The recognizable sound of rooftop hammering is echoing in a southeast Colorado Springs neighborhood, as construction on a new apartment complex for low-income seniors moves toward completion.

The 75-unit Paloma Garden is coming to life at 920 S. Chelton Road, on land where a longtime nursing home, Laurel Manor Care Center, was demolished after 14 residents died in 2020 following a COVID-19 outbreak.

The idea to build more affordable housing for seniors crystallized in recent years for property owner Volunteers of America National Services, a nondenominational, faith-based nonprofit with headquarters in Alexandria, Va.

Weve been in Colorado Springs a long time, and senior housing is our expertise and strength, said Doug Snyder, vice president of regional real estate development for the Denver office of Volunteers of America. The nationwide nonprofit builds and manages housing for vulnerable populations and also provides health and human services.

Volunteers of America owns about 1,800 income-based units in 20 housing projects across Colorado, primarily along the Front Range and on the Western Slope, Snyder said.

Holdings include The Summit Apartments, a workforce complex off South Nevada Avenue in Colorado Springs, several projects in Denver and suburbs including Westminster, and apartments in Fort Collins, Durango, Delta and Montrose.

The Paloma Garden site also contains an existing three-story building with 50 apartments, Laurel Gardens, which is also for low-income seniors. Volunteers of America owns and is renovating that property at the same time, replacing the roof, windows, interior fixtures and heating systems, and refurbishing common areas, corridors and a community room.

Snyder, a housing developer, was brought in to assist with both facets of the project which, when combined, will offer a total of 125 affordable-housing units for seniors on the land.

They wanted to commit to stay in the community and come up with a new vision, he said.

Paloma Garden will feature one- and two-bedroom units for seniors ages 62 and above, who earn 30% to 60% or less of the area median income.

Those annual income ranges from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development for last year for El Paso County were $20,500 to $40,980 or less for one person and $23,400 to $46,800 or less for two people.

The new building will include energy-efficiency features and a courtyard and outdoor recreational area, Snyder said. The architecture of both the existing and the under-construction complexes will be complementary.

In coming months, the 23-year-old Laurel Gardens, around the corner at 3140 Mallard Drive, will get new signage, landscaping, fencing, curb-and-gutter treatments and asphalt improvements to complete the refurbishment and a cohesive campus.

Not to be overlooked, Snyder said, There are pretty views of Pikes Peak for both buildings.

The $43.2 million Paloma Garden campus is using affordable-housing financing assistance, he said. That includes $1 million in state housing credits, 4% state tax credits obtained from the Colorado Housing and Finance Authority, tax-exempt bonds and Community Development Block Grants from the city of Colorado Springs, and El Paso County Housing Authority, which provided the loan.

Demand for affordable housing is greatly outpacing the availability of financing that developers need to build new below-market-rate units, Snyder said.

Costs have gone up on insurance rates, interest rates, building materials, he said. Further improvements to tax allowances at the state and federal levels would help the affordable housing market, Snyder said.

We have long wait lists and lots of applicants for all our projects, Snyder said.

Paloma Garden is scheduled to open in September. Pre-leasing will begin in the summer.

Two other affordable housing complexes for seniors are underway in Colorado Springs. Silver Key Apartments at South Murray, a $21 million, 50-unit building from Silver Key Senior Services, started construction at 1625 S. Murray Blvd. in mid-August of last year adjacent to its headquarters. The facility is expected to be completed in early fall of this year.

And the Myron Stratton Home Foundation is creating an 81-unit apartment complex for low-income seniors on its property off Colorado 115. That project is slated for completion by the end this year.

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Construction marches on for new low-income senior apartments in Colorado Springs - Colorado Springs Gazette

According to news reports, at least four people have died after a large fire engulfed two joined apartments in Valencia, Spain.

Television footage showed the buildings facade ablaze on the night of Thursday 22 February, with burning segments falling to the pavement and small explosions audible inside. According to witnesses, the fire, fanned by strong winds, spread to the entire building in about half an hour.

The apartment block where the fire started is a 14-storey block. It is thought that more than 15 people have also been injured due to the incident and up to 14 people remain unaccounted for.

It has been reported that one of the reasons the fire spread so rapidly was due to the materials used on the outside of the building, which was constructed in 2008-2009.

BBC news reports that its exterior featured a polyurethane material, which is no longer in wide use because of fears over its combustibility. It also has an aluminium covering.

In 2017 cladding was blamed for helping flames to spread when a fire broke out at Londons Grenfell Tower, resulting in 72 deaths.

A public inquiry following the Grenfell Tower disaster is still examining the causes of the events that led to the fatal fire.

