NAIOP Southern Nevada presents FACTS! Amidst COVID-19, Lending, Development and Construction: What is Actually Happening & Not Happening in Southern Nevada.

At its free April virtual breakfast. Panel speakers includeKyle Nagy, CommCap Advisors; Guy Martin, Martin-Harris Construction, and Doug Roberts, Panattoni Development Company. Hayim Mizrachi, MDL Group, will moderate the discussion. These industry experts will discuss what is actually happening in the commercial real estate development community in Southern Nevada during the COVID-19 pandemic. Find out if the pipeline of new tenants leasing space in new developments has dried up and are lenders just waiting for the foreclosure stay to be lifted so they can repo commercial properties, plus much more.

The meeting is sponsored by Cox Business.

NAIOP Southern Nevada provides educational and informative programs during its monthly member meetings on topics relevant to the commercial real estate development industry. Year-round, NAIOP Southern Nevada hosts mixers and educational programs for its members and potential members. To register or for more information, call (702) 798-7194 or visit http://www.naiopnv.org.

When: Thursday, April 16, 2020

Participant Sign On 7:45 a.m.Webinar program 8:00 a.m. 9:00 a.m.

Where: The webinar is free and you can register athttps://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_dtdcDPZWRt6zYLGKliY47g.Registrants will receive an email from Zoom with a login link to the webinar.

About NAIOP Southern Nevada

NAIOP Southern Nevada is a chapter of NAIOP, the Commercial Real Estate Development Association, and it comprises more than 600 members serving the Southern Nevada market. NAIOP is the leading organization for developers, owners and related professionals in office, industrial, retail and mixed-use real estate, with 20,000 members in North America. NAIOP advances responsible commercial real estate development and advocates for effective public policy. For more information, visitwww.naiopnv.org.For more information on NAIOP corporate, visitwww.naiop.org.

###

Continue reading here:
NAIOP Southern Nevada presents FACTS! Amidst COVID-19, Lending, Development and Construction: What is Actually Happening and Not Happening in Southern...

By Gregory Call, Rebecca Suarez, Allyson McKinstry and Tracy Reichmuth April 7, 2020, 4:07 PM EDT

Few industries have been as impacted as much as brick-and-mortar retail. Shopping centers and retail stores (other than those providing essential services) have closed and retailers and landlords have been talking to their lawyers. It is certain that the advice retailers and retail landlords have been getting is we need to read the lease language, understand the specific facts, and see what law there might be that deals with similar situations.

Just a couple of weeks ago, there were questions about whether stores and shopping centers had to be closed, should be closed, and could be closed. But that has changed rapidly. Now stores and shopping centers have closed, and the decisions made by retailers and retail landlords to close are not being questioned.

Closing stores has had a dramatic impact on sales for many retailers. While many retailers have online businesses, the vast majority of their sales still come from in-store sales.

The only reason a retailer enters into a lease is to operate its business in the specified space meaning to sell its merchandise to customers in the store. With both stores and shopping centers now closed, the opportunity for those sales is gone and the lease provides the retailer no benefit.

For the past two weeks, retailers have faced questions regarding the payment of rent. For brick-and-mortal retailers, rent is a major expense across their portfolio of leased space. For many major retail chains, rent payments total tens, and in some cases hundreds, of millions of dollars a month. Alternatively, rent payments are the primary source of revenue for retail landlords.

So what do 100-page retail leases say about the circumstances retailers and landlords face in these times? There are few leases (we have seen none) that consider the impact of a pandemic. Retail leases are instead filled with language that recognizes the fundamental nature of the bargain the parties struck: The landlord will provide a space for the retailer to operate its business, and if the retailer has a space to operate its business then the retailer will pay monthly rent.

Retail leases also contain agreed-upon provisions regarding anticipated risks that could prevent retailers from operating their businesses. For example, leases frequently contain provisions addressing physical damage to the leased space that prevents the retailer from operating its business. Similar provisions deal with other contemplated risks, including condemnation and hazardous materials.

The construction provisions of most retail leases similarly reflect this concept, providing that the payment of rent begins only after the tenant can open its store and begin to operate its business. All of these provisions recognize the fundamental bargain struck between retailers and landlords: To the extent that the retailer cannot operate its business, rent will not be required for the time and extent that the business cannot be operated.

Co-tenancy provisions are currently not satisfied, providing tenants with additional arguments.

Given the widespread closure of stores, co-tenancy provisions provide retailers with additional support for not paying or abating rent under the lease. A key aspect of shopping centers is that they gather tenants together in one location so that each tenant can benefit from the customers that other tenants bring to the shopping center.

Retail landlords in many leases agree that rent will vary depending on which tenants, and how many tenants, occupy and operate in the shopping center. These clauses are called co-tenancy provisions and they provide that if certain specific tenants (often referred to as key or anchor tenants) are not open and operating in the center, or if the percentage of total space occupied by operating tenants who qualify under some agreed-upon definition falls below a certain level at the center, the rent the tenant owes will be lower.

