Home Builder Developer - Interior Renovation and Design

Were so accustomed to the landscape as we know it that it can be jarring when old buildings are demolished and replaced with new ones.

Similarly, we tend not to think about predecessors to the buildings we see every day or about the fact that they were as obvious as it sounds actually built at some point, rising from an empty lot over months or years.

Consider the so-called Landmark Building at 316 N. Milwaukee St., in the Third Ward, long home to Sandy DAmatos beloved Coquette Cafe and, for the past six years, Holey Moley Donuts, as well as many other businesses over the years, too.

The five-story, 100,000-square-foot brick building, erected as a warehouse in 1914, has a permanence about it. Id guess most of you have never given a thought to its history or construction. I know I hadnt, until Ben Dahlman shared with me a series of photos tracing its construction by his familys eponymous construction company.

Based on the photographs, Id guess the building was begun in spring 1914. The earliest image, dated July 7, shows a foundation already in. The last construction photo in the set is dated Oct. 28 and theres still a ways to go before completion.

A photo of the finished building is undated, but one would guess perhaps early 1915. Alas, there are no trees that could offer clues to the season and the only figure is tiny and blurry, so its difficult to accurately read the clothing (heavy winter coat vs. shirtsleeves, for example).

The building, made of concrete loft construction and faced with brown pressed brick, has a copper cornice, projecting stone window sills, and a copper entrance canopy with green art glass.

Designed by Herman Schnetzky and his son Hugo, the Landmark has been called architecturally significant for its intact condition and fine materials, by the Wisconsin Historical Society.

Perhaps even more interesting than the architecture, however, is the man who built the Landmark.

The structure was built as a warehouse for the Standard Paper Company, founded in 1883, which among its many paper products were the giant rolls of newsprint that were supplied to most of the major Midwest newspapers of the late 19th and early 20th century.

But Standard also made printers stock, wrapping paper, paper towels, toilet tissue, bags, adding machine paper and paper cups. It also sold twine and hand soap.

Standard was founded by Charles Blanchard, who was born in Springfield, Massachusetts, and had arrived in Milwaukee in 1857 with his parents, who made their home at 4th and Wisconsin.

Blanchard joined the Union Army at the age of 18 and served four months in the 40th Wisconsin Infantry Company D in Memphis.

When the war ended in 1865, Blanchard came back to Milwaukee, where he married and started a family, and was a teller in the Mitchell Bank.

In 1883, he started the paper business and worked as its manager and financial secretary until his retirement in 1929.

He also lived an extremely long life for the era, dying at the age of 96 in 1942. When he passed, he was the last surviving Civil War veteran in Milwaukee County.

In the 1940s, the Milwaukee Street building also became home to Key Llthographers. In 1953, Standard sold the building to Gugler Lithographic Co. and leased it back until it moved in mid-1954 to a newly constructed $400,000 building near Capitol Drive at 4040 N. Richards St.

At that time, the Journal noted that Standard was a division of Chicago's Butler Paper Co. "For the last 86 of its 110 years, Standard Paper has been affiliated with the Butler Co."

In 1974, the Sax and Wasserman design firm bought the building for its Sax Arts and Crafts business and moved its offices, wholesale business and warehouses there.

Though it changed the lobby and the fifth floor, Sax left most of the original building intact. In 1987, Milwaukee real estate businessman George Bockl bought it, renovated it into office and retail space and renamed it the Landmark Building.

James Beard Award-winning Sanford chef Sandy DAmato and his wife Angie opened Coquette Cafe in a large first-floor space in 1999 and it closed 19 years later. It was briefly replaced by a restaurant called Fauntleroy, which, too, has closed.

Here are the photos of this stalwart Third Ward structure with an interesting history:

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Urban spelunking: Building the Third Ward's Landmark Building - OnMilwaukee.com

A four-story office building was recently completed at the International Business Park campus. (Courtesy Chad M. Davis)

The four-story building, constructed by Adolfson & Peterson Construction and developed by Billingsley Company, is part of a 300-acre mixed-use development near Coit Road and the President George Bush Turnpike. In addition to housing businesses, the business park has apartments and retail units.

