Joe Malinconico, Paterson Press Published 1:14 p.m. ET Feb. 20, 2020 | Updated 9:29 p.m. ET Feb. 20, 2020

Some NJ towns are looking to redevelop to revive business districts, meet affordable housing requirements and cater to changing consumer tastes. NorthJersey.com

Developer Charles Florio gained city approval Wednesday night to build 154 apartments in a six-story complex at the site of the former Greenbaum furniture store in the middle of Patersons downtown business district.

Florio said construction on the $45 million project on Washington Street which officials said would become the largest housing development in the downtown area will begin within six months.

It represents the second housing complex being done in the area by Florio, whose initial investments in Paterson focused on building and renovating several thousand apartments in impoverished and crime-plagued neighborhoods.

Florio is finishing work on a 30-unit project on Ellison Street, which is across from City Hall and a block away from the Greenbaum location.

I believe this project will help revitalize the downtown district by bringing in life, Florio said. Our vision for downtown is to transform the local economy and create a vibrant downtown.

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Florios Washington Street project would include retail space at street level, according to the application approved Wednesday by the Paterson Planning Board. Residents of the apartments including 51 studios, 86 one-bedrooms and 17 two-bedrooms would park at a garage owned by the Paterson Parking Authority on Broadway, under an agreement between Florio and the authority.

Mayor Andre Sayegh and Greater Paterson Chamber of Commerce Director Jamie Dykes were enthusiastic about Florios plans.

We are doubling down on developing our downtown district, Sayegh said. This project will bring vibrance and vitality back to our commercial core. Paterson is in growth mode.

Dykes said the citys downtown businesses were in dire need of the pedestrian traffic that new housing in the area would create. Dykes said many of the commercial buildings in the downtown have vacant second floors. He said converting that space into apartments would greatly benefit the businesses.

Dykes also noted the boost to the citys tax base that projects like the one being done by Florio would bring. Patersons tax base has increased by more than $500 million over the past two years, hitting $6.2 billion in 2020, according to the citys application for state transitional aid. But the tax base remains more than $2 billion behind where it was a decade ago, according to public records.

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Paterson approves apartment complex, to be the largest housing development downtown - NorthJersey.com

A vacant 33,000 square foot lot located at 800 South 5th Avenue, once owned by the Village of Maywood, is the site for the new development.The adjacent 5th Avenue corridor is a pedestrian-oriented commercial corridor in the Village, allowing future tenants easy access to transit, education, and retail.The building will be comprised of studio, one-, two- and three-bedroom residential units along with interior and exterior shared community spaces for resident use. It also includes approximately 5,500 square feet of retail space on the ground floor, currently slated for development into a grocery store, addressing the lack of this amenity in the area. Residential parking will be provided off the alley behind the new building, with commercial parking provided along 5th Avenue. New diagonal parking will also be added on surrounding streets to help accommodate additional residential guests and commercial users as well.

"This historically-underserved part of metro Chicago has proven a strong need for quality affordable housing, and we are thrilled to have this project ploughing ahead to meet that need," said Perry Vietti, the President of Interfaith Housing. "This development has been specifically designed to serve working families and individuals and some special needs populations. Slated for opening in early 2021, we could not be more thrilled to now have this important community resource coming out of the ground."

Maintaining its affordability status for a minimum of forty years, the five-story development will provide affordable housing for households at or below 60 percent of area median income (AMI). Sixteen of the units are designated for households at or below 30% AMI; twenty-eight units are for households at or below 50% AMI; and twenty-eight units will support households at or below 60% AMI.Nineteen of these units will be targeted to special needs populations, including 8 units set aside for homeless veterans and 11 units for tenants selected from the Illinois State Referral Network.

According to Toni Preckwinkle, the President of the Cook County Board,"Investment in affordable housing is critical to communities throughout Cook County. Half of the residents of Cook County are rent burdened, which means they pay more than 30 percent of their income in rent. With rental prices rising and gentrification moving in Chicago, it's more important than ever to recognize that housing is a human right."

The development has been designed by national integrated architecture and engineering firm, HED, and is being constructed by Chicago-based McShane Construction Company. The IHDC development team established early in the project a desire to achieve high levels of environmental sustainability, in an effort to best serve its resident population health as well as that of the surrounding neighborhood.

