There is a lot happening on Cazenovias main drag these days.

Recently, jewelry-design shop Dragonfly Beads and local tack store The Show Trunk joined forces and merged retail space to form the boutique Wishlist, at 53 Albany St. Another unique boutique, Lillie Bean, has moved from its location in the McLaughlin building into the vacant retail space at 57 Albany St., which was created by The Show Trunks move.

Across the street, construction continues on 52-54 Albany Street, and the familiar restaurant/bar is being transformed into a dance/fitness studio. Although its owners dont yet have an opening date, the fact that the space wont sit stagnant is advantageous for tax-paying residents.

Increasing Cazenovias tax base has been an important issue, as local officials continue to see costs increase and business waver. Recently, the village board has considered reviewing zoning regulations for certain aspects of the Comprehensive Plan, which was adopted in 2008. This has been met with apprehension, as innumerable hours of work had been put into finalizing the document.

We at the Cazenovia Republican understand the immense amount of time and consideration put into developing the Comprehensive Plan, but fully support its careful reexamination, if Cazenovias residents and tax base could benefit.

We also applaud the businesses of Albany Street and this community, for their continued operation through tough economic times. They are a large factor of Cazenovias charm, and one of the reasons visitors return time and again.

With hopes that all future development is in keeping with Cazenovias character and enhances the community, we look forward to seeing Albany Street and area businesses continue to prosper and grow.

Originally posted here:
Movin’ and shakin’

As part of the topping-off ceremony, construction workers guide a cupola into place as it is lowered onto the roof of The Springs mixed-use building on Weibel Avenue in Saratoga Springs. (ERICA MILLER, emiller@saratogian.com)

SARATOGA SPRINGS Bonacio Construction hosted Friday a cupola raising and topping off ceremony at The Springs apartment complex at 60 Weibel Ave., signaling the first phase of the project is moving closer to completion.

The First 59 phase of the new, mixed-use development is scheduled to be done by the summer. In this phase, 59 apartments and 12,000 square feet of commercial space are being constructed.

The firm broke ground on the project in fall 2011. When the project is finished, The Springs will house 178 apartments and extensive retail space.

Phase two will add another 70 apartments, and phase three will add 49 apartments and 12,000 square feet of commercial space. The development will have one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments.

For information about the project, call Julie Bonacio at 584-9007 or go to http://www.springssaratoga.com.

Continued here:
Bonacio Construction tops off The Springs mixed-use complex on Weibel Avenue

JENNIFER HUFFMAN Napa Valley Register | Posted: Friday, March 16, 2012 12:30 am |

Some Napans might like a Best Buy or Costco to open in Napa County. But theres one major problem with that wish.

There are no sites to point them to, Napas Economic Development Manager Jennifer LaLibert said.

Napa just doesnt have the space for such larger tenants, according to a recent shopping center vacancy report from Terranomics, a retail brokerage firm.

At the close of the fourth quarter 2011, shopping center vacancy in Napa County stood at 3.1 percent, up slightly from the 2.8 percent mark recorded three months earlier, the report said.

With occupancy levels now approaching 97 percent, the Napa marketplace has reached a point at which vacancy levels are so low that they now threaten growth, especially for larger space users, the report noted. There are few options for tenants looking for larger blocks of premium retail space in the market.

That doesnt surprise me, LaLibert said. Larger stores such as Costco, Best Buy, TJ Maxx or Linens n Things often need acres of property to open, she said.

Best Buy has been looking in Napa for a number of years. Costco has shown an interest, LaLibert said. Without the space, would-be shoppers of these businesses are out of luck.

LaLibert noted that while the next phase of the Gasser Foundation plan for the riverfront behind South Napa Marketplace will have additional retail space, We just dont have large vacant parcels sitting around.

A large retailer would have to assemble parcels and thats not an easy feat, she said.

Link:
Lack of sites keeping popular large stores out of Napa

Montclair officials received a site plan for CentroVerde at Montclair, which is the name now bestowed on the three-building redevelopment set for the DCH property, on Thursday.

