WASHINGTON Close to 100 businesses in Wheaton that could be impacted by the ongoing construction of a new, 14-story Montgomery County office building and town plaza, may get compensated for interruption of their businesses.

The Montgomery County Council has created a Small Business Assistance Program to provide both technical and financial assistance to qualified downtown Wheaton, Maryland, businesses that can demonstrate financial impact to their businesses since construction began in June on the Wheaton Town Plaza project.

Construction is expected to last for three years.

Under the program, businesses could be eligible to receive up to $75,000 over the three year construction period for documented declines in their business directly attributable to the construction project.

The new, 308,000-square-foot Wheaton Town Plaza office building will be home to the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission, which is relocating from downtown Silver Spring.

It will also house several county departments and will have street level retail space.

Adjacent to the building will be a 20,000-square-foot entertainment plaza being built on the current site of the Mid-County Regional Services Center, which is moving into the new office building.

Big plans sometimes have growing pains, and to ease the pain of the existing small businesses that we want to be part of the revitalized Wheaton, we have created this innovative program, said County Executive Isiah Ike Leggett.

Before this project began, we promised these businesses that have been the fabric of Downtown Wheaton that we would provide help to them, and through this program, we are doing just that in a way rarely found in any development project in the nation.

Many of the businesses in the area are small, single-proprietor businesses with Latino ownership.

The program also includes nonfinancial assistance, including help with marketing and business planning that take into consideration the changes during construction.

The County said businesses can apply for assistance to the Countys Department of Finance, which is overseeing the program, starting Sept. 5 online.

The first of quarterly reimbursements could be made to businesses owners within weeks of applications, the County said.

Like WTOP on Facebook and follow @WTOP on Twitter to engage in conversation about this article and others.

2017 WTOP. All Rights Reserved.

See more here:
Businesses disrupted by Wheaton Town Plaza construction may be compensated - WTOP

Gardendale is preparing for a number of new developments in the city that could mean a major financial windfall for the city. The construction of a UAB medical facility and freestanding emergency room is expected to begin off Mt. Olive Road (near Buffalo Wild Wings) this Fall.

The City Council recently approved work to begin preparing the roadway for the entrances and exits needed to support the facility. City leaders are also optimistic that the medical facility will draw other businesses to the immediate area, where there will still be more than 13 acres available.

The UAB construction process had been delayed by red tape in getting all of the approvals needed at a state level to begin the construction, but earlier this year, a UAB representative reaffirmed the commitment to the project at a State of the City luncheon with the Greater Gardendale Chamber of Commerce.

The city also recently committed to an $11 million development deal with GBT Realty to develop the area between Odum Road and Interstate 65 into an upscale destination retail center consisting of not less than 125,000 square feet of gross leasable area, according to the legal notice.

The developer spoke at a May council meeting and said they anticipate the final project will create approximately 250 new jobs and generate approximately $30 million in revenue for the city. The property includes retail space and out parcels for restaurants or independent stores. No potential tenants were formally announced, but the developers said they were currently in talks with several potential tenants.

In addition, this year saw the opening of the long-awaited Shrimp Basket as well as the remodeling of the shopping center at the corner of Fieldstown Road and Odum Road, which now houses Aspen Dental and Pet Supermarket.

Business development hasnt been the only project for the city, as it also opened a renovated green space area adjacent to the Kenneth Clemons Athletic Complex on Fieldstown Road. The complex has long housed the citys soccer fields and Splash Pad, but now also boasts an 18-hole disc golf course, Magnolia Links, and an extensive walking trail. Work is also underway to complete a dog park and skate park at the facility.

During the last year, the city also finally got the Raymond G. Doss Playground of Miracles completed and opened. The park, which is outfitted with playground equipment for children with special needs, backs up to the citys existing baseball park for those children and adults who have special needs.

The city also finally got its day in court on the battle to create a Gardendale City School System by breaking away from the Jefferson County Board of Education. The week-long trial resulted in a ruling from the federal judge that caused the city and the plaintiffs in the case to appeal. The case currently rests with the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta. Although city officials were disappointed by the decision and the further delay, they have expressed their desire to continue forward on the path to forming a city school system.