The language of these clauses varies. In interpreting these clauses, courts have found the provisions are not promises by the landlord, but instead conditions that, if not, met allow tenant to pay alternate rent. For example, in Old Navy LLC v. Center Developments Oregon LLC,[1] the court found:

TheLease does not require [Landlord] to keep Key Stores at the Mall, and [Landlord] does not promise to keep Key Stores at the Mall ....If the conditions for operating the Old Navy store at the Mall are not met, Old Navy may choose to close its store and continue paying rent or it may choose to pay Alternate Rent-thus, invoking a tiered rent structure. In other words, Article 13.4 does not provide for damages if [Landlord] fails to keep certain tenants at the Mall. If [Landlord] leases to an entity that does not qualify as a Key Store, it is not in breach or default of the Lease and it does not owe Old Navy any damages. Rather, it must notify Old Navy of the Key Store closure, thereby triggering Old Navy's right to either pay Alternate Rent or close its store and pay Minimum Rent.

Landlords, in response, are arguing that retailers should pay full rent even though they are not able to operate their stores in the rented space, and are pointing primarily to a single paragraph in each lengthy lease: the act of God or force majeure provision. That paragraph often says something like this:

If either party is delayed, hindered, or prevented from the performance of an obligation because of strikes, lockouts, power failure, restrictive governmental laws or regulations, riots, insurrection, war, or another reason not the fault of the party delayed, but not including financial inability, the performance shall be excused for the period of delay. Tenant shall not be excused from the payment of rental, additional rental, or other payments.

Retailers can point to many problems with landlords force majeure argument.

First, tenants may point out that the provision has no application because the retail tenants right to not pay rent does not arise because of a force majeure event. Rather, the tenants right to not pay rent arises because the tenant no longer has a space to operate its business. The current situation is covered by numerous other provisions throughout the lease that provide that if tenant does not have a space to operate its business, it therefore does not have to pay rent.

Second, any reasonable reading of the force majeure provision in the context of the entire agreement makes clear that language specifying that the tenant is not excused from paying rent applies only in situations where the tenant cannot pay rent because of an unforeseen event (e.g. the tenants headquarters has been destroyed and it cant process rent checks). But such language has no application to the current situation, in which a tenant has no space to operate its business.

An interpretation of force majeure language that excuses landlord from its obligations but requires tenant to pay regular rent runs contrary to express language the parties agreed to elsewhere in the lease regarding known risks, such as fire and condemnation.

Third, courts have long held that force majeure provisions should be narrowly interpreted. That rule raises doubts that a force majeure provision that does not specifically include pandemics has any application to the current situation. The rule further weighs against any interpretation that creates a situation (contrary to other provisions in the lease) in which a tenant must pay rent even though it has no location to operate its business.

Landlords also contend that force majeure provisions negate the carefully negotiated co-tenancy provisions found in leases. Landlords contend that force majeure provisions excuse landlords performance in satisfying the co-tenancy occupancy levels. The obvious problem for landlords is that co-tenancy is a condition that determines what rent is paid not an obligation of the landlord.

Existing legal authority supports retailers argument that where the landlord fails to provide a space for the retailers operations, rent obligations are excused.

Beyond simply reading the lease, attorneys for retailers and retail tenants are looking for past decisions involving analogous situations. As just one example, there is interesting law from Prohibition-era cases examining the impact of Prohibition on leases for businesses that sold alcohol. In those cases, courts determined that if a contract was legal when it was made, and the performance of it is rendered illegal by a subsequent law, then both parties would be discharged from their obligations.[2]

There are also more recent decisions regarding frustration of purpose and impossibility that have application here. For example, in Saab v. Norton Family Inc.,[3] a retailer and a shopping center owner entered into a commercial lease that expressly provided that the retailer was to use the leased premises only for the purpose of running a restaurant and serving liquor.

After operating a restaurant for two years, the retailers restaurant and liquor licenses were revoked by the city and the retailer abandoned the leased premises. The shopping center responded by suing for unpaid rent.

Applying the doctrine of frustration of purpose, the court found that the retailer was clearly warranted in terminating its obligations under the lease. The court explained that it was physically possible for [the retailer] to remain in possession and continue to pay rent, but it would have received no value in return because it could not do the one and only thing for which it had leased the premises and which it was permitted to do under the Lease; namely, operate a restaurant.[4]

Conclusion

So what do we know?

First, retail tenants and landlords do not agree on what their leases provide regarding the obligation to pay rent in the current situation. Second, in situations in which the parties understood that a retail tenant would not be able to operate its business, the parties agreed that tenant would not pay rent. Third, in the past when courts have considered situations in which a tenant was unable to operate its business in the leased space, courts have concluded tenant should not pay rent.

Today, retail tenants are not able to operate their businesses in the spaces they leased. Despite that fact, landlords are pressuring the tenants that cannot operate their businesses to pay rent. We will see what happens over the virtual (for the time being) negotiating tables and in virtual courtrooms across America.

The opinions expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the firm, its clients, or Portfolio Media Inc., or any of its or their respective affiliates. This article is for general information purposes and is not intended to be and should not be taken as legal advice.

