Home Builder Developer - Interior Renovation and Design

A national leader in homegrown solar-thermal manufacturing will present a concept to South Middleton Twp. supervisors tonight for a neighborhood of about 290 apartments that would get their heat, hot water and air conditioning from the sun.

Brian McNew, owner of EarthNet Energy of Chambersburg, owns a 32-acre site at Marsh, Rockledge and Eastgate drives where the Summerbridge community is proposed.

I think this could be a model not only for South Middleton Township, but for the region for responsible, sustainable development, said John Snyder of RGS Associates of Lancaster, project engineer.

Initial drawings show 10 multi-unit residential buildings and five commercial pads, a community center incorporating an existing barn on the property, substantial green areas and a broad buffer with plantings separating the neighborhood from a well site that supplies municipal water.

Solar collectors manufactured by EarthNet would provide heat, hot water and cooling, and additional green technology would be incorporated in the communitys design and construction.

Snyder said that while the project will not be an age-restricted community, it is being geared toward older, active adults.

He said 30 to 60 percent of the housing units would have amenity packages that would appeal to seniors, such as first-floor master bedrooms, specialized bathing facilities and step-free entries.

McNew and Snyder stressed that the project is in its infancy and cannot proceed without zoning concessions.

The site, formerly a farm, is the only tract in the township zoned village-commercial, which calls for first-floor retail spaces in structures facing the street like a traditional small-town main street.

Market conditions dont favor that much retail space, Snyder said.

Read the original here:
Owner of EarthNet Energy draws up plan for 290 apartments, retail space powered by the sun in South Middleton Township

SMR Architects concept drawing of DESC's supportive housing project in the Delridge neighborhood of West Seattle. DESC director Bill Hobson recently said no sex offenders will be allowed to live in the supportive housing complex.

Sex offenders will not be allowed to live at DESCs Delridge Supportive Housing apartments, DESC Executive Director Bill Hobson confirmed at an advisory council meeting on March 27. Additionally, members of a pilot produce cooperative discussed their vision for the membership-driven, locally-sourced grocer to go in at the retail space facing Delridge Way S.W. once the building is up.

No sex offenders at DESC Delridge DESC (Downtown Emergency Service Center) plans to build a 66-unit apartment complex at 5444 Delridge Way S.W. with supportive services for homeless men and women living with serious mental/addictive illnesses or other disabling conditions.

Concerning the decision on sex offenders that Hobson said he basically committed to back in June of 2011, but made official this week, he said I think your concern about childhood safety is perfectly reasonable. I think that for people who do not know about the dynamics of homelessness or major psychiatric issues, the project coming to this neighborhood, the concern for property values is also a very legitimate concern for neighbors to have.

There are virtually none (sex offenders) in the homeless population, he added. It is less than one percent. They are not in the population for the most part and we will spring them out, we have access to the King County Sheriffs website and Im happy to talk more about our screening mechanisms.

Hobson then referenced a Seattle Times article he recently read that stated over 90 percent of sexual abuse cases are committed by a family members or close friends of the victims family.

No full-size grocery store, but possibly a produce cooperative Shifting gears, the Delridge Supportive Housing Advisory Committee turned to the question of what will go in at the retail space required in DESCs housing plan.

Parie Hines, co-chair of North Delridge Neighborhood Council, started off the conversation with a review of a study commissioned by several city and county organizations and researched by Diane Lupke & Associates, Inc. to assess the potential for a full-service grocery store in North Delridge. The need for local healthy food options in Delridge has been a longtime conversation for residents.

The findings of the study stated, Current incomes, population density, traffic counts and proximity to alternatives do not support location of a standard supermarket within the Delridge area, or, as Hines put it, I think it tells us what we already know: it is hard to build a grocery store in Delridge.

The study went on to suggest alternatives including subsidized markets (like the Food Trust on the East Coast), small independent grocers, mobile markets (like the Stockbox Grocer pilot that was in Delridge for a while), fresh food offerings at convenience stores (which is already happening at a few locations) and a co-op grocer.

Read the original post:
Sex offenders out, locally-sourced produce potentially in at DESC Delridge project

Credit: Main at Roan Partners LLC

Another project is about to make downtown Johnson Cityeven more attractive and meet a growing need there.

Another project is about to make downtown Johnson City even more attractive and meet a growing need there.

Three local businessmen are planning a $2 million new construction project at the intersection of South Roan Street and State of Franklin Road.

