Wal-Mart Canada will spend $750 million to add 4.6 million square feet of retail space and 14,000 jobs in Canada this year, a release said Tuesday.

The world's largest retailer plans to complete 73 expansion or renovation projects across Canada this year, which would make it Wal-Mart's busiest year on record in this country.

The jobs estimate combines in-store positions plus construction jobs during store remodellings.

More than half of the planned projects will be to convert 39 former Zellers stores into Wal-Marts after the company bought leaseholds from the discount chain in June 2011.

Wal-Mart, which first set up shop in Canada in 1994, currently has 333 stores across the country and plans to have 375 by January 2013. The company currently employs 85,000 people.

The move is in part a response to the launch of Target stores in Canada. The U.S. discount chain is in the process of converting dozens of Zellers stores into Target locations to open over the spring and summer.

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Wal-Mart targets Canada with $750M expansion

It won't be long before Rocket Donuts lands in Fairhaven, and it's bringing along one other retail business.

Construction of a new building on the corner of Harris Avenue and 11th Street is scheduled to begin in March and be completed by the end of the year, said Teri Treat, a spokeswoman for Rocket Donuts. The building, which has 3,325 square feet of retail space on the main floor, will be home to Rocket Donuts, A Lot of Flowers (which currently resides on that property) and a new business called Fat Pie Pizza Restaurant.

While construction is taking place, A Lot of Flowers will move into the vacant space next door to the downstairs portion of the Colophon Café. Once the building is completed, A Lot of Flowers will move into a 690-square-foot space on the Harris Avenue side of the building, which will feature high ceilings, plenty of glass windows and an outdoor nursery retail area.

Fat Pie Pizza Restaurant will have about 955 square feet of retail space, featuring two levels of seating and a rooftop bar/event space. The restaurant concept is still being developed by the Rocket Foods company, Treat said.

The Rocket Donuts space will have nearly 800 square feet of space, which Treat said will have a variety of colorful interior elements and outdoor seating. The Fairhaven Rocket Donuts also will be home to Acme Ice Cream, featuring at least eight ice cream flavors. The 25-foot rocket sculpture will remain at Rocket Donuts' downtown location.

The building was designed by RMC Architects and construction will be done by Bellingham's Pearson Construction. Treat said they specifically chose a construction company they thought would be sensitive to the needs of the neighborhood.

"We know construction can be disruptive and this will happen in the heart of Fairhaven, so we'll try to get it done as quickly as possible," Treat said. "We really want to be a good neighbor."

With the addition of a second Rocket Donuts and the Fat Pie Pizza Concept, the company has also added a couple of people to help head up the projects. Chris Kenney was hired as director of food operations while Kirstin Pole was named general manager of Rocket Donuts.

BELLINGHAM FLORAL SHOP ON THE MOVE

Life's a Party, a floral and event studio, is moving from its spot at 121 W. Magnolia St. to 1306 Cornwall Ave., near the Holly Street intersection.

The move will take place Wednesday, Feb. 15 so it won't interfere with Valentine's Day orders, a holiday that's the biggest day of the year for flower orders, said owner K.C. Kippenbrock in a news release. Kippenbrock bought out the former Johnson's Floral Shop on West Magnolia Street in 2006 and changed the name last August.

Kippenbrock said the move provides more visibility for Life's A Party and the open layout makes it easier to interact with customers about floral arrangements.

Life's A Party is open 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturdays. Delivery service is available in Bellingham and other nearby communities. For more information, call 360-733-6600.

The floral shop is moving into the former spot of Urchins, a Bellingham children's clothing store that left the space last month. Owner Kathleen Emmerson said on her website (urchinsboutique.com) that she is still selling products online and is looking for a new spot to reopen her store.

OTHER TIDBITS

• You may have noticed that owner Jesse Cantu changed his restaurant name in Fairhaven from Milagro Mexican Grill to Jalapenos Mexican Grill, matching the names of his two other Bellingham restaurants. He originally came up with the name Milagro as a tip of the hat to his favorite brand of tequila, Milagro Tequila. The tequila company contacted Cantu, asking if he would change the name, so he decided to honor that request. Everything else about the restaurant, including the staff and menu, remain the same.

