By TAYLOR M. LIER

Staff Writer

HOWELL An applicant with longstanding plans to build a residential development in Howell has proposed eliminating the commercial portion of the development.

Elon Associates is seeking approval to construct 69 single-family homes and a building with 10 affordable housing units at the corner of Yellowbrook Road and Route 524 (Adelphia-Farmingdale Road).

Testimony on the application was most recently heard at the Feb. 19 meeting of the Planning Board.

Attorney Salvatore Alfieri, who represents Elon Associates, said the applicant is seeking preliminary and final major subdivision approval and final site plan approval.

A portion of the developers property has been set aside for retail commercial use, but that could change.

Some residents are concerned with the impact the commercial development would have in this area and the fact that it is not really consistent with the current development there or the proposed development, Alfieri said.

He suggested that if the Township Council and the Planning Board agree, his client would eliminate the commercial space in exchange for several homes.

My client has analyzed the financial impact the elimination of the commercial development would have and he agreed that if he can get an additional five homes in that area, he would go forward with eliminating the commercial part of the plan, Alfieri said.

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Elon Associates offers to eliminate retail space

CONSHOHOCKEN >> Council adopted an agreement with the Montgomery County Redevelopment Authority March 18 that authorizes the authority to act as the boroughs agent to apply for and administer a $2.5 million state Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program grant.

The grant will pay a major portion of the construction costs for the new borough hall, police station and retail space at the former Verizon building on Fayette Street.

Under the agreement, the borough will pay the MCRA a 1 percent fee of $25,000 and all direct and indirect costs of pursuing the grant application and administering the grant. The MCRA will charge the borough $155 per hour for Executive Director Jerry Nugent, $175 per hour for Solicitor Sean Kilkenny and $72 per hour for the program administrator. Other costs to administer the grant will incur a 10 percent markup for accounting, invoicing and payment processing, the agreement said.

In September 2014, borough council borrowed $10.78 million from two banks to pay for the borough hall construction. The annual debt service will start at $312,619 in 2015 and increase to $719,766 per year in the subsequent 24 years of the loans.

Borough officials said the $719,766 in annual debt service would be balanced in future budgets by eliminating the annual $240,000 that the borough currently pays for its office rental at 1 W. First Ave. The borough also expects to receive about $225,000 per year when all of the 20,000 square feet of rental space is occupied in the new borough office building.

Council awarded a $10,497,600 basic bid to TN Ward Co. of Lower Merion in September 2014 for the building along with alternate bid items that brought the total cost of construction to $10,709,600. The alternate bids included a vegetative tray system on the main roof for $103,500; a screen for the rooftop mechanical systems for $46,500; a six-panel, closed-loop solar hot-water array for a $38,500; an upgrade in the rubber roof thickness from 0.06 of an inch to 0.09 of an inch for $13,500; and a ground face cement block rather than split face for $10,000.

A change order from TN Ward Co. to wrap the interior U shaped concrete columns inside the building with sheetrock and hide electrical conduit for an amount not to exceed $35,000 was approved by council.

There is steel rebar coming out of some of them. There are holes drilled in some of them, said borough Engineer Paul Hughes. You need to decide if you want to cover the columns.

Hughes said the contractor had a revised price of $57,480 and there was $22,000 included in the original contract to fill holes and paint the columns.

Councilwoman Anita Barton asked about the number of columns and the reasons for electrical conduits being located in the concrete columns. Hughes said that building codes require electrical outlets every 10 feet in a commercial building. Continued...

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Conshohocken seeks state grant to reduce cost of new borough hall

Using shipping containers as a retail, restaurant or residential building material isn't an entirely new concept, but these metal boxes are being used in a high-profile way with Friday's opening of The Yard, a retail and beer garden space in San Francisco, across from AT&T Park.

The shipping containers, installed in Lot A with views of the ballpark, house all of the businesses that comprise The Yard. Within the space is an Anchor Steam beer garden, bleachers to eat food from Off the Grid food trucks and retail spaces for North Face and Made in SF, among others.

