YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio -

The landscape of Youngstown State University continues to transform as University leaders joined city officials Friday for a ceremony to mark the start of construction on another major campus project.

The ground breaking wassymbolic as work is already underway on the Enclave, a first class student housing and retail project at Wick and Lincoln Avenues.

As construction begins on this new project,the first students are moving in at the Edge, another newly completed housing complex. Sharon Sanders says students like the idea of apartment style housing.

"My main thing was Iwas going to have my own bathroom and Ididn't have to share it with about 40 other girls on a floor. So that's what really attracted me to the Edge," Sanders said.

Both the Edge and Enclave are projects that YSU President Jim Tressel outlined in 2016 in a presentation called, Next YSU:A New Look for a New Era. Contracting with private developers for housing is a win win for the university.

"Itmakes a whole lot of sense, itshifts a lot of risk from the university to a private developer. So we still get the benefit of having a larger inventory of beds for our students on campus," Neal McNally, V.P. of Finance and Business Operations.

The state of the art housing units, coupled with on campus retail space are attractive to potential students.

"We're trying to make YSU more of a a destination campus for students. We want them to be able to stay on campus, to have a positive student experience and along with that comes a growing demand for those types of amenities, restaurants and so forth," said McNally.

The 2016 plan also called for a new bookstore, and Barnes & Nobel just recently opened its new stand-alone store. Renovations are underway at Jones Hall, where a new Student Success Center will be connected to the Maag Library.

President Tressel says an active and growing university attracts more students and benefits the entire community. "It's going to do nothing but create activity downtown, forMill Creek Park, the Butler, you name it.So it's all part of what we need to do to keep getting better every day, " Tressel said.

The Enclave project also represents a YSU success story. The private developer is LRC Realty, and it's President is Frank Licata, a Youngstown native, and Youngstown State graduate.

Read the original here:
YSU marks new housing construction - WFMJ

Rendering Credit: Marchetto Higgins Stieve

As reported recently, the area of Jersey Citys west side along the Hackensack River known as Bayfront has been mired in cleanup, controversy, and leadership quicksandno one has emerged as a front-runner to advance the development beyond the rendering stage. However, directly across Route 440, another development is well underwayand already bringing to this neighborhood what Bayfront up to now has only proposed.

University Place is a $400 million, 22-acre development with four mixed-use projects in the works as well as a new ShopRite, parking garage, and housing for New Jersey City University (NJCU) students.

The first mixed-use building, developed by Claremont Companies, is about to top out, bringing 163 rental units and 12,000 square feet of retail to market. Leasing is slated to begin next year for May 2018 move-ins. Claremont Companies second mixed-use building will break ground in April 2018.

GRID Real Estate was tapped to market the first phase of retail space at the project. Available is over 10,000 square feet of space including a restaurant opportunity that will sit at the gateway of University Place. With very little options to choose from on the west side of Jersey City, University Places restaurants will cater to the university along with the outside public who now have to hop in their car and head downtown to grab a bite to eat. Said Bobby Antonicello Jr. of GRID Real Estate.

KKF University Enterprises is developing the other two mixed-use buildings, set to break ground in August of this year and December 2018. The four buildings will total 630 luxury rental apartments and 30,000 square feet of retail space. The developments have been staggered to minimize leasing competition.

The new ShopRite will be 70,000 square feet and 1,000 vehicles will be able to park in the new parking garage. The new dorm for NJCU has been up and running since August 2016 and houses 430 students. And the entire development is built around a tree-lined, brick-paved boulevard, anchored by a public plaza with enough space to host outdoor performances. New Jersey City Universitys new Center for Music, Dance, and Theater also plans to build its home here, possibly opening as early as 2019.

Like Bayfront, University Places parcel of land on the east side of Route 440, bounded by West Side Avenue, was also owned by Honeywell whose predecessor contaminated the soil to the point of mandatory remediation which was completed years ago.

Unlike Bayfront, what was called the West Campus of New Jersey City University was reimagined, redeveloped, and rebranded as University Place at a breakneck pace. Mr. Anthony Bastardi, CEO of Strategic Development Group, calls this project his passion for the last three years, wanting to develop a place, in the urban planning sense, where people live, work, and play.

Involving the community, NJCU, Jersey City officials, and professional experts as key stakeholders from the very beginning certainly helped to drive the project forward. University Place was imagined, embraced, and contracted all in one year, said Mr. Bastardi. Incredibly, all development up to this point, from concept to construction, has taken only three years.

