By Adam Vaccaro

Boston.com Staff

November 18, 2014 6:50 PM

There are new plans for development in Quincy Center, after a $1.6 billion, 55-acre downtown redevelopment proposal fell apart earlier this year.

Ground broke last year on a block of Quincy Center called Merchants Rowa planned $120 million housing and commercial development. But within months, the project was put on hold by New York-based master developer Street-Works, and by March of 2014, the entire redevelopment plan had fallen apart. That left the Merchants Row space as an abandoned construction area.

A new $100 million plan for that area was unveiled Tuesday by project investor Quincy Mutual Fire Insurance, Quincy Mayor Thomas Koch, and other officials, at an event announcing that a development team had filed for construction permits for the block. It is no longer going by the name Merchants Row.

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A six-story building with 169 housing units called West of Chestnut (in reference to Chestnut Street) would be built there, and would also include 12,000 square feet of retail space. Construction on that building is expected to start next year and end in the summer of 2016. Quincy Mutual has bought the land West of Chestnut will occupy.

A second phase for the project, a building called East of Chestnut, would have 220 additional housing units, but there is not a timeline for that building. The $100 million figure refers to the costs of both phases, according to The Patriot Ledgers Patrick Ronan.

Quincy Mutual is working with Boston-based developer Gate Residential on the project. Gate Residential is owned by Redgate Holdings, which is partnered with the city in strategizing about a broader Quincy Center plan. The development team for West of Chestnut also includes Sheskey Architects, Duffy Design Group, and retail investment company Graffito SP.

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New Quincy Center Plans Announced Following Projects Collapse in March

By Derrick Bills | Published 26 minutes ago

Chapel Hill residents spoke out Monday night abouta proposed development on Eubanks Road that could include more than 900,000 square feet in over 20 buildings.

The Edge, which would sit on 55 acres of property, would provide housing, retail space and offices.

The supporters of the development said the developer, Northwood Ravin, is credible and has been involved in multiple other projects in Chapel Hill.

Including retail stores in this new development area is important to its success, said John McAdams, founder of the John R. McAdams Company. But nothing is set in stone at the moment, and Northwood Ravin will have to do some work to get businesses to build new store locations.

A significant amount of retail already exists in the greater Chapel Hill area, and the opportunities to land retail tenants is a lot lower here, McAdams said. The visibility is not usually what retailers want.

John Felton, director of design for Cline Design Associates, provided details about what the space will look like and what types of materials will be used in construction.

We have a requirement for a recreational area, he said. The guts of the project will be made up of great streets and public spaces.

Council member Maria Palmer said she was concerned about pedestrians and bikers having to cross such a busy intersection.

Bob Reinheimer, a resident of the Northwood neighborhood since 1983, said he was excited about the development at first but has started to second-guess it.

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Chapel Hill residents evaluate plan for The Edge

Construction starts on new international terminal at Queenstown Airport

Queenstown Airport is moving into an exciting new development phase with construction starting on its new international terminal, a project which will expand the current building footprint by a third in time for next winter.

Driven by strong year-on-year international passenger growth, the 4,080sqm addition to the southern end of the terminal will double the size of the airports international operations, allowing it to better cater for existing passenger volumes and accommodate future growth.

The new building has been designed to blend in with the wider terminal but while the outer shell will be completed by June 2015, the interior will be developed in three stages.

Stage One will be ready for next winter with new international arrival and departure lounges, a new Customs area, airside retail stores, baggage claim and handling areas, a covered walkway, and office space. The changes will allow the airport to process up to 1,000 passengers per hour compared to the current 480.

Stage Two will involve spatial reconfiguration to simplify passenger flows between Customs, baggage reclaim and the Ministry of Primary Industries biosecurity area, as well as housing extra staff facilities.

While Stage Three is predicted to be several years away, it will centre around developing a mezzanine floor, potentially for more gate lounges and retail space.

Queenstown Airport Corporation (QAC) Chief Executive Scott Paterson said that more space was needed to meet the surging international demand so it made sense to be able to build a larger building shell and have time and flexibility to develop within it.

