An additional 96 parking spaces have been added to the proposed Renaissance Plaza residential/retail complex at 400 N. Columbus Boulevard, bringing the total to nearly 600 spaces.

None of the parking, originally planned or more recently added, will be visible from the street. That detail was proffered by William Alesker and David Farabaugh of the architecture firm Alesker & Dundon and project attorney Hercules Grigos during a recent Central Delaware Advocacy Group meeting.

Most of the parking is wrapped in retail space. The new spaces are partially below grade. FEMA requires the retail/residential portions of the building to be raised above the floodplain, Alesker explained. That created six feet of wasted space. Five more feet of digging made room for the 96 additional spaces.

Renaissance Plaza plans call for about 1,360 rental apartments, 72,000 square feet of retail space and 19,000 square feet of office space.

The team representing developer Waterfront Renaissance Associates - an affiliate of Carl Marks Real Estate - said code requires about one parking space for every three residential units. The additional spaces are for future shoppers, many of whom, the team said, will want to drive to the area.

CDAG Chairman and Northern Liberties Neighbors' President Matt Ruben joked that the development hit a parking sweet spot: Just little enough parking to make some of the residents around there nervous. And just enough parking to [tick] off some of the urbanists.

It's parking that requires Renaissance Plaza to seek a zoning special exception. The proposal was made under the old Central Delaware Overlay, which required an exception for above-grade parking, Grigos said. The current CDO does not require an exception, so long as the parking is completely wrapped, as in this proposal. The team will use the fact that the project meets the requirements of the current zoning overlay in an attempt to convince the Zoning Board of Adjustment to grant the exception at a July 23 hearing. The hearing was required without the additional parking, but the team came back to CDAG to discuss the parking change.

CDAG had already supported the project, and voted to continue that support. It did ask that the developer put in writing a previously made and recently repeated verbal commitment to include the planned public open space and other landscaping in the first phase of development.

Development proposals have been floated for this site for a long time. Remember theWorld Trade Centerproject? There's no set start of construction for this project, but the team told John Scorsone, who represents River's Edge, that funding is now being sought.

Read more:
Columbus Blvd. complex plan gets more hidden parking

Retail sales of Filipino fashion brands have dropped by 50 percent in the first quarter this year as big foreign brands with their unlimited resources dominate the domestic fashion sector.

Retail industry leader Samie Lim told reporters that local fashion retailers have failed to match the resources of the huge foreign brands which now occupy premium locations and big spaces in the countrys premier shopping centers.

They get bigger space and better location while our local brands like Penshoppe and Bench are relegated to the second floor, Lim lamented.

Already, local business groups Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Philippine Franchise Association and Philippine Retailers Association are discussing on strategies to help local retailers.

We should be able to help them strategize to compete in this market, he said.

One strategy, Lim said, is for Filipino retailers to establish mini stores or community stores to be able to reach out to a bigger mass market.

Community stores would be the answer to the big outlets of major foreign fashion retailers in the country.

Of late, the Philippines has become a destination by big fashion retailers such as Forever21 and Uniqlo. In August this year, Swedish fashion retail chain H&M is expected to open its first outlet in Megamall.

Earlier, Lim lamented that local retailers have always been at the mercy of their landlords or mall owners making it very difficult for a start-up retail company to open an outlet in a mall.

According to Lim, a mall tenant has to pay 6 to 8 months of rental deposits while others ask for 12 months. They have to post construction bond and payment for common spaces. A simple food cart requires P25,000 monthly rental.

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Filipino fashion retail sales dropping 50% Lim

Retail limping back View Larger The Bottom Line Other Business Features Local Stories from ThisWeek More Articles By Mark Williams The Columbus Dispatch Saturday July 12, 2014 5:42 AM

The state of retail in Franklin County is a mixed picture these days.

Retailers are adding jobs again, and retail real-estate vacancy rates are down. Still, county sales-tax collections tied to retail fell in 2013 and, despite the sliding vacancy rates, there are no signs of new retail construction, according to a report released yesterday.

Things will never get back to where it was in the early 2000s, when you had retail peak the way it did, said Jung Kim, director of research for the Columbus Chamber. The nature of the business has changed so much."

The annual report (PDF), produced by the chamber and the Franklin County commissioners, is meant to provide local political and business leaders with a snapshot of an industry that is a key source of revenue for the county. It was released in conjunction with an annual retail summit held yesterday morning Downtown.