University Place Boulevard is nearly complete and landscaped while surrounding roads are also being built. Mr. Bastardi estimates that one year from now, in the summer of 2018, all the roads will be in, 160 families will have moved into the first building where there will be a restaurant for us to have lunch, and three more buildings will be under construction.

University Place will activate 1,080 permanent jobs and $12 million in state and local taxes annually. Plus the 30-year PILOT negotiated with Jersey City will result in $93 million in payments to Jersey City.

--

Have something to add to this story? Email [emailprotected]. Stay up-to-date by following Jersey Digs on Twitter and Instagram, and liking us on Facebook.

Looking to buy, sell, or rent? Click here to find a Real Estate Agent to help on our just-launched Jersey Digs Services.

Read more from the original source:
University Place Moves Full Steam Ahead While Bayfront Languishes - Jersey Digs

Triangle Business Journal

Space Quarterly: Triangle retail centers hit hard by store closures, construction lull Triangle Business Journal ... is liquidating all its stores across the U.S., including its last store more. Dan. The Triangle's retail vacancy rate nudged up to 7 percent, the market's highest rate in three years, according to Triangle Business Journal's quarterly Space ...

Visit link:
Space Quarterly: Triangle retail centers hit hard by store closures, construction lull - Triangle Business Journal

You are solely responsible for your comments and by using TribLive.com you agree to ourTerms of Service.

We moderate comments. Our goal is to provide substantive commentary for a general readership. By screening submissions, we provide a space where readers can share intelligent and informed commentary that enhances the quality of our news and information.

While most comments will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive, moderating decisions are subjective. We will make them as carefully and consistently as we can. Because of the volume of reader comments, we cannot review individual moderation decisions with readers.

We value thoughtful comments representing a range of views that make their point quickly and politely. We make an effort to protect discussions from repeated comments either by the same reader or different readers

We follow the same standards for taste as the daily newspaper. A few things we won't tolerate: personal attacks, obscenity, vulgarity, profanity (including expletives and letters followed by dashes), commercial promotion, impersonations, incoherence, proselytizing and SHOUTING. Don't include URLs to Web sites.

We do not edit comments. They are either approved or deleted. We reserve the right to edit a comment that is quoted or excerpted in an article. In this case, we may fix spelling and punctuation.

We welcome strong opinions and criticism of our work, but we don't want comments to become bogged down with discussions of our policies and we will moderate accordingly.

We appreciate it when readers and people quoted in articles or blog posts point out errors of fact or emphasis and will investigate all assertions. But these suggestions should be sentvia e-mail. To avoid distracting other readers, we won't publish comments that suggest a correction. Instead, corrections will be made in a blog post or in an article.

Go here to read the rest:
If retail is dying, why is money pouring into malls? - Tribune-Review

OAKLAND Federal investigators said Friday the cause of the latest construction site fire to hit this city was undetermined despite its similarities to other East Bay arson blazes, according to a statement from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

Investigators will continue to consider any new evidence or information provided by witnesses or community members, but as of now the ATF has not found a definite cause of the four-alarm July 7 fire that destroyed the unfinished 328,000-square-foot Alta Waverly project at 23rd and Valdez streets in Oakland. The wood-framed structure would have contained 196 apartments and 31,500 square feet of retail space at street level.

After examining all the evidence, ATF has determined the cause of the July 7th fire to be undetermined, said Special Agent in Charge Jill Snyder, head of the San Francisco Field Division.

The developer Wood Partners still plans to rebuild.

We are hopeful the ATF and fire officials can make a determination of the cause of the fire in the future, Wood Partners spokesman Sam Singer said in a statement. Wood Partners continues to work with the City of Oakland to rebuild the project.

The early morning blaze had numerous similarities to three other construction site fires in Oakland and Emeryville over the last year that investigators have ruled as arson.

Two massive Emeryville fires, at the same construction site, had the fire started in the same stairwell at the center of the development, according to the developer. Another Oakland blaze near Lake Merritt also started in a central stairwell.While few details of the Valdez Street fire have ever been released publicly, the fire chief said the first arriving fire crews found flames coming from the center of the building construction.

All four fires were started in the early morning hours and when the buildings were at their most vulnerable before flame-resistant sheet rock was added to the wood framing.

The ATF has offered a $110,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of anyone responsible for starting the three fires at construction sites in Oakland and Emeryville that have been ruled arson. The agency also released photos of a mystery man in surveillance video, riding a bike and wearing a dark hoodie. At one point, that man climbs scaffolding at the Emeryville construction site shortly before the fire starts and hes seen leaving the scene.

The developers of the arson cases have both said they believe one or more people who are politically against new market-rate buildings have torched their buildings.

