Home Builder Developer - Interior Renovation and Design

Good morning. Its Thursday. Well get a look at some of the most popular galleries in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, which are about to reopen after a five-year renovation project. Well also find out what the chairman of the House Ethics Committee said about its investigation of Representative George Santos.

To renovate the galleries where it displays European paintings from the 1300s to the 1800s, the Metropolitan Museum of Art first had to clear 130,000 square feet of space almost twice as much as in the entire White House.

That meant moving 679 priceless paintings and 112 other works of art sculptures, furniture, musical instruments, even a sword.

Then a patchwork of drop cloths went down, and a forest of scaffolding went up. Doors were shifted a few feet to the left or the right, improving the sight lines in some of the galleries. About 1,400 skylights on the roof were replaced, many for the first time in 84 years. More than 7,000 glass panels in the ceilings of the 45 galleries were also replaced. Contractors did masonry repairs and repointing on interior and exterior walls. A new heating and air-conditioning system was installed, with more than 5,000 linear feet of ductwork.

All that took five years with a budget of $150 million, and then the art had to be moved back. Redoing the walls took 900 gallons of paint two shades of blue, along with red, purple and gray for the trim. Rehanging the paintings took 10,000 feet of wire.

The ribbon to be cut at a ceremony tonight is 18 feet long.

And, starting Monday, museum goers can climb the marble steps just past the Great Hall and see the Rembrandts and Vermeers.

They are not where they were. Stephan Wolohojian, the curator in charge of the Mets department of European paintings, said the renovation had let the Met reconceptualize the presentation of the collection through a fresh lens.

So now the paintings appear in chronological order. They used to be arranged by nationalities the Italian paintings were grouped together, separate from the Dutch, the French, the German and the Spanish. Were not just throwing everything upside down and seeing where it lands, Wolohojian said. There is real order.

That is not the only change. The galleries have been renumbered, so Gallery 602, for example, is to your left if youre facing the west side of Gallery 601, not ahead and to the right. The Met says the new numbering complements the chronological layout.

The Met managed to do the renovation without closing all the galleries by scheduling the work in phases. Not until March of this year were all 45 galleries off limits to visitors at the same time.

As job sites go, said Michael Dominick, the Mets senior associate building manager for infrastructure, this one was essentially the size of a city block. The panels for the skylights and the ceilings and the ductwork had to be hoisted in by a crane parked on the Central Park side of the Met.

The Met put a premium on efficiency and sustainability. Dominick said the three wings that house the 45 galleries were the biggest energy consumers at the museum. The improved efficiency of the new system is expected to save millions of dollars for the city, which pays the Mets utility bills.

The new heating and cooling system will also save more than 1,700 metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions a year, the equivalent of taking 360 automobiles off the streets. The skylights alone will trim the Mets overall carbon footprint by 7 percent, a significant reduction from a change that most visitors will never notice.

The skylight project was high on a list of deferred maintenance and repair work that the Met compiled a decade ago. Dominick said condensation on the old skylights could drip on the ceiling panels and into the galleries. To prevent that, the Met turned the thermostats up to a blazing 120 degrees in the attic, the giant and mostly open space between the skylights and the galleries. Such temperature settings will no longer be necessary.

As for where the paintings went while the renovations were going on, the Met played a game of musical masterpieces, shuffling many to temporary locations in other parts of the museum.

But huge paintings by the 18th-century Venetian Giovanni Battista Tiepolo didnt go anywhere. They couldnt they are too big. One, Triumph of Marius, measures 18 feet by 10 feet and is the largest item in the European painting galleries. The Tiepolos never came off the walls the Met painted around them, very carefully.

Weather

Enjoy some sunshine and high temperatures in the low 60s during the day. Temperatures will dip in the evening to the mid-40s.

ALTERNATE-SIDE PARKING

In effect until Nov. 23 (Thanksgiving Day).

The House Ethics Committee will not push to expel Representative George Santos.

Representative Michael Guest, the chairman of the ethics panel, said it would not make a recommendation on Santoss fate. Attempting to do so would have lasted well into next year, he said.

Beyond that, Guest, a Republican from Mississippi, said he would not characterize the committees findings.

He said the committees report, which could be released as early as today, would provide House members the information they need to decide on whether a penalty is appropriate for Santos. The panel has been investigating a range of allegations of criminal and ethical violations, including accusations that Santos fraudulently obtained unemployment benefits, failed to properly file financial disclosures, sexually harassed an employee and violated conflict of interest laws.

Santos has already survived two expulsion attempts in the House, the second just two weeks ago, when a group of New York Republicans pushed for a floor vote. That measure was soundly defeated, with numerous Democrats voting not to expel Santos on the grounds that removing him while an ethics investigation and a criminal proceeding were underway would set a dangerous precedent.

On Wednesday Representative Nick LaLota, a Republican from New York, said that he would reintroduce a motion to expel Santos once the ethics committees report had been made public and his colleagues had been given a chance to absorb it. He said he expected the revived resolution to have a better chance of passing.

Santos has resisted calls for his resignation and has pleaded not guilty to charges stemming from a 23-count federal indictment that includes allegations of money laundering, wire fraud and aggravated identity theft.

METROPOLITAN diary

Dear Diary:

It was summer 1980, and I was a 19-year-old college student working as a part-time teller for what was then Greater New York Savings Bank at a branch in Flatbush.

I worked around 20 hours a week, earned $3.35 an hour and, as I recall, took home around $45 in a typical week. Because I lived at home, that was good money.