Workers put the final touches on The Yard sign in San Francisco. (Chris Riley Vallejo Times-Herald)

Local business Transport Products Unlimited had a hand in the project, supplying half of the containers being used in this unique place. Along with container company American Transportation Services out of Oakland, the two companies reworked 13 shipping containers for use in The Yard, modifying the shells before taking the products to Urban Bloc in San Leandro, where the final interiors were installed.

Marth Trela, CEO of Urban Bloc, said that the use of shipping containers is finally gaining some traction.

"Commercial container construction has been popular in Europe and Asia for awhile now, but it's just starting here in the United States," Trela said. "The United States is really just starting to embrace it, but it's seemingly taking off really well. People just have this natural inclination to these kind of social food/shopping experiences and so we're excited because there seems to be tremendous interest in using empty lots and vacant areas ... and it's not as difficult as traditional buildings to set something up."

Transport Products Unlimited president Randy Larsen has been working on container projects for decades, first seeing modified use of shipping containers back in the '80s. The Yard is one of the largest commercial spaces Larsen has worked on, but for him, the appeal of using shipping containers is apparent.

"It's more cost-effective because your construction is going to last longer than if you built it out of wood," Larsen said. "Getting into some of the areas we can deliver, you'd have a hard time hauling the lumber and stepping in there ... It's a turnkey (project): When (the container) leaves here, we set it on the ground and basically all they have to do is hook power up to it and water ... and they're good to go."

Beyond the durability of using shipping containers as a building material, it is also a way to reuse materials that oftentimes sits around collecting dust, according to Jerry Jameson, CIO of Urban Bloc.

"In the places where the shipping containers originate, there's mountains and mountains and mountains of them that are just sitting idle," Jameson said. "And so it's really an opportunity to just reuse them. And so instead of having to start from scratch and build things and use new products, basically what we've done is taken almost thrown away objects and turn them into productive things again."

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Shipping containers take on new life in 'The Yard' at AT&T Park

A womens fashion and accessory boutique will be the first of four small retailers that will occupy a one-floor mini-mall inside the Buffalo Sabres HarborCenter when the retail space along the lower Main Street side of the building opens in late spring.

Red Siren, owned by veteran human resources executive and businesswoman Sharon Randaccio, will offer a range of specialty gifts, jewelry, leather products and clothing, geared to appeal to a mix of local shoppers, hockey moms and tourists. Randaccio has been planning the new business for more than a year, developing relationships with more than 50 manufacturers.

Buffalo women especially are going to find treasures here they are used to buying out of town, said Randaccio, also founder, president and CEO of Performance Partners. We are patching in to the energy surging in downtown Buffalo. We believe in the city and its resurgence and were thrilled to be part of it.

Meanwhile, construction work continues on the 12-story Marriott Buffalo HarborCenter hotel that soars above the northwest corner of the building, with the exterior glazing about 80 percent complete. The hotel, which originally was targeted for completion and opening by May, is now expected to be ready by late summer, in time for the new season of hockey-related activities.

Im not going to deny that, while it wasnt me putting the hard hat on every day, working through the coldest winter in years and the coldest February ever, Im not going to deny that doesnt take a toll, said HarborCenter President and CEO John R. Koelmel. Its never as efficient when its that cold and that problematic. But kudos to those doing the work. It isnt impeding the overall work and overall timeline.

Randaccios new store will occupy about 1,200 square feet of the 5,000-square-foot mini-mall on the west side of HarborCenter, next to the hockey and entertainment complexs main entrance and the separate portico entrance for the hotel now under construction on top of the ice rinks. Thats also right across from the Metro Rail special events station and Canalside.

Three other retail spaces of about 800 to 900 square feet each are still available for lease, and HarborCenter officials are working with various prospective tenants to finalize details over the next few weeks, even as they continue to receive inquiries from other parties, Koelmel said. Construction build-out would then begin, with a goal of completion in June.

We continue to negotiate with others, and were really excited and pleased with what we think the outcomes will be, Koelmel said. Its a rare week where we dont have one to two other potential or interested parties contacting us about retail. Its ongoing and we continue to welcome the interest.

