Living Space Housing has secured a 6.3-acre site off Majestic Way in Telford, with the disposal being managed by Telford & Wrekin Council as part of the Telford Land Deal.

Living Space will develop a scheme of 39 affordable homes, following approval of a Reserved Matters application.

The Majestic Way in Telford scheme will be developed on behalf of a Registered Provider and Living Space is currently in discussions with a number of regional and national interested parties.

Living Space is a development-led residential planning, design and construction services solution for Registered Providers, PRS Funds, the NHS, Universities and Defence Estates. Having launched to the market last year, the company is already on-site at its first three developments.

Steve Davies, managing director of Living Space Housing, said: It is rewarding to be working with Homes England and Telford & Wrekin Council to bring forward this residential development site, which is within easy reach of Telford town centre.

While the coronavirus pandemic has led to construction work pausing on many development sites to keep everyone safe, our land team is working hard to secure many more projects like this one.

We are actively seeking immediate and longer-term development opportunities and have the funding in place to progress these deals. We would be delighted for agents, developers and landowners to get in touch and explore how Living Space Housing can offer a safe and viable alternative for your residential land.

The newly secured Majestic Way site is located within the established residential area of Aqueduct, less than two miles south west of Telford town centre. Aqueduct forms part of Telfords urban area and benefits from convenient access to a wide range of educational, retail and leisure services and amenities.

Living Spaces first three live development sites comprise 26 homes located off Britannia Way in central Telford, 51 homes at Pixiefields in Cradley, on the outskirts of Malvern, Herefordshire and 48 homes at the former Victoria Carpets Sports Ground on the outskirts of Kidderminster town centre in Worcestershire.

Continue reading here:
Living Space Housing to build new affordable homes in Telford - Planning, BIM & Construction Today

The official list of essential services in Ontario just got shorter. After widespread criticism over the length of the initial list released ten day ago, the government has come back with a slightly revised, shorter list.

Grocery stores, the LCBO and restaurants doing takeout and delivery still all made the cut but some construction is being shut down among other revisions.

Businesses no longer deemed essential will be required to shut down by 11:59 p.m. this Saturday April 4. The closure will be in effect for at least 14 days before the list is re-evaluated.

Here's the list as written by the government of Ontario.

1. Businesses that supply other essential businesses or essential services within Ontario, or that supply businesses or services that have been declared essential in a jurisdiction outside of Ontario, with the support, products, supplies, systems, or services, including processing, packaging, warehousing, distribution, delivery, and maintenance necessary to operate.

2.Businesses that primarily sell food, beverages and consumer products necessary to maintain households and businesses including:

3. Pharmacies.

4. Gas stations and other fuel suppliers.

5. Laundromats and drycleaners.

6.Security services for residences, businesses and other properties.

7. Vehicle and equipment repair and essential maintenance and vehicle and equipment rental services.

8.Courier, postal, shipping, moving and delivery services.

9.Funeral and related services.

10.Staffing services including providing temporary help.

11.Veterinary services (urgent care only) and other businesses that provide for the health and welfare of animals, including farms, boarding kennels, stables, animal shelters, zoos, aquariums and research facilities.

12.Home child care services of up to six children as permitted under the Child Care and Early Years Act, 2014, and child care centres for essential workers authorized to operate in accordance with Ontario Regulation 51/20 (Order Under Subsection 7.0.2 (4) of the Act - Closure of Establishments) made under the Act.

13.Hotels, motels, other shared rental accommodation including student residences, except for seasonal campgrounds and any pools, fitness centres, meeting rooms and other recreational facilities that may be part of the operations of these businesses.

14.Cheque cashing services.

15. Stores that sell any of the following items and provide them to the customer only through an alternative method of sale such as curb side pick-up or delivery, except in exceptional circumstances:

16. Businesses that provide the following financial services:

17. Information Technology (IT) services, including online services, software products and the facilities necessary for their operation and delivery.

