2020 was a banner year for development in St. Louis. The pandemic and a record high murder rate didnt slow most big projects, resulting in a total dollar amount second only to $1.2B in 2018.

The number of permits issued was the 3rd fewest in the last ten years indicating fewer permits for smaller projects. There were 99 permits greater than $1M, totaling $820M. Also there were 118 permits issued for new single family homes.

Most new developments and big rehabs received some form of tax incentive- property tax abatement, TIF, sales tax exemption on construction materials, etc or were tax exempt. The needle has moved some as we see property tax abatements for shorter terms and less than 100% more frequently. Weve also seen the emergence of tax assurance- meaning the amount and/or rate of increase in assessments is set for a period of time. Among the residential project there was little in the way of affordable units. With the return of the states Low Income Housing Tax Credits (LIHTCs) we may see more in the future.

Will 2021 be another billion dollar year? There are currently over $350M in unissued permits, so 2021 will be off to a good start.

A shoutout to the busy bees at the St. Louis Building Commission for posting the permit database and its handy data webpage. Also big shoutout to all those investing in St. Louis!

Here are the top ten plus three for 2020. Note that the building permit amount does not equal the total project cost.

13. Delmar Devine $10.8M by Maxine Clark. 160 affordable apartments and 177,000 square feet of office space for non-profits. It received a 95% property tax abatement for 15 years and state tax credits.

Stltoday Ambitious $100 million St. Louis project hopes to erase Delmar Divide

Stltoday Dog-park bar and Delmar apartments land $12 million in federal tax credits

12. The Verve 3765 Lindell $11.1M by Collegiate Development Group with Architect Modus Studio. 78 apartments. It received a 90% tax abatement for 5 years.

11. AC Hotel in the CWE $15.3M by Koplar Properties, Concord Hospitality Enterprises and Homebase Partners with HDA Architects & JNS Architects. 192 rooms. It received property tax assurance that the assessment would not increase by more the 2% in each biennial reassessment for 10 years.

10. Preservation Square $18M by McCormack Baron Salazar

StlToday Over two years after big HUD grant, Preservation Square project finally nears groundbreaking

9. Square Offices 900 N Tucker $19M Expected to host 1,100 employees. $11.85M TIF and more.

Stltoday Square to move, expand St. Louis office downtown

The developer is Jim McKelveys StarLake Holdings, led by John Berglund. Its also seeking about $20.6 million in state and federal historic tax credits, $4 million in Missouri Brownfield redevelopment credits, state payroll tax breaks through the Missouri Works program and a sales tax exemption for construction materials.

Stltoday TIF Commission recommends millions in subsidies for Square building, MetroLink apartments

8. Expo at Forest Park 301 DeBaliviere $22.4M by Pearl Properties. 278 apartments among two buildings and ground floor retail including a grocery store. They were granted a $12.7M TIF and a CID sales tax estimated to raise $1.4M. Pearl has committed to enter into a Community Benefits Agreement (CBA) with the neighborhood.

7. Shell Hotel 1221 Locust $25M Reimagine Hospitality plans to have a dual-branded hotel, with 130 extended-stay rooms from Home2 Suites by Hilton and the other 61 rooms as Hiltons Tru brand. It receive a property tax abatement of 87% for 10 years.

Stltoday Shell Building rehab moves ahead

6. Expo At Forest Park 5720 DeGiverville $33.6M

5. 4545 Laclede $36M by Koman Group. 200 apartments. It received a property tax assurance of $200k with annual increases of 2.5% for ten years and sales tax exemption on construction materials.

4. Ameren HQ Rehab $38M Hopefully someday some of its parasitic parking will find more productive uses.

3. WUSTL Neuroscience Building $28M and $13.2M These are only for the steel structure and foundation. More to come. It will be property tax exempt.

WUSTL Med Washington University to break ground on major neuroscience research hub

2 & 1. MLS Stadium $88M and $206M by the Taylor family. It received property tax abatement on improvements of 100% for 25 years, sales tax exemption on construction materials, a 1% CID sales tax, possibly a 1% TDD sales tax and a 1% Port Authority sales tax. Still it not being city-owned means its the best stadium deal the city has entered into since Busch II.

Stltoday MLS stadium will go north of Market Street, include practice fields near Union Station in expanded plan

How did St. Louis County do? _()_/ #Fragmentation #Transparency

Originally posted here:
Over $1 Billion in Building Permits Issued in 2020 - nextstl.com

Written by Oscar Holland, CNN

From museums to performing arts venues, these are CNN Style's most anticipated buildings opening or completing in 2021.

Far Rockaway Library, New York

This striking public library in the Far Rockaway neighborhood of Queens, New York, will replace a small but popular library previously on the same site. But at 20,000 square feet, the new facility doubles the size of the space provided to the community.

Taipei Performing Arts Center, Taipei

Eight years after construction began, the unmistakable Taipei Performing Arts Center is finally set to complete by the middle of 2021. At an estimated cost of 5.4 billion New Taiwan dollars (about $192 million), the eye-catching building -- with its planet-like sphere protruding from one side -- will undoubtedly serve as a contemporary landmark for the Taiwanese capital.

Aquarela, Quito

Jean Nouvel/Ateliers Jean Nouvel/Alberto Medem/Humboldt Arquitectos S.L.

Although composed of several separate nine-story structures, a series of long balconies wrap around and between them to give the project a monolithic quality. The stone cladding, wooden shutters and exterior greenery are intended to help the building both reflect and assimilate with the region's verdant, mountainous topography, while offering residents a tangible connection with nature.

