Home Builder Developer - Interior Renovation and Design

Thinking about the long-term financial effects of work from home on commercial real estate owners is unsettling. But having employees return gradually to office buildings is actually good news for the operations teams. Fewer people means more space for social distancing and more time for full occupancywhatever that means for Americas corporations.

READ ALSO: Why Green Leases Will Bloom After the Recession

Organizations like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration and the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers have issued new guidelines for building maintenance that are being implemented by property management teams to help keep office workers safe.

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Theres a heightened focus on health and wellness right now due to the pandemic, but property managers, especially those who have been invested in sustainability, have been focused on a lot of this for a long time, observed Melanie Mayo-Rodgers, director of Facilities for the U.S. Green Building Council.

Rodgers manages the USGBC LEED Platinum headquarters. Its a learning laboratory and a facility to showcase all that LEED can beeven during a pandemicright down to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency-approved cleaning products.

USGBC has responded to the pandemic with its stance that healthy people in healthy workplaces leads to a healthy economy, and, as part of that initiative, theyve introduced new Safety First pilot credits to support LEED projects with their reopening. According to Rodgers, the special pilot credits focus on managing indoor air quality, HVAC systems, building water system reconditioning and testing, cleaning and disinfecting workspaces, and employee reentry to the workplace.

Two of the best places to find return-to-work checklists online, Rodgers adds, are the CDC (Toolkit for Businesses & Workplaces) and OSHA (Guidance on Preparing Workplaces for COVID-19). Resources are also available from Arc Skoru Inc., a technology company affiliated with Green Business Certification Inc. and USGBC. The Arc platform includes the Arc Re-entry Guide and the Arc Improvement Score.

With the slow return to the office, property managers and facility managers are tasked with preparing a space thats run on low occupancy, where the systems arent getting used as much. According to Rodgers, for HVAC, this means a complete building flush, changing filters and confirming filters are installed correctly so that the seal around them limits bypass air that could get by without being filtered.

You want to increase outdoor air ventilation to increase the air change rate and improve the central air and other HVAC filtration to at least a MERS 13 if possible, Rodgers explained. But you have to check to see whats compatible with your buildings equipment. You want to go for the highest-level filter thats achievable for your building system. You also want to monitor and maintain relative humidity levels between 40 percent and 60 percent.

Just as important is flushing all the water lines to prevent Legionella and other biomaterials that can manifest if there has not been regular clean water flushed through. The taps need to be run and water tested to ensure good quality.

Building operators have many questions about increasing their air filter MERV rating, reconfiguring workspaces, performing health checks and new cleaning processes, according to David Santo, segment head for smart mechanical services at Siemens.

There is no simple, one-size-fits-all answer. There just isnt, Santo said.

What is known, however, is that a buildings mechanical systems can play a role in a safer return-to-work strategy and help allay some of the fears many employees may have about emerging from stay-at-home/remote work arrangements. The goal, of course, is to reduce the health risks to employees and building occupants by reducing the spread of airborne and surface contaminants, Santo explained.

He notes that emerging research in this area is pretty clear: Viral spread is linked to the presence of fine particles and contaminants in a building. It does seem that viruses are spreading where those contaminants are more prevalent. As a result, it makes sense to find ways to help minimize viral spread by reducing the number of indoor contaminants.

Siemens is leveraging the buildings mechanical systems and a range of already available options like ultraviolet light technology and Needlepoint Bipolar Ionization. Filter MERV rating upgrades and advanced filtration (air scrubbers) are other great ways to treat the air as it flows through your building and ventilation systems, said Santo.

Key performance indicators can help monitor the quality of the indoor environment. These may include building differential pressure, fine particulate counts, room temperature and room humidity levels as compared to agreed-upon baselines, benchmarks or setpoints.

It is clear that a holistic approach toward infection prevention is essential because there is no single solution today that is 100 percent effective in removing all contaminants.

Right now, many companies are focused on increasing staffing to clean high-touch surfaces like elevator buttons and door pulls. Those chemicals have to be maintained as wet on the surface for a specific period of time (the dwell time is listed on the product labelling) in order for the disinfecting to occur, according to Marc Fischer, LEED Green Associate, BOMA fellow and president & CEO of InspiRE Commercial Real Estate Services. Fischer is also on the team at Crisis Collaborative, which provides multidisciplinary consultative solutions.

You can apply disinfectants, but you dont know if the space has been actually disinfected unless you do chemical sampling, adds Fischer. Another downside of traditional cleaning methods is that buttons and door pulls must be cleaned between every use and you must allow the chemical to run for the entire dwell time.

Decision-makers are exploring the benefits of electrostatic sprayer technology (which is not new at all) together with chemical products published on the EPA website that have been shown to be effective on COVID-19. These Quats (quaternary ammonium compounds) are potent disinfectant chemicals commonly found in disinfectant wipes, sprays and other household cleaners that are designed to kill germs.

When you spray in the room, it envelopes all of the materials, said Fischer, it goes on all the sides of the desks, the chairs, absolutely every surface in the room and it binds to the surfaces. It lasts for 30 daysunless you scrub it offwithout having to reapply.

