Home Builder Developer - Interior Renovation and Design

After an extended lull brought on by the economic downturn, commercial real estate developers are building again.

Some of the activity involves the revival of projects that stopped during the recession, but many others are new from the ground up and mark the return of construction cranes to the Southern California skyline along with the injection of billions of dollars into the local economy.

An intense demand for apartments is the biggest driver of development, as the improving economy supports the formation of new households. But offices, warehouses and stores are also being built, according to real estate brokerage Marcus & Millichap.

"We haven't had any meaningful construction of any type since 2005 or 2006," said Hessam Nadji, managing director of research at the brokerage. "A new cycle is beginning."

He expects 6,600 apartments and 2.4 million square feet of commercial space to be delivered this year in Los Angeles County. More is on the way.

"We're finally coming out of our bunkers," Los Angeles developer Wayne Ratkovich said of his fellow builders. "People are tired of being down in the dumps and are starting to look for opportunities."

Ratkovich is renovating aviation mogul Howard Hughes' former offices in Playa Vista, a development called the Hercules Campus that he expects to cost as much as $90 million. His tenants, including YouTube, are also spending substantial sums to build out their spaces, he said.

One of the region's most high-profile developers, Rick Caruso, estimated that he has about $750 million worth of development in the pipeline including what he called a "huge" project the size of his popular Grove shopping center in the Fairfax district of Los Angeles.

He declined to elaborate or say where in Southern California he intends to build the new project. One development he expects to finish in September is a $60-million luxury apartment complex on Burton Way at La Cienega Boulevard. The eight-story complex, called 8500, will house 88 apartments over a Trader Joe's grocery store.

At his Americana at Brand shopping and residential complex in Glendale, Caruso is building a new Nordstrom store and adding four apartments to the development's roster of 100 condominiums and 238 apartments, almost fully occupied.

More:
Apartment demand drives commercial building rebound

MORGANTOWN -

Monongalia County's Clean Indoor regulations have caused many bars and restaurants to use outdoor decks as a way to accommodate patrons who smoke.

Morgantown Code Enforcement Officer Mike Stone reminded businesses and residents that permits must be obtained before constructing a deck.

Many bars have not followed that procedure, Stone said. For that, they could face a $500 fine.

Businesses who wish to have a deck must have it engineered and submit four copies of the plans to have reviewed, signed and stamped.

Residents who would like to build a deck onto a house need to submit two copies of their plans for review to gain a permit. If they're using a contractor, they should check to make sure they're licensed to operate in the city.

Questions can be directed to the Code Enforcement office Monday through Friday between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Residents and businesses can also call 304-284-7401.

See the original post here:
Code Enforcement Officer Reminds About Deck Permits

Riverside County Supervisor Jeff Stone has come up with a plan to construct a sewer system to accommodate his grand vision of expanding Wine Country into a destination resort.

Stone is preparing to take that plan to the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday.

"I am asking that the board join me in committing a total of $5 million for this project," Stone wrote in a report to the board. "This commitment from the county will jump-start sewer construction within the Wine Country region and ensure ongoing economic prosperity of Southwest Riverside County."

State and local water officials have warned that wineries' practice of relying on septic systems won't work if there is a major commercial expansion of Wine Country. They have stressed that the introduction of sewers must accompany the planned tripling of wineries and anticipated opening of many hotels and restaurants.

Financing, however, has been a concern, but Stone said he has figured out a way to pay for a sewer system.

Stone is asking supervisors to authorize a $2 million loan from the county's waste management enterprise fund to provide upfront funding for the system's first phase.

He also wants the board to commit $3 million in the future for a second phase, if needed.

The Eastern Municipal Water District, which provides sewer service in much of Southwest County, would install the lines.

Charlie Bachmann, Eastern's assistant general manager in charge of engineering and construction, said the plan is to run a line from Nicolas Road through Roripaugh Ranch, then along Calle Contento to Rancho California Road. It would serve wineries spread along Rancho California from the Temecula city limit to Monte de Oro.

Bachmann said that initial phase is expected to cost $15 million to $18 million.

View post:
REGION: Stone has $5 million financing plan for Wine Country sewer

LAKE WYLIE --

A Lake Wylie group trying to save an early 20th century schoolhouse from demolition may be out of time.

The Good Samaritan United Methodist Church is moving forward with plans to demolish the schoolhouse and another building located on its property, something Pastor Jason Everson says has been in the churchs plans for a while.

Theyre basically eyesores, and theyre blocking the view of our property, he said. Its a curb-appeal kind of thing. We dont need them anymore.

After a meeting with York County officials Friday, the church will apply for a demolition permit. Everson hopes the church can begin demolition Monday or Tuesday, he said.

That doesnt leave much time for Don Long and other River Hills and Lake Wylie residents eager to save the schoolhouse, which they believe to be the historic Laney School built in 1914.

The schoolhouse sits between the church and S.C. 274/S.C. 49, just south of S.C. 557, and overlooks the highway.

The group, called the Laney School Preservation Project, wants to move the building to property owned by the River Hills Community Association.