[1] 2012 WL 2192284, at *11 (June 13, 2012, D. Or.).

[2] Heart v. East Tennessee Brewing Co. , 113 S.W. 364 (Tenn. 1908).

[3] 2000 Mass. App. Div. 200-02 (2000).

[4] Id. at 20102 (internal citation omitted).

For a reprint of this article, please contact reprints@law360.com.

More:
Anticipating The Pandemic's Impact On Retail Leases - Law360

Theres a new lighting collection coming to High Point Market next month KingsHaven and while the line may be new to the North Carolina home furnishings market, its founder/designer is not new to interior or product design. Over the past five years, Lauren Wylonis has immersed herself in the varied disciplines of interiors when it comes to creating beautiful home spaces designer, retailer, product designer and author. And thats after 15 years as a forensic psychiatrist.

When asked what inspired her transition to home design, Wylonis says, I really love art. Our homes are the art thats with us every way and every day. I feel lucky to be able to design spaces that influence peoples moods and positively affect how they live in their homes.

In her interior design career, and as outlined in her first book, At Home with KingsHaven, Wyloniss style incorporates both historic and contemporary design elements within the restoration and construction projects shes undertaken in and around Philadelphia including the Grantham Estate, which was designed by William Lightfoot Price in 1895; the Heydon Estate, which was designed by Bissell & Sinkler in 1929; and Agincourt, a new-construction home that was designed with the history of the area in mind. We got started in remodeling and designing historic homes first, she says.

In addition to the historic details, however, Wylonis is also considerate of her clients. I feel that mindfulness in design is really important. Designing with a sense of wellness is important for peoples mood and health every day, the former psychiatrist notes. We should be designing to reduce stress levels, not increase them. To ensure her customers love the homes she designs for them, Wylonis said she pays attention to whos going to live in the space and what their activities look like, and then tailors her design to create homes that allow her customers to be their happiest, healthiest, best selves in the space.

For Wylonis, good lighting goes a long way toward creating functional, comfortable spaces. Designing to a historic aesthetic but with modern conveniences, finding lighting proved challenging, so she began designing her own, mixing modern elements with tried-and-true materials and construction techniques.

I have a love of history and the craftsmen who have contributed to architecture and design for hundreds of years, Wylonis says. Appreciating the takeaways from years ago is important. I love the idea of stories in a home, particularly one of past lives. They contribute to a sense of depth and grounding for the people now living in that home.

While Wylonis will showcase her lighting in High Point this spring, her line of products extends into home decor as well, much of it focused on that blend of old and new. We do a number of products that are based on historic design lines, she notes. Well create a more transitional version of an antique fixture by streamlining it. You still get the distinctive lines of the architecture but maybe well use a warm LED bulb so its more energy efficient.

Where Wylonis and her product team dont improvise is in the quality of the craftsmanship and materials used in her home furnishings. The foundation of much of her product design revolves around iron and exotic woods, materials she says give the KingsHaven collection its texture. You really have a depth in those fixtures as part of the design of a room.

Wylonis says the company employs artisans from around the globe who are experts in their craft, be that basket weavers from the Darin Rainforest or blacksmiths from Ecuador. While the manufacture of KingsHaven designs are sourced in areas such as South America, finishing work is done in the United States, which gives Wylonis and her KingsHaven team the ability to customize based on customer requests. With 52 finishes and more than 70 different colors of glass that the company designs with, the possibilities for those interested in KingsHaven lighting are endless.

Currently, KingsHaven home furnishings are available through a few upscale retailers and the companys namesake retail/design emporium on the Philadelphia Main Line where Wylonis curates a selection of fine lighting, home accessories and furniture as well as on the companys website.

Coming this spring, KingsHaven will launch its lighting in theWoodbridge Furniture High Point showroom and is also opening a showroom in New York at the D&D building. Were trying to increase our visibility and accessibility to people who are interested in quality materials and workmanship, Wylonis says.

As for home design, that funnels through KingsHavens property companies, KingsHaven Properties and KingsHaven Design, as Wylonis concentrates on building the product side of the KingsHaven brand.

Original post:
Lauren Wylonis Shares the Inspiration Behind KingsHaven - Furniture Lighting & Decor

Glendale City Council is considering whether to annex an 865-acre property that would be the citys second-largest addition in 25 years, but several on Council have reservations about proposed plans for the property.

Glendale has already annexed 417 acres of property and if it continues plans with four properties going through the annexation process, that number will rise to 763 acres. But the 865-acre Allen Ranches property, which is west of Loop 303, bordered by Bethany Home Road to the north and Camelback Road to the south, would more than double that total to 1,628 acres or more than two and a half square miles.

Nearly all of the newly-annexed property or property under consideration for annexation is in Glendales New Frontier near the Loop 303. The 1,337-acre annexation added in 2017 for the Woolf Logistics Industrial Campus, east of Reems Road on either side of Olive Avenue, is the only property Glendales added since 1995 larger than the Allen Ranches property.

