The 19th Street construction started in 2018 and after a long two years, managers of the project are happy to see the end-product.

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. After a long two years of construction along 19th Street in Virginia Beach, business owners along the roadway are happy to have open space again to welcome in customers.

The project's goal was to bring new life to the Virginia Beach street where local businesses thrive off of tourism and foot traffic. The city's Senior Planner and Urban Designer, Emily Archer, said they had a distinct image for what they wanted and are in love with the finished product.

19th Street was a four-lane street with small sidewalks, said Archer.

"It really needed to be friendly to pedestrians and aesthetically pleasing for the millions of tourists we get every year," she said.

Archer said it's not just what you see on the surface. A lot of work went underground in ensuring no future problems are to occur.

"It was really fun to layer in those artistic elements as we were developing the project, so we are really happy with how it turned out," said Archer.

For the past two years, business owners along the roadway have expressed their frustration over the construction confusion. While they understood it was a process that takes time for a better outcome, they had to deal with customers not being able to find routes to their businesses.

Now that the construction is complete, owners like Morgan Phipps from Beach Bully Barbecue, said it's a big relief.

"We're just happy there are no more road closures," said Phipps. "People can come all the way from the Oceanfront to the Convention Center. We would get calls probably two or three times a day at least with, 'how do we get to your parking lot? The road's blocked off!'"

Phipps said even heading into the winter months and the coronavirus pandemic, she is hopeful more foot traffic will be coming through her restaurant's door.

"It's a prettier place to walk through and now that we have all the murals done on the buildings as well, we're getting a lot of foot traffic of people just checking out the individual murals without having to route themselves around the construction," explained Phipps.

Archer said this is just one of many steps the city plans to take in fully revitalizing the area. She says they have plans to work on both the 17th and 18th streets as well.

For a closer look at the changes on 19th Street, click here.

Continue reading here:
Virginia Beach business owners thrilled to see long-time construction project finished - 13newsnow.com WVEC

The TOPHOTELPROJECTS construction database shows that hotel giant IHG will add 94,226 rooms to its global portfolio in the years ahead, with a strong focus on the APAC region.

IHG will open 430 new hotels with 94,226 rooms in the coming years. We take a closer look at this companys impressive pipeline.

In the last few weeks of 2020, IHG will launch 50 hotels with 8,989 rooms. 36 of these properties are already in the pre-opening phase.

In 2021, things will be busy once again 153 launches are planned, encompassing 32,563 keys in total. The pace will slow down slightly in 2022, however, with 96 properties and 20,805 rooms slated to open. For 2023 and beyond, another 131 projects with 31,869 keys are already in the pipeline.

Of these 430 new hotels, 280 will be in the four-star segment. The remaining 150 will fall into the five-star luxury category.

The APAC region will see the most growth by far; here, 225 hotels with 52,604 rooms will open in the near future. By way of comparison, North America is a long way back in second, with 81 planned launches and 11,996 rooms.

Europe takes third place with 71 openings and 13,173 keys, while the Middle East will see 38 hotels and 13,712 rooms go live. The fact that the Middle East has a similar room count to Europe but far fewer properties overall shows that hotels in the former will on average be much larger than the latter.

IHG also plans to grow its presence in South America and Africa by nine and six hotels respectively.

Unsurprisingly, the worlds largest country China takes the lead here with 124 new hotels and 29,120 rooms on the cards. The US comes a distant second with 71 planned launches and 10,605 keys, whereas Australia will get 20 new IHG properties with a total of 4,153 rooms.

The group also plans to significantly grow its presence in India (19 extra hotels and 2,450 rooms) and Saudi Arabia (14 planned openings and 7,953 keys).

Holiday Inn Hotels & Resorts will expand its portfolio faster than any other IHG brand it has 86 projects and 22,590 rooms in the pipeline. Hotel Indigo follows with 69 new hotels and 11,362 keys.

Luxury flag InterContinental Hotels & Resorts, meanwhile, will grow its global presence by 61 properties and 14,745 rooms. Last but not least, Crowne Plaza Hotels & Resorts will get 53 new hotels with 14,733 keys, and Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants will add 31 properties and 5,831 keys to its offering.

Wherever you look, IHG seems to be opening impressive properties right now. Lets dip into the database to pick out a few that you wont want to miss.

Crowne Plaza Kota Kinabalu Waterfront will be part of a mixed-use development at a prime waterfront location in downtown Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia when it opens in Q3 2021. The 367-room hotel will deliver eight versatile meeting spaces, including a large ballroom holding up to 600 people, while the rooftop bar and restaurant will be the first offering of its kind in Kota Kinabalu. Overlooking a waterfront promenade, they promise to provide unparalleled sunset views. An outdoor pool, spa and fully equipped 24-hour fitness centre will also ensure guests stay energised and at the top of their game throughout their stay.

Over in Laos, the 400-room InterContinental Vientiane will be part of the new World Trade Centre Complex due to be completed in late 2021. Strategically located a short drive away from Wattay International Airport and adjacent to Lan Cang Avenue, Vietnam Street and French Street, InterContinental Vientiane will be close to the prime ministers office, international embassies and major convention centres. Guests will also be able to easily access landmark tourist attractions such as the Lao National Museum and the Morning Market.

Elsewhere, the stunning Yarra Valley in Australia will be home to the fancy Voco Yarra Valley from early 2023. This 216-room hotel will boast distinctive features like an onsite gin distillery, lavender farm, mirrored maze, amphitheatre cut from natural ground and provedore serving and selling local produce. Itll also feature large conference and meeting facilities, a gym, bars, a family restaurant and kids entertainment facilities making it perfect for weekday MICE travellers, weekend leisure guests and families.

And finally, a 1950s state-run guesthouse in the Chinese metropolis of Wuhan is being transformed into the 349-key HUALUXE Wuhan Wuchang. With a variety of meeting facilities, a large ballroom, a signature Chinese restaurant and tea houses, the hotel appears well-suited to meeting the citys growing need for corporate and leisure accommodation. After a complete renovation and modernisation, the property will launch in Q4 2021.