My hours included working on Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. One Saturday, I was told another teller was needed at a different branch. To make the assignment more palatable, my manager gave me $5 for lunch and $20 for a taxi.

Never one to miss an opportunity, I went to the deli next door and bought a bagel with cream cheese for $1 and a soda for 50 cents. Then I got on the subway for 60 cents.

Needless to say, after that I always volunteered to travel to other branches when a fill-in was needed. The other tellers just couldnt understand it.

Rudyard F. Whyte

Illustrated by Agnes Lee. Send submissions here and read more Metropolitan Diary here.

Glad we could get together here. See you tomorrow. J.B.

P.S. Heres todays Mini Crossword and Spelling Bee. You can find all our puzzles here.

Kellina Moore and Ed Shanahan contributed to New York Today. You can reach the team at nytoday@nytimes.com.

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The Met Gives Its European Galleries a Fresh Look - The New York Times

The Richland County Land Bank will host a contractor meeting in partnership with the Ohio Department of Development on Dec. 5 at 4 p.m.. Contractors interested in working with the Land Bank on Lead Safe Ohio projects are encouraged to attend. The meeting will take place at 50 Park Ave. East in Mansfield in the Lower Level 1 meeting room.

MANSFIELD Amy Hamrick has spent the last 10 years leading the agency that tears down blighted structures across Richland County.

But the manager of the Richland County Land Bank could hardly contain her enthusiasm talking about the agencys newest projectone she hopes will prevent blight before the need to eliminate it.

The Richland County Land Reutilization Corporation, more commonly known as the Land Bank, has been allocated $1.358 million from the Ohio Department of Developments Lead Safe Ohio Program.

Hamrick said the Land Bank will use the money to fund exterior rehab projects at homes and other facilities across the county. Rehab projects can include replacing siding, windows, exterior doors, roofs, downspouts, gutters, exterior trim, fascia or soffit.

Funding can also be used to repair or replace porches.

But the project isnt a blank check for renovations any work done must mitigate the presence of lead.

Lead-based paint was commonly used in home construction and remodeling until was banned by the U.S. government in 1978 over health and safety concerns. Thus, its likely features like wood siding and windows have been covered with lead-based paint in older homes.

Residential properties, including both owner-occupied and rental units, can have up to $50,000 of lead-safe renovations covered. Childcare centers and congregate care facilities are capped at $100,000.

Theres a huge need for it, Hamrick said. Windows have been described to me as the most dangerous because every time you open and close the window, youre grating that lead paint and turning it into powder.

Hamrick said she hopes the program can help prevent some of Richland Countys older structures from ending up on the Land Banks demolition list.

Theres been a lot of questions, Well, why cant you save more of these houses? Hamrick said. By the time they get to me, theyre so bad they cant be saved.

So it is exciting to think OK, this is our way to do some prevention.'

Owner-occupants and owners of residential rental property, daycare facilities and congregate shelters can apply for the program if their building was constructed before 1978.

The Lead Safe Ohio program requires the Land Bank to prioritize households with an income at or below 80 percent of the average median income.

However, a household with a higher income can be eligible if the owner can document housing insecurity. For the purpose of the Lead Safe Ohio program, housing insecurity is defined as an uncertainty of the homes safety and concern that occupants could be jeopardized due to lead-based paint concerns.

Hamrick said the Land Bank will consider every qualified applicant, but will prioritize households with children. Applicants will also have to demonstrate they are current on their bills.

I know were going to get bombarded with applications, Hamrick said. Were going to look at the same things we look at when transferring land.

You cant have unpaid taxes. Youve got to be current on utilities.

Property owners will have to apply for the program and agree to work with one of the Land Banks pre-approved contractors in order to be accepted. The Land Bank will pay contractors directly for the work.

All contractors will need to be Renovation, Repair and Painting (RRP) certified.

Hamrick said she is still finalizing the application form, but it will be available soon at the Land Banks website. Paper copies will also be available at the land bank office.

The application period begins Dec. 11. There is no deadline for applications. Hamrick said the Land Bank will accept them on a rolling basis.

Hamrick also said the grant requires the interior and exterior of a property be tested for lead after the project is complete. The cost of testing and pre-cleaning the home, as well as administrative fees from the land bank will be included in the $50,000 and $100,000 limits.

Im going to hire someone to go in and professionally clean the entire house to get it to the standard that it needs to be at (before the testing), Hamrick said.

The Lead Safe Ohio program is funded by the American Rescue Plan Act through the State and Local Fiscal Recovery Fund. All funds have to be spent by Feb. 28, 2026.

Hamrick said she isnt worried about the deadline.

I think were going to run out of money long before were going to run out of applications, she said.

Lead was a common ingredient in home paint and other home construction materials through the late 1970s. Its now known to have serious health impacts if ingested, especially for children.

According to the Ohio Department of Health, even small amounts of lead can cause learning and behavior problems in children. Lead is most harmful to children under the age of 6 and can also be dangerous to a baby during pregnancy.

The housing study released earlier this year found that Richland County has a disproportionately older housing stock. About 20 percent of the countys housing units were built before 1939 and another 55 percent were constructed between 1940 and 1979.

Lead wasnt banned from U.S. residential paints until 1978.

According to the Ohio Department of Health, dust from deteriorating lead-based paint is the most common cause of lead exposure for children.

Children can also be exposed by putting pieces of chipped paint in their mouth, as well as licking or chewing on painted surfaces. Lead can also leach into soil or out from lead pipes into drinking water.

