Albany

Lawrence Fauntleroy was home at 211 Sheridan Ave. on Friday when he heard a disturbing sound rumbling up from the basement of the two-family building.

"It sounded like, 'Grrrtttt,'" he said. "Grrrtttt. Grrrtttt."

When Fauntleroy stuck his head out the door, he said, workers at the construction site next door waved him out of the building. The foundation was bowing and appeared to be separating from the house.

Fauntleroy and Shatina McCall, who lives with him, said they were not allowed to go back inside their home. City officials decided the building was no longer safe and by Friday evening a crew had arrived to take it down.

The building is next to the excavation site for a 12-unit apartment house being built by Syracuse-based Housing Visions. It is part of a dramatic remake of the Sheridan Hollow neighborhood by the Touhey Homeownership Foundation and Habitat for Humanity of the Capital District.

The project in the area east of Albany's downtown consists of 37 new buildings including 20 one- and two-unit homes and a total of 77 housing units.

Ben Lockwood, vice president of business development at Housing Visions, said it was too early to say whether the construction was responsible for the damage to 211 Sheridan.

"We're just in the very preliminary part of the investigation," Lockwood said.

The scene on Sheridan Avenue recalled one from 2010 on Madison Avenue. Excavation for the foundation of a new building at 598 Madison Ave. caused the east wall of 600 Madison to shear off, leading the city to demolish the circa-1870 structure. That demolition forced five tenants out of their homes.

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Albany building to be demolished

March 13, 2015, 8:43 p.m.

A seven-storey apartment building labelled a monstrosity by nearby residents has been given the go-ahead by an independent Wollongong City Council panel.

A seven-storey apartment building labelled a monstrosity by nearby residents has been given the go-ahead by an independent Wollongong City Council panel.

The Marr Street block, known as Marquee, was reviewed by the Independent Hearing and Assessment Panel on Wednesday.

Panel members voted unanimously to recommend the building be approved, subject to a slight variation to some of the balcony windows and the building's waste bin provisions.

At the hearing, four residents spoke against the approval, summarising the concerns of 50 people who had lodged objections.

They said the current on-street parking situation was problematic and would be exacerbated by the development, and raised concerns about safety of extra traffic and construction works.

They also said the scale of the development was too large for the narrow street, and they were worried houses to the south of the building would lose too much sunlight due to overshadowing.

Architect Angelo Di Martino also addressed the panel, saying the building aligned with council plans to achieve higher density housing close to the city centre.

He said the development complied with height restrictions and setback rules, and said the car park provisions were fully compliant with the council's development controls. Panel members recognised the residents' concerns about traffic and parking, but said the application had complied with all requirements.

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Panel gives Marr St project green light

ALLENTOWN, Pa. -

Another large building has been approved for center city Allentown, but not without some criticism of its design from a member of the Allentown Planning Commission.

Called City Center Flats, the 11-story structure will be built on the northeast corner of Eighth and Walnut streets.

A five-level apartment building, containing 200 one and two-bedroom units, will be built over a 700-space parking garage.

The structure also will include some retail shops along South Eighth Street.

The plan won unanimous final approval from the planning commission Tuesday, with one abstention.

It is just the latest approved project from City Center Investment Corp., which is transforming downtown Allentown with new buildings.

James Gentile, president of North Star Construction Management, spoke on behalf of the plan before the commission. His company designed the building and will construct it.

Although listed as an 11-story building on the planning commission agenda, Gentile told the commission City Center Flats will have five levels of apartments over five levels of parking.

He later indicated the 11th level is where Walnut Street drops down toward Seventh Street at the east end of the building.

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200 apartments approved for center-city Allentown

ALLENTOWN, Pa. -

Allentown City Council soon will be asked to change zoning so a 61-unit apartment building called Sacred Heart Senior Residences can be constructed at the northeast corner of Fifth and Turner streets in the city.

To do the project, zoning in that area will have to be changed from medium high density residential to high density residential.

On Tuesday, developers of the proposed project asked for, and got, a recommendation from the Allentown planning commission supporting the zoning change request they will make to City Council.

If the zoning is changed and the project eventually is approved, the apartments will offer independent living and affordable housing to seniors who are 62 and older, said Kyle Speece, senior developer with Pennrose Properties.

Speece added the place will not offer assisted living, but will allow seniors to age in place and have access to health services offered by nearby Sacred Heart Hospital.

The hospital will not own Sacred Heart Senior Residences, but has been involved from the outset in putting together the concept.

Oldrich Foucek, chairman of the planning commission, boiled it down to its an apartment house with some doctors offices on the first level.

If City Council agrees to the developers' proposed zoning change, they eventually will return to the planning commission for approval of detailed land development plans for the project.

Atty. Joseph Fitzpatrick, who represented the developers Tuesday, said other blocks in that immediate neighborhood already are zoned high density residential.

