Updated: 01/14/2015 7:26 PM Created: 01/14/2015 7:15 PM KSTP.com By: Tom Hauser

The good news is the $273-million renovation of the Minnesota State Capitol is on time and on budget. The bad news is it might not stay that way if lawmakers and the governor can't resolve disagreements over office space allocation in the renovated building.

"I always believed the toughest hurdle to get over would be the actual allocation of the space within the structure," says Gov. Mark Dayton. Under a tentative plan, the amount of space devoted to the governor's administration would grow.There will also be space for both the Senate and House. Most House members will continue to have their offices in the State Office Building. A new Senate office building under construction across the street from the Capitol is supposed to have offices for all 67 state senators. However, some Senators might have a second office in the Capitol.

"There is an issue of offices relative to the Senate (needing) a number of offices for the function of the Senate," says Senate Majority Leader Tom Bakk, (D-Cook). Bakk says most office the Senate needs will be for the administration of the Senate, but he admits there could be some offices for Senators.

Republican Senate Minority Leader David Hann (R-Eden Prairie) objects to that idea. "I don't need two offices," says Hann. "Now maybe some people do, but I don't. In my opinion you build a new office building for Senator, that's where they should be."

That's a reference to the new Senate office building under construction across the street from the Capitol that was strongly opposed by Republicans.

The Capitol Preservation Commission has until next Thursday to approve the final construction plans and avoid construction delays that could cost $680,000a month.

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Office Space Dispute Clouds Capitol Construction

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MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) Minnesota lawmakers are caught in a dust-up over office space at the State Capitol, and its threatening to delay the massive Capitol restoration now underway.

The three-year, $272 million project is on time and on budget. But the tenants in the new building including the governor, the Senate, the House and the attorney general cannot come to agreement over how much space they will control.

The Capitol Preservation Commission overseeing the Capitol work met Wednesday, but failed to reach agreement on who will get how many offices.

This is where we get hung up in, you know, Whos getting this percent more or whatever, Gov. Mark Dayton said. My view is the public space is whats most important, and the rest of us should fit in accordingly.

Daytons office will be larger in the newly-renovated building. Failing to agree is expensive, because if theres no signed agreement by next week, construction crews will slow down or stop their work.

Its estimated it will cost the state $680,000 a month.

Meanwhile, Republican leaders are reviving election campaign complaints about the Senate Office Building, now under construction behind the Capitol.

Theyre complaining that Democrats are holding out for double offices in the new building and in the Capitol.

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Office Space Disputes Threaten Capitol Renovation

Construction could begin this spring on a more than $1 million office building that would provide Howard Hanna real-estate agents with a permanent location again in Sewickley.

A fire destroyed the company's offices on Broad Street in June.

The Sewickley Planning Commission approved the O'Hara-based real estate company's 4,500-square-foot building plan last week, in a 5-0 vote. Members Paul Pigman and Jamie Morrill were absent.

Council is expected to consider the plan at Monday's 7:30 p.m. meeting.

The building, with a planned red brick facade, would accommodate up to 39 agents and include work space and conference rooms, architect Stephen Casey said. It would include a mezzanine level.

The key to the building is to provide a proper terminus to the corner of Broad Street and Thorn, taking minor cues from the library and, because of the setback of the church, we're really in a prominent position here, said Casey, referring to nearby buildings. Hopefully, we're filling it with a building worthy of its prominent position.

Issues surrounding how rainwater would be collected and moved off the site would be worked into a developer's agreement with the borough, Sewickley manager Kevin Flannery said.

Coming up with parking for agents would be handled before the building opens, Howard Hanna property-management director Terry Corbett said.

After construction, the agency would work with the borough's tree commission to replant nearby trees, Flannery said.

The Sewickley real-estate office caught fire June 13, when a lightning strike hit the Sewickley United Methodist Church clock tower. The fire damaged the structure, displaced residents living above the offices and forced real-estate agents to work in temporary locations.

