Roofing accounts for building surge

This year a rash of spring hailstorms brought on a torrent of insurance claims and resulting surge in roofing activity. It also cause a sharp jump in the value of construction permits issued by the City of Plainview.

Since the first of the year, the city has required construction permits for both commercial and residential roofing projects. Through the end of June, the city has issued 267 roofing permits for a combined value of $3,783,751.08. In June alone, the city issued 121 roofing permits for a combined value of $1,656,610.55.

With the strong support of the roofing industry, Plainviews overall building permit total for June is $3,090,710.55 for 145 projects. The year-to-date total is $5,686,599.99, for 346 projects.

During the same period in 2016, the City of Plainview issued 125 building permits for projects valued at $3,310,749, which does not include any roofing activity. Nonetheless, the 2016 total-to-date falls almost half a million short of what has been permitted in 2017 roofing projects alone.

Other than roofing, the city issued 24 permits for construction in June. Those projects, and corresponding values, include: two residential additions, $3,500; two residential remodels, $2,600; one residential demolition, $10,000; 10 garage/carports, $18,000; one storage building, $20,000; one commercial addition, $640,000; three commercial remodels, $710,000; and four signs, $30,000.

For the year-to-date, building permits have been issued for 14 residential additions, $50,750; 11 residential remodels, $2,600; one residential demolition, $10,000; 20 garage/carports, $31,350; three storage buildings, $25,500; one new commercial, $21,000; three commercial additions, $809,988; eight commercial remodels, $754,600; one commercial demolition, $20,000; three commercial accessory buildings, $23,000; and 14 signs, $128,877.40.

Two certificates of occupancy were issued during June, to Nearly New, 713-715 N. Broadway; and Western Equipment, 910 N. Date.

Non-roofing construction projects in June include:

--Wellborn Sign Co., 1220 S. I-27, sign

--Covenant Hospital MRI expansion, 2601 Dimmitt Rd., commercial addition

--Covenant Hospital MRI expansion, 2601 Dimmitt Rd., commercial remodel

--Bernardo Martinez Jr., 304 SW Alpine, garage/carport

--Guadalupe E. Ybarra, 1107 Quincy, garage/carport

--Jose A. Leon, 1411 Travis, garage/carport

--Jose and Armida Botello, 226 SE 10th, garage/carport

--Randy Ortegon, 1603 Galveston, garage/carport

--Josefina Hernandez, 2609 Denver, residential remodel-porch

--Antonia Ramirez, 1004 Joliet, residential remodel-windows

--Mark James, 219 Bryan, garage/carport

--Precision Metal Works, 600 S. Broadway, storage building

--Fred Constancio, 106 St. Louis, garage/carport

--Dora Pardo, 2505 Lexington, residential addition-laundry

--Bill Wells Chevrolet, 501 S. I-27, three sign permits

--Legacy Farms Corporate Offices, 108 Kirchwood Rd., commercial remodel

--Francisco Herrera, 608 W. 27tyh, garage/carport

--Paul Kammerdiener, 204 Thomas Blvd., residential addition-patio

--Jose G. Salayandia, 1505 Dallas, garage/carport

--College Heights Baptist Church, 813 Portland, residential demolition

--Dos Jefes Restaurant, 4009 Olton Rd., commercial remodel

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Roofing accounts for building surge - Plainview Daily Herald

Imagine you spend about $10,000 for a 3-kW solar photovoltaic (PV) system the size needed for an average family and your neighbor to the east adds a second story to his garage.

The addition is designed for offspring who will perhaps never leave home, but it shades your new solar panels. Its not too bad in summer, but in winter it blocks all but an hour of late morning sun. You would have been better off taking that two-week vacation in Jamaica or Cabo San Lucas.

Dont people need building permits anymore? you complain to your spouse. In fact, in many places across the United States, they dont. But that situation is changing rapidly, as more and more homeowners capitalize on the fact that solar energy, per watt, now costs as little as $3.26.

Costs aside, your 3kW solar PV array, in its first year of operation, provided you with almost enough electricity to run your household (except for your offsprings 4K gaming and HD computer, which runs 24/7). On sunny days in midsummer, it produced enough excess electricity that you sold some back to your utility, in a contract called net metering.