Phase 1 is set to complete in early 2021, though the second phase may yet spill into 2022, according to Nouvel's firm.

Hotel Green Solution House (GSH), Rnne

Denmark will soon welcome what's being described as its first climate-positive hotel, meaning the building is designed to save more carbon than it emits over its lifespan. Serving as a new wing of the existing Hotel GSH on the eastern island of Bornholm, the structure is made almost entirely of wood -- much of which has been upcycled using offcuts from the construction and furniture-making industries. Elsewhere, debris from local granite quarries has been used for decoration and insulation.

The two architecture groups behind the design, 3XN and GXN, have also looked to the building's future: Its individual components are connected using reversible joints, and thus can be put to new use after the hotel reaches the end of its lifespan.

House of Hungarian Music, Budapest

Designed by celebrated Japanese architect Sou Fujimoto, this museum, music venue and education center is one of the standout designs from the Liget Budapest Project, a radical overhaul of the Hungarian capital's largest public park.

Located near the picturesque Vrosliget Lake, its undulating roof will feature trees reaching through some of the larger perforations.

The building is intended to celebrate the country's rich musical traditions, but also serves to lure park visitors into the public facilities at ground level, where a largely translucent design helps erode the distinction between inside and out.

It will eventually be joined by a number of other new cultural destinations on the sprawling site, including the Museum of Ethnography and a 50,000-square-meter (538,000-square-foot) New National Gallery.

OurDomain Student Housing, Amsterdam

The idea that students have to settle for soulless, utilitarian housing is outdated. Indeed, this new residential campus in the Netherlands, which contains about 1,500 apartments, offers Amsterdam students the kind of shared amenities and green landscaping that perhaps their parents' generation could only have dreamed of.

The 90,000-square-meter (969,000-square-foot) residential complex is divided into three aesthetically distinct buildings, the most striking of which dramatically parts in a pixelated burst of color. OZ Architect, the design firm behind the project, also hopes the introduction of student residences can enliven a commercial area that has, until now, been dominated by office buildings.

Floating Music Hub, So Vincente

Courtesy NL/photo by Kriolscope

For the past decade, architecture and urbanism group NL has experimented with innovative ways to build quickly and cheaply on water. The firm's self-styled Makoko Floating System -- which allows local builders to assemble prefabricated timber modules into floating A-frames -- has already been used to construct schools in Nigeria and Belgium.

The system's latest iteration is a performance and arts hub in Cape Verde. Sticking out into the Atlantic Ocean, three lightweight structures will house a live performance hall, recording studio and bar, demonstrating that easy-to-assemble floating architecture can offer an affordable alternative to traditional cultural venues.

Sunac Guangzhou Grand Theatre, Guangzhou

Anciens Huang/Steven Chilton Architects/Chong-Art Photography

Designed by London-based Steven Chilton Architects, this 2,000-seat theater in the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou was inspired by the flowing texture of embroidered silk. It also nods to the city's history as a trading hub and the tattoo-like drawings of artist Zhang Hongfei, whose golden illustrations adorn the bold red cladding.

Comprising thousands of aluminum panels, the exterior shell appears to gently fold, revealing ground-level entrances and lending the building a soft, sculptural quality -- despite its bulking size. Inside, a circular arena has been configured to host immersive "360-degree" performances when the now-complete building opens in 2021.

Read more:
The transformative buildings set to shape the world in 2021 - CNN

At the end of each year, we like to group the urban development projects that weve been tracking into categories completed,under constructionandannounced. Weve also come up with this fourth category for all of the projects that dont fit neatly into any of the other three. That could mean proposals from previous years that have been dropped, projects that are still very much alive but just havent started construction yet, or, in a few cases, development sites where construction began but has now stopped.

Read on for a list of those projects, and our best guess for what might happen with them in 2021.

There was no news this year on either theNorth Market Tower or the Millennial Tower, which wasapproved by the Downtown Commissionin early 2018.

We saw detailed plans for Confluence Village for the first time, but the project will need to come back to the commission in 2021 before construction can start.

A new owner has plans to finally renovate theMadisons and White-Haines buildingson High Street.

Two otherhistoric buildingsthat were declared unsafe by the city in 2019 remain empty.

There was no news in 2020 about a plan for a mixed-use development on three acres of prime real estate on Capitol Square.

No further action has been taken on a plan from late 2019 to renovate and add onto a historic warehouse building.

Several other proposals from 2019 were also quiet in 2020 Columbus Partnerships plans for a vacant building on Front Street, a seven-story building on Mound Street, the renovation of the Salesian building, new restaurant space on Fourth, and two apartment buildings proposed for small lots.

The proposed renovation of the PNC Building was approved during the first virtual Downtown Commission meeting.

A plan to build a parking garage behind the State Auto building was abandoned after the company reassessed the need for so much parking at its headquarters.

The Columbus Downtown Development Corporation seems to have dropped the COSI Corridor idea.

The renovation of The Broadwin and a historic car dealership may be moving forward in 2021 after both projects were awarded state historic tax credits.

No progress has been made on the planned renovation of the Macon Building or the transformation of the former MLK library branch into a community center.

Two buildings have been demolished but work hasnt started on the new-build portion of this project near East High School.

A plan for the Holy Rosary Convent building doesnt appear to be moving forward.

On the North Fourth Street corridor, plans to build apartments on the Durable Slate site and a boutique hotel on an adjacent parcel have stalled.

At the south end of the corridor, there have been no updates on a plan for a large office building in Jeffrey Park.

