ITHACA, N.Y. Just in time for your weekend reading, here's round two of construction updates from around the city of Ithaca. For those who missed Part 1 earlier this week, you can find that piece here.

With the project approved by the city of Ithaca Planning Board back in July, site preparation (clearing the land and grading the building footprint) has started on the Aeroplane Factory expansion in Ithaca's West End neighborhood. The plans, developed bylocal businessmen Gregar Brous, Robert Sparks and Jerry Dietz, call for a two-phase buildout. The original plan to do all the work at once were changed out of an abundance of caution given the uncertainties created by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Phase one, which is starting this fall, consists of a2,000 square-foot, one-story office expansion on the south side of the Hangar Building at 140 Brindley St. that's the area being prepped in the photos. Phase two, set to start next spring, will focus on the construction of "Taber Tower", which is a bit of an exaggeration for a four-story building, but hey, they can call it what they want. The 14,328 square-foot tower would host1,100 square-feet for a ground-floor caf, about 5,000 square-feet in office space on the first through third floors, and five apartments.Given the high water table at this waterfront property, the new building will utilize a deep pile foundation and have no basement level, while the Hangar Building addition is light enough to utilize a concrete slab without the need for steel piles.

This isn't a large project, but it will be a nice mixed-use complement to the new Taughannock Boulevard bridge across the street.Both additions are being designed bylocal architect Jason K. Demarest.

Not a new construction, but a gut renovation the former 4,686 square-foot restaurant at 323-25 Elmira Road, which was built in 1979-80 and most recently operated as a Friendly's, is getting a new lease on life as a Byrne Dairy. The new Byrne Dairy will follow the growing trend of large-scale convenience stores playing the part of small-scale grocers, with a salad and sandwich shop alongside fresh food sales and more typical convenience store fare.Byrne Dairy would replace the existing flat roof with a peaked roof, and install new exterior finishes (green and cream-colored vinyl and stone veneer) on all sides of the building.

The photos show that the rather dated mansard roof has been stripped, and new lightweight structural steel has been erected, which will frame out the new covered porch that Byrne Dairy intends to create with their renovation. The windows will soon go, replaced with a different choice of frames and a new entry from Elmira Road, as well as an entrance facing the new six-pump gas station being built on the north side of the lot although not in the photos, the ground was excavated for storage tank and utility installations to serve the pumps and fuel canopy.

As a renovation, construction on the new Byrne Dairy should only take about three months, so this will be open before winter's over. As for the existing location at 215 North Meadow St., it's for sale but there's been no word on any potential buyers. The new store is designed bythe Donahoe Group of Marcellus, but it's not clear who the general contractor is.

A little further south on Elmira Road, and Endwell-based Visions Federal Credit Union is in the midst of buildout for its new 3,320 square-foot credit union branch, its first in Tompkins County.Alongside the new branch office will be a parking lot containing 20 spaces and drive-up ATMs. Other features include the usual stormwater retention areas and landscaping improvements, a small amount of sidewalk, electric vehicle charging stations, and a pet-friendly outdoor waiting area next to the building and bike racks, which appears to be that heavy-duty steel frame next to the curb is in the foreground of the last photo.

More interestingly, the majority of the lot would be fenced in from the adjacent roadways and turned into an outdoor amphitheater. A 940 square-foot stage structure would be built at the southern end of the property, and the lawn would be maintained for use as an outdoor event and entertainment venue. That appears to be undergoing some amount of site grading and prep the amphitheater would be where the excavator is in the third picture, at the far end of the property.

The credit union building itself is already framed with structural steel with lightweight steel stud walls. It is then sheathed in USG gypsum panels, fitted with steel rails, Dow insulating styrofoam is then slotted between those rails, and then a variety of neutral-colored fiber cement panels will be installed over the top. The section sheathed in Tyvek housewrap will be finished with steel panels, and the Tyvek also extends around the the building just above the concrete masonry unit base, so it's likely also a moisture barrier beneath the CMU. Cinder block masonry is also being used for that big modern-aesthetic monument sign that will protrude from the entrance canopy. That tiny hole by the entrance in the last pic will be where the night deposit box goes, in case you're wondering.

The new branch should be open by the end of the winter. All-in-one design/engineering/construction firm PWCampbellof Pittsburgh is in charge of buildout.

Visum Development Group's first foray into workforce housing is taking shape on West Seneca Street.A humdrum two-story, three-unit apartment house has been replaced with a three-story, 12-unit apartment building totaling 7,845 square feet, with six studios (442 square feet) and six two-bedroom units (708-744 square fee),to be priced in the 70-80 percent area median income (AMI) bracket, so around $1,200/month for the two-bedroom units and $900/month for studios.While a 4-story building was allowed by zoning, they would have needed a second set of fire stairs per state fire code, which made the extra floor cost-prohibitive. The target market is one-person and two-person working-class households.