Read more from the original source:
Group overview: IHG to grow by 95000 rooms worldwide [Construction Report] - TOPHOTELNEWS

Posted on December 4, 2020By EditorNeighborhood News, San Jose, San Marco, St. Nicholas

East San Marco, located at the corner of Atlantic Boulevard and Hendricks Avenue, is scheduled to break ground in January 2021.

The East San Marco Shopping Center will break ground in January 2021, and Publix is slated to be the anchor store, a representative from Regency Centers told a group of San Marco Merchants at their meeting Nov. 11.

During a hybrid Zoom and in-person meeting of the San Marco Merchants Association (SMMA) at Southside Baptist Church, the East San Marco project was one of several updates given on several San Marco construction projects, including Park Place at San Marco, and the San Marco One building in San Marco Square.

Speaking before the group were Patrick McKinley, vice president and market officer for Regency Centers, Park Place developer Bill Ware of Harbert Realty, and Paul Thomas, vice president of asset management of Sleiman Enterprises, which owns the historic San Marco One building.

Dustin Kaloostian of Beachside Buggies also spoke before the group. He talked of his companys progress in providing free transportation to San Marco and Southbank riders after it was forced to shut down completely due to the Coronavirus pandemic.

But most of the crowd was especially interested in learning about the status of East San Marco, and when the long-promised grocer, Publix, might be coming to the neighborhood.

We finally do have some light at the end of the tunnel, said McKinley. I know everyone has been hearing that for a long time. Many construction projects have been hampered by COVID-19 and East San Marco was one. Delays caused by the virus have delayed the permitting process pushing back the groundbreaking ceremony until January 2021, he said.

Regency has already submitted their site work permits to the city and they are ready to be picked up, McKinley said. He added that architectural plans also have been submitted, and he estimated they would be approved by the end of the year. Contractors are currently submitting bids and a general contractor will most likely be selected in December, he said.

In mid-November, Publix signed a lease with Regency and the new supermarket will anchor the small, long-anticipated shopping center that will be located at the corner of Atlantic Boulevard and Hendricks Avenue.

What is planned for the site is a courtyard-shaped shopping center with a 39,000-square-foot Publix on the second floor of a 50-foot-tall building located at the corner of Atlantic Boulevard and Mango Place. Underneath the store will be parking and a small Publix liquor store, McKinley said.

The Publix will not be a baby-sized grocery store like the 28,000 square-foot grocery in Riverside, but rather a custom-sized store that will be larger than Riversides grocery but smaller than the typical 54,000-square-foot Publix at University Boulevard. This is a unique urban site, and Publix is open to creating a custom store, he said. Its not going to feel small like the Riverside store. This one is going to have everything you are going to want. You wont feel under-merchandised, he told the crowd. It will serve the community well.

The 2.35-acre site will include a courtyard design with 62,000-square feet of retail outlets including two restaurants, bordering Atlantic Boulevard and Hendricks avenue. After three or four months of site work, vertical construction can begin, McKinley said, noting that Regency hopes to deliver Publix so the grocer can start fitting out the interior in the Summer of 2022. He also estimated that the centers retailers would open a few months later in late 2022 or early 2023. The challenges of COVID-19 and its impact on the restaurant industry have presented a challenge for Regency when it comes to signing on tenants for the centers restaurants, he said. Trying to get a marquee restaurant for that one space (on the corner of Atlantic Boulevard and Hendricks Avenue) has gotten a bit more challenging, he admitted.

Other than some minor details, the centers design plans have not really changed from what was presented to the community at its October 2019 town meeting, he said.

McKinley also noted that Regency is coordinating as much as it can with the developers of Park Place at San Marco, which is scheduled to be built on land that was formerly the campus of South Jacksonville Presbyterian Church. Although the two projects will be built simultaneously, he said there should be no real concern about traffic tie-ups while East San Marco is under construction.

We will have the staging of most of our work done on site, he said, noting that some site work regarding drainage was done in May, when one lane of Atlantic Boulevard was closed for four or five days. We choose to do it then because traffic was way down. They city wanted us to do it at that time instead of in the middle of 2021 when traffic might be back to normal.

Park Place at San Marco

Also speaking in the meeting was Ware, who joins Andy Allen and George Leone of Corner Lot Development Group in overseeing the development of Park Place at San Marco.

The new development, which will be built on land adjacent to Matthews Restaurant and behind South Jacksonville Presbyterian Church, will consist of a 133-unit, four-story, 49.5-foot tall residential complex and a two-story parking garage.

The development was slightly delayed due to a contentious lawsuit led by a San Marco neighborhood group, Right Size San Marco, which objected to the way the property was rezoned to allow a nearly 50-foot tall building to be built in the San Marco Overlay, which mandates buildings not be taller than 35 feet. The city and developers were able to move ahead when Right Size San Marco lost an appeal before the Florida Division of Administrative Hearings (DOAH), and dropped a second appeal before it could be heard before the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit.

Ware said his development team includes EnVision+Engineering, led by Doug Skiles of San Marco, and Group 4 Design. Live Oak Contracting, a Jacksonville-based firm, will be the contractor.

Its been a long time coming. Im excited about it, said Ware, noting that the project has been a team effort from Day 1.

Ware said his team plans to break ground in the second quarter of 2021. We have our civil plans approved by the city and available for permit, he said, adding that the projects architectural plans are being wrapped up and should be completed by the end of November to be submitted to the city in early December.

Ware said he was working closely with McKinley so the two projects can dovetail nicely. We want our effort to complement one another on Alford Place so that the main corridor we are creating can be pedestrian friendly. I really believe it is going to add a huge positive dynamic to San Marco. We are attempting to make San Marco more pedestrian friendly, and I do believe once these two projects are up and operational, with all the infrastructure, sidewalks, road improvements, lights and so forth, that we will have the highest walkability factor in Jacksonville, he said.