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Sewickley planners OK proposal for new realty offices

A small Class C office building, along with an adjacent parking lot, at the west end of Abbot Kinney Boulevard in Venice sold last month for $15.5 million.

The 9,500-square-foot former medical office building at 910 Abbot Kinney was sold by Hanimax Properties of Chatsworth to Santa Monica developer Fogel Real Estate Corp. in an off-market deal.

Sitting at what one might consider the gateway to Abbot Kinney, the stucco-clad building was one of only a few nonretail buildings remaining along what has become a popular shopping stretch between Main Street and Venice Boulevard.

Blake Fogel, founder and president of Fogel Real Estate, said he saw a rare opportunity in the property to gain a retail foothold on what GQ Magazine has dubbed the coolest block in America. The buildings former tenant, Hall Health and Longevity Center, moved out Dec. 31 and construction to convert the medical office space into prime retail storefronts is expected to begin this week.

Theres a lot of upside in that area. Its like being at Main and Main of cool tech companies, as well as cool retail, Fogel said. Its a great place to be. We were just fortunate enough to be in the right place at the right time with a seller.

The one-story brick building with a bow-truss ceiling, built in 1948, was at some point covered over in white stucco. Fogel said the coating was going to be one of the first things to go during renovation.

Right now the property is all but invisible; no one really sees it because its an ugly stucco building, he said. Were going to blast that off and bring it back to being an interesting architectural building with new storefronts.

The soon-to-be retail property was the first building Fogel Real Estate acquired in an effort to invest $100 million in equity in Los Angeles in a span of about two years.

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Venice Office to Return to Retail Roots

A veteran Washington, D.C., developer has raised financing for a speculative office building project near Fords Theater with a $44.5 million construction loan and $9 million obtained through a federal program that allots visas to foreigners who invest in U.S. development projects.

Douglas Development Corp. has already started building the 93,000 square foot tower at 1000 F Street. The building is considered speculative because Douglas is moving ahead with very little preleasing. So far, it has done only one deal, with American Eagle Outfitters for the buildings retail space.

But Douglas, which has extensive experience with projects in that neighborhood, is betting it will have little trouble filling the space with nonprofit agencies, government affairs offices of major corporations and other tenants, says Norman Jamal, a principal with the firm. Many of the tenants are likely to be in the 6,500 square foot to 10,000 square foot range. Those folks dont typically prelease, Mr. Jamal said.

Construction financing for speculative projects remains difficult to obtain these days, even though the commercial real estate market has been steadily recovering. Still, Douglas got a $44.5 million three-year construction loan from United Bank of West Virginia with a rate of 4% and two one-year extension options.

Douglas was able to pull it off partly because the developer has worked with the bank in the past, according to Joe Donato, who led a team from NGKF Capital Markets that arranged the construction financing. Also, he said: Douglas has a tremendous presence in Washington.

Douglas also sold $9 million in preferred equity to foreigners participating in the so-called EB-5 program. Started 24 years ago, the program gives U.S. visas to people who invest at least $500,000 in development projects that create a specified number of jobs.

Mr. Jamal said holders of the preferred equity will be paid an interest rate of below 5%, which he described as extremely inexpensive for the developer. This was the first time that Douglas raised financing through the EB-5 program, but probably not last. Were actually working on another project right now that were planning to use EB-5 on, he said.

Douglas, which currently manages 9 million square feet of space, plans to finish the 11-story building at 1000 F Street in the third quarter of 2016.

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Douglas Taps United Bank, EB-5 To Finance Spec Office Project

Monday, January 12, 2015, 12:09pm

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Office-To-Residential Conversion Proposed In Brighton

H.S. Narasimha Kumar

Two important State agencies the Police Department and the Mysore City Corporation appear to be at loggerheads over the construction of a new office building for the Mysuru City Police Commissioner.