Read more:
State of the City: Gardendale moves forward with two new developments - North Jefferson News

The citys Metropolitan Development Commission on Wednesday will consider whether to extend deadlines tied to a downtown apartment project so the developer can still qualify for a property tax abatement.

Louisville-based Investment Property Advisors LLC completed the first phase of the 9 on Canal Apartments in 2014. The development included 304 apartment units, 7,877 square feet of retail space and a 278-space parking garage.

In November 2015, the MDC granted a 10-year real property-tax abatement for a $37.2 million second phase that would add 219 apartments, more than 20,000 square feet of retail space and 188 underground parking spaces along downtowns Central Canal.

The developers agreement with the city required it to complete the six-story project by the end of 2017 and add 63 jobs at an average wage of $15 per hour by the end of 2018.

But, in May, a representative from Investment Property Advisors notified the Department of Metropolitan Development that it was not likely to complete its commitments by the deadlines, according to the resolution to extend the timeline.

The MDC will consider extending the deadline for completion to May 31, 2019, and the deadline for the creation of jobs to Dec. 31, 2020. Commissioners also want a construction schedule from the developer.

Work on the second phase should start by October, said Chase Sorrick, a co-owner of Investment Property Advisors, noting that the new construction schedule aligns better with the spring leasing season.

We wanted our building to open in the early springtime, and so we didnt want to put a lot of pressure on our construction schedule, he told IBJ.

9 on Canal is about 95 percent occupied, Sorrick said.

Apartments in the second phase will range in size from 650 square feet for a one-bedroom unit to 1,322 square feet for a three-bedroom unit.

Investment Property Advisors would build the second phase at 350 W. St. Clair St., immediately south of the existing development, and would save an estimated $2.4 million (or 40 percent) in property taxes on the project over the 10-year abatement period.

The company would still pay an estimated $3.5 million in property taxes on the development over that period and an estimated $634,400 annually on the improved property after the abatement period.

The 1.7-acre site, which is occupied by a warehouse, currently brings in less than $6,500 in annual property taxes.

The developer has acquired the property and would need to demolish the warehouse to make way for the apartments.

Also on Wednesday, the MDC is set to sign off on $7.2 million in developer-backed bonds to help finance the $41 million Ardmore development. The five-story mixed-use project by the base of Massachusetts Avenue is to be developed by Gershman Partners Inc. and Deylen Realty Inc. and owned by GP-Deylen LLC.

Plans for The Ardmore call for 126 apartments ranging from 553 square feet to 1,631 square feet; 20,000 square feet of retail; and 302 below-ground parking spaces. It is slated to be built on 2.8 acres at the southwest corner of North Delaware and East New York streets on property that is now used for surface parking.

Under traditional tax-increment financing deals, the city assumes the risk of a bond issue and must make up shortfalls if additional property tax revenue generated in a defined district falls short of debt payments. Under the developer-backed strategy, the developer is on the hook for shortfalls.

See more here:
Developer of $37M downtown apartment project seeks new construction schedule - Indianapolis Business Journal

Projects that range from the ground-up building of college facilities to renovation of retail buildings keep local construction firms busy these daysand could for years to come.

LeChase Construction LLC, which has offices all over the East Coast, generally takes on two primary types of projects in the Rochester area.

Over the last 10 yearsweve been back and forth, with health care being our top market or education being our top market, says William Mack, the firms president.

For about the last three years, projects for educational institutions have made up a high percentage of LeChases business.

In western New York, theres a tremendous number of great public and private colleges and universities, and theyre competing for a set amount of students, Mack explains. In order to continue to attract students, these colleges and universities need to continually upgrade their facilities, because students are choosing colleges based on whats offered from a facilities standpoint.

LeChase is the construction manager for one such bricks and mortar upgrade at Nazareth College. Last April, the college broke ground on its $15.5 million Jane and Lawrence Music Performance Center. Slated to open next spring, the 550-seat music performance venue is designed for large instrumental ensembles.

LeChase doesnt limit its work to higher education: According to Mack, the firm is managing two construction projects for the Rochester City School District right now.

At the same time, LeChase continues to serve its second biggest set of customersthose in health care. Among other projects, the firm is managing the construction of the Rochester Regional Health Systems Sands-Constellation Center for Critical Care.

