State Building and Construction Trades Council, the construction workers union that donates heavily to state Democratic lawmakers.

Asked if he supported Atkins housing package, council president Robbie Hunter said that while hes still reviewing all the proposals, overall the package works for his members.

Shes made an effort to make sure that workers that work in construction, particularly affordable housing, are paid a fair wage, said Hunter. You cant address poverty in housing by driving construction workers into poverty to build it.

Both Caballeros retail-to-housing bill and aseparate Atkins proposalto grant larger housing projects the same speedy environmental reviews as sports stadiums contain provisions guaranteeing that union-level wages be paid to construction workers.

But labor backing doesnt guarantee a housing bill becomes law. Wieners SB 50 was blessed by labor, and even with Atkins support couldnt make it past a Senate floor vote.

While still controversial, none of the individual proposals in this housing package are as aggressive as SB 50. That allowed Atkins to build support for the package from a variety of lawmakers, including those who opposed Wieners previous measures.

Obviously I spent years trying to pass SB 50 and we were swinging for the rafters and it didnt cross the finish line, said Wiener. But (Atkins) handled this very wisely. She decided the way to do this was to convene a working group of senators who havent been quite vocal, senators who were on both sides of SB 50.

If it passes the Senate, the new housing package will have to get through the state Assembly a body filled with the types of moderate suburban lawmakers and veterans of city government typically opposed to encroachments on local control.

Atkins said she had briefed the governors staff on the housing package, and is hoping the governor will support the legislation.

We would love to have his support obviously, as soon as he would like to give it, it would be helpful, said Atkins. But the Legislature has its own process and Im optimistic about our chances with this package.

CalMattersis a nonprofit, nonpartisan media venture explaining California policies and politics.

COVID Complicates Sen. Toni Atkins Push to Build More Housing in California was last modified: May 23rd, 2020 by Editor

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The rest is here:
COVID Complicates Sen. Toni Atkins Push to Build More Housing in California - Times of San Diego

In SummaryLawmakers are pushing a revised housing plan that would end single-family-only zoning, instead encouraging duplexes, four-plexes, and converting retail spaces to residential ones.

Toni Atkins stood on the state Senate floor in January and vowed, come hell or high water, that 2020 would see the state pass a bill to build more homes in California.

Even her wrangling as Senate pro tem wasnt enough to save Senate Bill 50, a zoning reform proposal pushing for more apartment buildings around California, from a third straight year of failure. The wonky bill had provoked the kind of polemical discourse typically reserved for Supreme Court nominations or Reddit threads on single-payer healthcare.

I want to personally commit to each and every one of you, and to the people of California, that a housing production bill to alleviate our housing crisis will happen this year, said Atkins, Democrat from San Diego, imploring her colleagues to bring productive ideas to the table to solve Californias most vexing issue making it cheaper to live here.

While neither hell nor high water materialized, a pandemic did.

Nevertheless, this week, Atkins and Senate Democratic leaders unveiled a suite of compromise legislation aimed at making it easier to build more housing. While no individual bill is as sweeping as SB 50, developers and housing experts say collectively the six proposals could make a meaningful dent in Californias housing shortage should they become law.

But while championing the art of the possible, Atkins admits that Californias new coronavirus-normal limited what the state could realistically pull off.

Things have altered and we had to pivot a bit because the world looks very different today, she said.

Heres what you need to know about California lawmakers latest plans to create more housing, and how COVID-19 has changed them.

Atkins suite of bills retains one of the more controversial provisions of Senate Bill 50, the upzoning proposal from Sen. Scott Wiener, Democrat from San Francisco: the elimination of single-family-only zoning throughout California.

Wide swaths of cities around the state currently prohibit any type of housing more dense than a single-family home. A new jointly-authored bill from Atkins and Wiener would force cities to allow homeowners and developers to convert single family homes into duplexes or even fourplexes, if the property is big enough. Those conversions would not have to be reviewed for environmental impacts by local governments, an often lengthy and expensive process.

There are hundreds of thousands of two-car garages that are just jammed with crap. And its ready for a builder to come in and demo the garage and scrape it and drop in a new home , said Ben Metcalf, managing director at the UC Berkeley Terner Center for Housing Innovation and former head of the state housing department. Theres lots of potential here.

There are hundreds of thousands of two-car garages that are just jammed with crap. And its ready for a builder todrop in a new home.

While technically California ended single-family-only zoning with the passage of a 2019 law that allows homeowners to build accessory dwelling units granny flats in their backyard, the prospect of duplexes, triplexes and fourplexes popping up next door is sure to engender more pushback from homeowner groups resistant to more visible changes to their neighborhoods.

I would not like to see fourplexes going up here, said Susan Kirsch, an anti-development activist in Marin County who founded a statewide lobbying group to help defeat Wieners earlier proposals. These streets are very narrow, its going to increase traffic, itll hurt parking.

Kirsch cautioned that if local governments wanted to pursue denser development, they should be allowed to. But she chafes at the idea of the state issuing a top-down edict.

As a state law, I think its an intrusion on community rights, pushed by developers with huge pots of money, she said.

The idea of loosening local zoning rules has gained traction in national progressive circles, with Democratic lawmakers in Minneapolis and Oregon prohibiting single-family-only zoning last year. Local ordinances prohibiting denser development have historically been associated with excluding renters, who skew lower income and non-white, from more affluent communities.

Atkins says she doesnt think single-family-only zoning is inherently bad policy, and cautions that the option of converting a home into a fourplex wont erode neighborhood character.

I love my neighborhood, I live in a neighborhood that is single-family and has some multi-family spread throughout and it works, said Atkins. I wouldnt call this the death knull of single family neighborhoods. I would think thats a mischaracterization.

Eliminating single-family-only zoning has a new allure for lawmakers in a post-coronavirus world: It doesnt cost the state any money.

