Home Builder Developer - Interior Renovation and Design

Shivering New Yorkers looking to escape the winter weather can respite without hopping on a plane to a tropical destination. Inside a raw space at 25 Kent (in the same space the groundbreaking street art exhibition was last year), digital mixed media artist Anne Spalter brings a tropical oasis to New York City with an immersive installation that transports visitors away from the cold streets of New York City to a surreal warm weather locale.

With real plants, Adirondack chairs to lounge in, the soothing sound of ocean waves, outlet banks and giant spheres that depict abstract summery scenes, Vacation Planet offers a place to relax and recharge and warm up. Untapped New York Insiders got to experience the installation and talk with Anne Spalter about how it came about.

Spalter, who lives in Brooklyn, can see 25 Kent from her apartment. While driving past one day, she noticed that the space, which is currently occupied by Wallplay, a platform that programs and operates vacant spaces with commercial pop-ups and art exhibitions, was taking submissions for an installation. Wanting to create an environment that was completely different from what is going on outside, Spalter filled the 8,300 square foot space with sun-emulating washer lights, real palm trees, lush greenery, and jute carpets to bring a natural tropical feeling to the industrial space.

The most striking component of the installation is the array of massive floating spheres. The spheres are arranged on the ground, on the ceiling and everywhere in between to create a fully immersive environment and to appear as if they were thrown into the space. One Insider pointed out on our tour, they appeared as if they got there as a result of the Big Bang. The spheres range in size from three to sixteen feet in diameter and each is named after a different planet.

The surface of each sphere is covered in a print made with algorithm-based digital reworks of footage that Spalter captured in vacation locales like Miami Beach. Spalter, who says all of her pieces start with a travel experience, made use of hi-tech camera equipment which allowed her to capture images that are 8,000 pixels wide. The footage is intentionally unidentifiable in terms of location, and meant to evoke a surreal quality. You can still make out beach umbrellas, kids playing in a pool, palm trees and other vacation staples.

Working with a programmer, Spalter created a plugin that allowed her to manipulate various parameters of the footage and create the kaleidoscopic images you see. Some of the spheres are covered in imagery from Santa Fe. There, Spalter captured footage of weather formations like storm clouds, rain and sunshine.

Visitors are invited to sit down and hang out as long as they want within the installation. There is free Wi-Fi, and each of the six seating areas has its own power strip. Guests can also enjoy three custom Instagram Stories filters featuring animated versions of the spheres. When visitors follow @annespalter, the Vacation Planet filters will automatically show up as swipe-able options in the Stories feature on the most updated version of the Instagram app. Speaking about the installation, Spalter noted, I can talk about it in fine art speak, but its also accessible. You can be a kid or someone who didnt study fine art and you can come in a see thats the ocean. Everyone can get something out of it. It works on any level.

Vacation Planet is free and open to the public from 11am through 7pm on Wednesday through Sunday until February 23rd.

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Escape the NYC Winter on Vacation Planet, a Tropical Themed Immersive Art Installation - Untapped New York - Untapped New York

There are a lot of great reasons to go green.

Maybe you want an all-natural home free of contaminants, to protect your familys health. Maybe you want to use renewable materials to protect the planet. No matter your motivations, Patrice Raven and Garry Lozon at Kelownas Impression Floors are here to help.

A lot of people arent aware of the eco-friendly flooring options available, Lozon says.

And you dont have to sacrifice comfort or quality to go green. Here are four flooring solutions that will help your home in more ways than one:

1. Super-soft carpets made from recycled plastic bottles

Impression Floors is excited about Tryesse Carpets, and not just because theyre eco-friendly.

Its really soft, Lozon says, And its made to last.

Recycled plastic bottles are spun into a long, continuous filament, which means theres no shedding.

The really cool thing is that it doesnt absorb like other carpets. It cleans really easily.

Pets, wine, and other stains dont stand a chance on this carpet. People dont believe them at first, but Raven encouraged one customer to take home a sample.

She tried it at home and then bought a whole bunch!

2. Natural New Zealand wool carpets

Not only is wool renewable and all-natural, it also absorbs household air pollutants and is naturally stain-resistant.

You can sink your feet into luxury and know that at the end of your carpets lifespan you can save it from the landfill because wool is biodegradable.

Wool carpets are more expensive, but for customers who have the budget its a worthwhile investment. Wool is a quality product and at Impression Floors well install it with care. All our customers want is a quality product and a job well done, Lozon says.

3. Ethically sourced hardwood flooring with an all-natural finish

Impression Floors only carries hardwood certified by the Forest Stewardship Council, which means the wood comes from responsibly managed forests. Their eco-friendly wood products are free of chemical contamination and wont release pollutants into the air.