Some products and techniques that have been used in medical office buildings and in hospitals are going to be brought to the office sector. Fischer expects well see elevator buttons and door handles made with Microban, a trademarked antimicrobial and built-in active ingredient that enables products to resist the growth of microbes. And while offices might not see the UV light robots that sanitize an operating room in between procedures during this pandemic, theres a spectrum of UV light called Far UVC in development that could be installed in the ceiling to provide sanitization throughout the day.

JLL has put together engineering protocols on how to properly operate the office building and has distributed these protocols to all of the JLL national property teams. Essentially, these include increasing outside fresh air, meeting or exceeding CDC and ASHRAE standards, recommissioning of building mechanical systems and following our water management plans, said William Schuch, JLL national engineering manager of property management. In addition, increased communications with tenants are key as we mitigate any potential risks of spreading airborne pathogens.

Reentry plans for tenant occupiers were developed and are customized specific to each building based on space type, square footage, occupancy, tenant needs and the type of building systems. JLL has created a reentry workbook for property managers and engineering staff that will guide them in such areas as education, engineering procedures, experience management, health screening, janitorial practices and more.

Due to JLLs global footprint, we were able to learn best practices from our global partners in Asia and Europe that handled the pandemic prior to our teams in the U.S., Schuch added. Some of the very first measures we put in place came from our counterparts in China.Specifically, understanding how the peak demand of visitors can be addressed in advance of reentry.

Even before the pandemic, Carbon Lighthouse was using its AI based software platform for clients like Madison Realty and the Moinian Group to drive deep data analytics into HVAC and lighting systems to uncover efficiency reserves. REITs and real estate investors that work with Carbon Lighthouse have been realizing increases in their building value at pretty much any stage in the asset life cycle by about $5 to $10 a square foot, according to Matt Ganser, executive vice president for Engineering and Technology at Carbon Lighthouse.

Now were advocating that buildings apply a smarter approach to mitigating COVID-19 versus throwing the kitchen sink at it, said Ganser. We think a lot of the measures that ASHRAE and CDC are putting out are very rational and they make sense, but they are fairly conservative and put the building at risk [financially] by spending money unnecessarily. The default is to try to follow ASHRAE and CDC. The smart play is to try to separate out how to deliver that same level of safety without the risk of rent inflating.

Perhaps a silver lining emerging from the current crisis is the deeper appreciation for the importance of indoor air quality. There has never been this much attention around ventilation probably since Willis Carrier and his invention of modern HVAC systems at the beginning of the 20th centuryand you see this not only from our clients but also from their tenants, said Ganser.

We know from our clients that their tenants are Googling HVAC guidelines and ASHRAE guidelines and CDC guidelines and coming to them and asking, Can you tell me what you guys are doing to provide a safe space? If you respond to that welland you dont phone it inthis can be a driver of retaining your tenants or potentially securing new leases in the future, so it doesnt have to be just a risk mitigation strategy it can be a strategy to maintain or even increase your revenue.

Read the September 2020 issue of CPE.

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Success of the Post-COVID-19 Office Building Hinges on Facilities Decisions - Commercial Property Executive

Design- Premium Aesthetics But Feels Slightly Heavy

I am glad Realme ditched the gradient finish style for the Realme 7-series and opted for a subtle solid color back panels. There is no glittery gradient pattern this time that reflects light with the slightest hand movements. Instead, you get minimal looking solid white and blue shades which look much more polished than all previous iterations of the Realme Number-Series' devices.

The back panel with frosted finish looks much premium and feels much better to touch than devices with glossy back panels. The new design is called AG Split design, as it divides the back panel into two parts. I wish the quad-lens camera module was placed inside the other half as the line cuts the camera setup at almost centre which looks a bit off from a clean geometric design point-of-view.

Nevertheless, the phone still makes a solid impression. Realme also claims that the Realme 7 is splash resistant. As per the brand, all of the phone's ports are sealed by a silicone protection layer which will offer required protection from water splashes. As for ergonomics, the phone feels bulky and heavy as it houses a massive 5,000mAh battery cell. I don't mind some weight if the phone lasts longer with heavy usage.

Overall, Realme has improved the design to a good extent. Available in two color variants- Mist White and Mist Blue, the Realme 7 is by far the most premium Realme Number-Series' smartphone, in fact, it looks way more premium than almost all sub-18K smartphones selling in the Indian market.

Realme always ensures all design basics are met and the same goes with the Realme 7. The smartphone comes equipped with a 3-slot SIM card tray which can be used to accommodate two 4G nano-SIM cards and a microSD card simultaneously. The phone has a Type-C charging port at the bottom along with a microphone, speaker unit and the conventional 3.5mm audio jack. The fingerprint scanner is placed on the right side due to the LCD panel's restriction of housing a biometric scanner underneath. I prefer the side-mounted biometric scanners as the thumb naturally lands on the spot to lock/unlock the screen.

Like its predecessor, the Realme 7 also sports an IPS LCD display with fluid 90Hz refresh rate and 120Hz sampling rate. It is a 1080p panel with 2400x1080P FHD+ resolution and a pixel density of PPI. As the screen comes in 20:9 aspect ratio, the Realme 7 offers a 90.5% screen-to-body ratio which is pretty good for a sub-20K smartphone. With the 90Hz refresh rate, the IPS LCD panel feels fluid and responsive. And the respectable pixel density makes text, pictures and graphics look crisp and sharp. Compared to the Realme 6, the Realme 7 seems to have a slightly better overall LCD panel.