We live and die by retail. As counties go, retail is our bread and butter, County Commissioner Marilyn Brown said. We need the retail economy for our general fund.

Retailers added 533 jobs in 2012 and 1,159 last year, reversing a trend of falling retail employment dating to 2001. Retail jobs are back to their highest levels since the recession, according to the report. But the 68,349 retail workers in the county last year remain well below the 93,402 the county had in 2001.

Even though retail employment has stabilized, Kim said the growth in e-commerce continues to shift employment away from stores to logistics jobs such as trucking and warehousing.

The vacancy rate for retail space in central Ohio has been falling since 2009, but retailers are absorbing existing space rather than building new stores, according to the report.

We built up retail space over several decades, Kim said. Even after tearing down City Center, there are still vacancies around High Street. The nature of retail is changing from being oriented toward needing space to making it more about the use of space.

See more here:
Franklin County retailers hiring, yet sales taxes from stores fell in 2013

The demolition site at 2107 Dwight Way at Shattuck Avenue where a new 6-story mixed use development will be built. Photo: Charles Siler

Demolition has begun on the lot at the corner of Shattuck Avenue and Dwight Way, bringing down the building that washome to furniture store Modernaire, which has moved to a new location.In its place will bea new, 6-story mixed-use housing development, constructionof which is set to begin in September.

Menlo Management Companyis behind thedevelopment at 2107 Dwight Way,whichwill feature 99 rental units, 5,607 square feet of ground-floor retail space, and 45 parking spaces. A 2012 zoning board report says the housing units will be marketed primarily to students.

The projects architect is Richard Christiani of San Francisco-based firm Christiani Johnson Architects. Christiani says he expects to complete construction in March 2016, 18 months after the scheduled start date. He saiddemolition at the site will be complete soon.

The planned apartment complex at 2017 Dwight Way. Rendering: Christiani JohnsonArchitects

The development will include nine below-market-rate dwelling units. This is the minimum required for a 99-unit building under Berkeley law, which mandates that one in 10units be affordable priced so a family earning less than the regional median income can afford the rent.

According to the Christiani Johnson Architects website, the Dwight Way development will also feature a landscaped central courtyard, a rear yard with outdoor grilling and a movie theater, bike storage and car share facilities.

Modernaire, which specializes in mid-century modern furniture, has moved to 1621 San Pablo Ave.,near the junction ofCedar and Hopkins.

Read more about the construction explosion in downtown Berkeley.

TheDwight Way projectis one ofa wave of developmentsset tocausea boom in population and retail space in downtown Berkeley. According to a 2014 brochurefrom the Downtown Berkeley Association, more than 1,400 new units are plannedfor thearea by 2018, potentially increasing the population from 3,000 to 5,000.

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Construction to begin on 6-story development

The demolition site at 2107 Dwight Way at Shattuck Ave. where a new 6-story mixed use development will be built. Photo: Charles Siler

Demolition has begun on the lot at the corner of Shattuck Ave. and Dwight Way, bringing down the building that washome to furniture store Modernaire, which has moved to a new location.In its place will bea new, 6-story mixed-use housing development, constructionof which is set to begin in September.

Menlo Management Companyis behind thedevelopment at 2107 Dwight Way,whichwill feature 99 rental units, 5,607 sq. ft. of ground floor retail space, and 45 parking spaces. A 2012 Zoning Board report says the housing units will be marketed primarily to students.

The projects architect is Richard Christiani of San Francisco-based firm Christiani Johnson Architects. Christiani says he expects to complete construction in March 2016, 18 months after the scheduled start date. He saiddemolition at the site will be complete soon.

The planned apartment complex at 2017 Dwight Way. Rendering: Christiani JohnsonArchitects

The development will include nine below-market-rate dwelling units. This is the minimum required for a 99-unit building under Berkeley law, which mandates that one in ten units be affordable priced so that a family earning less than the regional median income can afford the rent.

According to the Christiani Johnson Architects website, the Dwight way development will also feature a landscaped central courtyard, a rear yard with outdoor grilling and a movie theater, bike storage and car share facilities.

Modernaire, which specializes in mid-century modern furniture, has moved to 621 San Pablo Ave.,near the junction ofCedar and Hopkins.