• Torrid, a women's clothing store that features products in a variety of sizes, announced it is coming to Bellis Fair mall, occupying a spot in the Macy's wing. The company has several stores in Washington, including at the Northgate Mall in Seattle. In other Bellis Fair news, Boss Wear, TeaQuent Shop, Coalson's and Safari Mini Golf have closed. The owners of the TeaQuent Shop are directing customers to visit the company's other store, Spice Hut, at 131 W. Kellogg Road, near Best Buy.

• Battery City, which sold a wide range of computer and phone batteries, has closed its Bellingham store, which was at 1031 N. State St.

• With the passage last fall of Initiative 1183 to allow private stores to sell hard liquor, the applications are rolling in to the state liquor control board for a spirits license. Among Whatcom County stores, recent applications submitted include Costco, Fred Meyer on Lakeway and Deals Only at 2331 James St.

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Rocket Donuts ready to make a home in Fairhaven

MADISON — After a decade of anticipation, the state is moving forward to develop a $75 million joint Wisconsin Historical and Veterans museum that could be part of a larger private project with private offices, retail space and parking in Downtown Madison.

No site has been selected, but the state has studied the current Historical Museum property on Capitol Square coupled with private holdings behind it at the corner of North Fairchild and West Mifflin streets.

The development could provide 200,000 square feet of space for the museums, state documents say.

State Department of Administration Secretary Mike Huebsch has convened a task force of community leaders, interested parties and experts - including Mayor Paul Soglin - to explore sites, financing and other issues. The task force had an initial meeting on Jan. 23 and will meet through the year.

"It's a project that has been discussed for years," DOA spokesperson Jocelyn Webster said. "It's time to move forward with it. The Walker administration is taking this very seriously."

The task force is expected to spend the year formulating advisory recommendations, Webster said.

"I think this is really exciting. It's going to present a tremendous opportunity for our Downtown. It's going to add to the vibrance and vitality," Soglin said. "And it's going to be a total challenge."

The project will likely trigger debate over density, historic buildings and parking, Soglin said, adding, "I welcome it."

In 2001, $131 million in state borrowing and gifts was budgeted for a Wisconsin History Center, but the project didn't move forward and most budgeted money was rescinded, state documents say. But planning resumed in 2007 and the state thus far has released $1.8 million for preliminary planning, the documents say.

The new state budget includes $10 million for the project in the 2011-13 biennium and $65 million in 2015-17, Webster said.

It's unclear if $75 million would cover the cost of the new museums. Private offices, retail and parking could add tens of thousands of square feet of space and tens of millions of value to the overall redevelopment.

Hovde site eyed

Although a site hasn't been selected, state and Hovde Property officials have long eyed the L-shaped part of the block that fronts the Square and hosts the Historical Society museum and several Hovde-owned properties behind the museum.

"We're excited about the potential redevelopment of the site," said Mike Slavish, president of Hovde Properties, which owns four of five properties behind the museum but not the Silver Dollar Tavern. "This would be a great use for the corner and complementary to Overture Center, the new library and the potential redevelopment of the 100 block of State Street."

Hovde's Churchill Building and two properties owned by attorney Fred Mohs, which face the Square on North Carroll Street, could be part of a private, second phase of redevelopment, Slavish said.

At the initial task force meeting, the state shared preliminary concept renderings for the state-Hovde site showing a high-density, mixed use project, said city Planning and Community and Economic Development Director Steve Cover, who attended for Soglin because the mayor was out of town.

But Webster cautioned the process is only beginning.

The Historical Museum has occupied its current 39,000-square-foot building, a converted hardware store, for 25 years.

The Historical Society needs to triple its space for permanent and changing exhibits, and also requires a building with higher ceilings, bigger elevators, and a separate entrance for school groups, said Alicia Goehring, director of special projects.

"The existing space is very inadequate for telling the story of the state," she said.