As with many Visum Projects, STREAM Collaborative is the architect (the filing docs suggest architectJacob Marnells work).The relatively simple design is intended to quietly fit in with the apartment houses that neighbor it on either side. The new structure would be finished inDryvit synthetic stucco(colorBenjamin Moore Sunny Days) and fiber cement clapboard and batten board (colorBenjamin Moore Indian River).Certainteed 3-tab asphalt shingles (Timber color)will be used on the gable roof,Anderson 100 and 400 Series windows with off-white trim, black steel canopies and unpainted larch wood screening will also be used. Keeping with the warm colors, the doors will be paintedBM Jupiter Glow. Main entries are on the sides, but one apartment is accessed via the front entrance.Heating is electric baseboard, but I dont see anything about heat pumps in the planning docs.

Construction costs are estimated at $1,275,330. At least $200,000 of that is covered with (what was, before Ithaca town and Dryden town joined) a joint city-county-Cornell Community Housing Development Fund (CHDF) grant as they split it up, $170,000 from Cornell, and $30,000 from Ithaca, though to be clear the project is not Cornell-affiliated in any way. At present, the building is fully framed (wood frame), sheathed in plywood, and wrapped in Tyvek. The roof has been covered in underlayment but not shingled, and while the windows have been fitted, the doors have not. A spring 2021 completion is likely. Plumb Level Square of Lansing(Joe Lovejoy) is the general contractor.

The Student Agencies Building is on a very tight schedule. The new $12 million, six-story mixed-use building with ground-level retail and 56 apartments has to be ready for occupancy by August 2021. Being at Cornell's doorstep makes its prime real estate for student renters, and they will pay a premium ($3,250 for a two-bedroom unit, $2,750 for a one-bedroom unit) that Student Agencies will very quickly lose out on if they have to house renters in a hotel as some later-than-expected Collegetown projects have had to do over the years.

One of the ways Student Agencies (and its general contractor, Purcell Construction Corporation) are attempting to save time is the use of a RediCor modular steel form system. Most elevator and stairwell cores are made of masonry and are assembled block by block. A RediCor system uses corrugated steel boxes with pre-built stairs and elevator door openings to save time, they're craned and bolted into place like Lego blocks, and concrete is poured between the corrugated steel walls to provide the necessary strength and stability the core needs. While more expensive than the usual CMU approach, this allows construction to move quicker. The structural steel frame (which will slot into the openings in the RediCor columns) has started to build out and concrete slab and foundation wall pours are quickly moving along.

The steel frame will be built out fairly quickly here, so expect full assembly of the frame over the winter months, after which we'll have a pretty good feel on the size of HOLT Architects' latest creation.

More typical to Visum Development Group's development portfolio, the Ithaca-based company is pursuing a smaller redevelopment project at 126 College Ave. Replacing a five-bedroom house will be a 5-unit apartment building intended for the student rental market. The partially-exposed basement level will host a four-bedroom unit, the first floor a five-bedroom unit, and the top three floors will each have a six-bedroom unit. For a total of 27 bedrooms between them. The plan is to have the building, designed by STREAM Collaborative, ready for occupancy by August 2021.

A check of Visum's property management sister company (Live More Ithaca) doesn't show any units being available for rent in the new building. Similar units in other Visum properties go for about $1,400-$1,500 per person. For that, renters receive per-friendly units with free Wi-Fi, fully furnished units with smart TVs, in-unit washer and dryer (no coins or cards needed), private balconies, stainless steel appliances, granite countertops, dishwashers and microwaves. Tenants can use the media room and at another Visum property across the street at 201 College Avenue.

The basement level has been built out with what appear to be insulated concrete forms, which are dense blocks with steel reinforcing bars that interlock, and wen fastened concrete is poured in to provide the necessary strength and rigidity. which tend to be more expensive but are quicker to build and more energy-efficient. The upper level will be wood-frame, and build out fairly quickly, and the building will be finished out fiber cement panels in a variety of colors (olive green, dark green and natural wood) with metal trim and balconies. Not visible in the render (but seen here), the building comes with a mechanical penthouse designed to resemble the cupola of an Italianate house. The $2,100,791 construction loan for this project comes courtesy of the Chemung Canal Trust Company.

Let's finish this off with a building that's essentially complete. Harold's Holdings (Elmira developer Dave Lubin with Buffalo-based McGuire Development) new 12-story mixed-use project in the heart of Ithaca is basically finished, thanks to LeChase Construction. the project brings 78 apartments, 17,000 square-feet of retail space, and 53,000 square feet of office space to the Ithaca market, in both the new building and the newly-renovated 130 year-old Sage Building next door. According to project spokesperson Vicki Taylor Brous, there are no signed leases for the commercial space yet, but there are many inquiries and negotiations are continuing, if more carefully than usual due to uncertainty with to the COVID situation. (If you want to inquire about apartments or commercial space, the links are on their website here).

The developers had been concerned about Asteri, the 12-story neighbor planned for the Green Street Garage next door, out of fear that it would block views and limit light and air circulation to their south-facing units. After Harold's Holdings initiated a lawsuit, the two developers came to terms where Asteri would reduce it's square footage and pull back from Harold's Square, in return for first dibs on a development site as part of another Lubin project, the Chain Works District on South Hill.

