Left abandoned and long neglected, this once-modest house in Narragansett, a town where properties are hot under almost any circumstance, is rotting nearly everywhere the eye looks outside it.

Blue-painted wood siding droops, brittle black roof shingles are torn off in various places and expose even older wood underneath, shattered clear glass windows line up alongside yellow and blue intact stained-colored glass windows.

Through them a look inside reveals what seems like a frenzied tornado smashed up walls and ceilings, pulled up floors, and tore into it with apparent disregard for any preservation of its history or memory of a home to so many over the last 133 years.

Some beams even showed charred edges from a fire long ago that somehow quite never burned down the entire house. This 80 Narragansett Avenue property simply invites the pity of the wrecking ball to relieve the misery from this dilapidated condition.

But thats not its fate. Burying the bones of this place isnt even remotely close to what awaits this New England-architecture styled house with a steep-pitched roof and triangular gables.

For sure this 1887 Queen Anne Victorian is an old house, but its also This Old House.

An investor, a builder and television show have come to its rescue. At the center is Jeff Sweenor, owner of Sweenor Builders, Inc., of Wakefield, who will oversee this restoration his fifth project accepted by This Old House in recent years for its annual series.

Making it livable and more here in Narragansett is this special builder incorporating reverence for details in a challenging revival. Theres also an historically-conscious young buyer who now owns the decrepit structure. He was born 95 years after the house was built by labors without cell phones, electric saws and stud guns.

Bringing attention to this restoration effort is a popular nationwide television show that ironically is a throw-back to the do-it-yourself era when the house was built.

Over 130 years ago there was some unbelievable craftsmen doing this project, Sweenor said last week looking at the beat-up structure where his crew has already begun work to bring the inside down to bare boards.

To do that kind of work without the sophisticated tools we have now is just amazing, he said, pointing to bridge rafters with rosettes carved into them by hand more than a century ago. They didnt just go to Home Depot and buy them.

Standing nearby was homeowner and real estate investor Michael Campopiano of Cranston. He bought the property knowing he could gut the inside, but would be required to surgically repair with precision the outside to satisfy town standards for historic renovation.

What did I get myself into? the 38 year-old said with a laugh when giving a tour of the old house. His wife, Kassiane, 37, was with him and commented that when she pulls up and looks at the house, There is a lot of detail in that house and wow, its old.

The essence, though, of the situation for themselves or anyone inhabiting it was captured, she said, by their six-year-old son, Giulian, who told his father after seeing the run-down structure before his mother, Daddy, you cannot show mommy this place. She wont live in it.

The Builder

Sweenor said he annually handles about 20 building and renovation jobs in his 50-person company, with many done in the South County region where he grew up in Wakefield.

Among his other projects This Old House accepted have been a renovation and addition to the Beach House in East Matunuck (2017), the Beach-Town Bungalow built from the ground up in the heart of Narragansetts historic district (2018) and a renovation and addition in Jamestown to a 1920s Rhode Island shingled cottage (2018-19).

For another This Old House segment, he also recently completed a renovation and addition to a classic shingled 2,000 square-foot ranch style house built in 1949 in Westerly and transformed now into a Dutch Colonial (2019).

This current project, named Seaside Victorian, focuses on nearly all historic preservation work for the exterior, he pointed out. Located in Narragansetts Pier neighborhood and not far from the town beach, the 133-year-old house has been vacant the last few years.

Sitting prominently along one of Narragansetts main thoroughfares, the 1,700 square-foot home will be captured in various episodes of this years 42nd season of the show.

It will detail efforts to preserve period architectural details such as decorative columns and brackets, sawtooth and fishscale shingles, eyebrow siding details, a rising sun patterned clapboard gable and more.

It will keep windows, improve the foundation and footings, address a deteriorating porch and rotting roof. A new 800 square-foot addition will include a two-car garage and mudroom on the first floor, and master suite on the second floor and will match the existing structure without overpowering it, Sweenor said.

However, the overall project is complicated, detailed and exacting all the demands sought after by this builder who is 57 and was also a national champion rower at the University of Rhode Island and afterwards.

Rowing and building go together, he said with a laugh.

I spent the better part of three years trying to be the best in the world at rowing. When you spend that much time trying to be the best in the world at something, you get some carryover to how you do anything in your life, he said.

Hes also someone who understands true grit for summoning a focus on details to complete a task well and then create the foundation for more success.

Making candy and making houses also go together, Sweenor said. His connection to business and running a good one is rooted in the sweetest of places -- his familys well-known fourth-generation candy making shop and retail store in Wakefield.

Clearly it was the experience during the first 20 years of my life. It had an impact in creating this inner belief, now add that rowing component to it, and you get a pretty powerful mixture of ingredients, he confided about his ethic guiding him and his own building company that he started 32 years ago.

We want to build houses that last a hundred years. To do that, you have to have extraordinary work at every level, he explained.

In the first half of his career, he said, he worked on learning to build a good house and use that experience. Then I became aware that I wanted to build a great company that builds great houses, he said.

So, the second half of my career has been about trying to put all the pieces in place and people in place who all have that same passion, that same desire to excel. So thats where the magic happens, he said.

He said that he hand-selects each new employee who works for him. He looks for traits similar to his own.

They all are craftsmen, they all strive for excellence in everything they do. The cumulative effect of all the focus by everyone throughout the year is good products produced all the time, Sweenor said.

Its a lot easier to build an amazing house than it is to build an amazing company, said the builder whose friendly demeanor in the television episodes of This Old House is as genuine in person.

An amazing company is all about people and its hard to assemble great people because theres so much interpersonal connection and they all have to work well together and they have to complement each others strengths and weaknesses, he said, taking a long pause.

Then he quickly added in a shy way, Ive built some pretty nice houses in my career, but Im most proud of the company Ive built more so than a structure.

Its an attitude that certainly pleases the producers of This Old House, who also prize his construction skills just as much.

The TV Show

Chris Wolfe, the shows executive producer, said that Sweenor is an expert home builder and everyone on his team iscommittedto doing things right.

He also looks fornew techniques andmaterialsthat will improve the construction process and make his projects more comfortable and efficient. And he knows the value of hardwork, which has always been animportant part of This Old House, Wolfe said.

This Old House, started in 1979, has become a popular home improvement television series and continues to inspire homeowners across the county who never knew they could do it themselves.

Who could have imagined that the home improvement television idea would develop into an entire industry, said Russell Morash, its creator and first producer, in an interview on its website. But given the fact that a persons home is likely his or her most valuable asset, it may explain why so many viewers still depend onThis Old House.

Its shows capture millions of viewers and also brings dream renovations to life for them as they watch contractors, like Sweenor who was selected by This Old House to be a regular, undertake projects with all kinds of designs and intricacies.

Wolfe said, When we tackle projects across the country, we work (also) with other world-class builders, drawing on their knowledge of local architectural styles, building codes, and construction methods.

Rhode Island obviously offers a wealth of scenic locations that provide great backdrops for our project houses, and Narragansett with its beautiful waterfront views more than fits that bill, he said.

The Homeowner

Reputation is what was important to homeowner Michael Campopiano, who wont disclose the exact price for saving the old Queen Anne from demolition, but said its a significant sum.

We met at his (Sweenors) office, met his whole team and left with a good feeling that this is the builder and the team to go forward with and that was before purchasing the house and only looking at preliminary sketches of potential work, he said, adding, Were going all out with the design budget on it.

Campopiano said he has other rentals in Narragansett, but this is his first large-scale historic renovation.

Sweenor has been a reassuring partner as they both faced restrictions and suggestions for how the outside of the house needs to look. It must meet various town historical requirements due to its location in an historic district.

Kristen Connell, spokeswoman for the Narragansett Historic District Commission, said, the project combines a meticulous exterior restoration with a new addition that adheres to the NHDCs guidelines by complementing and not overwhelming the original structure.

The town is fortunate that a sympathetic buyer came along while the house could still be saved. As the saying goes, this house has good bones, and we look forward to its completed restoration, she said.

Campopiano pointed to the expense people face when preserving old structures and youre trying to preserve a piece of history and youre spending almost double what you would normally.

However, the personal injury and workers compensation lawyer said, he understands and appreciates the reasons for a pinpoint interest in renovation and expansion details.

Aesthetically, I thought the house, the exterior, the intricately carved moldings, like on the gable and on the house, and above the Queen Anne windows, were absolutely beautiful. We loved those. My wife and I have always loved a house with a farmers porch, too, he said.