While City Council told staff to move forward with the annexation properties, as it did with all five properties it reviewed late last month, several on Council had reservations on adding Allen Ranches to the city.

Council members objections around the property were that it includes plans for a residential development, could have a higher density of homes than Council would like, and would create a city island community of residents surrounding mostly by county land, miles away from the city and from most city services.

Im just not sure that this is going to make long-run sense to the city, said Barrel District Councilman Bart Turner.

The Allen Ranches property plans to use 615 of its acres for industrial businesses and 250 acres for a housing development. City Council has largely prioritized businesses over homes in recent years when choosing which properties to annex because they bring in to the citys take revenue rather than drain it.

Also, much of the property in Glendales New Frontier are near Luke Air Force Base and therefore restricted by Luke Compatible Land Uses, an intergovernmental agreement between the county and cities near the base to determine what can and cant be near the base, namely due to noise from jets. Mostly, the Luke Compatible Land Uses restrict homes and high-traffic retail close to the base and prefer industrial warehouses where fewer people would be.

A noise contour line runs through the Allen Ranches property. This shows how much jet noise an area will receive and dictates which land uses can exist in an area. The land owner plans to use the entire area west of the 65-decibel designation line to build homes, because there are no land-use restrictions west of that line.

Under its current zoning, the land outside of that noise contour line is approved for 2.5 homes per acre, but some on Council thought that was too dense.

I think this is one case where being relatively close to Luke, they should stick with low density at 2.5 (units) to the acre, said Yucca District Councilwoman Joyce Clark.

Ms. Clark and some others on Council didnt like the idea of adding any homes to the city.

Councils goal is to encourage and promote job opportunities in our New Frontier. I am not pleased to see this applicant come in with a mix of industrial and residential, she said.

Ms. Clark asked staff to explore the option of adding only the industrial portion of the Allen Ranches property and excluding the residential portion.

Vice Mayor Ray Malnar of the Sahuaro District, said hes not opposed to their being residential property as part of the annexation but agreed with Ms. Clark that a lower density would be better for the area.

When land is annexed into Glendale, by law its zoning transfers to the Glendale zoning designation that most closely matches what its zoning was under the county. Cholla District Councilwoman Lauren Tolmachoff noted that Allen Ranches already has the authority to a 2.5-home-per-acre density under the county. The property is seeking a rezone to create a Planned Area Development, but would most likely not agree to change to a lower housing density, Ms. Tolmachoff said.

Mr. Turner noted that while the housing development would pay for all of its internal roads, when it was time for those roads to be maintained, that cost would fall on Glendale taxpayers.

Ms. Tolmachoff also said she was concerned about the annexation because she was not excited about taking in the residential property.

Were having enough of a difficult time with our pavement management without bringing in more responsibility where were essentially going to be getting one-time money out here with the industrial, Ms. Tolmachoff said, while calling into the March 24 meeting.

City Manager Kevin Phelps noted that this property does not need to be annexed into the city. The developer can build the planned warehouses and homes while remaining under county jurisdiction. Mr. Phelps noted that in this case, Council would lose any control over the housing development and it could theoretically get approval from the county to add density or to switch to land uses that Glendale wouldnt like.

Mr. Phelps also pointed to the things the property would add to the city that Council does prioritize a lot of industrial businesses.

When you have a situation like that, sometimes theres a little bit of you get to have 100% of what youre looking for, Mr. Phelps said. What Ill tell you is this: this is our single largest proposed density of industrial/manufactural/commercial space on the entire Loop 303. The developers have proposed 11 million square feet of commercial development and theyve also included a willingness to do a fair amount of construction before having tenants lined up. And thats somewhat unique as well.

Mr. Phelps also noted that the proposed housing development, on the Allen Ranches western edge, would create a buffer to the existing housing development on county land to the west.

Lastly, Mr. Turner and Ms. Tolmachoff raised concerns over creating a city island of homes. Glendale is rapidly annexing land in the area, but there has been no residential property.

Youre going to be generating 3,000 residents, probably at least, maybe more, that are completely detached from the city public safety and city services, Ms. Tolmachoff said. So, Im not excited about the residential either.

Mr. Malnar asked staff to study and report back on the positives and negatives that such a city island would create for those residents.

Does it really matter?, he asked. Does it just provide a different type of lifestyle for people to be away from the city a little bit further, and is it going to really cause any problems with the rest of the citizens in the city?

The next steps for Allen Ranches and all under properties under consideration is for a blank petition to come before City Council before it is sent out to property owners on the land up for annexation to sign. A 30-day waiting period must be observed before the signatures can be collected. Then City Council would vote on whether to annex the property.

Link:
Glendale Council unsure whether to annex 865-acre property - Your Valley

According to The Architectural Team's (TAT) experts, these five stories will play out through 2020 and will endure through the decade.

As we enter the new decade, our designers and clients alike see a growing emphasis on projects intended to keep neighbourhoods affordable, and an interest in both time-tested and new design solutions to address housing shortages. We also anticipate important milestones for major projects transforming urban cores, a renewed resurgence in smaller cities, and foward-thinking approaches to resilient waterfront developments.

