A seniors and medical office building planned for Old North London is backed by the areas councillor, despite the opposition of some neighbours.

Im satisfied . . . there is no issue for me, Coun. Nancy Branscombe said Wednesday. I know a lot of neighbours arent (satisfied) and some will never be.

She noted the original plan for the vacant hole where the McCormick Home once stood at Richmond and Victoria streets was for student housing.

The big concern all along has been about that becoming student housing, she said.

Some residents have told her if the seniors-medical centre is shot down, another plan based on students might return.

Branscombe conceded a lot of confusion has prompted some neighbours to sign a petition against it and place lawn signs reading Stop the Medical Mall.

Chief opponent Kelley McKeating said the four-storey facility, to include as many as 78 medical offices, is not in keeping with the residential area and would produce too much traffic.

I respect her opinion and the fact she doesnt care for this, Branscombe said. But the councillor noted about the only thing to stop the development at this stage would be a court challenge to prevent the city from issuing a building permit.

McKeatings lawyer, Barry Card, said hes been retained and has doubts about whether the project complies with the zoning for the site. But he has taken no action.

Branscombe said shes had e-mails from people saying lets get on with this, were tired of that hole. She said she sent an e-mail to about 600 North London residents several days ago, explaining the situation and her position.

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Residents relieved site of former McCormick home not planned for student housing

San Francisco mayor Ed Lee says the professional networking site LinkedIn will expand its presence in the city by anchoring a high-rise office building under construction.

Lee announced on Tuesday that LinkedIn has signed a lease to occupy the entire 26-storey structure scheduled to be completed in the city's South of Market neighbourhood by 2016.

City officials say the nearly 450,000 square feet of office space could accommodate about 2,500 employees.

Terms of the deal were not released.

Mountain View-based LinkedIn Corp currently occupies 135,000 square feet in a downtown San Francisco tower and plans to occupy another 87,000 square feet near downtown.

Earlier this month, Salesforce.com signed a $US560 million ($A599.86 million), 15-year lease to occupy a 61-storey skyscraper in San Francisco that's expected to be the tallest building on the West Coast when it's completed in 2017.

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LinkedIn to anchor new Frisco high-rise

PITTSBURG -- City Council members gave tentative approval Monday to a development agreement for a long-delayed plan to transform an empty five-acre lot next to Pittsburg's civic center into a three-story commercial office building.

The project calls for Concord-based developer Garaventa Enterprises to erect a building between 65,000 and 75,000 square feet in size, a bicycle path, parking lot and a stand-alone full-service restaurant. The project is located next to a proposed eBART station at Highway 4 and Railroad Avenue.

Approval of the development agreement between the city and the developer clears the way for the office project to go through a formal approval process before construction begins. The agreement was approved by a 4-0 vote; Mayor Sal Evola recused himself because he is employed by Garaventa Enterprises.

The agreement calls for the project to be completed by September 2017, the same year that BART expects to finish the 10-mile eBART extension from the Pittsburg-Bay Point station to Hillcrest Avenue in Antioch.

"There is an increased interest in the office tower with several possible tenants, including but not limited to the Pittsburg Unified School District and other tenants that are becoming more aware of the hopefully coming eBART station" in Pittsburg, Assistant City Manager Garrett Evans said.

Ballots will be mailed in May to commercial property owners within a half-mile radius of the proposed eBART station in Pittsburg asking whether they would be willing to pay a one-time tax to help build the station, which does not have BART funding. The tax would be levied only when commercial property owners filed a building permit for new construction. The Civic Tower project would be among the properties subject to the tax if it is approved by a two-thirds majority.

The office project would bring revenue to the city and "also creates the opportunity for new jobs in the city and local community. ... We see this as a really positive move for the city," said Robert Hammons, project manager for Garaventa Enterprises.

Whether a restaurant will be included in the final project is undecided at this time, given that many new restaurants have opened in the city's nearby Old Town on Railroad Avenue in the past few years.

Monday's vote followed a recommendation by the Planning Commission to approve the development agreement. The matter will come back for formal approval at the May 5 council meeting.

Five years ago, council members, acting as the city's redevelopment agency, approved a similar agreement for a three-story building that involved giving the city-owned land to Garaventa Enterprises in exchange for developing it under the terms of the agreement.