Located at 6201 Plano Parkway, the office building includes indoor-outdoor space and a coffee bar in the lobby, according to the release.

Adjacent to the offices is a campus amenity center that was also recently completed, according to the release. It includes a fitness center, locker rooms, a grab-and-go food service and a large conference room as well as more than 600 parking spaces.

The design for this new campus is rooted in what matters to employees right now, said Lucy Burns, Partner at Billingsley Company.

Retail stores were supposed to line the developments main street, according to the original plan approved in 2014. However, due to uncertainties around the future of retail post-pandemic, the developer asked the city of Plano in June to greenlight a reduction in the amount of store space on the property. The city granted the request.

This is an interior street and spinal road without visibility, Billingsley wrote in a letter to the city. We do not believe retail can be leased or succeed in this location in todays world.

In place of some of these retail concepts, the developers plan to incorporate nine live-work units, which provide space for small businesses to operate near multifamily housing units.

The business park currently has over 100 businesses and more than 4,000 employees on its campus, according to Billingsley Company.

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Construction on new office building, amenity center complete at International Business Park in Plano - Community Impact Newspaper

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced the start of construction of a $2.5 million mixed use redevelopment project in the City of Batavia. The Ellicott Place project, awarded $1.15 million through Batavia's $10 million DRI and managed by Empire State Development, will improve a 48,899 square foot building by renovating 10,000 square feet of vacant first floor space for commercial use, and adding first floor interior parking, ten second floor 1-2-bedroom units, a new elevator, and faade upgrades. Once completed, this project will create approximately 30 jobs in the newly developed commercial space.

"For many New Yorkers, the economic recovery from the pandemic is tied directly to the availability of quality homes and jobs," Governor Cuomo said. "This new mixed redevelopment project continues our commitment to investing in communities across the state, improving quality of life for residents and building back a better, stronger New York for all."

"Batavia is on the rise with development projects underway and a renewed sense of energy and optimism,"Lieutenant Governor Kathy Hochul said."The start of construction onEllicott Placewill serve as a gateway to downtown and create new jobs and opportunities. The Downtown Revitalization Initiative is transforming communities across the state, including Batavia, as we work to build back better and reimagine New York State for the post-pandemic future."

Secretary of State Rossana Rosado said, "Thanks to the vision of Governor Cuomo, Batavia's Downtown Revitalization Initiative is bringing a new development project that will expand the city's transformation into the area where people can work, live and play. We are celebrating this mixed-use project that will help the local economy with its recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic and will become a center piece of resurgence of commercial and residential buildings at the heart of downtown. I am proud of the role that the Department of State has played in this project and look forward to the continued transformation of Batavia."

Empire State Development Acting Commissioner and President & CEO-designate Eric Gertler said, "Our strategic investments in smart mixed-use projects, like the redevelopment of Ellicott Place, will create a more livable and vibrant downtown Batavia. The DRI continues Governor Cuomo's vision of encouraging regionally-based economic momentum by creating communities where people want to build their lives and futures."

Located at 45-47 Ellicott Street in Batavia's downtown, the building was originally constructed for a department store and is now occupied by a retail grocer that utilizes approximately half of the first level. The remainder of the structure is currently vacant.

V.J. Gautieri Constructors will be constructing this project, which will re-activate the entire building and bring additional activity and residents to downtown Batavia. The DRI award for this project is $1.15 million with a total estimated project cost of $2.5 million.

Senator Michael Ranzenhofer said, "I am happy to hear that Batavia will be receiving more funding for redevelopment. Investing in our Upstate communities is extremely important."

Assemblyman Stephen Hawley said, "The continued revitalization of our community through dedicated donations and the hard work of community members shows just how strong Western New York is. I'm thrilled to see that redevelopment of Ellicott Place is well on its way to starting, and like many other members of the community, I eagerly anticipate seeing the fruits of the labor of this project."

Batavia City Council President Eugene Jankowski, Jr said, "The DRI award continues to support projects that are revitalizing downtown Batavia. The City of Batavia welcomes investments like the Ellicott Place that are producing more commercial activity and creating more market-rate housing in our downtown and more vitality for our city."