Health experts say there is no safe level of lead in a childs blood. Even at low levels, exposure can lower IQ, cause attention disorders, make it difficult for a child to pay attention in school, delay growth, impair hearing, and more.

Richland Public Health offers free lead testing for children 6 months to 6 years old through its public health clinic as part of the Healthy Homes Program.

Click here for more information on lead poisoning in children from Richland Public Health.

The rest is here:
Richland County Land Bank to get $1.35 million in Lead Safe Ohio ... - Richland Source

For Immediate Release

WASHINGTON,Nov.16, 2023Today,theAmerican Immigration Counciljoins over100business organizations, including chambers of commerce and trade associationsthroughout the country,tocall on Congress to remove the current barrier to getting asylum seekers work permitsquickly. Thelettercalls for the waiting period to be reduced from the current 180 mandatory days to30 daysandadditionalfunding for United States Citizenship and ImmigrationServices(USCIS) for faster work permitprocessing.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, there are9.6million job openings, withan estimated6.5million peoplecurrentlylooking for work.Businesses are struggling with unprecedented worker shortages, especially in industries such as durable goods manufacturing, transportation, accommodation and food, wholesale and retail, and leisure and hospitality.

This letter wasorganized in partnership with the Refugee Advocacy Labandwasreleased alongsideagrowingmovementacross the countryledbygroupsincludingthe Asylum Seekers Advocacy Project, American Immigration Lawyers Association, and Refugees Internationalcalling for Congressional solutions to allow asylum seekers to get to work more quickly.

The following is a statement fromRich Andr, Director of State and Local Initiativesat the American Immigration Council:

Across the country, there are too many open jobs without enough workers to fill them. There is a solution in plain sight: let asylum seekers work quickly. The current barrier is statutory,and it requires Congress to act. There are several proposals currently introduced in Congress thatreduce the waiting period for asylum seekers to obtain work permits from180 daysto 30 and fund work permit processing so USCIS can increase its capacity to quickly process employees work permit renewals in the future. We urge Members of Congress to pass legislation that would make these crucial and critical changes that will bolster the workforce, allow businesses to grow, and further strengthen our economy.

The following is a statement from Kate Brick, Director of the Refugee Advocacy Lab at Refugees International:

As local economies face historic labor shortages, there is noreason whypeople seeking asylum must wait six monthsand often longerto access the workforce.Itsa loss for people who want toprovide fortheir families, for their communities, and for the businesses across the country who need their talent. There are clear, straightforward solutions on thetable,and we cannot afford for Congress to waste any more time in getting them across the finish line so people can get to work.

The following is a statement from Misty Chally, Executive Director of the Critical Labor Coalition:

The workplace looksvery differentthan it did pre-pandemic anditsputting an extra strain on business owners in service-related industries. Restaurants,hotelsand convenience stores are just a few of the industries struggling to fill positions which require employees to work in person. Lowering waiting periods for asylum seekers to receive work permits will help fill those positions, lower the demand for state and federalassistanceand strengthen our economy. Employers need workers and asylum seekers want to work thisshouldntbe a political issue.

Letter signatories include:

American Arab Chamber of Commerce

American Hotel and Lodging Association

Asian American Chamber of Commerce Pittsburgh

Austin Chamber of Commerce

Bartell Georgalas & Juarez LPA Co.

Berry, Appleman & Leiden

Biddeford & Saco Chamber of Commerce

Cedar Rapids Metro Economic Alliance

Chamber of Commerce of Eastern Connecticut

Chehalem Valley Chamber of Commerce

Coalition of Franchisee Associations

Critical Labor Coalition

Dallas Regional Chamber

Dayton Area Chamber of Commerce

Detroit Regional Chamber

EthiopianTewahedoSocial Services

Euclid Chamber of Commerce

Fifth Group Restaurants

Findlay-Hancock County Chamber of Commerce

Flint & Genesee Chamber

Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce

Greater Houston LGBTQ+ Chamber of Commerce

Greater Houston Partnership

Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce

Greater Louisville Inc. -The Metro Chamber of Commerce

Greater Phoenix Chamber

Greater Pittsburgh Chamber of Commerce

Greater San Antonio Chamber of Commerce

Hispanic Chamber Cincinnati USA

Holderbaum's Painting Inc.

Houston Hispanic Chamber of Commerce

Houston Northwest Chamber of Commerce

Hudson County Chamber of Commerce

Kentucky Chamber of Commerce

Lancaster Chamber of Commerce and Industry

Lansing Regional Chamber of Commerce

Latin American Chamber of Commerce Charlotte

Lewiston Auburn Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce

Longview TX Chamber of Commerce

Maine Society of Certified Public Accountants

Maine State Chamber of Commerce

Michigan West Coast Chamber of Commerce

Middlesex County Regional Chamber of Commerce

Minneapolis Regional Chamber

National Restaurant Association

National Retail Federation

New Jersey Business Immigration Coalition

New Mexico Chamber of Commerce

Northern Ohio Area Chambers of Commerce (NOACC)

Ohio Hotel & Lodging Association

Ohio Lawn Care Association

Ohio Life Sciences Association

Ohio Turfgrass Foundation

Opelika Chamber of Commerce

Portland Regional Chamber of Commerce

Quad Cities Chamber of Commerce

Reno + Sparks Chamber of Commerce

Rocky Mountain Mechanical Contractors Association

San Antonio Hispanic Chamber of Commerce

San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce

Sandusky County Share and Care

State Business Executives

Texas Association of Business

Texas Business Leadership Council

Texas International Produce Association

The El Paso Hispanic Chamber of Commerce

The Gallegos Corporation

U.S. Chamber of Commerce

U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce

United Corpus Christi Chamber of Commerce

Vail Valley Partnership

Youngstown Warren Regional Chamber

The American Immigration Council has a range of research and other resources, including legal and policy experts available to speak on the subject.