A new design for the Parkside on Pearl development was presented to the Italian Village Commission.

There was plenty of discussion in 2020 about a mixed-use proposal at the corner of King and High, but the year ended without a design being approved.

There was no news this year about either of these three projects a mixed-use development at the former Patrick Js site, the renovation of the former Hudson Theater, and the renovation of the former Indianola Junior High.

Work is scheduled to start in 2021 on McDowell Place, a 50-unit affordable housing development on the site of the former West Side Spiritualist Church.

The second phase of the River and Rich project has yet to break ground.

After the Bellows School building was struck by lightning in September, its owner repaired the damage and hinted that a new plan for the building was in the works.

At Grandview Yard, work has not yet started on an office building at 840 Yard Street that was announced in 2019.

South of Goodale Boulevard, some of the land has been cleared for a planned 13-acre development, but theres been no vertical construction.

A plan toconverta Marble Cliff mansion into four residential units and develop the surrounding property got a boost from the Ohio Development Services Agency.

Two contentious German Village proposals one for a hotel and the other for apartments remain in limbo.

The parking lot at Westland Mall was used for socially-distanced concerts, but plans to redevelop the site have not advanced.

Nothing has happened at Cooper Stadium since a new redevelopment plan was floated in 2019.

Work hasnt started yet on a planned 11-story tower at Westminster-Thurber on Neil Avenue.

A new plan has submitted for the long-stalled construction project on Michigan Avenue, but work has yet to resume at the site.

An updated plan for the former Village Bookshop on 161 was scheduled to be heard by the Far Northwest Coalition in late December.

A plan to develop a large site at the corner of Henderson and Olentangy River Road has not been brought back since getting a cold reception from neighborhood groups in 2019.

Work has yet to start on the Arlington Gateway development, although the project was approved by the suburb.

The redevelopment of the Golden Bear shopping center has a tougher path ahead, though, after an amended plan for the site was voted down by the citys Board of Zoning & Planning in June.

There were several new updates to the ongoing saga of the redevelopment of the former International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers site.

It looks like the latest plan to restore the original Port Columbus Air Terminal building will proceed in 2021 after a new nonprofit organization signed a long term lease for the building.

Rogue Fitness decided to build a parking lot where the company had considered putting a 4,000-seat arena.

The City of Dublin hit pause on a plan to build a new field house at Bridge Park.

Work on two large developments west of I-270 hasnt started yet, although they both got the approvals they need to move forward.

All was quiet in 2020 for these projects a Brewery District tower, a massive entertainment complex in Delaware County, a 10-story Short North proposal, the redevelopment of a Reynoldsburg Kmart, and this plan for a large Worthington site.

READ MORE: 40 Urban Development Projects Completed in 2020

READ MORE: 56 Urban Development Projects Under Construction in 2020

READ MORE: 35 Urban Development Projects Announced in 2020

Go here to read the rest:
In Limbo: Still No Shovels in the Ground For These 56 Projects - columbusunderground

Alexandra Clough|Palm Beach Daily News

A department store that closed inWest Palm Beach is being replaced by a luxury rental apartment complex, not another retailer.

The site of a former office building on the Intracoastal Waterway in Boca Ratonis being transformed into a luxurycondominium, where units cost millions of dollars each. And the owner of a Boynton Beachshopping center, where a large tenant shut down during the coronavirus pandemic,is working on a plan to turn part of the developmentinto multi-family housing.

The nearly year-long coronavirus pandemic decimated the county's tourism and hospitality industries, but it hasn't hurt the county's dominant real estate industry.

In fact, the pandemic has fueled strongdemand for the new homes and apartments slated for completion during the next two years, and beyond, as investors and builders snap up any piece of land they can find to build more housing.

The market for new homes and apartments in Palm Beach Countyalready was robustprior to the pandemic. That's because the county is a popular destination for people moving here to escapecold weather and high taxes in the Northeastand Midwest.

But the pandemic created even more interest inthe Palm Beach County homes, especially from wealthy residentsfleeing crowded, urban cities outside the county and state.

"It's a lot easier to socially distance when you can pull into your driveway and walk into your home, rather than get into a dense elevator," said West Palm Beach housing analyst Brad Hunter.

In addition, the acceptance of work-from-home arrangements means people can live where they want, a trendHunter said is "here to stay."

For builders of new homes and apartments, the pandemic has turned housing projection on its head, forcing experts to rethink demand.

Job growth used to be a majortool by which developers decided where to build, said StevePatterson,president of Related Development, an arm of Miami-basedRelated Group,builder of numerous apartment and condominiums in South Florida.

But with the pandemic, "domestic migration from the northern states has played a huge factor," especially since many people moving still canwork from their homes,Patterson said.

That's not to say Palm Beach County'shousing developments are being built now simply because of the pandemic."The decision (to build) was made years ago," Patterson said. "It's a very time-consuming process."

But this prior planning means homebuilders not only have skillon their side, they alsohaveluck, thanks to the unexpected pandemic-fueled demand for residences.

Thecrop of new homes comes at a difficulttime for many existingPalm Beach County residents.

Some people living in housesor apartments face the prospect of homelessness because they cannot pay mortgages or rents, communityleaders say. The pandemic has slammed hotels, restaurants and retailers, leading to job losses, or slashed wages or hours.

Rental eviction moratoriums in placewill expire either at year-end or early in2021, depending on federal efforts to craft another coronavirus relief package. When rental moratoriums end, renterswill be responsible for months of back rent, which many people will not be able to pay.