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Rezoning needed for 61 apartments in Allentown

The commercial building on the corner of Elizabeth and Liverpool streets will be demolished for the new apartment tower which will stand alongside The Hyde, in Hyde Park's south-west precinct. Photo: domain.com.au

A $400 million residential tower has been announced for Sydney's Hyde Park dress circle.

The 38-storey building will fillthe corner site of Elizabeth and Liverpool streets opposite Mark Foys Emporium, now the Downing Centre. It will stand alongside The Hyde apartment building opposite Hyde Park.

Following a City of Sydney council competition, the design for the apartment tower was awarded to Bates Smart architects.

An artist's impression of the winning design by Bates Smart for 130 Elizabeth Street, opposite Hyde Park. Photo: domain.com.au

The project at 130 Elizabeth Street will replace a 14-storey office building.

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The new residential tower will house 148 apartments with views over Hyde Park. Apartments on its upper levelswill have 280-degree views of Sydney Harbour and the airport.

It is the latest residential offering in the prized Hyde Park precinct. A 25-year lull followed the construction of The Connaught, a 232-apartment building on Liverpool Street opposite Hyde Park.

The Residence on the eastern side of Hyde Park.

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38-storey apartment tower planned for Sydney's Hyde Park precinct

CORNING (WENY) - A historic Corning landmark will soon be called "home" to more than 58 people. What many locals remember as Corning Free Academy is now Academy place, a luxurious apartment building that's keeping bits and piece of its original history. Within less than a year, Purcell Construction, has turned an old middle school into 58 luxury apartments. From one bedroom apartments to Townhouses, no two apartments are the same. Before construction began, the contractors made it a priority to keep as much of the building's history as possible. Keeping things like original bookshelves from the library all the way to the chalk boards. "There's also some apartments that have the original chalkboard or the original floor that was refinished and original cubbies," explains resident manager, Loni Sanders. Monday was the first day potential renters could tour the model apartment. So far twelve have already committed to making Academy Place their new home. "This building is a historic building. So there's a lot of great people that have attachments to this building with it being a previous school. A lot of people that I've talked too they either went to school here or taught here," says Sanders. Sanders says the new renters are expected to move in by May 1st. She will be giving tours of the apartments on Monday and Wednesday afternoons from 1PM to 4PM. To set up an appointment call 607-936-1300 or visit http://www.academyplaceapartments.com/apartments.html

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Cornings Academy Place Apartments Ready to Rent

Smoke billowed out of the second story apartment as Porter Fire Department firefighters rushed to determine the location of the fire.

Thankfully this fire would have no victims, no property loss for a resident or any real damage as the Porter firefighters were taking part in a training exercise at the now-abandoned Kings Crossing Apartments complex in Kingwood.

For two days, the Porter Fire Department was allowed access to the Kings Crossing Apartment complex to allow for their firefighters to train and learn better techniques to fight fires in apartments and similar residences.

The developers, Main Street Kingwood, who are working to remove utilities and appliances from the apartment complex which closed down Jan. 31, 2015, invited the Porter Fire Department to use some of their units for training.

We were aware of the Main Street project through newspaper, Porter Fire Chief Carter Johnson said onsite. We made a few phone calls to the developer to explain how this would provide a unique opportunity for firefighters to gain experience on building construction and how apartment complexes are laid out.

If these apartments were already going to be torn down, these gives us the chance to do everything we would do if we were actually fighting a real fire such as cutting vent holes in the roofs or ceilings.

They used a smoke machine in one of the apartment units to simulate what it would be like for the firefighters to enter an apartment that was on fire.

Porter Fire Department firefighters also had the chance to undergo similar training at First Baptist Church Porter in a portion of their building that was set to be destroyed due to a recent fire.

According to Johnson, some apartment complexes, especially older complexes, have a common attic that is open from one end of the roof to the other which gives the fire places to spread.

The key is that we have to get up there fast to isolate the fire, Johnson said. This kind of training truly gives the firefighters a perspective that we cant simulate in a burn building. We are doing everything in this training with the exception of lighting the building on fire.

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Invaluable experience: Porter Fire Department undergoes training at empty Kingwood apartment complex

Trammell Crow has bought a 1.89-acre parcel and will build a six-story luxury apartment building that will replace Trygs Restaurant and an adjacent parking lot in the Uptown neighborhood of Minneapolis.

The 164-unit project is being developed by High Street Residential, a subsidiary of Trammell Crow Co., and has received all necessary entitlements. Construction on the mixed-use building is expected to start this spring and will include a 5,000-square-foot restaurant that will be owned and operated by the current Trygs owner. The restaurant concept and name will be different, though.

The former Trygs site provides access to a combination of retail and recreational amenities offering future residents luxury living, coupled with convenience and efficiency, that will cater to multiple rental segments, said Johnny Carlson, senior vice president of Trammell Crows Midwest business unit.

The 3118 W. Lake project, named after its address, is in whats known as the West Lake Corridor and is next to the Midtown Greenway.