Green flooring also uses an all-natural oil finish.

You never need to sand them, Lozon says, You just oil the high-traffic areas when the texture starts to change. You dont have to do the whole floor.

4. Luxury vinyl

More and more vinyl is made from recycled materials, and its built to last the less frequently you have to replace your flooring, the better for the planet. Impression Floors works with some Canadian manufacturers who are focused on reducing their energy consumption during production.

Visit the store at 1725 Baron Rd. near the corner of Hwy 33 and Hwy 97, or call 250-979-7419 to find out about the latest deals.

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Kelowna couple cares for their customers, and the planet - Kelowna Capital News

GREGGS is the next retailer set to open at the Westbrook Centre.

The popular shopping centre has enjoyed a regeneration over the past year, including a remodelling of the car park and a renovation of the Asda store.

Subway opened a branch in the former Hair Shop unit during 2019, while the Odeon cinema enjoyed a revamp including the installation of recliner seats.

Independent retailers such as Willows Womenswear have also moved into the Westbrook Centre recently.

And Greggs is the latest name set to call Westbrook home.

The bakery giant is due to move into the unit formerly occupied by Westbrook Carpets and Laminates near to the entrance of the supermarket.

Job applications for shop supervisor roles in its new store at Warrington Westbrook are currently being advertised on its website.

Planned opening hours of 7am to 6pm are also stated.

Work to transform the unit is currently underway, although an opening date is not yet known.

Westbrook Carpets and Laminates previously moved into what was Blockbuster in spring 2019 after 20 years in its former home.

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Latest big name retailer set to open up at the Westbrook Centre is revealed - Warrington Guardian

ROAD bosses have apologised after revealing road closures in Witham town centre will remain in place for longer than expected.

Essex Highways has confirmed work on installing new traffic signal equipment in Newland Street will not finish by the original Monday, February 10, deadline due to 'unexpected issues'.

Both Collingwood Road and Maldon Road have been partially closed since Monday, January 13, to allow workman to improve traffic lights at the junctions with Newland Street.

Diversions have been in place and work was expected to take only four weeks.

However, Essex Highways has now confirmed work will take a week longer and be completed by Sunday, February 16.

A spokesman said: "Works to renew the traffic signal equipment begun as planned. In addition to the planned works, we have undertaken remedial works to sunken paving blocks within the crossing carpets, which was not originally part of the proposed works.

"We have also worked collaboratively with utility companies to utilise the road space and repaired a damaged manhole cover.

"Unfortunately, due to unexpected issues arising the programme has been affected and the completion date of the works is delayed.

"We are working hard to try to complete the works as soon as possible.

"We would like to apologise for the delay and thank residents and businesses for their patience and co-operation while we complete these works."

Workers have been installing underground cable ducts and new extra low voltage equipment to reduce the carbon footprint of the traffic lights in Newland Street.

Temporary traffic lights have been put in place and parts of Collingwood and Maldon roads closed to 'ensure the safety' of workers.

In January, Essex Highways said the closures would help reduce the time taken to complete the works and to keep congestion to a minimum.

Access for residents and pedestrians have been been maintained at all times.

A temporary pedestrian crossing has also be set up in Newland Street.

For more information about the work, visit essexhighways.org.

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'Unexpected issues' mean Newland Street roadworks will overrun - Braintree and Witham Times

Wallethub ranked 62 American cities based on safety, quality of life, economy, affordability and education and health. Here are the top 10. 10Best

The Great Recession took its toll on Washington County, with unemployment above 10% when the decade started in 2010 and the fast-paced growth of the 2000s slowed to a virtual standstill.

But the decade ended with a bang. The growth returned, long-dormant development projects were revived and now, as the 2020s begin, economic forecasts see nothing but steady growth on the horizon.

A new report from real estate company NAI Excel outlines the changes different economic sectors haveseen since 2010, and the picture is clear the 2010s may have started slowly, but the once they got going, they haven't looked back.

Vacancy rates for leasable commercial and industrial areas, along with multi-family housing units, fell to below 5% in much of the city by the middle part of the decade as the economy sped back up. Then, in more recent years, the demand for more space drove an onslaught of new construction.

Many new construction projects were completed or started in the last few years of the decade, and even moreprojects are on the horizon.

Construction crews finish paving around Joule Plaza Thursday, Jan. 30, 2020.(Photo: Chris Caldwell / The Spectrum & Daily News)

In the last twoyears, Washington County has added 552 multifamily housing units, reviving a segment of the housing mix that had been nearly nonexistent in the first part of the decade.

In 2016 and 2017, some student housing was added. But before 2018, there was almost no construction of multifamily housing in the county.