A series of public hearings concluded in September 2022 and a report on the causes is expected to be published later this year.

In an update published last month, the Grenfell Tower Inquiry said it had completed draft chapters relating to manufacturers of construction products used on the building, as well as chapters on the certification bodies that signed them off for use in construction applications.

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Fatalities as fire engulfs apartment blocks in Spain - Construction Briefing

Nine states have signed a joint agreement to accelerate the transition to residential building electrification by significantly expanding the use of heat pumps to meet heating, cooling, and water heating demand.

The Memorandum of Understanding was signed by directors of environmental agencies from California, Colorado, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, and Rhode Island. These states set a shared goal for heat pumps to meet at least 65% of residential-scale HVAC and water heating shipments by 2030 and 90% by 2040.

Participating states will collaborate to collect market data, track progress, and develop an action plan within a year to support the goals. The agreement emphasizes collaboration with key stakeholders, including heat pump manufacturers and HVAC installers.

The states also committed to promote installation of zero-emission, grid-interactive technologies in existing state buildings. States will aim to direct at least 40% of efficiency and electrification investments to benefit low-income households.

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Nine states pledge to transition to heat pumps for residential HVAC and water heating - Building Design + Construction

FOX LAKE -- A 72-unit apartment complex addition will be going up in Fox Lake following the citys approval on Dec. 20.

Fox Lake City Administrator Kelly Crombie said construction on the complex would begin in 2024. Dennis Hermans, who built the original Fox Crossings project, will be doing the addition to Fox Crossings on Highway 33.

The addition will feature two-bedroom apartments in six- and 12-unit buildings, Crombie said.

Another big event for Fox Lake is the Clausen Park project, which will be completed this year, Crombie said.

This will be a major revitalization of our park in partnership with the state (Department of Natural Resources), Crombie said. We will have a fishing pier, new restrooms, walking trails, etc. It will be a good project.

Fox Lake will also continue to have free pool sponsorship days this summer, Crombie said. It is the second year the service will be offered to those using Fox Lakes community pool. Fox Lake businesses sponsored more than 25 days when the pool was free for use last summer.

Crombie said no new businesses are expected in 2024 in Fox Lake and there are no road projects but there will be work on planning for Highway 33 to be redone in 2027-28.

Follow Terri Pederson on Twitter @tlp53916 or call 920-356-6760

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Construction on a new apartment complex to begin in Fox Lake - WiscNews

After an ultimate-hour storm of protests failed to save Park Slopes iconic Grand Prospect Hall, the wedding and event hall that had stood for over a century was razed in a jiffy, but the apartment building that will replace it is taking some time.

The foundation has been laid to comply with the deadline to get the 421-a tax break, but nothing has risen above ground level at 263 Prospect Avenue. Department of Buildings records show a permit was issued to lay foundations in 2022 to comply with the 421-a deadline.

However, other permits, including a new-building permit for the five-story, 147-unit complex, have not yet been issued. No workers were on site when Brownstoner visited on two occasions.

Meanwhile, the site has racked up complaints from neighbors regarding lighting and debris under the scaffolding, and violations from city agencies including for construction safety. The sites owner, Gowanus Cubes LLC, has also been hit with multiple lawsuits filed by workers who allege they have been injured by unsafe site conditions.

Plans show the Hill West Architects-designed complexs 147 apartments will be spread between the ground and the fifth floor. There will be 180 parking spaces in the cellar.

To get the 421-a tax break, 20 to 30 percent of the units will be aimed at households making around 130 percent of Area Median Income if they are rentals. There is no indication of whether the building will be rentals or condos.

A graffiti-covered rendering attached to the sites construction fence shows the wide, mid-rise building will stretch along a good part of the block and have a glass-covered facade with slim vertical masonry supports or paneling. It has a modern, sleek, and reflective appearance similar to other Hill West-designed structures in Brooklyn. These include the Olympia development in Dumbo, a tower at 123 Linden Boulevard in Prospect Lefferts Gardens, and Coney Islands Ocean Drive, a development the architects site says is bringing Miami sophistication to the boardwalk area.

The new development replaces the famed 1902 Renaissance Revival banquet hall (a rebuild of its 1890s predecessor) that was demolished in 2022. Michael and Alice Halkias had owned Grand Prospect Hall for decades, but following Michaels death during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic Alice sold the building for $22.5 million.

The new owner, Gowanus Cubes LLC, promptly applied for demolition permits. While locals mounted a campaign to save the building by getting it designated by the Landmarks Preservation Commission, they were ultimately unsuccessful.