18.Telecommunications providers and services (phone, internet, radio, cell phones etc.) and facilities necessary for their operation and delivery.

19.Newspapers, radio and television broadcasting.

20. Maintenance, repair and property management services strictly necessary to manage and maintain the safety, security, sanitation and essential operation of institutional, commercial, industrial and residential properties and buildings.

21.Businesses and facilities that provide transportation services, including,

22. Businesses that provide and support online retail, including by providing warehousing, storage and distribution of goods that are ordered online.

23. Businesses that extract, manufacture, process and distribute goods, products, equipment and materials, including businesses that manufacture inputs to other manufacturers, (e.g. primary metal/ steel, blow molding, component manufacturers, chemicals, etc. that feed the end-product manufacturer), regardless of whether those other manufacturers are inside or outside of Ontario, together with businesses that support and facilitate the movement of goods within integrated North American and global supply chains.

24. Businesses that produce food and beverages, and agricultural products including plants, including by farming, harvesting, aquaculture, hunting and fishing.

25.Businesses that process, manufacture or distribute food, beverages, crops, agricultural products, animal products and by-products.

26. Businesses that support the food or agricultural products supply chains and the health and safety of food, animals and plants.

27. Construction projects and services associated with the healthcare sector, including new facilities, expansions, renovations and conversion of spaces that could be repurposed for health care space.

28. Construction projects and services required to ensure safe and reliable operations of, or to provide new capacity in, critical provincial infrastructure, including transit, transportation, energy and justice sectors beyond the day-to-day maintenance.

28. Critical industrial construction activities required for,

31. Construction and maintenance activities necessary to temporarily close construction sites that have paused or are not active and to ensure ongoing public safety.

32.Businesses that provide and ensure the domestic and global continuity of supply of resources, including mining, forestry, aggregates, petroleum, petroleum by-products and chemicals.

33.Electricity generation, transmission, distribution and storage and natural gas distribution, transmission and storage.

34. Businesses that deliver or support the delivery of services including:

35. Businesses and organizations that maintain research facilities and engage in research, including medical research and other research and development activities.

36. Organizations and providers that deliver home care services or personal support services to seniors and persons with disabilities.

37. Businesses that sell, rent or repair assistive/mobility/medical devices, aids and/or supplies.

38.Regulated health professionals (urgent care only) including dentists, optometrists, chiropractic services, ophthalmologists, physical and occupational therapists and podiatrists.

39.Organizations that provide health care including retirement homes, hospitals, clinics, long-term care facilities, independent health facilities and mental health and addictions counselling supports.

40. Laboratories and specimen collection centres.

41.Manufacturers, wholesalers, distributors and retailers of pharmaceutical products and medical supplies, including medications, medical isotopes, vaccines and antivirals, medical devices and medical supplies.

42.Manufacturers, distributors and businesses that provide logistical support of or for products and/or services that support the delivery of health care in all locations.

43.Not-for-profit organizations that provide critical personal support services in home or residential services for individuals with physical disabilities.

44.Not-for profit organizations that support the provision of food, shelter, safety or protection, and/or social services and other necessities of life to economically disadvantaged and other vulnerable individuals.

See the original post:
Here's the new list of essential services in Ontario - blogTO

KEARNEY A 230-unit apartment complex, with 5,000 square feet of retail space, will be the first privately funded addition to University of Nebraska at Kearneys University Village.

Millennium Development and UNK jointly announced the development at a news conference this morning. The project is a public-private partnership between the two entities, with UNK leasing the land to Millennium Development, which is funding the project.

Scott Rief, a Grand Island real estate developer and the project investor, said the complex hopefully will attract graduate students, young professionals and the wider Kearney community.

This is a place we want you to come and enjoy and really have that walkability aspect. With the amenities that the university is coming up with currently and in the future, its going to be a destination where youre going to want to come multiple times and hopefully not leave, Reif said during the conference.