Months after Chief Minister Siddaramaiah laid the foundation stone for the mammoth building to be constructed at a cost of Rs. 14 crore on the Police Band Bungalow premises, city councillors objected to it saying it was being constructed without obtaining prior permission from the MCC.

Turning their ire towards MCC Commissioner C.G. Betsurmath for remaining a mute spectator to the ongoing illegal construction, the councillors demanded that a notice be issued to the Police Commissioner to stop the work.

But, Police Commissioner M.A. Saleem was in no mood to oblige the naysayers. There is no need for the Police Department to obtain a building licence from the MCC, he said, citing exemption for construction of police buildings under the Karnataka Municipal Act.

Why was the MCC silent when the Police Department constructed more than 20 buildings in the city in the last few years, he asked.

A new building was also constructed on the City Police Commissioners office premises in Bengaluru. Sources in the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike said the civic bodys permission was not required for the building as it was constructed by the Karnataka State Police Housing Corporation Ltd.

Kannada activist and former MLA Vatal Nagaraj will win hands down if there is ever an award for the most eyeball-grabbing protest. His modes of protest range from threatening to urinate in public while demanding construction of toilets to riding a chariot around Bengaluru on Valentines Day in solidarity with young couples targeted by Right-wing activists.

The ever-in-the-news leader has a penchant for using animals in his protests.

Donkeys, buffaloes and cows have routinely walked with him on his marches.

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Much ado about an office building

Charlottesville, VA (PRWEB) January 12, 2015

The Modular Building Institute would like to announce the Building of the Month for January 2015 is Modular Genius modular addition to a Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Washington, DC. Modular construction was used in this project to fit a tight schedule and an even tighter workspace.

Modular Genius, Inc., Mobile Modular Express, and a veteran-owned contractor completed the two-story, 14,600 square-foot VA hospital addition over the summer of 2014. Comprised of twenty-four modules, both floors are designed to include private offices, conference rooms, storage rooms, electrical & data closets, utility closets, open office spaces with cubicles, kitchenettes, and restrooms, as well as two stairwells and one elevator. The addition utilized high-end, upgraded design specification to match the existing medical center building.

In order to maximize campus real estate and to eliminate any loss of parking spaces, the new modular building addition was strategically tucked into an area where three sides of the existing building surround it. Modular construction was chosen for this project for speed and to minimize disturbance on site. A special delivery and traffic plan was required for the building modules and construction materials so the main entrance and main loading dock area to the hospital was never blocked or compromised.

Installation and construction occurred from Friday to Sunday, with the core building put into place over these three days. The addition attached to the existing building with a site-built entry vestibule and a corridor to create two seamless access points to the newly constructed permanent modular building addition

# # # About the Modular Building Institute: Founded in 1983, the Modular Building Institute (MBI) is the only international non-profit trade association serving modular construction. Members are manufacturers, contractors, and fleet owners in two distinct segments of the industry - permanent modular construction (PMC) and relocatable buildings (RB). Our Mission: As the Voice of Commercial Modular Construction, it is MBI's mission to expand the use of offsite construction through innovative construction practices, outreach and education to the construction community and customers, and recognition of high quality modular designs and facilities.

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The Modular Building Institute Announces January 2015 Building of the Month

BUILDING PERMITS

PMT2013-02987 635 Arapahoe Ave., Unit B; $491,000; Britton Holdings; CDC Development/Porchfront Homes; Unit B New three-story duplex (one of two principal buildings on this parcel, one single-family dwelling and one duplex). Total of 4,357 square feet with 456-square-foot attached garage. Also includes deck and porch (totaling 480 square feet). Scope of work includes all associated MEPs. Elevator and fire sprinkler system shown on drawings to be permitted separately. (Was previously addressed as 640 Streamside)

PMT2015-00005 909 Arapahoe Ave.; $65,000; Housing Authority; West Senior Center: Interior remodel to add partition walls to create nine new offices inside existing multi-use rooms.