Conspicuously absent from Senate Democrats housing package is any proposal that would devote new state dollars to building low-income housing or allow cities to beef up infrastructure to accommodate it. Confronting a recession-induced budget deficit the Newsom administration has pegged at $54 billion, Atkins said proposals that might have been possible in January simply arent feasible right now.

In the moment we have to be strategic and focused, but it doesnt mean all those things go by the wayside, said Atkins.

Instead, Atkins package tries to incentivize market-rate developers to include more low-income units in their projects. A bill from Sen. Nancy Skinner, Democrat from Berkeley, would enhance an existing state density bonus program that allows developers to build taller and denser if they charge below market-rates for some of their units.

But while low-income housing advocates say they are pleased Senate Democrats are still addressing housing issues, they want a stronger focus on helping those who were already struggling before the novel coronavirus threatened their livelihoods.

The last two decades have shown that the market is not working to build supply for people at the bottom of the income spectrum and its never worked for communities of color.

My sense is that theres a real desire to see the market help fix our problems, and I think thats kind of fundamentally at odds with our perspective, said Chione Flegal, managing director at PolicyLink, an organization that advocates for greater equity in housing policy. Although theres certainly a role for the market, the last two decades have shown that the market is not working to build supply for people at the bottom of the income spectrum and its never worked for communities of color.

Flegal and other advocates say more density must also be accompanied by stronger protections for communities sensitive to gentrification and displacement pressures.

Some of the precious dollars cities and low-income housing advocates are seeking have instead found their way into another part of Atkins housing proposal: a $300 million to $500 million annual plan to help renters and landlords impacted by coronavirus.

Unveiled last week but included in this package of housing bills, the program would give renters 10 years to pay back rent bills missed because of COVID-19 directly to the state. Landlords would be compensated with tax credits they could sell on secondary markets for cash.

Beyond Atkins package, other proposals for affordable housing dollars are still circulating in the Legislature. But the pandemic-induced budget deficit has made the road ahead for those bills daunting.

A proposal that would have eliminated the mortgage interest deductions on vacation homes to fund homeless housing died earlier this week. Two remaining high-profile bills that would spend billions annually on low-income housing have not identified a new revenue source, meaning cuts would have to come from elsewhere in the budget to offset their cost.

Cash-strapped local governments are especially dismayed at how the pandemic has reshaped state housing proposals. Before coronavirus struck, they had hoped to see portions of a January budget surplus devoted to low-income housing, infrastructure grants and local planning departments.

That hope has dimmed significantly. And while Gov. Gavin Newsoms post-pandemic budget proposal preserves funding for an important tax credit program for low-income developers, it claws back some money cities had hoped they could tap for housing-related programs.

A spokesperson for the League of California Cities, which represents municipalities across the state, said it was still reviewing Atkins proposals and not yet taken a position on the package.

Cities did score one housing-related victory because of the pandemic: A slew of bills aimed at reducing the impact fees local governments could charge developers on new projects has been shelved as cities cling to any source of revenue they can get their hands on.

The economic downturn caused by the novel coronavirus could contain a silver lining for California: When that big box retailer or shopping mall goes out of business, all that real estate could be converted to new housing.

The new Senate housing plan tries to seize on that opportunity. A bill from Sen. Anna Caballero, Democrat from Salinas,would make more land zoned for office parks or retail outlets eligible for housing development and streamline the approval process for developers who want to build on that land.

There is real interest in combining housing and retail, said Dan Dunmoyer, president of the California Building Industry Association, the primary developer lobbying group in the capital. Some of the national home builders and regional builders are looking at these sites.

If youre going to be forced to shelter in place, do you want a two-bed, two-bath condo in a city or do you want a three-bed, two-bath home with a backyard?

While homebuilders may be bullish on converting retail to housing, they are less enthusiastic about incentivizing construction in denser, urban environments near public transit.

A bill from Sen. Wiener included in the Senate housing package would give cities the option to speedily approve smaller-scale housing developments in transit-rich areas and urban infill sites.

Although outbreaks of novel coronavirus have been more associated with overcrowded housing than density, Dunmoyer says that the pandemic could be reshaping where Californians want to live.

If youre going to be forced to shelter in place, do you want a two-bed, two-bath condo in a city or do you want a three-bed, two-bath home with a backyard? said Dunmoyer.

For his part, Wiener doesnt believe demand for living in urban environments close to jobs will be all that affected by the pandemic.

People have a lot of different reactions to the virus, but anyone who is really looking at the facts knows that the whole notion that housing density fuels COVID is simply false, he said.

Key to any housing bills moving forward in the state Legislature is the support of the State Building and Construction Trades Council, the construction workers union that donates heavily to state Democratic lawmakers.

Asked if he supported Atkins housing package, council president Robbie Hunter said that while hes still reviewing all the proposals, overall the package works for his members.

You cant address poverty in housing by driving construction workers into poverty to build it.

Shes made an effort to make sure that workers that work in construction, particularly affordable housing, are paid a fair wage, said Hunter. You cant address poverty in housing by driving construction workers into poverty to build it.

Both Caballeros retail-to-housing bill and a separate Atkins proposal to grant larger housing projects the same speedy environmental reviews as sports stadiums contain provisions guaranteeing that union-level wages be paid to construction workers.

But labor backing doesnt guarantee a housing bill becomes law. Wieners SB 50 was blessed by labor, and even with Atkins support couldnt make it past a Senate floor vote.

While still controversial, none of the individual proposals in this housing package are as aggressive as SB 50. That allowed Atkins to build support for the package from a variety of lawmakers, including those who opposed Wieners previous measures.

Obviously I spent years trying to pass SB 50 and we were swinging for the rafters and it didnt cross the finish line, said Wiener. But (Atkins) handled this very wisely. She decided the way to do this was to convene a working group of senators who havent been quite vocal, senators who were on both sides of SB 50.