Vacancy rates hit a low point in 2016 at less than 1%. However, 2018 and 2019 brought more multifamily projects to the area, and the vacancy rate has climbed slightly since then, measuring at3.2% at the end of 2019.

Bigger, faster: Report pegs Southern Utah for 7 million sq ft of new development in 2020s

Still, despite the newly completed projects, like Grayhawk and Retreat at Sky Mountain,asking rent is on the rise. Asking rent for a two-bedroom hovered around $648 for apartments at the beginning of the decade. Now the average asking price is over $1,000.

Discussions around "attainable housing" St. George and Washington Countys rebranding of affordable housing has been ongoing, and some housing projects slated in Washington County will be considered "attainable" for some lower-income workers, a segment of the community that has been largely starved of living spaces they could find affordable.

Construction crews work on Splash City in Middleton Thursday, Jan. 30, 2020.(Photo: Chris Caldwell / The Spectrum & Daily News)

Southern Utah's retail markets have taken a hit due to online shopping much like the rest of the country. Retail meccas like Red Cliffs Mall and K-mart complex on Bluff Street have seen major renovations and changes in recent years.

Yet, despite the tumultuous decade for retail, around 1.1 million square feet of retail space was added to the county since 2010. Projects like Red Rock Commons, Smiths, Harmons and Lins added significantly to the retail market.

Asking lease rates for retail space is up to $17.50 per square foot, rising from $12.72 in 2010. Vacancy rates declined 3.5 percentage pointsover the last 10 years, with the current rates at 4.3%.

The NAI report states that as major retailers are slow to expand, concepts around retail shopping are evolving. Already, big construction projects like Commerce Pointe and retail in Washington Fields are under construction. The report projects retail growth along the Southern Corridor and near exits 2, 13 and 16 off of I-15 in the next 10 years.

In Iron County, vacancy rates for retail space hovered around 6-8% throughout the decade. However, at the end of 2019, rates dipped to 2.2%. Lease rates for Iron County also didnt see much significant changeover the decade, with asking lease rates around $13.00 per square foot.

Construction crews work near Washington Parkway Thursday, Jan. 30, 2020.(Photo: Chris Caldwell / The Spectrum & Daily News)

Vacancy rates and asking rent prices for office space in Washington County have beenon the rise in recent years. However, the decade started with a peak in vacancy rates at 16.7%, dropping to its low in 2017, but on an upward turn now at 4.4%.

Asking lease rates have steadily increased from around $4 a square foot in 2010 to almost $14 in 2019.

The move and expansion of the Intermountain Hospital campus to River Road had the biggest impact on the office market. The old campus located off of 400 East, has made the medical office vacancy rate almost 16%.

The number of square feet of office space added this past decade was tepid, according to the report. And even though traditional office space construction was down, the construction of emergency care, assisted living, education, government and other special-use facilities are significant, the report states.

Iron Countys asking lease rates rose to an average of about $12.00 per square rate. At the same time, vacancy rates fell most of the decade, and are now around 2.2% for office space.

From 2010 to 2016, just three hotels were added to Washington and Iron counties. That changed dramatically over the last two years, though,with1,800 rooms addedas part of21 total projects.

The report states hotel operators are finding occupancy rates and revenue per available room are falling, despite the past few years of record highs.

The number of hotels built in Washington and Iron counties have had spurts of growth over the last 50 years. However, between 2017 and 2019, numbers reached their all-time highs.

Construction crews work near River Road Thursday, Jan. 30, 2020.(Photo: Chris Caldwell / The Spectrum & Daily News)

Around 2.3 million square feet of industrial space was added over the last decade and more than 15% of it was completed in 2019. Eleven industrial projects were completed in 2019 alone, the biggest one being phase one of the Paparazzi facility, and phase two, which is under construction, will be more than double the size of the first one.

The average asking lease rates have almost doubled since 2010, with prices at $8.60 per square foot for buildings under 20,000 square feet and $6.60 for larger buildings. As asking lease rates have skyrocketed, vacancy rates have dropped from 14% to 5%, with the low point in 2017 at 2%. Vacancy rates for spaces smaller than 20,000 square feet are at 1.3%, with new, larger facilities driving up the rate.

Around 353,000 square feet of industrial space was added in 2019, bringing the total, county-wide, to over 10.4 million square feet.

Following a similar pattern as Washington, Iron County saw average industrial lease rates fall during the first few years of the decade and are now on an upward climb. The county started or completed six industrial or storage projects last year. However, there is still very limited availability for industrial space in the county now though, with vacancy rates less than 1%.

Lexi Peery is the environment, politics and development reporter for The Spectrum & Daily News, a USA TODAY Network newsroom based in southern Utah. You can reach her at lpeery@thespectrum.com and follow her on Twitter @LexiFP.