[Read more about the construction explosion in downtown Berkeley]

TheDwight way projectis one ofa wave of developments that are set tocausea boom in population and retail space in downtown Berkeley. According to a 2014 brochurefrom the Downtown Berkeley Association, 1,100 new units are plannedfor the downtown area by 2018, potentially increasing the areas population from 3,000 to 5,000.

Read more:
Construction to begin on 6-story downtown development

Hunt Valley Towne Centre is expanding again. This time, though, the expansion is taking the form of upscale apartments, the first residential component to be added to the project since its inception about a decade ago.

The apartments are being built on a 6.5-acre parcel that Greenberg Gibbons Commercial Corp., developer of Hunt Valley Towne Centre, 118 Shawan Road, Hunt Valley, sold to AvalonBay Communities, a national residential developer.

"We had designated a residential area" in the original Hunt Valley design, Tom Fitzpatrick, Greenberg Gibbons' president and chief operating officer said last month. "We went to multiple residential developers" for bids on the property. He declined to provide a sale price for the land.

Fitzpatrick said the sale of the land for residential use completes the mixed-use intent of Hunt Valley. "We had the retail and the office," he said. "Now, we're bringing in the third component, the residential."

AvalonBay is calling the residential project Avalon at Hunt Valley Towne Centre. It will consist of a five-story building with 332 upscale apartments that will rent at market rate. The building is located on the east side of Hunt Valley, adjacent to the Pier 1 retail store. Construction may begin in fall of 2014, with completion in spring of 2016.

Greenberg Gibbons is developing and will manage 30,000 square feet of retail space that is going into the ground floor of the building.

Headquartered in Arlington, Va., AvalonBay owns and manages 276 apartment complexes with more than 82,000 apartments nationwide.

AvalonBay has already gone through the Baltimore County approval process and received zoning approval to proceed, according to Fitzpatrick. He also said that approval from tenants of Hunt Valley's retail portion was not required for the residential development to move forward.

Fitzpatrick said that Greenberg Gibbons owns other, undeveloped land that is part of the retail center of Hunt Valley. But, he added, "We don't anticipate selling off additional land at this time."

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Upscale apartments coming to Hunt Valley Towne Centre

Hub developers want to convert a 19th-century South End warehouse into a 42-unit residential development called The Factory at 46 Wareham.

The proposed six-story, 62,215-square-foot building would have five residential floors, 9,400 square feet of ground-floor retail space and 52 below-grade parking spaces.

Holland Development Inc.s plans, formally filed yesterday with the Boston Redevelopment Authority, call for the existing four-story, 30,231-square-foot warehouse to be partially demolished, leaving the front and west facades in place and connected to the new construction. Three additional levels would be added.

A potential tenant for the first-floor retail space is the 117-year-old Society of Arts and Crafts, which has expressed an interest in relocating from Newbury Street to join the growing South End arts community, according to the documents filed with the BRA.

The Wareham Street warehouse now is only partially occupied by food importer Samos Imex Corp. with two full-time employees. Its windows on the first two floors have been removed and replaced with concrete cinderblocks and plywood.

See the article here:
Plan would convert South End warehouse to housing, retail

A mothballed retail project on the outskirts of Limerick city, which was abandoned mid-build during the property crash, is set to undergo a 100m redevelopment, with the potential to create 2,000 jobs.

A planning application will be lodged with Limerick City and County Council today by Belfast-based developer Suneil Sharma, to complete the partially-built Parkway Shopping Centre on the main Dublin to Limerick road as Horizon Mall.

The application will seek approval to amend the existing planning permission for the site and to reduce the projects scale, while retaining some of its core elements.

The project represents one of the largest private sector investments in the Limerick area and, if sanctioned, will create 500 construction jobs and up to 1,500 retail jobs when completed.

However, city councillors and some business interests have previously argued that the focus should be on investment in the city centre.

Work on the Parkway site ground to a halt in 2007 when developer Liam Carrolls Zoe Group collapsed.

Mr Sharma, who has property interests in Limerick for over 15 years, subsequently bought the site.

He said its strategic location has already generated interest from several international retail brands, many of which would otherwise not consider locating in the city.

Marks & Spencer have agreed to take 100,000 square feet in the new scheme their largest store outside Dublin, he said.

We are involved in very positive discussions with other major retail brands and will be making further announcements about this in the weeks and months ahead.