For more information, contact:

Brianna Dimas at the American Immigration Council,[emailprotected]or 202-507-7557.

TheAmerican Immigration Councilworks to strengthen America by shaping how America thinks about and acts towards immigrants and immigration and by working toward a more fair and just immigration system that opens its doors to those in need of protection and unleashes the energy and skills that immigrants bring. The Council brings together problem solvers and employs four coordinated approaches to advance changelitigation, research, legislative and administrative advocacy, and communications. In January 2022, the Council and New American Economymergedto combine a broad suite of advocacy tools to better expand and protect the rights of immigrants, more fully ensure immigrants ability to succeed economically, and help make the communities they settle in more welcoming. Follow the latest Council news and information onImmigrationImpact.comand Twitter@immcouncil.

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More than 100 Business Organizations Sign Onto Council Letter ... - American Immigration Council |

Construction has resumed on 550 Tenth Avenue, a 47-story residential skyscraper in Hells Kitchen, following the fire and partial collapse of its tower crane this summer. Designed by Handel Architects and developed by Gotham OrganizationandGoldman Sachs Asset Management JV, the 520-foot-tall structure will span 430,000 square feet and yield 453 rental units, with 137 reserved for affordable housing, as well as 9,000 square feet of lower-level retail space, over 20,000 square feet of amenities, and 26,764 square feet of administrative office space for Covenant House. GO Covenant LLC is the owner and Monadnock Construction is the general contractor for the property, which is located along Tenth Avenue between West 40th and 41st Streets.

YIMBY captured the new crane in full operation, busily lifting materials to the highest floors of the rising superstructure. The floor-to-ceiling windows and bronze-hued panels have also made significant progress since our last update back in late May, when the envelope was just beginning to clad the multi-story podium, and the tower was roughly halfway up. Topping out could likely happen sometime this winter.

Photo by Michael Young

Photo by Michael Young

Photo by Michael Young

Photo by Michael Young

Photo by Michael Young

Photo by Michael Young

Photo by Michael Young

Photo by Michael Young

Photo by Michael Young

Photo by Michael Young

Photo by Michael Young

Photo by Michael Young

Photo by Michael Young

Photo by Michael Young

The fire on July 27 caused the collapse of the cranes 180-foot-long boom, which then smashed into the reinforced concrete superstructure and fell to the street below. The incident only caused minor damage to some curtain wall panels and the wraparound sidewalk, and several non-life-threatening injuries. No fatalities were reported.

U.S. Cranes is now the new crane operator, replacing the former crane provider, Lomma Crane & Rigging.

The below rendering looks at the southwestern corner of the podium, showing the residential entrance situated along Tenth Avenue beneath a sidewalk canopy and an inward-sloping wall of glass that runs up to the podiums rooftop amenity level.

550 10th Avenue. Rendering by ATCHAIN

Residential amenities will include a second upper-level lounge with an adjacent outdoor sky deck providing expansive views of the Empire State Building, Hudson Yards, and sunsets over the Hudson River. The podium will also have additional amenity spaces for social, leisure, and health and fitness activities.

The closest subways from the property are the A, C, and E trains at the 42nd Street-Port Authority Bus Terminal station, which offers an underground transfer to the 42nd Street-Times Square station servicing the 1, 2, 3, 7, N, Q, R, W, and Shuttle train to Grand Central Station. Also nearby is the 7 train at the 34th Street-Hudson Yards station to the south.

550 Tenth Avenue is anticipated to be completed in June 2025, as noted on site.

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Work Resumes on 550 Tenth Avenue After Crane Collapse in Hell's ... - New York YIMBY

Kaplan Companies has beat back two appeals to block its plan to replace a defunct Frys Electronics store in Woodland Hills with a 1.2-million-square foot hotel and housing project.

The Los Angeles City Planning Commission voted to reject the appeals against the Houston-based developers 8.8-acre project at 6100 North Canoga Avenue in the Warner Center, Urbanize Los Angeles reported.

The appeals by the West Valley Alliance for Optimal Living and Jeff Bornstein, who both hired the same lawyer, argued the project needed further environmental review. They also wanted the developer to give land for a park, rather than pay fees to the city.

The 114,000-square-foot Frys closed in early 2021 during a shutdown of 31 stores by the San Jose-based electronics retailer, which went out of business. Kaplan bought the site a year earlier for $48 million.

The mixed-use project, to be called District at Warner Center, would include two 11-story apartment buildings with 852 units and a 2,200-square-foot market. A 12-story building would house a 204-room hotel and bistro.

The complex, to be built in three phases, would include parking for 1,400 cars. Construction would take four years.

The project, designed by Orange-based AO, would include 316 live/work units surrounded by plazas and greenery. A project site plan shows two courtyards with pools.

District at Warner Center would be built across Canoga Avenue for the former Anthem Blue Cross office building, which Los Angeles Rams owner Stan Kroenke bought last year for $175 million.

Kroenke has since proposed turning its parking lot into a temporary practice facility for the Rams ahead of the potential redevelopment of 96 acres he acquired in Warner Center.