Always a good question, what's next in the pipeline. In the short term we can expect Library Place to resume construction after a nine-month delay due to the COVID shutdown throwing off their contractor schedules (and I have seen filings that do indicate this is in fact resuming construction and not just puffery). With the Collegetown Innovation District under discussion and worries about COVID impacts in 2021, further projects in Collegetown are unlikely apart from a couple smaller proposals already approved (8-unit 238 Dryden Road) or said to be in the works. Cornell will continue to focus on its North Campus expansion, though renovations to Balch Hall and rehabilitation of the Dwyer Dam Bridge will launch in 2021.

On the other hand, Downtown is likely to see quite a bit of action as "The Ithacan" tower and Asteri Ithaca are both likely to start construction in 2021, replacing the Green Street Garage with 381 apartments between them, conference center space, academic space, and a new parking garage publicly accessible from Green Street. The 346-unit State Street Apartments project will also continue to wend its way through the Planning Board as we head into next year. The waterfront and near-waterfront will likely be active as well, as phase one of the Carpenter Park redevelopment (Cayuga Medical's new 5-story building and 42 units of affordable housing, funding pending) begin construction, as well as the first phase of the WaterWorks project. West State could see some activity as well, as Arnot Realty plans to begin work on its mixed-use 430 West State project in the spring.

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Gallery: A look at what's under construction in Ithaca, Part 2 - The Ithaca Voice

(RestaurantNews.com) Flhip.com has released its latest restaurant openings report, providing restaurant vendors with a sampling of fresh sales and marketing leads that can be found on their website.

Flhip provides regularly updated lead lists, allowing vendors to check for updates at any time. To see leads in your sales area click here.

Click on the map above to see how Flhip can get you in the door first of new restaurants!

Coventry, RI Tropical Smoothie CafResidents in Coventry and East Greenwich will soon have another place they can get their smoothie fix. A Tropical Smoothie Caf is opening across the street from the Centre of New England shopping plaza on New London Turnpike, which is along the Coventry/East Greenwich border.

Chattanooga, TN JacksJacks Family Restaurants is opening a new eatery at a high-prole Chattanooga intersection as the Alabama based fast food chain continues an aggressive build-up in the market. The Lee Pointe commercial center at Highway 153 and Lee Highway will hold the latest Jacks restaurant locally. Work has already begun on the $675,000 project, according to builder Venture Construction.

Bellaire, TX The Toasted YolkA full-service dining concept that serves high-quality breakfast and lunch fare alongside boozy brunch cocktails, announces the signing of two new leases for franchised restaurant spaces in League City and Bellaire, Texas. Located in Pinnacle Park at 2535 Gulf Freeway South, the 6,110-square-foot League City location is set to open in December 2020.

Grants Pass, OR The Flying LarkGaming, entertainment and dining venue The Flying Lark is coming to Grants Pass in fall 2021. Founded by entrepreneur and Grants Pass native Travis Boersma as part of a larger effort to revitalize the horse racing industry in Oregon, The Flying Lark is a significant, long-term investment in the city of Grants Pass. It will create a meaningful number of jobs, bolster the local economy, and provide vital funding and stability to the equine industry throughout the region, including horse owners, trainers, veterinarians, jockeys, and a wide range of vendors and suppliers.

Miami Beach, FL El SalnA Spanish-themed restaurant, a tapas eatery, and a rooftop bar will be part of the Esm Miami Beach Hotel when it opens next year on Washington Avenue and Espaola Way in Miami Beach. The 145-room boutique hotel, set to debut in March 2021, has announced it will launch El Saln, Bar Pintxo, and the Roof in collaboration with Miami-based Lost Boy & Co.

Pensacola, FL Freddys Frozen Custard & SteakburgersFreddys Frozen Custard & Steakburgers, a leading national fast-casual restaurant concept known for its cooked-to-order Steakburgers and freshly churned frozen custard treats, announced today it has signed a multi-unit franchise agreement to develop 50 new restaurants over the next several years across the Southeast. As part of this agreement, Freddys will grow its footprint throughout the Florida west coast and panhandle, with locations currently under development and slated to open next year in Pensacola and Tampa.

For more information or to view the leads in your area, please visitFlhip.com

Contact:Ken Roberts772-231-5826ken@flhip.com

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Yes, Vendors, New Restaurants Are Opening Across the Country! - RestaurantNews.com

Pepper Construction has broken ground for Titletown Flats in Green Bay Wisconsin.

Green Bay, Wisconsin, Nov. 20, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Pepper Construction has broken ground for TitletownFlats located in Green Bay, Wis. This multi-family, seven-floor residential building offers 152 apartments with high-level design details to reflect Northeast Wisconsin. TitletownFlats are part of the larger Titletown community, which offers access to sports, music, dining and year-round activity. The building is scheduled for phased turnover of apartment units in the latter half of 2021. Pepper Construction has been in Wisconsin for more than 30 years and this Green Bay project was developed out of a long-standing relationship between two companies that share the same goals and vision.