Rochester Regional Health broke ground on the seven-story, 312,000-square-foot Sands-Constellation Center last May. The facility, which will include 20 operating rooms, 108 private acuity-adaptable patient rooms and a large special-care nursery, is slated for completion in 2020.

Health care projects can account for as much as 40 percent of the business of DGA Builders LLC, depending upon the year, but currently dont make up the majority of them.

Multi-residential comprises 50 percent to 60 percent of our volume, says CEO Michael Szuromi. We have numerous new construction projects in New York, Pennsylvania and Florida.

Closer to home, the firm is working on a number of multi-residential projects in the Rochester area, including 933 the U. The 99-unit complex on Rochesters University Avenue is slated to open in late 2018.

Multi-residential construction is one of The DiMarco Groups mainstays.

Multi-residential is something that the company has done for the last 30 years, says Paul Colucci, the firms vice president of construction and development. We either own, operate or have constructed approximately 8,000 multi-residential units throughout the Northeast, and we have a fairly significant portfolio of for-rent properties.

Renovations of existing buildings, either for DiMarcos customers or for re-use or rental by the firm, make up a big part of its construction work, according to Colucci. DiMarco is redeveloping as a retail space the former Wal-Mart store at BayTowne Plaza, one of the local properties it owns in Webster.

Were redeveloping that into seven different spaces for future tenants, Colucci says.

DiMarco also redevelops or renovates local properties for use by educational institutions.

Were just wrapping up a very large project in the city of Rochester, which is Monroe Community Colleges new downtown campus, Colucci says.

Once renovation is completed this fall, MCC will occupy 255,000 square feet of four buildings that were once part of Eastman Kodak Co.s State Street headquarters complex.

Though much of DiMarcos business is in redevelopment, the company builds from the ground up as well. The firm just received approval for building a 384-apartment complex in Canandaigua. Its slated to begin erecting the first 96 apartments in September. Just that section of the job will come to $10.5 million, according to Colucci.

Two local construction firms make up The Pike Companies Ltd. While LeCesse Construction Services primarily focuses on multi-family constructionincluding a major construction and renovation project at the Jewish Home of RochesterThe Pike Company Inc. takes on other types of jobs.

On the Pike side, were doing a lot of manufacturing and health care-type work, says Rufus Judson, CEO of The Pike Companies, Ltd.

Among other health care projects, Pike is working on one at Golisano Childrens Hospital.

Were excited to be turning over, at the University of Rochester Medical Center, a couple floors in the new Golisano Hospital, Judson says. Weve been doing the fit-out of the interior.

While that job is being completed, Pike is also overseeing construction of a new manufacturing plant in Chili.

Were in the middle of the American Packaging Corporations new flexible packaging plant, Judson says.

American Packaging broke ground on the 350,000-square-foot plant in June. The company plans to invest nearly $170 million in the facility.

Though Pike is involved in many other types of projects, health care facility, multifamily residential and industrial construction could figure prominently in the firms future.

There seems to be a good push across New York with manufacturing technology, so were hopeful for that sector to grow, Judson says.

DGA also appears to look forward to the coming years.

We will be starting several new multi-family residential construction projects in New York, Pennsylvania and Tennessee, Szuromi says. Numerous regional health care projects are also completing their pre-construction phases and will transition to active construction this fall or winter.

Colucci expects the coming years to be neither rosy nor rotten for the areas construction firms.

Rochester and the Northeast is generally three to four percent growth over the long term, he says. I think were still going to see that.

Mike Costanza is a Rochester-area freelance writer.

See the original post here:
Construction firms report steady parade of projects - Rochester Business Journal

WACO, Texas (KWTX) A new mixed retail and restaurant space in downtown Waco is set to open its doors to visitors in 2018, adding to the growing boom of business in the area.

The space at South 8th Street and Jackson Avenue, formerly owned by Cornerstone Plumbing, was acquired by Blake Batson and Chris Clark in June.

"We picked this spot because of the current development in Waco. Jackson Avenue is a central spot for pedestrian access from the river all the way to downtown past Magnolia, Batson said.

Batson also owns Common Grounds and Heritage Creamery.

The 9,700 square foot property will be called Jackson Station because of its proximity to nearby train tracks.