Kaplan Companies, doing business as Kaplan Multifamily, has offices in Irvine and Phoenix, according to its LinkedIn page. Since it was founded in 1978, Kaplan has developed, managed or bought more than 35,000 apartments.

Dana Bartholomew

See the rest here:
Kaplan Survives Appeals Against Woodland Hills Development - The Real Deal

A familiar name in New York City real estate is preparing for a changing of the guard.

Developer Bill Rudin is turning the family firm over to two of his children at the start of next year, Bloomberg reported. Samantha Rudin Earls, 39, and Michael Rudin, 38, will each ascend to the role of co-CEO of Rudin Management.

Chief investment officer Neil Gupta will retain that title while also taking on the role of president, the first time a non-family member in the role.

Bill who is chief executive officer and president Eric Rudin will continue as co-chairs of the company. In a statement, the CEO referred to the leadership change as an incredibly proud moment for our family.

Samantha, set to be the first female CEO of the company, will oversee the apartment business, while Michael will oversee the office portfolio. Guptas main responsibilities will be the companys investment and capital strategies.

Samantha and Michael will be the fourth generation of Rudins to lead the firm, which was founded by Samuel Rudin in 1925. The company counts 600 employees and 14.7 million square feet in its real estate portfolio, including 15 commercial buildings and 17 residential buildings.

The coming leadership is already eyeing opportunities to shake things up. Gupta said there may be opportunities to diversify the companys portfolio, including outside of New York City. He also brought up a few potential opportunities for office-to-resi conversions, which CEO Bill has emphasized in prescribing a solution for Midtowns struggling properties.

The company was previously tied to 55 Broad Street, a Financial District property that could become the citys largest office-to-residential conversion under Silverstein Properties and Metro Loft Management. Rudin sold the property earlier this year, at least three years before construction is set to wrap.

This month, Rudin put 80 Pine Street in the Financial District up for sale, retaining Eastdil Secured to market the property. The 1.2 million-square-foot building recently underwent a $100 million upgrade, but the office property is still less than half full.

Holden Walter-Warner

Excerpt from:
Bill Rudin Stepping Down as CEO of Rudin Management - The Real Deal

The Prez familys Related Group and its partner are developing a co-living apartment building in Wynwood.

The Coconut Grove-based firm and W5 Group, the Winter familys investment office, expect to complete the nine-story building at 51 Northwest 28th Street in January, according to the developers news release. The project, called i5 Wynwood, will consist of 217 suites, each with a private bathroom and a shared kitchen, dining room and living room. Residents can choose between three-bedroom, three-bath units or four-bedroom, four-bath units.

Pre-leasing begins next month, with asking rents starting at $1,895 a month, the release says. Construction is expected to be completed in January.

Designed by Arquitectonica, with interiors by Michael Wolk, i5 Wynwood will have a 3,900-square-foot ground-floor retail space and 6,600-square-foot courtyard.

Ralph Winter, who invested in student housing and micro-apartments in Europe, founded real estate and private equity firm W5 in 2009. The companys real estate arm focuses on multifamily, student housing, single-family home rentals, co-living and micro-units. Based in Miami Beach, W5 also has offices in New York, Washington, D.C., and Zug, Switzerland, according to the firms website.

In South Florida, W5 invested in Georgia-based Landmark Properties project to revamp the Cloisters student housing complex at 5830 Southwest 57th Avenue near the University of Miami and to expand it by developing 36 adjacent townhouses with 168 bedrooms. The complex has been embroiled in controversy in recent months when Landmark alerted tenants of an unexpected and unfortunate delay five days before move-in day and put up students in hotels. Although students eventually moved in, some they had to again leave and stay at hotels due to sewage backing up in apartments.

Related, led by Jorge Prez and his sons, Jon Paul and Nicholas Prez, has placed a hefty wager on Wynwood. This month, Related sold the recently finished 29 Wyn apartment complex at 2918 and 2828 Northwest First Avenue for $135 million. Project co-developer Bob Zangrillos Dragon Global Management and investor Carlos Rosso also were sellers.

Related, as well as Alex Karakhanians Lndmrk Development and Tricera Capital, developed the 12-story Dorsey mixed-use multifamily project at 286 Northwest 29th Street in Wynwood. In April, they scored a $165 million refinancing of the property from MF1 Capital.

Read more:
Related, W5 Building Wynwood Co-Living Project - The Real Deal

Its hard to miss 615 Waterfront as it towers along the banks of the Lehigh River in Allentown.

With its official unveiling this month, the six-story office building is the first of up to 12 planned buildings along 29 acres being developed by Jaindl Enterprises Waterfront Development Co. on the site of the former Lehigh Structural Steel.

Zachary Jaindl, chief operating officer of Jaindl Enterprises, gave a tour of the 120,000-square-foot building that sits adjacent to the Tilghman Street bridge. Views from the upper floors include the river and the waterfront homes on Adams Island on one side, and the ongoing redevelopment of the former Neuweiler Brewery site on the other with the PPL Tower in the background.

Everything was done one step at a time, making sure its done right, said Jaindl, who co-founded Waterfront Development in 2012 with his father, Mark. Were making sure were delivering quality products, making sure were adjusting for market demands and offering the amenities people are looking for.

The building itself was completed in March and is being filled. Jaindl said the fourth through sixth floors are leased (American Bank is taking up the fifth floor), while negotiations are in progress for space on the third floor. A suite for the Lehigh Valley Planning Commission is being prepared on the second floor, and there is some retail interest on the ground floor.