The house had so many architectural details on the exterior that we didnt really care too much about work required on the inside. The location is a couple steps from the Pier and Narragansett beach is where we want to live, Campopiano added.

In addition, memories of the houses heyday still linger in community. For instance, John Miller, 88, of Narragansett, recalled when his grandparents owned and lived the house from 1895 until 1948 when his grandmother died.

My grandfather Miller, a failed pharmacist, apparently had only one talent siring children. He had eleven of them in that tiny little house. Meantime my grandmother Mary Jane Wright Miller, ran a seamstress operation, whichput food on the table, he said.

One fond memory (is when) my father, who was born on the fourth of July, 1887, he recalled, would bring me to visit my grandmother. They would usually bring out a toy to keep me quiet, Miller recalled.

The toy was a tiny replica of the battleship Maine, which you might appreciate was most likely my fathers originally, when the Spanish-American War was fresh, he said.

Miller said he feels elated about the renovation and preservation of the property and its another step in the towns desire to recapture the excellence of the past ratherthan simply build to fill space profitably.

This kind of history still close for a few, but distant for most others is part of the reason for helping this house survive the brutal winds of time and neglect, Campopiano said.

Restoring this house will bring value to my wife and me that cannot be measured in dollars and cents, he said.

He said that people often drive by the house and comment, when seeing a sign about the renovation project, My God, this place is going to be amazing, how beautiful, its so great they are saving this rather than knocking it down.

Were restoring 80 Narragansett so all the people can continue to love it. Purchasing an historic home helps keep history alive, he said.

Excerpt from:
History in the Making: A long forgotten property gets a new lease on life - The Independent

COVID-19 continues to have a profound impact on construction activity in Canada.

COVID-19 continues to have a profound impact on construction activity in Canada. Governments have limited what construction activities can continue during the shutdown, issued emergency orders affecting construction litigation, and changed health and safety protocols at site.

The impacts to construction projects, litigation, and health and safety vary across provinces and territories. Below is a guideline resource for how each province and territory is managing COVID-19s impact on the construction industry. For each province and territory we have assembled and laid out,

1. the list of permitted construction and related services that can continue;

2. the impact of emergency orders on limitation periods and procedural deadlines for construction litigation; and

3. the recommended guidelines for increased health and safety practices for construction sites.

Should you have any questions about whether your construction project can continue during the pandemic, or how these orders may affect your existing or future litigation, please feel free to contact us. We will keep this bulletin updated on a weekly basis.

To locate a particular province or territory in the list, please click it in the list below:

A) Ontario

B) Quebec

C) British Columbia

D) Alberta

E) Saskatchewan

F) Manitoba

G) New Brunswick

H) Nova Scotia

I) Prince Edward Island

J) Newfoundland

K) Yukon

L) Northwest Territories

M) Nunavut

A) Ontario

1. List of Permitted Construction and Related Services

The list of construction and related activities that may continue in Ontario during the pandemic are listed below. Ontarios complete list of essential services can be found here.

Construction Services

1. Construction activities or projects and related services that support construction activities or projects, including demolition services.

2. Land surveyors.

Construction Related Services

3. Lawn care services and landscaping services.

4. Maintenance, repair and property management services strictly necessary to manage and maintain the safety, security, sanitation and essential operation of institutional, commercial, industrial and residential properties and buildings.

5. Businesses that supply other essential businesses or essential services within Ontario, or that supply businesses or services that have been declared essential in a jurisdiction outside of Ontario, with the support, products, supplies, systems, or services, including processing, packaging, warehousing, distribution, delivery, and maintenance necessary to operate.

6. Hardware stores.

7. Garden centres and plant nurseries, including greenhouses that engage in retail sales to the public.

8. Business that provide land registration services.

9. Businesses that deliver or support the delivery of services including:

Sewage treatment and disposal.Collecting, transporting, storing, processing, disposing or recycling of any type of waste.Potable drinking water.Critical infrastructure repair and maintenance including roads, dams, bridges etc.Environmental rehabilitation, management and monitoring, and spill clean up and response.Administrative authorities that regulate and inspect businesses.Professional and social services that support the legal and justice system.Government services including but not limited to policing and law enforcement, fire and emergency services, paramedics, coroner and pathology services, corrections and court services, licences and permits.Allotment gardens or community gardens.2. Impact on Limitation Periods and Procedural Deadlines in Litigation

On March 16, 2020, the Ontario Government issued an emergency order suspending all limitation periods and procedural deadlines in litigation. However, effective April 16, the Ontario Government exempted the limitation periods and procedural deadlines in the Construction Act from the emergency order. For more details on these changes and the impact on liens, holdbacks and construction litigation generally, please see our prior bulletin on this topic here: Show Me the Money Government of Ontario to Amend Emergency Order to Allow Release of Holdbacks. The complete regulation exempting the Construction Act that took effect April 16 can be found here.

3. Guideline for Increased Health and Safety Practices

See here for the Chief Prevention Officers guidance to the construction sector in Ontario on health and safety related to COVID-19.

B) Quebec

1. List of Permitted Construction and Related Services

Starting May 11, 2020, all construction industry worksites from all sectors of the construction industry including residential, civil engineering and roads, institutional, commercial and industrial can resume their activities (however, admin staff must continue teleworking). Quebecs notice in this regard can be found here.

A summary of the more limited construction and related activities that could continue in Quebec until May 11, 2020 are listed below.

Construction Activities

1. Construction firms, for emergency repairs or to ensure safety

2. Electricians, plumbers and other trades (emergency services only)

3. Equipment rental firms

4. Landscaping and landscape maintenance (including nurseries, garden centres and businesses selling swimming pools)

5. Construction and renovation of residential dwellings, for any immovable where the taking of possession of a residential unit must take place on or before 31 July 2020, including the supply of goods and services that may be required for the work, including the services of real estate agents, land surveyors, building inspectors and assessors, and chartered appraisers

Construction Related Activities

6. Maintenance of essential public infrastructures in proper working order (bridges, municipal buildings, etc.).

7. Construction, maintenance and upkeep of essential activities in connection, in particular, with public and private infrastructures that may create a risk for public health and safety (private dams, management of hazardous and radioactive waste, etc).

8. Cleaning, upkeep and pest management.

9. Building maintenance (elevators, ventilation, alarm systems, etc).

10. Household appliance maintenance and repair.

Quebecs complete list of essential workplaces can be found here.

2. Impact on Limitation Periods and Procedural Deadlines in Litigation

By Order number 2020-4251, the Chief Justice of Qubec and the Minister of Justice suspended prescription periods (limitation periods), forfeiture periods and procedural deadlines until the public health emergency is lifted or otherwise amended by further order. The joint ministerial decree can be found here.

Construction hypothec periods are forfeiture periods and are therefore suspended under the Order. However, contractors are being advised to act as if the deadlines still apply and to register their notice of hypothec, and notice of intention to exercise a hypothecary right within the requisite time periods (the land registrar is still open to receive notices).

Additional guidance on how to calculate delays is expected from the Government once the suspension is lifted.

3. Guideline for Increased Health and Safety Practices

The COVID-19 Guides for Construction sites (French Only) published by the Safety of Labour Board (CNESST) on health and safety can be found here and here.

C) British Columbia

1. List of Permitted Construction and Related Services

A summary of construction and related activities that may continue in British Columbia during the pandemic are listed below. British Columbias complete list of essential workplaces can be found here.

Construction and Related Activities

1. Construction work, construction firms, skilled trades, and professionals, and; construction and light industrial machinery and equipment rental.

2. Plumbers, electricians, elevator maintenance providers, exterminators, property management services, building systems maintenance and repair technicians, engineers, fire safety and sprinkler systems, and other service providers who provide services that are necessary to maintaining the safety, sanitation, and daily essential operation of residences, commercial buildings, and ski area infrastructure and facilities.

3. Land registration services.

4. Workers who provide or support inspections to ensure worksites are safe for workers; and who investigate, process and manage claims for workplace accidents, including services related to the care, treatment and provision of workers compensation benefits to those impacted.

NOTE: Unlike some other provinces, which have mandated the closure of any type of business not deemed essential or allowable, British Columbia does not mandate such closures across-the-board. A business or service that is not an essential service may remain open in British Columbia provided that such business or service can comply with the recommendations of the PHO. However, such businesses may be ordered to close by a specific order of the PHO.