In addition to the one- and two-bedroom apartment units and townhomes, the complex will feature a clubhouse, outdoor heated swimming pool, a gym, carriage house, attached garages and a courtyard.

The first phase of the project, expected to start in August, will include five buildings with a mix of apartments and townhomesand two 10-plex units. The $14 million initial phase also includes the retail space, with a restaurant planned as the anchor business.

Full construction on the 230-unit complex will take approximately five years, but the first units are scheduled for completion in June 2021. It will be constructed southwest of the central green space of University Village.

Rief said there is not yet a tenant established for the restaurant space, but hopes that it will be a place the tenants, and other Kearneyites, could enjoy multiple times a week.

For young professionals, grad students, you want them to be able to come down and get a salad. It will be a place to gather not just once a month, he said.

In addition to the walkable mix of housing and retail spaces, Rief also anticipates young people will enjoy the many planned social areas of the development. He said the space has several green spaces built throughout for gathering, as well as a pleasant view from the units windows.

The housing development is designed by Weaver Sherman Design out of Indianapolis, which was involved with a project at Purdue University similar to UNKs University Village. Lincoln-based engineering and design firm Olsson also is involved.

According to Reif, the interior of the units will be finished with hardwood floors and modern touches, like matte black fixtures, grey and white paint on the walls and stainless steel appliances. Each unit will also have its own washer and dryer.

The two bedroom units will also have two bathrooms, with the thought of accommodating young professionals or students with a roommate.

Reif anticipates the rent for the units to be market rate. According to a study he said Millennium Development had done by an Arizona firm, thats about $1.15 to $1.25 per square foot.

With the units to be approximately 650-1100 square feet, mathematically that makes the rental cost anywhere from $747 a month to $1,375.

However, Rief said the rent would be really depending upon the market.

In addition to being the first public-private building at University Village, the apartment project will also be the largest private investment on a construction project in the universitys history, according to a press release.

UNK Chancellor Doug Kristensen initially revealed plans for the University Village project at a press conference in April 2014. He said Monday the university had been patiently waiting for the right development idea to present itself.

We spent a great time studying what will be successful here and being patient, Kristensen said. We had a lot of people (say), Im going to put this in. I want to put a fast food place in. Weve said no to all of that because it needs to be organized and planned. I think this (Millennium Development project) fits into the plan perfectly. I think this is exactly how we envisioned it would happen.

Kristensen said he anticipates that the project will draw both existing Kearney community members and new ones, in addition to new development.

Nebraska University President Ted Carter called the project a game changer.

Quoting Field of Dreams, Nebraska University President Ted Carter said of the project that, If you build it, they will come.

Once we have rooftops here, other things will follow, Kristensen echoed. But you have to build it around people, and thats what were doing.

University Village currently features the 99-unit University Flats building, which is open to UNK students, staff and faculty, and the LaVonne Kopecky Plambeck Early Childhood Education Center. Plans for an indoor tennis complex and Regional Engagement and Alumni Center are also in the works.

Excerpt from:
Apartment complex, retail space will be next addition to University Village - Kearney Hub

Plan for coffee shop plus other retail spaces submitted.

Developers submitted a site plan to build 9,900 square feet of retail including a Starbucks in two buildings facing the new Market Basket and Homesense buildings on Central Street in Salems Tuscan Village.

One building will include a 2,400-square-foot Starbucks cafe and another 1,850 square feet of attached retail space. The other 5,650-square-foot building will be broken up into four equally sized retail units.

The Starbucks will have 66 seats and a drive-thru, according to Town Planner Ross Moldoff.

The property, owned by Demoulas Super Markets, Inc., already includes an 80,000-square-foot Market Basket attached to a 26,000-square-foot Homesense and three other retail spaces. The 15,000-square-foot space next to Homesense will be a Sierra Trading Post. Moldoff said signage is up, and construction crews are working on the interior right now.

Homesense and Sierra Trading Post are both owned by TJX Companies, based in Framingham, Mass.