Carlson and his team have several other projects underway in the Twin Cities metro, including the Island Residences at Carlson Center, with 174 luxury apartments planned, in Minnetonka. The company recently completed a sprawling commercial building in Roseville and the Arcata, a 165-unit luxury apartment building in Golden Valley. Late last year, the company completed and sold Junction Flats, a 182-unit luxury apartment project in Minneapolis North Loop neighborhood.

The Uptown project was first pitched more than a year ago, and was originally proposed as an 11-story building. Some neighbors objected, saying that it was too tall, out of scale for the neighborhood and would cast shadows on the nearby greenway, a paved recreational trail that runs behind the new building.

Its also at least the second luxury apartment building in the city to replace a popular restaurant. A developer plans to replace the Nyes Polonaise Room across the river from downtown Minneapolis with a 30-story apartment tower.

The project comes in the wake of intense rental housing development in the area. Over the past couple years several hundred apartments have been built, creating increasing competition among buildings. Still, the average vacancy rate in southwest Minneapolis, which includes Uptown, was 2 percent at the end of 2014. That was down slightly from the previous year, according to Marquette Advisors.

The 3118 W. Lake project will include studio, alcove, one-bedroom, two-bedroom, two-bedroom plus a den and three-bedroom apartments. ESG Architects is the project architect, and its being built by a joint venture between Continuum Construction and Big-D Construction.

Jim Buchta 612-673-7376

Continued here:
Developer unveils final plans for apartments to replace Tryg's Restaurant

The commercial building on the corner of Elizabeth and Liverpool streets will be demolished for the new apartment tower which will stand alongside The Hyde, in Hyde Park's south-west precinct. Photo: domain.com.au

A $400 million residential tower has been announced for Sydney's Hyde Park dress circle.

The 38-storey building will fillthe corner site of Elizabeth and Liverpool streets opposite Mark Foys Emporium, now the Downing Centre. It will stand alongside The Hyde apartment building opposite Hyde Park.

Following a City of Sydney council competition, the design for the apartment tower was awarded to Bates Smart architects.

An artist's impression of the winning design by Bates Smart for 130 Elizabeth Street, opposite Hyde Park. Photo: domain.com.au

The project at 130 Elizabeth Street will replace a 14-storey office building.

Advertisement

The new residential tower will house 148 apartments with views over Hyde Park. Apartments on its upper levelswill have 280-degree views of Sydney Harbour and the airport.

It is the latest residential offering in the prized Hyde Park precinct. A 25-year lull followed the construction of The Connaught, a 232-apartment building on Liverpool Street opposite Hyde Park.

The Residence on the eastern side of Hyde Park.

Originally posted here:
New apartments for Hyde Park

Grading has begun for The Villas at Hickory Tree, a 56-unit affordable housing apartment complex on Hickory Tree Road just west of N.C. Highway 150.

There will soon be more affordable housing opportunities for senior citizens in Davidson County. Developers are building a $9.3 million affordable housing community for citizens over the age of 55 on Hickory Tree Road in Midway.

Halcon Development, LLC based out of Richmond, Va., and Bradley Housing Developers of Aynor, S.C., have begun construction on a 56-unit apartment building in northern Davidson County.

Pam Freeth, development consultant for Halcon, said the company chose the area because there are so many people who are in need of affordable housing.

"There is a huge waiting list at all the other affordable housing units in the area," Freeth said. "The economy is horrible, and there are many people who qualify where getting a discount on their rents can make a huge difference. We do studies to find the need and to look at what the market is saying. We don't want to go into areas where it isn't needed."

The property, which will consist of a single, two-story building, is already being graded, and workers are installing water and sewage lines. The apartment complex will have a laundry room, covered picnic area with a grill, raised bed garden plots, computer center with high-speed Internet access, TV room, library/craft room and community room with kitchen. The property will also have a gazebo and a covered drop-off elevator. Freeth said all the units will be equipped with two panic buttons, some of which are specially formatted for the visually and hearing impaired.

Halcon received $1.18 million low-income housing credits from the North Carolina Department of Revenue toward the project in 2013. The company had previously applied for a Community Development Block Grant under the North Carolina Catalyst Program to help fund infrastructure needs in November 2012. Davidson County Commissioners rejected the application, stating they had not secured appropriate financing.

The apartment complex has been a controversial subject with some residents on Hickory Tree Road. Commissioners approved the rezoning of the complex's proposed location in 2012, despite hearing from multiple residents about the traffic problems it would create. Freeth said her company has taken concerns about the impact to traffic seriously.

"The traffic study said the problem wasn't as bad as first thought," Freeth said. "We are not out to cause any problems. Usually only half of the senior residents have cars anyway, and if they do they don't drive in and out that often. The land was already zoned for a business, which would have been more traffic. We definitely took the traffic pattern into consideration."

Phillip Craver, assistant district engineer with the North Carolina Department of Transportation, said his crews have made adjustments to the road configuration to decrease the impact on traffic.

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Apartment complex on Hickory Tree to cater to seniors