Read the original post:
2,000 jobs on cards as retail project gets 100m revamp

The July 1 vote by the Coweta County Commission to abandon a portion of Wynns Pond Road in east Coweta paves the way for the development of the large Fischer Crossing retail development on the northeast quadrant of Fischer Road and Ga. Highway 34.

The measure called for a median cut on Ga. Highway 54 at Wynns Pond Road and the installation of a gated cul-de-sac on the west side of the roadway near the retail area for use by residents of the Featherston Fishing Club and emergency vehicles.

The approval came on a 4-0 vote, with Chairman Bob Blackburn excluding himself from the discussion and vote due to an affiliation with the Featherston Fishing Club.

Though no tenants have been identified, signs posted on the Fischer Crossing property note plans to establish 200,000 square feet of retail space on the site.

Unless other changes pertaining to the development are requested by the owner, the only issue preventing construction of the large shopping venue is securing the required grading and land disturbance permits.

Project representative Steven Gaultney last year agreed to the conditions that pertained to the Featherston Fishing Club property immediately to the east and northeast of the retail development.

Though Wynns Pond Road once ended at Fischer Road on its west side, the agreement called for closing the road approximately 1,000 feet to the east. One of the conditions stipulated that a cul-de-sac be constructed at the new western end of Wynns Pond Road and a gate and keypad installed to permit only Featherston Fishing Club residents and emergency vehicles access to the roadway and the homes located to the east.

Another condition dealt with the median cut on Hwy. 54 at Wynns Pond Road that has long been a requirement associated with the large Fischer Crossing commercial project. The median cut was part of the overall approval of the development several years ago to provide direct access to Wynns Pond Road from Hwy. 54 for members of the Featherston Fishing Club.

The condition agreed to by Gaultney stated that the developer will either install the median break or will provide an irrevocable letter of credit from a bank approved by the county to cover the cost of the installation. Certificates of occupancy for any new commercial construction will not be issued until the median break is installed.

Gaultney last year told commissioners the development would represent a $32-33 million investment.

Continued here:
Coweta OK's road abandonment for Fischer Crossing retail expansion

Since going public in 2012, property developer Century Properties Group expects to complete 31 new buildings with around 1.67 million square meters of residential, office and retail space through 2019.

In a press statement on Thursday, CPG said that within the next six years, it expected to complete new residential projects for the luxury, middle income and affordable markets, as well as retail, office and medical office developments. Apart from these, Century is also developing an office building in Bonifacio Global City.

The countdown for the 31 buildings started in the year 2012 when CPG became a publicly listed company. Prior to 2012, CPG has completed 25 condominium towers totaling 873,127 square meters with 8,777 units.

Of the 31 new towers that CPG plans to deliver through the next six years, six have so far been completed: Gramercy Residences, Knightsbridge Residences, Century City Mall and the first three towers of The Azure Urban Resort Residences.

The additional residential space will mostly be located within the companys master-planned developments in Metro Manila: Century City Makati, Acqua Private Residences in Mandaluyong, Azure Urban Resort Residences in Paraaque and The Residences at Commonwealth in Quezon City. Outside of Metro Manila, CPG will also develop residential towers in its Canyon Ranch project in Cavite. Its land bank for future development also consists of properties in Pampanga, Quezon City and Batangas.

CPG earlier announced that it is expected to complete six commercial buildings totaling roughly 160,000 square meters by 2019.

Century is now evolving from being a top residential developer in Metro Manila to a well-diversified real estate developer with recurring revenue streams, CPG chief operating officer Jose Marco Antonio said.

Aside from the six completed buildings, CPG has 25 others that are now under various stages of development and construction, broken down as follows: five towers in Century City including Centuria Medical Makati, Milano Residences and Trump Tower; six towers in Azure, eight towers in Commenwealth, one office building in Fort Bonifacio and five towers in Acqua.

CPG plans to debut on the local bond market with a retail offering worth as much as P3 billion from a local offering of retail bonds, boosting funds for its expansion program. The plan is to offer unsecured fixed-rate peso denominated retail bonds worth at least P2 billion with an option to upsize by P1 billion.

Local credit watcher Credit Rating and Investors Services Philippines Inc. has assigned an AA+ issue rating with a stable outlook on the bonds, citing CPGs strong market presence, healthy financial position, and excellent land banking strategy.

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Century Properties unveils growth plan