STAFF PHOTO BY GEORGE WIRT

The site plan for CentroVerde at Montclair, the new name for the DCH redevelopment project, includes three buildings with retail, commercial and office space. The development will also have a 25-foot atrium, a plaza and a courtyard.

STAFF PHOTO BY GEORGE WIRT

The street-level floor of CentroVerde's buildings will be retail space, and above that will be residential units.

The plans depict Phase 1 and 2 of what the township calls the Montclair Center Gateway, a mixed-use project with residential, retail and office space slated for the former DCH dealership site on Bloomfield Avenue, between Valley and Orange roads. The project is considered critical to the township's future, a source of new ratables and tax revenue on a four-acre slice of what's currently empty land with vacant buildings.

The site plans shows three six-story buildings, with their ground floors mainly dedicated to retail space, with storefronts adorned with fabric awnings and metal canopies. Residential units are perched above the retail-filled ground level. The plan also calls for a sprucing up of the Church Street circle.

The Montclair Center Gateway plans include a 25-foot, two-story atrium in Building 3, at the corner of Bloomfield Avenue and Orange Road, as well as a plaza that would face Bloomfield Avenue. Building 2, precisely on the old DCH dealership space at the corner of Bloomfield Avenue and Valley Road, has an open courtyard behind it.

Building 1 is past Building 2 on Valley Road, and will be built next to the Montclair Board of Education Building.

The group developing the DCH property, Montclair Acquisition Partners LLC, filed its site plans with Janice Talley, director of the Township Department of Planning and Community Development.

Read the original here:
Montclair developer submits site plans for 'CentroVerde,' better known as DCH site

MARINA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Shea Properties and Cinemark Holdings, Inc., parent company of Century Theatres, announced today a deal that will bring a state-of-the-art, 10-screen, digital cinema to the Dunes on Monterey Bay Shopping center in the City of Marina at Highway 1 and Imjin Parkway. The theater will kick off phase two of The Dunes on Monterey Bay that will also include specialty retail space and restaurant pads for lease. The second phase, called 10th Street, will eventually become the heart of the master-planned community with a village square that connects to the beach, neighborhood parks, and surrounding homes and retail.

For Marina Community Partners, who oversees the master-planned community, the addition of Century Theatres is an important next step in its retail expansion as it furthers the goal of making Marina an entertainment destination for the Peninsula.

The new 35,000-square-foot Century Theatres will open in 2013, seat 1,650 moviegoers, and feature the companys XD (Extreme Digital) technology in one of the 10 screening rooms. The Cinemark XD entertainment environment features an oversize, wall-to-wall and ceiling-to-floor screen, brand-new plush seating, a custom JBL sound system featuring crisp, clear digital sound, and the brightest digital images delivered by a Doremi server and a Barco digital projector.

Phase one of The Dunes on Monterey Bay is an existing 375,000-square-foot regional center anchored by Target with Kohls, REI, Best Buy, Old Navy, Michaels and Bed Bath & Beyond rounding things out. Famous Footwear was recently added to the center and will open to the public on March 14th, with its official grand opening on the 24th.

For leasing opportunities, please call 831-886-7800. For information visit TheDunesOnMontereyBay.com.

Site plan and renderings are available upon request.

About Cinemark Holdings, Inc.

Cinemark is a leading domestic and international motion picture exhibitor, operating 456 theatres with 5,152 screens in 39 U.S. states, Brazil, Mexico and 11 other Latin American countries as of December 31, 2011. For more information, visit http://www.cinemark.com.

About Shea Properties

Read this article:
Century Theatres to Open 10-Screen Complex at The Dunes on Monterey Bay

By Alan Thomas athomas@mainlinemedianews.com

While Eli Kahn talked, the demolition equipment was already at work on East King Street. Malvern is moving forward that rapidly.

Kahn is a local developer with a plan to transform Malvern Boroughs tired post-industrial east side into a vibrant residential and retail swath that he calls a walkable environment [and] a better environment to work in. On Wednesday morning he told a packed borough hall all about it at a Malvern Business and Professional Association meeting.

Kahn, who said he had gotten the idea 12 years ago, called East King the largest construction project ever in the borough, a five-year venture that in 18 months will produce 25,000 sq. feet of retail space with quality residential space planned above it along with expanded parking under and outside.