There, they hope to renovate it into a community center for public meetings, events and a small museum telling the history of the Lake Wylie area, something it hasnt had since Duke Energy closed its visitors center, Long said.

Long said moving and renovating the schoolhouse will cost less than building a new structure, and it will save a piece of Lake Wylies history.

Read more:
Church on track to demolish building thought to be historic schoolhouse

Six years after Hurricane Katrina forced a small Lakeview church to rebuild from scratch, its members have done so in a way few other congregations have matched, creating an ambitious, environmentally green building that embodies the congregations very theology. With the arrival of Earth Day 2012, the members of Community Church Unitarian Universalist of New Orleans have a tight, bright church of 4,200 square feet designed from day one to consume as little fossil-fuel energy as possible.

And now comes something like a certificate of success: Marchs electricity bill from Entergy totaled $48.83.

The Environmental Protection Agency says the Lakeview congregations new home is the first house of worship of its kind in the country.

The Unitarian Universalist rebuilders in Lakeview are the spiritual and ethical heirs of Henry David Thoreau, Ralph Waldo Emerson and the 19th century New England Transcendentalists.

Famously liberal and pluralistic, big-tent Unitarian Universalism describes itself as a creedless religion devoted to seven broad ethical principles. Generally, the denomination celebrates human dignity, equality, peace, social justice, democracy, the right to conscience and each individuals search for truth.

An old joke Unitarian Universalists tell on themselves: Why did the Unitarian Universalist cross the road?

To support the chicken in its search for its own path.

But another unifying principal and the underpinning for the Lakeview church is respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part.

We have in this congregation people who want to walk the way they talk, said the Rev. Jim VanderWeele, the pastor of Community Church since 2002.

They do believe were depleting the ozone layer, and if thats not a point of jeopardy for people now, it will soon be so. We believe its important for everybody to reduce his carbon footprint.

See original here:
New Orleans church celebrates Earth Day in a new building that is green as can be

by Jamie Grey

KTVB.COM

Posted on April 20, 2012 at 9:38 PM

Updated yesterday at 3:08 PM

NAMPA -- A Nampa church built more than 100 years ago has a for-sale sign out front. The sale includes a full block (just over two acres) with several historic buildings.

Saint Paul's Catholic Church and School has grown over the years and now is building a new church. With that move, the parish is selling its current property for $2.4 million.

The current St. Paul's church building dates back to 1910. The inside has beautiful, historic reminders of the church's past: Stained glass windows, statues, and original pews. But the historic nature of the building means a lot of maintenance.

"The sewer pipes actually rotted out because they were so old," Dan Jones, St. Paul's Business Manager, said.

In addition to maintenance issues, Saint Paul's has a capacity issue. If they want to expand, there isn't much room. They already have four masses each Sunday (two in Spanish).

"The capacity [in the church building], according to fire code, is 550 or 600. If we want to expand, if we want to have more people involved, we can't put them in here. We're splitting by the seams," Jones said.

Go here to see the original:
100-year-old church for sale

MADISON, Wis. Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker established a program that has given hundreds of thousands of dollars in merit raises and bonuses to some state workers even as he preached cost-cutting and pushed through a law reducing most public workers' pay and eliminating their union rights.

An analysis of data The Associated Press obtained through an open records request showed Wisconsin agencies have handed out more than $765,000 in bonuses and merit raises this year to nearly 220 employees.

The awards are meant to reward stellar performance. But they come as the state faces a $143 million shortfall and after thousands of state workers took pay cuts through provisions in the collective bargaining law requiring them to contribute more to their pensions and health care.

Walker, who faces a June 5 recall election prompted by anger over the collective bargaining law, prides himself on fiscal restraint.

The Republican governor wasn't available for comment Friday. His spokesman, Cullen Werwie, referred questions to Walker's top aide, Department of Administration Secretary Mike Huebsch, who said the governor established the program because he felt it was important to mirror the private sector and provide rewards for outstanding work.

"It is a tool for a manager to go in and say this person truly set themselves apart," Huebsch said.

Agency managers must find the money within their own budgets, he added; the state doesn't provide money specifically for merit compensation.

Still, Huebsch said he warned agencies run by the governor's secretaries to hold off on issuing bonuses or raises at least until the fiscal year ends June 30. Most did, but the Department of Workforce Development gave raises to two workers, one in January and one in April.

Huebsch said managers asked for special permission to make the moves because they were afraid the workers were about to leave for the private sector.

Marty Beil, executive director of Wisconsin's largest state employee union, said the group has always had problems with merit pay because it smacks of favoritism and Walker's criteria are too subjective and vague. Beil also said he doesn't know where state agencies can find the money.

Read more here:
Wisconsin gives $765,000 in bonuses despite budget hole

By RUTH FREEMAN Special to The Oakland Press

Photo courtesy of Sharon Holton South Lyon interior decorator Sharon Holton participated in the Junior League of Detroits Designer Show House at the historic Webber home in Grosse Point Shores. She redecorated a breakfast room in the English tudor house, which will be open for public tours in May.