Some home builders, including GL Homes, already have given money to homeless services' agencies such as The Lord's Place to help keep people from winding up on the streets.

"We are gearing up for 2021, which is going to be a year of helping people stay in their homes," said Diana Stanley, chief executive of The Lord's Place. "We've got to do everything in our power to keep them housed."

Stanley said she understands the demand for new housing. Butshe also worries the county does not have enough affordable housing, although there is some small progress on this front.

Housing Trust Group, one of the nations largest developers of affordable homes, just brokeground on Flagler Station, a new $33 million affordable apartment complexin West Palm Beach.

Apartmentsat Flagler Station will be set aside for residents who earn at or below 30%, 60%, 70% and 80% of area media income,with rents ranging from $393 to $1,689. The 94-unit property is scheduled for completion in February 2022.

Still, for many out-of-towners moving to Palm Beach County for the first time, housing is cheap compared to the high prices paid for houses or apartments in states such as New York, Massachusetts or Illinois, Patterson said.

That's a boost forRelated Group, which is building four rental apartment complexes in Palm Beach County.Theseprojects alone will add 1,405 new apartments to the county during the next two years.

Related is building the second apartment phase of Water Tower Commons, a mixed-use project in Lantana.

Manor at Lantana started construction in September and will feature 348 units, ranging in rent from$2,100 to$3,200 a month, when the project is finished in November 2021. Related previously builtTown Lantana, a 360-unit apartment complex at Water Tower Commons that was finished in December 2019.

Related also is building Manor Broken Sound in Boca Ratonon land in a business park just east of Interstate 95.

The 297-apartment complex, which began construction in July, is expected to be completed in November 2021. Rents will range from$2,000 to $4,000 per month.

Meanwhile, construction is expected to start in 2021 on two high-profile West Palm Beach rental communities.

One is Icon, a two-tower, 399-unit luxury apartment complexat Marina Village, a housingcommunity planned on North Flagler Drive along the Intracoastal.Marina Village isa joint venture withRybovich and has been years in the making. Construction on Icon will starton Jan 6.

When completed in October 2022, the upscale Icon apartmentswill rent for$2,200 a monthfor a small one-bedroom unitto a whopping $10,000 a month for a large penthouse.

The other Related Group project starting construction in West Palm Beach next yearis 575 Rosemary Square. Theluxury apartment complex is being built onthe closed Macy's department store site at Rosemary Square, formerly CityPlace.

This comingMarch, construction will beginon 361 apartments, with rental rates ranging from $1,750 for a studio to more than $5,000 for a large, three-bedroom unit. The project is expected to be completed in December 2022.

Patterson said both West Palm Beachapartment complexescould one day be converted to condominiums, which aren't in vogue right now.

But small, boutique condos are, especially if they are near or on the water.

Wealthy buyers want water views, low-density buildingsand plenty of luxury touches, developers say. This has led to the construction of severalsmall coastal condominiums,where units cost millions of dollarseach.

Despite the hefty price tags, people are buying these pricey condos.

In Delray Beach, there's Ocean Delray, a 19-unit boutique condominium being built on the ocean. Prices range from $5.7 million to $9 million for theunits, and the project is 50% sold out, said John Farina, president of U.S. Construction, one of the project's developers.

Buyers are coming from Chicago, the Northeast and even California, Farina said. The work-from-home trend is so prevalent now, Farina said, OceanDelray's design has been changed to feature an office for every unit.

Units range in size from 3,000 to 4,400 square feet. Completion is set for the second quarter of 2021.

Meanwhile, U.S. Construction plans to start first-quarter 2021 construction of another luxuryDelray Beach condominium on the beach, on the site of the former Delray South Shore Club.

This condo project, dubbed 1625 Ocean, will feature only 14 units. Sales startin January, with units selling for between $3.5 million to $6.8 million, Farina said.

At the south end of the county, in Boca Raton, construction has begun on the Boca Beach Club, a waterfront boutique ultra-luxury condominium.

The Intracoastal Waterway property, on the site of a former real estate sales center, features 32 units, of which 26 already are sold, meaning the condominium already is 81 percent pre-sold.

Prices range from $3.5 million to just under $8 million for the condominiums, which will be completed toward the end of2022.

Inigo Ardid, co-president of developer Key International, said Boca Beach Club buyers like the project's waterfront locationand limited number of units. Manybuyers are New Yorkerswho came to Florida during the pandemic and don't want to return to dense residential buildings in the Big Apple, whererestaurants and theaters are closed, Ardid said.

Boca Beach Club isonly four stories, but it sitson two acres of land. Units are large, about 4,750 square feet, with another 4,500 square feet of terraces.Boca Beach House is so spread out, "It feels like 32 homes, instead of 32 condos," Ardid said.

Meanwhile, in the heart of downtown Boca, construction also has begun on Royal Palm Residences, a 48-unit condominium next to the Boca Raton Resort & Club and featuringIntracoastal Waterway views.Prices range from $1.9 million to $4.3 million.

Sales began in January, just before the pandemic set in. As the months rolled by, so did sales, and now 19 unitshave sold, including to buyersmoving from the Northeast, said Todd Richardson, vice president of sales for developer Group P6. Some potential buyers are even exploring combining units, Richardson added.Completion of Royal Palm Residencesis set for 2022.

It's not just southern Palm Beach County that is seeing construction of small upscalecondos, however.

In Tequesta, at the county's northern edge, developers just broke ground on SeaGlass Jupiter Island, a boutique luxury condominium featuring only21 units.