2. Impact on Limitation Periods and Procedural Deadlines in Litigation

Ministerial Order 86/2020 suspended limitation periods and procedural time periods from March 26, 2020 until the state of emergency is over (which as of May 20, 2020 is scheduled for May 26, 2020, see here).

On April 15, 2020, Ministerial Order 98/2020 amended MO 86/2020, lifting the suspension of limitation and procedural time periods under the Builders Lien Act (as well as those under Division 5 of Part 5 of the Strata Property Act) effective April 15, 2020. Once lifted, it appears that parties will have the same amount of time to meet a deadline that had been remaining before the suspension began on March 26, 2020.

3. Guideline for Increased Health and Safety Practices

Please see here for the health and safety measures the British Columbian Government has indicated all construction sites should follow: Guidance for Construction Sites Operating during COVID-19 Pandemic.

D) Alberta

1. List of Permitted Construction and Related Services

A summary of construction and related activities that may continue in Alberta during the pandemic are listed below. Albertas list of essential workplaces can be found here.

Construction Activities

1. Construction projects and services associated with the healthcare sector, including new facilities, expansions, renovations and conversion of spaces that could be repurposed for health care space.

2. Construction projects and services required to ensure safe and reliable operations of critical provincial and municipal infrastructure, including transit, transportation, energy and justice sectors beyond day-to-day maintenance.

3. Construction work and services, including demolition services, in the industrial, commercial, institutional and residential sectors.

4. Construction work and services that supports health and safety environmental rehabilitation projects.

5. Construction projects to repair or render operable / safe any public conveyance, including elevators, escalators and ski lifts.

6. Construction projects and services that are required to ensure safe and reliable operations of critical energy infrastructure or support supply chains.

7. Any other construction project that can safely abide by the CMOH Public Health guidelines/directives.

Construction Related Activities

8. Land registration services.

9. Businesses that support the safe operations of residences and essential businesses.

10. Road and transportation construction and maintenance

11. The operation, maintenance and repair of critical infrastructure (railways, dams, bridges, highways, flood control structures, irrigation and water management structures, etc.).

12. Motor vehicle, auto-supply, auto and motor-vehicle-repair, including bicycle repair, aircraft repair, heavy equipment repair, watercraft/marine craft repairs, car and truck dealerships and related facilities.

13. Hardware stores and stores that provide hardware products necessary to the essential operations of residences and businesses.

14. Safety supply stores (safety gear and Personal Protective Equipment).

NOTE: If a business is not listed here as an essential service, it can still continue to operate if: (i) it is not specifically prohibited from offering services in a location accessible to the public; and (ii) the business doesnt fall under previous business, workplace and facility closures.

A business must still follow all other public health orders and guidelines for workplaces, including: (i) maintaining physical distancing; and (ii) prohibiting people from coming to work sick. Workplaces that are not otherwise restricted or ordered to cease offering close-contact services or services accessible by the public can have more than 15 workers on a work site as long as they follow all public health guidelines, including physical distancing measures.

2. Impact on Limitation Periods and Procedural Deadlines in Litigation

On March 30, 2020, a Ministerial Order suspended limitation periods retroactively from March 17 June 1, 2020. This Order only applies to enactments listed in Appendix A to the Order, which list does not include the Builders Lien Act. As a result, limitation periods under the Builders Lien Act are not suspended.

However, the Order also suspends all procedural time periods in active or intended proceedings from March 17-June 1, 2020. Unlike for limitation periods, the Order does not specify that this suspension applies only to the enactments in Appendix A.

More here:
Construction through COVID-19 in Canada: A Guideline for what each Province and Territory is Doing [Current as at May 20, 2020] - ICLG.com

The city and the Signa Group were discussing details for a long time, but now the reconstruction of the Alte Akademie in the centre of Munich is finally underway. Completion of the project is scheduled for 2023. The duration of the construction phase is determined by the complexity of the process, due to the need to protect historical monuments. The work has to be carried out in individual steps, Alexander Cronauer, who is responsible for the Signa project development division in Munich, explained. Close cooperation between authorities, planners and contractors in the planning and construction phase is a key factor for the smooth handling of the work.

Spanning an area of over 21,000 square metres, the historic building complex will offer a mixture of retail space, restaurants, modern offices and attractive apartments. The office space, covering approximately 9,000 square metres, offers flexible options for innovative spatial solutions. Modern retail concepts will be arranged effectively on around 8,000 square metres. Here, the mix of tradition and innovation that is characteristic of Munich is developed anew.

In the initial phase, which will conclude by the end of 2020, parts inside the building that have been agreed with the preservation authorities will be dismantled, the complex construction logistics will be successively set up and the foundation will be upgraded under archaeological supervision, among other things with the aim of protecting a 15th-century ground monument. The shell structure will be dismantled next. At the same time, individual ceiling sections in the historical part of the Alte Akademie will also be dismantled and the roof truss and the existing windows renovated. With the completion of the shell work from the middle of 2022, the finishing work will begin until the handover to tenants in 2023.

The Alte Akademie is located in one of the most attractive areas in the heart of Munich and has a 130-metre-long front in the pedestrian zone. This former Jesuit College was originally built in the 16th century. It was acquired by Signa in the form of a 65-year leasehold in 2013. In coordination with the regional capital Munich, an international single-stage realisation competition was held, and the results were presented to the public in April of 2016.

The contract for the conversion was awarded to Basel-based architectural firm Morger Partner Architekten. The historical ensemble will be developed further in a harmonious and sensitive way. All faades will be renovated in accordance with preservation orders. Any interventions that may be necessary are based on the character of the existing architecture, which is over 400 years old.

See the original post here:
Signa starts renovations on the Alte Akademie in Munich - Property Magazine International

CHICAGO (CBS) Constant construction noise, dust and debris has been making it into the units of a high rise in Lakeview. Residents who reached out to CBS 2 say it is not just unbearable but also a safety hazard, and they cant take it anymore.

CBS 2s Tara Molina took their concerns to their management company and the city.

Theyre grinding like mad men. There is dust going everywhere, said Stefan Balsa Nikolic.

Stefan says for him, his family and others living at 510 W. Belmont in Lakeview its unbearable.He says the work on the buildings facade started a couple months ago when the stay-at-home order began.

They drill all day, he said. Two, three, four, five days in a row.

The noise is one thing, but the dust and debris, he says, is making it inside, even with the windows closed.

Yesterday I walk into my kids room, and I can just smell the concrete dust, he said.

They are concerned for their safety, and they are not alone. He said someone is distributing around the building a request for a rent protest until they get some answers.

Peter Condich, the general manager of the property management company, said they did make the decision to continue work during the stay-at-home order but says their contractor is using all OSHA approved tools for dust collecting and theyve offered residents headphones and opportunities to work in quieter units.

He also said that the project should wrap in the next couple weeks and theyve adjusted the working hours to 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Condich sent the following statement about the situation:

We acknowledge that living through this Essential Construction Work is made more trying during the Covid-19 Stay at Home order. As mentioned in our conversation, the need for this work was identified in a Faade Inspection Report submitted as part of the Exterior Wall Program with the City of Chicago Department of Buildings. Given the Essential nature of this in-progress restoration, it is not feasible to stop or postpone the work.

In an effort to make this process more bearable for our residents, we are doing the following:

The City of Chicago permits construction between the hours of 8am and 8pm. We have limited all destruction work to two shortened windows (9am-12pm and 12:30pm-3:00pm). While limiting the hours of construction extends the overall length of the project this adjustment was made to limit the daily disruptions to the extent feasible.

We have made noise-cancelling headsets available for residents to use that can assist in ameliorating the background construction noise.

We have made available numerous semi-private work spaces in vacant apartments in quieter areas of the building.

We have arranged for use of private work spaces at a nearby apartment building, about one mile from Belmont Tower Apartments.

We have installed dust barriers in apartments when required (as explained in our phone conversation, this mitigation work is utilized when the demolition occurs above the window of the affected unit).

The contractor has used OSHA approved dust mitigation equipment throughout the process (as confirmed by the City of Chicago Department of Buildings).

We are now in the final six weeks of an 9 month project. We take the input of our residents seriously and attempt to address all of their concerns in a practical fashion. We look forward to a successful completion of this project and we believe that we will all get through this together.

Residents who spoke with CBS 2 maintain the company should have held the construction until after the order ends.