Like a traditional mall, all four spaces will open into a common lobby, and the stores will likely be open during prime time hours for HarborCenter, starting at noon. The retail area will have two entrances, one from Main Street and one from the stairwell to the buildings five-level parking ramp at the southwest corner of HarborCenter. The first hour of parking in the ramp will be free, to accommodate shoppers.

Once the street is opened and once vehicular traffic is back up and around our building, there wont be on-street parking, Koelmel said. So as with everything else, we want to make access as easy as possible, in spite of not having on-street parking.

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Womens fashion boutique to be first retailer in HarborCenter

Pete Sumners, left and Gordon Blackwood, right, from Yorkshire Bank, with Charles Hopkinson from Steam and Moorland, centre

A FAMILY-RUN garden centre is preparing for a period of new growth with the construction of a major extension.

The Stream and Moorland Garden and Machinery centre in Pickering, is building a new 7,200sq ft extension to house a new caf and retail space after securing a 450,000 finance deal with Yorkshire Bank.

The new extension, which is due to open in time for Easter, is also being funded by a 200,000 investment by business owners Charles and Bernadette Hopkinson.

Mr Hopkinson said the development should pave the way for more visitors and increasing staff numbers from 25 to 35.

The funding was arranged by Pete Sumners, business development manager at Yorkshire Banks Business and Private Banking Centre in York.

James Bradley, of Langleys Solicitors, acted on behalf of both Clydesdale Bank and Hopkinson & Sons on the loan facility.

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New funding paves the way for garden centre extension

Retailers go west to get in on the ground level of the newest Collins Street office tower.

A "grid" of retail shops on the ground floor of Melbourne's newest Collins Street office tower is almost fully leased as retailers take advantage of the fast evolving western end of the city.

Owned by Investa Office Fund and Investa Commercial Property Fund, the premium 26-level commercial tower at 567 Collins developed by Leighton Properties has secured tenants for most of the 13 spaces available.

The speedy take-up reflects the growing popularity and development of the western end of Collins Street as a viable retail precinct, agents said.

An impression of the "grid" of retail shops on the ground floor of 567 Collins Street.

Tenants who have signed on to the ground-floor forecourt include the boutique barista kiosk of local restaurateur Sargon Beteramia, national Japanese food vendor Sushia, Mexican fast-food Guzman Y Gomez and locally founded Earl Canteen, Spudbar and Jaffle Jaffle, Colliers International's Ben Tremellen and Georgie Cichy said.

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Retailers were accrediting stronger trading conditions at the western end of Collins Street withthe drag effect of the ongoing expansion of Docklands and large numbers of residential developments in the area, CBRE's Zelman Ainsworth said.

Directly opposite Investa's building, Hickory Group is finalising construction of a 65-level tower at 568 Collins for the Stamoulis Property Group.

The compact 30 by 40-metre site will have a total of 588 apartments when complete.

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Tower 'grid' latest Collin Street addition to west end retail space

A 48 acre development is set to break ground this year.

It's easily the largest project ever to be built in the small town of Belfield.

It's a multi-use development with hotels, restaurants, travel centers, convenience stores, and several retail outlets.

Belfield Crossing will be located just North of Interstate 94 along Highway 85.

Managing Partner Mitch Beckstead of American Landmark Group says they'll begin construction of the basic infrastructure this year with total completion of the project in three to four years.

The Northern-most part of the development will consist of retail, restaurants, and a truck stop.

The largest retail space will be 30,000 square feet.

A little farther South will be two hotels, each with 98 rooms.

And then to the West, office and warehouse space and more retail.

Beckstead says Highway 85 is a crossroad for transportation.

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Large Project in the Works for Belfield

New owners revive concept for townhomes, retail space on downtown block

One of Troutdale's most recognizable remnants of the economic recession, the stalled downtown Discovery Block on the Historic Columbia River Highway, is getting a new lease on life.

Leveled right before the recession kicked in in 2008, the block front between Southeast Dora Street and Harlow Avenue was envisioned as a U-shaped hub for prosperity.