There were always those little, little roadblocks along the way, Jaindl said, and were making sure were pivoting to adjust for market demand, making sure that we were obviously modifying our designs to accommodate for COVID-19 initiatives and market conditions and product availability. So it was certainly nice to be sitting in an office building down here rather than driving back and forth between construction trailers.

For local officials, amenities such as the walking trail along the river plus the views should make it an attractive way to bring workers back to the office after the pandemic.

We all know what COVID has done to the workplace, and we all know that to get people out of their home office and pajamas and into the office requires something a little bit special, said state Rep. Mike Schlossberg, D-Lehigh, who attended the buildings dedication Oct. 11 with Allentown Mayor Matt Tuerk and fellow state Rep. Josh Siegel, D-Lehigh. If youre going to work in an office, it cant be a cube. It has to have something really, really phenomenal. Thats what this does.

Views of the 615 Waterfront Drive office building, the first building to open in Jaindl Enterprises's Waterfront development in Allentown, seen Monday, Oct. 23, 2023, in Allentown. (April Gamiz/The Morning Call)

Views of the 615 Waterfront Drive office building, the first building to open in Jaindl Enterprises's Waterfront development in Allentown, seen Monday, Oct. 23, 2023, in Allentown. (April Gamiz/The Morning Call)

Views of the 615 Waterfront Drive office building, the first building to open in Jaindl Enterprises's Waterfront development in Allentown, seen Monday, Oct. 23, 2023, in Allentown. (April Gamiz/The Morning Call)

Views of the 615 Waterfront Drive office building, the first building to open in Jaindl Enterprises's Waterfront development in Allentown, seen Monday, Oct. 23, 2023, in Allentown. (April Gamiz/The Morning Call)

Views of the 615 Waterfront Drive office building, the first building to open in Jaindl Enterprises's Waterfront development in Allentown, seen Monday, Oct. 23, 2023, in Allentown. (April Gamiz/The Morning Call)

Views of the 615 Waterfront Drive office building, the first building to open in Jaindl Enterprises's Waterfront development in Allentown, seen Monday, Oct. 23, 2023, in Allentown. (April Gamiz/The Morning Call)

Jaindl Enterprises COO Zachary Jaindl talks Monday, Oct. 23, 2023, about the expansive views of the Lehigh riverfront from the new 615 Waterfront Drive office building, the first building to open in Jaindl's Waterfront development in Allentown. (April Gamiz/The Morning Call)

Jaindl Enterprises COO Zachary Jaindl talks Monday, Oct. 23, 2023, about the expansive views of the Lehigh riverfront from the new 615 Waterfront Drive office building, the first building to open in Jaindl's Waterfront development in Allentown. (April Gamiz/The Morning Call)

Jaindl Enterprises COO Zachary Jaindl talks Monday, Oct. 23, 2023, about the expansive views of the Lehigh riverfront from the new 615 Waterfront Drive office building, the first building to open in Jaindl's Waterfront development in Allentown. (April Gamiz/The Morning Call)

Jaindl Enterprises COO Zachary Jaindl talks Monday, Oct. 23, 2023, about the expansive views of the Lehigh riverfront from the new 615 Waterfront Drive office building, the first building to open in Jaindl's Waterfront development in Allentown. (April Gamiz/The Morning Call)

Views of the 615 Waterfront Drive office building, the first building to open in Jaindl Enterprises's Waterfront development in Allentown, seen Monday, Oct. 23, 2023, in Allentown. (April Gamiz/The Morning Call)

Jaindl Enterprises COO Zachary Jaindl talks Monday, Oct. 23, 2023, about the expansive views of the Lehigh riverfront from the new 615 Waterfront Drive office building, the first building to open in Jaindl's Waterfront development in Allentown. (April Gamiz/The Morning Call)

Jaindl Enterprises COO Zachary Jaindl talks Monday, Oct. 23, 2023, about the expansive views of the Lehigh riverfront from the new 615 Waterfront Drive office building, the first building to open in Jaindl's Waterfront development in Allentown. (April Gamiz/The Morning Call)

Jaindl Enterprises COO Zachary Jaindl talks Monday, Oct. 23, 2023, about the expansive views of the Lehigh riverfront from the new 615 Waterfront Drive office building, the first building to open in Jaindl's Waterfront development in Allentown. (April Gamiz/The Morning Call)

Jaindl Enterprises COO Zachary Jaindl talks Monday, Oct. 23, 2023, about the expansive views of the Lehigh riverfront from the new 615 Waterfront Drive office building, the first building to open in Jaindl's Waterfront development in Allentown. (April Gamiz/The Morning Call)

Jaindl Enterprises COO Zachary Jaindl talks Monday, Oct. 23, 2023, about the expansive views of the Lehigh riverfront from the new 615 Waterfront Drive office building, the first building to open in Jaindl's Waterfront development in Allentown. (April Gamiz/The Morning Call)

Jaindl Enterprises COO Zachary Jaindl talks Monday, Oct. 23, 2023, about the expansive views of the Lehigh riverfront from the new 615 Waterfront Drive office building, the first building to open in Jaindl's Waterfront development in Allentown. (April Gamiz/The Morning Call)

Views of the 615 Waterfront Drive office building, the first building to open in Jaindl Enterprises's Waterfront development in Allentown, seen Monday, Oct. 23, 2023, in Allentown. (April Gamiz/The Morning Call)

Views of the 615 Waterfront Drive office building, the first building to open in Jaindl Enterprises's Waterfront development in Allentown, seen Monday, Oct. 23, 2023, in Allentown. (April Gamiz/The Morning Call)

Views of the 615 Waterfront Drive office building, the first building to open in Jaindl Enterprises's Waterfront development in Allentown, seen Monday, Oct. 23, 2023, in Allentown. (April Gamiz/The Morning Call)

Views of the 615 Waterfront Drive office building, the first building to open in Jaindl Enterprises's Waterfront development in Allentown, seen Monday, Oct. 23, 2023, in Allentown. (April Gamiz/The Morning Call)

Construction on The Waterfronts second structure, an apartment building with 203 units, is expected to begin soon. It will be south of 615.