More:
They Drill All Day: Residents Say Construction Work On Lakeview Building Is Unbearable During Stay-At-Home Order - CBS Chicago

The ENR regional editors have selected Martin-Harris Construction as the 2020 Contractor of the Year in the Southwest region.

Martin-Harris operates throughout the southwestern U.S. (Nevada, Arizona, California, New Mexico and Texas) in a wide variety of market sectors, providing design-build, CMAR, design-assist and design-bid-build services. The firms market-sector expertise includes health care, industrial, office, education, multifamily, special use, hospitality, public works and retail projects.

As a nod to its successful push for workforce diversity, more than 40% of Martin-Harris Constructions workforce is part of the millennial generation. The firm also has partnered in the creation of a STEM 101 curriculum for industry training and education, and expanded the educational reach of that to include the city of Las Vegas Dept. of Youth Development and Social Innovation.

Some of the firms recent, notable projects include:

Martin-Harris has compiled an extensive list of community volunteer endeavors, as well as strong industry involvement in all of the areas it serves.

A feature-length profile of the firm will appear in the June issue of ENR Southwest.

Read more from the original source:
Martin-Harris Construction Chosen as ENR Southwest's Contractor of the Year for 2020 - Engineering News-Record

Share This Article:Workers building a modular housing development in West OaklandBy Matt Levin | CalMatters

Toni Atkins stood on the state Senate floor in January and vowed, come hell or high water, that 2020 would see the state pass a bill to build more homes in California.

Support Times of San Diego's growthwith a small monthly contribution

Even her wrangling as Senate pro tem wasnt enough to saveSenate Bill 50, a zoning reform proposal pushing for more apartment buildings around California, from a third straight year of failure. The wonky bill had provoked the kind of polemical discourse typically reserved for Supreme Court nominations or Reddit threads on single-payer healthcare.

I want to personally commit to each and every one of you, and to the people of California, that a housing production bill to alleviate our housing crisis will happen this year, said Atkins, Democrat from San Diego, imploring her colleagues to bring productive ideas to the table to solve Californias most vexing issue making it cheaper to live here.

While neither hell nor high water materialized, a pandemic did.

Nevertheless, this week, Atkins and Senate Democratic leaders unveiled a suite of compromise legislation aimed at making it easier to build more housing. While no individual bill is as sweeping as SB 50, developers and housing experts say collectively the six proposals could make a meaningful dent in Californias housing shortage should they become law.

But while championing the art of the possible, Atkins admits that Californias new coronavirus-normal limited what the state could realistically pull off.

Things have altered and we had to pivot a bit because the world looks very different today, she said.

Heres what you need to know about California lawmakers latest plans to create more housing, and how COVID-19 has changed them.

Atkins suite of bills retains one of the more controversial provisions of Senate Bill 50, the upzoning proposal from Sen. Scott Wiener, Democrat from San Francisco:the elimination of single-family-only zoningthroughout California.

Wide swaths of cities around the state currently prohibit any type of housing more dense than a single-family home. A newjointly-authored billfrom Atkins and Wiener would force cities to allow homeowners and developers to convert single family homes into duplexes or even fourplexes, if the property is big enough. Those conversions would not have to be reviewed for environmental impacts by local governments, an often lengthy and expensive process.

There are hundreds of thousands of two-car garages that are just jammed with crap. And its ready for a builder to come in and demo the garage and scrape it and drop in a new home , said Ben Metcalf, managing director at the UC Berkeley Terner Center for Housing Innovation and former head of the state housing department. Theres lots of potential here.

While technically California ended single-family-only zoning with the passage of a2019 lawthat allows homeowners to build accessory dwelling units granny flats in their backyard, the prospect of duplexes, triplexes and fourplexes popping up next door is sure to engender more pushback from homeowner groups resistant to more visible changes to their neighborhoods.

I would not like to see fourplexes going up here, said Susan Kirsch, an anti-development activist in Marin County who founded a statewide lobbying group to help defeat Wieners earlier proposals. These streets are very narrow, its going to increase traffic, itll hurt parking.

Kirsch cautioned that if local governments wanted to pursue denser development, they should be allowed to. But she chafes at the idea of the state issuing a top-down edict.

As a state law, I think its an intrusion on community rights, pushed by developers with huge pots of money, she said.

The idea of loosening local zoning rules has gained traction in national progressive circles, with Democratic lawmakers inMinneapolisandOregonprohibiting single-family-only zoning last year. Local ordinances prohibiting denser development have historically been associated with excluding renters, who skew lower income and non-white, from more affluent communities.

Atkins says she doesnt think single-family-only zoning is inherently bad policy, and cautions that the option of converting a home into a fourplex wont erode neighborhood character.

I love my neighborhood, I live in a neighborhood that is single-family and has some multi-family spread throughout and it works, said Atkins. I wouldnt call this the death knull of single family neighborhoods. I would think thats a mischaracterization.

Eliminating single-family-only zoning has a new allure for lawmakers in a post-coronavirus world: It doesnt cost the state any money.

Conspicuously absent from Senate Democrats housing package is any proposal that would devote new state dollars to building low-income housing or allow cities to beef up infrastructure to accommodate it. Confronting arecession-induced budget deficitthe Newsom administration has pegged at $54 billion, Atkins said proposals that might have been possible in January simply arent feasible right now.

In the moment we have to be strategic and focused, but it doesnt mean all those things go by the wayside, said Atkins.

Instead, Atkins package tries to incentivize market-rate developers to include more low-income units in their projects.A bill from Sen. Nancy Skinner, Democrat from Berkeley, would enhance an existing state density bonus program that allows developers to build taller and denser if they charge below market-rates for some of their units.

But while low-income housing advocates say they are pleased Senate Democrats are still addressing housing issues, they want a stronger focus on helping those who were already struggling before the novel coronavirus threatened their livelihoods.

My sense is that theres a real desire to see the market help fix our problems, and I think thats kind of fundamentally at odds with our perspective, said Chione Flegal, managing director at PolicyLink, an organization that advocates for greater equity in housing policy. Although theres certainly a role for the market, the last two decades have shown that the market is not working to build supply for people at the bottom of the income spectrum and its never worked for communities of color.

Flegal and other advocates say more density must also be accompanied by stronger protections for communities sensitive to gentrification and displacement pressures.

Some of the precious dollars cities and low-income housing advocates are seeking have instead found their way intoanother part of Atkins housing proposal: a $300 million to $500 million annual plan to help renters and landlords impacted by coronavirus.

Unveiled last week but included in this package of housing bills, the program would give renters 10 years to pay back rent bills missed because of COVID-19 directly to the state. Landlords would be compensated with tax credits they could sell on secondary markets for cash.

Beyond Atkins package, other proposals for affordable housing dollars are still circulating in the Legislature. But the pandemic-induced budget deficit has made the road ahead for those bills daunting.

A proposalthat would have eliminated the mortgage interest deductions on vacation homes to fund homeless housing died earlier this week. Two remaining high-profile bills that would spend billions annually on low-income housing have not identified a new revenue source, meaning cuts would have to come from elsewhere in the budget to offset their cost.

Cash-strapped local governments are especially dismayed at how the pandemic has reshaped state housing proposals. Before coronavirus struck, they had hoped to see portions of a January budget surplus devoted to low-income housing, infrastructure grants and local planning departments.

That hope has dimmed significantly. And while Gov. Gavin Newsoms post-pandemic budget proposal preserves funding for an important tax credit program for low-income developers, it claws back some money cities had hoped they could tap for housing-related programs.

A spokesperson for the League of California Cities, which represents municipalities across the state, said it was still reviewing Atkins proposals and not yet taken a position on the package.

Cities did score one housing-related victory because of the pandemic: A slew of bills aimed at reducing the impact fees local governments could charge developers on new projects has been shelved as cities cling to any source of revenue they can get their hands on.

The economic downturn caused by the novel coronavirus could contain a silver lining for California: When that big box retailer or shopping mall goes out of business, all that real estate could be converted to new housing.

The new Senate housing plan tries to seize on that opportunity.A billfrom Sen. Anna Caballero, Democrat from Salinas,would make more land zoned for office parks or retail outlets eligible for housing development and streamline the approval process for developers who want to build on that land.

There is real interest in combining housing and retail, said Dan Dunmoyer, president of the California Building Industry Association, the primary developer lobbying group in the capital. Some of the national home builders and regional builders are looking at these sites.