Batavia Development Corporation Board President Lori Aratari said, "The DRI and commitments by New York State are providing transformational projects like Ellicott Place to move forward. The Batavia Development Corporation is pleased to be working with our state partners and local investors to improve the city of Batavia with success for every project."

Genesee County Legislature Chair Shelley Stein said, "The Genesee County legislature recognizes the importance the economic vitality of the city of Batavia has for our county and region. All levels of government are working together and sharing in the benefit of so much private sector investment happening in Batavia."

Genesee County Economic Development Center President and CEO Steve Hyde said, "Having another of our downtown buildings transformed is an achievement in Genesee County's economic growth. The housing demand created by economic growth in our county is being answered by great projects like Ellicott Place, and I thank our leaders at the state for providing the DRI's benefits across a wide range of opportunities in Batavia."

Interim Batavia City Manager Rachael Tabelski said, "With the uncertainty that COVID-19 has brought to our economy and way of life we are excited to see DRI projects like Ellicott Place continue to move forward to provide downtown living and commercial space in the heart of Batavia. The Gautieri family has been investing in Batavia for years and I am proud they have sponsored this project and will continue to help Batavia grow and prosper."

Project owner Victor Gautieri said, "This project is deeply important, as my family has been involved with Ellicott Place from its original construction in downtown Batavia. Our commitment to the revitalization of Ellicott Place was met by the strong support of the DRI, and we are excited to see this project welcoming new residents and new business to our community very soon."

Batavia wasnameda DRI Round 2 winner. The downtown area is a mixed-use, affordable neighborhood with access to jobs, anchor businesses, and city and county services. The area has an excellent foundation upon which to continue its revitalization, including amenities such as recreational sites, healthcare facilities, food markets, a library, and various retail and restaurant venues in a walkable environment.

The Strategic Investment Plan for downtown Batavia is working closely with private partners and local assets to implement the other eight projects awarded. These projects alongside all the projects that will be awarded through the DRI Building Improvement Fund will create opportunities for economic development, transportation, housing, and community projects that align with the community's vision for downtown revitalization and that are ready for implementation. The downtown Batavia Strategic Investment Plan is guiding the investment of DRI grant funds in revitalization projects that advance the community's vision for its downtown and that can leverage and expand upon the state's $10 million investment.

About the Downtown Revitalization Initiative In 2016, Governor Andrew Cuomo launched a major new initiativethe Downtown Revitalization Initiative.Through the DRI, the Governor moved to aggressively accelerate and expand the revitalization of downtowns and neighborhood to serve as centers of activity and catalysts for investment in all ten regions of the state. The DRI represents an unprecedented and innovative plan-to-act strategy that couples strategic planning with immediate implementation.

In the first four years of the DRI, the State has committed $400 million to invest in downtowns that are ripe for revitalization and have the potential to become magnets for redevelopment, business, job creation, greater economic and housing diversity, and opportunity.Participating communities are nominated by the state's ten Regional Economic Development Councils based on the downtown's potential for transformation, and each community is awarded $10 million to develop a downtown strategic investment plan and implement key catalytic projects that advance the community's vision for revitalization. The DRI is chaired by New York Secretary of State Rossana Rosado. Communities receivesupport fromprivate sector experts and a team of state agency staff led by the Department of State in close partnership with Empire State Development, and NYS Homes and Community Renewal. Other agencies are also involved in reviewing and implementing projects.

Accelerating Finger Lakes Forward

Today's announcement complements "Finger Lakes Forward," the region's comprehensive blueprint to generate robust economic growth and community development. The State has already invested more than $8 billion in the region since 2012 to lay the groundwork for the plan - investing in key industries including photonics, agriculture and food production, and advanced manufacturing. Now, the region is accelerating Finger Lakes Forward with a $500 million State investment through the Upstate Revitalization Initiative, announced by Governor Cuomo in December 2015. The State's $500 million investment will incentivize private business to invest well over $2.5 billion - and the region's plan, as submitted, projects up to 8,200 new jobs. More information is availablehere.

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Governor Cuomo Announces Start of Construction of $2.5 Million Mixed Use Redevelopment Project as Part of the Downtown Revitalization Initiative in...