In growing cities nationwide, the displacement of longtime residents has emerged as a majorconcern.

To keep neighborhoods affordable and accessible were working with developers, non-profits, and public officials to expand or redevelop existing affordable and workforce housing developments, adding more residential units while preserving affordability and dramatically enhancing livability.

As an example, Jay Szymanski, AIA, NCARB, LEED AP points to TAT's redevelopment of one of the country's oldest public housing communities, South Boston's The Anne M. LynchHomes at Old Colony. Work is now underway to add a further 301 apartments to the 285residences built since 2011, which replaced midcentury superblocks with a series of attractive mid-rise buildings and townhomes. In nearby Roxbury, the firms redevelopment of the 1950s-era Whittier Street Apartments created a new amenity rich, mixed-income, transit-oriented multifamily campus with 210 affordable units out of 386 total, and an emphasis on outdoor community space.

Other soon-to-open projects will serve specific populations that often struggle to find housingand support. TATs 102 unit Residences at Brighton Marine, for instance, is leasing witha dedicated focus on veterans and their families, and offers 86 affordable homes including anumber of apartments set aside for formerly homeless veterans.

Faced with a persistent shortage in housing supply across the US, architects and developers are responding with solutions that demonstrate the continued value of adaptive reuse, and the benefits of new approaches including prefabricated and modular construction.

Across the northeast, TAT is reactivating formerly vacant or underutilized structures as newhousing. In Attleboro, Massachusetts, the firm has converted a historic jewelry factory into 93 units of senior housing called Sterling Lofts, offering important rental options for the states rapidly growing over-60 population.

At Bostons Ropewalk, a previously vacant landmark rope factory will soon offer 97 rentalapartments, the sixth historic residential conversion by TAT within the Charlestown NavyYard redevelopment. In Boston's South End, 100 Shawmut maximizes the potential of its siteby adding a seven story contemporary addition to a historic warehouse, for a total of 138 new condominium units.

Integrating adaptive reuse and new construction is a great way to address housing shortages while respecting a neighborhoods character. Were able to create value for the community by preserving historic fabric and looking to the future at the same time.

Other cities are exploring highly efficient approaches to infill development, includingprefabricated construction. In Quincy, Massachusetts, TAT is transforming a parking lot into a15 story, 124 unit tower called Chestnut Place, where locally fabricated modules havedramatically increased speed to market for these much-needed homes.

With new air rights developments, hotel towers, and uniquely positioned residential properties, many urban cores are set for major transformations in 2020 as closely watched and long-awaited projects reach major milestones.

For example, one of Bostons biggest real estate stories in a generation, Fenway Center, willsoon cross a watershed moment with its first phase approaching completion and its secondphase on track to kick off this year. TATs design for this 1.3 million-square-foot air rightscomplex adds housing, commercial office space, and retail uses while decking over a majorhighway and reconnecting three neighborhoods with new green space, public art, andpedestrian and transit connections. The first phase, Bower, offers 312 apartments, 37,000ft of retail, and 12,000ft of public open space.

A hotel boom continues, too, with one of the northeast's most eagerly anticipated mixed usetowers, the Raffles Boston Back Bay Hotel & Residences, designed by TAT for theprestigious international hospitality group and developer Trinity Stuart LLC. After a fall 2018groundbreaking, the 33 story high-rise is now under construction, transforming a prime corner site into a regional destination as the first Raffles property in the United States.

Design teams are also unlocking new opportunities in dense, built-up areas where large sites are hard to find. In Bostons historic Beacon Hill neighborhood, TAT's Archer Residences reimagines two six story former university buildings as a single, 172,000ft residential property topped off with a pair of contemporary penthouse additions and a sweeping landscaped roof terrace.

Identified by commercial real estate services group Commercial Caf as one of thecountrys fastest-growing Rust Belt cities, Rochester, NY is on a path towards a new era ofsuccess. One of the linchpins of this recovery is Sibley Square, the TAT-designedconversion of a 1-million-square-foot former downtown department store into housing, acommunity marketplace, and high-tech workplace environments. A major indoor market is set to open within the phased, WinnDevelopment-led project this year.

Smaller gateway cities like Worcester, MA, are on the upswing too, thanks to projectslike Courthouse Lofts, TAT's conversion of the historic Worcester County Courthouse into117 units of housing. Nearing completion, the Trinity Financial-led property also holds a first-in-the-nation museum celebrating local icon and pioneering African-American cyclist Major Taylor.

Increasingly vulnerable, flood-prone urban waterfronts remain desirable sites for newresidential and mixed use development. Forward-thinking design teams are taking a holistic approach to these projects, employing hard and soft approaches to shoreline design, strategic landscaping, and elevated public use areas. The result? Properties that can absorb storm surges while enhancing the public realm and long-term viability.

TATs recently opened Clippership Wharf, a 12 acre, 478 unit mixed use complexdeveloped by Lendlease in East Boston, has garnered national attention for this approach,which also offers residents and community members access to a harborwalk, beachfront area and floating dock with a kayak launch.