Jaindl said drilling micropiles for the foundation will begin in a couple of weeks, with construction commencing as long as the weather holds out. The latest the first batch of dirt could be turned is early in 2024.

When completed, the apartments will be market rate with sizes ranging from studios to two bedrooms. Amenities include a center courtyard with a pool, fire pits, outdoor grills and a fitness center.

As the construction continues for the next eight or so years, adjustments are being made to the master plan that was first issued in 2014. With the demand for living space outpacing office space now, more residential units have been added. Some buildings may be consolidated and there will be additional parking.

The multifamily market is extremely attractive in the Lehigh Valley, Jaindl said. We did pivot two of our buildings in Phase 2 of our development. So there were originally two office buildings along the river. Were relocating those two buildings on the other side of Waterfront Drive, with two apartment buildings in their place. So were sort of shifting things around, because we do foresee a lot more benefit to the apartments on site right now. Rather than build additional offices until that demand rises a little bit.

Jaindl said the acreage along the river gives Waterfront Development the opportunity to rearrange the layout midstream.

Thats really the superpower of The Waterfront is we have 29 contiguous acres of land, and we have a lot of versatility to build what the market is calling for, which allows us to, with the help of [marketing manager] Michelle Simone and her team, basically analyze the market and make sure that we are adapting for what the Lehigh Valley needs, rather than what we want to build.

Across the street from The Waterfront, the Neuweiler site is being converted into a mixed-use building that will include approximately 283 apartments and 40,000 square feet of commercial space.

Far from being considered a potential competitor, Jaindl is excited about the project, which could be finished in spring 2025. Like the Waterfront, the Neuweiler Lofts site is in the Neighborhood Improvement Zone, the citys one-of-a-kind tax subsidy area.

Oh, absolutely, he said. Its the same reason when you go to a restaurant, you want to have 10 other restaurants around it. For dinner, you might want to go grab a drink somewhere, you want activity.

If Neuweiler sat there unoccupied and underutilized, its not going to help our development by any means, he said. So the more development that occurs both in the River Ward District, which is from American Parkway down to Hamilton Street, as well as the Center City District, the better it is for the city as a whole.

For the rest of The Waterfront complex, which could be completed around 2030, Jaindl said the initial goal is to have 18-month construction cycles for each building with about nine months of overlap into the next one.

Obviously, its a very expedited timeline, and theres a lot of different factors that we have to do as weve watched the Valley, as you look around Allentown, and definitely Easton, Jaindl said. Theres a number of apartment buildings going up and we have to be careful that were not building 1,000 units and then watch saturation occur. So were taking things in stride and just making sure its getting done right.

Morning Call reporter Evan Jones can be reached at ejones@mcall.com.

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What's next for Waterfront development on Allentown riverfront? - The Morning Call

Some Spokane-area building owners will have to spend millions on building upgrades to comply with the energy-use and performance regulations outlined in the Washington state Clean Buildings Act, according to some downtown Spokane real estate advocates.

The rules are in place for larger buildings, but some organizations such as the Spokane Building Owners & Managers Association and Downtown Spokane Partnership are trying to rally support from owners of smaller buildings before the final rules are adopted for the smaller properties in December.

The Clean Buildings Act, which was passed in 2019, aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in Washington state by targeting buildings, which account for 27% of statewide emissions, according to the Washington state Department of Commerce.

The Washington Clean Buildings Performance Standards apply to Tier 1 buildings, which are commercial structures over 50,000 square feet in size, and theyve been expanded to include Tier 2 buildings of 20,000 square feet or more, including multifamily buildings.

The performance standards state that building owners are required to reduce building emissions to a specific energy-use intensity target, report building performance, implement a maintenance-and-operations plan, report energy efficiency audits, and invest in measures to meet efficiency targets.

While the requirements for Tier 1 property compliance already have been established, a public hearing to set the rules for Tier 2 buildings has been scheduled for Nov. 21 with the Department of Commerce.

Clayton McFarland, commercial and leasing manager at Spokane-based Goodale & Barbieri Co., who also is president of BOMA Spokane, says the organization opposes the law because of the limited input from commercial building owners, ambiguous rules and regulations, and expensive fines.

Noncompliance can result in penalties for building owners of up to $5,000, plus continued violations of $1 per year per square foot.

There are buildings that we know of where the upgrades to come into energy compliance are in the millions of dollars, but the fine would be in the tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands of dollars, he says. As a building owner, it might make sense to pay the fine and not make the energy upgrades at this time.

Owners of buildings with 220,001 or more square feet of floor space will have until June 1, 2026, to meet the states deadline. For buildings with over 90,001 square feet up to 220,000 square feet, owners have until June 1, 2027; and for buildings greater than 50,000 square feet up to 90,000 square feet, property owners have until June 1, 2028.