By: Vanessa Londono 6:30 am on October 20, 2020

A ten-storymixed-use building has been proposed forBayonne, New Jersey. Designed by Melamed Architect, the structure will comprise 100 residential units, approximately 2,420 square feet of ground-floor retail space, and 102 parking spaces within a stacked parking system. Bayonne Equities BII Urban Renewal, LLC is responsible for the 145-foot-tall development that will be built on four adjacent lots at 281-289 Broadway and 9-11 West 12th Street along a commercial corridor.

281-289 Broadway. Rendering courtesy of Melamed Architect

As reported by Jersey Digs, Bayonne Equities BII Urban Renewal, LLC is seeking preliminary and final major site plan approval with a bulk height variance.

Proposals for the development will go before the Bayonne planning board on November 9.

281-289 Broadway. Rendering courtesy of Melamed Architect

The amenity package includes an outdoor terrace, 1,557-square-foot fitness center with a pool, a spa, a business center, a playroom for children, a lounge, and a kitchenette.

The site is a short walk from the 8th Street stop on the Hudson-Bergen Light Rail. The site currently holds a parking lot and two low-rise buildings with six residential units. No construction timeline or completion date have been announced.

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Proposed Mixed-Use Development Coming to 281-289 Broadway in Bayonne, New Jersey - New York YIMBY

Christopher Short of Arquitectonica is set to design the project, which willfeature retail and office space, an art gallery and 314 parking spots, the filing says.

An LLC linked to W-G Capital Advisors bought the site last year for $21.5 million, according to property records. W-G Capital and Washburn declined to comment.

The Covid-19 pandemic forced construction on most projects in New York to come to a halt in March, but work restarted during the first phase of the citys reopening in June. Gary LaBarbera, president of the Building and Construction Trades Council of Greater New York, previously told Crains that there should be enough work to get the construction industry through 2021 but that 2022 could be a difficult year.

Other major projects planned for Brooklyn include a roughly 385,000-square-foot mixed-use development at 496 Sutter Ave. in East New York from the Department of Housing Preservation and Development and a roughly 70,000-square-foot commercial project in Gowanus from Avery Hall Investments.

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Former top city planner developing huge Red Hook project - Crain's New York Business

Construction on the revitalization project for the Seaport World Trade Center on Commonwealth Pier in Bostons Seaport has started. This is according to a recent update from CBT. The project is expected to be a rejuvenated, modern iteration of the historic site and will offer enhanced and improved benefits to the public. In addition, the project is expected to create a multi-use community destination for residents of Bostons Seaport District.

The construction will transform the 705,000-sf building and pier into a hub that will extend and improve Bostons Seaport neighborhood by strengthening its building resiliency, offering robust public amenities, and improving the accessibility of the waterfront. The project is expected to create 56,000 sf of event and meeting space, 45,000 sf of retail space, and a responsive, future-ready workplace environment.

Re-imagining and re-engaging the waterfront

In the new Commonwealth Pier, the developer is seeking to re-engage and re-imagine the waterfront as well as offer visitors, community members, and pedestrians more natural amenities. The project is connected to the Harborwalk and also is also paired with the open-air Harbor Plaza that will have improved docking areas and programmed niches and alcoves carved out along the buildings exterior. These additional features will seek to offer a seamless, active, and inviting public realm.

Adhering to 2070 resiliency goals

The revitalization project for the Seaport World Trade Center on Commonwealth Pier was designed by CBT in partnership with Schmidt Hammer Lassen Architects. Schmidt Hammer Lassen Architects is a Danish design company. In addition, CBT oversaw the projects technical climate adaptation elements. This involved overseeing and supervising the integration of design strategies at both sides and building levels. The integration is expected to facilitate adherence to the 2070 resiliency goals. The new strategies are expected to make Commonwealth Pier one of the most resilient buildings in the entire Boston.

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Revitalization of the Seaport World Trade Center on Commonwealth Pier - Construction Review

Domio Wynwood, Gustavo Miculitzki, and Jon Paul Prez (Credit: Alberto Tamargo/Getty Images)

The Related Group and its partner, Block Capital Group, are looking to sell their apartment-hotel in Wynwood, which has a whisper price of $90 million.