Main at Roan Partners LLC revealed the project will include retail space at the corner of the property and 27 loft apartments. Pending final city approval, Guy Wilson said he and his partners (Rab Summers and Tim Jones) hope to demolish the old building currently at the location in May and begin construction on the new three-story building in June.

According to Wilson, they want it to be ready for people to move-in by next spring.

Tim and Rab and I, our families grew up in Johnson City, we have a soft spot for the old downtown,Wilson said. We want to do something for downtown.

The Washington County Economic Development Council welcomes the news.

Its another sign that there are a lot of good things happening in downtown Johnson City and there are other signs as well, from public investment to a new restaurant that just opened, Economic Council Marketing and Community Relations Director Jeff Keeling said. "This is just a sign that people want to live downtown and want to spend time downtown and that private investors are willing to invest down here. Its on a really important corner. The corner of State of Franklin and Roan Street is very highly traveled and visible and it should be a very nice addition aesthetically to the area."

Visit link:
$2 million retail, apartment space coming to downtown Johnson City

A new retail center will open on Gervais Street this summer with two new tenants and space for two more.

If Its Paper and SmartPhone Medic will move into the 9,000-square-foot, two-story center at 1801 Gervais St.

Bobbitt Design Build recently began transforming the building formerly a Michelin tire shop and plans to wrap up construction by July, a spokeswoman said. The new tenants will move in July 1.

If Its Paper will move to the more centrally located downtown site from North Main Street, taking a 4,000-square-foot chunk of the Gervais Street building, developer Cubby Culbertson said. Culbertson also owns a piece of each of the two stores that are moving into the spot.

Both of them are tired looking stores, Culbertson said. The new site will give them a fresh look in a good location, he said.

For SmartPhone Medic, it is much-needed space, he said.

The store, which repairs smartphones, has been operating out of a 200-square-foot spot nearby on Devine Street since August 2009, when it opened with a single employee. The new location will have about 1,100 square feet, Culbertson said, and employ nine.

The new store will have an iPad lab for repairing tablet computers and will include more display space. iPads becoming a huge market for us, Culbertson said.

The building also will include a 1,200-square-foot retail space upstairs, which Culbertson said would be a good fit for another tech business, such as computer repair or printing, or a business geared toward women, the target customer for If Its Paper.

The buildings downstairs will have another 4,000-square-foot space that could be used for retail, office or warehouse space, Culbertson said.

See the article here:
Retail center to open in Vista

PASADENA, Calif., March 29, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Next week, design and construction professionals attending Fiatech's 2012 Technology Conference & Showcase in Miami, Florida will have a unique opportunity to learn best practices for preparing digital documents for the jobsite. McCarthy Building Companies, one of the nation's leading facility builders, and Bluebeam Software, leading developer of PDF solutions for digitizing project communication, are teaming up to deliver a presentation titled Field-Ready Digital Documents, scheduled for Tuesday, April 3rd at 10:30am.

During the session Chad Dorgan, Vice President of Quality and Sustainability at McCarthy and Don Jacob, Vice President of Engineering at Bluebeam, will demonstrate how the use of interactive hyperlinked PDF project files, Wi-Fi technology and field-ready hardware has enabled McCarthy Building Companies to streamline document management, improve job site and project communications and enhance overall efficiency.

"Just like any building project, without the right tools, going paperless can be a challenge, especially when multiple contractors, stakeholders and vendors are involved in a complex project," Dorgan said. "In this session, we will show you how identifying and implementing the right tools and technology has revolutionized the way we work, and how you can apply these same tools and techniques to work smarter and faster, with better communication and visibility into the total project."

Additionally, Fiatech attendees will have the first opportunity to see Bluebeam's new Revu 10 demonstrated live. Released on March 27th, 2012, this latest version of Bluebeam's award-winning PDF platform solution includes several new features that prove there are no limits to how project teams can communicate digitally, including integrated cloud storage, hyperlink management, space definition for automated tracking in PDFs, 3D PDF creation from Revit and Navisworks Manage and markup to 3D views.

"Revu 10 is by far the most powerful and customizable solution on the market for digitizing project communication and collaboration," Bluebeam's Jacob said. "We are excited to be offering solutions that help our customers take electronic field documents to the next level. By blending familiar interactions such as the veritable red pen on drawings with advanced 3D interactions, rich markups, hyperlinking and more, we are continuing to focus on our customer's needs and providing the best solutions possible for getting projects done efficiently and on time."

For a complete demonstration of the new Revu 10, visit Bluebeam Software in booth 26 throughout the Fiatech event.