All that went away when the garage addition went up, and now its up to you to find a way to recoup some of your stranded costs. You have a lawyer, of course, but he seems as stymied as you are. His best advice for you so far i.e., $500 in is that you should have checked with your local or statewide building department In fact, these two sources are your only legal recourse, since no federal common-law legal right to unobstructed light from adjoining land exists.

There are several avenues potential solar energy buyers can investigate. In California, where the sun shines almost all the time, there are zoning rules that require new buildings, building additions even newly planted tall trees, to be situated and oriented in very specific ways so as to protect solar access for adjacent properties.

These solar easements can only be used to benefit solar electricity or hot water installations. Other provisions of the California law require a written description of the size of the easement, the type of solar array, restrictions placed upon structures or vegetation which might block sunlight, and the terms under which the easement may be revised or terminated, if any.

California drafted its first solar easement law in 1978, and is still ahead of the pack in almost every other environmental respect. More recently, the state has found itself generating so much excess solar energy that it has to pay other states to take it! Proof, if you need it, that one can have too much of a good thing.

These solar easements (as distinct from solar rights, which govern solar panels per homeowner association covenants, for example, or per local government rules and building codes) are exemplified by the City of Gainesville (Florida), Hawaii, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New Mexico, Ashland (Oregon), the Virgin Islands, and the state of Wisconsin.

Other states with solar easements include:

States with both solar easements and solar rights provisions include:

For further information about solar easements, visit the Database of State Incentives for Renewables & Efficiency, commonly known as DSIRE. Or visit the Solar Energy Industries Association, SEIA.

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Do You Have a Right to Sunlight? - Clean Energy Authority

I love the way that the Car Throttle community welcomes new cars into the Garage. Its always cool to see what people are driving and working on. And our followers agree, which is why weve again picked out 10 of our favourite additions from last month!

Oh my. This is definitely not a rich old mans land yacht. CTzen Mike has taken this Mercedes-Benz CL600 and really made it his own. Among the more notable modifications, Mike has taken the stock V12 and mounted it with great big turbo in the back; along with some parts taken from an SLR McLarens 722.6 transmission. With over 850 hours of work put in this project, the end result commands some serious respect. Way to go, Mike!

Not all build projects are as serious as Mikes CL600. Case in point: this off-the-wall 1996 Toyota Corolla owned by CTzen LPTater (Part-time Ricer). I think its safe to say that there will never be another car like this in the existence of humanity. Of all the bizarre and oddly-intriguing mods on this beater (which apparently only cost LPTater $400), the five-foot Tootsie Roll is easily my favourite. The car probably belongs in a junkyard somewhere, but were very glad that LPTater rescued it and turned it into a piece ofummart. Great work!

The Dukes of Hazzard was one of my all-time favourite TV shows as a kid. The main reason? Well, aside from Daisy Dukes cut-off jeans, the epic car chase scenes involving Bo and Luke Dukes 1969 Dodge Charger (nicknamed The General Lee) will be etched into my memories forever. We hope that CTzen davidm_1202 loves this as much as we do. Just try not to get caught by Sheriff Roscoe P. Coltrane

Wouldnt you be excited to have a BMW M2 as a daily driver? Well, thats what its like to be Gumballer, automotive photographer, and CTzen Sam Moores. Never mind the blue Ferrari F40 sitting in his garage, Sams urban runabout is one of the most exciting sports cars on sale today. Enjoy your new ride, Sam!

Some birthday presents are better than others. But its pretty hard to deny that Car Throttle moderator Griffin MacKenzies birthday gift is one of the best. With less than 150,000 kilometres on the clock and an excellent body for an old Datsun, who needs birthday cake?

This is a Land Rover that you wont be seeing a footballers wife driving around Essex in. CTzen Reuben Pantellis Defender 110 is a serious piece of off-road machinery. And, to quote Mr. Regular, its BROWN. We love it!

