By Paula Garcia, Globe Correspondent

It is late afternoon and steady streams of people are making their way to the Fenway MBTA station. Some are dressed in suits, others in scrubs, and others more casually in jeans and sneakers. They all seem to emerge from the Landmark Center, a multi-service building that looms over the T stop.

This is a usual scene during weekdays in the Fenway, at the intersection of Brookline Avenue and Park Drive. The area, known for its proximity to Fenway Park and the Audubon Circle community, is the site of the Landmark Center, which provides office space for companies like Blue Cross Blue Shield and a variety of retail stores including Bed, Bath & Beyond and Best Buy.

On Jan. 16, the Boston Redevelopment Authority approved an expansion project for the Landmark Center. The project will renovate the interior of the current building, and expand to build a new section dedicated to housing development. The expansion is expected to create 550 housing units, more office and retail space, and the construction of a Wegmans supermarket.

Bill Richardson, president of the Fenway Civic Association, said the FCA and its members back the recently expansion plan.

We support it because it is predominantly residential, Richardson said in a telephone interview. We have been supporting all the residential projects in the neighborhood.

The Landmark Center expansion is a continuation of several development projects in the Fenway area by Samuels & Associates, a development firm that currently owns the Landmark Center. Samuels & Associates has been an active player in the Fenway since 2004. In the past 10 years, Samuels & Associates has built and redeveloped the Fenway community through the construction of the Fenway Triangle Trilogy and the 1330 Boylston St. building.

We believe that there is certainly a demand for housing in the city of Boston, Richardson said. I think the number one complaint among the younger people is that housing is too expensive, and there is only one way to tackle that -- try to get more housing.

The Landmark Center project will be part of three new housing-oriented projects in the area, which under BRA regulations will include onsite affordable housing units. The regulations, which are part of the Inclusionary development policy created by former Mayor Thomas M. Menino in 2000, require that any residential development have at least 10 percent of the total housing units be affordable housing for moderate to middle-income residents.

The Landmark Cente, along with The Point and the Van Ness Street projects, will add more than 1,000 new housing units into the Brookline Avenue corridor that runs from Kenmore Square to Park Drive.

Excerpt from:
Planned expansion of Landmark Center gets positive reviews

The Markit and Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply's Construction Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) showed output across the UK's construction industry reach a figure of 64.6 in January, up from a PMI figure of 62.1 in December. A value of over 50.0 on the PMI scale signifies growth.

PMI data is collected via a monthly survey of more than 170 purchasing executives working within the construction sector, based in businesses of all sizes.

Markit said that the January PMI of 64.6 is the highest recorded growth in the industry since August 2007 and that its survey showed "near-record growth rates" across house building, commercial and civil engineering activity.

"The upturn was again led by house building, which increased for the twelfth successive month, but surging growth was also recorded for commercial construction and civil engineering," Markit said in a statement. "The rise of the latter two activities points to increased spending by business on infrastructure, office space, industrial units and retail outlets."

Markit said that construction industry businesses it surveyed expressed the highest levels of confidence about the forthcoming year's activity since September 2009. Jobs have also been created in the industry for eight months in a row now, it confirmed.

Construction industry expert Graham Robinsonof Pinsent Masons said that the "strong rebound" the construction industry is enjoying was welcome, but identified some challenges associated with the rate of growth in some areas and predicted that that rate would "moderate" in the longer term.

"The success of the house building and commercial markets in particular are acting as the main drivers for this strong rebound from the major troughs the construction industry experienced in the depths of the recession," Robinson said.

"However, much of the growth in house building can be attributed to the Government's continued backing for its 'Help To Buy' scheme, whilst the boom in the London property market may be masking the fact that in many parts of the country the commercial property market is still struggling," he said.

"There is some way to go in terms of taking up existing capacity in some areas, but where there are hot spots of activity there may be resourcing problems for contractors, in terms of both labour and materials. Although jobs have been created for a steady eight months in a row now, the construction jobs market has been rising from a very low base. Many of the workers who found themselves out of work in the recession have found jobs in other industries," he said.

Robinson said that "headwinds" in the European economy will continue to affect the UK export market and that this would eventually cause current growth levels in the UK construction industry to slow.