PMT2014-05476 1780 Norwood Ave.; $107,000; Matthew Geraghty and Marybeth Schuh; Bruce Leahy Construction; Interior remodel of single-family residence including portion of basement, flop staircase to basement, conversion to a hydronic heating system, remodel main level with structural modifications, add three-quarter bathroom and additional sink in relocated master bathroom. Demolish walls around enclosed and covered rear patio.

PMT2014-05479 2525 Fourth St.; $35,000; Mapleton Hill; Cross Line Construction Corp.; Addition onto accessory Genset enclosure (120 square feet unconditioned) Minor modification approved under ADR2014-00170.

PMT2014-05499 2525 Fourth St.; $80,000; Mapleton Hill; Cross Line Construction Corp.; Adding a 173-square-foot vestibule to the southwest corner of the building. Addition footprint remains under the existing roof overhang. Reference ADR2014-00170.

PMT2014-05578 2996 25th St.; $21,000; Katherine Dean; Biggs Home Remodel; Single-story remodel of 243 square feet to include a replacement of roof and facia and soffit (not included in square footage), remodel bathroom (fixture replacement under separate permit PMT2014-05620), new dishwasher, move kitchen sink and cabinets and add refrigerator recess, new french door, replace french door with window, and new front porch. Scope of work also includes electrical work, drywall and insulation repair, and new gutters.

PMT2014-05653 1650 38th St.; $15,907.00; 1650 38th; MPB Contractors Inc.; Unit 101: Tenant interior remodel to remove and relocate a couple walls for office reconfiguration for Edward Jones. No changes to lighting, plumbing or mechanical.

PMT2014-05666 592 Union Ave.; $13,030.62; Jason Gore; First-time basement finish of 246 square feet Scope of work includes associated MEPs and setting existing plumbing rough-ins for new bathroom and utility sink. Further work includes a new bar sink.

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Boulder building permits: Jan. 12, 2015

Dear Call Box: On Roosevelt Boulevard between Timuquana Road and Ortega Forest Drive, the repaving crew has disappeared but left the access points unpaved, thereby creating a very rough egress to and from the road. Their paving machinery is gone. Is the job finished in their minds?

D.B.

Dear D.B.: No, its not, and youre not the only one wondering if work had stopped. The Florida Department of Transportations project manager also received calls from motorists asking about the repaving, said Ron Tittle, DOT spokesman.

What happened is that the DOT provides a certain amount of weather and holiday travel days for construction projects, Tittle said. Asphalt application is hindered by rain and cooler weather, especially when the temperature drops below 40 degrees, he said. In addition, the DOT tries to minimize impact to traffic during the busy holiday season by limiting roadway work and lane closures, Tittle said.

Since your inquiry, message boards have been put up stating traffic pattern changes that will begin Monday. Some basic preliminary work also was done this past week to prep the area. Some of the paving equipment is in place and parked on the grassy area at the northern end of the project, near Woodmere Street, Tittle said. There will be some lane closures for updating traffic signals and work on guardrails, weather permitting.

Dear Call Box: Theres a tiny little building at the Duval/St. Johns county line on U.S. 1. There are police cars from Duval County at that building, and sometimes there are even ones from St. Johns County there, and Im just curious as to whats going on. If you head south, its on the left-hand side just to the county line at Race Track Road.

J.S.

Dear J.S. There are several buildings in the area you describe. The Florida Forest Service has a white trailer that is used as an office for two firefighters stationed on the site, said Annaleasa Winter, wildfire mitigation specialist for the forest service. Behind that is a long-closed barbecue restaurant painted red. In addition, she said, the forestry service has a cream-colored building that it formerly used as an office.

As you note, there were a couple of police cars parked in the enclosed area when we drove by, but their presence there is benign. Cmdr. Chuck Mulligan, spokesman with the St. Johns County Sheriffs Office, said the forestry service allows some of the deputies to park their agency vehicles there if they live too far from the required limits to take them to their homes.

The same is true for Duval County.

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Call Box: Roosevelt repaving has the green light