About McCarthyMcCarthy Building Companies, Inc. is one of the nation's oldest and largest commercial builders. Committed to the construction of high performance buildings, the company provides general contracting, construction management, and design-build services for healthcare, educational, commercial, parking structures, science and technology facilities; office buildings; tenant interiors; mixed-use; bridges; and highways. Repeatedly honored as a Best Place to Work, McCarthy is a 100 percent employee-owned private company, or "S corporation employee stock ownership plan" (S ESOP). More information about the company is available online at http://www.mccarthy.com.

About Bluebeam Software, Inc.Not your typical software company, Bluebeam Software makes smart, simple solutions for paperless workflows based on the PDF format. Founded in 2002 in Pasadena, California, Bluebeam's award-winning PDF creation, markup and collaboration solutions are used today by the world's top architectural, engineering and construction firms, as well as government agencies, accountants and even attorneys, as an intuitive, easy-to-use, PDF-based software solution for dramatically improved workflow and more sustainable, paperless operations. Bluebeam supports customers in over 50 countries directly through its Account Services team in addition to an extensive reseller network. For more information, visit http://www.bluebeam.com.

Read more:
McCarthy Building Companies and Bluebeam® Software to Share New Ideas for Creating Field-Ready Digital Documents at ...

By Zachary Stieber Epoch Times Staff Created: March 29, 2012 Last Updated: March 29, 2012

Looking south on Broadway toward the Flatiron building on March 6, with Madison Square Park on the left. (Amal Chen/The Epoch Times)

NEW YORKMore people are moving into the Flatiron District, buildings are being converted into residential units, and commercial and retail rents continue to increase.

John Ciraulo, vice chairman of Massey Knakal Realty Services, used 901 Broadwaybuilt in 1869, and currently mixes use with apartments and retailas an illustrative time lapse of increased popularity and rent in the area. The firm first sold the building in 1996 for $2.5 million as a vacant retail store, with rent below $100 a foot. Ten years ago the firm sold it againthis time for $6.5 million.

Two years ago we sold it [again] for $25 million to a Russian/Spanish investor who put Brooks Brothers in there for close to $300 a foot, says Ciraulo.

A StreetEasy listing for a 2-bedroom-2-bathroom rental in the building asks for $15,500 a month.

Rent for some retail buildings on Broadway, Fifth Avenue, and Park Avenue South have more than doubled even over the past few years, explained Ciraulo.

High ceilings are a strong draw for those moving in the area, as are the architectural details of the buildings, many of them turn-of-the-century. However, Lynn Shanahan, president of Marimekko North America, said those offering space in the district should be more transparent about the inside of buildings, some of which might not be up to par for certain uses.

With more large companies moving in, Shanahan also wants the Flatiron/23rd Street Partnership to remember the small businesses that started in the area and have invested in it. The partnership seeks to enhance the Flatiron Business Improvement Districts (BID) reputation and on Wednesday hosted the panel discussing these issues.

There are a lot of great restaurants on all of the side streetsI think the discovery factor of this area is tremendous, said Shanahan. If it turns out to be too exclusive, I think that it will lose its color, and thats why were here.

Originally posted here:
Flatiron District Booms

Three opulent main floor rooms at the historic Reddick Mansion in Ottawa look better today than in many decades. And Saturday evening members of the public are welcome to see for themselves.

The Italianate mansion commissioned in 1855 by Ottawa businessman and politician William Reddick has been open on reduced hours since January while careful, painstaking restoration of the rooms was carried out.

A highlight to the project is the addition of "new" period furniture with an Ottawa connection.

The three linked rooms on the east side of the building overlooking Columbus Street now glow after the application of new paint and a thorough cleaning of all the window treatments, furniture and other appointments.

"So, it's kind of the new 'old look,' " said Diane Sanders, president of the Reddick Mansion Association Board of Directors.

There also are parlors across the central hallway on the west side of the building that have been redecorated and are available for special event rentals.

"The other side is equally as historic," said Sanders. "But these three rooms on the east side are representative of 1855 in every respect."

A considerable amount of plaster work was done on the east side front parlor.

"That was just a mess," she said, gesturing to a now-smooth wall. "The whole wall had to be scraped and replastered. When they got all the plaster off they showed be where the original chalk lines had been snapped."

The accumulated paint in the room was very thick.

See the original post:
Reddick Mansion Restoration: Renovations, refreshments Saturday evening

The Dover Board of Selectmen presented an update on the estimated $94,000 project to restore the Rev. Benjamin Caryl House. The house, built in 1777, was home to Caryl and his family.