People would come to Jackson Station as if they're going to a train station to sit, to eat, and to wait for their next passage, he said.

Jackson Station will feature an anchor restaurant inspired by Nashvilles famous hot chicken, space for five to six local retail spaces, as well as an additional 5,000 square foot outdoor patio area facing the Magnolia Silos.

Batson and Clark worked with Sterling Thompson Architects to create the plans and renderings, and have engaged with Mitchell Construction to bring the space to life.

"We're really excited about the space. We think it has a lot of potential for a creative and fun environment to really jive well with what's happening downtown. It's going to take us some time to renovate but we're really hoping to get it open by January 2018, Clark said.

The space will be similar in concept to the Mary Avenue Market on 300 South 6th Street.

"Were using a big space and subdividing the space to have different tenants that kind of fits a common synergy, Batson said.

Clark said theyve recently turned in demolition plans for Jackson Station with the city and are planning on sending TIF applications next month.

Andrea Barefield with City Center Waco said downtown has experienced tremendous growth in businesses coming to the area the past two years.

We've seen at least 38 new business starting that produced about 143 new jobs in downtown Waco, and that's on both sides of the river, Barefield said.

She said growing tourism, population, and development will only continue to increase over the years.

I look forward to many more businesses just like them [Jackson Station] coming in to make downtown Waco just a better place to be, Barefield said.

See the original post here:
Waco: New mixed retail, restaurant space set to open doors in 2018 - KWTX

(Shenandoah) -- As a major construction project continues at Shenandoah Medical Center, officials are putting the finishing touches on the hospital's emergency department.

The new and expanded emergency room is expected to be fully operational by the end of this week. The improvement is part of phase two of the hospital's $22 million upgrade. The new ER includes five exam rooms, three trauma bays, a triage room, a specialty room for psychiatric patients, secure facilities and a new ambulance bay. Dr. Santosh Kumar is medical director for SMC's emergency department. He says with the added space comes several new services the department can offer.

"We have included quite a few new services which includes things for our surgery side, psychiatric and mental health services, better trauma beds, more trauma rooms and a physician-staffed ER 24/7, which is a huge accomplishment for us," said Kumar.

Kumar says the new ER was in the planning stages for quite some time.

"My guess that thousands of hours went into the planning for this," said Kumar. "We spent six or seven months where all we did was plan. We visited big ERs and small ERs at lots of hospitals. I personally went to Nebraska Medicine because they were doing renovations, and we wanted to learn what mistakes they made in planning or what they did which worked well for them."

The new department is near where the old ER was located on the west side of the hospital. ER staff has been in place using most of the remodeled space for the past couple months, as the finishing touches are being put on additional space. Kumar says his staff is delighted with the increased space and modern facility.

"It's like we were driving a Chevy and now we have a Cadillac," said Kumar. "You can just feel the excitement. We are all very, very excited. More than that, we are all from the community, so it's excitement for us in two ways; as a staff working here and as people in the community. This is huge for us."

Kumar says a hospital's emergency department must be equipped with the latest technology, because it's often where people are most nervous when they visit the hospital.

"Most healthy people's visit to the hospital is either for well-check or you come to the ER for some reason," said Kumar. "When you come to the ER, it's the most anxious part of the hospital. Either you or your family member is sick and they need help right away. That's when the ER makes a difference. It leaves an ever-lasting impact. If you have a good experience with the ER, it sticks with you for a long time."

Kumar says he hopes the community and surrounding area will take pride in having a state-of-the-art facility in their backyard.

"This is not just one person's dream," said Kumar. "This is the whole community, every staff that works with us and some staff who left, this is all their dream. It took a lot of effort from every one of us. I really thank our board for making this happen."

The completion of the new emergency department is part of phase two of the remodeling project at the hospital. Phase one included a new medical office building, clinic and front entryway, which was unveiled last December. The rest of phase two includes remodeling of the surgical center, which is expected to be completed this winter. A $20.35 million USDA loan is covering the cost of a majority of the project.

Continue reading here:
SMC emergency room gets remodel as part of construction project - KMAland

A popular local fast-food restaurant soonwill temporarily shut down as part of a major remodeling project done by the company.