The IPS LCD panel's color reproduction is good and videos and gameplay looks immersive. The screen works well for indoor usage and multimedia consumption as the 480nits brightness seems sufficient. However, the same cannot be said for outdoor use. The LCD screen seems reflective and loses visibility in direct sunlight as the peak brightness levels seem inadequate.

As far as screen protection is concerned, Realme has offered the dated Corning Gorilla Glass 3 protection on the Realme 7 and the Realme 7 Pro. Notably, the competition has moved towards the much better Corning Gorilla Glass 5 even in the sub-15K price segment.

Similar to the Realme 6, the Realme 7 also boasts a quad-lens rear camera and a 16MP selfie camera. The rear camera's primary lens now works on the Sony IMX682 sensor instead of using the Samsung ISOCELL Bright GW1 sensor. Sadly, there are no improvements in other remaining camera sensors. The company should have offered a better macro sensor or at least a higher resolution wide-angle camera for better landscape photography. Below are the camera specifications and software features.

Primary Sensor- 64MP, f/1.8, 6P lens, Sony IMX682 Sensor, 1/1.73"Wide-Angle Sensor- 8MP, f/2.3, 119 Field-Of-View, 5P lensDepth Sensor- 2MP B&W Portrait Camera, f/2.4, 3P lensMacro Sensor- 2MP, 4cm Focus Distance, f/2.4, 3P lensPhotography Modes- 64MP High-Resolution Mode, Super NightScape, Starry Mode, Panoramic view, Expert mode (Pro Mode), Time-lapse, Portrait, HDR, Wide-Angle mode, Macro mode, AI scene recognition, AI Beauty, Filter, Chroma Boost, Slow Motion, Bokeh EffectVideo Recording- 4K/30fps video recording, 1080P/30fps, 60fps video recording, 720P/30fps, 60fps video recording, EIS Support, No OISFront Camera- 16MP f/2.0, 79.3 Field-Of-View, 5P lensPhotography Modes- Portrait Mode, Timelapse, Panorama, AI Beauty, HDR, Face-Recognition, Filter, Bokeh Effect ControlVideo Recording- 1080P, 720p/30fps video recordingDaylight Performance

Thanks to the Sony IMX 682 sensor, the 64MP primary lens captures crisp shots in daylight with better details than the 64MP camera setup on the predecessor. The 16MP pixel-binned images and the 64MP high-resolution shots show the impressive dynamic range and vibrant colors. Although the camera captures punchy colors in standard mode, you can also enable the Chroma Boost mode if you prefer more vivid and contrasted images that do not require post-processing. It does make pictures stand out but the results are highly edited and show unrealistic colors, cranked up contrast and excessive sharpness.

Some shots with Chroma Boost mode disabled also look unrealistically sharp. Realme should make some adjustments to the camera software as the current version is very harsh on colors, especially the Chroma Boost mode which boosts color saturation a bit too much resulting in artificial-looking shots. The 16MP selfie camera is a good performer and unlike the rear camera, the result is not marred by unrealistic colors or cranked up contrast and sharpness.

Similar to images, the videos also look crisp and show vibrant colors and good dynamic range. The video recording maxes at 4k 30fps which is impressive for a sub-18k smartphone. The camera supports software-backed stabilization which now also works with the 8MP wide-angle lens and it is called Ultra Steady Max'. The results are satisfactory based on the phone's price but this phone is best used for video recording with a gimbal.

Moving on, the camera's autofocus is snappy and quickly locks the subject. You can also enable AI Scene recognition which quickly makes adjustments according to the scene to improve the overall picture output. The HDR also works well on the Realme 7 and captures good details in bright and dark areas. The camera app is loaded with various filters and modes to help you make the most out of smartphone photography. Overall, if there's ample amount of light, the Realme 7 will impress you with its picture abilities.

The Realme 7 uses a 2MP B&W depth sensor with f/2.4 aperture to create bokeh. Despite a low 2MP sensor, the smartphone captures pleasing portraits. The edge-detection is on point if you have maintained the required distance from the subject. I liked the fact that the Realme 7 can create a bokeh effect if the subject is placed very far. Yes, the edge detection takes a hit but the overall miniature effect looks pretty cool.

The Realme 7 captures decent wide-angle shots. The 8MP wide-angle camera captures a good field-of-view and takes good landscape shots in favorable lighting. The detailing takes a hit in low-light and the distortion is also very much visible if you capture images in 4:3 aspect ratio. Shoot in full-screen aspect ratio for better results.

The 2MP macro sensor only produces decent results when the light is in abundance. The results are just not at all usable in indoor lighting. Its high-time Realme gets away with the minuscule 2MP macro sensors and start offering at least 5MP macro sensors or create a triple-lens camera system with 5MP depth sensor instead of offering an additional but underwhelming 2MP macro sensor.

The dedicated night mode brings out good details in darker areas but noise also becomes evident in poor lighting situations. If there's some lighting in the frame, the Realme 7's night mode can yield impressive results. The camera app now also offers Starry Mode' which is essentially a 5-minute long-exposure shot to bring out adequate details win the frame that's usually not captured with standard night modes.