Kahns announcement that the Whip Tavern, a traditional English pub located in Unionville, is planning to open its second location on East King seemed to draw the interest of the crowd as much as any other detail. Kahn said he was close with a few other spots, which he could not yet name, but that one would be a spectacular addition.

I think the retail will fill in quite nicely, Kahn said.

Demolition of buildings from the Malvern Design Center east to Rusticraft Fence Co., just into Willistown Township, should be complete by next Friday, Kahn said. With all construction contracts signed, storm-water management on the Willistown side will head the list of projects with excavation, foundation pours and the lower-level parking structure following shortly. Bozzuto Construction of Baltimore will do the work.

The project will also include a 5,000 sq. foot office building.

Kahn praised the newly refurbished Malvern train station area with its improved parking arrangement as spectacular, and said that it made Malvern accessible for businesses.

In answer to a question, Kahn said that he will be creating a lot of parking on the north side of King, with 17 to 20 parallel parking spaces planned along with 10- to 20-foot-wide sidewalks. Answering another question, he said the faade will be varied in appearance and in the materials used -- brick, stucco, stone -- to give the long building front the feel of individual buildings.

See original here:
Kahn updates Malvern on E. King progress

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

CIM Group announced today that it has closed on its majority investment in the high-rise residential tower and retail development site located at 303 East 51st Street in Midtown Manhattan. Construction at the .39-acre property at the northeast corner of 51st Street and 2nd Avenue is expected to begin later this year. The existing capital partners in the development, ACRO Real Estate and Polar Investments, will remain as minority equity investors in the project, and affiliates of CIM Group and HFZ Capital Group will co-develop the property.

The project, designed by SLCE Architects, will comprise a 32-story, approximately 273,750 square foot tower and base design containing 123 units averaging 1,568 square feet per unit. The base of building, floors 1 through 7, will include the building lobby and approximately 9,000 square feet of ground floor retail space. The building will also contain up to 32 parking spaces in the sub-cellar level.

Located in the heart of Midtown East, 303 East 51st Street offers excellent access to mass transit, some of the Manhattans finest restaurants and retail destinations, as well as the Citys largest central business district.

About CIM Group

CIM Group is a premier real estate fund manager that makes private equity and/or debt investments in urban communities throughout North America, utilizing its full array of investment and operational expertise to maximize returns while mitigating risks. With offices in Los Angeles, Bay Area, Bethesdaand New York, CIM has three distinct portfolios each diversified by geography and type of property. They include: Opportunistic or repositioning and development projects in established and emerging urban areas; Stabilized/Core or well-positioned operating properties in transitional districts; and Infrastructure or properties serving the public interest. Once involved in a qualified community, CIM seeks to routinely make additional investments in order to support the growth of the community and enhance the value of its previous investments. For more information, please visit http://www.cimgroup.com.

About HFZ Capital Group

HFZ Capital Group is a Manhattan-based real estate investment and development company founded by Ziel Feldman. With expertise in a broad range of real estate disciplines including underwriting analytics, structured finance, investment, development and asset management, HFZ Capital Group has built an excellent reputation based on its breadth of talent, creative approach to deal structuring and unique ability to manage risk. The companys depth of experience ensures strong returns for both partners and investors. For more information, please visit http://www.hfzcap.com

Read the original post:
CIM Group Closes on Investment in Residential and Retail Development at 303 East 51st Street

Despite the unseasonably warm weather, Eagan residents crowded into a room in the city's community center Wednesday night, March 14, to get a first peek at the sprawling retail center that will take the place of defense contractor Lockheed Martin.

Reactions were mixed to developer CSM Corp.'s proposal for a 500,000-square-foot pedestrian-friendly retail center at the intersection of busy Pilot Knob and Yankee Doodle roads.

The plan includes room for large retail tenants in addition to smaller shops, restaurants and possibly a bank. CSM initially proposed a mixed-use development that would include 75,000 square feet of office space, but those plans were nixed after a market study was done, company representatives said.

At least one resident, a former Lockheed employee, was pleased with what she saw.