Link:
The Architectural Team unveil the five main values coming in 2020 - World Architecture News

CALGARY -- Some of Calgarys construction job sites are carrying on through the pandemic, but many have taken drastic measures to ensure safety.

"Definitely a lot more attention to cleanliness," said construction worker Eric Woodcock.

"Usually trades, were Neanderthals, basically all of us, theres a lot more hand sanitizing, more wash basins. We put in multiple sinks and have done what we can to get our hands on as much hand sanitization as possible."

Woodcock is working at a construction site building retail and condo buildings in the northeast.

He said construction can be tricky to navigate social distancing, but they want to keep their jobs.

"Anyone who knows this nature of this beast here, its impossible to do some things that far apart but anything physically possible were maintaining at least two metres at all times, the best we can obviously," said Woodcock.

The Calgary Construction Association said a new pandemic protocol document has been created to help companies deal with new safety measures to protect against COVID-19.

"The document we started creating was really the beginning of our effort to help the whole industry understand the safety as it related to COVID," said president Bill Black.

"Youre changing the engine of the train while the train is running to implement new standards."

Black said the document comes with guidelines companies big and small can take to ensure worker safety.

"Construction is an inherently dangerous business," said Black.

"We deal with safety everyday and safety is a profession within our industry. It is designed, enforced, monitored and measured on a daily basis."

Black suggests many companies have already come up with ideas and protocols to ensure physical distancing and sanitizing.

"Take meetings outdoors, dont have them in enclosed spaces where the space can be more readily utilized for distancing," said Black.

"Limit the size of meetings. In some sites workers are eating lunch in their vehicles alone rather than together, managing gathering points."

For Woodcock, he said there are fewer people on the job site.

"Were keeping our site numbers low, like the man count, but attached to everyone of these companies, theres an office full of people," said Woodcock.

"Just one site alone, it's hundreds of jobs."

As for any potential of spreading coronavirus, Woodcock said workers are taking different measures than usual.

"We come here and do our job, which is unfortunately in the world right now, unique, were in the minority there," he said.

"The main difference is when you leave site, you go home. You dont go the store, you cant go out for dinner, you go home, clean yourself the best you can and hopefully see your family."

The province says Occupational Health and Safety has conducted 165 inspections within the construction sector since March 15. None have been specific to COVID-19 related hazards.

"Recent inspections have taken an education and awareness focus to COVID-19 hazards, specifically social distancing, personal protective equipment and sanitization and cleaning practices," said spokesperson Adrienne South in a statement.

Read the original post:
Calgary construction workers plugging away through pandemic - CTV News

Property developer Elevate Property Group has submitted plans to bring a derelict site in Birminghams Jewellery Quarter back to life in its latest project in the city.

The plans for the residential development, Heaton House Lofts, will bring 14 townhouses, 42 apartments and 3,500 sq ft of commercial space to try and recreate a part of Birminghams history.

To revive the sites historical roots, Heaton House Lofts will also include the restoration of a large 3,362 sq ft four-bedroomed Georgian villa, with paved garden terrace and its own private garage.

The original Heaton House was a 19th century villa in Camden Street, which at the time was part of the middle-class suburban developments that grew up on the fringes of the city centre in Birmingham.

The development was subsequently swallowed up in the expansion of Birminghams Jewellery Quarter and by the end of the century, Heaton House had been converted to form part of a large industrial works.

In a paper providing an architectural and archaeological assessment, written by historic buildings consultant Richard Morriss, it states: The complex of buildings centred on Heaton House is a good example of the industrialisation of the middle-classsuburban fringes of Birmingham in the later 19thcentury a process particularly common in the area to the north of the town centre in what is now called the Jewellery Quarter.

The original house would have been a rather fine example of a gentlemans suburban residence of the early 19thcentury, set within its own miniature landscaped park.

Heaton House was the home of a leading Birmingham merchant, William Cotterill, and was said to be the second oldest residential property in Birmingham. The building and its outbuildings were eventually altered to fit their new roles in industry and in recent years have become disused.

Now, Elevate Property Group, which has a reputation for the sympathetic regeneration of historic buildings, has pledged to bring the site back into residential use.

Following discussions between Elevates professional advisers and Birmingham city planners, the proposals for Heaton House Lofts will be submitted for planning approval this spring.

The company is currently applying for B1 and D2 usage for the 3,500 sq ft of commercial space on Powell Street, meaning the property can be utilised for offices or a possible leisure/gym complex.

Heaton House Lofts will quickly come to be recognised as one of the premier new addresses in Birmingham, says David Hofton, sales and marketing director at Elevate Property Group.

Camden Street is located just a mile from the city centre, giving quick access to the central business district and Birminghams vibrant retail, leisure and restaurant offer.

Founded in 2011, Elevate Property Group has been responsible for some of Birminghams most interesting, and sometimes controversial, residential projects. Current high-profile developments throughout the country include Victoria Point (Ashford), Alban House (Hereford), Trent Bridge Quays (Nottingham), Liversage Street (Derby), Princes Gate (Solihull), Assay Lofts (Birmingham), Sheldon Court (Birmingham) and Cliveland Street (Birmingham).