About Titletown Titletown Development LLC, the development arm of the Green Bay Packers, is building upon the success of Lambeau Fields major redevelopment in 2003 and recent expansion and renovations with its work on Titletown. The development maximizes its great location just west of the iconic stadium to attract additional visitors to the area, spur further regional economic growth, offer new amenities to residents and complement Greater Green Bays draw as an excellent location to live, work and play. Phase one of Titletown included the four-diamond hotel Lodge Kohler, Hinterland Restaurant and Brewery, Bellin Health Titletown Sports Medicine & Orthopedics, TitletownTech, The Turn and Associated Bank. Phase two is set to include approximately 220 residences and a four-to-five story office building, as well as additional development that may feature retail, food and beverage and entertainment. http://www.titletown.com

About Pepper Construction Now in our fourth generation of family leadership, Pepper Construction offers clients a unique blend of local relationships and service paired with the resources and scalability of a leading national construction firm. Based in Milwaukee's Third Ward, Pepper is leading the industry with thought leadership and innovative solutions in virtual design and construction, lean construction, and high performance. In-house Integrated Construction Services are delivered through a local, hands-on approach and include services such as Preconstruction, Virtual Design and Construction, High Performance and Sustainability, Lean Construction, MEP Coordination, Quality Management and Safety Management. For more information, please visit http://www.pepperconstruction.com

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Pepper Construction Breaks Ground for New Living Experience in Green Bay - GlobeNewswire

Allison Ballard|Wilmington StarNews

A high-end steakhouse chain will move to a new spot in Wilmington, according to a Thursday announcement.

Ruths Chris Steak House, which is now located in Hotel Ballast at 301 N. Water St., will move to the new River Place multi-use development nearby.

The restaurant willseat up to 320 people and will have a 7,000-square foot indoor dining room with banquet space, and an additional outdoor space.

More: Downtown Wilmington's River Place welcomes Dollar General brand, Mellow Mushroom

PHOTOS: River Place construction over time

More: Downtown Wilmingtons 13-story development nears grand opening

Construction is scheduled to begin June 2021. Until then, Ruths Chris will remain in its current location.

It will join other businesses at River Place such as DGX, a Dollar General brand store, and Mellow Mushroom restaurant.

Ruths Chris Steak House in New Orleans more than 50 years ago, and now hasmore than 140 restaurant locations around the world.

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Ruths Chris Steak House to have a new home in downtown Wilmington - StarNewsOnline.com

Springline, the new name for the rebranded Station 1300 development at Oak Grove Avenue and El Camino Real, is set to start leasing office and some retail spaces over the course of the coming year. Courtesy Springline/Presidio Bay Ventures.

The 6.4-acre mixed-use development under construction at the intersection of Oak Grove Avenue and El Camino Real has been taken over from Greenheart Land Co. by Presidio Bay Ventures, a commercial real estate investment firm.

The development, which occupies most of a city block, is set to have 183 one- to three-bedroom apartments, two 100,000-square-foot office buildings, and a two-level underground parking garage, plus retail and restaurant spaces.

Presidio Bay Ventures took over strategic operations for the property in June and renamed it Springline. It was previously called Station 1300, a name derived from its proximity to the Menlo Park Caltrain station and its address, 1300 El Camino Real.

"This development will become the heartbeat of downtown Menlo Park; a truly magnetic destination oasis that draws people in," said K. Cyrus Sanandaji, managing director at Presidio Bay Ventures, in a September press release announcing the takeover. The firm added that it has retained Newmark Knight Frank, a commercial real estate advisory firm, to lead office leasing efforts.

While Presidio Bay Ventures has not announced any specific tenants for the Springline office, retail or restaurant spaces, it released a new website, springline.com, that describes a rebranded vision for the project.

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Mixed-use Station 1300 project rebranded under new developer - The Almanac Online

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Honeypie restaurant, 2643 S Kinnickinnic Ave., will be open through Sunday at its current location. It will be closed for some weeks until it's settled in its new home, a scant two blocks away.(Photo: Mike De Sisti / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel )

HoneyPie, the pie-centric diner that has been at 2643 S. Kinnickinnic Ave. since 2009, is in its last days at its old location.

The restaurant will be open for curbside pickup 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. through Sunday, and its continuing to take orders at honeypiecafe.com/store for whole Thanksgiving pies through Monday, and by phone at (414) 489-7437 until the last minute. (Holiday pie pickup on Nov. 25 is at sister establishments SmallPie, 2504 E. Oklahoma Ave., and Palomino, 2491 S. Superior St.)

HoneyPie will be closed for some weeks as it packs and moves just a couple blocks away, to 2569 S. Kinnickinnic Ave., the former Alchemist Theatre building.

We didnt want to move from Bay View, HoneyPie owner Valeri Lucks said. The new site is appealing because it will have the comforts of new construction and the charm of an old building, she said.

The new HoneyPie will have a few more tables for customers once dining-in resumes (the cafe is strictly takeout now because of the pandemic and will remain that way for a while). And the patio will be bigger.

But whats key is that the new site has more of what Lucks calls functional space more room for waiting customers,a kitchen thats twice as big, and more space for customers to pick up pies and to see them displayed front and center, rather than at the back of the restaurant as they had been.

