The La Crosse Area Chamber of Commerce moved Monday into its new office building the former Associated Bank support center at 601 N. Seventh St.

And the La Crosse Area Development Corp. wont be far behind. LADCO plans to move to the building by mid-October, LADCO Executive Director Jim Hill said. It will lease space from the chamber, which acquired the former bank support center in June for $1.2 million, according to county records. LADCO has been in part of the old, much smaller chamber office building at 712 Main St.

The Main Street building, and three lots that the chamber owns across from the former bank support center, are for sale. The chamber at one time planned to build an office building on the three lots.

The regional office of the Wisconsin Economic Development Corp. moved in early September to the new building, which has 20,000 square feet of space and will be known as Associated Center as the bank discounted the sale price $500,000.

The building has three levels, chamber Executive Director Vicki Markussen said. Were aiming for business-oriented nonprofits to occupy the main level at rents that are below market rate, she said. The upper level is being marketed to for-profit businesses at market rates.

The 200-seat conference room on the lower level will be named the Lyle and Norma Anderson Education Center and will host business and training programs that the chamber didnt have room for in its previous location. The Andersons donated $100,000 to the chamber several years ago and stipulated that it be used for educational facilities.

The new buildings occupants will share conference and break rooms, and the nonprofit occupants also will share a work room, copy machine and phone system.

Rottinghaus Co. Inc., a La Crosse-based Subway franchisee, opened its new Subway shop in downtown Westby on Tuesday.

The new Subway at 208 S. Main St. is open from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday and 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday. Its telephone number is 608-634-2255.

The stores grand opening will be sometime this fall, said Tom Schindler, Rottinghaus vice president of development. He also said the new Westby location can seat 44 customers inside and has a drive-thru with a touchscreen kiosk for placing orders.

Link:
Steve Cahalan: La Crosse chamber moves into new offices

Work has started on one of the few office buildings under construction within the central city frame in Christchurch.

The seven-level building is going up on the Cashel St site of the demolished Grand Chancellor Hotel. It will house some of the 1700 public servants returning to the central city, plus private office tenants and shops.

The project will cost $75 million, excluding land cost.

Initially owner Grand Hotels International planned to build a 12-storey building to replace their hotel, adding offices and shops.

That plan was downsized to omit the hotel, which the company may still rebuild elsewhere. It announced the replacement building in May and has now released more details.

The building will have a steel-braced frame with a glass facade and a central atrium, and is expected to be finished in the first quarter of 2016.

It will be built 32 metres high on base isolators for quake protection. The total floor area will be over 2 hectares.

The land has been vacant since the 26-storey Grand Chancellor, left leaning precariously after the quakes, was brought down in 2011 and 2012.

The other developments earmarked for the return of public servants are two buildings in the Cashel Square development under construction in the City Mall, and a site at 164 Hereford St where building details have yet to be announced.

Departments returning include the Ministry of Social Development, ACC, Statistics New Zealand, Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment, Ministries of Health and Education, Housing New Zealand and the Departments of Internal Affairs and Conservation.

More here:
Building starts on hotel site

By Rick Smith, The Gazette

CEDAR RAPIDS The city of Cedar Rapidss latest economic-development incentive package will support the construction of a $12 million office building with retail and restaurant space and bring financial services firm Berthel Fisher and Co. and about 85 employees to Cedar Rapids from neighboring Marion.

City Manager Jeff Pomeranz said on Friday that the new building to be built at the southeast corner of 42nd Street NE and Edgewood Road NE, across 42nd Street NE from the Twin Pines Golf Course, will become the corporate headquarters of Berthel Fisher and at the same time will contribute to the growth of the corporate and commercial corridor that features the Transamerica campus and the new office-commercial development, The Fountains.

Its very positive for the city. Berthel Fisher is an excellent company that serves clients throughout the nation, Pomeranz said.

At the City Council meeting on Tuesday, Pomeranz will ask the council to approve a five-year, 100-percent property-tax break on the new investment, a tax increment financing or TIF incentive which he said is in accord with the citys standard incentive program approved and published by the City Council in July.

