North San Diego and Southwest Riverside counties need new office space again, signaling an end of an office-space glut, commercial brokers said.

Excess office space in the wake of the Great Recession left building owners straining to find tenants, and businesses scored great deals on top-flight, well-located office space. But those bargains have started to dry up, especially for tenants looking for 50,000 square feet or more.

The market for those tenants has gotten tight enough that landlords have begun building again after a quiet three years, and a few developers are scoping out speculative construction. Overall, the tightening office market hints at a strengthening economic recovery.

"In the last several years, there's been quite a few opportunities, now getting down to a handful, and will continue to dwindle," said Chris Hobson, a senior vice president with Cassidy Turley BRE Commercial in San Diego.

The Great Recession pushed many companies out of business and forced others to lay off workers, dramatically reducing the need for office space. In San Diego County, the vacancy rate peaked in summer 2009 at 18 percent, according to CB Richard Ellis. Riverside County peaked at 30 percent at the end of 2009, according to Coldwell Banker Commercial in Temecula.

Both rates have fallen steadily since their peak, but vacancy rates remain high overall. With landlords desperate to fill space, businesses in older, less-well-located buildings jumped at the opportunity to move.

During the economic boom years, "I did a Class B deal for $2.15 a square foot for 13,000 square feet," said Scot Ginsburg, a managing director with Jones Lang LaSalle in San Diego and a North County specialist. "I just did a Class A deal for similar size, $2.20 a square foot."

But in recent months the local economy has begun to rebound: the unemployment rate in San Diego County in January hit 9.6 percent, down from 10.5 percent 12 months earlier, and the rate in Riverside and San Bernardino counties fell to 12.4 percent, down from 14.2 percent in January 2011, according to the California Employment Development Department.

High tech and education have fueled much of the recent expansion in office space, said Richard Gonor, an executive vice president for Jones Lang LaSalle in San Diego. Companies want to be near telecom giant Qualcomm, making the Sorrento Valley an in-demand site for office space.

Bridgepoint Education, the for-profit online institution of higher education, is looking for more space, said Hobson, the company's broker. The company itself would not comment.

Go here to see the original:
REAL ESTATE: Office market tightening, more construction on the horizon

To achieveLeadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification which verifies that a building was designed and built using strategies aimed at achieving high performance in key areas of human and environmental health sustainable building practices are credited with points and a project must earn a minimum number of points to be certified. The points are awarded on a 100-point scale and weighted to reflect their potential environmental impacts.

With 95 points, an office building designed by Perkins+Will in Atlanta, Ga., is the highest-scoring LEED-certified new construction project to date under the 2009 version of LEED for New Construction.

The building, originally constructed in 1985, was redesigned and renovated into a high-performance sustainability focused building. Incorporating building re-use and renovation were important ideas in the firms concept of sustainability that led them to the LEED Platinum certification.

Perkins+Will has designed a showpiece building, said Rick Fedrizzi, president, CEO and founding chair of the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). 1315 Peachtree Street exemplifies the kind of environmentally sustainable measures that can be taken during a building retrofit. It has earned its high LEED score and will continue to pay dividends through energy saving measures for decades to come.

The Perkins+Will building incorporated energy-saving features throughout, including: more energy-efficient exterior glazing and alterations to the front faade; a radiant heating and cooling system; passive sun shading on lower levels and an active, dynamic exterior sunshade on the building terrace level to control afternoon sunlight and heat gain; daylight harvesting and reduced ambient lighting coupled with the use of LED lamps.

A trigeneration system for heating, cooling, and electricity uses microturbines and an absorption chiller on the roof along with natural gas to reduce the buildings carbon footprint by 68%. To save on water, which is an important issue in Atlanta, the building has a 10,000-gallon cistern that catches rainwater for landscape irrigation and low-flow urinals and toilets.

For more information about Perkins+Will and this LEED Platinum building, visit http://www.perkinswill.com.

Here is the original post:
New Office Building Earns Highest LEED® Certification

Building construction permits over $10,000 in value that were approved in Boulder between Feb. 20 and March 4, 2012. Listed below are: the case number; address; total project valuation; owner name; contractor (if applicable); and description.

PMT2012-00017; 2015 Bluebell Ave.; $150,612.38; Judith Volc; Pine Construction Co.; Second story addition of 804 square feet (conditioned), significant remodel on main level plus main level addition at location of demolished existing attached garage, and new attached garage. 364 square feet in decks and porches.