The Veterans Museum has occupied its 32,000-square-foot building, once a department store, since 1993.

The museum also needs to triple its exhibit space, director Michael Telzrow said. "We've simply run out of room," he said.

A preliminary schedule shows construction starting in 2016.

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State progressing on joint history, veterans museum

SAN RAMON -- City leaders have learned that Walmart's construction division is accepting bids for making property improvements that would pave the way for a "neighborhood market" store in San Ramon.

Marc Fontes, the city's economic development director, revealed this in a news release Friday.

Tenant improvement plans previously submitted by the owners of the vacant grocery store space in the Country Club Village Center in south San Ramon were approved by the city, but the identity of the owners' prospective tenant was not given.

"It would now appear that a Walmart neighborhood market is the likely tenant for that space," Fontes said.

No one from Walmart has contacted the city about plans to lease space and open a San Ramon grocery store, which would be a permitted use for the existing vacant retail space. The Walmart neighborhood markets are much smaller than Walmart super stores and focus on groceries.

Contact Jacquie Oliverius at 925-847-2123.

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Walmart soliciting bids for San Ramon neighborhood market store

The Herald’s former six-acre digs in Boston’s South End could be revamped into a new four-building “Ink Block” that includes 475 apartment units and 85,000 square feet of retail space, under a proposal filed by property owner National Development.

“What we hope through all this is this becomes much more pedestrian-oriented area. It hasn’t always been the most heavily populated pedestrian space,” Ted Tye, managing partner at National Development, told the Herald. “By putting some real density here ... we really hope to make it a much more comfortable space for people to walk the streets with lots of activity.”

The project would require demolition of the Herald’s storied Harrison Avenue building, better known as One Herald Square, “from the ground up,” Tye said, adding that construction for the $100 million-plus project would begin at the end of the year following completion of the permitting process and would last nearly 18 months.

The new buildings, which would span Harrison Avenue from Herald Street to Traveler Street and range from five to nine stories, would be designed by Elkus Manfredi Architects.

A 30,000-square-foot to 40,000-square-foot grocery store is envisioned for one building, with restaurants and smaller stores encompassing the remaining retail space. All four buildings would include apartments, but rents have yet to be determined, Tye said.

Several materials, including glass, brick and metal shingle will be used, along with a variety of window styles to distinguish each building.

“The idea is to create the feeling of four very different buildings on the block with a little bit of variation in height and a lot of variation in materials,” Tye said.

National Development filed its plans with the Boston Redevelopment Authority after conducting numerous meetings with the agency and community members. The company said it pitched an initial redesign plan six months ago that was categorized by both community members and the BRA as not being dense enough, high enough or following the standards envisioned by the Harrison-Albany Corridor Study.

“We chose to be good listeners. We kind of went back to the drawing board and tried to come up with a program and design that was more responsive to what we were hearing,” Tye said. “The result is a much better project than the one we had started with.”

Other featured amenities of the project include a roof-level outdoor area with pool, a theater, a fitness center and a cyber lounge. A transportation center would also be made available with bicycle storage, shared car service and electric car charging stations.

The term “Ink Block” reflects both the newspaper’s storied history at the site for more than 50 years, and is a reminder that the block that is bounded by Harrison Avenue and Herald, Traveler and Albany Streets, Tye said.

Locally, National Development is the co-developer of The Kensington, a 27-story residential tower currently under construction, and Longwood Center, a life-sciences building slated to start construction this year in the Longwood Medical Area. National Development also owns and manages several properties at Constitution Center in Charlestown, in the Financial District and in the Fort Point Channel areas.

The Herald’s print, interactive and administrative offices are now located at 70 Fargo St. in South Boston, occupying 51,000 square feet in the Seaport Center as part of a 10-year lease.

Following the paper’s move, the Harrison Avenue building will remain vacant and will not be re-tenanted prior to redevelopment.