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Pittsburg: Council gives tentative approval for three-story office building next to civic center

PITTSBURG -- City council members gave tentative approval Monday to a development agreement for a long-delayed plan to transform an empty five-acre lot next to Pittsburg's civic center into a three-story commercial office building.

The project calls for Concord-based developer Garaventa Enterprises to erect a building between 65,000 and 75,000 square feet in size, a bicycle path, parking lot and a stand-alone full-service restaurant. The project is located next to a proposed eBART station at Highway 4 and Railroad Avenue.

Approval of the agreement between the city and the developer clears the way for the office project to go through a formal approval process before construction would begin. The agreement was tentatively approved by a 4-0 vote; Mayor Sal Evola recused himself because he is employed by Garaventa Enterprises.

The vote followed a recommendation by the Planning Commission to approve the development agreement.

The matter will come back for formal approval at a May 5 council meeting.

Five years ago, council members, acting in their roles as member's of the city's redevelopment agency, approved a similar agreement for a three-story building that involved giving the city-owned land to Garaventa Enterprises in exchange for developing it under the terms of the agreement.

The economic slowdown that began a short time later delayed the project, allowing previous approval agreements to expire. With the shutdown of redevelopment agencies in 2012, a new development agreement was needed.

The agreement calls for the project to be completed by September 2017.

Contact Eve Mitchell at 925-779-7189. Follow her on Twitter.com/EastCounty_Girl.

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Pittsburg: Council gives first approval three-story office building next to civic center

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -

The Broward Inspector General's Office has opened an investigation into the Fort Lauderdale building department's handling of flooding elevation levels at new housing developments in the city.

The investigation comes in light of allegations first reported by Local 10 that at least two major developments -- the Northwest Gardens public housing project and the private Pearl high-rise apartment complex on Federal Highway -- were approved by the city for construction despite a reported failure to meet federal ground elevation standards for flooding.

"They've been looking at documents," said City Manager Lee Feldman regarding the probe. "But we haven't had any further discussion with them."

The visit from the Inspector General's Office followed last week's demotion of the city's top building official after he blew the whistle on the problem.

John Madden, the city's interim building official, denied a certificate of occupancy for two buildings in Northwest Gardens, a $58 million joint effort between the Fort Lauderdale Housing Authority and the private Miami developer Carlisle Group, based on it allegedly being built beneath federal flood ground level standards.

This past Wednesday, Madden sent an email to city commissioners alerting them of "a problem with our ability of effectively safeguarding ourselves against flooding." Later that day he was abruptly removed from his post and demoted back down to his previous job of chief building inspector.

Feldman said the decision was made to remove Madden because "he was not making the decisions he was having to make -- he was deferring them upward to me." He denied it was a case of shooting the messenger, saying instead he needed someone in the post who is "comfortable making the decisions."

"I would never ask any employee to make a decision that is improper, unethical, illegal or in violation of any county, city or federal law," he said.

Feldman acknowledged that the city may have erred, and said his staff is conducting an audit of its own and that he will submit a full report for the city commission on the matter.

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Inspector general opens investigation into Fort Lauderdale building department

Building construction permits over $10,000 in value that were approved in Boulder between Apr. 7, 2014 to Apr. 13, 2014. Listed below are: the case number; address; total project valuation; owner name; contractor (if applicable); and description.

PMT2013-07046 2104 Bluff St.; $249,000; Chad Watson; Addition and remodel to existing single-family dwelling. Scope of work includes 2,721-square-foot interior remodel, 792-square-foot basement finish, 116-square-foot main level addition, and 28-square-foot second level addition, and 48-square-foot outdoor staircase. All MEPs included.

PMT2013-07129 3737 Spring Valley Road; $814,000; Thomas and Jody Martini; Owner/contractor two-story, four-bedroom home with two-car attached garage. Reference ADR2013-00179 for setback variance and ADR2013-00158 for easement vacation.

PMT2014-00394 1849 Mariposa Ave.; $37,848.84; Guenlen Simons and Steven Brown; Second story addition over existing detached garage on north end of property. Addition to contain home office with associated electrical and electrical baseboard heat, no plumbing or mechanical work proposed through this permit. Second floor balcony and exterior stair included in scope of work.