HoneyPie's new home will be at 2569 S. Kinnickinnic Ave., the former site of Alchemist Theatre.(Photo: Carol Deptolla/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)

Contact dining critic Carol Deptolla atcarol.deptolla@jrn.com or (414) 224-2841, or through the Journal Sentinel Food & Home page on Facebook. Follow her on Twitter at @mkediner or Instagram at @mke_diner.

RELATED: If pie baking is a no-go, buy one for Thanksgiving at Milwaukee-area bakeries, restaurants

Our subscribers make this reporting possible. Please consider supporting local journalism by subscribing to the Journal Sentinel at jsonline.com/deal.

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HoneyPie, gearing up to move, is open through Sunday at its current Bay View location - Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Rendering courtesy of Frontier Real Estate Investments/Bickel Group Architecture.

Over the last few years, developers and real estate firms have had a bullish approach to North Long Beach. Three companies in particular, Frontier Real Estate Investments, LAB Holding and Westland Real Estate Group, have all shown interest in bringing amenities and housing to North Long Beach.

Councilman Rex Richardson, who oversees parts of the city where the projects are being built, said that when he took office, the community lacked public libraries, banks and walkable retail corridors. Richardson saw the construction of the Michelle Obama Library and upgrades to the Houghton Park community center and Fire Station 12 as success stories for the local community, but what was still lacking was interest from developers to invest in the northern part of the city.

People have been wanting to see the private sector get involved, Richardson said.

The establishment of Uptown Commons by Frontier has opened the door for the other developmentsThe Uptown and The Beat seek to enhance walkable retail corridors in the region, something North Long Beach has been primed for, Richardson said.

Uptown Commons

Frontiers Uptown Commons, located at Atlantic Avenue and Artesia Boulevard, hosted a partial opening in June, bringing the first bank to the 9th District.

Uptown Commons exterior patio design has allowed newcomers Main Chick fried chicken restaurant and Oi Asian Fusion to successfully host grand-opening celebrations in September, and they continue to serve hungry local residents. The COVID-19 pandemic has prompted restaurants to resort to outdoor seating, which is still allowed under the countys current health ordersmaking exterior dining areas that much more valuable for new retail developments.

Uptown Commons has been a hit, Richardson said. Theres more diversity in what it offers.

Tom Carpenter, Frontier Real Estate Investments president, said that Portside Fish Co. and Shomi Noods Ramen Bar are also scheduled to join Main Chick and Oi at the Uptown Commons. The two newest locations hosted soft openings last week.

It has been years in the making, and seeing it completed is meaningful, Carpenter said. We were able to deliver the tenants that the city desired and create gathering spaces for residents to enjoy.

Carpenter said Uptown Commons varied slate of tenantsPortside Fish Co., Shomi Noods Ramen Bar, Main Chick, Oi Asian Fusion, Starbucks, Wendys and Chase were secured before the pandemic struck.

The Uptown

Just south of Uptown Commons at the intersection of Atlantic Avenue and 61st Street lies a 112,000 acre plot of land where Westland developers are seeking to build The Uptown: a mixed-use retail center with an industrial aesthetic across the street from Houghton Park.

The team at Westland has been in negotiations with The Blink Fitness to open a gym at The Uptown, making it the centerpoint of the project. Service businesses and retail shops such as a barbershop and a cafe will surround the gym. There will also be office space.The Uptown will connect with the Harding Plaza, which is currently open to the public.

Yanki Greenspan, president of Westland Real Estate Group, said his team is in project negotiations with the city and are seeking to break ground in early 2021.

With no end in sight to the pandemic, restaurants with outdoor seating have momentarily braved the wave of full-blown closures.

Our project is perfect for a post-COVID world, Greenspan said. The buildings all surround central courtyards with plenty of outdoor seating opportunities.

Greenspan said hes optimistic that tenants will be able to open their businesses by the time the project is completed late next year. So far, the restaurants showing interest in The Uptown are content with outdoor dining options, Greenspan said.

After hopefully breaking ground early next year, Greenspan said tenants will most likely have the keys to their spaces in late 2021.

Im not going to lie to you and say Im not nervous, Greenspan said. But were optimistic.

The Beat

The creative minds at LAB Holding, responsible for the LAB Anti-Mall in Costa Mesa, are retrofitting separate parcels of land around Atlantic Avenue in one of the larger developments in the north called The Beat.

What sets this project apart from the other two developments in North Long Beach is that its not contained to one location, but rather dotted along Atlantic Avenuesurrounding the Michelle Obama Library. The Beat is the umbrella term that covers four sub-projects.

These projects range from retail space to housing and residential. For one of the residential projects, LAB Holding will construct 14 cottage-style units on Lime and Atlantic avenues.

Another sub-development project is called the ARTery, which is located at South Street and Atlantic Avenue. The ARTery is a micro residential project that will include a community art gallery as well as 14 cottage-style housing units.

The largest of the four sub-projects will introduce a massive, mixed-use, office and retail space across the street from the Michelle Obama Library. Known as Spring: The Gardens of Long Beach, LAB Holdings design models for this project seem to take inspiration from The Anaheim Packing District in Orange County. Roman Ciuni with LAB Holding said they are planning to build 86 townhomes at this location with about 7,000 square feet of retail space.