Domio has a master lease for the 175-unit mixed-use building at 51 Northwest 26th Street in Miami. The short-term rental operator signed a 10-year lease with two five-year extension options nearly a year ago for the building, its flagship location in Miami.

Roberto Pesant

The property includes 28,700 square feet of retail space, which is about 18 to 20 percent leased, said listing brokers Roberto Pesant and Jaret Turkell of Berkadia. The two investment sales brokers are listing the building for sale with the whisper price, along with Berkadias Scott Wadler. Related declined to comment.

Block Capital, led by the Miculitzki family, and Related completed the building last year. Its the first hotel to open and operate in Wynwood, though a number of projects are in the pipeline, including a Moxy by Marriott hotel at 255 Northwest 25th Street.

Theres a huge market for this, Pesant said.

Jaret Turkell

Lenny Kravitzs Kravitz Design designed the amenity spaces and public areas, and Arquitectonica designed the building. It includes a 233-space parking garage with bicycle storage; a rooftop terrace with a pool, amenity deck, outdoor kitchen and dining area; and a gym and health club. The units feature Italian kitchens and vanities, stainless steel appliances, washers and dryers, walk-in closets and keyless entry.

Domio Wynwood has performed remarkably well, Pesant said, opening last year in time for Art Basel, as well as operating during the Super Bowl in February. Throughout the pandemic, the building has been at least 50 percent leased, the brokers said. At one point, the building rented a number of units to Jackson Hospital to house employees.

Scott Wadler

The building was designed as a traditional multifamily building, and the developers decided to master-lease the property to a short-term rental operator during construction. Pesant and Turkell said it could eventually be converted back to multifamily.

Some hotel owners across the country are considering alternative uses for their properties, as occupancy and travel remain low, now seven months into the pandemic.

New York-based Domio entered the South Florida market in 2019 when it signed a $1.45 million deal to lease 45 units at the beachfront Monte Carlo in Miami Beach. It competed against companies such as Mint House, Sonder and Stay Alfred to lease the Wynwood building.

Contact Katherine Kallergis

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Related lists Domio Wynwood apartment-hotel for sale with whisper price of $90M - The Real Deal

Will Gilson and his Puritan & Co. team were supposed to open the Lexington a hotel with no rooms, a multi-restaurant project in a multi-level new construction in Cambridge this summer, including a cafe, a casual restaurant and bar with an outdoor terrace, an Italian restaurant, and private dining space. Of course, nothing about 2020 has gone according to plan for anyone, and aside from a summertime outdoor preview of some menu items, the Lexington hit delays.

Parts of the building, tucked away amid the endless construction across from East Cambridges Lechmere MBTA station, are still being finished, and the upstairs restaurant and bar (the Lexington), Italian restaurant (Geppetto), and private dining space are still in the works. But Caf Beatrice debuted on October 17, getting the ball rolling on a project that Gilson says was ambitious in the best of times.

Its been around four years since Gilson was initially asked to be part of the project, which is located within the in-the-works Cambridge Crossing development, 43 acres of retail, residential, and science and technology space. Caf Beatrice has already lived several lives, having popped up in Allston for a six-month run last year and also getting several previews via big sibling Puritan & Co. Now it has its own space, where its currently offering takeout (there are some outdoor tables available, too) and showcasing a taste of whats to come for the project as a whole.

Caf Beatrice centers around pastry chef Brian Mercury. Everything that Brian makes is great, Gilson says. He and I tried for years to figure out a way to work together, and I kind of dangled this in front of him for what we were going to be able to do. It took a lot longer to get here, and the world fell apart in the meantime, but we finally got here, and I think the baked goods that hes doing have turned into a really great, unique, different way that people will experience pastries.

As for Mercury, he describes his baking philosophy as: If it doesnt need to be fussy, we dont make it fussy.

Heres a closer look at some items on Caf Beatrices opening menu.

Salted hazelnut sticky bun

No need to coin a new hybrid pastry term la Cronut, but this sticky bun starts with a croissant-style laminated dough (instead of the more traditional brioche) that gets rolled in espresso powder, sugar, and salt before getting covered in a spread of brown sugar, butter, and cinnamon. Its then proofed and baked to a crispy texture and topped with a caramel that has heavy cream, salt, more espresso powder, and toasted hazelnuts.

