Home Builder Developer - Interior Renovation and Design

A sprawling parking lot across the street from Staples Center in downtown Los Angeles has been sold to local investors who plan to build a large-scale residential and retail complex perhaps including a hotel.

It was the second sale of a parking lot in the area around Staples and the L.A. Live entertainment complex in recent weeks as real estate development in the neighborhood south of downtown's financial district picks up speed.

The latest sale was a 2.7-acre parcel at 12th and Figueroa streets that has city approval for construction of apartment or condominium towers above stores and restaurants, real estate broker Adam Tischer of Colliers International said.

Tischer is an advisor to the seller, L&R Group, which is the parent company of Joe's Auto Park. The broker declined to name the three buyers, but other downtown property experts not authorized to talk about the deal identified one of the new owners as David Y. Lee.

Lee's Los Angeles company, Jamison Services Inc., is one of the largest office landlords in Southern California.

L&R paid $31 million for the property in 2010 and hadn't planned to sell it, but a trio of local buyers offered to pay substantially more than twice that amount, Tischer said. He declined to reveal the exact price.

The parcel, which was once owned by condominium developer South Group, has preliminary approvals for two high-rise towers of about 35 and 27 stories housing 648 residential units. About 40,000 square feet of space for stores and restaurants would be available for rent at street level.

The new owners may seek a variance from the city that would allow them to use some of the approved 863,000 square feet of development space as a hotel and perhaps accommodate more retail space, Tischer said.

"They are eager to get started and hope to be under construction this year," he said.

The other Staples area parking lot to be sold recently was a 4.6-acre site just to the north at 11th and Figueroa streets. Chinese property developer Oceanwide Real Estate Group acquired the land now used as a parking lot from New York landlord Moinian Group.

Originally posted here:
Investors buy parking lot across from Staples Center

The Somerville Arts Council and the city planning and community development office are looking to play a new role in the city: Real estate broker.

Since December, according to Arts Council Executive Director Gregory Jenkins, the council has been inviting artists and other creative industry workers in the city to detail the kind of studio or live-work space they need, in order to potentially connect them with commercial spaces that fit the bill.

Some 50 people have already responded to the questionnaire at http://www.somervilleartscouncil.org/spaceinitiative, Jenkins said, and the city is now going through commercial real estate listings in search of available space. Any commercial landlords with space to offer should contact the Arts Council at 617-625-6600 x2985, or the planning and community development office at x2500.

The city is stepping in because development pressure is making it difficult for everyone who wants studio space in Somerville to find it, Jenkins said.

Theres still a lot of studio workspaces out there, but more and more, the price is going up and theyre getting converted to residential, Jenkins said. The question is, how can we provide a more proactive role and support the cultural community?

On the landlords side, many commercial property owners have vacant space they would like to lease, but their parcels are either extremely developed or in need of extensive redevelopment, driving rents up so high that only larger tenants can afford them, Jenkins said.

A lot of commercial landlords are looking for tenants that have a very strong business model, and depending on where theyre located, sadly, theyre probably looking for chains, Jenkins said. I think landlords can be slightly hesitant when its not a traditional lessee, so the question is how can we help?

The city may be able to connect artists so they can pool their resources, possibly form an LLC, and lease larger spaces, Jenkins said. Options to ease extensive redevelopment costs could include setting up a fundraising campaign, seeking outside foundation support, securing pro bono architectural services, or checking with the city planning and inspectional services divisions to see what help may be available.

The city may even be able to find a commercial developer open to working with members of the creative community seeking live-work spaces, Jenkins said.

Somerville is in a unique situation right now with its amazing socioeconomic, ethnic and creative diversity, and I think we as a city should cherish and acknowledge it and do what we can to make sure we dont lose some of it, Jenkins said. The creative cluster provides so much benefit to the city form a social, civic, economic and cultural standpoint.

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Somerville looks to connect artists with landlords

January 10, 2014 Updated Jan 10, 2014 at 9:51 PM CST

PEORIA, Ill. -- This warm up is raising concerns for flooding on roadways and inside of your home.