The pop-up structure we installed this winter worked really well and gave us more space for international passengers but we need permanent terminal capacity.

Our airlines are supportive of the scale of the new build which will give us the flexibility to move into the space when triggered by demand, he said.

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Construction starts on new international terminal

SINGAPORE: CapitaLand has entered into a joint venture agreement (JV) with a subsidiary of Credo Group (CG) to develop an integrated development in Central Jakarta, with both companies each holding a 50 per cent stake in the venture.

The integrated development, CapitaLands first in Indonesia, will comprise a Grade A office tower, mid- to high-end residential units, serviced residences and supporting retail space, spanning a total gross floor area of more than 40,000 sqm. Construction is expected to commence in 2015 and end in 2018, and the total development cost is estimated at S$220 million, CapitaLand said on Monday (Nov 17).

Under the agreement, the JV will acquire from CG a 1-hectare site located within the central business district of Jakarta.

Said Mr Lim Ming Yan, President and Group CEO of CapitaLand: The Indonesian property market is bolstered by sound social and economic fundamentals and we see significant room for growth. In fact, Jakarta was one of the fastest growing cities in the world for office and prime residential sectors in 2013, and this uptrend is expected to continue with a rising middle-class population.

"With a strategically located site, positive market demand and a reputable local partner, we are confident this project will be well-received by the market.

The JV is not expected to have any material impact on the companys net tangible assets or earnings per share for the financial year ending Dec 31, 2014, CapitaLand said.

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CapitaLand inks joint venture for integrated development at the heart of Jakarta

MERRIMACK Merrimack planning officials are set to vote Tuesday on the final approval for the John Flatley Company to build a mixed-used development including residential and commercial space, similar to a Flatley development in Nashua.

The Flatley Company has proposed building a development on five properties on Daniel Webster Highway that would include 240 apartments, 290,000 square feet of retail space, 120,000 square feet of industrial space and a 242-seat restaurant. The apartments would be a mix of one- and two-bedroom units, according to the Nashua companys application. ... Subscribe or log in to read more

MERRIMACK Merrimack planning officials are set to vote Tuesday on the final approval for the John Flatley Company to build a mixed-used development including residential and commercial space, similar to a Flatley development in Nashua.

The Flatley Company has proposed building a development on five properties on Daniel Webster Highway that would include 240 apartments, 290,000 square feet of retail space, 120,000 square feet of industrial space and a 242-seat restaurant. The apartments would be a mix of one- and two-bedroom units, according to the Nashua companys application.

The project is slated to be voted on at the Merrimack Planning Boards regular meeting Tuesday at 7:30 p.m.

Town planning department staff have recommended the board approve a conditional final approval pending a number of conditions ranging from waiting to begin construction until the property is subdivided and to completing a development agreement with the town, according to a staff report posted on the towns website.

The development, which has been described as similar to Tara Heights off Exit 1 of the F.E. Everett Turnpike in Nashua, would span five properties on Daniel Webster Highway north of the Reeds Ferry Fire Station and across from the Depot Farm Stand on the east side of the road.

The land sits north of the Reeds Ferry Fire Station, across from Depot Farm Stand on the east side of D.W. Highway, and surrounds a parcel of land owned by plastics company Saint-Gobain.

Merrimack Community Development Director Tim Thompson said it could be six months before a completion for the project is determined.

Theres an additional piece to the puzzle, he said. Theres a large potential component of an industrial user.

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Project up for vote in Merrimack

A construction worker directs traffic in to the Cherry Creek Whole Foods parking lot off E.2nd Ave. and Josephine Street in July 2014. (Kathryn Scott Osler, The Denver Post)

If it's any consolation to motorists stuck in recent epic traffic jams in Cherry Creek, the neighborhood is paying it back to city coffers.

The tony commercial district collected $7.6 million in second-quarter sales taxes. That was a gain of 12.8 percent from the prior year, outpacing the city of Denver's overall 11.1 percent increase.

Retail in Cherry Creek has been an up-and-down prospect over the past decade, but 2014 clearly is an up year. Developers are capitalizing on favorable market conditions with a building boom of new office, retail and residential space.