Mercury doesnt want to make things more complicated he understands that people have certain expectations of what a sticky bun should be but, inspired by a laminated cinnamon roll he ate at Cambridges Broadsheet Coffee a couple years ago, he decided to take a different path than the standard brioche. I think that sometimes you can do that with certain things.

The Italian grinder croissant goes a few steps further, starting with the same laminated dough, which gets spread with mayonnaise and whole grain mustard and rolled up with salami, capicola, mortadella, and provolone. After slicing, proofing, and baking, its topped with hot relish, sweet peppers, and a cornichon.

Cookies

Mercury is featuring several cookies on the menu, including the pictured salted toffee chip cookie and breakfast cookie. (Also keep an eye out for Earl Grey cookies and half moons.) The salted toffee chip is straightforward, with salted toffee broken up and added into chocolate chip cookie dough, while the breakfast cookie is almost like a granola bar, says Mercury, inspired by the oatmeal raisin cookies his grandmother made when he was a kid. Mercury swaps in dried cherries for the raisins and adds oats, cocoa nibs, peanut butter, flax, and pepitas an acceptable cookie choice for breakfast, as the menu says.

Pan pizza

Mercurys pan pizza inspired by Sicilian and Roman styles features sourdough using a starter named Siouxsie that Mercury began back at Harvest about eight years ago. Keeping with his desire to avoid fussy things, Mercury tops it with just San Marzano tomatoes crushed by hand with a bit of salt, ricotta, mozzarella, and fresh basil.

Sandwiches and more

We wanted breakfast sandwiches that were more than just bacon, egg, and cheese, says Gilson. Enter combinations like Spanish serrano ham with Gruyere and basil or broccoli rabe with hen-of-the-woods mushrooms and Muenster cheese.

There are lunch sandwiches, too, including a Cuban, a vegetarian miso-roasted broccoli melt, and one of Gilsons favorites, the nioise, featuring really great Italian canned tuna with a hard-boiled egg, olive-artichoke tapenade, green beans, and roasted peppers. Its also available in salad form, along with several other salads.

Caf Beatrices bagels are sourced from Lexington-based Wicked Bagel, teas come from Mem Tea in Davis Square, and coffee is from La Colombe.

The team is working on plans to offer beer and wine in the future, possibly by winter. The vision is for a European-style cafe, where customers can come by in the evening for snacks, wine, and space to hang out. It doesnt have to be fussy; it doesnt have to be a production, says Gilson.

To start, the cafe is open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday. Order online, if youd like. Find Caf Beatrice at 100 North First St., Cambridge; if youre surrounded by construction, youre in the right place. (Theres also a more peaceful pond area on one side of the cafe and lots of green space nearby.) Upstairs, the Lexington restaurant and bar could open in early November, while Geppetto wont make its debut until 2021. Watch Instagram for updates on all parts of the project.

The Puritan & Co. Team Will Soon Open a Trio of New Restaurants, Including a Rooftop Bar [EBOS]

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Cafe Beatrice Opens at the Lexington in East Cambridge - Eater Boston

After years of legal dispute, Jersey City, the Jersey City Redevelopment Agency (JCRA) and Kushner Companies have reached a settlement, dismissing further litigation.

Construction of the proposed Journal Square twin towers is now expected to begin next year and will include a 10-level parking garage for residents, a retail and amenity space, Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop said on Saturday. But the one thing the project wont have is a tax abatement.

Lets be clear. The citizens of Jersey City are the winners here, Eugene T. Paolino, counsel to Kushner Companies, said in a statement. Kushner Companies is eager and ready to move forward shoulder to shoulder with Mayor Fulop and the people of the great City of Jersey City.

Along with the settlement, the project has also been modified.

Both towers will stand 64-stories tall, or 710 feet, on the plot of land thats been vacant since 2007. Each tower will consist of 52 stories of residential units with a 12-story base containing ground floor retail space, amenity space and additional residential uses, Wallace-Scalcione said.