Local fans of Masterpieces Downtown Abbey wont have to travel far to tour a great house. The Junior League of Detroit will present the Webber home in Grosse Pointe Shores from May 5-20, during its biennial Designers Show House.

To raise money for grants and community programs in Detroit, the group chooses local interior designers to redecorate a historic home and opens it for public tours.

This year, South Lyon designer Sharon Holton decorated a breakfast room on the first floor of the Webber home and said it was an honor.

The 10,000-square-foot English Tudor home was built in 1928 for Oscar Webber, nephew of J.L. Hudson, who later helped run the J.L. Hudson Co.

It features seven bedrooms, Pewabic tile bathrooms and fireplaces and a ballroom on the third floor. It also has hand-carved wood, such as timber from the Black Forest in Germany and a view of Lake St. Clair.

Landscape architects also redecorated the garden, which includes a fountain.

Holton called it a piece of Michigan history.

See the rest here:
South Lyon decorator in Junior League’s Show House

The last time the city asked residents to vote on a quality-of-life bond, the voters cooperated, easily passing all four propositions in 2000.

Twelve years later, as the city prepares to ask El Pasoans to vote on a new $655 million to $835 million bond, just about every project listed on the 2000 bond issue -- minus a parking garage at the zoo -- has been completed.

It is because of that success that the mayor and other city officials are willing to go to the voters again. The 2000 bond showed that the city could hold the line on taxes and still achieve its goals, Mayor John Cook said.

The proposed November 2012 bond referendum, while bigger in dollars and projects, is needed to create a longer-lasting economic impact on the community

"The combination of signature projects with neighborhood projects and basic infrastructure is what really makes this strong," Cook said.

Unlike the 2000 bond, which was worth $141 million, this year's bond could carry national implications as it calls for a multipurpose arena and sports stadiums. The 2012 bond proposal also carries money for the zoo, infrastructure and neighborhoods.

But the centerpieces are the stadiums, which won't be built unless there's a commitment from a team to make El Paso home.

"There's no reason that those events and shows that are going to Phoenix or even Las Cruces can't come to El Paso if we have the right facilities," said Rick Horrow, president of Horrow Sports

His national company has been hired to help develop a plan to spur economic development in the region, something that was not done in 2000.

Most of the money from the 2000 bond issue was spread among four city departments: Parks and Recreation, the library, the zoo and history museum. The library bond issue, was the most popular, passing with 77 percent of the vote, according to El Paso Times archives.

See the original post:
12 years later, money for new upgrades in El Paso sought

The Fire Departments EMS station on 23rd Street, proposed additions to the Chelsea Hotel. Permits for local street fairs and national budget issues were among the topics discussed when the full board of Community Board 4 (CB4), including 10 new board members, gathered at Fulton Houses Auditorium on April 4 for their monthly meeting.

Before the meeting began, Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer arrived to present outgoing member Ed Kirkland with an official certificate of appreciation for his years of service to CB4.

The Proclamation Im going to give tonight to Ed Kirkland, whos always been someone who pointed the way on so many issues, the mayor cannot give. Andrew Cuomo cannot give this Proclamation, only I can do this, said Stringer. Whereas Ed Kirkland has served on the board of CB4 for 29 years and played a lead role in just about every important matter from the High Line to Hudson Gardens and the Hudson River Parkand whereas we are sad he will step downI hereby proclaim April 4, 2012, as Ed Kirkland Appreciation Day in the borough of Manhattan.

Im just glad it wasnt on April 1st, said Kirkland to laughter. Its time. I know its time. I want to thank all of you with whom I worked andthank you for this Proclamation.

Ed sets the standard for community reform, between his work with Chelsea Market and Waterfront issues, and will continue to help give you all the resources you need to handle these issues, said Stringer.

Kirkland will stay on the board in a consultant capacity, with Board Chair Corey Johnson noting, It is a loss not to have him on the board of CB4, but we will recruit him as a public member.

Ed Kirkland is one of the most prominent, well respected and irreplaceable community activists that CB4 has ever been blessed with, echoed Johnson. He is one of the foremost experts and activists on preservation, not just on the West Side but throughout the entire city, and about four years ago almost single-handedly helped secure the West Chelsea Historic District, which is just one of many accomplishments he has under his belt as board member for 29 years. We are saddened by him leaving the board, but happy he is staying on as a public member and helping us when we need his expertise.

EMS STATION DEBATED

Board member Brett Firfer led the session of the meeting dealing with the site selection and acquisition of property at 512 West 23rd Street for the Midtown West EMS Station. David Harney, chief of staff of the Deputy Fire Commissioner for the Bureau of Technology and Support Services, explained that the NYFD would like CB4 to support their move to obtain a lease at their temporary location. Joining him were Captain James Foley and Police Chief James Murley.

When the [St. Vincents] hospital closed, the five units and 15 tours that served the area disappeared, said Harney. The Fire Department assumed control of those tours. The problem is simple. We do not have the facilities [for this].

See original here:
CB4 honors Ed Kirkland, welcomes new additions