By Ashley Mackin

After receiving notice Aug. 19 from the city about the schedule for the resumption of the Avenida De La Playa Infrastructure Replacement project and Group Job 809 in La Jolla Shores, residents and business owners held a meeting Aug. 21 in the Shoreline Kitchen restaurant. They met to discuss their fears surrounding the amount of time needed to complete the infrastructure improvement and the citys insufficient communications.

The memo announced that construction would resume on Avenida De La Playa on Sept. 2, after Labor Day (in accordance with the summer construction moratorium). Starting at the western intersection of Camino Del Sol, work would continue eastward block-by-block, installing box culverts on one block and concurrently replacing sewer and water lines on the street, with work on the last block scheduled to start in late November.

Special attention would be given to the annual Fall Fest block party in October. The new pipes inspection and final street paving is scheduled for February and March, 2015. The project first got underway Dec. 9, 2013 and was put on hold May 26 for the summer moratorium.

Surf Diva co-owner Izzy Tihanyi said construction and subsequent street closures would hurt businesses. A lot of merchants are worried because we have full-time employees we have to pay, who are supporting their families, she told La Jolla Light. Some merchants are wondering if they are going to have to lay off people we are left wondering if these businesses will survive, Tihanyi said.

Izzy Tihanyi, co-owner of Surf Diva, shares her concerns with the tentative schedule.

The website (established to provide updates) still says construction will be done by January. There were a lot of opportunities where the businesses could have been involved.

Steve Lindsay, Senior Construction Engineer for the City of San Diego, reminded those in attendance it was disclosed that work would start after the summer moratorium. Im not sure you didnt know the work was coming. Now that its here, its kind of scary for you.

Arguing it was not a matter of fear, but of awareness, Lucas countered, This has to go both ways here; youre telling us we should have known construction was starting after Labor Day, but in the same breath, you should have known construction was going to start after Labor Day and produced a tentative schedule months in advance.

Tim Lucas, La Jolla Shores Association chair, said communication between the city and local business owners is sub-par with this project.

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La Jolla Shores merchants upset over utility construction

If you want a little variety on your restaurant construction menu, let Hencken and Gaines serve it up. Our smorgasbord of Baltimore-area projects includes a charming French bistro, an authentic Chesapeake Bay seafood restaurant, a pizzeria that could be found in any one of the five boroughs of New York, a hip music club, a chef-owned innovative fine dining establishment, and a neighborhood pub, just to name a few. We work with architects for tasty results whether the project is free standing, a tenant fit-out, adaptive reuse historic renovation or part of a mixed-use project. So go ahead, order anything you like.

CHAZZ RESTAURANT IN INNER HARBOR EAST

Client: The Vitale Family Architect: Rita St. Clair Associate, Inc.

TWO BOOTS RESTAURANT

Client: Two Boots Pizza Architect: Curry Architects

SALT

Client: SALT Restaurant Architect: Rohrer Studios

PETITE LOUIS FRENCH BISTRO

Client: Charleston Restaurant Group Architect: Rita St. Clair

CINGHIALE RESTAURANT

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Restaurant & Bar Construction Maryland | Hencken & Gaines

TOWN OF NIAGARA Residents near a Military Road retail and restaurant site learned Wednesday from representatives of Benderson Development Co. that construction of only the first phase of the project is in the works now.

Benderson officials also told them that other parts of the development, including a 60,000-square-foot big-box store, would remain on hold.

As a result, a large number of trees that stand in the footprint of the planned store and a parking area will remain there for the time being, Benderson told residents.

Removal of the trees has been a sore spot in the plans for Military Place as neighbors have stressed the need to keep some sort of barriers between the development and their backyards. Benderson owns a little more than 21 acres at the site.

Company representatives said a deed restriction would be placed on the use of the land so that the perimeters would always include a 50-foot buffer.

The first phase of the project is the construction of a Longhorn Steakhouse restaurant in an area near the road, across from the Fashion Outlets of Niagara Falls. Also adjacent is the converted Perkins Restaurant, which is to include a Five Guys Burgers and Fries, TCBY and Chipotle Mexican Grill. The conversion is well under way. Construction of the steakhouse has yet to begin.

Benderson told the Town Board and residents earlier this month that it lost the prospective tenant, so the big box store site would not be developed. The company has said consistently that no buildings would be constructed if tenants were not secured.

Ken Micon of Ziblut Court, who has been vocal about changes in the development, said he was pleased with the outcome of the meeting that had been called by Benderson.

We (the neighbors) met on our own at the end of the street two nights ago, he said. Our concern was not knowing about the trees.

In the original construction plan and schedule, the existing trees were to be cut down and replaced with a smaller variety. Many trees were removed by Benderson in the spring.

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Trees to stay, at least for now, at Military Road development in Town of Niagara

TOWN OF NIAGARA Residents near a Military Road retail and restaurant site learned Wednesday from representatives of Benderson Development Co. that construction of only the first phase of the project is in the works now.