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Developer files plans for former Herald headquarters

AUSTIN, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Drexel University and American Campus Communities (NYSE: ACC - News) will transform Chestnut Street between 32nd and 33rd Streets into a new gateway for Drexel and University City featuring approximately 361,200 square-feet of mixed-use student housing and retail space. The groundbreaking event for the estimated $97.6 million project is scheduled for February 21, with a targeted construction completion date of September 2013, announced Drexel University President John A. Fry.

“This innovative partnership combining dynamic urban retail with high-quality student housing will serve as a catalyst in continuing the revitalization of our campus and surrounding community,” said Fry. “We look forward to partnering with American Campus Communities to create a more vibrant gateway to University City.”

The development was structured via American Campus’s American Campus Equity (ACE®) program under which the company will develop, own and manage the project through a 70-year ground lease structure and make annual ground rent payments to Drexel.

“We are thrilled to be partnering with such a prestigious institution of higher learning such as Drexel and assisting President Fry in achieving his vision for the University,” said Bill Bayless, American Campus CEO. “This transaction stands as an example of a premier university benefiting from private sector investment to deliver world-class housing to its students while preserving its own debt capacity for core capital projects.”

Designed by internationally acclaimed Robert A.M. Stern Architects, the development will include two eight-story buildings that front Chestnut Street while maintaining an open entry corridor to the adjacent Creese Student Center. The broad use of glass at the street level combined with limestone will continue Drexel’s progress toward creating a pedestrian-friendly, mixed-use campus district enlivened by retail amenities.

The building design will also include a 19-story residential tower at the corner of Chestnut and 32nd streets. The two-story street-level space will include retail outlets, neighborhood restaurants, and a new corner entry into the Barnes and Noble – activating student life in an urban setting. Upper floors feature student apartments with both shared and private accommodation options.

“At a time of tremendous growth in our residential student population, this development will allow us to continue to offer Drexel students the very best in quality housing, dining, and services, while transforming Drexel’s Chestnut Street corridor into a community destination,” said James R. Tucker, senior vice president for Student Life and Administrative Services.

About 860 beds of high-quality housing will be available for students. Student residents may select from a variety of unit types, including shared accommodations in a two-bedroom/two-bathroom design or private accommodations in two unit options – a four-bedroom/two-bathroom apartment and an innovative four-bedroom/two-and-a-half-bathroom townhome configuration with in-unit washers and dryers.

The development includes a 14,800-square-foot community center with space for residence life operations and student amenities that include a social lounge with gaming area, a fitness center furnished with modern workout equipment, meeting space, a theater and laundry facilities.

About American Campus Communities

American Campus Communities, Inc. is the largest owner and manager of high-quality student housing communities in the United States. The company is a fully integrated, self-managed and self-administered equity real estate investment trust (REIT) with expertise in the design, finance, development, construction management, and operational management of student housing properties. American Campus Communities owns 119 student housing properties containing approximately 74,100 beds. Including its owned and third-party managed properties, ACC’s total managed portfolio consists of 149 properties with approximately 98,000 beds. Visit http://www.americancampus.com or http://www.studenthousing.com.

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American Campus Communities Commences Construction on Owned On-Campus Project at Drexel University in Philadelphia

GLENS FALLS -- The downtown Glens Falls building where Twigs rustic furniture and gift shop closed recently will soon have a new owner.

Elizabeth Miller, president of Miller Mechanical Services, confirmed Tuesday she is in the process of buying the 19 Ridge St. building.

"I hopefully would put some retail in there to give more business downtown. That's what I'm hoping to do," she said.

Miller said she has not determined exactly what type of retail operation she would operate.

"I've got some ideas, but it's a little bit premature," she said.

"The closing is in a couple of weeks. So once I get it closed, I'll certainly move forward into getting something in there."

Jacqueline Koch, who is selling the building, closed Twigs in late December, after nearly a decade in business.

At the time the business closed, Koch said business downtown had always been good, but she was ready to retire.

Glens Falls Mayor John "Jack" Diamond said he heard about Miller's interest in developing a retail business at the 19 Ridge St. building, but he did not know details of her plans.