On one side would be an anchor tenant, perhaps a restaurant or pub, with a retail shop and room for offices on the other. Behind the commercial buildings, 10 townhomes would arise.

When the economy tanked, so did the plan.

In the wake of a new ownership deal finalized in 2013, activity has resumed on the block, which still contains the Troutdale Vision Clinic building, at 226 E. Historic Columbia River Highway, between two vacant lots.

Pat Hanlin, one of the property's four owners, said the group is awaiting permitting approval from the city before construction begins on five of the 10 planned townhomes.

Depending on how sales go, then we'll start the second five, hopefully on the heels of that, Hanlin said.

If permitting and readying the site go as planned, the townhomes will begin by this summer.

The city's been anticipating something going on for a long time, he said. Now we're just waiting. Then we're going to be off and running.

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Mixed-use plan for Troutdale Discovery Block back in play

Published: Sunday, March 15, 2015 at 4:18 p.m. Last Modified: Sunday, March 15, 2015 at 4:18 p.m.

Nolan Galloway III, president and broker of Gus Galloway Realty in Ocala, said he is seeing a lot of "inter-market jockeying" from Marion County businesses looking to expand.

"As a broker, this is probably the first time I've been (as) optimistic as I am now since, say, 2005, 2006, when we all thought the trees were growing to the sky," Galloway said. "We all learned a really hard lesson. What I like a lot better about now versus then is I'm not seeing any unrealistic growth. We're back to the real estate basics. This client is only going to buy that asset if it makes financial sense."

Bartow McDonald IV, managing director of Sperry Van Ness in Ocala, said his company's database shows about 504,631 square feet of large industrial space (more than 30,000 square feet) available in Marion County, with a vacancy rate of 5.8 percent, down from 6.75 percent in 2014, 10.8 percent in 2012 and 14 percent in 2010.

He estimates average rental rates for large industrial properties are in the range of $3.50 to $4 per square foot, triple net, meaning the tenant also pays property taxes, insurance and maintenance.

"Yes, we are definitely seeing companies in the expansion mode," McDonald said. "We've seen a marked difference in the last six months."

Both McDonald and Galloway say increasing confidence in the economy is spurring Marion County businesses to expand.

"There's more discretionary dollars in our own marketplaces," Galloway said. "I don't care if you're selling widgets, toilet paper or industrial buildings, you're selling more of them now than you were selling in 2011."

Businesses that have made the leap recently include Ocala Winsupply. Don Johnson founded the plumbing, heating, ventilation and air conditioning supply business in 2008. Johnson started the company, originally known as Ocala Winnelson, with four employees and steered his company through lean years, building it along the way.

On March 2, with the help of Mark DeBolt, a commercial real estate broker, Ocala Winsupply moved from 15,000 square feet at 3661 S. Pine Ave. to almost 45,000 square feet at 1500 SW 17th Ave. Johnson said his company now has 19 workers.

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Growing confidence in economy spurring Marion businesses to expand

$8.00 - $12.00 /sf/year1,383 - 14,702 SF

Mission Centre is a single-level neighborhood shopping center containing 109,386 square feet of lease space on 9.968-acre parcel that includes 3 pad sites, which are managed and owned by separate ownership. Built in 1986, Mission Centre is comprised of 2 main lease buildings positioned on both sides of a former Albertson's Grocery in which will now be an ethnic grocery store. Together, the owned buildings and the former Albertson's are a single contiguous structure spanning the Beechnut frontage between Hwy. 6 and Vista Del Rancho Dr. The center is 44% occupied with tenants occupying 48,354 sf. Mission Centre has an attractive brick finish, landscape features and concrete parking surfaces, consistent with class A shopping center construction. Mission Centre is located 15 miles west of Houston's CBD and 10 miles west of the Galleria District, Houston's 2nd highest concentration of office buildings. The property is in the Far West sub-market on the south side of Beechnut, at the highly trafficked intersection with Hwy. 6, 6 miles south of Interstate 10/Katy Frwy. and the Energy Corridor area. The Energy Corridor is home to the 3rd largest office sub-market in Houston, behind Do

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Houston, TX Retail Space - Commercial Real Estate