Workers at Menold Construction & Restoration have responded to more than 100 flooded homes. Floods can cause up to hundreds of thousands worth of damage. Basic services start around $2,000.

There are ways you can protect your home from flooding. It starts with moving the snow away from your home and getting a sump pump.

"Get the moisture away," said Steven Driscoll, Vice President of Menold Construction & Restoration. "If it's in snow form or a liquid form, get it away. Make sure your discharge lines are clean and not frozen. I know a lot people who say, 'I don't need to worry because I got a new sump pump,' but that does not mean that the discharge lines are not frozen. Clean them out and make sure they're working."

If your home is already flooded, call a restoration service. Make sure to use fans and dehumidifiers to suck out the moisture to prevent mold.

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Weather conditions bring about another threat to your home--flooding

Kara Chisholm

Fragments of gravestones found in the basement of the Quincy Historical Society will be restored as part of a restoration plan of over 200 gravestones in Hancock Cemetery.

By Jessica Bartlett, Boston.com Staff

The 10 grave markers in the basement of the Adams Academy have sat untouched for over 30 years, the large pieces of slate collecting dust in the Quincy Historical Societys home.

Yet with a plan to restore over 200 gravestones in the Hancock Cemetery, the basement artifacts will finally see the light of day.

We came in a little under budget with the contract were going to go with [for the cemetery restoration], said Kara Chisholm, assistant planner for the city. The remaining money will allow the city to add the basement artifacts to the project, though they werent part of the initial scope.

City planners have been working for months to solidify contractors for the grave site restoration, an endeavor prompted by a Massachusetts Historical Commission grant for $33,000.

A Community Preservation Committee grant for $80,000 will supplement the funding, bringing much needed restoration work to a cemetery believed to have been settled by the Europeans in the 1620s.

The contract award is still awaiting approval from the Massachusetts Historical Commission, but city planners have begun to prepare the additional basement gravestones to be added to the project.

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Old gravestones to be restored to Quincy cemetery

Jane Ratcliffe, CEO of Great Yarmouth Borough Council, at University Campus Suffolk (UCS) Yarmouth graduation ceremony at Yarmouth Minster last year. Picture: James Bass

Lauren Rogers Friday, January 10, 2014 10:53 AM

Great Yarmouth Borough Council will next week consider options to temporarily cover the work of its chief executive, Jane Ratcliffe, who is now seriously ill with cancer.

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A special meeting of the borough councils cabinet will take place on Tuesday to discuss three short-term options to ensure the statutory and strategic duties of her role are fulfilled in her absence.

Mrs Ratcliffe, who was appointed to the permanent post in January 2013, has not been at work full-time since late November, and is expected to remain on leave for the next three to six months to undergo treatment.

On Tuesday, cabinet will consider three options for providing the necessary temporary management cover during this period. Full council, which is scheduled to meet as normal on Tuesday, will then be asked to endorse the decision.

The options are:

1. The recruiting of an interim full-time replacement of the post of CEO;

2. One of the borough councils existing three directors acts up to provide full-time cover of the chief executives duties;

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Great Yarmouth Borough Council chief executive undergoing treatment for cancer

The Corvallis Economic Development Commission will discuss its priorities for 2014 and hear an update on the Regional Accelerator Innovation Network from Mayor Julie Manning at its 3 p.m. Monday meeting at the Madison Avenue Meeting Room.

In other public meetings:

Monday

The Corvallis School Board will meet at 6:30 p.m. in the district office, 1555 S.W. 35th St. The agenda includes a presentation on a potential expansion to the teen center at the Boys & Girls Club of Corvallis, which is located on property the district is leasing to the club.

The Corvallis Public Participation Task Force will hold a special outreach session at 6:30 p.m. at the Corvallis-Benton County Public Library, 645 N.W. Monroe Ave. The task force hopes to hear suggestions for improvements from members of city boards and commissions and neighborhood associations.