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Construction industry sees sharpest growth since before the recession

Alexander, ND (PRWEB) February 03, 2014

M SPACE, a nationwide modular building contractor, breaks ground at Alexander Energy Park and is pleased to welcome its first two tenants, J-W Power Company and Wanzak Construction, Inc. Both companies will have new facilities open at the energy park this spring.

Alexander Energy Park is a mixed-use light industrial/business park located in McKenzie County at the intersection of Highway 85 and 68, between Watford City and Williston. Alexander Energy Park has lots for sale and build to suit metal buildings for sale and lease. Buildings will feature oversized garages and drive-through bays, administrative/office and retail space with storefront options.

Alexander Energy Park offers an ideal location with prime highway exposure, said Jeff Deutschendorf, M SPACE President and CEO. We have two housing communities within a few miles of the park which provides tenants the option of housing their employees nearby.

M SPACE has leased 15 homes to meet the housing needs for the current tenants of the park. Both developments are fully-furnished and include everything from housewares and linens to a flat screen TV. For more information about Alexander Energy Park or our housing developments, please visit our website, http://www.mspaceholdings.com, or call us toll free at 877.677.2231.

ABOUT M SPACE

M SPACE, a nationwide modular general contractor, provides both commercial and residential building solutions to properly support the growth of expanding areas. Our capabilities range from offices and metal buildings to single and multi-family homes, hotels/motels and residential communities. Flexible leasing, sale and financing options are available. http://www.mspaceholdings.com.

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Modular General Contractor Breaks Ground at Alexander Energy Park

Zara's arrival in Australia has been keenly watched by its international retail peers.

The invasion of international names in fashion, cosmetics, homewares and department stores is gathering momentum as global brands snap up newly-developed space across capital cities and larger suburban shopping centres.

Some, like Spain's Zara, Britain's Topshop and Williams Sonomas Pottery Barn from the US have already landed, while others, like British icon Marks & Spencer and Swedens H&M are yet to arrive.

Australia has become the latest frontier conquered by international retailers, with up to 10 labels opening new stores in the past 18 months.

An artist's impression of Melbourne's The Emporium

CBD redevelopments like Westfields Pitt Street Mall project and the under-construction Emporium site in Melbourne have helped spur the arrival of the fresh brands, who have watched with some interest Zaras foray into what many in Europe and the US have previously considered a outlier territory for retail.

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In addition fashion groups have realised that southern hemisphere stores give them a chance at a second bite of the cherry for a seasons designs.

Many labels have sent and continue to send representative leasing executives to Australia to seek out the appropriate locations, with most putting a holding deposit on potential stores while they report back to their head office.

H&M's new Sydney home at 345 George Street.

The rest is here:
Retail invasion picks up pace

Zara's arrival in Australia has been keenly watched by its international retail peers.

The invasion of international names in fashion, cosmetics, homewares and department stores is gathering momentum as global brands snap up newly-developed space across capital cities and larger suburban shopping centres.

Some, like Spain's Zara, Britain's Topshop and Williams Sonomas Pottery Barn from the US have already landed, while others, like British icon Marks & Spencer and Swedens H&M are yet to arrive.

Australia has become the latest frontier conquered by international retailers, with up to 10 labels opening new stores in the past 18 months.

An artist's impression of Melbourne's The Emporium

CBD redevelopments like Westfields Pitt Street Mall project and the under-construction Emporium site in Melbourne have helped spur the arrival of the fresh brands, who have watched with some interest Zaras foray into what many in Europe and the US have previously considered a outlier territory for retail.

Advertisement

In addition fashion groups have realised that southern hemisphere stores give them a chance at a second bite of the cherry for a seasons designs.

Many labels have sent and continue to send representative leasing executives to Australia to seek out the appropriate locations, with most putting a holding deposit on potential stores while they report back to their head office.

H&M's new Sydney home at 345 George Street.

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Retail invasion picks up pace: Where to find the foreign brands storming Australian shopping

St. Johns city council has approved in principle the expansion of downtowns Scotia Centre. Earlier this month, council gave the go-head for East Port Properties to add a three-storey building to the 235 Water St. property.