The $22.5 million deed transfer also included a number of other sites around the hall that were owned by the Halkias Prospect Hall Realty Inc., including three 19th century townhouses on 16th Street. The houses at 188, 190, and 196 16th Street were all recently demolished to make way for the new development. Plans show the lots, which sit between existing houses on 16th Street, will be used for green space.

Owner and developer Gowanus Cubes LLC is run by brothers Angelo and George Rigas, according to city records. Their father, Gregory Rigas, is behind other Brooklyn projects, including a tower two blocks away at 574 4th Avenue, the Real Deal reported when Grand Prospect Hall changed hands.

PropertyShark shows the family is tied to dozens of properties across the borough, and appears to be behind ARC Electrical & Mechanical Contractors Corp.

The contracting firm has been awarded city contracts through competitive bidding, but has also faced a number of lawsuits. Gregory Rigas had his master electricians license revoked for bribing a public official, court records show.

[Photos by Susan De Vries unless otherwise noted]

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Park Slope's Grand Prospect Hall-Replacing Build Hits Snags - Brownstoner

firefighters mop up a vegetation fire near the intersection of Interstate 8 and Interstate 15 Monday. Photo via @SDFD X

Firefighters extinguished a half-acre brush fire Monday before it reached any structures north of Interstate 8 and east of Interstate 15 in San Diego.

San Diego Fire Rescue Department said the vegetation fire was reported at 11:48 a.m. New Years Day at 4510 Alvarado Canyon Road, near the College area, with firefighters arriving on the scene at noon.

San Diego Fire Department stopped the fire before it reached an apartment building under construction, according to fire officials. Mop operations were being completed.

No injuries were reported and no structures were damaged.

Units assigned included one division chief, two helicopters, five engines, three battalion chiefs, two brush rigs and 42 personnel.

City News Service contributed to this article.

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Crews Quickly Put Out Brush Fire Near Apartment Building Under Construction - Times of San Diego

After four years of municipal review, neighborhood opposition and litigation, construction on a controversial apartment project in the Fruit Belt across from the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus is ready to begin.

Symphony Property Management is preparing to start work this month on The Lawrence, a $50 million venture that will bring 132 residential units to Michigan Avenue when it is completed in two years. The company secured $38.15 million in lending for the project through Northwest Bank late last month, plus additional financing from Tompkins Community Bank, enabling BRD Construction to begin work.

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This achievement positions us to break ground in January 2024, realizing our vision of creating an unparalleled living experience in downtown Buffalo, said Symphony owner Timothy Leboeuf.

Plans call for a 129,000-square-foot complex at 983 Michigan Ave., consisting of a five-story wing on Michigan and a four-story wing on Maple, stretching parallel along both streets, with a small connector between them. The complex would include a mix of studio, one- and two-bedroom market-rate apartments, with 78 underground parking spaces and 55 more spaces on the medical campus.

The project is designed to provide additional housing options for the area, and is partially aimed at medical students and employees of the medical campus institutions. It will include some fully furnished units with concierge amenities, and will also cater to the needs of long-term visitors of the medical campus.Construction will take 18 to 24 months.

But its been a long and bumpy road to get to this point. I was confident we would get this deal in the ground once we got the approvals from the city, LeBoeuf said. I didnt expect it to take another three years.

Timothy LeBoeufs Symphony Property Management and two affiliates have applied for demolition permits to take down a pair of dilapidated houses on Michigan Avenue and Maple Street.

First proposed in summer 2019, the project quickly met with opposition from some Fruit Belt residents and advocates, who complained about development encroaching on the historic lower-income neighborhood and potentially pushing community members out. They said it would not be affordable to those who live in the neighborhood, and was also too big and imposing, because it violated the Green Code height limits.

The developer responded by tweaking the project plan several times, lowering the height on Maple, shuffling units from one street to the other, pulling back part of the facade, and adding parking, among other changes. Resistance continued, but eventually, what was then a $25 million project won 13 zoning variances including for height and width and then Planning Board approval in June 2020.

Fruit Belt resident Elverna D. Gidney and retired University at Buffalo professor Lorna Peterson quickly sued to block the project, claiming that the city agencies had improperly approved many of the variances and failed to consider proper standards, tests and environmental impacts.

A state judge ruled that Peterson lacked legal standing to sue since she doesnt live in the Fruit Belt, and then eventually dismissed the entire case. Gidney and her attorney, Arthur Giacalone, appealed, but the state Appellate Division upheld the lower court ruling.

Meanwhile, Symphony still needed to acquire one more city-owned property on Maple, on top of 15 parcels it already owned, and the city was now demanding a much higher price after seeing what properties were going for. That was resolved in 2022, with Symphony paying $125,000 for 244 Maple.

Finally, Symphony earlier this year had to demolish a couple of dilapidated houses at 995 Michigan and 240 Maple, which stood in the way.