"The best is yet to come in Cherry Creek," Mayor Michael Hancock said Friday at a meeting of the Cherry Creek Area Business Alliance. "What's happening in Cherry Creek is really setting the pace for what we hope will happen throughout the city of Denver."

Except for the traffic jams.

Building construction has tied up traffic sporadically. The mother of all jams, however, resulted from a 10-month-long project to replace a storm sewer along University Boulevard and Josephine Street.

The job is now finished, leaving shoppers and commuters free to return to an increasingly healthy commercial district.

Cherry Creek's retail vacancy rate of 1.8 percent is the lowest ever recorded, according to Development Research Partners and CoStar Realty Information. Lease rates for shopping space now average $36 per square foot, nearly twice as much as the citywide average.

The building boom's residential component is almost entirely apartments a result of Colorado's construction defects law that has limited development of condos.

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Cherry Creek retail sector booms after months of traffic jams

Although a slice of the project is already under construction, representatives from the town of Gilbert, Nationwide Realty and others broke ground on what will become the towns most sizable business plaza.

The officials unearthed dirt for the incoming Rivulon project during a ceremony in Gilbert on Nov. 12. The ceremonial shoveling came as the symbolic first step toward the completion of the 250-acre development located off of Gilbert Road by the Loop 202 Santan Freeway.

Youre looking at a $75million investment that will be made now through the end of 2015, said Nationwide Realty Investors president Brian Ellis.

Along with the monetary investment that includes $10 million for infrastructure completion, Ellis, whose company is based out of Columbus, Ohio, said the development should bring upward of 15,000 jobs to the area as well.

Construction is already well underway for one of the pieces of the complex an LA Fitness branch set to open in March 2015. What the ceremony marked though was the start of one of the major components to the project; the building that will house the new international headquarters of Isagenix International, LLC. Isagenix, which was based in Chandler, sells health products tied to skin care, diet and other health products.

Were going to bring some energy to Gilbert, some excitement, said Isagenix co-founder Kathy Coover.

Ellis has called Isagenix the catalyst for Rivulons construction, which is based in part on the companys fiscal heft the Isagenix website boasts $500million in revenue from April 2013 to April 2015 and for the size of the companys office. Isagenix will occupy a three-story, 150,000-square-foot building that is expected to open in December 2015.

The Isagenix headquarters wont be the first building to open at Rivulon though. Besides the LA Fitness franchise, Nationwide Realty is building a four-story, 125,000-square-foot speculative building it expects to wrap up by September 2015, along with a pair of two-story buildings with the same planned completion date as the four-story facility.

The Rivulon project extends beyond office space and will include 500,000 square feet of retail space and an anticipated 250 hotel rooms, but the office space might be the most important piece of the development. Thats because the totality of Rivulon is expected to more than double the amount of office space in Gilbert.

That is remarkable and that means something; that means something for Gilberts (future), said Gilbert Councilmember Jenn Daniels.

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Construction set to commence for Rivulon development in Gilbert

NEWTOWN TOWNSHIP The steel skeleton of the Promenade continues to take shape, rising above the intersection of Sycamore and Jefferson streets.

In the not too distant future, the site will be alive with activity, bringing new stores and living spaces to the street and taking a huge step forward in fulfilling the townships vision of Sycamore as a walkable downtown destination street for the township.

In the meantime, the sound of riveting fills the air as construction workers, perched precariously atop the steel rails, busily transform the site into the Promenade.

Built on the site of the former Acme, which served Newtowns grocery shopping needs for years, the Promenade will feature two new buildings a standalone, 2,000 square foot, one story retail building next to the Historic Newtown Presbyterian Church, and a three-story building fronting on Sycamore Street, housing 22,000 square feet of retail space on the first floor and 26 one bedroom apartments on the second and third.

Vince Keenan, president of NAC construction, said hes hoping to have the main building under roof by January and completed in the May-June time frame.

Right now were on schedule and doing well, reports Jim Worthington, owner of the Newtown Athletic Club and a partner in the Promenade project. Im excited. Its going to be a high-end, beautiful project when its all said and done.