Since sales launched in May, developers have logged an undisclosed number of pre-construction sales, ranging in price from $5.9 million to more than $10 million. Each unit features ocean-to-Intracoastal views, as well as private terraces with summer kitchens.

The project,being developed by FontainebleauDevelopment and Perko Development Partners, is expected to be completed in the fall of 2022.

Companies that build single-family homes also are busy building more houses, especially large houses, because people working from homewant more space.

"There's demand for bigger houses, home gyms and pools. There's a huge surge in people wanting their own pools," said Brent Baker, president of PulteGroup's Southeast region.

The pool trend reflects frustration by people who live in places where the community pool closed for months due to the pandemic, Baker said.

To meet demand, PulteGroup is working on projects throughout South Florida and the Treasure Coast, in a range of prices.

In Palm Beach County, the company plans to build80 single-family homes starting in the high $500,000s on a former golf course in Delray Beach, in the Sherwood Forest community. The project would mark the fifth time Pulte has turned a golf course into a housing community.

Meanwhile, the company will build more than 400homes in Avenir, a massive housing development in Palm Beach Gardens. Home prices will range from the high $500,000s to the mid-$800,000s, and model homes will be ready by next summer.

Builders such asPulte are snapping up any land they can find for homes.

Recently, Pulte bought a 31-acre site in Lake Worth Beach,at State Road 441 south of Lake Worth Road,for a new community dubbed Windsong Estates. The communitywill feature 93 single-family homes, with prices starting in the low $500,000s.

In addition, PulteGroup also just bought two development sites in Martin County.

One site, a 215-acre site dubbed Bridgewater, is just over the line from Palm Beach. The propertywill feature 107 homes on lots ranging from 1to 5acres. The properties are big enough to build the main house and also"casitas," or small guest houses. Prices will start at $1 million.

Another site, a 13-acre parcel in Stuart, will feature 80 townhomes priced from the low $300,000s.

Baker said PulteGroup can't build and sell homes fast enough. "This past November was our best sales month over, across the board" in all home prices, Baker said.

That's no surprise to Mike Pappas, president of The Keyes Company real estate brokerage.Pappas said the pandemic accelerated the trend of people migrating to Florida when they retire.

"They decided, 'I was going to come to Florida two years from now, but I'm moving now,'" Pappas said.

GL Homes also continues to buildand sellhomes at its many communities in Palm Beach County, which range from 55-and-up enclaves to luxury single-family homes.

Jill DiDonna, GL Homes senior vice president of sales and marketing, said the company's Boca Raton luxury single-family home communities, Boca Bridges and Lotus, with average priceswell above $1 million, have experienced double-digit sales growth in 2020 compared to last year.

And unlike previous years, "where we captureextremely high concentrations of buyers from the Northeast, this yearGLHomeshas seen homebuyers from all over the country relocating" to South Florida, DiDonna said.

Demand for new home construction is keeping localconstruction companies busy.

West Palm Beach-based Kast Construction is building the Manor Broken Soundand Manor at Lantana apartment complexes for Related Group.Kast also is buildingthe luxurious Ocean Delray condominium in Delray Beach, saidDave DeMay, Kast senior vice president.

In the coming year, Kast also will resume work on a massive apartment, hotel and office complex: One West Palm, a 30-story, twin-tower mixed-use project in downtown West Palm Beach that halted construction earlier this year but soon will resume work.

Meanwhile, in Boynton Beach, the owner of the Catalina Centre is talking to Boynton Beach city officials about transforming part of the shopping center into an apartment building that could featureup to 300 units.

The idea was in the works before the pandemic, saidRandy Tulepan, vice president of Roberts Equities, which owns the center.

"But then the pandemic hit and knocked 24 Hour fitness out, and that accelerated things," Tulepansaid, referring to the Chapter 11 filing of the national gym, which has closed many of its locations. 24 Fitness was the shopping center's largest tenant, with 50,000 square feet.

It seems everyone wants a piece of the housing pie in Palm Beach County, and it's not just new residences that are in demand.

Even an old apartment complex in Lake Worth Beach was a recent hot commodity.

TheFloridian, a 60-unit apartment complexon Congress Avenue across from John Prince Park, is a sturdy but plain apartment complex built in 1964. Despite theproperty's age, The Floridian just traded for $6 million, up nearly $2 million from just five years ago, said Ryan Nee, regional manager of Marcus & Millichap, a commercial real estate brokerage.

The property generated several written offers and ended up with a cash buyer, Neesaid.

The seller is a New Jersey resident who wants tobuy another Palm Beach County property. The buyer is a local resident who wants to own rental property.

Judging by the demand for rental properties, Nee added, it's not just people moving to South Florida from other parts of the country.

"Investors are looking to move money here, too," he said.

Continue reading here:
Slate of new apartments and houses coming to the county as demand surges due to pandemic moves - Palm Beach Post

Vasu Ganti had been considering upgrading his familys Los Gatos, Calif., home to include a multipurpose space long before the pandemic. We were always thinking of decluttering and creating a space where I could play music loudly without disturbing others, he said. Recent events, though, compelled Mr. Ganti to act with greater urgency, he said.

Mr. Ganti, an engineering manager, and his family found the solution they were looking for in a luxury shed. Located on their property but apart from the main home, it creates separation and privacy. Mr. Ganti is just one of many shed converts who has looked to the secondary structure not as a quick fix-it but an expansion of their home.