In 2018, Fifth Avenue Apartments was one of only a dozen projects nationwide, and the only one in Illinois, to be selected to participate in the International Living Future Institute's (ILFI) third round of the Living Building Challenge Affordable Housing Pilot Project program.

"As a project selected for the Living Building Challenge's affordable housing pilot program, we have enjoyed developing this design alongside this important sustainability advocacy platform, identifying the current challenges of pursuing this extreme green approach to design in the State of Illinois," said Susan King, Principal in Charge with HED. "While the project could not feasibly achieve the current certification expectations, IHDC's participation in this pilot effort will ultimately benefit countless affordable housing projects around the country in the future as the research continues to develop."

Additional project team members supporting the design and development of the Fifth Avenue Apartments project include SITE Designfor landscape architecture, and Ericksson Engineeringfor civil engineering. Property management will be provided by Interfaith Management Services, an affiliate of Interfaith Housing Development Corporation, that currently manages the 12 affordable developments that Interfaith owns.

ABOUT INTERFAITH HOUSING DEVELOPMENT CORPORATIONIHDC's mission is to develop long term affordable housing for low-income, underserved populations in collaboration with local communities. As a nonprofit 501(c)3, IHDC develops high-quality, financially and environmentally sustainable, affordable housing for low-income individuals and families with supportive services as a foundational strategy. In its 25-year history, IHDC has created 17 affordable housing developments that ranged in size from 15 to 135 units, in total, generating 768 permanent supportive housing units and 75 transitional units to-date. To learn more please visit http://www.ihdc.org.

ABOUT HED HED seeks creative solutions that have a positive impact for its clients, the community, and the world. HED has earned a reputation for excellence in all facets of the designed and built environment, including architecture, consulting, engineering, and planning services. The firm of over 470 staff serves clients in a broad range of markets from eight U.S. offices (Boston,Chicago,Dallas,Detroit,Los Angeles,San Diego,San Francisco, andSacramento). See how HED advances your world atwww.hed.design.

ABOUT MCSHANE CONSTRUCTION COMPANY McShane Construction Company was established in 1984 and is headquartered in Rosemont, Illinois with regional offices in Auburn, Alabama, Irvine, California, Madison, Wisconsin and Phoenix, Arizona. The firm offers integrated design/build and build-to-suit construction services for the multi-family, retail, office, recreational, hospitality, educational, healthcare, distribution, manufacturing and food processing markets. For more information, visit the firm's website atwww.mcshane-construction.com.

Media contact: Emily Havelka, ehavelka@hed.design

SOURCE Interfaith Housing Development Corporation

http://www.ihdc.org

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Interfaith Housing Development Corporation Celebrates the Groundbreaking of Fifth Avenue Apartments - PRNewswire

February 20, 2020 | by Lawrance Binda

Renovation of the Swallow Mansion nears completion on the 1000-block of N. 6th Street in Harrisburg. The project has received a Dauphin County gaming grant.

More than 80 projects in Dauphin County will receive gaming grants this year, as the Dauphin County commissioners have approved $6.3 million in awards.

Harrisburg-based companies and organizations will receive a number of grants, the awards originating each year from the countys share of gaming revenue generated from Hollywood Casino at Penn National.

In Harrisburg, many of the projects are geared towards either removing blight or offsetting redevelopment or construction costs. These include:

Harrisburg city will receive two grants:

The majority of these projects create jobs and further investment and make our county more attractive to companies looking to either expand or relocate to our area, said Commissioner Mike Pries, in a statement.

Each year, Dauphin County makes these awards based upon a portion of casino gaming revenue and upon the recommendation of the countys five-member Gaming Advisory Board. Last year, the county awarded $6.4 million in grants to about 60 projects.

The following is a complete list of the projects that will receive gaming funds this year, according to Dauphin County:

Host & Contiguous

Other Awards

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Numerous Harrisburg projects receive funds as Dauphin County awards gaming grants - The Burg News

The proposed redevelopment project is set to revitalize downtown and draw in Fortune 500 companies to over 350,000 sq ft of office and retail space. Morristown Daily Record

MORRISTOWN With a number ofnew projects on the horizon, the townwill welcomeThe Cambria Hotel and Suites its first new hotel in the last 40 years.

Constructionis set to beginwithin six months at the location between Market and Bank streets following the last of the approvals granted to property owner, Sunstone Hotels Morristown, LLC, just last week.The seven-story "boutique hotel"will be within walking distance of The Green and feature 114 guest rooms, ground-level retail space, valet parking and a 2,500-square-footupscale restaurant and lounge.