San Marco One

Thomas also brought the SMMA group up to date on the renovations being made to San Marco One, a historic commercial building in the heart of San Marco Square. The exterior has been painted and preserved in such a way to keep it watertight, he said. William Jaycox, a San Marco architect, has helped Sleiman Enterprises preserve its historic nature. Jaycox has also suggested interior marketing layouts that will make the 8,000-square-foot interior space attractive to as many as three tenants. Thomas also said that he expects different tenants to lease space on the upper and lower floors.

Weve completed the exterior painting and added some wings to bring back the original architecture, Thomas said. It gives it more of a Mediterranean feel, and weve replaced two of the three roofs.

Thomas said he is not ready to make an announcement about what tenants might eventually fill the newly renovated space, however he said his team will be marketing to restaurants, although they might not fill the entire space as they did before. He expects tenants to move into the building at the beginning of 2022.

One leasing challenge facing Sleiman Enterprises is the necessity of opening up the first floor so tenants will feel they are visible from the street, Thomas said. To accomplish that goal, the company is proposing to remove some crepe myrtles along the front and incorporate a landscape island just west of the main entrance to the building. Thomas claimed the proposal, which will be considered by both SMMA and the San Marco Preservation Society, will enhance walkability in front of the building and assist making signage more visible for the first-floor tenant.

We would take up the maintenance of landscaping and pay for all the improvements, he said. We feel this will open up the building and allow people to walk by a little bit better. We are hoping everyone is open to the idea, and we welcome further discussion about it.

Beachside Buggies

The Beachside Buggies transport service that offers free rides throughout San Marco and the Southbank has resumed after a few months hiatus due to COVID-19. The service is now running for limited hours on weekends only, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday but plans to add service on Thursdays at the end of the November, said Kaloostian.

Understanding that people might be leery of riding in the small vans due to the pandemic, the company has made several safety modifications to its vehicles including offering hand sanitizer, and masks and separating riders so that fewer people are transported at the same time.

Our goal is still the same. We want to change the way people get around San Marco, Kaloostian said. We want to change the way people think about traveling the half mile from their condo our hotel. We want residents who may have done it one way for so many years to entertain a new possibility.

By Marcia HodgsonResident Community News

Read more here:
Publix is finally coming to East San Marco - The Resident Community News

The pandemic his hit a wide variety of sectors, from air travel to retail, and hiring figures to remain depressed until vaccines can be deployed widely enough. Here, a pilot at New York's LaGuardia Airport this past week. Spencer Platt/Getty Images

Text size

The economy may not have shrank in November, despite the resurgence of the coronavirus and the continued unwinding of government support. But thats thin gruel to the roughly 12 million Americans who remain underemployed compared with February.

Employers reported 338,000 additional jobs last month, according to the Labor Departments latest nonfarm payrolls report, after excluding layoffs associated with the end of the census. A year ago, that would have been a strong number, but relative to the magnitude of the jobs gap it represents something close to stagnation. After all, the private sector added an average of 945,000 jobs each month from August through October.

Moreover, the underlying details of the data suggest the U.S. job market could easily turn negative in the months ahead, assuming it hasnt already. That risks inflicting hardship on tens of millions of people while we wait for the vaccine to be widely distributed.

Big hiring numbers for delivery and warehouse serviceswhich together added about 120,000 jobsoffset outright declines in a wide range of sectors including retail, restaurants, schools, tech, publishing, banking, accounting, consulting, and nursing homes, which together lost almost 120,000 jobs. Meanwhile, there was almost no job growth in many other sectors, including construction, manufacturing, personal services, hospitals, and local governments excluding education.

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The hit to retail and restaurants can likely be explained by the resurgence of the virusand that hit will likely worsen in coming months due to the soaring number of new confirmed cases. The current jobs report, after all, is a snapshot of the week ended Nov. 14, when there were 993,000 new cases, up from 383,000 new confirmed cases in the corresponding October week. In the past seven days, there were more than 1.2 million new cases.

This is also confirmed by the high-frequency data. The number of seated diners at American restaurants fell noticeably between the middle of October and the middle of November, according to Open Table, with an even bigger drop over the past two weeks. The declines were biggest in the states with the worst outbreaks, such as Illinois, Minnesota, and Wisconsin. Meanwhile, the number of Americans filing initial claims for unemployment insurance benefits in the states with the biggest third wave outbreak is up more than 40% since the end of September, even as that number drops in the rest of the country.

At least as concerning as the retail and restaurant hit is the continuing weakness in professional-services employment, which reflects the spread of the economic pain from directly affected sectors to the rest of society. In percentage terms, the monthly drop in employment at computer systems design and related services was twice as bad as the decline at restaurants and bars. As of November, employment across Americas total tech sectorwhich is predominantly computer systems design, but also includes software publishing, data processing and hosting, and internet publishing and web search portalswas down about 2.2% compared with February. Thats worse than the peak-to-trough decline in 2008-09.

Perhaps the biggest warning sign of a negative turn comes from the jobs reports separate survey of households, which implies that employment fell by about 450,000 after accounting for the sharp increase in the number of workers who were likely misclassified as employed with an unpaid absence. At 0.3%, the implied drop in November employment is comparable to whats happening in tech, restaurants, retail, and public schools.

The number of people counted as unemployed barely dropped, thanks to a downtick in people reporting they were on temporary layoffbut that was only because 400,000 Americans stopped actively looking for work due to a lack of jobs. As a result, there are still 12 million Americans who are either out of work or who are working part time but would prefer to have full-time jobs.

With multiple vaccines ready to be distributed, its likely that the economy will be able to rebound strongly before the end of next year. Its also likely that things will continue to get worse before they get better, and that the potential for permanent damage to workers and businesses will rise the longer Americans go without income support.