The Clean Buildings Expansion Bill was passed in 2022. The expansion bill adds compliance requirements for Tier 2 buildings, which have 20,000 square feet or more and include properties such as grocery stores and smaller retail centers, says McFarland.

Rules for Tier 2 buildings must be finalized by the end of the year, and the deadline for compliance and reporting for those properties is July 1, 2027.

Both existing and new construction buildings will need to adhere to energy-use intensity targets that are 15% below 2009-2018 averages, according to the Washington state Department of Commerces website.

Andrew Rolwes, vice president of public policy at Downtown Spokane Partnership, says the DSP has asked Greater Spokane Incorporated to consider issuing a statement supporting regulation rollbacks. The statement suggests that the Legislature could delay implementation, expand exemptions, narrow rules to apply only to new buildings, or lower energy-use targets to realistic standards.

McFarland says commercial building owners generally want to lower utility costs and to have energy-efficient properties, but, If the purpose of this bill was to make buildings more energy efficient, then I think its not going to achieve that. A significant number of building (owners) might just pay a fine instead.

The Clean Building Act does allow some exemptions for Tier 1 buildings, depending on occupancy, that could provide relief for some building owners. Exemptions are allowed if the primary use of the building is manufacturing or other industrial purposes, agricultural structures, or financial hardship, according to the Washington state Legislatures website.

Conditions of financial hardship include properties on a citys or countys annual tax lien sale list; buildings that have a court-appointed receiver in control due to financial distress; buildings owned by a financial institution through default by a borrower; buildings that were acquired by a deed in lieu of foreclosure within the previous 24 months; or if the building has a notice of default on a senior mortgage.

The law was passed four years ago, before pandemic-induced supply-chain issues, labor shortages, and increasing costs of materials took hold in the construction industry, but with those ongoing challenges, McFarland says theres additional pressure on building owners to meet the new energy standards.

For example, he says one of the properties under G&Bs management had a one-year lead time for the delivery of new rooftop HVAC units, which can cost up to $300,000 per unit.

McFarland adds, Theres a number of buildings here in downtown Spokane that are not going to be able to make the metric. They can do everything they want. They could replace windows, they could replace HVAC units, they could put in all new electrical lines and theyd still fall short.

Buildings with historic significance arent exempt from the new energy standards either, and McFarland asserts that some of the historic properties will be changed significantly to accommodate needed upgrades.

You cant take a 1910 building and shove brand new systems in it, and have it work efficiently, he says. It might decrease the amount of space that you have dedicated for tenants.

Updating Tier 2 properties likely will increase rents for tenants, McFarland claims, which is another reason he says public engagement at the Department of Commerces Nov. 21 meeting is so important for owners to attend.

We have done our best to be involved in the process of rulemaking, despite being opposed to the bill, McFarland says.

While BOMA Spokane opposes the new energy standards, McFarland says the association is doing what it can to support building owners by helping draft and pass legislation to finance property upgrades, with the Commercial Property Assessed Clean Energy + Resiliency program, dubbed C-PACER.

C-PACER allows building owners to borrow money specifically to meet the energy standards for the Clean Buildings Act, says McFarland.

Unlike a traditional loan, the loan doesnt follow the building owner, it follows the building until its paid off, he says. Frankly, theres a lot of buildings that are not going to be able to (meet compliance) despite the ability to take out a loan.

In order to comprehend the obligation of property owners to meet the standards of the Clean Building Act, owners will need to pay consultants to provide a complete assessment, explains Rolwes.

McFarland concurs and says depending on the type of building, its size, and location, complex assessments could cost about $150,000.

Public awareness and participation in the rulemaking process is the only option left for property owners who want to express their concerns to the Department of Commerce, says Rolwes.

We cant just say nothing, he says. Were running out of time.

McFarland concurs and says that while the deadline for the submission of new public comments has passed, BOMA representatives will attend the upcoming meeting to speak on behalf of its 120 members to reiterate challenges and hopefully find some areas to compromise.

Hospitals, retail centers, day cares, schools, state government buildings, city government buildings, all of those will have to be compliant, says McFarland. Its probably one of the most impactful pieces of legislation, at least in my professional career, that impacts the commercial real estate industry.

Continued here:
Clean Buildings bill might get messy for commercial property owners - Spokane Journal of Business

JDS Development has secured a $30 million loan for its mega-tall residential skyscraper at 111 West 57th Street in Manhattans Billionaires Row, property records show.

M&T Bank (MTB) provided the substitute mortgage loan for one of the residential units on the 84-story building that contains 60 luxury condominiums.

The $1 billion building fully opened late last year, five years after JDS and joint venture partner Property Markets Group inked $725 million of construction financing from AIG and Apollo Global Management to build the 1,438-foot-tall tower, Crains New York Business reported at the time.

Located steps from Central Park, 111 West 57th features a landmarked interior on the ground floor that was formerly a showroom for piano maker Steinway & Sons. Retail space is planned in that space, while other property amenities include a pool with cabanas, a sauna, a fitness center, a private dining room, a lounge with outdoor terrace, meeting rooms, a golf simulator and an indoor padel court.

JDS Development and M&T Bank declined to comment.

Andrew Coen can be reached at acoen@commercialobserver.com

The story has been updated to reflect that the loan covered one of the propertys residential units and not the enture building.

The rest is here:
M&T Bank Lends $30M on 111 West 57th Street Tower - Commercial Observer