The Realme 7 has the newly launched MediaTek Helio G95 SoC at its heart. The game-centric chipset is the successor to the well-received G90T which powered the Realme 6 and the Redmi Note 8 Pro. Similar to the G90T, the G95 is also designed on the 12nm fabrication process and incorporates a pair of Arm Cortex-A76 cores operating at up to 2.05GHz and six Cortex-A55 power-efficient cores clocked at 2.0GHz. The improvements come in the form of higher clock speeds of the ARM Mali-G76 MC4 GPU which now operates at 900 MHz instead of the 800MHz in the MTK Helio G90T. The CPU is paired with 6GB and 8GB LPDDR4x dual-channel RAM and 64GB/128GB UFS 2.1 storage. On the software side, the Realme 7 runs on Realme UI V1.0 based on Android 10.

The 8GB/128GB variant performed well in the day-to-day routine. The 90Hz refresh rate screen combined with snappy chipset and well-optimized Realme UI makes the overall user-experience smooth and responsive. The side-mounted fingerprint scanner unlocks the phone in a jiffy and the software backed face-unlock also works well. The 8GB RAM ensured lag-free multitasking on the Realme 7 and the phone can also handle heavy-duty tasks without any performance issues.

We also played major game titles to gauge the gaming performance of the new chipset. As expected, the PUBG defaulted to High settings with the frame rate set to High and game-graphics set to HD. The gameplay was smooth and mostly free of frame drops and lags. The phone did get warm after 20 to 25 minutes of continuous gameplay which is pretty normal. Other popular game titles like Dead Trigger 2, Brawlhala and Hitman Sniper ran without any glitches.

We also ran some benchmarks to test the MTK G95's synthetic scores. The Realme 7 scored 9,911 in PC Mark's Work 2.0 Performance test and recorded 527 in GeekBench's Single-core and 1,684 in the Multi-core test. The number varies ever so slightly in comparison to test results achieved on the MediaTek G90T.

With a big 5,000 mAh battery cell, the Realme 7 can easily last for one full day with moderate to heavy usage. If you are always hooked to your smartphone screen for media consumption and also play games on a stretch, you would need an extra refuel at the end of the day with the Realme 7. The smartphone draws power from a 30W Dart Charger (included in the box) that's capable of refueling the battery unit from flat to 100% in about 73 minutes. This is much better overall battery performance than the Realme 6 which is powered by a 4,300 mAh battery cell.

As far as connectivity is concerned, the Realme 7 comes equipped with a Type-C charging port and 3-card slot (2 SIM Slot + 1 MicroSD Slot). You can expand the built-in memory to up to 256GB. The handset supports both 2.4 and 5 GHz 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac Wi-Fi network and offers Bluetooth 5.0 connectivity. Besides, you also get the standard connectivity features like GPS, AGPS and GLONASS.

Summarizing the review, the Realme 7 comes across as a decent overall upgrade over the Realme 6. The most notable changes come in the form of design and battery performance. The camera performance has also improved to some extent but is mostly limited to the primary sensor's image/video output and low-light results. The brand should also work towards improving macro and wide-angle photography experience by upgrading the hardware. The 90Hz refresh rate LCD panel offers fluid performance but the panel itself lacks good peak brightness resulting in an underwhelming experience outdoors.

Moving on, the hardware and gaming performance hasn't received any major boost but the overall performance remains very satisfactory. The new MediaTek G95 SoC offers impressive performance in all day-to-day routine and also makes the Realme 7 a good budget gaming handset.

Overall, the Realme 7 is a great value for a money mid-range smartphone, especially the entry-level variant. At Rs. 14,999, the smartphone offers 6GB RAM/64GB built-in memory with dedicated microSD card support, 64MP Sony IMX682 sensor, 90Hz refresh rate screen and a big 5,000mAh battery with 30W fast-charger support.

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Realme 7 Review: All-Round Performance At Aggressive Price - Gizbot

The gray custom-built contemporary house at 75 Birch Hill Road sits on a property of just over two acres near the center of Weston.

The gray custom-built contemporary house at 75 Birch Hill Road sits on a property of just over two acres near the center of Weston.

The gray custom-built contemporary house at 75 Birch Hill Road sits on a property of just over two acres near the center of Weston.

The gray custom-built contemporary house at 75 Birch Hill Road sits on a property of just over two acres near the center of Weston.

On the Market: Sleek midcentury modern home with pond views

WESTON Contemporary architecture is ever changing within contemporary times whereas midcentury modernism is defined as a particular style relating to the early-to-mid 20th century.

The gray custom-built contemporary house at 75 Birch Hill Road takes influences from mid-century modern architecture, such as its relationship to the natural setting in which it is nestled. This house was built in 1968, about three years after the end of midcentury modern period, yet it dovetails perfectly into the 21st century way of life. And just as iconic architect Frank Lloyd Wright set his mid-century modern masterpieces near water features, this property also contains a pond.

The sleek, sophisticated, light and bright house is set back from the road in the heart of Weston on a level and lightly wooded property of just over two acres looking as much like a contemporary sculpture as like a residence. Honoring its private setting located on a cul-de-sac, this house invites indoor-outdoor living. It features a large wrap-around raised deck with a stainless steel cable railing and curved stairway to lower patio perfect places for al fresco dining, relaxing, or simply enjoying the view, and a second smaller deck/covered front porch.