Write to Matthew C. Klein at matthew.klein@barrons.com

See the article here:
Covid Spike Hits the Labor Market, and Its Likely to Worsen - Barron's

You have a tent up for outdoor dining, but can it handle a snowfall? Are your outdoor heaters safe? What about portable cooking equipment? And then theres the matter of additional electric work.

Restaurants looking to continue outdoor dining in December and the rest of the winter will need to reapply for a number of permits with their local municipality to make sure their outdoor space is appropriate for winter, the Department of Community Affairs said last week.

In June, the Division of Codes and Standards within DCA provided guidance on the issuance of permits, and the use of tents, tensioned membrane structures and canopies, per the Uniform Fire Code and Uniform Construction Code. Due to the approaching winter weather conditions, establishments that want to maintain the use of tents past Nov. 30 are required to apply for a UCC permit from their local construction office, the DCA said.

Additionally, a permit for any electrical equipment, electrical wiring or mechanical equipment that would otherwise require a permit must also be filed. Municipalities are encouraged to waive permit fees for tents in use past the Nov. 30 deadline, provided that the tents meet the snow-bearing requirements or meet the guidance issued last week.

In addition to the UCC permit, operational items such as portable cooking equipment used around and/or under the tent should be maintained in accordance with the Uniform Fire Code and addressed by the local fire official.This would apply to the operation/usage of portable propane heaters and similar items.

Lt. Gov. Sheila Oliver, who serves as DCA commissioner, said the permits are meant to help, not hinder businesses, while keeping the public safe.

The guidance demonstrates the DCAs commitment to ensuring a safe outdoor dining experience while working with business owners to meet their needs, she said.

Oliver said municipalities should do so as well.

We urge all our municipalities to suspend permit fees for tents as much as possible to help our restaurants survive this winter season, she said.

Oliver said the Division of Fire Safety is constantly evaluating new products and alternative solutions to see if any are acceptable to meet the needs of outdoor dining. It is the intent of the division to ensure that outdoor dining is done safely, and in a code-compliant manner, while at the same time working with business owners to meet their needs, she said.

A few notes:

Those that already are erected may not meet the structural provisions of the UCC building subcode, including winter conditions and snow loads. Local construction offices may issue a variation to allow the tent to remain under the conditions set forth in UCC. Construction officials are strongly encouraged to work with businesses to determine an appropriate variation.When a variation is granted, a snow plan must be filed with the construction official that would take effect in the event of a forecasted weather event that would exceed the certified conditions of the variation.

In order to provide sufficient time for the processing of permit and variation applications, municipalities may grant establishments a two-week extension from the Nov. 30 deadline to remove the tent, provided that the establishment has filed a snow plan with the permit application that will be put into effect in the event of a forecasted weather event occurring within the time period of the extension.

This including bubbles, igloos, huts, etc. They are permitted for outdoor dining, subject to applicable restrictions.These structures, including pop-up covers, may be erected for use without a UCC permit when limited to less than 120 square feet in area.The dome should be able to be deconstructed on a daily basis, if needed, and should be secured, but not anchored, so that it can be readily lifted for emergency evacuation.

Domes that are 120 square feet or greater in area and used during Dec. 1 to March 31 would be subject to the UCC permit and variation provisions as noted above for tents. In either case, if temporary heating is provided (e.g. portable and/or cord and plug), the local fire official would oversee the heat source clearances.

As noted in the DCAs previous guidance, if barriers are erected around the newly created outdoor dining areas, they should provide for egress openings similar to those provided for assembly uses. Existing plumbing facilities should be maintained within the building for use by patrons; the restaurant or similar assembly space should establish a proper protocol for maintaining social distancing for the usage of facilities, such as restrooms.

In addition to the UCC, the International Code Councils Considerations for Converting Outdoor Spaces into Temporary Seating Spaces provides supplemental guidance and should be utilized. This guidance notes the applicable sections of the International Building and Fire Codes that would apply as adopted by the UCC. It can be accessed here.

Previous guidance for outdoor dining and UCC/UFC permit issuance can be found here.

Original post:
Restaurants need to reapply for permits (by Dec. 1) to continue outdoor dining this winter - ROI-NJ.com

The Cohen family loved the redevelopment of Carmels bustling Midtown area so much they decided to build a new home in the heart of it.

But only months after the home on 2nd St. SW was complete, The GOAT tavern opened next door, replacing what had been breakfast and lunch spot Bubs Cafe until its closure in October 2019. It soon became clear that the Cohens new neighbor wasnt at all like the previous one.

In addition to frequently finding trash strewn about their property and hearing noisy patrons until 3 a.m. and later, the familys security cameras captured customers urinating, vomiting, passing out and even hooking up on the side of their yard adjacent to The GOAT. On one weekend in October, the cameras caught approximately 60 separate incidents, they said.

But perhaps most frustrating to the Cohen family is the fact that The GOAT is operating in a residentially zoned area. A variance approved in 2007 for Bubs Cafe to operate a restaurant on the site expired when the use changed, a fact that city officials admit they overlooked when reviewing initial plans for The GOAT, which stands for Greatest of All Taverns. The Cohens and others who live nearby are trying to figure out how that happened.

Its obvious that (The GOAT) never shouldve been able to open, Alan Cohen said. We have been pounding and pounding and pounding the table with everybody that this is not right. Shut (The GOAT) down and make him do like any other business would do. File a petition requesting a new variance or new zoning and give us our rights and our opportunity as residents to come forward and remonstrate.

When a rezone or variance is requested, the law requires that neighbors be notified and given the opportunity to express their opinions on the change. That didnt happen with The GOAT, which opened as a much different establishment from what neighbors and many city officials were expecting.

Ive had nothing but complaints from the day it opened, said Carmel City Councilor Bruce Kimball, whose district includes The GOAT. Its just unbelievable. Theyve turned Midtown into Broad Ripple. From 1 oclock to 3 or 4 oclock in the morning theres all sorts of deviant behavior, urinating, defecation and even finding condoms on the sidewalks around The GOAT.