A lot of Mazda Miatas (including my own) were added to the Car Throttle Garage last month. But there is one that stands out amongst the crowd, and that is CTzen Clay Cooks 2000 NB MX-5. You wont be mistaking this Miata for a hairdressers car anytime soonClay has put a lot of work into making this NB drive about as mean as it looks. From one Miata owner to another, good work.

Believe it or not, CTzen Brit Car Driver uploaded two awesome cars to the Car Throttle Garage this month. Although his 2003 Aston Martin DB7 Vantage is pretty spectacular, this 1969 Jaguar E-Type Roadster is nothing short of a work of art. This straight-six powered dish of petrolheads caviar is a glorious piece of British automotive engineering, and one thats in beautiful condition despite being 48 years old. A true gem.

Not too many STIs stand out amongst the crowd of STIs. But CTzen kirashadow99s exclusive Prodrive Edition blobeye sure does. With a dyno reading of nearly 300 horsepower, this Impreza has the propulsion to match its Prodrive racing pedigree. And, like many STIs, this ones got some pretty impressive aftermarket mods on it. Put plainly, its a modern classic.

Last, but certainly not least, SCL Performance has graced us with something truly unique. This Lada 2108 SHARK looks absolutely nothing like a normal Lada 2108. But its not merely an exercise in racing-inspired cosmetic enhancements. Beneath the bonkers body kit and Lambo doors lies a monster powertrain. The turbocharged engine reportedly makes 300bhp, and the whole car took three years to build. We think its simply epic. Excellent work, SCL Performance!

If you havent already, make sure you add your own ride to the Car Throttle Garage!

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10 Awesome Rides Added To The Car Throttle Garage In June - Car Throttle

By MEGHAN McCOY

mmccoy@breezenewspapers.com

The Planning Commission unanimously approved remodeling and an addition to the existing accessory storage and garage building, known as the Packing House, at the Historical Museum & Village, last week.

The improvements include an addition of 405 square feet, as well as a new shed roof at the loading dock of 816 square feet and an extended roof overhang. The additions will include a new metal roof to match the existing, as well as new cypress siding to match the existing structure.

Senior Planner Roy Gibson said an application was filed for a development permit, a certificate of appropriateness because the building is not historic, but is in relation and has an association with buildings on the historic register. He said the certificate of appropriateness must meet the standards for historic preservation, which means the first step in the process must have the plans reviewed and recommended by the city's Historic Preservation Committee.

"They were reviewed by the Historic Preservation Committee on June 1 and the committee found that the proposed plan for the addition and remodeling of the Packing House met the visual compatibility standards, and the criteria for a certificate of appropriateness. They recommend that the Planning Commission also find that the proposed plans meet those standards as well," Gibson said, adding that staff found the same findings as the committee.

The Packing House is a replica building, which was built on site, and not located on the city's register historic structures, or landmarks. He said the Land Development Code requires accessory structures, buildings, or site improvements that are relational to those buildings, or sites that are on the register be subject to the criteria for certificate of appropriateness.

The two options presented to the commission included roll down shutters, or barn doors for the loading docks.

Architect Amy Nowacki said the barn doors may be less expensive than the shutters, but it's also a question for the museum in terms of their display. She said with the barn doors they will have to enclose the walls somewhat because it cannot all be sliding doors.

Nowacki said you may have a wall at either end of the loading dock where the doors would open up against that wall. The doors would roll on a track over the face of the wall.

"The intent in any of this was that we could get that wagon and the hitch fully underneath the roof and they could close it down with bad weather, or when the museum was closed during hours. There has never been any vandalism, or theft problems, but it would be better if they could secure it if they needed to," she said.

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Planning approves Packing House upgrades - CaptivaSanibel.com ... - Sanibel Captiva Islander

CINCINNATI -- When a Fairfield mother of four was deported to Mexico in April, one of her biggest advocates was the Catholic Church.

In the end, the church couldn't stop Maribel Trujillo Diaz's deportation -- but that doesn't mean Tri-State churches have given up the fight, one they say is rooted in compassion.

We have a biblical command to advocate for the immigrant and stranger in our midst, said David Meredith, pastor of Clifton United Methodist Church.