It didnt hamper the company, LeBoeuf said. Id say we learned a lot through the process, faced each challenge that was thrown at us and are ready to start building.

Reach Jonathan D. Epstein at (716) 849-4478 or jepstein@buffnews.com.

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Construction to begin on Lawrence apartments in Buffalo - Buffalo News

Construction works are ongoing in a new residential area in the Sugovushan settlement. The construction of 5 multi-apartment buildings is being carried out in the neighborhood with a total area of more than 2 hectares, Azernews reports.

In an interview with local media outlets, the project manager Vidadi Hasanov said that each of the buildings in the residential area has five floors. A total of 190 apartments are being built, of which 25 are one-room, 80 are two-room, 75 are three-room, and 10 are four-room apartments.

The floor of the first floor of three buildings has already been concreted, preparatory work is underway on the second floor. In the remaining two buildings, the work on the basement has been completed.

Elevators will be installed in buildings with two entrances each. Each building will have parking for 22 cars in the basement. Heat supply will be carried out with a central boiler system.

Construction of football, sports and children's playgrounds, transformer substations, reservoirs, and other necessary infrastructure facilities is planned in the neighborhood. Wide green strips will also be built here.

It should be recalled that the Sugovushan settlement was liberated from occupation by the Azerbaijani Armed Forces on October 3, 2020, during the Patriotic War.

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Construction of 190-apartment residential neighborhood in Sugovushan continues [PHOTOS] - AzerNews.Az

A New York-based developer came into Connecticut in late 2021 and is trying to stake out a fresh segment of the affordable housing market with three projects.

As it begins constructing what it calls an attainably priced 70-unit apartment building in Cheshire, Vessel Technologies is exploring chances for a 42-unit version in Manchester and working to revive its plan for another 42-unit one in Granby.

Vessel assembles prefabricated buildings of virtually identical architecture to sharply reduce construction costs, aiming its apartments toward what it calls a badly underserved market: The missing middle. That covers municipal workers, health care employees, moderate-income seniors and others who earn too much to get subsidized housing but still fall far short of affording the new high-end apartments appearing across Connecticut.

But there has been serious pushback in several communities where Vessel is trying to build, with homeowners complaining that the company would bring unwanted density, create traffic on congested roads and force modernistic multifamily buildings into historic neighborhoods.

Vessel is suing Simsbury and Glastonbury after they rejected its proposals, and its lawyers are invoking the states 8-30g law. For most middle-of-the-road and affluent suburbs, 8-30g sharply restricts the grounds that zoning boards can cite for rejecting affordable housing proposals.

Some affordable housing advocates contend that local opposition has really represented just a not-in-my-backyard attitude, but homeowners say theyre trying to protect the character of their community.

Currently, Vessels Connecticut plans cover seven communities and total just under 400 apartments ranging from conceptual to already built and leased.

The newest would put up 42 units along Tolland Turnpike in Manchester. The three-story building would have a footprint of just 10,300 square feet, and would offer 40 one-bedroom and two two-bedroom units.

It would be located on the corner of Jefferson Street, with driveways into a 55-car parking lot from both Jefferson and Tolland Turnpike.

Vessel would need to combine two parcels, one vacant with scrub and trees and the other with a house fronting the intersection. Vessel would demolish the house, build the apartment complex set back from Tolland Turnpike by more than 75 feet, and create small recreation and passive recreation areas with some of the remaining land.

Vessel has not yet sought zoning permits for the work, but instead presented the conceptual idea informally to the Planning and Zoning Commission in early December to gauge reactions.

In New London, Vessel already has leased its new Bank Street building, which has 30 one-bedrooms.

Planners in Rocky Hill rejected Vessels first application, but a negotiation produced an alternate site where Vessel is now approved to build 96 units. The construction timetable has not been made public so far.

In November, Vessel broke ground on a five-story building for 70 apartments along Realty Drive near Route 10 in Cheshire. There will be 66 one-bedrooms and four two-bedrooms.

Granby residents came out in force last summer to oppose Vessels original proposal, which it later withdrew. In December the company came back with a downsized plan that would create 42 apartments on Route 189 about a half-mile from Route 10. It is likely to present that proposal to the wetlands board in January.

The company also wants to put up 64 apartments in Simsbury and 48 in Glastonbury, but both of those proposals are on hold pending the outcome of its lawsuits appealing rejections by local land use planners.

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Developer hopes to have prefab apartments in seven CT towns - Hartford Courant

Apartment building destroyed after fire in Southeast Fresno  KMPH Fox 26

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Apartment building destroyed after fire in Southeast Fresno - KMPH Fox 26