The situation has gotten so bad, Kimball said, that he is sponsoring an ordinance that will go before the city council on Dec. 7 prohibiting urinating and defecating in public.

Its a shame that we have to have an ordinance like this, Kimball said. It seems like its a common sense-type thing.

Kevin Paul, who owns The GOAT with his wife, Megan, acknowledges that the tavern got off to a rough start in its first few weeks, but he said hes done everything he can to be a good neighbor, including installing a fence, hiring security, modifying hours and more. He believes the crowds and clientele have been largely driven by pandemic restrictions in Marion County and that the atmosphere at The GOAT will be different in the long term.

What were experiencing right now is not what this business is going to be in June. Its a 100-percent COVID event, Paul said. Weve got a bunch of 20-somethings and early 30s who have nowhere to go. The place happens to be new and trendy and cool, and thats why theyre going there.

Photos captured on a security camera at the Cohen residence show patrons of The GOAT urinating, vomting and hooking up on the Cohens private property. (Submitted photo)

The Cohens, whose primary home is elsewhere in Carmel, arent the only nearby residents with complaints about The GOAT. Property management firm Barrett & Stokely opened The Railyard at Midtown apartments just south of the tavern in February, but as soon as The GOAT opened six months later, apartment management began hearing complaints about the noise.

As much as I want successful restaurants and businesses around here for our residents to visit, the noise concerns became apparent almost immediately and have not stopped since August, said Rachel Baldwin, property manager of The Railyard at Midtown. I have to be an advocate for our residents and try to find solutions to their problems, and this is a problem they continue to report to me, being woken up until 2 or 3 in the morning consistently on the weekends. Its not conducive to the lifestyle they were anticipating when they leased here.

Baldwin helped one resident who lived near The GOAT relocate to the other side of the building, and shes received frequent noise complaints from several others who live on the north side of the property. Shes encouraged residents to call the Carmel Police Dept.s nonemergency line to report problems as her attempts to work with The GOATs management and city officials to resolve the problem havent been successful.

Tom Willson moved into The Railyard in May but was at his home in Florida when The GOAT opened this summer. He was shocked by the changes when he returned in October.

Willsons unit is about halfway down the block from The GOAT, so noise directly from the tavern isnt his biggest problem. Rather, he is often disturbed by customers walking past his home after 3 a.m. when The GOAT closes.

There are people right outside our window. Theyre yelling and screaming, and theyre obviously drunk, he said. Theyre revving their engines and speeding up 2nd Avenue.

Willson doesnt necessarily want to see The GOAT shut down, but he would like to see modifications, such as reduced hours or alcohol stopped being served at midnight.

Paul, who said hes already taken a large revenue hit by making changes to address concerns, said he welcomes feedback from neighbors and that he expects the situation to continue improving.

All Im asking for is a little bit of time and patience and continued recommendations as to resolve and fix some problems, he said.

The GOAT co-owners Kevin and Megan Paul pause near the tavern in August. (Submitted photo)

When city councilor Jeff Worrell began hearing repeated complaints about The GOATs late-night crowd, he stopped by for a look. He had previously been a patron of The GOAT during dinner hours and was surprised by the change in clientele after midnight, both during the week and on weekends.

This is not a family friendly environment. This is not what I envisioned for Midtown, said Worrell, an at-large councilor. After 1 oclock, (the atmosphere) is totally different, and therefore I believe we need to take some action to protect the investment that the taxpayer has made, the investment of other businesses and certainly, ultimately, the residents around that area who did not bargain for a Broad Ripple-esque environment at 3 oclock in the morning.

Worrell and fellow at-large council member Kevin Woody Rider co-sponsored an amendment to the citys noise ordinance introduced at the Nov. 16 council meeting that prohibits machines that emit sounds, such as radios and loudspeakers, from being used between 11 p.m. and 7 a.m. If approved, Worrell said its only one piece of what he sees as a multifaceted approach to addressing the problem.

Another proposed step is rezoning the property and through that process restricting the taverns operating hours. The Carmel Plan Commission is set to review a rezone request submitted by Carmels Dept. of Community Services at its Dec. 15 meeting that would convert The GOAT and the Carmel Clay Historical Societys property to the north from residential to mixed-use zoning. If the rezone request isnt approved, The GOAT likely will not be permitted to continue operating.

Cohen who considered pursuing variances for his own Midtown home before building it said he doesnt understand why the city is petitioning for the rezone rather than Paul. Willson said the situation doesnt make much sense to him, either.

Its disappointing that there would be any sort of effort to try to match the zoning to the way the restaurant is operating instead of forcing the restaurant to operate to the requirements of the zoning, Willson said. That is kind of head-scratching to me in this city where things are so well-run normally.

The Carmel City Council will have the final vote on whether or not a rezone is approved for The GOAT, but Kimball said he believes several councilors would vote with him against it.

A number of my colleagues are not in favor of changing the zoning because of the bad behavior (at The GOAT), Kimball said. Jeff Worrell and I, earlier in the summer, had a long talk with the owner, who said he would control it, and he hasnt. All we got was lip service.

Cohen questions how the city could have overlooked the zoning requirements for The GOAT. His son, Nathan, emailed the Dept. of Community Services on May 22, asking if the new restaurant in the Bubs Cafe site would need any variances to operate. Four days later, a planning administrator wrote back stating that she did not know if variances would be required.

Carmel Director of Community Services Mike Hollibaugh said the citys planning department was not aware of the zoning mistake until then.

By the time the zoning issue was fully realized, the construction was near completion, Hollibaugh said. The initial response by DOCS was not to stop construction but rather to work with the owner on the zoning issue, believing it could be fixed over the coming months.

Construction continued, and whenThe GOAT opened, the Cohens were shocked at what was allowed to transpire without a rezone or variance of any kind.

Hollibaugh said that the zoning proposed for The GOAT and the Carmel Clay Historical Societys site to the north have been the intention for the area for years.