The Philomath City Council meets at 7 p.m. at City Hall, 980 Applegate St. and will discuss appointments to the Planning Commission and Budget Committee and a contract offer for the Philomath Police Personnel Association.

The Monroe School Board meets at 7 p.m. in the library at Monroe High School, 365 N. Fifth St. The boards agenda includes finalizing appointments to a special committee that will screen potential candidates for the new superintendent of the district.

Tuesday

The Corvallis Citizens Advisory Commission on Transit meets at 8:20 a.m. in the Madison Avenue Meeting Room, 500 S.W. Madison Ave.

The Corvallis Commission for Martin Luther King Jr., meets at 5:15 p.m. at the Osborn Aquatic Center, 1940 N.W. Highland Drive.

Originally posted here:
Economic Development Commission to discuss priorities for 2014

Cochenour Blacktop Seal Coating in Circleville, OH
Since 1995, Cochenour Blacktop Seal Coating in Circleville, Ohio, has been serving the seal coating and full-service home improvement needs of customers thro...

By: hainesyellowone

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Cochenour Blacktop Seal Coating in Circleville, OH - Video

Habitat for Humanity Quad-Cities is branching out to housing rehab.

The nonprofit Christian housing organization that has built 80 newhomes in this area since 1993 has been donated atwo-bedroomMoline bungalowthat it will rehabilitate for about $30,000 and sell to a low-income family.

The 1920s-era home was givento Habitat by Bank of America via a new national alliance in which up to 2,000 foreclosed-upon properties will be turned over to various Habitat affiliates over the next three years.

Habitat has long shied away from rehab for several reasons, including the fact that older homes can have lead abatement issues, and theycan be "money pits," requiring moreto repair than they are worth, said Dougal Nelson, the director of development for Habitat Quad-Cities.

But the Bank of America homes offer a good opportunity because if Habitat can rehab a solid, existing property to near-new condition at half the cost of a new home, the organization can serve more people, he said.

"It's a great way to serve more families and to improve neighborhoods," he added. "No one wants a vacant home on their street. I'm thrilled."

Habitat provides the bank with postal ZIP codes for its coverage area and a profile of the desired square footage, number of bedrooms and so forth. The bank then reviews its properties, looking for suitable matches.

But because the bank staff is "lookingfrom afar,they dont always have a handle on suitability," Nelson said. "It rests on us to look at the property and be able to get back to them within seven days to say yes or no."

Habitat considersoverall condition, size, tax affordability andenergy efficiency, he said.

The Moline house is "in great shape and the perfect size" at about 1,000 square feet, he said. The taxes are affordable, it has new windows, some new insulation and a high-efficiency furnace, plus it has vinyl siding, meaning less future maintenance.

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Habitat, Bank of America partner on foreclosed homes

New Steel Roofers Toronto Metal Roofing Company
Before choosing a shingle roofing replacement company visit http://newsteelroofers.ca and learn how you can have the same look as a shingle roof, but with th...

By: Andrew Roofers

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New Steel Roofers Toronto Metal Roofing Company - Video

Residential roofing firm A.R. Roofing is adding a commercial division.

The Pratt-based company said Gabe Goepfert, a three-year employee in Nebraska who also is a former commercial contractor, will lead the new division.

Goepfert will be based in Pratt.

A company official said Thursday that A.R. Roofing has been doing some commercial roofing work on request in the past five years jobs that came about from its residential work.

Recently the company has seen increasing demand for that type of work, said Phil Haase, a storm operations team member and marketer for A.R. Roofing.

It just kind of took on a life of its own, Hasse said.

Besides Pratt, A.R. Roofing operates an office at 4010 W. Irving in Wichita, and it has operations in Tulsa and Hastings, Neb. It does about 1,200 roof installations a year, company officials said.

The privately owned company was founded in 1995 and has more than 40 employees.

Haase said the company is actively hiring, including plans to add up to four sales people, partly to support the new division.

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AR Roofing adding commercial division