The ATF is asking anyone with information about any of the fires to contact them at 888-ATF-FIRE or visit http://www.reportit.com or through the ReportIt app on their phone. Calls can be kept confidential.

Check back for updates.

Go here to see the original:
Not arson? ATF releases cause of Oakland apartment complex construction site fire - The Mercury News

If you are one of those people who think Americas retail industry is doing just fine, well, there are three possibilities: Youve been living under a rock; you think Amazon refers to a South American river; or youre a real estate developer.

As everything from once-mighty department stores to niche clothing chains announce plans to shutter hundreds of locations, and retailers file for bankruptcies at a record pace, builders are pouring growing sums into retail projects.

Across the country, construction spending on shopping centers topped $1.6 billion in June, the largest amount since 2008 and the Great Recession. Builders have been especially busy working on malls, spending $404 million in April. In nominal terms, thats the second highest monthly total ever according to census data, coming in behind July 2008.

So at a time when news headlines are full of store closings, and the internet is methodically destroying any experience that involves parking lots, fitting rooms, or cash registers, why are developers still building more retail space?

First, its worth pointing out that this isnt an entirely new dynamic. For the last two decades, retail development has outpaced population growth in most big metropolitan areas. Thats partly due to over-exuberance, and partly in response to evolving consumer demand and competition. Category-killing big box stores like Best Buy Co. or Bed Bath & Beyond Inc. anchored so-called power centers, increasing retails physical footprint while simultaneously siphoning off customers who would have bought their linens and big screen televisions from traditional department stores.

More recently, mall owners have been spending money to renovate existing properties in a bid to draw foot traffic. That often means demolishing excess space and making improvements to create room for restaurants and other attractions in a last ditch effort to prolong the life of brick-and-mortar retail.

The major consideration is investment in renovation and renewal of existing assets rather than new ground-up development, said Sam Chandan, president of Chandan Economics, in an email. The experiential aspects of retailing and the provision of services that cannot be replicated through online sales, e.g. a dinner out, are driving investment in mall repositioning.

There are other reasons for the higher numbers. A growing preference for building near urban centers may be inflating construction costs by forcing developers to pay more for labor and land. Markets that are thriving today might not have enough retail, while areas that supported shopping centers decades ago no longer offer retailers the same opportunities.

Taken together, though, the forces driving construction spending on shopping centers in the near-term offer a pithy reminder: Even as stores shutter, and the shift to online shopping gains steam, brick-and-mortar isnt going to disappear all at once.

Original post:
Why is retail-construction spending strong? Finance & Commerce - Finance and Commerce

Retail REIT, Kimco Realty Corp. KIM announced the groundbreaking at Dania Pointe's Phase 1 retail part. Encouragingly, this project in Southern Broward County, FL, has grabbed much attention and its Phase 1 is already around 80% preleased to a number of national and regional retailers.

The move is a solid step toward the realization of the broader mixed-used project - Dania Pointe. Upon completion, Dania Pointe will become an open-air lifestyle community, with around 1 million square feet of retail and restaurants space, complemented by up to 500,000 square feet of Class A office space, 1,000 luxury rental apartments and condominiums, and two signature hotels.

Situated just next to I-95, this property will serve as the central location for residents going north and south on I-95, as well as east and west on I-595. Moreover, it is situated less than 10 minutes from the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport and Port Everglades. Also, the site is only 20 minutes from upscale communities of Weston and Plantation to the west, Fort Lauderdale and Pompano Beach to the north, and Hollywood and North Miami Beach to the south. This makes the property easily accessible to tourists and tri-county residents.

Mixed-use Developments

Notably, mixed-use developments have gained popularity for their solid neighborhood character, greater housing variety and density. These developments bring down the distance between housing, workplaces, retail businesses, and other amenities and destinations. Hence, such developments enable the companies to grab the attention of people, who prefer to live, work and play in the same area - a trend that drove development in several other cities in the U.S.

In addition to Kimco, Regency Centers Corp. REG is exploring the positives of mixed-use developments. The company announced a new mixed-use ground-up development - Mellody Farm - in Vernon Hills, IL, in Apr 2017.

In Conclusion

Kimco's premium properties in high-growth areas, presence of well-capitalized retailers in its tenant roster, investments in high-quality neighborhood and community shopping centers, and shedding of non-core assets augur well for growth. However, rising online sales, store closures, tenant bankruptcy and earnings dilution, led by high disposition activity, remain causes of concern.

Kimco currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here .

However, year to date, amid the choppy retail real estate environment, shares of Kimco underperformed the industry it belongs to. During this time frame, shares of the company descended 18.6%, whereas the industry incurred a loss of 4.0%.