Residential spaces will replace the original plans of five stories of office space and one story of retail space. The faade of the towers will also be re-envisioned; there will be a $2.5 million investment in local arts initiatives; and the developer is required to hire locally, Wallace-Scalcione said.

Originally, in 2014, the developer proposed to build two towers, one 70 stories and the other 50, with more than 3,000 units and 160,000 square feet of commercial space.

Then four years later, Jared Kushners family company filed a federal lawsuit in 2018 when a tax abatement for the project was denied, jumpstarting the ongoing legal battle.

The developer claimed the denial from the majorly Democratic city was bias towards President Donald Trump. Kushner headed Kushner Companies until 2017, when he stepped down from the company to become an advisor for Trump, who is also his father-in-law.

That lawsuit was dismissed, but then the company filed an amended lawsuit. The Fulop Administration has not granted a tax abatement in nearly four years, city spokeswoman Kimberly Wallace-Scalcione said.

According to court documents, the parties agree to fully cooperate with each other in order to carry out the provisions of this settlement agreement.

In a statement, Council President Joyce Watterman said this is a big win for everyone involved. She said this will benefit the citys revitalization efforts in Journal Square and can provide opportunities to the local workforce, which is critical now more than ever before.

This has always been about what is best for our taxpayers and Jersey City, Fulop said in a statement. Fortunately, after many years and many prior developers who left this property to stagnate, the citys great team and Kushner Companies have been able to set aside their differences and collaborate to reach common ground.

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'Citizens of Jersey City are the winners: Jersey City, Kushner moves forward with Journal Square project - nj.com

Walk down the main corridor of any S.F. neighborhood right now and youll see empty windows advertising vacant retail space. An August survey found that only 46% of storefront businesses that were open at the beginning of the pandemic are still operating, according to the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce, and recent data from Zenreach shows traffic at brick-and-mortar locations in the Bay Area was only 38% of whats normal by Sept. 30.

For those that are still in business, from hair salons to bookstores to fitness studios, a landlord willing to negotiate throughout the pandemic could be essential to staying afloat.

Giselle Gyalzen, owner of Rare Device in NoPa, said working with her landlord on rent reductions has been essential since March. She said she feels lucky she wont have to pay back those reductions when the pandemic ends, especially since there is no end in sight. Having to pay back that money when you don't have sales would have been so hard, Gyalzen said. I had a gradually increasing rent through October, but theyve left the conversation open and we talk every few months. There's just so much unknown you can't plan more than a few weeks ahead.

The gift store has been in the location for eight years and she said she hopes to stay in the space long term. While she said her negotiations have been amicable, she knows not all retailers have had this experience. I feel like a few months ago not every landlord was on the same page, but hopefully now they see this is a long-term thing and they'd have a hard time finding new tenants.

Darcie Bell waits at the front door to pick up her online order at Rare Device on Divisadero Street in San Francisco on May 27, 2020.

Balgobind Jaiswal is both a landlord and a store owner in San Francisco, owning four properties on Fillmore Street in Pacific Heights. At his store Cielo Boutique (for which he leases space) sales have only been about 30% of what they were before March, and hes negotiated with his landlord for rent concessions for the remainder of 2020. For the buildings he owns, also on Fillmore Street, hes granted rental adjustments and even let one tenant out of their lease entirely.

He said the luxury retail corridor has been hit especially hard and the current rental prices and vacancies reflect that. He estimates rent is down nearly 10-15% in the neighborhood right now. For his newly vacant space, he said hell likely need to offer a 20% reduction to what his previous tenant paid, but hes had no interest.

Yes, landlords should make concessions, but I think the banks should also make concessions, Jaiswal said. It's the big companies that aren't paying the rent. They have the lawyers.

He has one large international brand as a tenant that has refused to pay rent entirely. He said hes been granted forbearance of his mortgage (the ability to delay payments for a set period of time), but those payments will pile up and still come due eventually with interest, even if he never gets those payments and forgives rent for other tenants. Plus, he still has to pay property taxes and insurance on the spaces.

Jaiswal also has no prospects for the theater he owns, Clay Theatre, which shut down in January after losing money for six years while in operation. The city requires him to lease it to someone who will operate it as a theater, he said, but since theaters remain closed in San Francisco, there are no interested tenants.