Shaheen Sadeghi, chief executive officer of LAB Holding, said the designs of the proposed projects are mostly complete. He said his team is negotiating with the city to finalize entitlements and permits.

Sadeghi added that it would take between a year to two and a half years to complete construction depending on the project.

This year has been especially difficult for LAB Holdings retail developments, Sadeghi said, as COVID-19 has thrown a wrench in LAB Holdings commercial projects.

2020 is a bit of a write off, Sadeghi said, Everybody is on a hold pattern. From a leasing standpoint, there is a certain uncertainty.

The residential projects are steadily advancing, despite COVID-19 dampening LAB Holdings more commercial-focused endeavours.

We are moving forward with the residential development, Sadeghi said. We are redoing the current retail segment and will continue our leasing efforts.

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Here are the major retail, housing projects happening in North Long Beach - Long Beach Business Journal - Long Beach News

In her initial presentation on the issue, during an Oct. 20 SFMTA board meeting, Kirschbaum said that when the tunnel work began in 2018, contractors discovered the old ballast was contaminated with a higher level of heavy metals than had been anticipated. That made the ballast "more costly to handle and more costly to dispose of," she said.

"In order to keep the project on-time and on-budget, the decision was made to reuse rather than replace the ballast," Kirschbaum said in October.

Mandelman noted Kirschbaums statement on Tuesday that a decision was made to reuse the uncleaned ballast and asked her who was responsible. Tom Maguire, the SFMTAs director of sustainable streets, said the decision had been made jointly by agency staff and the project's contractor, a joint venture involving Oakland's Shimmick Construction and San Francisco-based Con-Quest Contractors.

They had to weigh a couple of tricky issues in the field, including the possibility that some of the material might be contaminated and might need to be removed, Maguire said. However, that critical decision needed to have been elevated sooner and faster with a comprehensive view of all the risks involved in leaving the old ballast in place.

Maguire told the SFMTA board in October that the agency was discussing the issue with the City Attorney's Office "and figuring out how to hold the contractor accountable."

"A competent contractor should be able to do work like this right," Maguire told board. "This is basic rail construction."

In her own October presentation to the SFMTA board, Kirschbaum said that while the ballast problem didn't pose an immediate safety problem, inspections have determined that track stability issues are likely to develop in one particular location in the tunnel's eastern half.

"Where we know it's going to erode first based on visual inspections and what we've seen over the last two years is around the Eureka Curve," between the Forest Hill and Castro stations, Kirschbaum said.

Tuesday's details about the tunnel issue emerged just days after the SFMTA acknowledged that its long-delayed Central Subway project will blow through another completion target date and likely not open until 2022.

The Twin Peaks Tunnel problem, on top of delays in other major projects and an embarrassing August mishap in which spliced electrical wires derailed the SFMTA's attempt to relaunch Muni Metro light-rail service, prompted an exasperated response from Supervisor Aaron Peskin, who chairs the transportation board.

"If this were just the Central Subway ... I'd be frustrated," Peskin said. "But when you add the ballast in the tunnel, and when you add the frankly, I'm going to say it screw-up relative to the splices, when you add that to the Van Ness BRT (bus rapid transit) delays, which is nowhere near as complicated as these other projects, you're just, as I said in the newspaper the other day, you're out of excuses."

SFMTA officials didnt immediately respond to questions about when the ballast replacement work will begin. Except for its brief, troubled reopening in August, all Muni Metro light-rail service has been shut down since shortly after COVID-19 shelter-at-home orders were imposed in March.

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Muni Forced to Redo Part of $52 Million Tunnel Project Just 2 Years After Finishing It - KQED

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Customers shop inside Retail Therapy, 1005 Main St., Tuesday, Nov. 17, 2020 in Lafayette.(Photo: Nikos Frazier / Journal & Courier)

LAFAYETTEFor some small businesses, the period of holiday shopping through November and December brings some of the biggest sales of the year.

And in the last few months of a difficult and unprecedented year that has included the arrival of the coronavirus pandemic, many businesses, including Retail Therapy in Lafayette, were looking to safely bring shoppers into their stores.

So, Alicia Dunbar, Retail Therapys owner, took matters into her own hands, along with other downtown merchants by creating and promoting The Great Downtown Holiday Shopping Extravaganza.

The event was held in downtown Lafayette Wednesday evening, and for a few hours, 25 retailers remained open past their normal closing time and offered their goods and services to holiday shoppers.

Dunbar said she was pleasantly surprised by the number of people who came out to shop, noticing both familiar faces and new ones inside her boutique store.

Alot of people came out because something was organized, Dunbar said. It was a good start, and I hope we can keep the momentum going.

Some businesses have been able to respond by changing the delivery of their services, including pivoting or further promoting online sales and carryout and delivery, especially for food and drinks.

Even as businesses like Retail Therapy are doing their best to combat fears from shoppers over the coronavirus and exude excitement about shopping locally, Michael Hicks, a distinguished professor of economics and business research at Ball State University, said the coming months will likely not bring any major change or relief.