If it passes the Senate, the new housing package will have to get through the state Assembly a body filled with the types of moderate suburban lawmakers and veterans of city government typically opposed to encroachments on local control.

Atkins said she had briefed the governors staff on the housing package, and is hoping the governor will support the legislation.

We would love to have his support obviously, as soon as he would like to give it, it would be helpful, said Atkins. But the Legislature has its own process and Im optimistic about our chances with this package.

Excerpt from:
The pandemic hasnt killed Californias big housing plans but they have mutated - CALmatters

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A 15-acre piece of farm ground insouthern Sioux Falls that's surrounded by development will soon be infilled with apartments and offices.

A link has been sent to your friend's email address.

A link has been posted to your Facebook feed.

A lot set for a future apartment complex stands empty on Thursday, May 21, at the intersection of 57th Street and Benson Ave. in Sioux Falls.(Photo: Erin Bormett / Argus Leader)

A 15-acre piece of farmland insouthern Sioux Falls will soon be infilled with apartments and offices.

Lloyd Companies this summer intends to begin constructionon what would be a four-phased development project at 57th Street and Bahnson Avenue that will bring 10 different buildings totaling 314 apartment units, office space and 4,000-square-feet of retail. The project would also see Bahnson Avenue extended south to Woodsedge Street, the next road south of 57th Street.

The estimated value of construction on the project is $40.5 million.

"We're hoping to break groundby August 1st," said Luke Jessen, development project manager for Lloyd Cos.

All 10 buildings included in the project will be two and three stories. The buildings closest to 57th Street will be have first floor office space and some retail with apartments on the second floor.

Lloyd Cos. has plans for a four-phase, 10-building development with office and apartments at 57th Street and Bahnson Avenue.(Photo: City of Sioux Falls)

Jessen said the apartments will be one to three bedroom units with some studios with rents between $860-$1200 a month.

"The first apartments would open up here in February or March of next year," he said. "Overall for whole property, we're looking at a three-year project."

A lot set for a future apartment complex stands empty on Thursday, May 21, at the intersection of 57th Street and Benson Ave. in Sioux Falls.(Photo: Erin Bormett / Argus Leader)

Read or Share this story: https://www.argusleader.com/story/news/2020/05/21/lloyd-cos-break-ground-40-m-development-57th-and-bahnson/5237896002/

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Read more here:
Lloyd Cos. to break ground on $40M development at 57th and Bahnson - Argus Leader

Workers paint a wall on a Factory OS construction project in West Oakland. Photo by Anne Wernikoff for CalMatters.

###

Toni Atkins stood on the state Senate floor in January and vowed, come hell or high water, that 2020 would see the state pass a bill to build more homes in California.

Even her wrangling as Senate pro tem wasnt enough to save Senate Bill 50, a zoning reform proposal pushing for more apartment buildings around California, from a third straight year of failure. The wonky bill had provoked the kind of polemical discourse typically reserved for Supreme Court nominations or Reddit threads on single-payer healthcare.

I want to personally commit to each and every one of you, and to the people of California, that a housing production bill to alleviate our housing crisis will happen this year, said Atkins, Democrat from San Diego, imploring her colleagues to bring productive ideas to the table to solve Californias most vexing issue making it cheaper to live here.

While neither hell nor high water materialized, a pandemic did.

Nevertheless, this week, Atkins and Senate Democratic leaders unveiled a suite of compromise legislation aimed at making it easier to build more housing. While no individual bill is as sweeping as SB 50, developers and housing experts say collectively the six proposals could make a meaningful dent in Californias housing shortage should they become law.

But while championing the art of the possible, Atkins admits that Californias new coronavirus-normal limited what the state could realistically pull off.

Things have altered and we had to pivot a bit because the world looks very different today, she said.

Heres what you need to know about California lawmakers latest plans to create more housing, and how COVID-19 has changed them.

Atkins suite of bills retains one of the more controversial provisions of Senate Bill 50, the upzoning proposal from Sen. Scott Wiener, Democrat from San Francisco: the elimination of single-family-only zoning throughout California.

Wide swaths of cities around the state currently prohibit any type of housing more dense than a single-family home. A new jointly-authored bill from Atkins and Wiener would force cities to allow homeowners and developers to convert single family homes into duplexes or even fourplexes, if the property is big enough. Those conversions would not have to be reviewed for environmental impacts by local governments, an often lengthy and expensive process.

There are hundreds of thousands of two-car garages that are just jammed with crap. And its ready for a builder to come in and demo the garage and scrape it and drop in a new home , said Ben Metcalf, managing director at the UC Berkeley Terner Center for Housing Innovation and former head of the state housing department. Theres lots of potential here.

There are hundreds of thousands of two-car garages that are just jammed with crap. And its ready for a builder todrop in a new home. Ben Metcalf, UC Berkeley Terner Cener

While technically California ended single-family-only zoning with the passage of a 2019 law that allows homeowners to build accessory dwelling units granny flats in their backyard, the prospect of duplexes, triplexes and fourplexes popping up next door is sure to engender more pushback from homeowner groups resistant to more visible changes to their neighborhoods.

I would not like to see fourplexes going up here, said Susan Kirsch, an anti-development activist in Marin County who founded a statewide lobbying group to help defeat Wieners earlier proposals. These streets are very narrow, its going to increase traffic, itll hurt parking.

Kirsch cautioned that if local governments wanted to pursue denser development, they should be allowed to. But she chafes at the idea of the state issuing a top-down edict.

As a state law, I think its an intrusion on community rights, pushed by developers with huge pots of money, she said.

The idea of loosening local zoning rules has gained traction in national progressive circles, with Democratic lawmakers in Minneapolis and Oregon prohibiting single-family-only zoning last year. Local ordinances prohibiting denser development have historically been associated with excluding renters, who skew lower income and non-white, from more affluent communities.

Atkins says she doesnt think single-family-only zoning is inherently bad policy, and cautions that the option of converting a home into a fourplex wont erode neighborhood character.