While homebuilders may be bullish on converting retail to housing, they are less enthusiastic about incentivizing construction in denser, urban environments near public transit.

A billfrom Sen. Wiener included in the Senate housing package would give cities the option to speedily approve smaller-scale housing developments in transit-rich areas and urban infill sites.

Although outbreaks of novel coronavirus have been more associated with overcrowded housing than density, Dunmoyer says that the pandemic could be reshaping where Californians want to live.

If youre going to be forced to shelter in place, do you want a two-bed, two-bath condo in a city or do you want a three-bed, two-bath home with a backyard? said Dunmoyer.

For his part, Wiener doesnt believe demand for living in urban environments close to jobs will be all that affected by the pandemic.

People have a lot of different reactions to the virus, but anyone who is really looking at the facts knows that the whole notion that housing density fuels COVID is simply false, he said.

Key to any housing bills moving forward in the state Legislature is the support of the State Building and Construction Trades Council, the construction workers union that donates heavily to state Democratic lawmakers.

Asked if he supported Atkins housing package, council president Robbie Hunter said that while hes still reviewing all the proposals, overall the package works for his members.

Shes made an effort to make sure that workers that work in construction, particularly affordable housing, are paid a fair wage, said Hunter. You cant address poverty in housing by driving construction workers into poverty to build it.

Both Caballeros retail-to-housing bill and aseparate Atkins proposalto grant larger housing projects the same speedy environmental reviews as sports stadiums contain provisions guaranteeing that union-level wages be paid to construction workers.

But labor backing doesnt guarantee a housing bill becomes law. Wieners SB 50 was blessed by labor, and even with Atkins support couldnt make it past a Senate floor vote.

While still controversial, none of the individual proposals in this housing package are as aggressive as SB 50. That allowed Atkins to build support for the package from a variety of lawmakers, including those who opposed Wieners previous measures.

Obviously I spent years trying to pass SB 50 and we were swinging for the rafters and it didnt cross the finish line, said Wiener. But (Atkins) handled this very wisely. She decided the way to do this was to convene a working group of senators who havent been quite vocal, senators who were on both sides of SB 50.

If it passes the Senate, the new housing package will have to get through the state Assembly a body filled with the types of moderate suburban lawmakers and veterans of city government typically opposed to encroachments on local control.

Atkins said she had briefed the governors staff on the housing package, and is hoping the governor will support the legislation.

We would love to have his support obviously, as soon as he would like to give it, it would be helpful, said Atkins. But the Legislature has its own process and Im optimistic about our chances with this package.

CalMattersis a nonprofit, nonpartisan media venture explaining California policies and politics.

COVID Complicates Sen. Toni Atkins Push to Build More Housing in California was last modified: May 23rd, 2020 by Editor

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COVID Complicates Sen. Toni Atkins Push to Build More Housing in California - Times of San Diego

In SummaryLawmakers are pushing a revised housing plan that would end single-family-only zoning, instead encouraging duplexes, four-plexes, and converting retail spaces to residential ones.

Toni Atkins stood on the state Senate floor in January and vowed, come hell or high water, that 2020 would see the state pass a bill to build more homes in California.

Even her wrangling as Senate pro tem wasnt enough to save Senate Bill 50, a zoning reform proposal pushing for more apartment buildings around California, from a third straight year of failure. The wonky bill had provoked the kind of polemical discourse typically reserved for Supreme Court nominations or Reddit threads on single-payer healthcare.

I want to personally commit to each and every one of you, and to the people of California, that a housing production bill to alleviate our housing crisis will happen this year, said Atkins, Democrat from San Diego, imploring her colleagues to bring productive ideas to the table to solve Californias most vexing issue making it cheaper to live here.

While neither hell nor high water materialized, a pandemic did.

Nevertheless, this week, Atkins and Senate Democratic leaders unveiled a suite of compromise legislation aimed at making it easier to build more housing. While no individual bill is as sweeping as SB 50, developers and housing experts say collectively the six proposals could make a meaningful dent in Californias housing shortage should they become law.

But while championing the art of the possible, Atkins admits that Californias new coronavirus-normal limited what the state could realistically pull off.

Things have altered and we had to pivot a bit because the world looks very different today, she said.

Heres what you need to know about California lawmakers latest plans to create more housing, and how COVID-19 has changed them.

Atkins suite of bills retains one of the more controversial provisions of Senate Bill 50, the upzoning proposal from Sen. Scott Wiener, Democrat from San Francisco: the elimination of single-family-only zoning throughout California.

Wide swaths of cities around the state currently prohibit any type of housing more dense than a single-family home. A new jointly-authored bill from Atkins and Wiener would force cities to allow homeowners and developers to convert single family homes into duplexes or even fourplexes, if the property is big enough. Those conversions would not have to be reviewed for environmental impacts by local governments, an often lengthy and expensive process.

There are hundreds of thousands of two-car garages that are just jammed with crap. And its ready for a builder to come in and demo the garage and scrape it and drop in a new home , said Ben Metcalf, managing director at the UC Berkeley Terner Center for Housing Innovation and former head of the state housing department. Theres lots of potential here.

There are hundreds of thousands of two-car garages that are just jammed with crap. And its ready for a builder todrop in a new home.

While technically California ended single-family-only zoning with the passage of a 2019 law that allows homeowners to build accessory dwelling units granny flats in their backyard, the prospect of duplexes, triplexes and fourplexes popping up next door is sure to engender more pushback from homeowner groups resistant to more visible changes to their neighborhoods.

I would not like to see fourplexes going up here, said Susan Kirsch, an anti-development activist in Marin County who founded a statewide lobbying group to help defeat Wieners earlier proposals. These streets are very narrow, its going to increase traffic, itll hurt parking.

Kirsch cautioned that if local governments wanted to pursue denser development, they should be allowed to. But she chafes at the idea of the state issuing a top-down edict.

As a state law, I think its an intrusion on community rights, pushed by developers with huge pots of money, she said.

The idea of loosening local zoning rules has gained traction in national progressive circles, with Democratic lawmakers in Minneapolis and Oregon prohibiting single-family-only zoning last year. Local ordinances prohibiting denser development have historically been associated with excluding renters, who skew lower income and non-white, from more affluent communities.

Atkins says she doesnt think single-family-only zoning is inherently bad policy, and cautions that the option of converting a home into a fourplex wont erode neighborhood character.

I love my neighborhood, I live in a neighborhood that is single-family and has some multi-family spread throughout and it works, said Atkins. I wouldnt call this the death knull of single family neighborhoods. I would think thats a mischaracterization.

Eliminating single-family-only zoning has a new allure for lawmakers in a post-coronavirus world: It doesnt cost the state any money.

Conspicuously absent from Senate Democrats housing package is any proposal that would devote new state dollars to building low-income housing or allow cities to beef up infrastructure to accommodate it. Confronting a recession-induced budget deficit the Newsom administration has pegged at $54 billion, Atkins said proposals that might have been possible in January simply arent feasible right now.

In the moment we have to be strategic and focused, but it doesnt mean all those things go by the wayside, said Atkins.

Instead, Atkins package tries to incentivize market-rate developers to include more low-income units in their projects. A bill from Sen. Nancy Skinner, Democrat from Berkeley, would enhance an existing state density bonus program that allows developers to build taller and denser if they charge below market-rates for some of their units.

But while low-income housing advocates say they are pleased Senate Democrats are still addressing housing issues, they want a stronger focus on helping those who were already struggling before the novel coronavirus threatened their livelihoods.

The last two decades have shown that the market is not working to build supply for people at the bottom of the income spectrum and its never worked for communities of color.

My sense is that theres a real desire to see the market help fix our problems, and I think thats kind of fundamentally at odds with our perspective, said Chione Flegal, managing director at PolicyLink, an organization that advocates for greater equity in housing policy. Although theres certainly a role for the market, the last two decades have shown that the market is not working to build supply for people at the bottom of the income spectrum and its never worked for communities of color.

Flegal and other advocates say more density must also be accompanied by stronger protections for communities sensitive to gentrification and displacement pressures.

Some of the precious dollars cities and low-income housing advocates are seeking have instead found their way into another part of Atkins housing proposal: a $300 million to $500 million annual plan to help renters and landlords impacted by coronavirus.

Unveiled last week but included in this package of housing bills, the program would give renters 10 years to pay back rent bills missed because of COVID-19 directly to the state. Landlords would be compensated with tax credits they could sell on secondary markets for cash.