The Berthel Fisher project is considered a targeted development project and one that offers additional community benefit because the new building will feature not only high-end, Class A office space, but space for retail businesses and a restaurant, the city manager said.

The city estimates that the incentive package will save the development $1.596 million in property taxes over five years, but the project is expected to generate $4.788 million in new property taxes in the 15 years after the five-year incentive period ends, according to the citys figures.

Its a short-term incentive, but a long-term financial win, Pomeranz said.

Pomeranz said on Friday that the city has notified the city of Marion, as required by the fair-play agreement between the cities, that Berthel Fisher & Company will leave its location in Marion off Highway 100 to move to the new spot in Cedar Rapids.

Marion City Manager Lon Pluckhahn said on Friday that Pomeranz had called him.

Read the original post:
Berthel Fisher to move headquarters from Marion to Cedar Rapids

MONTROSE With other Lee County issues on the front burner, many people have forgotten about the Lee County Conservation Building, but according to John Hansen, everything is going on as scheduled.

Hansen, president of Midwest Construction Consultants, the construction management firm for the project, said the building is in the drawing stages but is progressing.

Right now the Conservation Board has approved initial schematic drawings and they are now working on the design document drawing, Hansen said. They should be completed with these by Oct. 15.

Hansen said construction documents should be finished by the end of October for a November bid.

Hansen said his firm secures the bids for the County Conservation Board and will issue the contracts to construction companies.

Then we will manage the project throughout the building process, Hansen said.

According to Hansen, it is important to finish the building as quickly as possible since the Conservation Board is renting the facility they are currently inhabiting.

If we can get foundations in this year, we can get the precast up, Hansen said. This puts us done by July of 2015.

Like every other project, Hansen said the completion date depends on wether the weather cooperates with the construction companies.

Lee County Conservation Director Tom Buckley said plans for the new facility are underway.

Read this article:
New Lee County Conservation building on track

By Leila B. Salaverria |Philippine Daily Inquirer

One of the parking areas of the Makati City Hall Building II. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO / NIO JESUS ORBETA

MANILA, PhilippinesAn initial Commission on Audit (COA) investigation found that the Makati City government implemented the P2.3-billion Makati City Hall Building II project with undue haste because it was done without construction plans.

The COA also found a P105-million difference between the approved budget for the contract of the buildings phase one and its approximate cost stated in the architectural and engineering contract.

These were among the red flags found in the COAs preliminary report on the parking cum office building being investigated by the Senate for alleged overpricing.

Other red flags were the following:

Improper negotiated procurement for the contract of architectural and engineering services;

Very small variance between the contract for the budget and the bids of contractor Hilmarcs Construction Corp.;

Unnecessary expenditures for mobilization of construction equipment; and

The building, built in five phases, was already habitable and ready for use by phase three.

See the original post here:
COA: Undue haste, other red flags in Makati building

Trinity Capital unveiled plans Thursday for a 14-story office tower at Morehead and South Tryon streets, the latest sign of confidence in uptowns rebounding commercial real estate market.

The tower, to be called 1000 South Tryon Street, will feature 300,000 square feet of office space and clear views of the uptown skyline. It will also have ground-level retail stores and a 900-space parking garage whose Morehead Street facade will look like an apartment building.

Trinity Capital founding partner Gary Chesson said the time is right for a new office tower, citing growing economic momentum in South End and the central business district. Were confident that this will be a very successful office development, he said in a statement.

Construction wont start until the project secures an anchor tenant. Once that happens, Chesson said the development will break ground with a 15-month construction schedule.

Several small businesses operate in the small buildings currently on the site. Trinity officials said those businesses wont have to move until after an anchor tenant is named.

Not far from Chessons project, several other office towers have been announced this year:

Just down Tryon, Crescent Communities is also seeking an anchor tenant for its planned 27-story Tryon Place mixed-use tower at Stonewall Street, where a Goodyear auto service center now stands.