I love my neighborhood, I live in a neighborhood that is single-family and has some multi-family spread throughout and it works, said Atkins. I wouldnt call this the death knull of single family neighborhoods. I would think thats a mischaracterization.

Eliminating single-family-only zoning has a new allure for lawmakers in a post-coronavirus world: It doesnt cost the state any money.

Conspicuously absent from Senate Democrats housing package is any proposal that would devote new state dollars to building low-income housing or allow cities to beef up infrastructure to accommodate it. Confronting a recession-induced budget deficit the Newsom administration has pegged at $54 billion, Atkins said proposals that might have been possible in January simply arent feasible right now.

In the moment we have to be strategic and focused, but it doesnt mean all those things go by the wayside, said Atkins.

Instead, Atkins package tries to incentivize market-rate developers to include more low-income units in their projects. A bill from Sen. Nancy Skinner, Democrat from Berkeley, would enhance an existing state density bonus program that allows developers to build taller and denser if they charge below market-rates for some of their units.

But while low-income housing advocates say they are pleased Senate Democrats are still addressing housing issues, they want a stronger focus on helping those who were already struggling before the novel coronavirus threatened their livelihoods.

The last two decades have shown that the market is not working to build supply for people at the bottom of the income spectrum and its never worked for communities of color. Chione Flegal, Policy Link

My sense is that theres a real desire to see the market help fix our problems, and I think thats kind of fundamentally at odds with our perspective, said Chione Flegal, managing director at PolicyLink, an organization that advocates for greater equity in housing policy. Although theres certainly a role for the market, the last two decades have shown that the market is not working to build supply for people at the bottom of the income spectrum and its never worked for communities of color.

Flegal and other advocates say more density must also be accompanied by stronger protections for communities sensitive to gentrification and displacement pressures.

Some of the precious dollars cities and low-income housing advocates are seeking have instead found their way into another part of Atkins housing proposal: a $300 million to $500 million annual plan to help renters and landlords impacted by coronavirus.

Unveiled last week but included in this package of housing bills, the program would give renters 10 years to pay back rent bills missed because of COVID-19 directly to the state. Landlords would be compensated with tax credits they could sell on secondary markets for cash.

Beyond Atkins package, other proposals for affordable housing dollars are still circulating in the Legislature. But the pandemic-induced budget deficit has made the road ahead for those bills daunting.

A proposal that would have eliminated the mortgage interest deductions on vacation homes to fund homeless housing died earlier this week. Two remaining high-profile bills that would spend billions annually on low-income housing have not identified a new revenue source, meaning cuts would have to come from elsewhere in the budget to offset their cost.

Cash-strapped local governments are especially dismayed at how the pandemic has reshaped state housing proposals. Before coronavirus struck, they had hoped to see portions of a January budget surplus devoted to low-income housing, infrastructure grants and local planning departments.

That hope has dimmed significantly. And while Gov. Gavin Newsoms post-pandemic budget proposal preserves funding for an important tax credit program for low-income developers, it claws back some money cities had hoped they could tap for housing-related programs.

A spokesperson for the League of California Cities, which represents municipalities across the state, said it was still reviewing Atkins proposals and not yet taken a position on the package.

Cities did score one housing-related victory because of the pandemic: A slew of bills aimed at reducing the impact fees local governments could charge developers on new projects has been shelved as cities cling to any source of revenue they can get their hands on.

The economic downturn caused by the novel coronavirus could contain a silver lining for California: When that big box retailer or shopping mall goes out of business, all that real estate could be converted to new housing.

The new Senate housing plan tries to seize on that opportunity. A bill from Sen. Anna Caballero, Democrat from Salinas, would make more land zoned for office parks or retail outlets eligible for housing development and streamline the approval process for developers who want to build on that land.

There is real interest in combining housing and retail, said Dan Dunmoyer, president of the California Building Industry Association, the primary developer lobbying group in the capital. Some of the national home builders and regional builders are looking at these sites.

If youre going to be forced to shelter in place, do you want a two-bed, two-bath condo in a city or do you want a three-bed, two-bath home with a backyard? Dan Dunmoyer, California Building Industry

While homebuilders may be bullish on converting retail to housing, they are less enthusiastic about incentivizing construction in denser, urban environments near public transit.

A bill from Sen. Wiener included in the Senate housing package would give cities the option to speedily approve smaller-scale housing developments in transit-rich areas and urban infill sites.

Although outbreaks of novel coronavirus have been more associated with overcrowded housing than density, Dunmoyer says that the pandemic could be reshaping where Californians want to live.

If youre going to be forced to shelter in place, do you want a two-bed, two-bath condo in a city or do you want a three-bed, two-bath home with a backyard? said Dunmoyer.

For his part, Wiener doesnt believe demand for living in urban environments close to jobs will be all that affected by the pandemic.

People have a lot of different reactions to the virus, but anyone who is really looking at the facts knows that the whole notion that housing density fuels COVID is simply false, he said.

Key to any housing bills moving forward in the state Legislature is the support of the State Building and Construction Trades Council, the construction workers union that donates heavily to state Democratic lawmakers.

Asked if he supported Atkins housing package, council president Robbie Hunter said that while hes still reviewing all the proposals, overall the package works for his members.

You cant address poverty in housing by driving construction workers into poverty to build it. Robbie Hunter, Building and Construction Trades Council

Shes made an effort to make sure that workers that work in construction, particularly affordable housing, are paid a fair wage, said Hunter. You cant address poverty in housing by driving construction workers into poverty to build it.

Both Caballeros retail-to-housing bill and a separate Atkins proposal to grant larger housing projects the same speedy environmental reviews as sports stadiums contain provisions guaranteeing that union-level wages be paid to construction workers.

But labor backing doesnt guarantee a housing bill becomes law. Wieners SB 50 was blessed by labor, and even with Atkins support couldnt make it past a Senate floor vote.