Regardless of the technical mistake made by city staff, the plan has always been for restaurants, housing, retail and office to coexist all along Monon Boulevard, Hollibaugh said. This rezone is to get the zoning into compliance with the plan not only for this particular parcel of land but a larger area along Monon Boulevard.

Cohen said he was prepared to live next to a vibrant urban center, but thats not what the experience has turned out to be, he said.

We were all here before The GOAT. The GOAT is the last thing thats been developed in this area, he said. We did not expect this to happen. Nobody couldve expected this to happen.

Complaints stemming from customers of The GOAT may have the most impact on the taverns immediate neighbors, but some believe the problem has ripple effects on the entire community because of the police resources being devoted to the area.

Carmel Police Dept. Lt. James Semester declined to provide details on arrests or calls generated by The GOAT. Current has filed a public information request to obtain this data.

There are instances when we bring in more officers to patrol the Midtown area. Generally, those are evenings/nights where we expect larger community attendance in that district, he said. On-duty officers are not being pulled off of regular responsibilities to keep an eye on The GOAT.

Carmel City Councilor Bruce Kimball said hes heard of several incidents stemming from The GOAT that led to police involvement and witnessed some of it firsthand when he visited the area at 3 a.m. on a weekend and saw four police cars nearby.

That takes resources away from other parts of the city, he said.

According to Kimball, many of the problems occur after other bars and restaurants in the area close.

They all come up to The GOAT, and theyre arriving drunk, Kimball said. Weve had numerous police calls. Weve had people injured getting out of their cars drunk to go to The GOAT. Weve spent hundreds of millions of dollars to create this great environment, and we dont want one establishment to ruin that.

In June 2019, the Carmel City Council voted to give one of four new alcohol permits it received from the state to a restaurant called Smoken Barrel proposed as a partnership between restaurateur Kevin Paul and the owners of Bubs Cafe on the site that now houses The GOAT.

According to documents filed with the city to obtain the alcohol permit, Smoken Barrel was to provide an open-air setting for small batch bourbons and spirits, artisanal cocktails, craft beers and smoked foods. It was to be in a beautiful newly renovated building and feature high-quality furnishings and decor with a beer garden.

The building and interior will reinforce the quality brand that Carmel residents have come to expect, the document states.

City councilor Jeff Worrell said when he voted in favor of approving the alcohol permit in 2019, his impression was the restaurant would be more in line with others in the area, such as Fork & Ale and Sun King. Both are closed by 1 a.m. at the latest.

I think most people felt like (The GOAT) was going to be like what was already there and doesnt bother anybody, Worrell said. I didnt anticipate that this could become something that it has, but Im prepared now to work to try to bring it in line with the vision for Midtown.

Kimball agreed that The GOAT has not turned out to be what he expected when voting in favor of the alcohol permit.

Many of the neighbors that I talked to, myself included, were given the impression this was going to be a quiet, bourbon and cigar bar, not a 3 oclock in the morning (establishment), he said. Theyre not leaving at 3. Theyre sometimes still around the firepit at 3:30, 4 in the morning. Drunks are pounding on residents doors. Its just a real mess.

Paul said he removed the cigar bar concept at the recommendation of city officials but that The GOAT is mostly in line with what was presented to the council in 2019.

I didnt spend half a million in renovations to have people come in and use (The GOAT) as a dive bar, said Kevin Paul, owner of The GOAT. That is absolutely not what this place is designed to be.

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This is not right: Carmel taking action after neighbors complain of noise, public urination and worse - Current in Carmel

A property that for many years sat empty on Jekyll Islands oceanfront will soon be the site of a new dual-branded Courtyard/ Residence Inn.

The board of the Jekyll Island Authority took a hard-hat tour earlier this week of the hotel site.

Construction is set to be completed next year.

The 209-key property, scheduled to open in spring or summer of 2021, features 120 Courtyard by Marriott rooms and 89 Residence Inn by Marriott rooms.

As you come in, youre going to see this restaurant and bar and lounge area, said Dave Curtis, managing director of LNW Hospitality, escorting board members and JIA staff through the construction site and painting a visual picture of what the ground floors entrance area will soon look like.

Its going to be inside-outside going out to the patio.

The hotel sits on 5.8 acres of oceanfront land and will include numerous amenities, including a pool, splash pad, fire pits, restaurant, bar, fitness center and meeting space.

The property has been a vacant concrete lot for more than 15 years and is the former location of four hotels dating back to 1961.

The hotel is being constructed by Kellogg & Kimsey, Inc. with construction management services performed by McKibbon Places. Chamberlain Architect Services is the architect.

As a dual-branded hotel, there will be several room size options. The Courtyard Inn side of the hotel will feature more standard-size rooms while the Residence Inn side offers some apartment-style spaces to accommodate travelers who plan extended stays.

The construction managers and board members discussed plans for the hotel as well as larger tourism trends on the island as they walked through the unfinished rooms and hallways.

The hotel rooms will likely cost around $180, Curtis said, offering a price option lower than rooms at the Jekyll Island Club or the Westin but higher than several other hotels on the island.

Were hitting a market segment that is not, in terms of the quality, quite yet serviced, Curtis said.

Many of the rooms offer a sweeping ocean view, overlooking Jekylls beach and the Atlantic.

We like to say that all of our rooms face the ocean, Curtis joked, walking away from one of the oceanfront rooms and across the hall. These rooms face the Pacific.

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Hotel construction steadily progressing on Jekyll | Local News - Brunswick News

New commercial

GENERAL RETAIL: 6600 Johnston St., Lafayette; Arthur Leblanc, owner; description, car dealership; James Broussard & Associates, applicant; $5,924,813.

OTHER: 537 Bertrand Drive, Lafayette; Dugas Partnership in Commendam, owner; description, Humana Partners in Primary Care Lafayette 2; John Quinn, applicant; BCCM Construction, contractor; $1,400,000.