These sheds arent prefabricated buildings, delivered from home improvement stores and rigged with lighting, but are customized structures that boast air conditioning, wallpaper, chandeliers, decking, and more. They come with hefty price tags, but also with fewer headaches than renovations. Flexibility and short construction timelines, some builders say, make these structures desirable to homeowners who want more space without committing to a full construction project.

Shed companies say demand is rising. Mike Koenig, president and co-founder of Studio Shed, in Louisville, Colo., said his company more than doubled the number of sheds they sold in each month of August through October 2020 compared with sales in those months last year. kitHAUS, a Los Angeles-based company, has seen a 30% to 40% increase in sales since the pandemic began, said co-founder Tom Sandonato. The kitHAUS sheds cost anywhere from $30,000 to $150,000.

Michelle Hart, the CEO and founder of Cross Dot Digital Creative + PR Agency in Bend, Ore., installed a 13-foot by 9-foot kitHAUS shed on her property in June. I knew in mid-March that the pandemic was going to have a real effect on my marketing agency, she said. To keep her business afloat and to trim overhead, Ms. Hart opted to shift her business from a leased office to a home office. Ms.

Link:
You Cant Find These Luxury Sheds at Home Depot - The Wall Street Journal

Construction has wrapped up on one of Amazons new, temporary office buildings in Crystal City.

The renovation project, part of developer JBG Smiths extensive development plan for the area, helped to modernize the office buildings 273,000 square feet of space while giving the exterior a shiny new glass-and-steel look.

Amazon is temporarily leasing the 14-story building while the first phase of its permanent HQ2 is under construction. Amazon currently leases 857,000 square feet of temporary space in five local JBG Smith buildings, the developer says.

The opening of the newly reimagined 1770 Crystal Drive coincides with the two-year anniversary of Amazons selection of National Landing as the location of its second headquarters and JBG SMITH as its partner to house and develop the project, JBG said in a press release. The building was completed two quarters ahead of schedule and under budget.

The construction started shortly after Amazon announced that National Landing the collective term for the Crystal City, Pentagon City and Potomac Yard neighborhoods was getting the new HQ2.

The return to productive use of 1770 Crystal Drive represents yet another significant milestone in National Landings ongoing transformation into a vibrant 18-hour neighborhood, said Matt Kelly, CEO of JBG Smith, in a statement. We are thrilled to partner with Amazon and accommodate its growing presence in the region as we continue to make progress on its modern new headquarters.

The building is a short walk from the Crystal City Metro station and has expansive views of the D.C. skyline and the Potomac River from the top floors, the press release notes. It will be part of a new retail district that is expected to feature new stores, buzzy restaurants and an Alamo Drafthouse movie theater.

More:
Construction Wraps Up on Crystal City Building That Will House Amazon Offices - ARLnow

New commercial

OFFICE BUILDING: 2886 NE Evangeline Thruway, Lafayette; Clayton Homes, owner and applicant; description, modular office; self, contractor; $17,000.

OTHER: 705 W. University Ave., Lafayette; Lafayette Consolidated Government, owner; description, City Hall elevator; Trahan Architecture and Planning, applicant; Garden City Construction Co., contractor; $156,800.

STORE: 3822 Ambassador Caffery Parkway, Lafayette; BJT Development, owner; description, interior demolition white box area; Southwest Contractors LLC, applicant and contractor; $5,000.