Developers met with the planning board Thursday night to discuss the site plan for the two new buildings. The board has yet to approve the site plan.

There were relatively minor concerns, Moldoff said.

Moldoff said the police department had concerns about traffic, particularly with drivers still unfamiliar with the new roadways inside Tuscan Village running the stop signs at the intersection of Village Way and Central Street. Moldoff said some recommendations were made to improve safety.

Additionally, consultants will be reviewing traffic, drainage, signage and other matters in the weeks ahead. Moldoff expects the Demoulas project will come back before the planning board by its 14 meeting if all goes as planned.

During the same meeting, the board heard conceptual plans for Blue Sky Towers of North Reading, Mass., to construct a 150-foot-tall cell tower on about 2,000-square-feet of land leased at 350 North Broadway.

Moldoff said the 4-acre parcel is owned by the Bien Soigne salon and spa at that location.

The board discussed some issues with the plan as it was proposed. Moldoff said the height of the tower exceeds the ordinance limits for the area, which is a maximum of 120 feet, and it does not provide the required fall zone radius which is required to be equal to the height of the structure.

If it goes forward, theyll have to get a waiver, Moldoff said.

Moldoff said there were also concerns about the towers ability to comply with the visual guidelines. The tower would be relatively close to Route 28 and would not be screened by trees.

The rest is here:
Starbucks and other retail spaces to be built in Demoulas-owned section of Tuscan Village - The Union Leader

Two new inter-connected projects will bring additional downtown apartments at different income levels. Construction will start on the two buildings on Grove St. between 5th St. and 6th St. will start this spring. The two buildings will also add new retail options, as well as office space and public amenities.

On the 6th and Grove side, immediately behind Strange Love (formerly China Blue), Carley will team with deChase Miksis and the Galena Fund on a seven-story mixed-use building. Carley and deChase previously partnered on The Gibson a few blocks away.

The ground floor will host two retail spaces, including a large 4,000 square foot space on the corner of 6th and Grove, adjacent to the Basque Block. A leasing office and bike storage room will also sit on the ground floor.

On the second story, a 7,310 square foot office space will take up the entire floor plate.

Levels three through seven will host 60 apartment units. The majority of units in this building will welcome tenants who make 60% of the area median income and below. The project earned tax credits in association with the City of Boise and Idaho Housing and Finance Association.

Rents will range from as low as $350 per month to $2,300 per month. The range depends on size of the unit, and includes some units in the building that will not have rent rate restrictions. Heres how the number of units breaks down by configuration:

Two of the three partners will work together on this project Carleys Capitol Partners and deChase Miksis.

The ground floor of this, larger, building includes nearly 8,000 square feet of retail space, fronting the entire Grove St. and 5th St. sides of the project. Two large bike storage rooms and storage space round out the first floor. Ten surface parking spots sit behind the building along the alley.

The second through sixth floors include 114 apartments. Rents will range from $975 per month to $2,200. The Capital City Development Corp. said the developers committed to keeping at least fifty of the units at 120% of area median income or below. The apartments will range in size from 400 to 900 square feet, including micro, studio, one-, and two-bedroom layouts:

A rooftop patio and garden space will sit on the top floor of the building.

Between the two buildings at mid-block, developers plan a small plaza space.

Along Grove Street at the building (sic) southeast corner, were proposing an urban courtyard with outdoor seating to connect the residential lobby and retail spaces between this building and the adjacent building, John King with Pivot North wrote in an application letter. This courtyard is open to the sidewalk to further activate the urban space.

Renderings show festoon lighting and seating open to Grove St.

CCDC approved reimbursement of costs associated with both projects this week. The 6th and Grove building will get reimbursement for up to $600,000 in costs, while the 5th and Grove project will get as much as $1.1 million.

The money will reimburse the developers for improvements they will make in the public right-of-way, including upgrading streetscapes, relocating overhead utilities underground, repaving the alley and adding new pavers.