RESTAURANT: 3323 Ambassador Caffery Parkway, Lafayette; Pedro Tacos Restaurant, owner; description, patio addition; Reuben Chavez, applicant; self, contractor; $48,000.

MEDICAL OFFICE: 2301 Moss St., Lafayette; Brandi Washington, owner; Brandi Washington, applicant; self, contractor; $0.

FLOOD/STORM DAMAGE: 4801 Johnston St., Lafayette; Bergeaux Enterprises Inc., owner; description, roof repair; SW Auto, applicant; Leslie Paul Pitre, contractor; $2,000.

TENANT BUILD-OUT: 101 Saloom Farm Road, No. 102, Lafayette; Rockbox Fitness, owner; description, boxing/kickboxing fitness studio; Gerald P. Noe, applicant; Bulliard Construction Co. Inc., contractor; $175,000.

OFFICE BUILDING: 208 W. Main St., Lafayette; AMK LLC, owner; description, roof retrofit; Gil Zaunbrecher, applicant; Alvin Noel, contractor; $46,000.

DEMOLITION: 208 E. Vermilion St., Lafayette; Jim Poche, owner; Southwest Contractors LLC, applicant; Southwest Contractors LLC, contractor; $3,000.

SCHOOL/LIBRARY: 1522 Carmel Drive, Lafayette; John Paul the Great, owner; Palmer Construction LLC, applicant; Palmer Construction LLC, contractor; $30,000.

REMODELING: 1210 Albertson Parkway, Broussard; interior remodeling; C.B. Central Builders Inc.; amount not listed.

202 Mcclendon St., Lafayette; Gen Group Construction LLC; $301,500.

105 San Marcos Drive, Youngsville; Signature Series Homes Inc.; $175,500.

201 San Marcos Drive, Youngsville; Signature Series Homes Inc.; $175,500.

103 Tall Meadows Lane, Lafayette; DSLD LLC; $207,000.

215 Sparrowhawk St., Broussard; DSLD LLC; $198,000.

105 Everett Ridge, Lafayette; Acadiana Dream Home LLC; $360,000.

104 Tall Meadows Lane, Lafayette; DSLD LLC; $229,500.

101 Tall Meadows Lane, Lafayette; DSLD LLC; $207,000.

223 Harvest Creek Lane, Lafayette; Heritage Home Builders Inc.; $319,500.

210 Redfern St., Lafayette; Shivers Brothers Construction; $234,000.

104 Ridgecroft Drive, Lafayette Parish; Manuel Builders; $315,000.

209 Grazing Trace Drive, Lafayette; Shane Comeaux; $319,500.

110 Aruba Drive, Lafayette Parish; United Built Homes LLC; $157,500.

418 Aubergine Lane, Lafayette; DSLD LLC; $315,000.

201 Arbor Springs Drive, Lafayette; DSLD LLC; $234,000.

101 Arbor Springs Drive, Lafayette; DSLD LLC; $243,000.

105 Santander Drive, Youngsville; EJ Rock Construction; $279,000.

202 Marathon Drive, Lafayette; D R Horton Inc. Gulf Coast; $180,000.

114 Tracewood Bend, Lafayette; Shivers Brothers Construction; $234,000.

300 Bamboo Palm Way, Broussard; RBM Carpentry LLC; $264,513.

306 Wyatt Lane, Broussard; DSLD Homes LLC; $198,364.

302 Wyatt Lane, Broussard; DSLD Homes LLC; $206,277.

Theres just over a month left to the year 2020, but it managed to get in one final jab at Kathryn Shea Duncan.

Justin Champagne's social media numbers are surging. YouTube views for the New Iberia natives country/hip-hop song, When I Pull Up, reached

Kirk LaCour has been named director of litigation at Acadian Companies.

Octobers Acadiana regional housing market sputtered with 535 reported sales, falling by over 13% from Septembers lofty 616 sales, the second

Dr. Melanie Fowler, a board-certified orthodontist with offices in Lafayette and New Iberia, will be honored during the United Way of Acadiana

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Who's building where in Acadiana? Here are the building permits issued Nov. 9-13 - The Advocate

Its become a common pandemic-era narrative: City dwellers around the United States are supposedly fleeing to the suburbs, or at least searching real estate sites for suburban homes at a slightly higher rate than before. The narrative is overblown, says Curbed: Housing-market data just doesnt support it. Still, theres something to be said for dreaming of more space at a time like this. Who doesnt want to have a backyard in which to lounge, unmasked? What city restaurant owner hasnt been wishing for more or any outdoor dining space over the past few months?

Suburban flight might not be a real consequence of the pandemic, but anecdotally speaking, a few local restaurateurs are indeed signing deals to bring their existing restaurants or new ones outside of the city. Heres a rundown on a few beyond-Boston projects coming down the pipeline.

Buttermilk & Bourbon in Watertown

Jason Santos New Orleans-inspired restaurant Buttermilk & Bourbon, which opened in Bostons Back Bay neighborhood in early 2017, is slated to expand to Watertowns Arsenal Yards development in early 2021, representatives for the development announced this week. It will take up 3,000 square feet of space at the development, which will ultimately fill one million square feet with retail, apartments, a hotel, and life science space.

At the original location of the restaurant, customers are particularly fond of dishes such as the fried chicken (try it Nashville hot) and the honey-glazed biscuits. There is also a substantial bourbon selection.

Arsenal Yards construction is on track for fall 2021 completion, although parts of it have already been up and running for a while, including a few dining options: New Haven pizzeria chain Frank Pepe, City Works Eatery and Pour House (a small national chain), and larger chains Shake Shack, Chipotle, and Ben & Jerrys. Coming up in 2021: a conveyor-belt sushi chain, poke, yakitori, and more.