This home offers gracious and comfortable living and plenty of space to entertain family and friends inside and out, the listing agent said.

Stone steps lined with attractive landscaping lead to the front door. Inside the 2,550-square-foot house there are seven rooms and an open floor plan. You need to tour this home to appreciate the undeniable attention to detail within every inch, the agent said. The home features high ceilings, new wood flooring on main level, and oversized custom windows and doors throughout.

Found on the main living level are the living room, dining room, kitchen, family room, and two of the four bedrooms. In the living room there is a wall of stone that houses a wood-burning stove and sliding doors to a balcony/deck. A second set of sliding doors lead to the larger deck. The family room has a vaulted ceiling, ceiling fan, and two sets of sliding doors to the large deck. The configuration of the dining room, which is open to the family room, allows it to accommodate elegant, intimate dinners as well as larger gatherings. In the kitchen there is radiant heat flooring, plenty of counter space and cabinets, and under cabinet lighting.

STYLE: Custom-built Contemporary

ADDRESS: 75 Birch Hill Road, Weston

PRICE: $695,000

ROOMS: 9

FEATURES: 2.01-acre level and lightly wooded property, located on a cul-de-sac, pond, patio, large deck, small deck/covered front porch, wood-burning stove and propane-burning stove, open floor plan, high ceilings, oversized custom windows and doors throughout, balconies, bamboo flooring, skylights, custom closets, circular skylight; Mitsubishi ductless heating/central air unit/zoned electric, propane, and wood heat; very close to Lachat Town Farm, Devils Den Nature Preserve and Grace Robinson Nature Sanctuary; only minutes from the center of Weston, Weston Public Library, public schools, and Peters Weston Market; only one hour from Manhattan by car or train, generator-ready hookup, audio system, shed, attached under house two-car garage/carport, private well, septic system, full finished walk-out basement, Westport beach rights, vertical siding, four bedrooms, three full baths

SCHOOLS: Hurlbutt Elementary, Weston Middle, Weston High

ASSESSMENT: $355,420

MILL RATE: 32.37 mills

TAXES: $11,505

The master bedroom offers a walk-in closet and a private balcony. The second main level bedroom also has a private balcony, and it is just steps away from the hall bath, which features a deep soaking tub. One of the homes three full baths, the master bath, is more sophisticated and luxurious with a large scale tile backsplash in the glass shower, a contemporary vanity, and radiant heated floor. The other on the main level is much more rustic, paying homage to the wooded setting, featuring pinewood paneling, although the soaking tub befits the contemporary style of the house.

On the full finished walk-out lower level there is a flexible room, which could be used as a second family room, a game or recreation room or a media space. It has a propane stove, bamboo flooring, and sliding doors to the patio. Like the family room, one of the two bedrooms on this level has a wood paneled wall and a door to the patio. The full bath features a trough-style sink.

The location is also an asset. This house is very close to Lachat Town Farm, Devils Den Nature Preserve and the Grace Robinson Nature Sanctuary. It is only minutes from the center of Weston, Weston Public Library, public schools, and Peters Weston Market. Commuters have the option of traveling a short distance to the Merritt Parkway or Metro North Railroad stations in Westport and the Cannondale section of Wilton.

For more information or to make an appointment to see the house contact Sue Varrone of Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage at 203-767-6216 or sue.varrone@coldwellbankermoves.com.

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On the Market: Sleek midcentury modern home with pond views - The Wilton Bulletin

LOGAN SQUARE A developer with big plans to overhaul the dilapidated Congress Theater has been hit with a $24 million foreclosure lawsuit.

The lawsuit, first reported by Crains Chicago, could spell trouble for the developers multi-million-dollar redevelopment project, which aims to bring the 1920s-era landmark theater back to life.

According to Crains, the lawsuit was filed by Los Angeles-based lender AEG Worldwide, an entertainment and sports promoter whose holdings include the Los Angeles Lakers and the Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival. Moyer borrowed money from AEG to redevelop the Congress.

In the lawsuit, filed last month, AEG alleges Michael Moyer, the developer behind the redevelopment project, defaulted on $14 million in loans on the property nearly four years ago, Crains reported.

Over time, the loans resulted in another $10 million in fees and interest. The total amount AEG alleges Moyer owes is $23.9 million, according to Crains.

The lawsuit is being made public after months of inactivity at the site that has had neighbors and elected officials questioning if the project is actually moving forward.

Moyer bought the old movie palace for $16 million in 2015 with the goal of bringing it back to its former glory. At the time, then-1st Ward Ald. Joe Moreno said Moyer would re-establish its reputation as one of the finest music venues in the nation.

In 2018, a couple years after AEG alleges Moyer defaulted on $14 million in loans, the developer received city approvalfor the restoration project, which called for a total overhaul of the theater and the construction of a 30-room hotel, 14 affordable apartments and16,000 square feet of retail space in the surrounding 160,000-square-foot theater building, as well as the construction of a 72-unit residential building next door.

Also in 2018, Moyerscored $9.7 million in Tax Increment Finance dollarstoward the multi-million-dollar project, but Crains reports that he never actually received the money and was unable to raise the rest of the funds needed for the redevelopment project, which has been said to cost up to $96 million.

Attempts to reach Moyer Tuesday were unsuccessful.