The Chick-Fil-A at 1332 Jeffreys Road in Cobb Corners will be closed for a month. Franchise owner Bob Lehnes said the restaurant will close after Aug. 12 and re-open sometime in mid-September.

Lehnes said the company will be investing about $1 million in the renovation of the local restauarant. Lehnes, who moved Chick-Fil-A to its current location in 2001, said this is usually around the time when the company remodels its restaurants.

Were approaching right at 16 years, Lehnes said.Typically, when a store is about 15 years old, Chick-Fil-A looks at remodeling it. For the most part, theyre going to gut the store.

The upgrades to Chick-Fil-A will involve plans to add about 20 feet or more to the back of the building to expand and upgrade the kitchen area.

The kitchen will be truly designed to handle the volume of business that were doing, he said. When we re-open, we will have roughly 30 percent more capacity to cook. We will also have two grills instead of one. If one goes down for maintenance reasons, we will still have a backup and not be losing product.

The Chick-Fil-A will have double drive-thru lines to help accelerate service for customers.

We will have two ordering points and two lanes approaching the ordering points, which we feel will help expedite and speed up the drive-thru a little more, Lehnes said.

Lehnes added the revamped look will have the front counter being a little further out, but the restaurant will maintain five registers on the counter plus a special dedicated register for pick-up and catering orders.The condiment bar at the front of the restaurant will be replaced by smaller condiment bars that will be located in both the front and back part of the dining area, Lehnes said.

A big bench table will be added in the dining room, which can accomodate up to eight to 10 people, Lehnes added.

Its always nice when they put this in other stores, Lehnes said. That usually seemed to be well-received by your larger families, youth groups or large groups of teenagers that come in and want to sit together.

The renovations will cause some seating impact in the dining room.

That push-out of the front counter will have us end up losing about 10 seats in the whole scheme of it all, which is probably the only negative, Lehnes said.But were one of the larger Chick-Fil-As as far as seating capacity. We usually dont have as many challenges with inside seating as some other restaurants.

The remodeling will impact 90 to 100 Chick-Fil-A employees.Lehnes said the plan is to have some employees placed at nearby Chick-Fil-A restaurants in Wilson and Roanoke Rapids and possibly at Greenville. Some full-time employees, who have known about the remodeling coming for the past two years, will take paid vaction time, Lehnes said.

Lehnesalso will be taking staff to a few Chick-Fil-A restaurants in the region, which have both the new kitchen design and multi-lane drive-thrus for them to observe the operations. There are also plans to add additional staff.

Were going to be hiring during that four-week down period, Lehnes said.We always expect a good bump up in sales after we re-open. We feel this is going to set us up for future success and growth of the business.

Read the rest here:
Chick-Fil-A to close temporarily for remodeling - Rocky Mount Telegram

Dining rooms have long served as mainstays of American homeowners, but at some point in our recent history, we stopped using them with any frequency. In that light, in the remodeling world, we often ask homeowners whether they still need a dining room.

Our lifestyles have radically changed regarding the traditional notion of a family gathering, eating together at a set time in the evening. Its now easier to do grab-and-go meals or stay in the kitchen to eat and chat with whoevers around; theres just no need to go into the dining room on a daily basis. People also eat out far more than they did even 10 years ago. When they do entertain at home, they congregate in the kitchen and casual living spaces open to the kitchen.

The dining room, in short, has become a victim of its own isolation and formality. Even its placement in older homes creates a barrier from the kitchen, and when that room opens onto a seldom-used front living room, its close to dinosaur extinction!

The remaining purpose of a traditional dining room is to accommodate large, infrequent gatherings of family and friends, typically at the holidays. So how do you expand a dining rooms life beyond Thanksgiving dinner?

Making the dining room a multipurpose space is a useful option. Create a home office or library that can easily convert into a dining room when needed. Built-in bookcases can hold a combination of dinnerware and books. A large dining table easily becomes an excellent desk or work surface with a change of accessories. Dining chairs needed only for large gatherings can be placed in other areas of your home, such as a pair of dining chairs creating a conversation area in an empty corner of a great room. Or you can completely change the function of a dining room. If you remove the dining table and chairs and simply view it as an extra room in the house, what would you do with it?