While still controversial, none of the individual proposals in this housing package are as aggressive as SB 50. That allowed Atkins to build support for the package from a variety of lawmakers, including those who opposed Wieners previous measures.

Obviously I spent years trying to pass SB 50 and we were swinging for the rafters and it didnt cross the finish line, said Wiener. But (Atkins) handled this very wisely. She decided the way to do this was to convene a working group of senators who havent been quite vocal, senators who were on both sides of SB 50.

If it passes the Senate, the new housing package will have to get through the state Assembly a body filled with the types of moderate suburban lawmakers and veterans of city government typically opposed to encroachments on local control.

Atkins said she had briefed the governors staff on the housing package, and is hoping the governor can lobby reluctant lawmakers.

We would love to have his support obviously, as soon as he would like to give it, it would be helpful, said Atkins. But the Legislature has its own process and Im optimistic about our chances with this package.

###

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The Pandemic Hasn't Killed California's Big Housing Plans -- but They Have Mutated - Lost Coast Outpost

In The Know: Three hot corners of development in Lee County Fort Myers News-Press

Three hot corner lots are springing to life across Lee County, demonstrating how the construction industry so far has been able to carry ondespite the coronavirus pandemic.

From Cape Coral to east Fort Myers to the Alico Road corridor, money is still moving into the hands of construction companies, whichare looking to finish three prominent projects, all of which broke ground in late 2019.

Another lot on part of a hot corner is ready to build, but the owner is waiting for some red tape to be cut and for COVID-19 economic repercussions to clear.

The three sites cover a vast range of product types, from multi-family housing to a gas station, self-storage, strip malls with drive-thru restaurants.

Cycle into this: Bike businesses booming in Lee, Collier since coronavirus pandemic began

Heres a look at what these three places are on their way to becoming.

CAPE CORAL APARTMENTS

An apartment complex is going in on the corner of Pine Island Road and Barrett Road. Three hot corner lots are spring to life around Lee County. What's in the works just south of Babcock Ranch, just north of Gulf Coast Town Center, and off Pine Island Road near US 41? (Photo: Andrea Melendez/The News-Press/USA Today Florida Network)

At the southeast corner of Pine Island Road and Barrett Road, Continental Properties and its contractor, Kaufman Lynn Construction,has broken ground on an apartment complex.

The Springs at Cape Coral will have 292 units inside of 11 buildings. There will be 19 total buildings on the sprawling corner property, including a clubhouse and a car care area, the better to hose off dead lovebugs caked onto car grills.

Unsung heroes: Lee Health cleaning crews clear COVID-19 rooms with little fanfare

The site broke ground in December, and the project should be finished by summer 2021.

As far as manpower, were actually being helped by it, superintendent Jarrid Erwin said of COVID-19-related issues. Some other jobs have been shut down, and weve had workers diverted to our site.

This is the corner of Alico Rd and Ben Hill Griffin Parkway just in front of Twin Peaks. A strip mall is going in. Three hot corner lots are spring to life around Lee County. What's in the works just south of Babcock Ranch, just north of Gulf Coast Town Center, and off Pine Island Road near US 41? (Photo: Andrea Melendez/The News-Press/USA Today Florida Network)

Price points for the apartments have yet to be unveiled. There will be detached garages and units will range from studios to three bedrooms.

Continental Properties, based in Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin, also owns the Fairfield Inn by Marriott hotel thats taking shape off Pine Island Road, behind Outback Steakhouse.

RACETRAC, SELF-STORAGE AND MORE

On the Northwest corner of Hwy 31 and Palm Beach Blvd a lot of development is being planned. A Racetrack gas station will be open this summer and rumors of other developments like a large self-storage facility and a strip mall with a fast food restaurant are just a few. Three hot corner lots are spring to life around Lee County. What's in the works just south of Babcock Ranch, just north of Gulf Coast Town Center, and off Pine Island Road near US 41?(Photo: Andrea Melendez/The News-Press/USA Today Florida Network)

At the northeast corner of State Road 31 and Palm Beach Boulevard, a RaceTrac gas station is nearing completion and should open this summer.

The hard corner of the lot used to have another gas station that was torn down to make room for a strip mall that will have three to five tenants comprising 6,200 square feet.

How bout a brewski: Florida breweries allowed to reopen taprooms if food trucks are onsite

Steve Royal of the Royal Companies has owned that parcel since 1997 and has been sitting on it ever since.

Weve been waiting for that area to get a little more ready for commercial development, Royal said. We started this project about three years ago.

The project has been paused for two reasons, he said: Getting permits from the Florida Department of Transportation for entry and exit, and, like most everything else, COVID-19-related concerns.

An apartment complex is going in on the corner of Pine Island Road and Barrett Road. Three hot corner lots are spring to life around Lee County. What's in the works just south of Babcock Ranch, just north of Gulf Coast Town Center, and off Pine Island Road near US 41? (Photo: Andrea Melendez/The News-Press/USA Today Florida Network)

The FDOT issues should be resolved by mid-June, Royal said.

If we can lock down 50 percent of our tenants or higher, well move forward, Royal said. There are a couple of moving parts. COVIDs going to change the dynamics of a lot in the commercial retail sector. With the price points we had in structure, we had to go back to the tenant and see that theyll be able to survive with in the new post-COVID world.

Before I start going vertical with my building, I have to make sure our tenants can meet their obligations in the post-COVID world. Weve got two tenants who are doing better during COVID. But we also have another tenant who isnt sure how theyre going to be affected as far as COVID.

Given that one or two of those five units will be a drive-thru fast casual or fast food chain with a national brand, Royal said he just wasnt sure how things would play out over the next two months.

The hottest sector was the entertainment services sector, which was gyms and restaurants, Royal said. That has absolutely gotten killed. Restaurants cant make it on 50 percent occupancy. Were former food guys, and you cant make it on that. One thing that has taken off is pizza takeout. Their sales are through the roof.