Boston restaurant the Gallows and its sibling Blackbird Doughnuts were also supposed to expand to Arsenal Yards, as reported in late 2019, but that expansion is currently on hold. With the uncertainty and the stress of the last eight months in the restaurant business, the Gallows has been paused in moving forward, but we expect them to resume their plans sometime in the future, said Bill McQuillan, principal at Boylston Properties, which is a co-developer of Arsenal Yards with Wilder.

The upcoming expansion of Buttermilk & Bourbon to Watertown isnt Jason Santos only suburban expansion. The restaurateur, who is also behind two other Boston proper restaurants (Citrus & Salt and Abby Lane), opened B & B Fish up in Marblehead just a few weeks ago. The counter-service restaurant blends New England shoreline cuisine with Southern influences, and some hints of Buttermilk & Bourbon are on the menu, including the fried chicken and biscuits, beignets, and soft-serve ice cream.

Something from the Mida team in Newton

Chef Douglass Williams and partners Brian Lesser and Seth Gerber, from the Italian gem Mida in Bostons South End, announced in September that theyd be opening a new restaurant at a Newton mixed-use development, Trio Newton, around spring 2021.

Like Mida, the new restaurant will serve Italian food; it will have a bar and patio and will serve lunch, dinner, and Sunday brunch.

The overall development will have 42,000 square feet of retail and dining space, as well as 140 apartments. Local vegetarian chain Clover Food Lab is also slated to open there in 2021.

Nomai, from the Shj team, in Hingham

Brian Moy, executive chef Mike Stark, and the rest of the team behind popular Chinatown spots Shj and Ruckus have a new restaurant in the works out in Hingham, Nomai, they announced this week. It will be located at Hinghams Derby Street Shops, with an opening planned for spring 2021. No word on the menu yet, but Shj and Ruckus both lean in the modern pan-Asian direction, with a focus on small plates and cocktails at the former and fast-casual noodles at the latter. Interested fans can follow along on Instagram for updates.

Derby Street Shops existing dining lineup includes Bertuccis, Burtons Grill, Cava, Legal C Bar, Gelato & Chill, and a few other spots.

Achilitos Taqueria in Foxborough

Margaret Pimentels Jamaica Plain taqueria, which has been open for a couple years, is expanding to Patriot Place (home of Gillette Stadium), opening this December for indoor dining and takeout and joining a long list of restaurants at the development. (Achilitos will be located near Capriottis Sandwich Shop and Tavolino.)

On the menu at the counter-service restaurant: Baja shrimp tacos, chicharron pupusas, Buffalo chicken quesadillas, brisket and mole enchiladas, al pastor tostadas, carnitas nachos, churros, and lots more.

Northern Spy, from the Loyal Nine team, in Canton

This was already in the works way before the pandemic began, but the team behind Cambridges Loyal Nine has a spacious restaurant coming soon to an old copper mill at the Paul Revere Heritage site in Canton. Centered around an open kitchen with a wood-fired hearth, Northern Spy will serve the soul of New England comfort food early communications from the team mentioned dishes like prime rib, hot buttered crab on Parker House rolls, and chowder with plenty of kid-friendly options. Follow along on Instagram for sneak peeks.

Back in August, co-owner Daniel Myers told Eater that the restaurant would have been open already had it not been for COVID-related construction and sourcing delays, but he was hopeful for a fall 2020 opening, pending the status of the pandemic. He also noted that there would be a strong takeout presence and delivery available, as well as outdoor dining space.

Update, November 20, 2020: This piece has been updated to include a note on the status of the planned expansion of the Gallows to Arsenal Yards.

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Suburban Expansion of Boston Restaurants During the Pandemic - Eater Boston

Construction has started on an apartment project in Detroit that was first announced as a medical office building in 2013.

The $60 million Woodward West project is slated to have 204 apartments upon its expected completion in summer 2022, the developer said Thursday in a news release.

In addition, it is anticipated to have about 24,800 square feet of retail space on the nearly 2-acre site at Woodward Avenue and Stimson Street in the south part of Midtown.

Detroit-based developers The Platform LLC and Queen Lillian II LLC are leading the project.

When the project was first announced in April 2013, it was expected to be medical office space at 3439 Woodward Ave. However, the surging apartment market prompted Queen Lillian to shift directions several years ago.

Twenty percent of the 204 units which consists of 114 studios, 78 one-bedrooms and 12 two-bedrooms are slated for those making 80 percent or less than the federally-designed Area Median Income. The AMI includes suburban Detroit, and is $62,800 for a family of two and $78,500 for a four-person household, according to the state. That means that 80 percent of that is $50,240 for a two-person household and $62,800 for a four-person household.

The inclusion of suburban Detroit for determining what housing is affordable in Detroit is often criticized because the suburban household incomes skew upward the city's household income.

Queen Lillian II consists of Chris Jackson, a minority owner and former staffer to former Detroit City Council President Gil Hill and former part owner of Greektown Casino-Hotel; and James Jenkins, who is majority owner of the company and is president and CEO of Detroit-based Jenkins Construction Inc.

Detroit-based The Platform, which is run by Peter Cummings, was brought in as a development partner in 2018.

In August 2018, Crain's reported that there was to be a second Kuzzo's Chicken & Waffles location in the development. However, Jackson said Thursday that they are still in discussions with the restaurant even though there isn't a signed lease yet .

"Due to COVID and the lens being on closing, we have not focused extensively on the retail," Jackson said. "Now that we have closed and started construction, we plan to get more aggressive with our tenant negotiations."

Earlier this year, the Michigan Strategic Fund approved the project for a $5.3 million Michigan Community Revitalization Program performance-based loan. Other public funding includes a $2.2 million Detroit Economic Growth Corp. loan. CIBC Bank is the senior lender, and Capital Impact Partners and Invest Detroit provided pre-development loans, according to a news release.

Detroit-based Sachse Construction is the contractor and Detroit-based Hamilton Anderson Associates is the project architect. Detroit-based Center City Properties will manage the apartments when complete.

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More than 7 years in the making, $60 million Woodward West project starts construction - Crain's Detroit Business