Meredith is part of the newly-formedCincinnati Sanctuary Congregation Coalition. The coalition is made upof more than 20 area congregations of Christian, Jewish and Muslim traditions and aims to help undocumented immigrants find sanctuary in Cincinnati.

We are called by Christ and Moses to be advocates for the widows, strangers, poor and vulnerable," Meredith said. "If we didnt address this issue, we would be allowing children to become orphans and women to become widows.

The coalition is forming a plan to also help the broader immigrant community that is living in fear under the current escalated crackdown on finding and deporting undocumented residents. Even recent immigrants who earned United States citizenship are frightened, say some advocates.

The coalitionincludes Temple Shalom, Clifton Mosque, St. Johns Unitarian Church, Mt. Auburn Baptist Church, Quakers and several other Christian denominations. They've started pooling resources and hope to provide immigrants with furniture, appliances, food, clothing and other services.

Clifton United Methodist Church is investing more than $15,000 in construction cost alone to convert a section of the basement into an apartment large enough for a family of four or more who has a family member at risk of deportation due to his or her legal status in the country. The apartment is expected to be ready for its first occupants in September, Meredith said.

"God does not view us by our nationality or race. We are all the same in his eyes," Meredith said. This is no different than the church housing a refugee."

There is no law preventing the government from entering a church that claims sanctuary for an individual or family, but traditionally officials will not enter a church.

WCPO Insiders can find out why a church would make public the fact that it's housing immigrants and what attorneys say about this group.

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These local churches want to give undocumented immigrants sanctuary in Cincinnati - WCPO

F.C. SCHOOL BOARD chair Lawrence Webb (right) made the case for the $120 million proposed for a new high school to the F.C. Planning Commission Monday night. Looking on is Principal Planner Paul Stoddard. (Photo: News-Press)

The Falls Church City Managers office last week issued a blockbuster updated Mixed Use Development Fiscal Impact Report showing that eight completed mixed-use (combined residential and retail) projects that have been built and occupied in the City since The Broadway launched the trend in 2003 collectively have given an enormous boost to the City.

The projects, taken together, generate a net $3.8 million a year to the City, equal to almost nine cents on the real estate tax rate, compared to $571,000 a year that their combined 18.5 acres were generating for the City before.

The net revenue takes into account the projects added cost to the City, including to its schools. The gross tax revenues they generate are $10.6 million annually, and the net $3.8 million sum deducts the cost of operational support costs to the City, including the cost of educating the approximately 200 (the estimated range is 174 to 219 as two of the newest projects, 301 West Broad and the Lincoln at Tinner Hill, are not yet fully occupied) students that live in their residences.

The new evaluation also does not include the most recent development, that Target has signed a lease to occupy 26,000 square feet of commercial space on the ground floor of the Lincoln at Tinner Hill. The report notes, however, that the addition of Target will incentivize other smaller retailers to rent spaces in that building or nearby.

Some of the biggest proposed mixed-use projects are still in early stages of gaining approvals for construction from City Hall, as well. Notably, there is the long-awaited 4.3-acre Founders (formerly Mason) Row at the northeastern corner of the W. Broad at N. West Street, the Insight Development project for 2.5 acres at the northeastern corner of the intersection of W. Broad and N. Washington and, the biggest of them all, the 10-acre portion of the 36-acre George Mason High School and Henderson Middle School site, the development policy for which is now under deliberation.

So far the Citys new developments have all been seven stories or less, although there is a push to allow up to 10 stories, or even more, at the campus site, pending a rezoning and subsequent establishment of an overlay district.

With buildings recently completed and under construction in nearby Tysons Corner topping 35 stories, the plans for Falls Church remain relatively modest. In referenda since this latest construction trend began, Falls Church citizens have repeatedly rejected attempts to rein in mixed-use development in the Citys thin commercially-zoned corridors (mostly limited to Broad and Washington Streets).

In the proposed November school bond referendum, the issue will come down to the net cost of the new school to taxpayers, and the promise of a robust development of the 10 acres of the school site for mixed use, including its sale (in the form most likely of a long-term ground lease) for $40 million or more, will be seen as an important, even game-changing. mitigating factor.