With this corner area, thats just the beginning. There are three additional properties in play.

You may be interested in: Employees from 2 more Southwest Florida Publix locations test positive for coronavirus

A road cutting across the corner piece of property behind the new RaceTrac heads east and leads to an empty lot that will be developed into a 100,000-square-foot self-storage facility.

Real estate agent Chris Magnus is involved with booking businesses for that parcel and two others.

On the Northwest corner of Hwy 31 and Palm Beach Blvd a lot of development is being planned. A Racetrack gas station will be open this summer and rumors of other developments like a large self-storage facility and a strip mall with a fast food restaurant are just a few. Three hot corner lots are spring to life around Lee County. What's in the works just south of Babcock Ranch, just north of Gulf Coast Town Center, and off Pine Island Road near US 41? (Photo: Andrea Melendez/The News-Press/USA Today Florida Network)

Theres a 0.62-acre parcel, just west of the gas station and north of Royals proposed strip mall, on the market for $700,000.

Theres the self-storage site, on the market for $1.6 million.

And theres a 0.86-acre parcel behind and to the north of the gas station on the market for $1.5 million.

Right now, we have an existing 15-acre parcel out there, Magnus said. Weve done some improvements on it. Weve got roads going in. We should be finished with those by June. Weve got streetlights in. RaceTrac is expected to open next month as well. Theyre going to have two entrances on 80 and two on 31. There will be great access to get to and from the property.

Babcock Ranch, a planned community of 50,000 residents, is just nine miles to the north, and surrounding communities like the Verandah should more than support more businesses and restaurants at that corner, Magnus said.

I think that will serve Babcock Ranch very, very well, Magnus said. But State Road 80 is the main artery to get to I-75 from there. Theres a ton of traffic there. I think anybody who goes in there will have the ability to do very well.

RaceTrac does such a nice job, they really are a huge traffic generator. Were excited to get the project completed.

On the Northwest corner of Hwy 31 and Palm Beach Blvd a lot of development is being planned. A Racetrack gas station will be open this summer and rumors of other developments like a large self-storage facility and a strip mall with a fast food restaurant are just a few. Three hot corner lots are spring to life around Lee County. What's in the works just south of Babcock Ranch, just north of Gulf Coast Town Center, and off Pine Island Road near US 41?(Photo: Andrea Melendez/The News-Press/USA Today Florida Network)

The smallest available parcel looks to be a good fit for a restaurant. Despite the coronavirus pandemic uncertainty, Magnus said he did not expect a big delay in getting something signed and developed.

Its really hard to know what people are thinking, Magnus said. Youve got some entities that are doing very, very well despite the conditions, and some entities that arent. We think theres a lot of opportunity out there.

ALICO ROAD STRIP MALL

At the northwest corner of Alico Road and Ben Hill Griffin Parkway, just north of Gulf Coast Center and immediately south of Twin Peaks restaurant, walls will begin to go up soon on a 12,000-square-foot strip mall.

This is the corner of Alico Rd and Ben Hill Griffin Parkway just in front of Twin Peaks. A strip mall is going in. Three hot corner lots are spring to life around Lee County. What's in the works just south of Babcock Ranch, just north of Gulf Coast Town Center, and off Pine Island Road near US 41? (Photo: Andrea Melendez/The News-Press/USA Today Florida Network)

The strip mall broke ground about three weeks ago, and it could be finished within four months. Construction is being managed by Bluewater BuildersInc., based in Coral Springs.

Verizon Wireless will be one of the five tenants.

A fast-food or fast-casual restaurant, yet to be announced, will be on the corner portion of the property. There will be three more units for other businesses yet to be determined.

Connect: David Dorsey (Facebook), @DavidADorsey (Twitter).

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In the Know: Hot corner lots spring to life with apartments, strip malls, drive-thrus - News-Press

Bre Pettis, owner of Bantam Tools, on why he chose Peekskill for the site of his high tech manufacturing company. Rockland/Westchester Journal News

PEEKSKILL -A proposed new apartment building closeto the train station would include 59 affordable and workforce unitswith average rents of $1,200 for studios, $1,500 for one-bedroom units and $1,800 for two-bedrooms.

The rest of the 78-unit building, eyed for 653-657 Central Ave.,near the Hudson River, would be market-rate: One- and two-bedroom apartments renting for $2,000 and $2,400 on average, according to city documents.

The building is one of a pairproposed by Yonkers-based Cottage International Development Group.The two-building development, called the Magnolia Heights Apartments,would be bordered by South Street and Central Avenue and sit between Washington Street and Route 9.

A developer proposes a conceptual idea for a combined 167 units in two buildings in Peekskill, along with some retail and a sculpture garden and walkway open to the public, on Central Avenue and South Street.(Photo: Renderings/Warshauer Mellusi Architects)

TRANSFORMATION: Peekskill experiences growing pains as change comes quickly

PEEKSKILL: Go inside Bantam Tools' high-tech manufacturing facility

VIDEO: They moved from Queens. Here's why they picked Peekskill

Affordable housing is geared to people with household incomes at variouspercentages of Westchester County's median income. For instance, according to city documents,a four-person household with $62,900 income would be at 50%of the area's median income and quality for affordable units. Aone-person household would qualify, at 50%of the median, with a $44,050 income.

Households of various sizes that are at 60%of the area's median income could also qualify for affordable units.

But Common Council members differedat their May 18 meeting on what the mix of apartments should be. One or two members suggested havingmoremarket-rate units. So the breakdown of units could change.

"I would caution in saying that we need more market-rates I actually think it's a good layout; I think it's just a matter of how they are being allocated," Council member Vanessa Agudelo said.

The council would need to approve a contract to selllandalong Central Avenue to the developer in order to move forward.