916 Killdee Lane, Duson; Stellco LLC; $270,000.

217 Gable Crest Drive, Lafayette; Manuel Builders; $225,000.

306 Grassy Meadows Lane, Lafayette; DSLD LLC; $198,000.

508 Greyford Drive, Lafayette Parish; South Louisiana Custom Homes LLC; $477,000.

102 Nova Lake Drive, Duson; D R Horton Inc. Gulf Coast; $211,500.

104 Nova Lake Drive, Duson; D R Horton Inc. Gulf Coast; $180,000.

111 Nova Lake Drive, Duson; D R Horton Inc. Gulf Coast; $216,000.

313 Acadian Lake Drive, Duson; D R Horton Inc. Gulf Coast; $216,000.

311 Acadian Lake Drive, Duson; D R Horton Inc. Gulf Coast; $247,500.

309 Acadian Lake Drive, Duson; D R Horton Inc. Gulf Coast; $216,000.

307 Acadian Lake Drive, Duson; D R Horton Inc. Gulf Coast; $243,000.

313 San Marcos Drive, Youngsville; E J Rock Construction; $283,500.

201 Grassy Meadows Lane, Lafayette; DSLD LLC; $270,000.

106 Old Heritage Lane, Carencro; Mitch Higginbotham Construction; $184,500.

148 Gable Crest Drive, Lafayette; Shivers Brothers Construction; $198,000.

105 Dunmore Court, Lafayette; Baudoin Custom Homes Inc.; $396,000.

103 Rio Ridge Drive, Lafayette; Coast Contemporary Construction LLC; $553,500.

109 Golden Eye Drive, Lafayette; LRZ3 Properties LLC; $513,000.

869 E. Gloria Switch Road, Lafayette; Tim Landry; $75,000.

106 Nova Lake Drive, Duson; D R Horton Inc. Gulf Coast; $198,000.

108 Nova Lake Drive, Duson; D R Horton Inc. Gulf Coast; $243,000.

109 Nova Lake Drive, Duson; D R Horton Inc. Gulf Coast; $247,500.

103 New Trails Lane, Youngsville; D R Horton Inc. Gulf Coast; $342,000.

100 Nova Lake Drive, Duson; D R Horton Inc. Gulf Coast; $247,500.

101 Nova Lake Drive, Duson; D R Horton Inc. Gulf Coast; $243,000.

103 Nova Lake Drive, Duson; D R Horton Inc. Gulf Coast; $193,500.

107 Nova Lake Drive, Duson; D R Horton Inc. Gulf Coast; $229,500.

105 Nova Lake Drive, Duson; D R Horton Inc. Gulf Coast; $180,000.

600 N. Montauban Drive, Lafayette; La Consultants LLC; $288,000.

101 Acadian Lake Drive, Duson; D R Horton Inc. Gulf Coast; $216,000.

306 Acadian Lake Drive, Duson; D R Horton Inc. Gulf Coast; $216,000.

312 Acadian Lake Drive, Duson; D R Horton Inc. Gulf Coast; $225,000.

113 Nova Lake Drive, Duson; D R Horton Inc. Gulf Coast; $216,000.

205 Lukes Hollow Lane, Lafayette; Shivers Brothers Construction; $184,500.

207 Lukes Hollow Lane, Lafayette; Shivers Brothers Construction; $166,500.

213 Redfern St., Lafayette; Lancaster Construction LLC; $270,000.

116 Tracewood Bend, Lafayette; Shivers Brothers Construction; $261,000.

127 Gena Lane, Broussard; Hays Homes LLC; 513, 850.

201 Canary Palm Way, Broussard; Triple D's Homes LLC; $301,134.

218 Tennyson Drive, Broussard; Manuel Builders LLC; $193,415.

102 Canary Palm Way, Broussard; Van Alan Homes LLC; $478,773.

303 Canary Palm Way, Broussard; Coastal Custom Builders LLC; $271,771.

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Who's building where in Acadiana? Here are the building permits issued Dec. 7-11 - The Advocate

The 2020 construction season got off to a slow start because of pandemic-induced restrictions. Overall, though, industry observers here say the season finished better than expected, and 2021 is expected to even better.

About $30 million in public work is expected to continue into next year in the city, Marlene Feist, public works director of strategic development for the city of Spokane says. An additional $50 million in new work is also on the slate, including a $10 million investment package in street maintenance that will be delivered through 2021.

Major projects next year include the replacement of the deck on the Hatch Road Bridge, the next stage of rebuilding Sprague Avenue from Division Street to Grant Street, and work on the Cochran Basin, which will include infiltration of the stormwater in the basin. Water from the basin will be used on the Downriver Disc Golf Course for water features, says Feist. Other improvements will be made to T.J. Meenach Drive and the traditional Downriver Golf Course as part of the project.

The largest continuing project is the $18 million rebuild of the Post Street Bridge. An additional $15 million in water tank installations could also occur on the South Hill and near the Spokane International Airport, Feist says, though those projects are dependent on finding a suitable site and finishing additional permitting requirements.

On the residential side, Joel White, executive officer of the Spokane Home Builders Association, says builders are struggling to keep up with the demand.

Labor continues to be a hurdle, he contends. Construction companies saw a brief shutdown in March that saw several layoffs, and many workers declined to return to the workforce once the industry was allowed to restart work a few weeks following the shutdown, White says.

Additionally, supply chain disruptions made building materials, especially lumber, skyrocket in price in June, he says. Those price hikes drove up the cost of new homes, he says.

Through the first 11 months of 2019, 1,446 single family homes were permitted in Spokane County. This year has seen a marked decline, with 1,182 single family homes being permitted. However, White says, more multifamily buildings and duplexes were built this year than last.

In commercial construction, Cheryl Stewart, executive director of the Associated General Contractors Inland Northwest chapter, says she expects to see a decrease in public works projects as local governments grapple with smaller budgets.

She notes there are several big-budget transportation projects slated to begin this year, including large freeway projects and the continuation of the North Spokane Corridor.

Stewart says she expects to see fewer retail structures being built in the near future, while manufacturing and multifamily work will remain steady or grow.

Jim Frank, founder of Liberty Lake-based Greenstone Homes, says in-migration will continue to drive up demand for residential construction in Spokane and Kootenai counties. Frank says he expects to see strength in the medical and office space markets; however, he adds, retail is expected to take a major hit as the pandemic accelerates trends toward online buying.

Read more:
Construction activity likely to be strong in 2021 - Spokane Journal of Business

Bisnow/Jon Banister

The Boro, with the residential buildings in the background and Boro Park in the foreground.

This year has been a tough one for commercial real estate developments. From New York toCalifornia, projects have been stalled as developers grapple with everything from worker safety to uncertainty surrounding the future of the market. But in one Virginia community, development continues to soar.

Despite the coronavirus pandemic, developers in Tysons, Virginia, have moved forward with their plans for massive mixed-use projects. The Fairfax County government has ambitious goals to transform Tysons into a more walkable, sustainable urban center that will be able to meet the needs of 100,000 residents and 200,000 employees by the year 2050 a major undertaking considering that the current population of Tysons is around 23,700.

Even during the pandemic, Tysons has been dotted with cranes for commercial and residential developments, said Victor Hoskins, president and CEO of the Fairfax County Economic Development Authority. This is a concrete testament to the value that developers, businesses and people see in locating in a quickly urbanizing center, and it validates the vision of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors to transform this collection of suburban office parks and malls into a walkable, transit-oriented 21st-century city.

The Fairfax County government has been working hard to support local businesses during this difficult time and help keep Tysons expanding.

Read on to learn about some of the major development projects that have been under development in Tysons over the last several months and the key initiatives that have kept the local economy humming.