This is not the first time the Congress has been wrapped up in a foreclosure lawsuit. Former owner Erineo Eddie Carranzawas threatened with foreclosure in 2012 after defaulting on a $4 million loan.

In 2013, the Congress was shut down by the city after gettingslapped with a string of code violations.

The closure came after a series of crimes that occurredin and around the theater during shows, includingthe rape of a 14-year-old girl.As a result, the theaters former music genre of choice,electronic dance music, or EDM,was banned for all current and future owners.

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Congress Theater Developer Hit With $24 Million Foreclosure Lawsuit: Report - Block Club Chicago

Communal amenities at the 604-bed student housing complex will include ground floor retail space, outdoor courtyards, pools, private study lounges, a clubroom and a fitness center.

GAINESVILLE, FLA. A joint venture between 908 Group, Scannell Properties and Atlantic American Partners has received $65 million in construction financing for an unnamed development of a 604-bed student housing community near the University of Florida in Gainesville. First Merchants Bank, First Financial Bank and Old National Bank provided the construction loan for the community. TSB Capital Advisors acted as special advisor in the financing. The project will offer a mix of one-, two-, three-, four- and five-bedroom units with bed-to-bath parity. Communal amenities will include ground-floor retail space, outdoor courtyards, pools, private study lounges, a clubroom and a fitness center. The community is scheduled for completion in fall 2022. Humphreys & Partners designed the asset, and Arco-Murray is the general contractor. Houston-based multifamily operator Asset Living will manage the community upon completion.

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Joint Venture Receives $65M in Construction Financing for Student Housing Community Near University of Florida - REBusinessOnline

First it was the Cornerstone building that changed the landscape of downtown Fenton in 2014. Then it was the Horizon Building that brought more retail space and parking to the corner of N. LeRoy Street and Silver Lake Road in 2018.

Now, residents who visit downtown are watching the newest development on the corner of W. Caroline Street and S. LeRoy Street, the 111 Building.

Ghassan Saab, project manager of the 111 Building, said construction is going great.

Since weve picked back up, weve been making great progress, he said. The building is almost completely enclosed. Once thats done, well begin work on the apartments and common areas.

They were forced to halt work on the four-story building due to the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent stay-at-home orders in March. Construction resumed in May.

The shutdown, of course, threw a wrench in everyones plans. We had to re-work the schedule and make other job site modifications, but otherwise work on the site is business as usual, he said.

The projected completion date is March 2021. Saab said as long as the building is enclosed, they can work on the inside throughout the winter, and then be ready to open in March.

As of today (Monday, Aug. 31), we just need to install the first-floor windows and doors and well be completely enclosed and ready for the colder weather, he said.

Corlin Builders is the developer for the project, and Sorenson Gross is the general contractor. Once completed, there will be approximately 40 parking spots in the lot for public use, minus the 14 used by residents.

The building will be four stories and 10,000 square feet per floor. Everything in this building, including office, retail and the 14 apartments on the third and fourth floors will be leased.

The pandemic hurt restaurants and retail spaces when they were forced to close. When asked what he thinks about Fenton closing certain streets at certain times on Thursdays and Fridays to allow businesses to use that space for customers, Saab said, I think its a great idea. Restaurant floor space is hard to come by and outdoor space is premium, so I love seeing the restaurants take advantage.

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Work progressing on 111 Building - Fenton Tri County Times

At least nine large development projects are underway in downtown that include condos, apartments, and restaurants.

KNOXVILLE, Tenn The COVID-19 pandemic isn't stopping the further development of downtown Knoxville.

Right now, more than $180 million dollars is being invested in new condominiums, apartments, restaurants, offices and hotel renovations.

The city expects it to lead to another thousand people living in downtown by next summer, and developers don't plan to slow down.

Were very bullish about downtown. Were not looking at short-term development were looking at 20 to 50 years. So if theres a little blip in the economy, thats OK, well continue on about our business, said Tim Hill, co-owner of Hatcher-Hill Properties, which is managing two current construction projects.

Tax incentives are helping some of the developers transform downtown.

Development projects face different sets of circumstances, said Deputy to the Mayor Stephanie Welch, the Citys Chief Economic and Community Development Officer. Some, like the mixed-use development under construction at the former state Supreme Court site, are so challenging, its almost impossible to envision them happening without some help from the City to close the financing gap and make these projects viable."

The city has details on nine projects currently underway in downtown Knoxville here. They include:

The Overlookwill be a six-story condominium building with great views of the Tennessee River and Henley Bridge. It's being built on what was an empty gravel lot on Hill Ave. and is expected to open later this year.

The old State Supreme Court site will be transformed into a mixed-use development including a 237-unit apartment community, short-term rentals, and some retail. It's expected to open in early 2022.

The building that housed the old NV and Bowery nightclubs in the Old City at 125 E. Jackson Ave.will be transformed into two restaurants and two office suites and will also feature a courtyard/entertainment patio.

Stockyard Lofts will be a six-story, 152-unit apartment building on Willow Ave. in the Old City. It will also have 5,000 square feet of retail space at ground level.

The City House Town Homes on Vine Ave. is nearing completion. It will add seven 3,000 square foot condos to downtown living options. Each one includes a rooftop deck with amazing views of the city.