"I'm so glad you guys aren't putting a nasty old strip mall in there," said Laura Traeger, who said she worked for Lockheed Martin for 33 years.

But she and others worried there wouldn't be enough parking, especially during the busy holiday season.

CSM Vice President Thomas Palmquist said his company was working on a plan for a shuttle service from the transit station that sits across the intersection from the 51-acre property, which could help with overflow parking during the busy season.

Still, representatives assured residents the plan meets the number of parking spaces required by the city for a retail development.

Architects at the community

Three ponds occupy corners of the proposal, and a decorative water feature would accompany one of the ponds. The pedestrian entrance would include a terraced park with seating and a space for events, Palmquist said. Landscape architects would use native plants in the development, and the park would include interpretive signs that would explain the vegetation used and talk about the site's history.

Originally posted here:
Eagan residents see plans for 500,000-square-foot retail center in Lockheed Martin space

IOWA CITY, Iowa - A new high-rise building proposed for downtown Iowa City moved a step closer Tuesday to getting $2.5 million from the city.

The City Councils Economic Development Committee voted 3-0 to recommend that the full council OK a $2.5 million tax increment financing agreement with developer Marc Moen. The council could review the request as early as April 3.

Moen would put the money toward a $10.7 million, 14-story building he wants to construct at 114 S. Dubuque St. on the Pedestrian Mall.

Committee members and city staff said the project fits with the citys goals of attracting more owner-occupied housing and retail and office space downtown, and boosting property values.

Im excited about the project, council member Susan Mims said.

She and fellow council members Michelle Payne and Mayor Matt Hayek sit on the Economic Development Committee.

Plans call for the glass building to have retail space on the first and second floors, office space on floors two through four, and 26 residential units on floors five through 14.

Moen, who also is the developer behind the 14-story Plaza Towers downtown, said in an interview that hes had some inquiries about the retail space but couldnt talk about what types of stores may be in the building.

The offices are to be the high-end class A type city officials want more of downtown. And the housing would include rentals and for-sale units aimed at young professionals.

Moen said the project will not happen without the tax increment financing, or TIF, assistance, as a way to leverage private financing. The city received an opinion from the National Development Council concluding the project demonstrates a need for the $2.5 million Moen requested.

Read the original post:
New Downtown Iowa City Project May Get $2.5 Million from City

Construction of a $5 million-plus retail, office and residential project in the village of Manlius was scheduled to begin this spring, but the developer now says the start will be pushed back several months.

Michael Dougherty, the developer of the Madison Row project, said he expects construction on the two main buildings to start probably in late summer. He is asking the village planning board for a six-month extension to break ground, and said the delay is mainly due to difficulty finding an appropriate restaurant to anchor the space.

A project across Route 92 is proposed to include Kinney Drugs, town homes.

Dougherty said hes close to a deal, but the poor economy has hurt his efforts.

We certainly hope to be in the ground this summer, he said. The economy has absolutely been a factor, particularly when it comes to a restaurant expanding to another location. Were looking for a restaurant thats very high quality, and were focused on finding a local or regional operator.

Residents will see action on the four-acre dirt lot at the southwest corner of Route 92 and Stickley Drive next month, he said. Work is slated to begin on a Key Bank office in mid-April, as the bank has secured its building permit and the contractor is ready to begin. Construction should take about five months, with the bank targeting a late-summer opening, Dougherty said.

Dougherty, of Mayflower Associates, is partnering with JGB Properties on part of the project. He said he has letters of intent from a number of tenants, who he did not name.

The project calls for a pair of two-story buildings that will blend professional office space, luxury apartments, retail stores, a restaurant and the new Key Bank. The project is designed with a new urbanism style, a design philosophy that opposes suburban sprawl and instead emphasizes walkable communities.

The development will have a 100-car parking lot behind the buildings, with each retail shop having its own entrance on the street and from the parking lot.

Manlius planners will vote on Doughertys six-month extension request in April, but will likely agree to the extra time, said Marilyn Jeffery, planning board co-chair. The board had stipulated that construction had to start within a year, which is why the extension is necessary.

Link:
Construction on Madison Row in Manlius expected to be delayed about 6 months; Key Bank to break ground in April