The dollars will come from the agencys tax increment financing funding model and will be paid for from future tax collections on the projects.

A portion of the reimbursements may not happen if CCDC moves forward with a planned revamp of Grove St. as it planned in its capital improvement plan. The agency plans or is building out nearly $11 million in improvements along the Grove St. corridor.

Parking

Outside of ten ground-level spaces, the projects will not include parking for vehicles. Residents will be able to rent space in the new, large parking garage that will open next month at 6th and Front. That garage includes space for 600 cars far more than needed for the 140-room hotel.

A sign on the site notes that folks who currently have a parking space on the lot will lose their spot at the end of April, but they can also rent a space at the Home2 Suites by Hilton Downtown Boise garage.

The rest is here:
Grove St. apartments, office and retail coming to Downtown Boise, ID - boisedev.com

AUSTIN, Texas As Applecontinues constructionon a new $1 billion campus in North Austin, the City of Austin is mulling over a proposal to add nearly 2,000 apartments, a hotel and a retail space nearby.

Accesso Partners LLC has a development agreement at 7700 Parmer Lane, and now the business is looking to amend that agreement to allow for additional uses and square footage, according to an applicationon Austin's Zoning and Planning website. Accesso Partners hopes to build 1,800 apartments, a 340-room hotel and 80,000 square feet of retail space less than one mile north of the new Apple campus, according to the Austin Business Journal.

RELATED:

Apple getting big tax rebate from Williamson County with Austin expansion

Here's everything you need to know about Apple's $1B campus coming to Austin

The application, which is currently under review by the Planning and Zoning Department, was submitted to the city department Jan. 15 by the Drenner Group on behalf of Accesso Partners, according to the application.

Currently, four buildings sit at the 138-acre site and are leased by companies such as Google, PayPal and eBay, the Austin Business Journal reported.

Apple broke ground on the new campus on Nov. 20, 2019. KVUE reported in late 2018 that the new campus is set to open in three years with 5,000 employees working in engineering, research and development, operations, finance, sales and customer support. Later, the tech company said they expect to employ 15,000 workers, which would make Apple the biggest private employer in Austin.

WATCH:Apple to build new $1B campus in Austin

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Read more here:
Austin considering plan to build apartments, hotel and retail space near $1B Apple campus in North Austin - KVUE.com

Question:Do you know what is being built on Poinsett Hwy, in front of the Publix at University Square?

Answer: Let me just start by saying I wish I had more interesting details for you, but I don't.

That said, I can tell you the construction is going to be additional retail spaces for the University Square shopping center (where Publix is located).

Construction is underway at the front of the University Square shopping center near Furman University.(Photo: Elizabeth LaFleur/STAFF)

According to property records, Shaw Resources, LLC owns the 2.64 acre parcel. I reached out to Shaw and was told about the additional retail spaces, but they said they could not share any other details such as when the project might be complete and whether any specific retailers have already leased the space.

The space where the construction is happening is a separate parcel from the Publix shopping center, though property records show they are both owned by Shaw.

Both parcels fall under Greenville County'sC-2 zoning category. That category encompasses commercial developments along major thoroughfares. The C-2 designation isn't very narrow, as far as what can be built. In fact, there are 76 possible uses that are permitted outright without any special exception.

In short, I can't really narrow it down, but I will keep in touch with Shaw Resources for any possible updates.

Do you have a question you want answered? Send itto elafleur@greenvillenews.com,contact Elizabeth on her Facebook page atfacebook.com/AskLaFleur/or send questions via mail to Elizabeth LaFleur, 32 E. Broad St., Greenville, SC 29601. Answers will appear in the Tuesday and Friday print editions of The Greenville News.

Read or Share this story: https://www.greenvilleonline.com/story/news/2020/03/12/ask-lafleur-whats-being-built-front-publix-near-furman/5009064002/

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Ask LaFleur: What is being built in front of Publix near Furman University? - Greenville News

Access for parking becomes limited as lots will be removed due to West Campus

The development at West Campus means big changes for parking which will become limited due to new construction at NJCU. For example, at the beginning of spring 2020 semester, Lot 3 (which was for faculty, and staff) was no longer available for parking.