Beyond Atkins package, other proposals for affordable housing dollars are still circulating in the Legislature. But the pandemic-induced budget deficit has made the road ahead for those bills daunting.

A proposal that would have eliminated the mortgage interest deductions on vacation homes to fund homeless housing died earlier this week. Two remaining high-profile bills that would spend billions annually on low-income housing have not identified a new revenue source, meaning cuts would have to come from elsewhere in the budget to offset their cost.

Cash-strapped local governments are especially dismayed at how the pandemic has reshaped state housing proposals. Before coronavirus struck, they had hoped to see portions of a January budget surplus devoted to low-income housing, infrastructure grants and local planning departments.

That hope has dimmed significantly. And while Gov. Gavin Newsoms post-pandemic budget proposal preserves funding for an important tax credit program for low-income developers, it claws back some money cities had hoped they could tap for housing-related programs.

A spokesperson for the League of California Cities, which represents municipalities across the state, said it was still reviewing Atkins proposals and not yet taken a position on the package.

Cities did score one housing-related victory because of the pandemic: A slew of bills aimed at reducing the impact fees local governments could charge developers on new projects has been shelved as cities cling to any source of revenue they can get their hands on.

The economic downturn caused by the novel coronavirus could contain a silver lining for California: When that big box retailer or shopping mall goes out of business, all that real estate could be converted to new housing.

The new Senate housing plan tries to seize on that opportunity. A bill from Sen. Anna Caballero, Democrat from Salinas,would make more land zoned for office parks or retail outlets eligible for housing development and streamline the approval process for developers who want to build on that land.

There is real interest in combining housing and retail, said Dan Dunmoyer, president of the California Building Industry Association, the primary developer lobbying group in the capital. Some of the national home builders and regional builders are looking at these sites.

If youre going to be forced to shelter in place, do you want a two-bed, two-bath condo in a city or do you want a three-bed, two-bath home with a backyard?

While homebuilders may be bullish on converting retail to housing, they are less enthusiastic about incentivizing construction in denser, urban environments near public transit.

A bill from Sen. Wiener included in the Senate housing package would give cities the option to speedily approve smaller-scale housing developments in transit-rich areas and urban infill sites.

Although outbreaks of novel coronavirus have been more associated with overcrowded housing than density, Dunmoyer says that the pandemic could be reshaping where Californians want to live.

If youre going to be forced to shelter in place, do you want a two-bed, two-bath condo in a city or do you want a three-bed, two-bath home with a backyard? said Dunmoyer.

For his part, Wiener doesnt believe demand for living in urban environments close to jobs will be all that affected by the pandemic.

People have a lot of different reactions to the virus, but anyone who is really looking at the facts knows that the whole notion that housing density fuels COVID is simply false, he said.

Key to any housing bills moving forward in the state Legislature is the support of the State Building and Construction Trades Council, the construction workers union that donates heavily to state Democratic lawmakers.

Asked if he supported Atkins housing package, council president Robbie Hunter said that while hes still reviewing all the proposals, overall the package works for his members.

You cant address poverty in housing by driving construction workers into poverty to build it.

Shes made an effort to make sure that workers that work in construction, particularly affordable housing, are paid a fair wage, said Hunter. You cant address poverty in housing by driving construction workers into poverty to build it.

Both Caballeros retail-to-housing bill and a separate Atkins proposal to grant larger housing projects the same speedy environmental reviews as sports stadiums contain provisions guaranteeing that union-level wages be paid to construction workers.

But labor backing doesnt guarantee a housing bill becomes law. Wieners SB 50 was blessed by labor, and even with Atkins support couldnt make it past a Senate floor vote.

While still controversial, none of the individual proposals in this housing package are as aggressive as SB 50. That allowed Atkins to build support for the package from a variety of lawmakers, including those who opposed Wieners previous measures.

Obviously I spent years trying to pass SB 50 and we were swinging for the rafters and it didnt cross the finish line, said Wiener. But (Atkins) handled this very wisely. She decided the way to do this was to convene a working group of senators who havent been quite vocal, senators who were on both sides of SB 50.

If it passes the Senate, the new housing package will have to get through the state Assembly a body filled with the types of moderate suburban lawmakers and veterans of city government typically opposed to encroachments on local control.

Atkins said she had briefed the governors staff on the housing package, and is hoping the governor will support the legislation.

We would love to have his support obviously, as soon as he would like to give it, it would be helpful, said Atkins. But the Legislature has its own process and Im optimistic about our chances with this package.

Excerpt from:
The pandemic hasnt killed Californias big housing plans but they have mutated - CALmatters

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A 15-acre piece of farm ground insouthern Sioux Falls that's surrounded by development will soon be infilled with apartments and offices.

A link has been sent to your friend's email address.

A link has been posted to your Facebook feed.

A lot set for a future apartment complex stands empty on Thursday, May 21, at the intersection of 57th Street and Benson Ave. in Sioux Falls.(Photo: Erin Bormett / Argus Leader)

A 15-acre piece of farmland insouthern Sioux Falls will soon be infilled with apartments and offices.

Lloyd Companies this summer intends to begin constructionon what would be a four-phased development project at 57th Street and Bahnson Avenue that will bring 10 different buildings totaling 314 apartment units, office space and 4,000-square-feet of retail. The project would also see Bahnson Avenue extended south to Woodsedge Street, the next road south of 57th Street.

The estimated value of construction on the project is $40.5 million.

"We're hoping to break groundby August 1st," said Luke Jessen, development project manager for Lloyd Cos.

All 10 buildings included in the project will be two and three stories. The buildings closest to 57th Street will be have first floor office space and some retail with apartments on the second floor.

Lloyd Cos. has plans for a four-phase, 10-building development with office and apartments at 57th Street and Bahnson Avenue.(Photo: City of Sioux Falls)

Jessen said the apartments will be one to three bedroom units with some studios with rents between $860-$1200 a month.

"The first apartments would open up here in February or March of next year," he said. "Overall for whole property, we're looking at a three-year project."

A lot set for a future apartment complex stands empty on Thursday, May 21, at the intersection of 57th Street and Benson Ave. in Sioux Falls.(Photo: Erin Bormett / Argus Leader)

Read or Share this story: https://www.argusleader.com/story/news/2020/05/21/lloyd-cos-break-ground-40-m-development-57th-and-bahnson/5237896002/

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Lloyd Cos. to break ground on $40M development at 57th and Bahnson - Argus Leader

Workers paint a wall on a Factory OS construction project in West Oakland. Photo by Anne Wernikoff for CalMatters.

###

Toni Atkins stood on the state Senate floor in January and vowed, come hell or high water, that 2020 would see the state pass a bill to build more homes in California.

Even her wrangling as Senate pro tem wasnt enough to save Senate Bill 50, a zoning reform proposal pushing for more apartment buildings around California, from a third straight year of failure. The wonky bill had provoked the kind of polemical discourse typically reserved for Supreme Court nominations or Reddit threads on single-payer healthcare.

I want to personally commit to each and every one of you, and to the people of California, that a housing production bill to alleviate our housing crisis will happen this year, said Atkins, Democrat from San Diego, imploring her colleagues to bring productive ideas to the table to solve Californias most vexing issue making it cheaper to live here.

While neither hell nor high water materialized, a pandemic did.

Nevertheless, this week, Atkins and Senate Democratic leaders unveiled a suite of compromise legislation aimed at making it easier to build more housing. While no individual bill is as sweeping as SB 50, developers and housing experts say collectively the six proposals could make a meaningful dent in Californias housing shortage should they become law.

But while championing the art of the possible, Atkins admits that Californias new coronavirus-normal limited what the state could realistically pull off.

Things have altered and we had to pivot a bit because the world looks very different today, she said.

Heres what you need to know about California lawmakers latest plans to create more housing, and how COVID-19 has changed them.

Atkins suite of bills retains one of the more controversial provisions of Senate Bill 50, the upzoning proposal from Sen. Scott Wiener, Democrat from San Francisco: the elimination of single-family-only zoning throughout California.

Wide swaths of cities around the state currently prohibit any type of housing more dense than a single-family home. A new jointly-authored bill from Atkins and Wiener would force cities to allow homeowners and developers to convert single family homes into duplexes or even fourplexes, if the property is big enough. Those conversions would not have to be reviewed for environmental impacts by local governments, an often lengthy and expensive process.