"Weare committed to the entire project South Street andCentral Avenue," Thomas Conneally, principal of Cottage International Development Group, told the council. "Wejust want to get a head start so we get the architect and the engineers workingonthis phase so that we can then simultaneouslywork on phase two."

Phase two would be the other apartment building,at 582 South St.At a presentation to city officials earlier this year, the proposal wasfor 89 units a mix of workforce and market-rate apartmentswith a few-thousand square feet of ground-level retail space. Potential rents were not available.

City officials wouldrezone aparcel on South Street to allow construction of thatbuilding. The developer has proposed creatinga publicstairway tolinkSouth Street with Central Avenue and evoke a former historic stairway in the area that was known as the 100 steps. There would also be a sculpture gardenat a midpoint of the stairway.

The developer has said therewould be aspace in the South Street building focused onthe area's history, along with an elevator to the sculpture garden.

In documents filed with the city, the developer said the housing would providemodern,energy-efficient homes with accessibilityto Manhattan. There would be parking below the buildings.

The development is among the latest proposed for this northern Westchester city thats witnessed a housing and dining-scene boom over the past several years.

Michael McKinney covers northern Westchester.Follow him on Twitter @mikemckwrite.Visitoffers.lohud.comto sign up for a subscription.

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Proposed apartments in Peekskill would include affordable units close to the train - Lohud

Two months later, Walsh is opening up the construction industry again, with far more rules in place.

Like anything else, there will be a learning curve, said Jeff Gouveia, general manager for the Northeast at Boston-based construction giant Suffolk. But people are taking this very, very seriously, trying to figure out how to do their job and be productive, while also making sure theyre safe.

Projects that want to restart have to file detailed safety plans with the city Bostons Inspectional Services Department has received more than 2,000 so far and sign an affidavit pledging compliance. Approved outdoor work digging foundations, erecting steel framing was allowed starting Monday, with full construction beginning next week. Wednesday morning, major projects all over downtown Boston had at least modest crews on site.

Some of the citys largest general contractors, along with the subcontractors and labor unions they employ, have spent much of the last two months devising safer ways to perform the thousands of small jobs that go into a big building.

Suffolk has crafted unique plans complete with training videos for each of its projects in Boston, and plans to use sensors to warn workers when they stand too close, among other new technology. Consigli Construction Co. has been stocking up on personal protective equipment, buying hand sanitizer from local distilleries and masks from a factory in Maine. Commodore Builders plans to stagger shifts, having some people start earlier, or work later, to reduce crowding at peak times.

As workers trickle back onto job sites, theyll get detailed training and new rules. Temperature-taking will be common, and hand-washing stations everywhere. When possible, workers on some jobs will be limited to one for every 500 square feet. When they must work in close quarters, theyll wear extra masks and goggles. Elevators that might lift 20 or 30 people up a high rise to start a shift might now hold 10, standing back to back so theyll face toward the open air.

The rules are not only designed to keep workers safe, contractors say, but also to give them confidence to come back. As COVID-19 cases flared on job sites in the early days of the pandemic in March, many workers decided to stay home rather than risk getting sick, and a few unions and subcontractors walked off jobs entirely.

You have people with their own health concerns, or a family member theyre concerned about, and thats going to take a dent out of the workforce, said Commodore CEO Joe Albanese. How do we make sure the workplace becomes so safe that people really feel like the risk is minimal?

The sort of rules being put in place, at least on larger unionized jobs, should help, said Bert Durand, spokesman for the North Atlantic States Regional Council of Carpenters. His union the largest single construction union in Massachusetts pulled all its 10,000 workers off job sites for two weeks in April over safety concerns. He said the progress on safety since is encouraging.

Weve gotten really positive reaction so far from our members and contractors, Durand said. These are the sort of protocols we were hoping to see.

They will, though, likely cost more, both in money and time a precious commodity to a developer with a big construction loan. Several builders said its hard to estimate yet just how much the new protocols will slow down projects, and but said they hoped technology, as well as more use of off-site fabrication, could help make up for lost time.

Their ability to do that, of course, depends somewhat on the stage of a construction project.

The HYM Investment Group is building two neighboring towers atop the Government Center Garage downtown. The first a 45-story apartment building was supposed to open its first units this month. Now, after the shutdown, theyre looking at a September date, said managing partner Tom OBrien. Next door, HYM broke ground in June on One Congress, a 600-foot office tower half leased to State Street Corp. The financial services giant expects to move in in January 2023, and OBrien said he was confident he can still hit that deadline, but scheduling the work and sourcing glass and other materials that may be harder to find now just got a lot more complicated.

Its early on and you have some time to catch up, OBrien said. But on a job like that, every day matters.

And for some projects that havent yet started, the added complexity not to mention the broader economic woes and even doubts about the future of dense downtowns like Bostons could be the difference between moving forward with work and putting a halt to it altogether.

No Boston developers have yet scrapped projects they have planned at least not publicly and contractors say theyre still bidding on future jobs. But several builders acknowledged that some slices of the development market hotels, office towers are moving slower than they were two months ago.

There are definitely still opportunities out there, said Jeff Navin, vice president of project management at Consigli. "But with some of the newer stuff, people are sitting a little longer before making decisions.

Still, for those who have projects partly done, theres little choice but to push forward, as safely as possible.

Jordan Warshaw and his partners spent years working to plan and finance the $314 million Raffles Back Bay Boston Hotel and Residences, a 33-story condo and hotel tower on Stuart Street. They broke ground in September, and were set to start digging the foundation when construction shut down in March. This week, workers were back, with a temperature-taking tent and even a special generator to boil hot water for hand washing, all tucked within the tight confines of the site.

Work is a couple of months behind schedule now, but Warshaw said he was confident Suffolk could have things up to speed by the time full interior construction gets underway, and it will still hit its target opening date of mid-2022.

Warshaws been a developer long enough to expect the unexpected, and ride it out. This, he said, is just one of those times.

Things happen in construction, he said. You never like surprises. But you expect them. That said, I dont know that theres ever been a surprise quite like this.