PMT2014-00404 3166 Seventh St.; $750,000; Wake Tree; Field West Construction LLC; Construction of new single-family dwelling with detached garage and breezeway. Scope of work includes all associated MEPs. Total of 4,611 square feet of conditioned space (including 1556 square feet of finished basement), 441-square-foot garage, front and back porches. Detached garage on same set of plans by PMT2014-01294.

PMT2014-00476 5523 Spine Road; $129,666.50; Boulder CAF; Brinkmann Constructors; In-ground pool and spa located to the west of the clubhouse building. Pool and spa to be constructed to dimensions shown on the shop drawings. clubhouse constructed under PMT2013-02102. Enclosure fence permit by separate application, separate review and separate approval.

PMT2014-00487 4895 Riverbend Road; $400,000; Boulder Community Hospital; Burke Builders LLC; Tenant interior remodel of 5,982 square feet for new medical office tenant finish and addition of 64 square feet airlock entry and a flat roof sun shade at the employee patio. Relocation of one parking space. Exterior changes per approved minor modification (ADR2014-0004).

PMT2014-00521 2762 Bella Vista Lane; $60,000; Academy; Colorado Choice Builders; Group home facility conversion of one half of existing two-car garage to nurse administrator's office. Scope of work includes remodel of existing unconditioned garage area (reduction in size of garage door), and expansion of conditioned area into what is currently unconditioned garage area. Includes electrical.

PMT2014-00559 1500 Pearl St., Suite D; $57,650.48; Boulder Central ; Blue Ribbon Builders; Common Era tenant remodel divide existing retail space into two spaces. One section to continue as existing business and the other section to be vacated by business. Reference ADR2014-00015 for modification of existing architecture by adding new door to north facing store front.

PMT2014-00621 1750 29th St., No. 1064; $300,697.26; Charlotte Ball; Interior tenant remodel for common restroom relocation. Includes exterior modifications for new doors and windows as demonstrated in ADR2014-00022. Includes associated MEP.

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Boulder building permits: April 21, 2014

Construction is in the final stages of the $30 million Allied Health and Science building at Georgia Gwinnett College in Lawrenceville. The three-story, 91,000-square-foot structure which is scheduled to be completed on June 2, will provide physics laboratories, biology labs, chemistry labs, anatomy labs, physiology labs, an psychology lab, an exercise science lab, IT systems and digital media. (Staff Photo: Brendan Sullivan)

LAWRENCEVILLE Inside the newest building on the campus of Georgia Gwinnett College, students will soon work on life responsive mannequins, develop new networking technologies and use a compressable floor material to analyze stress during exercise.

Construction is in the final stages of the $30 million Allied Health and Science building that school officials have called a teaching machine with picturesque views of the heart of campus. The building is scheduled to be completed on June 2, and the first class of 32 nursing students will start classes in August.

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Construction continues on $30 million GGC health and science building

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ENGLEWOOD CLIFFS, N.J. (CBSNewYork) Environmental groups and some New York politicians have been trying to stop the construction of an eight-story building along the pristine palisades in New Jersey.

As CBS 2s Alice Gainer reported, one of the groups opposing the project has taken its campaign to YouTube.

The YouTube video, made by the group Protect the Palisades, mocks the decision to allow the LG Corporation to build its North American headquarters right along the Palisades in Englewood Cliffs, N.J.

In the video, a man wearing a stereotypical 1990s-style outfit, with flannel shirt over his T-shirt and a baseball hat that initially appears turned to the side, calls himself the guy who likes to see great things get ruined.

The Palisades a pristine stretch of unspoiled natural beauty. These ancient cliffs run for miles along the Hudson River just above the George Washington Bridge. Theyve been protected for, like, forever, but LG was all: Who cares? Were going to build our new office building right here, the man said. LG is going to ruin this national landmark so we can look at their national headquarters instead. How badass is that?

And then once this building goes up, whos to stop other buildings from going up all along the Palisades, he continues. Take that, boring old majestic vistas.

The video ends with the tag, Dont make this guy happy, along with the hashtag #StopLG.

Demolition for the building started at the site on Sylvan Avenue just six months ago, after the $300 million project was approved by the town of Englewood Cliffs, Bergen County, and the State of New Jersey.