Parking has been an issue at the university for many years. Students have always been concerned with commuting to campus and being able to arrive on time for classes. Students who drive or use services such as Uber are often stuck in traffic while commuting.

When Yamil Oliver, a Media Arts major, was asked about his daily commute as a driver he said, I am late almost every day to class. The traffic is awful and there is never anywhere to park. Sometimes, Ill leave an hour or more before my classes start and still arrive late. I only really live 25 minutes away.

At a Student Council meeting in early February, Student Government Association (SGA) President Ricky Cruz said the SGA team worked to keep Lot 6 open for the spring semester.

Sherrie Madia, associate vice president of Marketing and Communications said, Lot 6 will close at the end of the spring term. Lot 7 will remain open.

Lot 6 is located across the current construction on the site where the shuttle stops to drop and pick up students, faculty and staff. Lot 7 is near the West Campus Village dorm.

Late in the Fall 2019 semester, Madia was asked about future parking plans as construction proceeds. Students will use Lots 7 and 1. The university is currently exploring alternate/additional locations.

Lot 1 is under Gilligan Student Union Building and has 396 parking spaces.

Since Lot 3 has been removed, Ronald Hurley, associate vice president for the Department of Public Safety, said in an email the space for Lot 3 is going to be used for Another market rate apt, with retail space. (Based on NJCUs plans, this is most likely Rivet II. See map on page 5).

Regarding Lot 6, Hurley said it will be the site of the new ShopRite. He continued, We are looking at additional space at Raymour & Flanigan and the NJ Transit light rail lot.

In a December 12 email to the NJCU community, the administration said more parking spaces will also be available on West Side Campus, and other transportation options will be given.

The email said: 86 parking spaces, dedicated for faculty and staff, will be added along Gothic Knights Way (40) and University Place Boulevard (46). These are newly named streets on West Campus.

Mayor Steven Fulp and the City Council partnered with a new transportation service called Via. Via is another ridesharing app like Uber and Lyft where students and faculty can use to get to campus since NJCU will be supporting the service.

Via is now available on weekdays from 6am-10pm. It offers multi-passenger ride-sharing service throughout Jersey City starting at $2.

The Hudson-Bergen Light Rail station at West Side is expected to be back operating in March 2020.

Additional reporting by Ibny Mitchell, David Wilson and Christian P. Schwanse

See the original post:
Where to Park? - The Gothic Times

Ramon Diaz, a longtime business owner in the Manhattanville neighborhood, views his restaurant as home. Throughout his time, Floridita has served generations of families and became a place where younger customers, who had originally eaten there as children, would later return with families of their own.

But that was before Floridita signed a lease with Columbia in 2010 to relocate from Broadway to 12th Avenue, as part of the Universitys initial plans to build a state-of-the-art campus in the restaurants former location.

It was a different kind of world back then, Diaz said, citing the difficulties he faces attracting customers now.

By 2009, wooden construction walls and caution cones spread across entire blocks on 12th Avenue. The areaboth isolated as a home of industrial buildings and now as a construction zoneremained devoid of pedestrians and the foot traffic on which Diaz formerly relied.

Since the onset of Columbia construction, businesses located on the 12th Avenue corridor have all reported a revenue loss of around 30 percent. Two establishments have even closed their doors this past summer.

University President Lee Bollinger announced a plan to expand the space-stressed Morningside campus in 2003. Adding 17 acres of additional land, the multibillion-dollar project would create new campus buildings in Manhattanville between 125th and 133rd streets. According to the project website, the new buildings are meant to revive the neighborhood and draw the community into these areas, which include the 12th Avenue corridornot the retail space it now touts.