(The) bottom line is that no matter how businesses respond, the next 120 (to) 180 days will be very grim, Hicks said. We are in a deep and now unavoidable downturn.

Dunbar is among those working to counter that. She said she ishoping to continue hosting events in partnership with other downtown retailers to continually draw people into those small businesses through the winter and into the spring.

Dunbar opened her business in June, as restrictions surrounding earlier state stay-at-home orders began to cease. Even as she is not immediately concerned about capacity limits the store is the former Fuel Coffee space on 1005 Main St., and Dunbar said there are usually no more than two to three people inside at a time ongoing street construction and sidewalk projects have made it difficult for customers to parkand enter her store.

As far as the pandemic goes, things have been really good for us, Dunbar said. People dont want to go to a big store, and most of their dressing rooms are closed. From that standpoint, people are trying to keep their community aliveand are more willing to shop local than before. But the construction out front was a nightmare it killed business for six weeks.

Dunbar, and Retail Therapy, is just one among many businesses in the Greater Lafayette area preparing for a winter full of unknowns. As small businesses are hoping for the best and preparing for the worst

Cases in Tippecanoe County and around Indiana continue to climb to unprecedented levels. On Tuesday, the Tippecanoe County Health Department issued a new set of public health orders that will go into effect if the countys seven-day positivity rate for all COVID-19 tests equals or exceeds 10%.

Under the order, which is in addition to requirements found in a recent executive order from Gov. Eric Holcomb, retail businesses would go from a current 100% capacity to a more limited, 75% capacity. Bars would be limited to 25% indoor capacity and restaurants to 50% capacity indoors.

As of Friday, the order had not yet gone into effect. According to state data, Tippecanoe County reported 220 new positive cases and a seven-day positivity rate for all tests at 9.3%.

Hicks, said the real danger to small businesses is not restrictions from governments, but rather the COVID-19 virus itself.

It is the disease, not government efforts to stop the disease that generated the downturn in the economy, Hicks said in an email. That should worry businesses in Lafayette, because the disease is spreading quickly and extensively.

Hicks said regardless of what the state or local governments decide to do, it will be a very bad few months for the Indiana economy.

Even as Indiana's unemployment is down compared to earlier in the year with a 5% unemployment rateOctober versus 12.3% in May, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Hicks said it is not a good measure of overall economic performance because of a large increase in low hour, part-time work and the loss of the labor force.

The rising cases and possibility of new restrictions are daunting, especially for places like Linnwood Tavern in Lafayette's north end. When the stay-at-home order began in March, Linnwood Tavern tried to stay open through carryout ordersbut eventually closed its doors completely until reopening again in July.

Weve been knocking on wood ever since we reopened, owner Greg Glotzbach said.

Glotzbach said the neighborhood bar on 1244 N. 14th St. is classified as a restaurant due to its menu options. The Linnwood Tavern has seen a slowdown in the number of people coming inside, which he correlated with worry about rising cases in the county. If the new county health order goes into place, Linnwoods capacity would be reduced to 50% indoors, and the dance floor would also have to close.

It seems like each time they talk about a higher number and cases being worse, Glotzbach said, referring to the data accumulated by the state, we see a slower day or two. But people want social interaction, and theyre also just bored.

Even while looking at the record-breaking number of cases in Indiana,Glotzbach said he would be surprised to see the state make adecision to shut down in any way remotely like the original stay-at-home orders in March.

"A lot of us bar and restaurant owners, we've all tried to do what we've been expected to do with all rules and regulations," Glotzbach said."But I keep hearing over and overonce customers come in and have that interaction with other people, it makes them feel like the world is back tonormal."

Some businesses, like Rveille Coffee Bar, have only opened recently and have only operated in the midst of the pandemic.

Michelle Wise, owner of Rveille Coffee Bar, stands inside her Main Street coffee bar, Friday, Nov. 20, 2020 in Lafayette.(Photo: Nikos Frazier / Journal & Courier)

Owner Michelle Wise, who also co-owns the Cellar Wine Bistro with her sister, Marla Milner, said the coffee shop on 835 Main St. opened quietly three weeks ago but has been steadily picking up steam ever since.

I dont fear winter that much, as its typically a busier time for downtown restaurants, but with COVID, its very scary, Wise said.

The interior of Wises French-themed coffee shop on Main Street already has a small indoor capacity of around 18 people at a time, although she said many come inside just for to-go orders.

The honest truth is that I dont know how many places can survive on 50%, Wise said, referring to restaurant capacities should the countys restrictions go into place. Its going to be really touch and go, but Ill have to push carryout and deliveries and get on by that. I think the other restaurants and such downtown will probably try do to the same thing. Im not sure what else we can do.

Wise said the Cellar Wine Bistro had previously applied for and used a loan from the Paycheck Protection Program from the Small Business Administration, which was mainly used for employee retention. She said she would consider applying for one again, should it become available once more.

Thats really how we survived, Wise said.