Portman Holdings, the Atlanta-based company that built the Westin hotel in 2003, also needs an anchor for the 15-story office tower it wants to build on top of the Westins parking deck at South College and Stonewall streets.

Groundbreaking is slated for this fall on a 25-story office tower Spectrum Properties and Cornerstone Real Estate Advisers are building at Tryon and Third streets. That timetable would make it the first tower to start construction in uptown since the end of the recession. Babson Capital Management will be the anchor tenant for the 634,000-square-foot building, to be called 300 South Tryon.

Trinity officials said their towers location just outside of uptown lets them offer more parking and easier access than many locations in uptown proper.

See more here:
14-story office tower planned at Morehead and Tryon

The Commission on Audit (CoA) said yesterday that the Makati City Hall Building 2 was built with undue haste as there were no construction plans yet when it was bid out and awarded to Hillmarcs Construction Corp (HCC).

Speaking at the resumption of the Senate Blue Ribbon sub-committees investigation, Alexander Juliano director of the CoA fraud audit office that conducted a special audit on the building said this is considered a red flag as the swiftness of the implementation of a P2.367-billion project requires careful conceptualization and planning before it is carried out.

Records, Juliano said, showed that the City of Makati had disbursed an aggregate amount of more than P2,367,679,633.95 as of December 31, 2013 for the construction of the parking building. All five phases of the project were awarded to HCC, though three bidders participated in the first phase, HCC, JBros Construction, and ITP Construction Inc.

A perusal of the records will show that Phase 1 was implemented with undue haste. Firstly, there was only a gap of one month from the passage of the appropriation ordinance on November 8, 2007, Juliano said, citing the CoAs nine-page preliminary report.

While the swiftness of the action taken by the city government may be considered as efficiency, the same could be also considered as a red flag because this project with such a huge budget will surely require a careful conceptualization and planning, Juliano said.

CoA Commissioner Grace Pulido-Tan earlier told the sub-committee it would conduct a special audit on the building after the Senate started investigating allegations that it is overpriced.

Juliano said that under the implementing rules and regulations (IRR) of Republic Act No. 9184 or the Government Procurement Reform Act, the city is required to conduct a detailed engineering, including survey, site investigation, soils and foundation investigation, construction materials investigation, preparation of design plans, preparation of technical specifications, preparation of quantity and cost estimates, preparation of program of work, and proposed construction schedule.

According to Juliano, the procurement process for the contract of architectural and engineering services for the parking building started on November 12, 2007 or only four days after the passage of a supplemental budget that was the source of funding for the project.

On that date, City Engineer Nelson Morales requested for a negotiated contract with the Makati Bids and Awards Committee (BAC) justifying that the negotiation should be based on the unique experience and expertise of the consultant and the time constraint of a normal bidding procedure.

Two days later, the BAC, on November 14, 2007, found merit and approved Morales request for a negotiated procurement instead of a public bidding.

See the original post:
Makati building improper CoA

Consolidated Properties has unveiled its $200 million Queen Street residential tower. Photo: Supplied

Brisbane's soaring office vacancy rates have claimed a major victim, with an approved 17-storey office tower scrapped in preference of a 39-level apartment building at the northern entry point to the CBD.

Consolidated Properties submitted its plans for the $200 million tower, to be called Spire, with Brisbane City Council on Wednesday.

Last year, Consolidated Properties had planned to build a $160 million 17-storey office tower at the site fronting both Queen and Ann streets, behind the Orient Hotel, at one of the high-profile gateways to the city.

The old Paramount Pictures building on Ann Street has been bulldozed. Photo: Supplied

Consolidated Properties executive chairman Don O'Rorke said Brisbane's dire office market prompted a change of plans.

Advertisement

The Property Council of Australia's mid-year Office Market report, published in August, showed Brisbane's office vacancy levels had reached a record high of 14.7 per cent.

"We bought the site a couple of years ago and we got an approval for a 20,000 square-metre commercial building," Mr O'Rorke said.