Tim Logan can be reached at timothy.logan@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter at @bytimlogan.

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Construction is starting back up in Boston, and its going to be more complicated - The Boston Globe

Dive Brief:

A digital twin is a virtual replica of a structure that incorporates not only the building's physical elements but also external data such as changes in climate or tenant and visitor traffic in order to better understand how the building will function during its entire lifecycle.

Because we have software that can model in insane detail every bit and piece of a building, you can now have a digital copy of that building, said Clifton Harness, CEO of TestFit, which produces building configuratorsoftware. This enables ... the owner of the building or a user in the building to do some things with that model you wouldnt be able to do otherwise.

This includes converting properties for another use, which the industry has seen happen during the COVID-19 pandemic. For example, Harness said, if we had a digital twin of all the hotels that the Army Corps of Engineers are trying to convert into hospitals right now, it would make that process quite a bit easier from a planning standpoint.

At this point, he said, the technology might only be practical for users that have massive amounts of square feet to manage.

Currently, he said, very few buildings are getting a digital twin because the level of detail that has to go into the modeling is so high that no architect gets paid enough to do that kind of thing.

Also, oftentimes the model doesnt exactly match the as-built version of the project, he added.

In addition, when project teams are modeling in BIM, Harness said, many dont model the entire building, depending on the type of structure. For example, he said, when building multifamily projects, teams might model only one type of apartment layout even though that layout repeats throughout the structure.

The time and financial commitment to incorporating digital twins can also be significant as there is not just one piece of software or one product that contractors can use to launch such an initiative. Typically, digital twin programs incorporate 3D simulation, artificial intelligence, cloud computing and other technologies. The cost of training and education related to digital twins can also add up.

Nevertheless, a number of construction companies and others in the industry are excited about the technologys prospects.

Daryl Patterson and Bill Ruh of Lendlease Group recently told ConstructConnect that digital twin technology has an advantage over BIM in that it can "allow designers to virtually create, test, analyze data, build and monitor a product, thus closing the feedback loop between design and operations," creating "a bridge between the physical and digital world."

In construction, this means that a project team can reap the benefits of a construction test run before one shovel hits the dirt, saving time on the schedule and weeding out any inefficiencies in the building process, they said.

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Digital twins to play a bigger role in post-pandemic construction - Construction Dive

Posted on May 21, 2020 at 12:52 pm by West Sider

By Rene Roden

The public got a first look at a major development project planned for 96th Street and Broadway at a Community Board 7 meeting held on the Zoom video conferencing platform on Wednesday.

Kenneth Lowenstein, speaking on behalf of Extell Development, and Jennifer Cheuck, architect at Stephen B Jacobs group, presented the developers plans for 2551 Broadway, the old site of Gristedes supermarket. Extell Development bought the site in 2017 and then demolished it, filing construction permits for a new building in January.

The buildings application surprised the committee members by only including one affordable unit in a building planned to take up approximately 276,578 square feet.

The site as it looked after demolition.

Lowenstein explained that the building is in R10-A zoning and is completely is an as of right building, meaning that the application does not require the community boards approval to move forward.

The building is under the voluntary inclusionary housing program, which means that, according to zoning rules, the building receives an extra 3.5 square feet of allotted space for every 1 square foot of affordable housing included in the building.

Lowenstein mentioned that the 2551 building is using the bonus space generated by 40 Riverside Boulevard building, which he said did not use all the bonus square footage allotted from its affordable housing units.

Included in the voluntary inclusionary program, the normal building height cap of 210 feet for as of right zoning in the district is increased to 235 feet. Given the steeply graded hill of West 96th Street leading up to Broadway, committee member Ira Mitchneck raised the question of how the height of the building would be measured. Architect Jennifer Cheuck did not give an answer as to the exact height of the building as measured both from Broadway and from 96th Street lobby but said that the 235 feet height is measured from the base plane, which is an average between the highest and the lowest point of the buildings foundation.

The affordable housing unit in the building is a 794 square feet one-bedroom unit, with the same fixtures as the other market-rate units. It will be an ownership unit sold through the HPD lottery. In the voluntary inclusionary housing program, the units remain affordable housing in perpetuity.

The Community Board met via Zoom.

As for the buildings facade, Cheuck said, it will be brick piers with large windows throughout the facade. Its not an all-glass building, it will have a brick facade with a lot of articulation and frames, to be a part of the Upper West Side neighborhood.

The ground floor will have a little over 9,000 square feet of retail space. Lowenstein said the owners wanted it to be a family-oriented, neighborhood-centered building, and hoped the retail establishments would reflect that. No mention of a parking garage was made.

Cheuck said that the firm did a preliminary study and they found no environmental issues. Traffic studies were not done, Lowenstein said.

When pressed on the plentiful construction in that five-block area, Cheuck said they were unaware of construction permits being filed for the neighboring site, 266 West 96th street.

Land Use Committee co-chair Seema Reddy asked about the construction timeline. Lowenstein said that he hoped that they would be allowed to start construction in the fall, and estimated construction would run three years. Cheuck clarified that construction was estimated to take about two years, and they were seeking a foundation permit to start construction as soon as the city is open this summer.

The committee urged the representatives for the new 2551 Broadway building to cooperate with the community, particularly to coordinate construction and traffic flows at the intersection to promote neighborhood safety. Ira Mitchneck asked where the staging area for the trucks for construction would be located and expressed his concern for construction staging taking up precious street space on Broadway.

Broadway and 96th Street and West End between 96th and 97th are consistently shown to be the most dangerous streets for pedestrians in our district, CB7 President Diller added. Diller ended the meeting by calling upon the 2551 Broadway representatives to join with us and Penny Ryan, our expert district manager, to form that construction advisory group.

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Proposed 22-Story Building at 96th and Broadway Will Have One Affordable Unit, Developer Says - westsiderag.com