There are hundreds of thousands of two-car garages that are just jammed with crap. And its ready for a builder to come in and demo the garage and scrape it and drop in a new home , said Ben Metcalf, managing director at the UC Berkeley Terner Center for Housing Innovation and former head of the state housing department. Theres lots of potential here.

There are hundreds of thousands of two-car garages that are just jammed with crap. And its ready for a builder todrop in a new home. Ben Metcalf, UC Berkeley Terner Cener

While technically California ended single-family-only zoning with the passage of a 2019 law that allows homeowners to build accessory dwelling units granny flats in their backyard, the prospect of duplexes, triplexes and fourplexes popping up next door is sure to engender more pushback from homeowner groups resistant to more visible changes to their neighborhoods.

I would not like to see fourplexes going up here, said Susan Kirsch, an anti-development activist in Marin County who founded a statewide lobbying group to help defeat Wieners earlier proposals. These streets are very narrow, its going to increase traffic, itll hurt parking.

Kirsch cautioned that if local governments wanted to pursue denser development, they should be allowed to. But she chafes at the idea of the state issuing a top-down edict.

As a state law, I think its an intrusion on community rights, pushed by developers with huge pots of money, she said.

The idea of loosening local zoning rules has gained traction in national progressive circles, with Democratic lawmakers in Minneapolis and Oregon prohibiting single-family-only zoning last year. Local ordinances prohibiting denser development have historically been associated with excluding renters, who skew lower income and non-white, from more affluent communities.

Atkins says she doesnt think single-family-only zoning is inherently bad policy, and cautions that the option of converting a home into a fourplex wont erode neighborhood character.

I love my neighborhood, I live in a neighborhood that is single-family and has some multi-family spread throughout and it works, said Atkins. I wouldnt call this the death knull of single family neighborhoods. I would think thats a mischaracterization.

Eliminating single-family-only zoning has a new allure for lawmakers in a post-coronavirus world: It doesnt cost the state any money.

Conspicuously absent from Senate Democrats housing package is any proposal that would devote new state dollars to building low-income housing or allow cities to beef up infrastructure to accommodate it. Confronting a recession-induced budget deficit the Newsom administration has pegged at $54 billion, Atkins said proposals that might have been possible in January simply arent feasible right now.

In the moment we have to be strategic and focused, but it doesnt mean all those things go by the wayside, said Atkins.

Instead, Atkins package tries to incentivize market-rate developers to include more low-income units in their projects. A bill from Sen. Nancy Skinner, Democrat from Berkeley, would enhance an existing state density bonus program that allows developers to build taller and denser if they charge below market-rates for some of their units.

But while low-income housing advocates say they are pleased Senate Democrats are still addressing housing issues, they want a stronger focus on helping those who were already struggling before the novel coronavirus threatened their livelihoods.

The last two decades have shown that the market is not working to build supply for people at the bottom of the income spectrum and its never worked for communities of color. Chione Flegal, Policy Link

My sense is that theres a real desire to see the market help fix our problems, and I think thats kind of fundamentally at odds with our perspective, said Chione Flegal, managing director at PolicyLink, an organization that advocates for greater equity in housing policy. Although theres certainly a role for the market, the last two decades have shown that the market is not working to build supply for people at the bottom of the income spectrum and its never worked for communities of color.

Flegal and other advocates say more density must also be accompanied by stronger protections for communities sensitive to gentrification and displacement pressures.

Some of the precious dollars cities and low-income housing advocates are seeking have instead found their way into another part of Atkins housing proposal: a $300 million to $500 million annual plan to help renters and landlords impacted by coronavirus.

Unveiled last week but included in this package of housing bills, the program would give renters 10 years to pay back rent bills missed because of COVID-19 directly to the state. Landlords would be compensated with tax credits they could sell on secondary markets for cash.

Beyond Atkins package, other proposals for affordable housing dollars are still circulating in the Legislature. But the pandemic-induced budget deficit has made the road ahead for those bills daunting.

A proposal that would have eliminated the mortgage interest deductions on vacation homes to fund homeless housing died earlier this week. Two remaining high-profile bills that would spend billions annually on low-income housing have not identified a new revenue source, meaning cuts would have to come from elsewhere in the budget to offset their cost.

Cash-strapped local governments are especially dismayed at how the pandemic has reshaped state housing proposals. Before coronavirus struck, they had hoped to see portions of a January budget surplus devoted to low-income housing, infrastructure grants and local planning departments.

That hope has dimmed significantly. And while Gov. Gavin Newsoms post-pandemic budget proposal preserves funding for an important tax credit program for low-income developers, it claws back some money cities had hoped they could tap for housing-related programs.

A spokesperson for the League of California Cities, which represents municipalities across the state, said it was still reviewing Atkins proposals and not yet taken a position on the package.

Cities did score one housing-related victory because of the pandemic: A slew of bills aimed at reducing the impact fees local governments could charge developers on new projects has been shelved as cities cling to any source of revenue they can get their hands on.

The economic downturn caused by the novel coronavirus could contain a silver lining for California: When that big box retailer or shopping mall goes out of business, all that real estate could be converted to new housing.

The new Senate housing plan tries to seize on that opportunity. A bill from Sen. Anna Caballero, Democrat from Salinas, would make more land zoned for office parks or retail outlets eligible for housing development and streamline the approval process for developers who want to build on that land.

There is real interest in combining housing and retail, said Dan Dunmoyer, president of the California Building Industry Association, the primary developer lobbying group in the capital. Some of the national home builders and regional builders are looking at these sites.

If youre going to be forced to shelter in place, do you want a two-bed, two-bath condo in a city or do you want a three-bed, two-bath home with a backyard? Dan Dunmoyer, California Building Industry

While homebuilders may be bullish on converting retail to housing, they are less enthusiastic about incentivizing construction in denser, urban environments near public transit.

A bill from Sen. Wiener included in the Senate housing package would give cities the option to speedily approve smaller-scale housing developments in transit-rich areas and urban infill sites.

Although outbreaks of novel coronavirus have been more associated with overcrowded housing than density, Dunmoyer says that the pandemic could be reshaping where Californians want to live.

If youre going to be forced to shelter in place, do you want a two-bed, two-bath condo in a city or do you want a three-bed, two-bath home with a backyard? said Dunmoyer.

For his part, Wiener doesnt believe demand for living in urban environments close to jobs will be all that affected by the pandemic.

People have a lot of different reactions to the virus, but anyone who is really looking at the facts knows that the whole notion that housing density fuels COVID is simply false, he said.

Key to any housing bills moving forward in the state Legislature is the support of the State Building and Construction Trades Council, the construction workers union that donates heavily to state Democratic lawmakers.

Asked if he supported Atkins housing package, council president Robbie Hunter said that while hes still reviewing all the proposals, overall the package works for his members.

You cant address poverty in housing by driving construction workers into poverty to build it. Robbie Hunter, Building and Construction Trades Council

Shes made an effort to make sure that workers that work in construction, particularly affordable housing, are paid a fair wage, said Hunter. You cant address poverty in housing by driving construction workers into poverty to build it.

Both Caballeros retail-to-housing bill and a separate Atkins proposal to grant larger housing projects the same speedy environmental reviews as sports stadiums contain provisions guaranteeing that union-level wages be paid to construction workers.

But labor backing doesnt guarantee a housing bill becomes law. Wieners SB 50 was blessed by labor, and even with Atkins support couldnt make it past a Senate floor vote.

While still controversial, none of the individual proposals in this housing package are as aggressive as SB 50. That allowed Atkins to build support for the package from a variety of lawmakers, including those who opposed Wieners previous measures.

Obviously I spent years trying to pass SB 50 and we were swinging for the rafters and it didnt cross the finish line, said Wiener. But (Atkins) handled this very wisely. She decided the way to do this was to convene a working group of senators who havent been quite vocal, senators who were on both sides of SB 50.

If it passes the Senate, the new housing package will have to get through the state Assembly a body filled with the types of moderate suburban lawmakers and veterans of city government typically opposed to encroachments on local control.

Atkins said she had briefed the governors staff on the housing package, and is hoping the governor can lobby reluctant lawmakers.

We would love to have his support obviously, as soon as he would like to give it, it would be helpful, said Atkins. But the Legislature has its own process and Im optimistic about our chances with this package.

###

CALmatters.org is a nonprofit, nonpartisan media venture explaining California policies and politics.