Will You Make a Fortune on the Shift to Electric Cars?

Here's another stock idea to consider. Much like petroleum 150 years ago, lithium power may soon shake the world, creating millionaires and reshaping geo-politics. Soon electric vehicles (EVs) may be cheaper than gas guzzlers. Some are already reaching 265 miles on a single charge.

With battery prices plummeting and charging stations set to multiply, one company stands out as the #1 stock to buy according to Zacks research.

It's not the one you think.

See This Ticker Free >>

TJX Companies, Inc. (The) (TJX): Free Stock Analysis Report

Ulta Beauty Inc. (ULTA): Free Stock Analysis Report

Kimco Realty Corporation (KIM): Free Stock Analysis Report

Regency Centers Corporation (REG): Free Stock Analysis Report

To read this article on Zacks.com click here.

Zacks Investment Research

The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.

Here is the original post:
Kimco (KIM) Begins Construction of Phase 1 at Dania Pointe - Nasdaq - Nasdaq

The city of Maple Valley has a number of projects planned. The following is an update on projects around the city

Summit Park

There is a proposal to subdivide 23.38 acres into 126 lots for construction of single-family detached residences at Summit Park. The development site is bounded on the north by Southeast Kent-Kangley Road, on the west by residential development, on south by the new Tahoma High School campus and on the east by the Cedar to Green River Trail.

The land will be developed at a density of six units to the acre, and as proposed, meets R-6 development standards regarding maximum housing density, minimum lot width and minimum building widths. The recreation area requirement for Overlook at Summit Park is 54,810 square feet. The three recreation tracts provide 54,899 square feet of recreation space, meeting the city of Maple Valley standards. These tracts include amenities such as picnic tables, benches and childrens play toys.

On the east side of the land, proposed Road C is connected to the King County Cedar to Green River Trail right-of-way via a 15-feet-wide pedestrian pathway consisting of eight feet of paved trail with 3.5 feet of landscaping on each side.

Information provided by Novastar Development. You can contact them at 425-251-6110.

Lake Wilderness

This will provide 200 residential units in 17 multifamily buildings; a club house and three commercial buildings.

There are three different residential building styles that are all three stories tall. Two of the commercial buildings will be a single story with the third having a second floor.

The allowable height in the community business zone is 85 feet. The residential buildings proposed are approximately 38 feet. Lake Wilderness Mixed Use is providing 21,930 square-feet of commercial space, which will be a mix of office, retail and some restaurant space.

Also 3,760 square-feet of commercial land will be at the base of one of the residential buildings, whereas the rest of the commercial land faces Maple Valley-black Diamond Road. This project provides 118,992 square feet of open/recreation space, which includes an outdoor swimming pool and a tot lot.

Information provided by Itty Bitty, Big &Bouncy LCC.

Four corners

Four Corners Mixed Use will provide 126 residential units in 11 multifamily buildings and a club house with a commercial component. There are four different residential building styles that are all three stories. The residential buildings proposed are approximately 36 feet. The club house will be 8,271 square-feet and of that 5,067 square-feet will be office and retail space that will be open to the public.

This project provides 42,502 square-feet of recreation space, which includes an outdoor swimming pool, dog park, playground and a community patio space in the center of the site.

Information provided by Pallis Properties.

Original post:
Construction projects update in Maple Valley - Covington-Maple Valley Reporter

Lebanon The apartment complex to be built behind the Element hotel on Route 120 in Lebanon moved has moved a step closer to reality as the developer has filed his plans and sought permission from the city to begin construction.

Manchester developer Dick Anagnost filed a permit application with the Lebanons city planning department to begin construction on a $4 million, three-story apartment building. He hopes to be able to break ground on the project this fall and have it ready for occupancy next summer, according to Anagnost.

The apartment building is the first in a planned 153-unit residential complex in Altaria Lebanon Park, a mixed commercial and residential development spanning 65 acres of which the 4-year-old Element hotel was the first phase.

Anagnost expects the entire five-building apartment project to be completed by 2019 at a cost all-in, probably $20 million to $30 million, he said in an interview.

And even though construction on the project has not yet begun, Apartment Leasing signs are already up at the entrance to the Element hotel. Planning department administrator Leann Cushman estimates approval time to release a permit is about a week.

After years of complaints about the chronic housing shortage in the Lebanon and Hanover area more units are now in the various stages of planning, although how much the new developments will relieve pressure on the near-zero vacancy rate remains to be seen. Five different projects totaling 342 units are in various stages of planning and development in Lebanon.