"This is an economic driver for the community. We're hoping to cater to weekend guests, families that want to enjoy the historic sites in Morristown, it's going to be really exciting and unique," said project attorney Frank Vitolo.

The new seven-story Cambria Hotel and Suites is slated for a groundbreaking this year in Morristown.(Photo: Sunstone Hotels LLC)

Inside, the hotelwill include1,500 square feet of conference room, penthouse suites with balconies overlooking Market Street and a fitness center for hotel guests. An art component is slated for the interior of the hotel with plans to integrate unique artifacts of Morristown and photos.

At ground level, the building will house retail space and coffee shops for the public. With no space for on-site parking, 65-valet only parking spaces will be available on the roof of the Dalton Garage on Cattano Avenue.

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The Cambriais set on 20 Market and 14 and 30 Bank Streets.Although a six-story zoned area, Vitolosaid the planning board granted zoning variances for the hotel.

Due to a grade change,the hotel will stand six stories on Market Street and seven stories on Bank Street, according to project plans. On the site, demolition of the previous building is underway but is expected to finalize in the next two weeks.

The new hotel joins two other bedding optionsin town including the Hyatt Regency on Speedwell Avenue and the Best Western Plus on South Street. According to Vitolo, The Cambriawill have a "lower price point than the Hyatt." The Cambria will also compete with new bed and breakfast options that could open following the town's new Bed and Breakfast ordinance approved last November.

The new Cambria Hotel and Suites will sit a block away from the Morristown Green and feature 114 guest rooms.(Photo: Sunstone Hotels Morristown LLC)

Last month, Morristown Mayor Tim Dougherty described the town as "a desirable location in Morris County" with new opportunities slated for this year.

Last year, the townsaw a commercial boom and welcomed30 new businesses, five new restaurants and 13 professional and service businesses. This spring, a newrevolutionary war-themed brewery is set to openalong with the additionof Millburn Deli.

In addition,severalprojects are in the works including the rehabilitation of Pioneer Plaza starting this spring and the construction of a new 506-space parking structure behind the Post Office on Morris Street. The town's new office and retail project calledM Station is also underway.

A Market Street building compromised during renovation was demolished overnight February 27, 2019, in Morristown. Morristown Daily Record

Jessie Gomez is a local reporter for DailyRecord.com and NorthJersey.com.For unlimited access to the most important news from your local community,please subscribe or activate your digital account today.

Email:jgomez@gannettnj.comTwitter:@jessiereport

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Morristown to get its first new hotel in 40 years - Daily Record

An architectural rendering of the renovated building (the former Warwick Hotel), located at 1315 Gravier St., which will include 154 apartments for graduate students, researchers, physicians, faculty and other affiliates of Tulane's expanding downtown campus. The project will also add ground floor retail space and dining options.

Tulane University has signed a long-term lease with the owners of the former Warwick Hotel, a 12-storybuilding located at 1315 Gravier St., adjacent to Tulane University School of Medicine. The university plans to fill 154 apartments of the renovated building with graduate students, researchers, physicians, faculty and other affiliates of its expanding downtown campus.

The project will also add ground floor retail space, including a fullservice restaurant, coffee shop, grab-and-go food options, patio space and lounge seating.Renovation of the long-dormant building is slated to begin this month and completed no later than August 2021.

Redevelopment of the Warwick, which was built in 1952but has been vacant since shortly after Hurricane Katrina, is part of Tulanes overall strategy to expand its campus downtown, where it already occupies 17 buildings. The university also plans to be the anchor tenant in the redevelopment of the Charity Hospital building, filling more than 350,000 square feet of the one-million-square-foot structure with laboratories, classrooms, offices and more.

The Warwick and Charity projects are prime opportunities to exponentially expand the universitys size and research mission, while also bolstering the creation of a robust research and commercialization ecosystem in the heart of the city, Tulane President Mike Fitts said.

Cities everywhere have been renewed and transformed by local universities, especially those located near their downtowns. This is Tulane and New Orleans shared future.

As a model for such success, Fitts points to Nashville, Pittsburgh, Columbus, Ohio, and other cities that have been revitalized through the power of their local universities.