PMT2012-00432; 2119 Mapleton Ave.; $140,000; Judy and Eli Godec; Remodel of master bedroom and addition of 57 square feet on second floor of existing single-family detached home. Remodel of main floor kitchen and breakfast area and half bath. Repair of foundation, increase of basement ceiling height and basement finish.

PMT2012-00675; 3326 Loyola Court; $11,450; Allison McComiskey; Napp Landscape Service Inc.; Replacement of existing front yard deck with 302-square-foot deck, approximately 74 inches above grade.

PMT2012-00355; 800 Arapahoe Ave.; $185,000; Historic Boulder; Permeation grouting along sides and below foundation walls, installation of mechanical ties at cracks in masonry walls including repair or replacement of missing brick, and redirection of roof drainage and surface water to include back filling and site grading; all as detailed on landmark alteration certificate application dated Dec. 30, 2012. Owner/contractor.

PMT2012-00640; 3185 Endicott Drive; $38,283.45; Eric Koehler and Holly Burton; Lookout -- The Renovation Company; Basement finish of 465 square feet to create a family room (with egress), storage closet, finished storage area (wall must be less than 7 inches apart), full bathroom and mechanical room.

PMT2011-04046; 2210 Howard Place; $18,473.85; John and Susan Fontaine; Renew Construction LLC; Addition of 183-square-foot greenhouse at rear of single-family residence. Scope of work includes associated electrical and mechanical.

PMT2012-00723; 4120 S. Hampton Circle; $40,424.03; John and Laurel Hickman; Hickman Construction Inc.; Partial basement finish of 491 square feet including a rec. room and full bath.

PMT2011-04768; 1089 13th St.; $352,240; UFC Boulder; W.E. O'Neil Construction Co.; Exterior rehabilitation and modifications as approved under HIS2011-00191 and HIS2011-00195. Interior tenant remodel of 712 square feet on ground floor level to relocate liquor store within building. Some work to interior core of building (not in liquor store) to prep for anticipated future tenants (modified mechanical equipment room and create nested trash Dumpster area) -- no work on mezzanine level, no work for 7-Eleven tenant finish. Modified mechanical (new RTU) and associated plumbing for relocated DWV- and ANSI-compliant single-occupant bathroom.

PMT2011-05557; 2696 Broadway; $38,653.20; Community Plaza; Gerald H. Phipps Inc.; Plaza Community; Remodel of existing bank building to accommodate three new private offices for use by Vectra Bank staff. Area of remodel will be 540 square feet.

See the original post here:
Boulder building permits: March 12, 2012

The rain on Friday stopped just in time for Johnson County leaders and officials to hold the ceremonial groundbreaking for the countys new adult probation building.

The new building will cost about $4.6 million and will relocate the adult probation departments employees primarily into one location.

Officials have said the building is long overdue and when completed, it will create a more efficient adult probation department thats divided into three buildings, Adult Probation Director Toby Ross said.

Ross said hes waited a long time for the county to finally approve the building, but he said he knows theres still more work to be done.

Weve waited for this for years, but its not over, yet, he said.

About 80 people showed up for the groundbreaking, including each county commissioner, state Sen. Brian Birdwell, R-Granbury, Cleburne Mayor Justin Hewlett, county commissioner candidates and several probation office employees.

Im happy about the progress and what weve been able to do, said 413th District Judge William Bosworth, who helped lead the charge for the new building as the countys administrative judge.

Bosworths role as administrative judge allowed him to be a liaison between the county and its department, making sure everything ran smoothly.

The probation building has needed more room for a long time, Bosworth said.

One of the probation offices in downtown Cleburne has been overcrowded for a few years, Johnson County Judge Roger Harmon said.

More here:
New probation building to begin construction soon

ATLANTA, March 9, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --Storage Post Self Storage, a storage provider on the East Coast, hired Joseph Lyons as director of construction for the operations team. Lyons' main responsibilities include refreshing the appearance of store locations, managing building renovations and revitalizing real estate as marketing tools.

Lyons is a construction expert with more than 30 years of experience in the retail and storage industries. He is familiar with all aspects of construction, including ground-up construction and complete renovations. Previously, Lyons worked with nationally recognized florist, 1-800-FLOWERS, building the company 50 stores over 10 years.