Now, 12th Avenue businesses eagerly await the opening of the Business School. Many, however, fear potential construction delays like those faced by the School of International and Public Affairs building, which was slated to open in 2020 but has not yet opened.

The Business School building is scheduled and on track to open in 2022, according to a University spokesperson. But even without delays, the construction of the schools two buildings looms for at least another two years, while other areas of Manhattanville construction are slated for completion nearly a decade in the future. In the meantime, businesses have called for the University and the city to help them survive long enough to reap the benefits of the revived corridor.

Some have attributed revenue declines to construction isolating the area. Large construction sites, coupled with insufficient parking and a lack of access to major public transportation, have made the area undesirable for pedestrians.

Floridita, which used to rely on the heavy foot traffic along Broadway, had to adjust to the new economic landscape on 12th Avenueone in dire need of external assistance.

[Related: Senate committee on space and development left in the shadows of Manhattanville expansion]

The consensus among these 12th Avenue businesses was clear: They were not prepared for the Universitys construction, and the University has not provided them with a safety net, despite its disruption to the corridor.

We felt like we were being told that we could be helped out, but nobody ever sat down and said We can get you some money, fill out this paperwork. Here it is; we can get you some development money. There was never any official [proposal] like that, Bierstrasse owner Roy Henley said.

Negotiated among University administrators and city officials, the Community Benefits Agreement, signed in 2009 after Bollinger announced the Manhattanville expansion, promises a total of $150 million to the community. Under the CBA, the $76 million Benefits Fund provides funding initiatives to community nonprofits, employment, affordable housing, and more as a means of compensating the community for the impacts of the Manhattanville expansion. However, none of these $76 million Benefits Fund is allocated to for-profit establishments.

According to West Harlem Development Corporation Executive Director Kofi Boateng, whose organization oversees the distribution of the Benefits Fund, the money could theoretically go to these businesses. However, the organization has strategically chosen not to fund for-profit organizations using the CBA money because of tax stipulations. If WHDC granted for-profit institutions money, it would need to pay taxes to the IRS, Boateng said. Additionally, he added he did not want to put money earmarked for the community toward privately-owned organizations.

We dont give them money, but we bring the parties to the table to have collective conversion, Boateng said. We are trying to help indirectly, but we are not absent from the issue.

The CBA does have initiatives in place to promote economic development, stating CU expects the project to generate new local jobs and economic opportunities for the benefit of the local community. For retailers, the University has committed at least 12,000 gross square feet of the Manhattanville site to local businesses and entrepreneurs.

But besides negotiations made between two relocated businesses and Columbia administrators, the University has no contractual responsibility to aid the remaining establishments, leaving the question of who, if anyone, has an obligation to support the declining retail area in the midst of Manhattanville construction.

For one, business owners were not represented at CBA negotiations where they could have voiced their concerns over the impacts of Columbia constructionsa point that community leaders said were at the fault of uninformed businesses.

Many of the businesses that chose to open on the 12th Avenue were fully aware of the impending construction that 12th Avenue would face, because for many, they chose to invest in Columbia and the neighborhood. Now, they ask if the University will invest in them.

Continue reading Part 1, in which businesses relocated by the University discuss how they have adapted to their new locations.

Staff writer Clay Anderson can be contacted at clay.anderson@columbiaspectator.com. Follow him on Twitter @Clay_Anders.

News Editor Stephanie Lai can be contacted at stephanie.lai@columbiaspectator.com. Follow her on Twitter @stephaniealai.

Originally posted here:
Upscaled: The cost of Columbia construction for struggling 12th Avenue businesses - CU Columbia Spectator

MIDDLETOWN The former Middletown Indoor Flea Markets last tenant is renovating, renaming and reopening in May, subletting to artisans, antique dealers and some former sellers and restaurants.

The 50,000-square-foot market is part of a 200,000-square-foot partitioned strip mall building at 102-128 Dolson Avenue, home to Playtogs department store from 1959 to 1994.