The extension will be constructed on the podium deck, or open space, that faces Water Street, said Coun. Tom Hann at city councils Jan. 6 meeting. The development will consist of three storeys, and will create over 2,600 square metres of floor area, which includes Class A office space and retail space at the street level.

The amount of open space left after the construction will remain open to the public, said Hann. The plan is to revitalize the podium space at the rear of the building facing Harbour Drive, what is known as Ayers Lane. Its also proposed for redevelopment.

Under downtown parking guidelines, the development would require 36 parking spaces to be created, but the developer is considering payment in lieu, said Hann.

The proposal was in front of the citys standing committee on planning and development in December, which recommended approval, attaching the conditions that the developer submit landscape design and art work for the remaining podium space, discuss parking options, and that council schedule a public meeting on the application.

Mayor Dennis OKeefe said more parking spaces are being created downtown, but the city is also starting to see more applications from developers who plan payments in lieu of parking spaces in their proposals.

Weve got to have a serious look at that before we end up defeating what weve created, lets put it that way, he said.

Hann noted that the city hasnt actually accepted any proposals with payments in lieu yet, but there are three or four on the books.

Staff is always looking at it from the point of, what can we do as an alternative to payment in lieu? he said. Can we find parking elsewhere? Can we find parking in some of the new parking garages? Can they find parking in Atlantic Place and so on? Staff is always aware of the situation of trying not to erode any advancement that weve done in terms of identifying parking spaces in the downtown.

Council voted to accept the planning and development committee reports recommendations.

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Developer plans Scotia Centre expansion

Ashburn-based Meladon Development Group submitted a rezoning application for its Cascades Overlook development on Jan. 8.

Their proposal is to change the land, which was formerly the Faith Bible Church campus, into a development with 253 multi-family dwelling units, 135,000 square feet of retail space, 8,000 square feet of office space and a minimum of 8,600 feet for civic use in Sterling.

New zoning would change the land from single-family residential and planned-development office park to planned-development town center.

The Board of Supervisors will decide whether or not to approve the request in February.

Don Wooden, the president of Meladon Group, understands that the process won't be easy, and that there are opponents to the development, but he believes he has made a strong case to make the new zoning possible. Wooden hopes that a promise to build 100 percent of the commercial space before they begin residential construction will put approval of the development over the edge.

Apartments within the complex are currently slated to be named Eagles Crest; the Meladon Group's Cascades Overlook is not related to the apartment complex of the same name already in Sterling.

"We have two key components," said Wooden.

"One: we have a signed lease with Harris Teeter. And then we have a restaurant destination where we intend to bring in five restaurants called the crescent area.

It will encompass a very lively public space. The neatest part of that space is we are having a Loudoun County wine tasting area."

Wooden said one of the restaurants that would occupy the space has already signed an agreement with Chuy's Mexican Cantina, a Texas-based company, which will take 7,000 square feet of space.

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New development seeks Board approval in February

What was once an Ethan Allen store in Wheaton

As a shopping center landlord or retail developer, you might find yourself with a big empty retail space you need fill especially if you had Borders or Circuit City as a tenant. Finding a single tenant to occupy all that space in todays economy can be challenging, so the smarter and more feasible move is to hire a retail construction contractor that can provide you with the various pre-bid commercial construction budgets needed for subdividing that big box into a multi-tenant space.

We frequently get asked the question, How many tenants do we need before a general contractor can give us commercial construction budgets for a shopping center construction job? The answer is none. Because Englewood Construction has been in the retail construction and shopping center construction field for so long, we have pricing models based on square footage, level of finish and geographic area for virtually every retail and restaurant construction concept.

became a multi-tenant commercial construction job

As long as you know what type of tenants you might want, the best commercial construction firms should be able to give you a pre-construction services construction budget. Case in point cellular phone places always look for 1,500 square feet, sandwich shops are typically 2,000, fast-casual restaurants want 3,500 and outlet stores are 6,000 to 8,000 square feet.

What typically happens is the first tenant dictates how the rest of the space is divided. Say a big tenant signs a lease that leaves you with 7,500 square feet. You should then ask for construction pricing models for the different ways the remaining space can be used, whether its a fine dining restaurant, a mix of middle and high-end retail or even simple office space.