Diamond said Miller Mechanical has been a progressive, community-minded business, and he's certain whatever Miller does in retail will be positive for downtown.

Miller Mechanical is a metal fabrication business that has clients in the pulp and paper, chemical/pharmaceutical, construction and utility industries.

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New owner plans new retail for downtown space

Universal Steel Buildings Construction Division recently announced the supply and construction of two pre-engineered metal buildings to DDM Properties for Jo's Globe Distributing CO, a retail beer distributorship in Morgantown, West Virginia. The project includes the supply and construction of a fifteen hundred square foot building attached to a new five-thousand six-hundred twenty-five square foot building also supplied and constructed by Universal Steel Buildings Construction Division.

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (PRWEB) January 31, 2012

Universal Steel Buildings Construction Division recently announced the supply and construction of two pre-engineered metal buildings to DDM Properties for Jo's Globe Distributing CO, a retail beer distributorship in Morgantown, West Virginia. The project includes the supply and construction of a fifteen hundred square foot building attached to a new five-thousand six-hundred twenty-five square foot building also supplied and constructed by Universal Steel Buildings Construction Division.

The attractive new building has “lightstone” exterior wall sheeting with “fern green” trim, gutters and downspouts. The innovative paint used by Universal Steel Buildings on their Olympia Steel Buildings comes with a forty-year warranty, making for a maintenance-free exterior that never needs painting. This high-technology paint coating is a “cool coating” designed to act as a thermal barrier to reflect the sun’s rays, keeping the insides of metal buildings up to twenty percent cooler and reducing HVAC costs year-round.

“The building is great,” stated Mike Marrara of DDM Properties. “The building has everything we need – office space, cool warehousing for the beer we distribute, easy-access truck bays for loading and unloading the product and a showroom where customers can choose from the many different types of beer and wine that we have on display.” Jo’s Globe Distributing Company is committed to providing outstanding customer service, selection and value. They pride themselves on being a company where customer service means fast, quality service and a friendly attitude. The retail beer distributor’s products include wheat beer, non-alcoholic beer, American and imported beers, wine and other quality products.

“Olympia Steel Buildings can be used for just about anything you need,” explained Jonathan Mass, company Design Estimator. “The quality of the buildings is unbeatable and we’re proud to be supplying them and putting them up. It gives a great sense of satisfaction when you can look at a great looking building and say, we did this, we supplied and put this building up.”

About Olympia Steel Buildings

Olympia Steel Buildings® are supplied by Universal Steel Buildings Corp, an industry leader in pre-engineered steel buildings for over 40 years, and sole supplier of Olympia Steel Buildings® to commercial, industrial, agricultural, residential, government, military and civilian agencies.

Olympia Steel Buildings come with their outstanding weather-resistant PBR roof, or you can opt for their patented Zeus-Shield® standing seam metal roofing system. GSA approved Olympia Steel Buildings set themselves apart by using better materials, better quality control, exceptional customer service and industry-leading warranties, including a 25-year rust through perforation warranty.

###

Jonathan D. Mass, Construction Department Design Estimator
Universal Steel Buildings
(888) 449-7756
Email Information

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Universal Steel Buildings Turnkey Construction Division Supplies Two Metal Buildings To DDM Properties

The developer of the Black Hills Center has reconfigured its site plan so it can offer space for more, smaller retail stores and restaurants around the Walmart under construction at Fifth Street and Catron Boulevard.

THF Realty originally proposed a 27,000-square-foot "mini-anchor" adjacent to a 19,000-square-foot retail strip, all north of Stumer Road and east of the new Walmart.

Now, THF plans to build one 33,900-square-foot strip center with as many as 15 storefronts, said Justin Brockman, who is handling leasing for the property from his Denver office.

"We've gotten overwhelming demand from retailers smaller in size, so we wanted to accommodate them," Brockman said.

About half of the space in the strip center has been committed to, Brockman said, and some tenants might take more than one storefront.

He declined to name any of the signed tenants, but said there would be a mix of new names and second or third locations for businesses already in Rapid City.