In addition to these, Smokies owner Randy Boydis in conversations with city leaders about possibly bringing baseball back to open. He owns close to a dozen acres near downtown. The latest plans describe a mixed-use development around the stadium with retail, restaurants and living spaces built in cities like Atlanta and Chicago.

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$180M in construction will bring more residents & visitors to downtown Knoxville - WBIR.com

Potential ties to corruption involving elected officials and real estate developers in Los Angeles reach beyond the alleged criminal enterprise in Council District 14.

The L.A. Times reported that Councilman Curren Price helped Ara Tavitian and his development firm PHR LA Mart get approval for a $1.2 billion skyscraper redevelopment in 2016, including the addition of three massive digital billboards, despite opposition from the City Planning Commission (CPC). Then three months later, companies run by Tavitian injected $75,000 into a political action committee to help Prices reelection campaign.

Such contributions are legal so long as they are not made in exchange for an official action. But the practice has hindered public trust in the citys approval process, and Council President Nury Martinez said restoring the publics trust is job one for the city dealing with the fallout from a federal investigation that has so far led to a guilty plea from former Councilman Mitch Englander and the arrest of Councilman Jose Huizar, who is facing 34 felony counts for allegedly leading pay-for-play schemes with developers.

Against CPCs recommendations, Price reportedly pushed to allow the digital signs to be twice as big, operate later into the night, and change images much quicker. Just last week, Planning Commissioner David Ambroz told Commercial Observer that the city should remove part of the city charter that allows council members to veto stipulations for entitlements added by CPC.

Many of the projects that have been brought to light by the investigations have to do with projects where [that part of the charter] was exercised, Ambroz said.

The developer of the $1.2 billion skyscraper, called the Broadway Square Los Angeles, or the Reef, is one of those that is allegedly involved in Huizars web of bribes and extortion, according to the Times. But the indictment against Huizar does not include Price or his involvement with the Reef project, and neither Price nor Tavitian have been charged or arrested.

Construction on the complex has not started, but the digital signs were added to an existing 12-story building on the site. The three billboards wrap around the sides of the building, measuring about 55 feet by 245 feet, according to the Times. The project at 1900 South Broadway also calls for the addition of 1,444 units of housing, a 208-room hotel, a grocery store and retail space. Its located two blocks from the Grand and Washington Metro Blue Line stop.

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Developer Donated to Election Fund After LA Councilman Helped With Digital Billboards - Commercial Observer

A six-story apartment building is being proposed for the northeast corner of South Fifth and West Mineral streets.(Photo: New Land Enterprises LLP)

Two new apartment developments, totaling more than 200 units, are being proposed for a reconstructed stretch of South Fifth Street in Walker's Point.

New Land Enterprises wants to develop a six-story, 68-unit apartment building on a vacant lot at 924-934 S. Fifth St., according to plans filed with the Milwaukee Board of Zoning Appeals.

Also, Mandel Group Inc. has preliminary plans to develop a six-story, 144-unit building on a site from 603 S. Fifth St. through 645 S. Fifth St.

Both would be the latest in a series of developments to occur on a stretch of South Fifth Street, between West Virginia and West Scott streets, that was reconstructed in 2016.

That project included wider sidewalks and bike racks which havehelped such developments as Fuel Cafe's second location,630 S. Fifth St., andMobCraft's brewery and taproom,505 S. Fifth St.

Also, the National Block development, at the southeast corner of South Fifth Street and West National Avenue, features 12 apartments on the upper two floors of a renovated three-story building, with plans for an events venue on the first floor.

Such street projects, which include narrowing traffic lanes to provide more space for bikes, are part of Milwaukee's Complete Streets policy approved in 2018 by the Common Council and Mayor Tom Barrett.

Mandel's plans call for demolishing the former La Fuente restaurant, a one-story warehouse and six rental units, said Emily Cialdini, senior development associate.

The building would include underground parking, as well as parking on the first floor, she said, with the apartments on floors one through six.

The $30 million development, which has not yet been named, would include a penthouse-style clubhouse, It would include larger units, but most would be studios and one-bedroom, Cialdini said.

"It's really a young neighborhood," she said.

Mandel has tentative plans to begin construction in spring 2021, Cialdini said.

It would take about 15 to 18 months to complete with firm executives confident strong demand will continue for higher-end apartments beyond the current economic turmoil tied to the COVID-19 pandemic.

MandelGroup believes the site's current zoning allows the project to be built without Plan Commission review, Cialdini said.

It filed its proposal with Department of City Development officials to confirm that is correct. A departmentspokesman couldn't be immediately reached Monday for comment.

New Land's project, known as Element apartments, would include 56 indoor parking spaces on the first and second floors, as well as a 1,200 square feet of first-floor retail space.

Other amenities would include a fitness room, outdoor patio and indoor bicycle storage space, according to the proposal filed with the zoning board.

New Land is seeking a variance to provide a taller building with more density at the site than allowed by its current zoning.

The 17,500-square-foot lot now allows for 21 units less than one-third of what Elements would provide.

Also, the parcel's building height limit is 60 feet. New Land is proposing a 69-foot, six-inch building with a two-foot parapet.

The zoning board's next meeting is Sept. 10.

In its board filing, New Land says the proposed building density and height increases would be consistent with taller buildings, and more residential density, developed in the neighborhood in recent years.