In a recent project, my colleagues and I knocked down a wall between the kitchen and the living room, and the dining set moved into that new open space, which left the dining room empty. We conferred with our clients about what type of room they always wanted but couldnt have, and the answer was a fully decked-out home office. They now have a room they love which gets used every day rather than just a few times a year.

Just as our lifestyles have changed, so must our thinking of what to do with a dining room. Its just too much valuable square footage to let go to waste.

Becky Trent is a designer and Certified Aging-in-Place Specialist (through the National Association of Home Builders) with St. Louis remodeling and design firm Mosby Building Arts. Her passion for kitchen and bath design has resulted in several local and national remodeling awards.

More:
Inside Design: Do You Still Need a Dining Room? - Ladue News

MARQUETTE Design is more than just a pretty space. It really can impact the way we live our lives, the way that we run our business and the way that we feel in a space.

Allison Clark loves to design things. Whether its a home or just one-room, the Marquette native has been doing it professionally the last five years through her business, Curio Design Studio.

Clark came up with an idea she coined, Blueprint for Change, a way to give back to the community by designing and remodeling a room for one lucky person.

I think everyone is in to HGTV, Extreme Home Makeover and all of those shows, said Clark. People could get involved and businesses could get involved in making a difference in someones life.

Over sixty nominations came into Clark. In June, the decision was made to redesign a room for Charlotte Newcomb, 7, who suffers from cyclical vomiting syndrome, a chronic condition that causes recurring attacks of intense vomiting.

We really wanted to make sure that the design elements we were putting into the space really spoke to the specific needs; storage needs, clean-ability, durability, the ability for the space to be darkened, said Clark.

Clark worked with local small businesses, corporate sponsors and volunteers to make the renovation happen. It took six weeks of planning and a week of construction to transform the playroom at the Newcomb residence into a multi-purpose room.

It was amazing. It was a huge payoff to a lot of work and a lot of planning from every person who volunteered their time, their services and donated items, said Clark. It was really gratifying to see it come together.

The room was put together to not only benefit Charlotte, but her sisters as well. Clark says the first Blueprint for Change was successful.

Shes looking forward to being involved with another one next year.

Read more:
'Blueprint for Change' works to change lives & living spaces - ABC 10 News NOW

PRINCETON People hoping to add a cat or dog to their households got their first look Tuesday at new and more comfortable quarters for felines at the Mercer County Animal Shelter.

We started the remodeling last Monday, Assistant Director Stacey Harman said. We finished up last night and today were reopening.

The remodeled cat facilities gives the felines more room to roam and interact. Enrichment items such as shelves for lounging and cubes they can enter are part of the new arrangements.

Weve made all the cats in there cage free, Harman said. We have eight cages in there, but only for those that dont get along and everyone else is free to run.

Getting the cats out of cages decreases the chances for them to get sick, decreases their boredom and keeps their stress levels down, she said. There are plans to give the shelters cats even more space.

We didnt get to do this today because our supplies didnt come in, Harman said. Were going to have an outside patio area.

A pet door in a window will allow the cats to go outside and into a caged area. The cats wont be able to get out, and nobody except for shelter personnel will be able to enter it, she stated. Plans call for starting the patios construction this week and finishing it by next week. A donation from an estate helped fund the remodeling projects.

Dixie is held up by new owner Kim Smith as she waits for her new family to finish adoption papers at the Mercer County Animal Shelter Tuesday. The animal shelter hosted an open house where they encouraged the community to come and check out their remodeled facilities and look for a new pet.

We also have the dog play park that didnt get finished, Harman added. It will be started this week. Theyre actually getting an exercise/play yard. The whole goal behind this is to get them some exercise and out of the cages. What we see happen a lot of times is if they stay in kennels day after day, they get kennel aggression. This will give them exercise and fresh air.

The animal shelter currently houses about 47 cats, but the goal is to get this number down to 30. Between 40 to 45 dogs were at the shelter as of Tuesday.

We put a fresh coat of paint on everything, Harman said. We try to make the shelter more appealing to the public. Its really been amazing, what weve been able to do.

Contact Greg Jordan at gjordan@bdtonline.com

Originally posted here:
Shelter pets get more room to roam - Bluefield Daily Telegraph