It will be renamed Emporium Square, when it opens as soon as Mays first week, partly to avoid confusion with the nearby Middletown Flea Market, where several former tenants migrated, in a neighboring plaza.

Separately, LGP Capital of Middletown, owner of Emporium Squares nearly empty strip mall building, recently applied to Middletowns Planning Board to turn most of its remaining 150,000 square feet into a distribution center.

Until summer 2018, it held National Wholesale Liquidators, which repeatedly closed and reopened under that moniker and the name Playtogs Factory Outlet. (Both were unrelated to the original Playtogs).

The last tenant on that side of the strip mall, Hudson Valley Pawn Brokers & Firearms of Middletown, would be given the option to stay if city officials approve the warehouse, the propertys developer said.

The same would go for Pools Plus, which occupies a separate, nearby building, also owned by LGP Capital, thats considered to be part of the strip mall.

As for Emporium Square, Orlando Lalave, owner of Fusion Eyewear, an optical store and the former indoor flea markets last remaining business, is self-funding $400,000 to $500,000 of upgrades to the market.

His store will remain, as he shrinks the rest of the market to 84 booths, from its 164-booth capacity when it more fully operated until its January 2019 closure.

The unused market space will be blocked off, for Emporium Squares later potential use, until LGP Capital can repair that sides roof, Lalave said.

Ive put my heart and soul into it, Lalave said of Emporium Square. I always felt the community deserved better. So, Im going around the Hudson Valley and finding the hidden gems for vendors.

Kris Vassilatos agreed. Shes owner of Body Oils NY and a former vendor, who operates a store by the nearby Shoprite. She called Lalaves plan a 180, that made the market unrecognizable and beautiful.

The new market features all-new 100-square-foot booths, with a chocolate and black color scheme, ornamental bricks and a resurfaced concrete floor.

Lalave plans to sublet to antique sellers and artisan vendors, like pickle, jewelry and chocolate makers, with a rent of $300 to $400 per month, plus strong, reputable businesses like a local hemp extract producer.

Building owner LGP Capital has its own big plan. An LGP representative described the company as a privately held commercial real estate investment firm that buys and manages shopping centers in New York, New Jersey and Massachusetts.

LGP has teamed with Real Deal Management Group LLC of Mahwah, N.J., an experienced commercial developer known for creatively turning former retail spaces into distribution centers, particularly in northern and central New Jersey.

Weve been tracking whats going on in Orange County, and we like what we see, from growth to highway access, said Isaac Neuman, an RDM Group partner.

RDM Group recently received the Middletown Zoning Board of Appeals approval for a novel, cost-saving idea to raise the buildings roof nine feet to 44 feet to accommodate tractor trailers.

Plus, the board allowed the potential warehouse to use 296 parking spaces, down from 741 at the site. LGP Capitals $5 million to $7 million warehouse plan also calls for repaving the parking lot and redoing the buildings exterior with a brick facade.

Twenty-one loading docks would be added to the liquidators building side (for 23 docks altogether with two current ones). And there would be several tree-filled parking lot partitions, including one separating Emporium Square.

A furniture distributor is a candidate for the warehouse, which could operate 16 hours daily and employ 20. Trucks would use an enlarged entrance by Pools Plus, not a main entrance near a Dunkin Donuts.

Emporium Square and Playtogs Plaza, an unrelated, neighboring shopping center, share that main entrance.

Local leaders, including Orange County Chamber of Commerce president Lynn Cione, Maria Bruni, Middletowns community development director, and Mayor Joseph DeStefano are enthusiastic.

I think (Lalave) has a winning formula to go upscale with that indoor market, DeStefano said. Its exciting for him and the city.

As for the warehouse idea, its an important proposal for our tax base, DeStefano added, promising that the planning board will ensure adequate buffering and a safe traffic flow. No one can imagine a retail operation going back into that space when stores are closing across America.

daxelrod@th-record.com

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Upscale market to open in Middletown - Times Herald-Record