Plans for 14 parcels surrounding the city's second Walmart and the strip center haven't changed. Brockman said three parcels in particular have seen interest from tenants. Tenants might include retailers, fast food and full service restaurants, medical offices and hotels. Separately, on land not owned by THF, a bank and a gas station are planned at the corner of Fifth and Catron.

Construction on the strip center will be finished in May or June, giving tenants time to build out their shops so then can be open when Walmart opens in August and be ready for the back-to-school and holiday shopping seasons, Brockman said.

But the entire development could take several years to complete.

"It's important to have the right tenant mix that's going to be a complement to the community and the project. You want to make sure you can accommodate users when they're ready for the site."

He said interest should pick up more now that Walmart itself is under construction.

"We're excited to be doing business in Rapid City, and we are excited to become a part of the community with this project," Brockman said. "We're committed to making the best new retail project in Rapid City."

Contact Barbara Soderlin at 394-8417 or barbara.soderlin@rapidcityjournal.com.

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Walmart development offers space for more retailers

For the past 25 years, the Blue Star Arts Complex has been a haven for the arts. Now its owner is looking to make room for more retail.

James Lifshutz, the property's owner, said that he's looking to increase foot traffic at the complex by adding retail in space along South Alamo Street. Currently, he's in talks with gallery owners to find a way to reconfigure and update the buildings to make space for new retail tenants.

“We're looking to reconfigure the frontage along Alamo Street to create better retail and several of the artist-run galleries will be affected. So we're working with them to try and figure out a way to keep them there. I'm hopeful and expectant that we'll be able to keep them there. Not in their existing spaces, but in reconfigured space.”

The plan is in preliminary stages, but Lifshutz said he hopes to have new tenants in place by midyear. The property owner already has talked to several interested parties that could bring a neighborhood grocery market, coffee shop, bakery and an icehouse with a music venue. Some of the prospective tenants Lifshutz has spoken to also have existing businesses locally and in Austin, he said.

“This is not Payless Shoes. This will be retail that enhances and improves the life of an arts community,” Lifshutz said.

No leases have been signed for any of the space that's expected to be reconfigured. A lease was signed for a new bar, but it's located toward the middle of the complex. Bar 1919 will have the feel of an upscale speakeasy that's expected to open in late March, said Jeremy Jessop, the asset manager for the complex.

While everything is still in the planning stages, Jessop did say they will look to make updates such as adding central air and heat and new walkways to make the area more pedestrian friendly. Also, the galleries could have glass fronts that would allow visitors to enjoy the art without the galleries being open.

Blue Star's current footprint is about 160,000 square feet of art, retail and residential space. The cost for retail space there is about $15 per square foot, Jessop said. With the anticipated changes Lifshutz also said he plans to raise rents there.

Lifshutz added that he plans to secure financing to start construction on the second phase of Blue Star at the old Big Tex property by the end of this year.

“The art is the soul of the complex. With the improved retail, it really fulfills and brings to full blossom the original intent of Blue Star. It was never intended to just be a place where people make, look at, teach, buy and sell art. It was always intended to be all those things along with a vibrant 30-day a month life to it.”

Stella Haus is one of the art galleries that could be affected by the proposed changes. It has operated in the same space for nearly 10 years and Dayna De Hoyos, the gallery director, said that she and others hope to stay in their current spaces.

“We enjoy being in the Blue Star Arts Complex. We'd love to continue renting our spaces,” De Hoyos offered as a statement for her gallery and two others: Cactus Bra and Three Walls.

Neither De Hoyos nor the other gallery owners wanted to comment further until the negotiations concluded. But De Hoyos did say that raising rents would make things more difficult since the galleries don't make much money throughout the year.

The anticipated additions would bring added competition to the complexes current retail tenants, but Joey Villarreal, owner of the Blue Star Brewery, Blue Star Bike Shop and Joe Blue's, said he welcomes it.

“A synergy of different businesses can help bring more people to the area. There could be a nice exchange of clientele. I think it will be good.”

vlucio@express-news.net

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Blue Star to make room for retail