As long as you are working with a general contractor who has shopping center construction experience, your GC will know its construction pricing models should include vanilla box budgeting as well as tenant budgeting, based on the type of tenants you are pursuing. Of course the best Chicago commercial contractors will also factor due diligence with municipalities into their budgets. And if its a Chicago commercial construction project, the Mayor Daley black iron fence rule should also be noted by your GC. If your GC doesnt know that rule, dont work with them.

that leased attractive tenants such as Koenig & Strey Real Living

Another benefit to working with a GC early on for construction budgeting is that most architectural fees are based off of square footage or the cost of construction. So not only can the right construction firm help determine your square footage rental rates with its construction pricing models, but it can also help figure out your soft costs, too.

When it comes to the physical construction of subdividing your retail space, its always smart to dance with the one you brought. Use a GC that provided you with pricing models because the firm is already familiar with your project so there isnt the additional cost and time of getting another commercial construction firm up to speed.

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Commercial Construction Tips | Multi-Tenant Space ...

CARBONDALE A proposal was made for a new residential/retail building in downtown Carbondale on Tuesday night at the Carbondale City Council meeting.

Tartan Reality Group and OKW Architects proposed a new building to be located at 710 S. Illinois Ave. in Carbondale, which would be filled with retail opportunities and student housing.

Michael Fitzgerald of OKW Architects said the ground floor of the building would be available for retail shops and the rest of the building mainly for residential.

Fitzgerald said there would be four upper floors of apartments with a proposed 358 beds that would include one, two and four bedroom apartments.

The proposal included 86 parking spots for residents.

The retail portion of the proposal included 4,000 square feet of retail space, said Fitzgerald. There were 38 retail parking spots included.

Fitzgerald said parking would be hidden with access off of Illinois Avenue and Freeman Street.

Council members brought up concerns about having enough parking for residents and shoppers along the downtown business district.

Tartan President Douglas Reichl said this is always a concern with these projects, but their plan should be able to cover any concerns with the on-site parking as well as remote parking lots close to the proposed building.

I am confident we will have more than adequate parking for the project, Reichl said.

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New building proposed at city council meeting

The developers who bought the land that The Globe and Mails Toronto headquarters sits on will soon be filing plans with the city for the creation of a new neighbourhood that they are calling The Well.

If the $1.4-billion project is approved, the site, which stretches across nearly eight acres west of Spadina Avenue, between Front Street and Wellington Street, would be home to seven buildings. More than half of the development would be retail and office space, including restaurants and entertainment venues, and a little less than half would be residential. The latter would likely include both condos and rental apartments, as well as some townhouse units. One of the buildings would be a 34-storey office tower.

The propertys owners are RioCan Real Estate Investment Trust, which specializes in shopping centres and retail projects; Allied Properties Real Estate Investment Trust, an office developer; and Diamond Corp., which focuses on residential development. Some of the buildings on the site would incorporate all three uses.

I dont think there has been a new community built in the city with that kind of mix in many, many years, says Steve Diamond, the CEO of Diamond Corp.

The team flew to England about a year ago to study projects such as Butlers Wharf in London for inspiration.

In England theyve done a good job of creating complex mixed-use projects that are pedestrian-friendly, Mr. Diamond said.

All of the parking on the Toronto site would be underground, and the proposal features wide sidewalks as well as a park dubbed Wellington Plaza. The plans changed over time as the developers met with local residents, who were worried about the implications for the area.

The developers are just beginning to market the location, and are looking to attract a range of retailers including lifestyle stores, grocery stores, restaurants and smaller department stores. Mr. Diamond said the Concord Adex project (CityPlace) to the south of The Well has brought an abundance of residential space to the area without any significant office or retail component.

He said he hopes that Toronto residents will see the site as a unique neighbourhood, and say lets go for a drink in The Well.

The developers will need permission from Metrolinx, the regional transit authority, to put in a walkway that it envisions on the south side of Front Street. As they seek to win over the city, the projects backers are emphasizing that the new office space could provide a location for about 4,000 jobs and the retail space, more than 1,000. If approved, construction would begin in 2016 and take five to seven years to complete.

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Developers envision mixed-use neighbourhood on site of Globe HQ