A previous design for the site featured 17 levels of office space. Photo: Supplied

See original here:
New tower planned for Brisbane's CBD gateway

KUCHING: Kuching North City Commission (DBKU) will have an additional office building with well-equipped facilities besides providing a more conductive working environment for the staff.

Construction works are expected to begin in March next year, and the building is expected to be completed in May 2016.

To be built on a 6.46-acre land, it will comprise six components namely a five-storey administration block including main server room for information communication technology (ICT), service counter block and gallery, landscape, parking lot for cars and motorcycles, a futsal ring and football field.

Datuk Bandar Datuk Abang Abdul Wahap Abang Julai who revealed this also mentioned that the cost of the new building is about RM15 million, adding the buildings modern design is based on green building concept which includes natural air ventilation system and rain water storage system.

It will also be equipped with smart energy, whereby it will use light-emitting diode (LED). The new buildings design will also be user-friendly for the disabled, he said at the earth-breaking ceremony at the project site, situated at Jalan Depo in Petra Jaya, yesterday.

Assistant Minister in the Chief Ministers Office (Islamic Affairs) Datuk Daud Rahman officiated at the ceremony.

Abdul Wahap further said six divisions would be transferred to the new building namely Infrastructure Maintenance Division, Safety Division, Enforcement Division, Environment Division, Business Development Division and Licensing Division, and would involve 453 employees.

On another matter, he expressed his gratitude to various government departments and agencies that had helped DBKU to make their activities and events successful.

Meanwhile, he announced a contribution of RM1,000 the Dyslexia Association of Sarawak under DBKU Cares programme.

This programme is part of the DBKU corporate social responsibility (CSR) and we hope this contribution can help to ease some burden to help Dyslexia students, he said.

Follow this link:
Site Last Updated 6:26 am, Thursday

Having obtained approval for a proposed office park on Princeton Pike at Lewisville Road, the Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. plans to begin construction on its 650,000-square-foot office building in the fall, according to company officials.

The new office building, with four separate sections connected by a glass atrium and sky bridges, is expected to be completed by the end of 2016. The plan includes a fitness center, plus a food service and dining space. The sky bridges are intended to encourage employees to walk from one section to another.

The site plan, approved by the Lawrence Township Planning Board in June, also calls for parking spaces for 2,148 cars in the parking lots, along with preferred parking areas for hybrid vehicles and indoor bicycle racks.

There are no plans to develop the rear portion of the 134-acre property. It will remain farmland, which is rented out to a local farmer. A segment of the Lawrence Hopewell Trail on the new campus will link to a network of walking paths on the property. The plan also preserves the historic Brearley Oak at the front of the campus, opposite Lenox Drive.

This is the sixth version of the office park, which was approved for the RCN Corp. in 2000. The original plan called for 1.5 million square feet of office space in 10 buildings, plus nine parking garages. Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. acquired the property in 2001 after RCN Corp. a cable and Internet service provider went out of business, and has scaled back the size of the office park.

The office park is the Bristol-Myers Squibb Co.s second one in Lawrence Township. The former E.R. Squibb and Sons pharmaceutical company opened its worldwide headquarters on Route 206 at Province Line Road in 1971. Squibb merged with the Bristol-Myers Co. in 1989, and made the new company made the former Squibb property its worldwide headquarters.

"We are proud to expand our presence in Lawrence Township, a community that has been home to our company for more than 40 years," said Lamberto Andreotti, the Bristol-Myers Squibb Co.s chief executive officer.

"Our new campus will create a dynamic and modern workplace to advance the important work that our employees are doing to discover, develop and deliver innovative medicines for patients with serious diseases," Mr. Andreotti said.

Lawrence Township and Mercer County officials also expressed approval about the impending construction of the new office building.

Mayor Cathleen Lewis said she is "excited" that the Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. has decided to increase its investment in Lawrence Township. The company has been "a constant partner" in making Lawrence Township a great community, she said.

See the original post here:
LAWRENCE: Bristol-Myers Squibb to build large new office park