The company currently has in excess of a million square feet of development either under construction or in the planning and legal process. It has recently secured new lines of funding and is actively seeking new development opportunities throughout the UK.

For more information on Elevates new development at Heaton House Lofts, contact sales@elevatepropertygroup.co.uk or call David Hofton on 0121 272 5729.

Read this article:
Heaton House Lofts to restore Birmingham's 19th century heritage - Property Investor Today

The UK government is being urged to follow Scotlands lead and close all but essential construction sites in England and Wales.

Scotland announced a list of essential sites yesterday, bringing an immediate stop to work on the majority of the countrys construction projects.

New Civil Engineer understands that the UK government is poised to follow suit, and has been consulting industry bodies about a list of essential sites since last week.

However, the government has been reluctant to publish the list or introduce stricter controls on the construction sector thus far.

Construction groups are now urging the UK government to see sense and close non-essential construction sites.

Federation of Master Builder (FMB) chief executive Brian Berry said: It is almost impossible to follow Public Health Englands social distancing advice on many sites, and it would therefore be safer to close them".

The government has already advised that non-essential construction sites to close down, but has stopped short of defining what is essential.

However, the Scottish government is now being much more prescriptive announcing which sites should remain open and which should close.

Work on domestic housing, education institutions and office buildings are among those which must now be closed north of the border. Certain health and transport jobs are deemed essential and are allowed to stay open.

If sites can be safely completed within 5 working days they can be completed.

Road works and some energy related jobs will go forward. The Scottish government warned any projects can only continue operating if they can comply with the guidance on the safety and welfare of people.

Work on hospitals in Edinburgh and Glasgow including the Department of Clinical Neurosciences in Edinburgh and the refurbishment job on the Childrens Hospital in Glasgow will also go ahead.

Sites which need to close in Scotland

Sites that can stay open in Scotland

The Scottish Government website has the full explanation of the new regulations.

Like what you've read?To receive New Civil Engineer's daily and weekly newsletters click here.

Here is the original post:
Government urged to publish 'essential sites' list - New Civil Engineer

Although work has stalled because of coronavirus restrictions, the developers of the Union Square Tech Hub now known as Zero Irving are still on the hunt for office tenants and planning their next steps for construction.

RAL Development halted work on the 21-story office building earlier this week after Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced that all nonessential construction was suspended to prevent the spread of the respiratory virus. Before then, workers had put up six stories of concrete and were getting ready to pour the seventh floor on the site of the former P.C. Richards store near Union Square South.

However, its not your typical office project. The development, which is being built on city-owned land, is going to be partially devoted to training new generations of coders and helping them get jobs. It will also include step-up space for young, growing tech companies.

The ground floor retail space is about to be leased to Urbanspace, which will operate a 10,000-square-foot food hall with a 1,700-square-foot outdoor terrace in the rear yard. Tech networking group Civic Hall plans to operate the second through seventh floors on a significantly below-market lease of $50 per square foot. (Civic Hall has been involved in the project for quite some time, but its lease is not yet finalized.) There will be an event and conference center on the second floor, and the third, fourth and fifth floors will be licensed to job training and workforce development organizations focused on placing people at tech companies. The eighth through 12th floors will offer step-up space for younger startups that need shorter lease terms, ranging from six months to five years. As part of RALs ground lease with the city, the developer cant ask for more than one years security deposit from tenants who rent on these floors. The rent for these floors will not be discounted.

The remaining 13 floors will be typical market-rate office space for established tech firms. Asking rents range from $95 to $145 per square foot, with higher floors renting at pricier rates. The 14th and 21st floors have smaller private terraces, and there will be a top floor, 6,300-square-foot roof deck with seating and landscaping thats accessible to all of the office tenants. The building will also feature a full-service gym. JLLs Mitch Konsker and Ben Bass are handling the leasing.

Some developers have struggled with supply chain issues since coronavirus hit China and Italy, but RAL planned so far ahead that most of its materials were ordered before the pandemic.

The vast majority of our curtain wall system is actually coming from Colombia, said RAL President Spencer Levine. Weve been working on the curtain wall for two years. The vast majority is ready to ship. We have a small portion that is being fabricated in China. There is a slight delay in that and were seeing how we can work with the sequencing of construction to fit that in afterwards.

Read the original here:
Developers of Zero Irving Manage a Construction Shutdown and Leasing - Commercial Observer

An indoor garden at the American Dream.

Source: American Dream

It is becoming even harder to call American Dream a megamall.

Instead, theroughly 3 million-square-foot developmentthat sits alongside a bustling highway in East Rutherford, New Jersey, is morphing into more of an ultimate amusement park. More like Disneylandif it fit under one roof. With shifts in strategy over time, retail is becoming even more of an afterthought, while entertainment takes center stage.