Those projects have occurred as Walker's Point continues to see fewer industrial uses and more housing.

The filing cites two nearby examples, both developed by New Land: the 120-unit Trio apartments, which was completed in 2017at 1020 S. Second St., and the 48-unit Quartet, which opened this spring at 1001 S. Second St. and is already full.

The Element project would not create congestion because its parkingwould be accommodated within the building in excess of zoning requirements, the filing said.

Also, the additional residents would provide more customers for neighborhood businesses, according to the proposal.

Tom Daykin can be emailed at tdaykin@jrn.comand followed on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.

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Two apartment developments, totaling more than than 200 units, are proposed for S. 5th Street in Walker's Point - Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Google announced on Tuesday a proposal to build more than a million square feet of offices and up to 1,850 new homes in the East Whisman area of Mountain View, creating an entire neighborhood in the center of a sprawling office park.

Dubbed the Middlefield Park Master Plan, the local tech giant is seeking to transform 40 acres centered near the Middlefield VTA light rail station into a mixed-use hub that ups the density on office development while making room for thousands of future residents. East Whisman was rezoned late last year to allow for housing and higher buildings, clearing the way for Google's complete redesign of the area.

Google is proposing to build roughly 1.3 million square feet of offices across five new buildings on the northern side of the village, located along Ellis Street, Logue Avenue and Clyde Avenue. To the south will be six residential buildings totaling anywhere from 1,675 to 1,850 new homes, likely a combination of ownership and rental units. Unlike the mostly single-story offices that dominate the site today, building heights are now permitted to exceed 95 feet.

More than half of Google's 40-acre property is dominated by surface street parking, which will be replaced by two parking garages. The extra space means that more than 12 acres of the master plan can be devoted to parks and open space, largely consolidated in a centrally located public park and along the light rail tracks.

Though the project would result in as much as 650,000 square feet of net new office space, the primary objective is to construct at least 1,675 new homes for the area, said Google real estate director Michael Tymoff. The transit-oriented development will be led by the housing component, he said, marking the company's first chance to deliver residential development at scale in the city.

"We really see it as taking another step forward with our housing commitment," Tymoff said.

Last year, Google CEO Sundar Pichai announced that the company would be responding to the Bay Area housing crisis by investing $1 billion to help build a minimum of 20,000 new homes. The large majority of that commitment, $750 million, would come in the form of Google converting its commercial land holdings into residential uses, which is part of the rationale behind the Middlefield Park design.

Though Google's recently approved projects are all office-only tech parks -- including Charleston East, Bay View and Landings -- the company has pivoted in recent years toward large, mixed-use development that aims to put offices next door to thousands of homes. Along with East Whisman, Google is proposing to build a mixed-use village with up to 5,900 homes in its San Jose Downtown West plan. And Mountain View's North Bayshore tech park, currently the home of most of Google's office growth, could soon have 5,700 new homes.

The proposal's mix of rental and for-sale housing units are predominantly in the form of stacked flats that can maximize the number of residential units in the area, Tymoff said. The project would include 20% affordable housing units, which, depending on how many units are built, would create between 335 and 370 deed-restricted units for low-income households.

Google will be taking a hands-off approach to the housing at Middlefield Park, however, leaving the design and construction to another company, Lendlease. In a statement, Lendlease Project Director Andrew Chappell said the housing will be focused on creating "people-centered" communities that benefit both residents and the community at large.

"We are eager to move forward in collaboration with Google, delivering much needed housing in the Bay Area," Chappell said. "We are confident that we can turn the Middlefield Park master plan into a reality."

Google's proposal is in the early stages of the development, and many details have yet to be fleshed out. Tymoff said the individual buildings have yet to be designed, but will predominantly be low- to mid-rise buildings up to 12 stories tall. One factor keeping building heights down is Moffett Field, with the Federal Aviation Administration capping the project's height limits at 120 feet, he said.

In November, the city adopted the blueprint for future development in East Whisman through the East Whisman Precise Plan, a guiding document that opened the door for higher density and housing in an area considered ripe for redevelopment. The plan allowed for more office development, but only on the condition that it also came with a commensurate increase in housing.

The jobs-housing balance requires developers to preserve a ratio of 3 housing units for every 1,000 square feet of office space that gets built in East Whisman, leaving it up to developers to negotiate deals with one another or dedicate land for future homes.

In Google's case, no such deal-making will be needed. Tymoff said the proposal's ratio of jobs and housing within the Middlefield Park Master Plan precisely matches what the city requires.

"The amount of net new office would go up or down proportionately so that we're always in compliance," he said.

The project also won't have to pitch in any park fees for shortchanging the city on park space, which is often the case in newly proposed housing projects. The 12 acres of primarily public open space satisfies the city's park requirements.

Outside of housing and offices, Google's proposal calls for 30,000 square feet of retail space as well as 20,000 square feet of flexible space for "civic" uses and events. Tymoff said those could be for recreational fields, an aquatic center or space for events like birthday parties and community meetings. The hope is to create a neighborhood that, on its own, is mostly self sufficient.

"It's certainly one of the ideas in the Precise Plan to create a mixed-use neighborhood where a lot of the needs and services are within walking distance from where you live and work," Tymoff said.

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Google unveils massive mixed-use housing and office village in East Whisman - Mountain View Voice