In the Citys latest mixed use impact report, it is shown that with the exception of one of the projects Pearson Square on S. Maple net revenue yields to the City would be significantly higher than they are.

Pearson Square was originally approved as a 230-unit condominium development but as its construction was underway in 2006, the condo market in the region tanked (it has still not fully recovered). The City approved a request to convert the condos to rental units in 2007 just as the Great Recession was hitting.

(Another victim of the Recession in that period was the ambitious City Center development project with a value of $315 million that reconfigured a good section of the blocks in the immediate S. Washington and W. Broad area. It involved moving the bowling alley, a hotel and more, and had won all the necessary approvals from the City government, but when the recession suddenly dried up access to development funding, it died a swift and unholy death.)

In the case of Pearson Square, however, the larger residential units originally designed as condos in the project turned rentals made it a magnet for families with school aged children, eager to take advantage of the stellar reputation of the Falls Church schools.

Of the eight projects completed since 2003 The Broadway, the Byron, Pearson Square, the Read Building, the Spectrum, Northgate, 301 W. Broad and the Lincoln at Tinner Hill Pearson Square accounts for 56 percent of all the school-aged children the projects have enrolled in City schools. Thus, while originally projected to yield a net $684,196 annually to the Citys tax coffers, it has turned to become the only negative yield project of the eight, costing the City $428,329 a year.

But this is an anomaly compared to the robust net yields of all the other projects, and that also extends to the new ones still on the drawing boards, as they are all designed with smaller rental apartments aimed at attracting a combination of a younger (singles and couples with very young children not yet of school age) demographic and over 55 active seniors.

So far, according to the report, the student population in the newest units, the 301 W. Broad and Lincoln at Tinner Hill, is trending below the modelled low pupil coefficients per housing unit.

Meanwhile, in addition to the net positive tax impact of these projects, their developers have provided the City with considerable concessions, including a total of $7,036,403 in contributions to the schools and 69 affordable dwelling units.

It is also pointed out that the population growth in the Little City associated with these projects also contributes to the Citys tax revenue base by providing local retailers and service businesses with more customers, needed to make these businesses survive and prosper.

The new Mixed Use Development Fiscal Impact Report was slated to be posted to the Citys website this week, according to reports.

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New Report Cites Robust Fiscal Gains of Mixed Use - Falls Church News Press

An elaborate Medina sandstone church on Delaware Avenue that has housed the same Baptist congregation since it was built in 1894 is for sale for$895,000.

But not because the congregation is shrinking.

Unlike other churches that have sold property, the congregation of Delaware Avenue Baptist Church is growing, with more than 250 people. That's still not enough, however, to justify the upkeep of such a large building, andthe physical layout of the 27,831-square-foot church is not conducive to meet their needs, said the Rev. Michael J. Robinson, the pastor.

The property slightly more than a half acre also lacks enough parking to support the congregation's growth.

"It's a heavy lift, when you get into the upkeep, the utilities, the insurance. It's a lot of waste," Robinson said."We don't even use all of the space, because we don't have those types of numbers of people. So instead of paying for a building that we only use half the square footage, let's get something more energy efficient and with greater parking potential for us."

Robinson said the church used to own much more land behind the Delaware Avenue church, but the construction and later sale of Baptist Manor decades ago took that away.

"It kind of killed our prospect of growing beyond 250 or 300 people," he said. "We don't have parking space."

A stained glass window at the Delaware Avenue Baptist Church. (Derek Gee/Buffalo News)

The building, at 965 Delaware Ave. near Bryant Street, requires "some significant repairs that have to be done," said Hunt Commercial Real Estate broker Steve Fitzmaurice, who listed the property along with Clarke Thrasher.

Designed by architect and church member John H. Coxhead in the Richardsonian Romanesque style, the church features a stained-glass dome atop a 6,500-square-foot vaulted sanctuary with mosaic-tile detailing inside and twin steepled towers on either side of its peaked stone-arch entry.

"It's just a wonderful facility," said Paul McDonnell, chairman of the city's Preservation Board."We're sad that the congregation feels the church is beyond their long-term financial wherewithal. It's really a very special building."