The restoration work would include repairs to the exterior woodwork, plaster finish and wood sash and frames, as well as interior and exterior paint jobs.

According to Chairwoman Carol Lisbon, the process to fix the property, which Dover Town Historian Dick Vara called one of the finest examples of early rural Georgian architecture in the area, began with a Town Meeting vote in 2009 to use $10,000 to pursue a study on the Caryl House.

At last years Town Meeting, $150,000 was approved to start construction on the project and to preserve this wonderful asset to Dover, said Lisbon.

There are currently six competing bids to do the project, and once a contractor is selected, work will begin.

She added, The next step will be for Richard Smith, who is our architect, to review all these bidders.

Board member James P. Dawley Jr. made a motion to accept the lowest responsive and responsible bidder for the contract, which was seconded by Joseph Melican.

Lisbon noted that less work needed to be done than previously thought and the cost came in lower than expected. She thanked Assistant Town Administrator Greer Pugatch for her incredible efforts in working on the project.

The board also reviewed the ballot questions for the Dover Town Warrant. The first nine, Lisbon said, are standard, while articles 10 through 23 are new items.

Article 4 concerns the operating budget items. These items include the appropriation of $10,436 from debt services for septic repairs.

Read this article:
Caryl House restoration project draws 6 bids

Topeka A majority in the House approved a bill on Wednesday to install a meditation and prayer room in the Statehouse.

House Bill 2694, originally introduced by Rep. Arlen Siegfried, R-Olathe, was created to provide space in the Capitol for state legislators and others to pray and relax.

The Kansas Statehouse previously had a chapel in the 1960s and early 1970s, before it was changed into an office.

The room will be open to people of any denomination or belief to use. Rep. Bill Otto, R-LeRoy, said the room will lack any religious symbols.

We were assured this is a place where there would be no religious symbolism, Otto said. The room should be free for anyone to use.

All costs associated with construction, remodeling and furnishing will be paid by private donors, who will remain anonymous.

Rep. Sean Gatewood D-Topeka, said he feared the measure could be abused, specifically citing the likelihood of disturbances by the Westboro Baptist Church in Topeka.

All things considered, I dont believe this is something we want to get into, Gatewood said. Thats a problem I dont want.

A final vote is expected Thursday.

Copyright 2012 The Lawrence Journal-World. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. We strive to uphold our values for every story published.

See the original post:
Bill setting up prayer room advances

TOPEKA Whether a representation of Kansas heritage, or an erosion of the separation of church and state, the Capitol Prayer and Meditation Room moved one step closer to fruition Wednesday.

The state House approved a bill creating a room within the state Capitol for prayer and reflection. Six other states, including Florida and Arizona, and the U.S. Congress have set aside capitol space for prayer.

It seems to me like a very good place to do his (Gods) work, said Rep. Bill Otto, R-LeRoy. ... this place for me is not a place just of meditation but a place of celebration that Kansas has a very rich history of religion and its faith.

House majority leader Rep. Arlen Siegfreid, R-Olathe, who proposed the bill, had originally named the room the All Faiths Chapel, but the name was later changed because of worries that the word chapel would violate the First Amendments establishment clause.

However, representatives spent little time discussing the separation of church and state on the house floor some representatives opposed the bill because of concerns that certain groups would have access to use the room.

There is one little elephant in the room that hasnt been addressed tonight that slipped my mind: that is the Westboro Baptist Church right here in Topeka, said Rep. Sean Gatewood, D-Topeka. They have already decided to send in a letter to the editor saying that if we have this open that is absolutely their right to be here. That is really a problem I dont want to have.

Other representatives argued that the state should not be scared of one or two groups.

If he (Fred Phelps) comes down here, certain people, I will be one, will be glad to volunteer and be praying for him, said Otto. If enough of us take enough time to pray for him maybe he will change or decide its not worth the time. We should not be backing down because of a certain group of people who have run around and shamed the state.

According to the bill, the prayer room will be built using private funds donated to the state treasury. All donors names will be kept confidential. Religious books could be allowed in the room.

The bill does not list a location within the Capitol for the room but Siegfreid said Gov. Sam Brownback was willing to have the chapel in one of his administrations offices on the second floor of the Statehouse. The Capitol visitor center has also been suggested as a possible location for the room, once remodeling is completed.

Read more:
Kansas House OKs prayer room at state Capitol