Prior to the coronavirus pandemic hitting the U.S., American Dream was slated to be a mix of 55% entertainment-related tenants and 45% retailers, when it was completely finished. Now, the project will be roughly 70% entertainment and 30% retail, according to its developer, Triple Five Group.

American Dream shifting its leasing strategy amid this pandemic could serve as the most damning evidence we have seen against the retail industry to date. The property, years in the making, has helped to take the pulse of retail as long as it has been under construction.

When ground was broken in 2004, under the project's original developers,Amazon's ascent and the e-commerce boom was just beginning. Names like Circuit City, Sports Authority, Blockbuster, RadioShack and Toys R Us were still in business. American Dream's blueprint has, as a result, been rewritten time and time again.

Now, this project will also be the true test for consumers paying for touch-and-feel experiences, once coronavirus restrictions are lifted. Will people want to ride roller coasters? Ride down water slides? Go ice skating within 6 feet of someone else? Play put-put? American Dream will teach us.

"We are going to come out of this super strong ... really strong on the entertainment side," Don Ghermezian, co-CEO of American Dream, told CNBC in an interview. "I think when [coronavirus] is over, people will be so stir crazy. Initially there will be some trepidation ... but I think we are going to have so many people."

Up until March 13, when Triple Five Group announced it would be temporarily closing American Dream to try to help halt the spread of COVID-19, what had already opened there was aNickelodeon theme park, an NHL-regulation-size ice skating rink, and an indoor snow park for skiers and snowboarders that had opened in the winter. The only retail at American Dream, so far, had been a towering IT'SUGAR candy store.

On March 19, a first wave of retailers like Zara and H&M were anticipated to open their doors to the public, in addition tothe world's first DreamWorks Animation Water Park.But all of that, along with the final construction at the property, has been delayed until further notice. A fresh reopening date has not been set, with the entire country still uncertain when this pandemic will subside.

Coping with its own losses, American Dream has furloughed "most staff" and cut the salaries of others, according toGhermezian. "This has cost us a lot of money," he said.

But the onesilver liningin the situation if there ever was one has been being able to rethink the future of American Dream, the co-CEO said. As of March, the development was not yet fully leased, giving Triple Five Group flexibility to reassess the new deals it wants to sign.

"There is no doubt that when this is over, there will be retailers that were just making it along ... trying to survive. Those retailers that were on the bubble I fully expect a number of those retailers to be gone," Ghermezian said.

"They cannot handle having no income coming in," he said. "And some of them are furloughing. It is a very difficult time. I fully expect there will be records set for retailers' closing [in 2020]. This virus has exacerbated that situation. A lot of retailers aren't going to reopen."

Ghermezian said no retailers have backed out of American Dream to date. The property is slated to have a Saks Fifth Avenue department store in the luxury wing, along with a variety of high- and low-end retailers including Ulta, Lululemon and Old Navy.

Now, instead of adding even more apparel and shoe stores, American Dream will have a trampoline park and one-of-a-kind, Instagram-worthymuseums,where visitors can pay to spend an afternoon exploring themed rooms with extravagant props and backdrops, Ghermezian said, citing these as two examples of what is to come post-COVID-19.

American Dream is also zoned for 3,500 hotel rooms, with plans to construct several hotels that will connect directly to the rest of the project via skybridges. The hotel operators have not yet been announced.

The purpose of adding this space, according toGhermezian, is to give out-of-town visitors easy access and room to spend a night or two during their excursions.

American Dream said it will be adding eight more rides to the already open Nickelodeon theme park, building on its early success.

Source: American Dream

To be sure, after living for weeks or months in social isolation, being advised to wear face masks and ordered to stay at minimum 6 feet away from anyone else, it will likely take many consumers additional time to ease back into day-to-day life, as they remember it, before coronavirus.

Also, many people are being put out of work either temporarily furloughed or permanently laid off by closures related to the outbreak.

The wave of Americans looking for unemployment insurance skyrocketed at the end of March, as more than 6.6 million new claims were filed, bringing the total of Americans who have filed to roughly 10 million over the most recent two weeks, according to the Labor Department. And the unemployment rate in the U.S. has risen to 4.4% from 3.5% its highest level since August 2017.

But the situation will grow much worse before it gets better, according to analysts. Goldman Sachs has forecast that the unemployment rate will peak at around 15% later this year.

"I think it will take a while for people to get comfortable," Mizuho Securities analystHaendel St.Juste said about consumers going back to America's malls.

Until recently, it has been in commercial real estate landlords' best interests to bring "experiences" to malls, St. Juste said. "But now experiential equals human risk. Humans are not going to the mall."

"In theory, yes, it's still a good idea to build assets with things people cannot do online," he added. "Ultimately we will see fewer malls."

Skeptics also still abound that American Dream will ever be 100% completed. Mall of America owner Triple Five Group took over the project, when it was named Xanadu, in 2011. Construction has been stalled and restarted on and off for years. Opening dates have been pushed back. The coronavirus has drawn out, even further, an already extensive timeline.

Read the original here:
Stalled by coronavirus pandemic, American Dream rethinks its future and retail becomes an afterthought - CNBC