"Joe comes to Storage Post with an impressive and successful real estate revitalization and construction past. He has a remarkable eye for turning a building into a branded, smooth-operating marketing and operations asset," said Jack Chaney, Storage Post's chief operating officer. "With Joe joining the team, we know we can increase our visibility and attract more customers with our properties."

Storage Post is committed to rebranding assets by hiring exceptional talent and leaders in the industry. In addition to location updates, strategies for online marketing, the website, graphics and messaging have been revisited in order to further develop Storage Post's brand and consumer recognition.

Lyons lives in East Northport, New York with his wife and five children and will work from Storage Post's northeast regional office in New York.

About Storage Post

Headquartered in Atlanta, GA, Storage Post is a leading self storage company that focuses on quality products, operational excellence and positive customer service. Storage Post has locations throughout the East Coast and is actively pursuing self storage acquisitions. For more information on Storage Post acquisitions and its executive leadership team, visit http://www.storagepost.com.

SOURCE Storage Post Self Storage

See the original post:
Storage Post Self Storage Hires Construction Expert to Oversee Building Renovations

INDIAN RIVER COUNTY Architectural consultants have recommended more than $60 million worth of construction in the coming 10 years to help the Sheriff's Office keep up with population growth and increases in the crime rate but also get out of its existing headquarters into a modern building.

And that's not lost on County Commission Chairman Gary Wheeler, a former sheriff who worked in the now-27-year-old building, at 4055 41st St. in Gifford, from 1992 through 2000.

"That's a sick building," Wheeler said Friday. "There's a lot of mold. One time we removed a wall in my office and it was black (inside) with mold two inches thick."

When he left office in 2000, he said, following a defeat by Roy Raymond, he stopped going into the sheriff's building every day and his aching sinuses cleared up.

For current Sheriff Deryl Loar, who took office in 2008, the building is bursting under the strain of 500 employees. And it doesn't even have a fire-sprinkler system.

"There are a lot of things you've got to have (now)," he said Friday.

Vero Beach architect Anthony Donadio and David Crabtree, an associate with Architects Design Group of Winter Park, pitched their latest joint proposal to the commission in a recent meeting.

Crabtree, who couldn't be reached Friday for comment, gave estimates this month that combine to $61.4 million for the work to renovate a 13,000-square-foot warehouse for the new Crime Scene Unit, build a new 91,000-square-foot uniform patrol building and a 94,000-square-foot support-service building.

The county is tackling the first project now, but isn't expected to deal with the largest building until 2022 at the earliest.

"We'll assist you in seeking grants," Crabtree said. "It's not like $28 million (for the second building) is needed tomorrow. We have time to help you plan for that."

Read the rest here:
Indian River County Sheriff's Office takes 10-year look at new construction to update facilities

Written by Susan Shultz Thursday, March 08, 2012 09:00 AM

The Ring's End office building was included due to a "clerical error," Darien Housing Authority Commissioner Cyndy Ashburne said.

In the certified letter dated Feb. 29, obtained by The Darien Times, notice was given that "Viking Construction, Inc. has filed an application with the Town of Darien Building Official for approval to demolish existing dwellings at 1-30 Allen O'Neill Drive, 190, 194, 198, 202, 226, 234 Norotan Avenue [sic], 186, 234 West Avenue, and 3,5,9,11,21 Elm Street, Darien, CT."

Project developer Arthur Andersen also told The Darien Times there was no actual risk of demolition to the building.

The redevelopment, which would double the developments' homes in density, finally received approval from the Connecticut Housing Finance Authority in late August and broke ground last month.

The state had turned down the Housing Authority twice before on the request for $2.47 million of 9% low-income tax credits that will come in two parts.

The plan would double the current 53 single-family home units to 106 townhouse-style units.

Anderson said the demolition notice "should have read 186 Noroton (corner of West and Noroton)."

"We are correcting the notice and sending new ones. Sorry for the mistake," he said.

Ashburne said "we did not file a request to demolish the wrong building."

See the original post:
‘Clerical error’ had Ring’s End slated for demolition

JUNEAU The Dodge County Board of Supervisors will consider spending up to $6.2 million to renovate Clearview North facility and possibly demolish the countys office building when it meets later this month.

The five-member Clearview North study committee will give a special presentation on its proposed plans to the board at the March 20 session. Those plans include moving the human services and health departments, creating a specialized community based residential facility, and creating a central storage area for the maintenance department, all at the Clearview North facility on Home Road in Juneau.