Both the Warwick and Charity redevelopments will place a sizable portion of Tulanes research enterprise in close proximity to the citys burgeoning Innovation District, increasing the likelihood that university discoveries and breakthroughs will find their way to the market. With the Warwick site, Tulanes downtown campus will also be physically connected to vital civic assets such as Duncan Plaza and nearby City Hall, as well as the main branch of the New Orleans Public Library.

Having more Tulane students, scientists, faculty and over half of its staff downtown also promises to growa neighborhood of retail shops, entertainment venues and ancillary businesses throughout the area.

This is the first of many improvements we expect to occur in theSpirit of Charity Innovation District.This particular project will not only work to aggregate more talented Tulane researchers, students, and professionals in the Charity District, but we expect this project toenliven a property that has been vacant for well over a decade.We also expect this property to trigger an improvement in the surrounding street experience, as well as provide a catalyst for area business growth, said Tulane Senior Vice President, Chief Operating Officer and Treasurer Patrick Norton.

Local economic development leaders share Tulanes enthusiasm for the project.

Tulanes expansion into downtown New Orleans is one of the most exciting and potentially impactful developments of our generation for both Tulane and New Orleans, said Michael Hecht, president and CEO of Greater New Orleans, Inc.With the addition of the Warwick, Tulane is taking a significant step towards integrating with the fabric of downtown New Orleans. The result will be a revitalized urban core that becomes a nexus for research, teaching, and overall economic development. This will elevate both Tulane and New Orleans on the national and global stage.

Andy Kopplin, president and CEO of the Greater New Orleans Foundation and chairman of the BioDistrict New Orleans, highlighted the role a redeveloped Warwick Hotel will play within the Spirit of Charity Innovation District, the neighborhood surrounding Charity Hospital. The Foundation, the city and other partners are working to revitalize the district as an economic engine that will produce jobs in health care, biomedical research and other high-tech industries while also creating a walkable, residential and retail neighborhood.

Tulanes decision to dramatically increase its research presence downtown is exactly the kind of investment the Greater New Orleans Foundation hoped to inspire when we undertook our strategic planning process to create the Spirit of Charity Innovation District two years ago, Kopplin said We have the ability to create a place that can attract thousands of good jobs and be known for equitable and inclusive development, and Tulanes investments and commitment to those goals is a huge catalyst that will help bring that vision to life.

New Orleans Redevelopment Fund (NORF) is the developer of the project, which is part of NORFs new Qualified Opportunity Zone Fund, NORF 3. Tulane alumni Alex Hernandez and Mike Niemtzow founded NORF and know 1315 Gravier to be a perfect fit for Tulane and the city.

Were thrilled to partner with Tulane as it executes on its bold vision for downtown. Further, as a fellow New Orleanian, I am incredibly excited for the positive impact this development brings to the neighborhood and Duncan Plaza. Despite the challenges and complexity of this project, we were able to utilize our unique expertise in Qualified Opportunity Zones and Historic Tax Credits to make this an attractive project., said NORFs Development Director Cullan Maumus.

Hernandez Consulting & Construction is the general contractor on the project. Albert Architecure & SCNZ are the architects of record.

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Tulane to lease former Warwick Hotel, greatly expanding its downtown campus - News from Tulane

1100 Eastern Avenue Apartments

WASHINGTON, D.C., Feb. 20, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The District of Columbia Housing Finance Agency (DCHFA) completes its third transaction of February by financing the construction of 1100 Eastern Avenue Apartments, 63 affordable apartments in Ward 7. DCHFA issued $13.9 million in tax exempt bonds and underwrote $9.8 million in low income housing tax credit (LIHTC) equity. The Deanwood neighborhood is seeing a great deal of development and has become a sought after place to live, especially since being designated an Opportunity Zone. It is the Agencys goal to ensure that affordable housing remains a top priority amidst all of this development, stated Christopher E. Donald, Interim Executive Director, DCHFA.

The apartments at 1100 Eastern Avenue will consist of 11 efficiencies, 30 one-bedrooms, 2 two-bedrooms, 16 three-bedrooms and 4 four-bedrooms. Thirteen of those apartments will be reserved for residents earning 30 percent or less area median income (AMI), and the remaining 50 apartments will be reserved for those earning up to 50 percent AMI. Twenty percent of the units will be Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH) accepting Local Rent Supplement Program (LRSP) vouchers. Residents in the PSH apartments will have access to support services through Community Connections DC (CCDC), to include educational and vocational, psychiatric and behavioral, legal concerns, substance abuse and physical health and more.