Benderson officials also told them that other parts of the development, including a 60,000-square-foot big-box store, would remain on hold.

As a result, a large number of trees that stand in the footprint of the planned store and a parking area will remain there for the time being, Benderson told residents.

Removal of the trees has been a sore spot in the plans for Military Place as neighbors have stressed the need to keep some sort of barriers between the development and their backyards. Benderson owns a little more than 21 acres at the site.

Company representatives said a deed restriction would be placed on the use of the land so that the perimeters would always include a 50-foot buffer.

The first phase of the project is the construction of a Longhorn Steakhouse restaurant in an area near the road, across from the Fashion Outlets of Niagara Falls. Also adjacent is the converted Perkins Restaurant, which is to include a Five Guys Burgers and Fries, TCBY and Chipotle Mexican Grill. The conversion is well under way. Construction of the steakhouse has yet to begin.

Benderson told the Town Board and residents earlier this month that it lost the prospective tenant, so the big box store site would not be developed. The company has said consistently that no buildings would be constructed if tenants were not secured.

Ken Micon of Ziblut Court, who has been vocal about changes in the development, said he was pleased with the outcome of the meeting that had been called by Benderson.

We (the neighbors) met on our own at the end of the street two nights ago, he said. Our concern was not knowing about the trees.

In the original construction plan and schedule, the existing trees were to be cut down and replaced with a smaller variety. Many trees were removed by Benderson in the spring.

Read more from the original source:
Trees to stay, at least for now, at Niagara development

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VOL. 129 | NO. 168 | Thursday, August 28, 2014

McDonalds will begin construction next year of a new restaurant at Highland Street and Southern Avenue near the University of Memphis.

The fast food giant won unanimous approval Wednesday from the Memphis-Shelby County Board of Adjustment for several zoning variances, the only regulatory approval the company needed to move forward with the project.

According to the most current site plan, the 5,353-square-foot restaurant building is situated along the sidewalk on Highland, and a looping drive-thru proposed earlier has been replaced with one that runs behind the building.

McDonalds won approval for several zoning variances, including for additional parking and the amount of transparency, or windows, required under the University District Overlay, a set of zoning regulations that promotes urban, pedestrian-friendly development.

Earlier designs of the proposed restaurant at the southeast corner of Highland and Southern ignited strong opposition from neighbors including university leaders and the University Neighborhood Development Corp. because it did not comply with the zoning overlay.

To make way for the new restaurant, the existing buildings that once housed Highland staples such as Whatever and the Super Submarine Shop will be torn down, along with a nonconforming billboard. The existing McDonalds just across Highland will be mothballed for sale once the new restaurant is complete, which is expected sometime in 2015.

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McDonalds Wins Approval for Highland Location

The project's opponents, however, have not given up.

Even as construction crews begin work on the roundabout this week, residents opposed to it are planning to file an appeal in court.

Jacki Miller, a Swarthmore resident leading the effort, said she worried that the roundabout would cause "inevitable queuing during rush hour."

The intersection at Chester Road near the borough's SEPTA station is already busy, and drivers use Route 320 as an alternate route when I-476 is congested.

The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, which owns the right-of-way along Route 320, approved the roundabout plans. Swarthmore College will pay for construction.

The borough council also voted to approve the development plans earlier this year.

Borough Council President Ralph Jacobs said the roundabout would improve the safety of a dangerous intersection.

"My view is that there is overwhelming support for the roundabout in the community," Jacobs said. "I think the number of people who are opposed to the roundabout is really a very, very small number of people."

Miller said she fears that the roundabout will slow traffic too much, forcing cars to wait along Chester Road for their turn to enter it, or increasing congestion on other roads in Swarthmore.

"For those of us that have lived with the stoppages on 320 and what happens to the traffic when it sheds through the borough itself, it's not good enough," Miller said.

See the article here:
Controversial Swarthmore construction begins

Construction has begun on a Japanese restaurant thats expected to open in December at the former Bakers Square restaurant site at 1227 Crossing Meadows Drive in Onalaska.

Work began this month on the Shogun Sushi and Hibachi restaurant, said Jeffrey Brown of North Rock Real Estate, a commercial real estate advisory firm in Minnetonka, Minn. He is assisting the eaterys owners, who live in the Twin Cities and own several other Japanese restaurants.

Construction work on Shogun originally was expected to begin last fall, with the eatery opening by early this summer. But the projects design was put on the back burner because the owners were busy opening a new restaurant in Burnsville, Minn., Brown said.

Shogun will serve a variety of upscale Japanese cuisine, Brown said, including seafood, steak, chicken and vegetable courses with a Japanese flavor. There will be a large sushi menu and sushi bar.

All of the ingredients are extremely fresh and high quality, Brown said. Especially the seafood, which is flown in fresh. The approximately 6,000-square restaurant will have 14 hibachi tables.

Owner Maria Norberg plans to expand Grounded Specialty Coffee at 308 Main St. to the west, onto a vacant lot at 304-306 Main St. in downtown La Crosse.