The members of the study committee were appointed in April of 2011 to consider the options available for the building when residents of the facility are moved to new quarters currently under construction across the street.

The building options that committee members considered included selling the building; razing the structure and selling the property; renovating it entirely for human services and health department; or renovate the building for multiple uses.

The committee hired Engberg Anderson in December 2011 to prepare a report on the building. After receiving the report, the committee opted to study renovating the building for multiple uses.

Selling it did not seem to be an option, study committee Chairman Glenn Stousland of Beaver Dam said. No one wants it. If we leave it for Unified Services, we still have to heat it. It did not make good economic sense not to use this building, he added.

After 11 meetings, the committee is suggesting the county consolidate all programs and operations of the Dodge County Human Services and health department into the north building. The Unified Services are currently located in the facility. That would move all the operations now being conducted in the Dodge County Office Building, 143 E. Center St., Juneau, to the Clearview North building.

The committee states in the resolution the county would make efforts to sell the vacated office building, but in the event those efforts are unsuccessful, razing the four-story structure would be considered.

Human Services Director Eric Pritzl discussed with the committee his presentation to the board on the benefits and challenges of a move to Clearview North.

In December I assembled a building team to talk about design, Pritzl said. There will be several benefits to the consumers, he added.

View original post here:
Dodge County to consider use for Clearview North facility

The office building will undergo a large scale renovation to bring it back to its original Class A standards.

Arlington, VA (PRWEB) March 08, 2012

This outstanding asset has been fully-occupied for a long period of time, creating an opportunity to reposition it up to todays Class A standards and to reacquaint the market with West End Courts great physical and location attributes, said David Alperstein, Principal at FD Stonewater. The building offers a unique neighborhood feel in a highly-desirable commercial zone and will feature significant upgrades to common areas as we prepare it to meet the needs of either a full building tenant or those seeking suites from 5,000 square feet and up he concluded.

About FD Stonewater

FD Stonewater was formed through the recent merger of two boutique real estate firms, FD Partners based in Arlington, Virginia and Stonewater Partners of New York and Los Angeles. The merger brings together a combined track record of more than $10 billion in investment, advisory, development and acquisitions and over 40 million square feet of lease transactions, to offer a fully-integrated, national real estate platform with capabilities in Principal Investment, Development, Advisory and Brokerage activities.

David Alperstein FD Stonewater 571-451-0018 Email Information

Continued here:
FD Stonewater Awarded Exclusive Leasing and Construction Management Services for 1255 22nd Street, NW

Lehigh Valley Health Network will be the anchor tenant of the six-story office building due to open next year as part of Allentown's hockey arena complex, according to sources.

Plans were unveiled last week for a 203,000-square-foot office building and 180-room hotel attached to the 8,500-seat hockey arena to be built at Seventh and Hamilton streets, but city officials would not reveal the hotel operator or the developer of the office complex.

However, four sources confirmed this week that City Center Investment Corp. will be the owner of the office complex, and that Lehigh Valley Health Network medical offices are expected to be its primary tenant.

Lehigh Valley Health Network spokesman Brian Downs said only that hospital officials have been discussing everything from sponsorship to marketing to medical offices involving the arena project.

"We've been discussing several opportunities to be part of the arena project, but nothing has been finalized," Downs said. "We would like to have an announcement sooner rather than later, but I can't confirm anything right now."

Owned by developers J.B. Reilly and Joe Topper, City Center was created last year to develop around the arena project. City Center Chief Operating Officer Jim Harbaugh echoed Downs' cautious tone, stressing that no deals have been signed.

"It would be great to have Lehigh Valley Hospital as a tenant," Harbaugh said. "But we can't talk about discussions while they are still in progress."

The sources, however, said that City Center has been chosen to own the proposed 200,000 office complex, and while several health care organizations have been considered to be part of a major sports medicine component of the hockey arena, Lehigh Valley Health Network is expected to become the building's anchor tenant.

Allentown is completing demolition of a square block of businesses between Hamilton and Linden streets and Seventh and Eighth streets. The on-site office building would face Hamilton Street; the onsite hotel would face Seventh Street.

The arena is scheduled to be home to the Philadelphia Flyers' top minor league hockey affiliate, the Phantoms, beginning in September 2013. City officials have said the cost of the hotel and office complex would be in addition to the $158 million cost of building the arena, and would be funded by private investors.

Read the rest here:
Sources: Allentown arena office complex to house LVH