The five-story $29.6 million building will feature 4,000 square feet of retail space on the ground floor, open-air courtyards, and a green roof. Additional amenities include an advanced security system with an intercom, video surveillance, key FOB access and on-site management. There will be a 16-space parking garage and 21 indoor bicycle storage units. All of the apartments will have new washers and dryers, refrigerators, garbage disposals, dishwashers and central air conditioning.

Additional funding for this project came in the form of an $11.4 million Housing Production Trust Fund (HPTF) loan from the DC Department of Housing and Community Development. This is the Agencys third recent project in the Deanwood neighborhood, having financed the construction of the Strand Residences and Providence Place Apartments in August 2019.

Through its Multifamily Lending and Neighborhood Investment and Capital Markets divisions, DCHFA issues tax-exempt mortgage revenue bonds to lower the developers costs of acquiring, constructing and rehabilitating rental housing. The Agency offers private for-profit and non-profit developers low cost predevelopment, construction and permanent financing that supports the new construction, acquisition, and rehabilitation of affordable rental housing in the District.

The District of Columbia Housing Finance Agency is an S&P A + rated issuer in its 40th year of serving Washington, D.C.s residents. The Agencys mission is to advance the District of Columbias housing priorities; the Agency invests in affordable housing and neighborhood development, which provides pathways for D.C. residents to transform their lives. We accomplish our mission by delivering the most efficient and effective sources of capital available in the market to finance rental housing and to create homeownership opportunities.

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DCHFA Finances Third Affordable Apartment Community of the Month in Ward 7's Deanwood - GlobeNewswire

Cambridge, MA Urban Spaces and StoneRiver Properties, two Cambridge-based commercial real estate development companies that focus on mid-sized, transit-oriented projects, have leased the entire first floor retail space at the Rand to Rock and Roll Daycare.

The daycare center is a music-based, Montessori-inspired school that provides a high-end childcare experience to infant, toddler, and preschool-aged children. The Rand, located adjacent to the Porter Square MBTA Red Line station at 1975 Massachusetts Avenue, is a mixed-use condominium development featuring 19 one and two-bedroom units and a three-bedroom detached single-family townhouse as well as the 3,500 square foot retail space now leased to Rock and Roll Daycare (RRDC).

We have had significant interest and been in talks with a number of retail operators since the space became available, said Paul Ognibene, CEO of Urban Spaces. We ultimately leased to Rock and Roll Daycare which we think is an ideal choice for the neighborhood given the need for high-quality daycare close to public transportation.

Voted Best of Boston by Boston Magazine in 2017, RRDC currently operates five daycare centers in Cambridge and is expanding rapidly, with five more (including the Rand) scheduled to open in 2020. RRDC is now offering franchising opportunities across America. Im thrilled about our new location at the Rand, said Chris Vuk, founder and CEO of RRDC. This is an incredible flagship location for Rock and Roll Daycare, and we are excited to share the magic of music-based learning with the Porter and Davis Square communities.

Designed by the award-winning architectural firm Prellwitz Chilinski Associates, the Rand was built by Urban Spaces Construction using modular technology and was entirely pre-sold prior to completion in 2017. Urban Spaces continues to develop mixed-use multifamily projects including Kendall East, a 136-unit apartment development with 15,000 sf of retail located along the First Street Corridor in East Cambridge, and BRIX, a 61-unit condominium with 3,000 sf of retail in downtown Salem.

We are very excited to have Rock and Roll Day Care coming to The Rand, said George H. Katis, Principal of StoneRiver Properties. RRDCs philosophy and approach to early childhood education will be a great addition to the Porter Square neighborhood.

The Rock and Roll Daycare lease was brokered by the Conviser Property Group and Horizon Capital Realty.

Related

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Urban Spaces and StoneRiver Properties Bring Rock and Roll Daycare to Porter Square - Boston Real Estate Times

Exterior work is moving along at The Dime, a23-story mixed-use buildingin Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Located at 209 Havemeyer Street, the 350,000-square-foot project includes the refurbishment and incorporation of the 112-year-old landmarked Dime Savings Bank of Williamsburgh. The topped-out structure is designed by Fogarty Finger Architectureand developed by Charney Companies (formerly Charney Construction & Development)andTavros Holdings. Douglas Elliman is handling leasing for The Dimes 177 rental units, JLL is the commercial broker, and Ripco is in charge of the retail component. Grain Collectiveis the landscape architect, and1 Oak Contracting is the general contractor.