The expansion would transform Grounded from a coffee shop into a full restaurant available for breakfast, lunch and dinner, along with a full coffee and wine bar, she said in her application for an exception to city building requirements.

The expansion would include indoor and outdoor seating on the ground level, and partially covered and open air seating on a terrace above the addition. About half of the proposed terrace would be below the citys minimum two-story height requirement for new construction downtown. The La Crosse Common Council likely will vote Sept. 11 on Norbergs request for an exception.

If the council approves, I would like to start construction next spring and have the new addition open and running by early summer, Norberg told me. I plan to keep the name of Grounded but would drop Specialty Coffee since we would be a full-service restaurant with a full coffee and wine bar as well.

Three sisters and a daughter have opened Curvy Chicks Consignment LLC at 123 W. Hamilton St. in West Salem.

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Steve Cahalan: Japanese restaurant to open in December

Facade is former firehouse

A historical photograph showing the old firehouse and its crew.Jason Schreiber

EXETER A piece of history was uncovered this week when an aging metal facade was removed from the brick arches of an old downtown firehouse.

The two arches have been hidden for at least the past 50 years, but they will be given new life as part of a renovation project that will transform the firehouse into a new casual-dining restaurant.

"We decided to preserve that portion of the building and bring it back to the town," said Jeff Turner, who owns the restaurant and the Green Bean soup and sandwich cafe next door with Lori Whitney.

The well-known restaurateurs are making good progress on their new full-service restaurant that will build upon the success of the Green Bean, which opened at 33 Water St. in 1997.

The firehouse, built in the mid-19th century, was most recently home to Trends Gift Gallery. The store found a new location on Water Street to clear the way for the restaurant, which Turner said still doesn't have a name but will likely include something related to a firehouse when one is picked.

Turner discovered the potential for the arches each measuring 11 feet tall and 10 feet wide during demolition work inside the building. He was determined to find a way to preserve them during the building's face-lift.

The plan is to add glass panes on the top and wood panels on the bottom to resemble the original doors as much as possible.

"Everyone's been really excited about it," he said.

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New restaurant has historic look

WEST CHESTER TWP.

The latest and largest Tom + Chee location is set to open in Butler County later this year.

Construction on the 3,200-square-foot fast-casual restaurant at 9328 Union Centre Blvd. is slated to start next week, according to Troy Harden, franchisee for Tom + Chee restaurants outside the Interstate 275 loop.

The location should open by mid-November and employ 60 people, Harden said.

The West Chester Twp. eatery will serve Tom + Chees grilled cheese and tomato soup but will be the first in the chain to serve alcohol, specifically craft wine and and craft beer, most of it from local breweries, he said.

Harden tapped Butler County as the location for his first franchise because West Chester Twp. is a great community.

Its got everything there, he said. There are so many businesses, hotels, families. Its just a really neat location. Im from Union, Ky., and it reminds me a lot about that.

Tom + Chee founders Trew Quackenbush and Corey Ward have found a niche that really hasnt been touched on in the restaurant industry.

I think its a great product for the Midwest, Harden said, noting the chains preference to use healthy ingredients in its products. Its great for families and for a quick lunch. We take something that tastes good and make it pretty good for you, too.

Hardens first restaurant franchise is hardly his first foray into the restaurant business. Hes a nearly 30-year veteran of the industry who started off Bar Louie in Chicago, owned his own steak-and-seafood restaurant in that citys southwest suburb and most recently served for six years in upper management at Hofbrauhaus Newport.

Read more:
Butler County getting largest Tom + Chee yet

Wednesday, August 20, 4:42 PM EDT

Compiled by Karen Brune Mathis

P&C Construction Inc. will combine four suites at a former pizza-burger location at 1402 San Marco Blvd. into one to create the Kitchen on San Marco.

The site is at San Marco Boulevard and Childrens Way.

Gary Montour, senior vice president with Colliers International in Jacksonville, represented the tenant. He said Tuesday the restaurant could open within 90 days.

The restaurant will serve as a teaching establishment where a staff of professional chefs provides a learning lab environment for culinary and pastry arts students from Culinard, The Culinary Institute of Virginia College.

Their focus is to give them a full feel of the entire realm of the restaurant industry, Montour said. San Marco is going to get a new restaurant.

Montour said it would be operated as any restaurant would. They have to make sure it is run like a business, he said, which means understanding a balance sheet, knowing how to apply for a bank loan for equipment, the terms of signing a lease.

The 4,533-square-foot project will be renovated at a cost of $617,005. Education Corporation of America owns Virginia College. Representatives of Education Corporation of America and The Culinary Institute of Virginia College did not return telephone calls for comment.

Last August, the Education Corporation of America vice president of student retail operations, Ron Patak, said students at Culinard will train at the restaurant during their 36-week course. Virginia College operates at 5940 Beach Blvd., at the intersection with University Boulevard.

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Food notes: Kitchen on San Marco OKd for build-out