Pam Mendelsohn, a broker with Maven Properties, has been busy assisting with rental negotiations since the pandemic began, though most are an ongoing conversation, she said, as the lasting impact of the pandemic remains so uncertain.

She said the pandemic months have otherwise been slow for new retail leasing, but just in the past month shes been fielding more calls from interested parties looking for space. While she said she doesnt think rental prices are down everywhere it depends on the neighborhood and the space she said new construction spaces are down about 20%. Fully built out, ADA-compliant spaces in certain neighborhood corridors may not have dropped the rent at all, whereas a space needing improvement downtown may be more willing to negotiate. Plus, retail varies widely, after all, as tenants like a boutique may be struggling right now, but the bike shop next door is probably doing better than ever before.

She said that while the pandemic has obviously hurt much of the retail sector, for those that do have capital to open a new space, the city permitting has been the biggest hurdle.

One client that wanted to open a store by Christmas wont be able to do so, Mendelsohn said, because they cant get an appointment with the city permitting office until February. She also said that because of the pandemic, it may be time once again for the city to reconsider their formula retail cap, which limits chain retail from operating in San Francisco if they have more than 11 stores globally.

We have a retail crisis right now, Mendelsohn said. If we don't fill our neighborhoods with great retail and great restaurants, people aren't going to want to live here. It's what makes us a world-class city.

Landlord Danny Scher has 10 retail tenants in San Francisco, running the gamut from laundromats to a hair salon to a comic shop. One of his tenants, a small fitness studio, had been thinking about shutting down pre-pandemic. He let them out of their lease once the pandemic was in full swing, but the comic shop next door was doing so well, they expanded their shop into that space.

Scher said hes worked with each of his tenants individually to negotiate whats best for them right now to be able to stay in business. He said hes lucky hes an individual landlord, though, who doesnt have to run his decisions by anyone else.

Credo Beauty on Fillmore Street in San Francisco has signs advertising curbside pickup on May 27, 2020. We had definitely been focused on neighborhoods as part of our strategy, and if there was any doubt in our minds, this has cemented that this is the right approach," said CEO Dawn Dobras.

Dawn Dobras, CEO of Credo Beauty, had planned to open a second San Francisco location in Hayes Valley in 2020. While she said August certainly wasnt the best time to open a new store, the pandemic has supported the companys strategy of opening locations in neighborhoods as opposed to downtown areas. People are living, working, shopping and eating in their community, Dobras said. We had definitely been focused on neighborhoods as part of our strategy, and if there was any doubt in our minds, this has cemented that this is the right approach.

She said both her landlords have been helpful and supportive during the pandemic. No one signed up for 2020, Dobras said. Were a symbiotic relationship. We both need each other to survive.

Julie Taylor, an executive vice president at Colliers International, is optimistic and said often after downturns like this come big booms. I remember after the Loma Prieta earthquake, vacancies were up and down Chestnut Street. Many businesses didnt survive, she said. But what comes after that is all kinds of fresh new concepts, and it's very reinvigorating. This will probably be reinvigorating to Union Square and those neighborhoods with a lot of vacancies.

Mendelsohn agreed, saying that if a store has the financial ability, its a great time to be looking for new space. For the first time, landlords in Union Square are incredibly negotiable, Mendelsohn said. There's space available that hasn't been available in years.

Eleanor Carpenter, owner of Jest Jewels on Union Street, said shed been working toward retirement when the pandemic hit. Shed closed five of six total Bay Area stores and was planning on closing the Union Street store this year. While the pandemic delayed that as she still has a lot of merchandise she wants to sell, she said shes been through enough downturns to know that despite what it feels like now, if you have the right concept, its a great time to take advantage of lower rents with better terms.

Im an old retailer. If I was 20 years younger Id go into business right now because rents are so low you can get the deal of the lifetime with terms of a lifetime, Carpenter said. Merchant to merchant, if you come out with a good concept the people will come in this city. Its time for newness. Enough of the negativity.

Excerpt from:
No one signed up for 2020: San Francisco retailers struggle to survive the pandemic - SF Gate