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Environmental Group Takes To YouTube In Fight Against LG Building On Palisades

PITTSBURG -- A long-delayed plan to transform an empty five-acre lot next to Pittsburg's civic center into a three-story commercial office building is moving forward after being stalled by a slow economy.

On Monday, the City Council will consider a development agreement for the Civic Tower project next to the civic center along Highway 4. The project calls for Concord-based developer Garaventa Enterprises to construct a three-story office building between 65,000 and 75,000 square feet in size, a bicycle path, parking lot and a separate full-service restaurant next to a proposed eBART station at Highway 4 and Railroad Avenue.

If approved, the agreement would clear the way for the project to go through an approval process before construction could begin. "It provides a template for the developer, but there are still many steps before it can actually be built," Assistant City Manager Garrett Evans said this week.

The agreement calls for the project to be completed by September 2017. In 2009, council members, acting as the then-Redevelopment Agency, approved a similar agreement for a three-story building that involved giving the city-owned land to Garaventa Enterprises in exchange for developing it.

The project never got built as a result of the economic slowdown, and earlier project approvals have expired. And with the shutdown of redevelopment agencies under a state law in 2012, a new development agreement with the city is needed before the project can go forward. An environmental impact report won't be required as a result of the review of the earlier project.

This is the corner lot where the new Pittsburg Library would be built on the corner of Civic Ave. And Davi Ave. In Pittsburg Calif., on the opposite side of the civic center. (Contra Costa Times/HERMAN BUSTAMANTE JR.)

With today's improved economy, the time is right to move forward with the project, said Robert Hammons, project manager for Garaventa Enterprises. "It was never out of play," he said. "The plan would be to develop the project when the economics were appropriate. "

At a March hearing, planning commissioners voted 4-0 to recommend that council members approve the new development agreement. During the hearing, planning Commissioner Patrice Belleci-Shipe questioned whether the stand-alone restaurant should be included, given that several new restaurants have opened on Railroad Avenue in the city's Old Town in recent years.

Another concern she raised was how the restaurant would affect Cafe Pica Deli, which leases space at the remodeled and expanded Pittsburg branch of the Contra Costa Library next to the project site.

Whether a restaurant is included in the project will be determined during the formal review process, Evans said. The area where the Civic Tower would be built is within a quarter-mile of Pittsburg's proposed eBART Civic Center station. The station was a key factor in deciding to move forward with the Civic Tower project, Hammons said. "It's definitely going to help attract businesses," he said.

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Pittsburg: City Council to consider development agreement for long-delayed Civic Tower office building

The healthier housing market and a slew of city towers going up are brightening job prospects for construction workers in California.

Employment in commercial and residential construction grew by 2,400 in March, according to Labor Department data analyzed by the Assn. of General Contractors. Since March 2013, the state's construction workforce has grown by 37,100, or 5.9%, nearly three times as fast as payroll employment across all industries.

Both the Los Angeles and Riverside metro areas added construction jobs this March, and building employment in both areas is at its highest level since 2009, though it remains well below the mark during the building boom of the mid-2000s.

On the commercial side, highway work is slowing down, but a wave of big office and apartment projects in the state's large cities is boosting construction payrolls, said Tom Holsman, chief executive of the AGC of California.

"Things like the Wilshire Grand in downtown L.A. The Hollywood area's got a lot of building going on," he said. "You're seeing an influx of private money building mega mixed-use projects."

Home construction, although still far below levels seen in the mid-2000s, has also bounced back a bit. Housing starts in metro L.A. in recent months have run about twice the rate seen in 2009 and 2010, and construction in the Inland Empire has picked up too, though not as quickly.

Tens of thousands of Southern California construction workers lost their jobs in the downturn, but many have moved on to other careers or parts of the country over the last six years. As a result, some home builders are concerned about their ability to find skilled labor as the market picks up again. The National Assn. of Home Builders this week said builders in several parts of the country are concerned that a lack of workers could damp their growth.

But Holsman suspects that commercial workers will migrate to home-building if they see opportunity there.

"It's a normal cycle," he said. "This stuff tends to balance itself out."

tim.logan@latimes.com

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Construction jobs have grown fast in California