The Altaria project will include one-, two- and three-bedroom units, along with underground parking, Anagnost said. He envisions residents to be mostly young professionals, but well have some families too because of the three-units. Were hitting a broad spectrum.

The complex also will include furnished units available for people in need of a short-term residence near Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, such as physicians serving their residency or visiting professors at Dartmouth College who teach for a semester or two.

Anagnost said a market study is being done to determine rental rates, but he anticipates them to range from about $1,700 to upward of $2,000 a month, depending on size. He said kitchen amenities in the units will include granite countertops and all stainless steel appliances.

Altaria is being developed by Hanover-based developer Peter Knights, who received the green light for the residential component from the Lebanon Planning Board in 2015. Overall, the development is to include 336,000 square feet of office space and 40,000 square feet of retail space. The board originally approved a subdivision plan at the site in 2011, which had been under consideration for several years prior.

Other housing projects at various stages in the pipeline in Lebanon include a 75-unit complex on Etna Road, which has been scaled back from over 100 planned units; a 29-unit mixed-income project on Tracy Street in West Lebanon sponsored by Twin Pines Housing (originally proposed for Main Street in West Lebanon); and an 80-unit building as part of developer David Clems commercial and residential River Park development. But the River Park apartment building is the last phase in Clems seven-phase development, so it is presumably still some time away from development, said David Brooks, director of planning and zoning for Lebanon, in an email.

John Lippman can be reached at jlippman@vnews.com.

See the original post:
Fall Start Seen For Route 120 Apartments - Valley News

When construction was completed on the South Sides Terminal Warehouse and Transfer Company complex in 1906, it was considered the largest, safest and most efficient storage and transfer building on the Eastern seaboard, says Izzy Rudolph, director of development and acquisitions at McKnight Realty Partners.

More than one hundred years later, McKnight has begun construction on a multi-million dollar transformation of the six-story structure from a nexus of commerce to a riverside hub for office and retail space. It will be capped by an elevated, 500-foot-long park, the Highline.

Were taking it into the next generation by really modernizing the building soup to nuts, says Rudolph.

Buildout began this week on 125,000 square feet of new office space inside the800,000- square-foot structure. This phase of construction is scheduled to be completed by second quarter 2018 and will include new common areas, fitness centers, windows, HVAC, and a fire and life safety system. In addition, 350 new internal parking spots will be completed by first quarter 2018, with more to come.

Courtesy Indovina Associates Architects.

The hulking brick structure, located at 333 East Carson Street, transitioned from storage to office space beginning in the 1980s and is currently known as the River Walk Corporate Center. What appears to be two separate buildings bisected by a street is actually a single structure, and in 2013 it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Besides office space, the property will look to attract 100,000 square feet of retail, including 15,000 square feet along East Carson. Another stretch of retail will be along S. 4th St. near Bingham St. and the nearby, trail-facing railyards portion (where trains used to arrive to transport newly imported goods to the surrounding areas).

Rudolph says they want to shy away from the negative aspects of South Side nightlife and have so far held discussions with local bakeries, fitness centers, bike and kayak rentals and even craft breweries about setting up shop in the space.

The most transformational part of the building, he says, remains the Highline. Modeled after the 1.5 mile long parklet created on the elevated former railroad in New York City, the Pittsburgh version will extend from near the entrance on East Carson and over the present CSX rail lines to an overhang that will overlook the Monongahela River and city of Pittsburgh.

Powerhouse building. Courtesy Indovina Associates Architects.

The Highline is currently scheduled to open around July 2018.

It will be one of the most unique green spaces in the state of Pennsylvania, says Rudolph.

The Highline will terminate at the second floor of the 15,000-square-foot powerhouse building. Rudolph envisions the riverfront structure as two-story restaurant space, possibly with separate concepts on either floor. It screams out waterfront eating, he says.

The lower floor of the powerhouse building abuts the Three Rivers Heritage Trail, which currently detours around the Terminal Building. Rudolph says he hopes to reconnect the trail in the very near future, along with adding upgrades to the outdoor promenade to make it more bike and pedestrian friendly.

Indovina Associates serve as project architects. For more information on the project dont miss our story from 2016.

Update 8/9/17: About that name. Many people commented on Facebook that there should be an original name, not one copied from New York. Izzy Rudolph said this in the NEXTpittsburgh interview:We wanted people to know what the space was the first time they heard it. As tenants come here that name will evolve into something different. But right now what we really want to get across is the uniqueness of the green space were adding to the project and thats something that no other name would do justice to.

pittsburgh highlinepittsburgh newsterminal building

Here is the original post:
Retail, restaurants and unique elevated green space planned for South Side Terminal Building and Highline project - NEXTpittsburgh