View post:
The Pandemic Hasn't Killed California's Big Housing Plans -- but They Have Mutated - Lost Coast Outpost

In The Know: Three hot corners of development in Lee County Fort Myers News-Press

Three hot corner lots are springing to life across Lee County, demonstrating how the construction industry so far has been able to carry ondespite the coronavirus pandemic.

From Cape Coral to east Fort Myers to the Alico Road corridor, money is still moving into the hands of construction companies, whichare looking to finish three prominent projects, all of which broke ground in late 2019.

Another lot on part of a hot corner is ready to build, but the owner is waiting for some red tape to be cut and for COVID-19 economic repercussions to clear.

The three sites cover a vast range of product types, from multi-family housing to a gas station, self-storage, strip malls with drive-thru restaurants.

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Heres a look at what these three places are on their way to becoming.

CAPE CORAL APARTMENTS

An apartment complex is going in on the corner of Pine Island Road and Barrett Road. Three hot corner lots are spring to life around Lee County. What's in the works just south of Babcock Ranch, just north of Gulf Coast Town Center, and off Pine Island Road near US 41? (Photo: Andrea Melendez/The News-Press/USA Today Florida Network)

At the southeast corner of Pine Island Road and Barrett Road, Continental Properties and its contractor, Kaufman Lynn Construction,has broken ground on an apartment complex.

The Springs at Cape Coral will have 292 units inside of 11 buildings. There will be 19 total buildings on the sprawling corner property, including a clubhouse and a car care area, the better to hose off dead lovebugs caked onto car grills.

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The site broke ground in December, and the project should be finished by summer 2021.

As far as manpower, were actually being helped by it, superintendent Jarrid Erwin said of COVID-19-related issues. Some other jobs have been shut down, and weve had workers diverted to our site.

This is the corner of Alico Rd and Ben Hill Griffin Parkway just in front of Twin Peaks. A strip mall is going in. Three hot corner lots are spring to life around Lee County. What's in the works just south of Babcock Ranch, just north of Gulf Coast Town Center, and off Pine Island Road near US 41? (Photo: Andrea Melendez/The News-Press/USA Today Florida Network)

Price points for the apartments have yet to be unveiled. There will be detached garages and units will range from studios to three bedrooms.

Continental Properties, based in Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin, also owns the Fairfield Inn by Marriott hotel thats taking shape off Pine Island Road, behind Outback Steakhouse.

RACETRAC, SELF-STORAGE AND MORE

On the Northwest corner of Hwy 31 and Palm Beach Blvd a lot of development is being planned. A Racetrack gas station will be open this summer and rumors of other developments like a large self-storage facility and a strip mall with a fast food restaurant are just a few. Three hot corner lots are spring to life around Lee County. What's in the works just south of Babcock Ranch, just north of Gulf Coast Town Center, and off Pine Island Road near US 41?(Photo: Andrea Melendez/The News-Press/USA Today Florida Network)

At the northeast corner of State Road 31 and Palm Beach Boulevard, a RaceTrac gas station is nearing completion and should open this summer.

The hard corner of the lot used to have another gas station that was torn down to make room for a strip mall that will have three to five tenants comprising 6,200 square feet.

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Steve Royal of the Royal Companies has owned that parcel since 1997 and has been sitting on it ever since.

Weve been waiting for that area to get a little more ready for commercial development, Royal said. We started this project about three years ago.

The project has been paused for two reasons, he said: Getting permits from the Florida Department of Transportation for entry and exit, and, like most everything else, COVID-19-related concerns.

An apartment complex is going in on the corner of Pine Island Road and Barrett Road. Three hot corner lots are spring to life around Lee County. What's in the works just south of Babcock Ranch, just north of Gulf Coast Town Center, and off Pine Island Road near US 41? (Photo: Andrea Melendez/The News-Press/USA Today Florida Network)

The FDOT issues should be resolved by mid-June, Royal said.

If we can lock down 50 percent of our tenants or higher, well move forward, Royal said. There are a couple of moving parts. COVIDs going to change the dynamics of a lot in the commercial retail sector. With the price points we had in structure, we had to go back to the tenant and see that theyll be able to survive with in the new post-COVID world.

Before I start going vertical with my building, I have to make sure our tenants can meet their obligations in the post-COVID world. Weve got two tenants who are doing better during COVID. But we also have another tenant who isnt sure how theyre going to be affected as far as COVID.

Given that one or two of those five units will be a drive-thru fast casual or fast food chain with a national brand, Royal said he just wasnt sure how things would play out over the next two months.

The hottest sector was the entertainment services sector, which was gyms and restaurants, Royal said. That has absolutely gotten killed. Restaurants cant make it on 50 percent occupancy. Were former food guys, and you cant make it on that. One thing that has taken off is pizza takeout. Their sales are through the roof.

With this corner area, thats just the beginning. There are three additional properties in play.

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A road cutting across the corner piece of property behind the new RaceTrac heads east and leads to an empty lot that will be developed into a 100,000-square-foot self-storage facility.

Real estate agent Chris Magnus is involved with booking businesses for that parcel and two others.

On the Northwest corner of Hwy 31 and Palm Beach Blvd a lot of development is being planned. A Racetrack gas station will be open this summer and rumors of other developments like a large self-storage facility and a strip mall with a fast food restaurant are just a few. Three hot corner lots are spring to life around Lee County. What's in the works just south of Babcock Ranch, just north of Gulf Coast Town Center, and off Pine Island Road near US 41? (Photo: Andrea Melendez/The News-Press/USA Today Florida Network)

Theres a 0.62-acre parcel, just west of the gas station and north of Royals proposed strip mall, on the market for $700,000.

Theres the self-storage site, on the market for $1.6 million.

And theres a 0.86-acre parcel behind and to the north of the gas station on the market for $1.5 million.

Right now, we have an existing 15-acre parcel out there, Magnus said. Weve done some improvements on it. Weve got roads going in. We should be finished with those by June. Weve got streetlights in. RaceTrac is expected to open next month as well. Theyre going to have two entrances on 80 and two on 31. There will be great access to get to and from the property.

Babcock Ranch, a planned community of 50,000 residents, is just nine miles to the north, and surrounding communities like the Verandah should more than support more businesses and restaurants at that corner, Magnus said.

I think that will serve Babcock Ranch very, very well, Magnus said. But State Road 80 is the main artery to get to I-75 from there. Theres a ton of traffic there. I think anybody who goes in there will have the ability to do very well.

RaceTrac does such a nice job, they really are a huge traffic generator. Were excited to get the project completed.

On the Northwest corner of Hwy 31 and Palm Beach Blvd a lot of development is being planned. A Racetrack gas station will be open this summer and rumors of other developments like a large self-storage facility and a strip mall with a fast food restaurant are just a few. Three hot corner lots are spring to life around Lee County. What's in the works just south of Babcock Ranch, just north of Gulf Coast Town Center, and off Pine Island Road near US 41?(Photo: Andrea Melendez/The News-Press/USA Today Florida Network)

The smallest available parcel looks to be a good fit for a restaurant. Despite the coronavirus pandemic uncertainty, Magnus said he did not expect a big delay in getting something signed and developed.

Its really hard to know what people are thinking, Magnus said. Youve got some entities that are doing very, very well despite the conditions, and some entities that arent. We think theres a lot of opportunity out there.

ALICO ROAD STRIP MALL

At the northwest corner of Alico Road and Ben Hill Griffin Parkway, just north of Gulf Coast Center and immediately south of Twin Peaks restaurant, walls will begin to go up soon on a 12,000-square-foot strip mall.

This is the corner of Alico Rd and Ben Hill Griffin Parkway just in front of Twin Peaks. A strip mall is going in. Three hot corner lots are spring to life around Lee County. What's in the works just south of Babcock Ranch, just north of Gulf Coast Town Center, and off Pine Island Road near US 41? (Photo: Andrea Melendez/The News-Press/USA Today Florida Network)

The strip mall broke ground about three weeks ago, and it could be finished within four months. Construction is being managed by Bluewater BuildersInc., based in Coral Springs.

Verizon Wireless will be one of the five tenants.

A fast-food or fast-casual restaurant, yet to be announced, will be on the corner portion of the property. There will be three more units for other businesses yet to be determined.

Connect: David Dorsey (Facebook), @DavidADorsey (Twitter).

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In the Know: Hot corner lots spring to life with apartments, strip malls, drive-thrus - News-Press