Photos from the elevated Marcy Avenue subway station and from street level show the white terracotta faade nearly complete, with work mostly concentrated on the western elevation. The paneling, which is manufactured byBoston Valley, features a variety of concave texturing that creates a play of light and shadow as the sun moves through the sky.

The Dime. Photo by Michael Young

The Dime. Photo by Michael Young

The Dime. Photo by Michael Young

The Dime. Photo by Michael Young

A large banner above the roof parapet around the mechanical units displays the name of the project and that leasing is available.

The Dime. Photo by Michael Young

The Dime looking west. Photo by Michael Young

The 19-story residential section rises above the four-story podium, which will feature 50,000 square feet of ground-floor retail space, over 100,000 square feet of commercial office space, and below-grade parking for 300 vehicles. Approximately 23,000 square feet of outdoor seating area for office tenants and future residents sits on top of the podium, along with amenities such as a basketball court, a yoga room and fitness center, a residential lounge, and a roof deck garden.

Leasing is set to begin in the spring with model apartments ready for showings on March 1st. The Dime will be completed by summer.

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White Terracotta Facade Nearly Complete for The Dime in Williamsburg, Brooklyn - New York YIMBY

Rendering of the project

Time Equities released details of its mixed-use project near downtown West Palm Beach.

The New York-based firm began construction of CasaMara, an apartment and retail development at 3111 South Dixie Highway. Its the site of a recently demolished office building.

The project is south of downtown West Palm Beach, in the El Cid neighborhood. As planned, CasaMara will have 300 Class A apartments with a 16,000-square-foot clubhouse and 16,000 square feet of retail space along South Dixie Highway. The retail portion will be called The Plaza at CasaMara, according to a press release.

Records show that a Time Equities affiliate paid $17.5 million for the property in 2006. M&T Bank is financing the project.

The 10-acre property will have seven low-rise buildings designed by MSA Architects with interiors by ID & Design International. The Plaza will have on-street parking, landscaping and a corner park.

Apartments will range from studios to three-bedroom units, and the amenities will include a resort-style pool with cabanas, a pool pavilion building with grilling stations and a water wall, a Jacuzzi, co-working lounge, fitness center, dog park, game room, club room, and childrens amenities.

Lincoln Property Company will handle leasing and marketing of the apartments, while Avison Young is the leasing brokerage for the retail. Don DeWoody of Avison Young said in the release that the firm is looking for retailers of wine, furniture, design, coffee and more.

The retail component is expected to open in the spring of next year.

In 2015, Time Equities planned to build five 15-story condominium buildings on the site. But the planned condo development drew opposition, and Time Equities halted work on the project last year before West Palm Beach city commissioners could consider whether to approve or reject it.

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Time Equities plans apartments, retail on former office site in West Palm - The Real Deal

By David Mullen, Staff Writer dmullen@amestrib.com

TuesdayFeb18,2020at2:31PMFeb18,2020at8:16PM

The future of the former Kmart location in Ames is starting to take shape as several retailers have submitted building permits, city officials said Tuesday.

HomeGoods, Ulta Beauty, PetSmart, Five Below and an interior storage facility all submitted building permits to the city prior to the end of 2019, Ames City Planner Julie Gould said.

Even though the interior storage facility has submitted a permit to the city, a name or brand was not listed on the permit.

The Ames City Council approved the final plat in July to divide the deserted building, located at 1405 Buckeye Ave., into a multi-retail space location.

The Kmart location shut its doors for the last time in December of 2014, and since that time there has been a lot of speculation about what the space would be used for due to its proximity to South Duff Avenue, one of the busiest streets in the city.

The building that is owned by a California holdings company submitted a Major Site Development plan for the property and preliminary plat at a city council meeting in 2018.

The City Council approved the plan, but on a condition that the developers would make the building more appealing to the public by adding design features to the sides of the building that face the street.

Although city officials know what the future residents of the building will be, there is currently no estimated date of when construction will be finished.

Were talking to (the developers), so we know that the total project is moving forward, but the timing of it is unknown, Gould said.

Besides adding new retail stores in the building, the construction of multiple new buildings and improvements to the parking lot are also a part of the project, Gould said.

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Multiple retailers have submitted building permits for the former K-Mart location - Ames Tribune