The first floor retail space in the main building will be anchored by Philadelphia-based Anthropologie, which markets itself as an inspiring place to shop for women's clothing, accessories and home decor.

Founded in Wayne, Anthropologie caters to women wanting a curated mix of clothing, accessories, gifts and home dcor that reflects their personal style and fuels their passions, from fashion to art and entertaining. The chain boasts more than 185 stores throughout the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom.

Were virtually filled on the retail end, said Worthington. There are a few little spots left, but thats about it.

Worthington is holding the identities of his retail tenants close to his vest, although he did offer a few hints. Continued...

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PROMENADE ON THE RISE: Mixed-use, high-end retail, living space development begins to take shape on Sycamore Street in ...

The developers of 220 Riverside are moving ahead with the next phase. The plans call for 213 apartments along with 18,000 square feet of retail space.

NAI Hallmark Partners plans to build the project immediately east of 220 Riverside, on the land between that and the new Brooklyn Station on Riverside.

The new project is expected to cost $42 million, and the developer is asking City Council for about $7 million in property tax rebates over the next 20 years.

Its being called 200 Riverside at this point, but that could change, said David Auchter, executive vice president of NAI Hallmark Partners. He said he hopes to begin construction by the end of the year.

When 220 was designed, a second phase was envisioned and the project was designed accordingly, Auchter said. It will tie in with 220 and look like one seamless project.

Construction began in 2012 on 220 Riverside, which includes 294 apartments, 18,000 square feet of retail space and a public/private park called Unity Plaza.

The first residents are expected to move in by the end of the year, he said, with completion expected in March.

Pollack Shores Real Estate Group of Atlanta is building a 310-unit apartment complex called Brooklyn Riverside right behind Brooklyn Station on Riverside.

Meanwhile, NAI Hallmark Partners is still planning to put a hotel on its property on Forest Street. It could present a conceptual plan to the Downtown Investment Authority as soon as this month, Auchter said.

The plans call for about 150 rooms, he said, but no contract has been signed with a hotel chain.

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More apartments planned for Riverside Avenue project in Jacksonville

ST. PETERSBURG The iconic World Liquors sign that has marked the corner of Central Avenue and 16th Street for 53 years is coming down to make way for a new retail and residential development. World Plaza Shoppes will have 13,000 square feet of retail at street level and 14 loft apartments above.

World Liquors owner Paul Misiewicz and Pennsylvania-based DEPG Development Associates are partnering on the $5 million project. A newly constructed World Liquors will be the anchor tenant, taking up 3,000 square feet, about three times the size of the current store.

Construction is slated to start in early 2015 and be completed within about a year.

"Now the city of St. Petersburg is really expanding. New commercial space is being leased fairly easily, as you can tell by what's happening on Fourth Street," Misiewicz said.

He planned a smaller development of his own in 2009, but held off when the recession hit. Then last year, when his Keller Williams real estate agent met a Pennsylvania developer looking for Florida opportunities at a shopping center convention in Orlando, the timing was right.

"What we like about (the location) is it's going to be at the cutting edge. And others, including ourselves, will jump on the bandwagon as development continues spreading in a westward direction," said Jim DePetris, head of DEPG Development Associates.

Keller Williams agent Jean Kabore recalled the meeting with DePetris in Orlando. "Some of his investor friends had been telling him about how the Tampa-St. Pete area was growing so fast and he should take a look at the market," Kabore said.

DEPG, which includes four DePetris brothers, is a leading retail developer around the Pocono Mountains in northwestern Pennsylvania. "All the new things happening in St. Petersburg the changes, the young people moving in and new restaurants it's all very exciting," DePetris said.

While food and retail are thriving on Central Avenue, it's not considered a residential hub yet. Misiewicz points to the success of Fusion 1560 across the street. Its 253 apartments are 95 percent occupied, according to a leasing agent. Rents range from $955 to $1,850. Rental rates for the World Plaza apartments aren't set yet but will be in that range or lower.

The new World Liquors store will enable Misiewicz to grow the business his uncle started in 1956. Misiewicz has worked there 41 years.

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New apartments, retail coming to World Liquors corner on Central Avenue