But "even though they think they won't be able to stay there long-term, they are concerned about leaving the building in good shape for the next owner," McDonnell added.

The historic structure is already the subject of a preservation effort. The Delaware Avenue Restoration Corp., a nonprofit formed by and affiliated with the church, is trying to raise $300,000 to $500,000 to fix the building and ensure its long-term survival. The group is working with HHL Architects and plans to make selective repairs along the way.

The Delaware Avenue Baptist Church. (Derek Gee/Buffalo News)

Its first target is the leaky roof, much of which is original to the building.

"It's well over 100 years old now, and there are places where it's deteriorated to the point where it needs replacing," said McDonnell, who is a member of the Restoration Corp. board.

The nonprofit has secured a $75,000 matching challenge grant from the New York Landmarks Conservancy's Sacred Sites program. But that's restricted to places of worship, McDonnell noted, so if the building were acquired by a developer and converted to apartments, condominiums or anything else, it would no longer be eligible for the grant. "That could be an issue that would have to be explored," he said.

McDonnell noted that any redevelopment that relies on historic tax credits would be prevented from altering the sanctuary, which is "the defining element." But there are plenty of other opportunities in the rest of the facility, he said.

Already considered a local landmark, the church is located in the Linwood Avenue Historic Preservation District, just north of the Delaware Avenue Historic District, and it was recently recommended by the governor for inclusion on the state and federal Registers of Historic Places. Such a designation would mean renovation or redevelopment may also qualify for state and federal historic tax credits of up to 40 percent of the cost.

Meanwhile, Robinson said the church has started looking for a new and smaller location in the city, ideally within a mile of Delaware Avenue so it can keep a name that "has significance and history."

The building includes three floors of meeting, classroom and office space, including a 700-square-foot kitchen, a library, a fellowship hall and a lounge. The sanctuary includes extensive lower-level seating in old wood pews, as well as a vast balcony with an organ.

"We don't need 30,000 square feet of space. We're not looking to have a mega-church. Half of that has proved to be adequate," he said. "We'rejust looking for a building of that size, so that we're not paying for more than we're using."

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Historic Delaware Avenue Baptist church for sale - Buffalo News

Folsom Telegraph

Telegraph Home of the Week: Single-story Folsom home with sunlight Folsom Telegraph At approximately 1,677 square feet, it's the smallest single-story in a neighborhood of larger homes and mature shade trees that make ideal walking areas. The seller will provide a home warranty for the buyer. The large family room has a three-sided ...

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Telegraph Home of the Week: Single-story Folsom home with sunlight - Folsom Telegraph

Jim Haddadin Daily News Staff @JimHaddadin

FRAMINGHAM The Downtown Common has been an unsightly mess for the last couple of months, but the green space along Concord Street should be restored to its quaint, grassy look soon.

Crews from Argus Construction are expected to finish work on the Downtown Common Improvements Project in August, according to Chief Engineer William Sedewitz.

The project, launched this spring, required ripping up the lawn and brick pathways on the historic common, which has been partially surrounded by a construction fence.

The project was expected to be substantially complete in late July, but will instead continue into next month. According to the towns website, Argus must install new irrigation and sod for the entire lawn due to the extent of tree root removal and regrading. The new sod will be installed later this month, but the area will remain off limits during a 30-day maintenance period.

Delivery of new ornamental lights is also delayed due to high demand, according to the town. The new lights wont be available until July 31 at the earliest.

It is anticipated that these combined events will delay completion to the end of August, the site reads.

Located at the intersection of Concord and Howard streets, the common traces its history to 1854. It was deeded to the town in March of that year by Lovell Eames, who stipulated the parcel located in front of the old Baptist Meeting House should be used in perpetuity as a town common.

This years beautification project launched about two days after the conclusion of the Boston Marathon in April. Intended to dovetail with the states recent upgrades of Concord Street and Union Avenue, the project includes removing some trees and shrubs, tearing up the brick pathways and taking out or resetting a portion of the existing granite bollards.

When the project is finished, the common will have new benches and trees, new granite bollards, new granite piers, and a new railing, as well as new brick walkways, granite steps and concrete sidewalks.