Capital One Center

In 2018, Capital One opened up a new headquarters in Tysons. Since then, several new buildings have been developed along what has been dubbed Capital One Center, and many of these projects were still under construction during the pandemic. As of August,offices, a hotel and retail space were all under construction, and a Wegmans grocery store opened in one of these spaces last month.

The Mile

This past October, real estate development group Kettler announced that it had broken ground on the next phase of its ambitious mixed-use project known as The Mile. Kettler plans to take 45 acres of unused space northwest of Tysons Galleria andturn it into a mix of residential, office, hotel and retail space totaling 2.8M SF.

The Boro

In October 2019, the first phase of The Boro, a mixed-use development that was cited as one of the first projects in the plan to make Tysons more walkable, was delivered. The development, located at the intersection of Westpark Drive and Greensboro Drive, was designed to feature apartment buildings reaching 32 and 13 floors, a 25-story condo building, a 20-story trophy office tower and a five-story boutique office building.

In May of this year, at the height of the pandemic, The Meridian Group, the lead developer behind The Boro, filed plans for a 1M SF expansion of the project to add additional retail and senior housing to the development.

Tysons Central

Tysons Central is a mixed-use office project under development located close to The Boro and Tysons Galleria. Once complete, this388,206 SF space will feature luxury offices and 18,650 SF of retail space. Developer Foulger-Pratt has yet to announce a signed tenant.

Local Businesses Get The Help They Need

For these new developments to thrive, there needs to be a strong local economy in place to help support them. To keep Tysons local businesses afloat during this difficult time, organizations like the Fairfax County Economic Development Authority, the Northern Virginia Pro Bono Law Center and Start Small Think Big have teamed up to create the COVID-19 Pro Bono Collaborative, which isoffering free legal assistance to small businesses in Northern Virginia to help them with federal assistance, grant and loan programs, leases and employment issues.

Local businesses have also been encouraged to contact the Community Business Partnership or the George Mason Small Business Development Center for help applying for small-business grants, or for counseling sessions on steps they can take to support their companies.

Planning For The Holiday Season

To help Tysons residents support local businesses this holiday season, malls and outdoor shopping destinationshave made modifications to make the shopping experience safer.

Tysons Corner Centers retailers are offering shopping by appointment, both in-person and virtually, and many are offering curbside pickup, as are some stores at the Tysons Galleria.

Tysons is in the process of transforming itself, and its not letting the pandemic get in the way. From new office and retail developments to new fire stations and transit centers, theres a lot to look forward to in Tysons.

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The Pandemic Hasn't Stopped the Building Boom In Tysons - Bisnow

BETHESDA, Md.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--JBG SMITH (NYSE: JBGS), a leading owner and developer of high-quality, mixed-use properties in the Washington, DC market, has completed construction of 1770 Crystal Drive, an approximately 273,000 square-foot office building in National Landing. The entire 259,000 square-foot office portion of the 14-story building is now leased by Amazon as part of its HQ2 expansion to Northern Virginia.

The opening of the newly reimagined 1770 Crystal Drive coincides with the two-year anniversary of Amazons selection of National Landing as the location of its second headquarters and JBG SMITH as its partner to house and develop the project. The building was completed two quarters ahead of schedule and under budget.

Amazons offices at 1770 Crystal Drive are part of the initial 537,000 square feet of existing National Landing office space the company agreed to lease from JBG SMITH in November 2018. Since then, Amazon has continued to grow its National Landing leased footprint, which now encompasses 857,000 square feet across five JBG SMITH buildings.

In addition, JBG SMITH is managing the construction of 2.1 million square feet of office space in two sustainably designed towers, 50,000 square feet of community-serving retail, and more than an acre of public open space, representing the first phase of Amazons new headquarters in National Landing.

The return to productive use of 1770 Crystal Drive represents yet another significant milestone in National Landings ongoing transformation into a vibrant 18-hour neighborhood, said Matt Kelly, Chief Executive Officer of JBG SMITH. We are thrilled to partner with Amazon and accommodate its growing presence in the region as we continue to make progress on its modern new headquarters.

Working with Gensler, JBG SMITH has reinvented 1770 Crystal Drive with a striking contemporary design. A floor-to-ceiling glass curtain wall and metal panels form the buildings sleek new faade, and a redesigned two-story lobby with high-end finishes create an elevated arrival experience. New outdoor terraces constructed on the upper floors offer expansive views of the DC skyline, Potomac River, and Reagan National Airport, and a double height pedestrian colonnade highlights 1770 Crystal Drives transformed retail spaces and storefronts. The buildings mechanical systems have also been upgraded, and the elevators have been modernized with destination dispatch technology.

1770 Crystal Drive is conveniently located just a short walk from the Crystal City Metro and VRE station and sits adjacent to a recently completed street-level retail project along Crystal Drive.

About JBG SMITH

JBG SMITH is an S&P 400 company that owns, operates, invests in and develops a dynamic portfolio of high-growth mixed-use properties in and around Washington, DC. Through an intense focus on placemaking, JBG SMITH cultivates vibrant, amenity-rich, walkable neighborhoods throughout the Capital region, including National Landing where it now serves as the exclusive developer for Amazons new headquarters. JBG SMITHs portfolio currently comprises 20.7 million square feet of high-growth office, multifamily and retail assets, 98% at our share of which are Metro-served. It also maintains a development pipeline encompassing 17.1 million square feet of mixed-use development opportunities. For more information on JBG SMITH please visit http://www.jbgsmith.com.

Original post:
JBG SMITH Welcomes Amazon to Newly Renovated 1770 Crystal Drive - Business Wire