Recently, the city of Lafayette brought back a program from earlier in the year, which allowed downtown restaurants to have designated spaces for customers picking up carryout orders. During the fall, the city also instituted Fresh Air Eats, which closed downtown streets to traffic over several weekends and allowed for outdoor, socially distanced dining.

Including the changes brought on by the pandemic, Mad Love Boutique in downtown Lafayette also just finished moving spaces from Sixth Street around the corner to a much larger location on 609 Main St. The new space is much larger, owner Stephanie Deckard said, and will be much more accommodating to allow customers to be inside the store while keeping social distancing.

Stephanie Deckard, owner of Mad Love Boutique, stands inside her Main Street boutique, Friday, Nov. 20, 2020 in Lafayette.(Photo: Nikos Frazier / Journal & Courier)

The Sixth Street store was really tiny, and there were a few times customers left the store because they werent comfortable, Deckard said. The new store has a lot more space for people to spread out, and it shouldnt be an issue any longer.

But sales have been down overall this year for Deckard, especially when compared to last year, she said, with the boutique doing about one-fifth of the sales as compared to 2019.

I fully expect the winter to be hard, Deckard said.

And in nearby Delphi, where Carroll County has reported a seven-day positivity rate for all tests on Friday at 12.1%, some small businesses are fighting with online retail giants like Amazon to attract customers and keep their storefronts alive.

That includes Tricia Mendel, owner of Hometown Shirts and Graphix on 101 S. Washington St., who recently revamped her store selling custom T-shirts to become a one stop shop in an attempt to draw customers away from online retailers and bigger chain stores. In addition to T-shirts, the store now also offers gifts and home dcor.

Mendel said many Delphi and other Carroll County business owners are worried about what is to come, especially as cases climb and politics become involved when making decisions that affect businesses on every level be it local, statewide or nationally.

I think if people are only online shopping and arent supporting small businesses now, when you go to look for those small businesses next time they wont be there, Mendel said. Its been one thing after another for us, and people need to support small businesses now more than ever.

Emily DeLetter is a news reporter for the Journal & Courier. Contact her at (765) 201-8515 or via email at edeletter@jconline.com. Follow her on Twitter at @EmilyDeLetter.

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'I fully expect the winter to be hard': How Greater Lafayette small businesses are responding to rise in COVID cases - Journal & Courier

PEEKSKILL The owner of an average single-family home would see property taxes rise by$83.44 next year if the cityvotes to exceed the tax cap.

That's based ona home with an equalized assessed value of $310,000, according to the city assessor's office.

Blaming the COVID-19 pandemic for a revenue decline, officials are considering pushing abovethe state tax cap to support aproposed2021 city budget.

The economic impact of the coronavirus has been compared to the Great Depression, City Manager Andy Stewart said in his budget messageto the public. Its extraordinary effects on families and businesses are equaled in its impacts on local government budgets, which have suffered terribly, imperiling our ability to provide essential services.

The Common Council is scheduled to vote Monday night on whether to approve a local law to raise thelevy above the state cap and to vote on the proposed$63.3 million municipal budget, up$309,000from this year. By state law, the city must adopt a budget by Dec. 1.

Peekskill City Hall(Photo: File photo/The Journal News)

Abudgetwithinthestate cap would be limited to a $200,000 levy increase, or a 0.67% tax rate rise, Stewart said. Peekskills revenue isprojected to drop by millions for 2020 largely due to COVID's effects, the budget message said, so the councilis considering raising thetax rateby2.79%for a 3.46% overall increase.

Revenue has dropped significantly amid COVID-19, Stewart said,citing:

Peekskill City Manager Andy Stewart(Photo: Submitted)

The 2021 budget proposal includes cuts of 5% to 12% to the city's departments, mostly by eliminating overtime and not filling vacancies, according to the budget message. Five vacant positions are eliminated, saving about $425,000. Thebudget plan also calls for using no more than $1 million from the"rainy day fund" fund balance to help balance the budget.

At the end of this year, Peekskill's fund balance is project at $4.3 million.

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"Unfortunately, the global coronavirus pandemic that began this past spring and continues today means 2020 and 2021 are the proverbial 'rain days'for which previous administrations have been saving up reserve funds,"the budget message said.

In mid-June, the council approved just more than $1 million in cuts to the already-adopted current-year budget. Stewart's messagesaid those froze most vacant positions, eliminated overtime spending for non-emergencies, canceled recreational programming, and shelved thehiring of dozens of part-time workers. The city also applied $500,000 of fund balance to help balance the budget

The difficult financesblamed on COVID-19 comeafter Peekskill has experienced largely positive newsin recent years in theform of developers'interest, and a burgeoning restaurant and nightlife scene. It's seena wave of newapartments built, under construction or proposed that are geared to millennials leaving New York City and empty-nesters looking to downsize for amore walkable lifestyle.

The city also has a necklace ofriverfront parks with walking and bike paths, a restaurant and entertainment scene and saw the recent relocation here of ahigh-tech manufacturer from the San Francisco Bay area.

Michael McKinney covers northern Westchester.Follow him on Twitter@mikemckwrite.

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COVID problems pushing Peekskill to possibly exceed budget tax cap, increase taxes - The Journal News