The old flag pole on the site will also be replaced, as will the streetlights, which are being replaced with new period lighting.

Project costs are expected to exceed $400,000. A contract for the work stipulates it must be substantially complete by mid-September, putting the towns contractor well within the allowable timetable, Sedewitz said. The town is advising motorists to expect brief delays this week as crews excavate the perimeter of the common. The sidewalk along Franklin Street will also be closed.

With any project, there seems to be spurts and lulls in the progress, Sedewitz said, but if you can witness some of the construction from the edge of the work zone, (the contractor is) doing a good job. Hopefully its going to be a very well-completed project, and hopefully the wait will be worth it.

Jim Haddadin can be reached at 617-863-7144 or jhaddadin@wickedlocal.com. Follow him on Twitter: @JimHaddadin

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Framingham: Downtown Common project to wrap in August - Wicked Local Framingham

Seattle is well-known for its efforts to be sustainable and environmentally conscious, and downtowns new seawall follows this trend. The new seawall, influenced by studies published by UW researchers, takes special measures to accommodate marine life.

The seawall itself is located beneath the waterfront, so while it may go unnoticed to those who walk above it, it transforms an otherwise uninhabitable concrete slab into something much closer to the original ecosystem.

The seawall was initially constructed in the 1930s. After the 2001 Nisqually earthquake, a section of the original Alaskan Way seawall began to settle. Since the structure was compromised, it became necessary to replace the wall, but in addition to the structural changes that were necessary, the new design takes into account the fact that Elliott Bay is part of the natural migration route for salmon.

Previously, the seawall was simply made of concrete, which served its purpose of protecting the citys infrastructure, but neglected to serve the original ecosystem.

Water near the shoreline is usually shallow and well lit. Both of these qualities are important for fish, especially juvenile salmon; the bright and shallow waters provide a good habitat for prey and good protection from predators. This is crucial for young salmon in Elliott Bay since the fish use the waterfront to migrate and to acclimate to salt water, growing considerably in this time.

The old concrete seawall disrupted the natural salmon migration routes by creating unnaturally deep waters immediately off of the shore. About a third of the waterfront was also located under piers, making the water too dark for the salmon to swim under.

Ideally, you can build habitats for people and for fish, said Stuart Munsch, a fishery biologist working for NOAAs Northwest Fisheries Science Center. Education is also really important. People who visit the waterfront might not know about the ecosystem beneath their feet, but Elliott Bay is traditionally a nursery habitat for juvenile salmon to mature, making it an area crucial to protect.

The new seawall mitigates the problems of the water being too deep and too dark. Water is made more shallow by installing shelves on the side of the seawall, called marine mattresses, and the wall itself is textured to look something like a climbing wall, making a more accommodating surface for fish food to grow. Glass blocks are used to pave walkways above ground, and this allows light to pass through to the water.

UW researchers helped provide the science to create the habitat of the seawall, said Jeff Cordell, a member of the UW research team which tested the potential panels for the seawall.

Youre never going to have the seawall constructed in a way that includes all the complexities a natural habitat does, Cordell said. Yet the Seattle seawall takes many more steps to recreate the original food chain.

All of these measures dramatically improve the area for salmon. EarthFix recently published a video providing a good look at the new seawall features.

I really love working in urban systems, said Jason Toft, a restoration ecologist and research scientist at the UW. Urban and ecological systems can work together.

Any urban coastline or major port will affect the natural habitats in some way, but because this concept is relatively similar in any area, it is important that Seattle is making these steps. Basic aspects of well-lit, shallow waters can be applied in different cities around the world to restore nursery grounds for juvenile fish.

At lowtide, the seawall is visible from the piers. July is the peak month for salmon migration, so those visiting the waterfront should be able to see the juvenile fish.

Seattle continues to be a groundbreaking city when it comes to ecological restoration. Ideally the strides that UW researchers make with Seattles seawall can be applied to cities around the world, and this type of restoration can continue.

Reach reporter Brooke Manningat science@dailyuw.com.Twitter: @brook1052

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Seattle's new seawall - Dailyuw