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Prices keep rising as new construction continues across Southern Utah - The Spectrum

By: Michael Young 8:00 am on February 2, 2020

Construction has reached street level at 148 East 78th Street, a 205-foot-tall residential projectat the corner of East 78th Street and Lexington Avenueon Manhattans Upper East Side. Progress has been swift sinceYIMBY last stopped by the sitein mid-September, when work on the foundations was just beginning. Now a large array of steel rebar await the imminent concrete pour for the ground-floor slab. Designed by Ismael Leyva Architectsand developed byMidwood Management Corp., theproperty will yield 26 residences averaging 2,600 square feet apiece.

Photos show therectangular corner plot teeming with workers.

148 East 78th Street, photo by Michael Young

148 East 78th Street, photo by Michael Young

The building features a classically inspired design that harkens back to the New York of the early 20th century. With its large stone paneling, brick walls, thick ornamental cornices, dark metal railings, and stone balustrades, the structure will blend seamlessly into the architectural fabric of the Upper East Side.

The project will contain 68,293 square feet of residential space and 3,739 square feet of ground-floor retail area.The address is just one block to the north of the 77th Street subway station, serviced by the 6 train, and less than ten minutes to the east of Central Park across Fifth Avenue.

148 East 78th Street is stated for completion in spring 2021.

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Construction Hits Street Level at 148 East 78th Street on the Upper East Side - New York YIMBY

With a crumpled neighborhood map in one hand and a cup of coffee in the other, a retail broker in the early aughts could woo tenants to a property without much fanfare.

We used to drive around in the car with a paper map withdots on it that showed our existing stores, competition and the major anchors in the market,JLL Managing Director ofRetail Real Estate Rob Franks recalls.

For Franks and other retail brokers, those simple days are long gone, replaced byanew technology-centered era. Tenant expectations have shifted, brokers have to have more specific data while also knowing a broader range of information, there are fewer appealing new-build spaces to offer clients, and the retail industry is being fundamentally reinvented.

What ouroccupier clients are asking us for ... today are light years different from what it was in the last cycle, back in 2006, 2007, 2008, CBRE Retail Managing Director for the South-Central DivisionDaniel Taylorsaid.What our clients are asking us for is to have more of an advisory role, almost take on a consulting role for them.

Adding to thisslippery slope is a declining new product pipeline, leaving brokers with fewer options to showcase.

The amount of retail space delivered in the U.S. reacheda peak of 222.4M SF in 2006 and then plummeted thereafter, hitting51M SF in 2019, according to CoStar data.

The precipitous decline in retail construction is not linked to demand or overall weakness in the market.Retail construction in Dallas-Fort Worthdropped by about half to1.8M SF in 2019, down from 3.5M SF in 2018, according toWeitzman. ButDFW and Texas as a whole continue to growinpopulation, and DFW'sretail occupancy ratereached a40-year high of 93%last year, Weitzmanreported.

What's really changing the rate of retail constructionis the type of fear that creeps into markets when they evolve quickly and face an onslaught ofstore closures on the traditional retail side,Cushman & Wakefield Capital Markets Group Director Chris Harden said.

In just the past few years,brokers have watched once stable, creditworthy tenants like Sears, Pier 1 Imports, Toys R Us and Payless Shoes struggle and close their stores.

Brokersthen have to find replacements for these units in a market where even the concept of apreferredcreditworthy tenant willing to sign a long-term lease is dying alongside these massive brands. At the same time, store closures create vacancies that put downward pressure on rents as construction costs rise, Harden said.

Thistransformation is chilling to developers and investors who are now less likely to dish out dollars tobuildnewer large product, according to Harden.

The developers that I talk to ... if they have plans for a power center, they have just shelved it, Harden said of the DFW market.It is not economically viable to build a new shopping center when the anchor tenants are not willing to pay if they don't have to ... the rents required for the developer to make a return.

Courtesy of CBRE

CBRE's Daniel Taylor with Elizabeth Herman, Kathrine Gillis and Jack Gosnell.

Technology To The Rescue

So where does this leave today's retail broker?

Brokers are now expected to revitalize old retail space, innovate new concepts for empty big-box retailslotsand deal with client demands that run a whole newgamut.

While retail brokersin the past offered general knowledge about square footage, neighborhood demographics and location, todays tenant and landlordexpects brokers to understand everything from e-commercestrategies to supply-chain distribution and neighborhood spending patterns, Taylor said.

Taylorrecalls about 15 years agowhen he would jump into hiscarwith a nationalretail client, and his research teamwould be in theback seat looking at thesite and using whatever data was available to estimate a property's potential sales.

It was a lot of art, he said.

Now competitive data is considered increasingly important to helpretailers around the globe stay afloat.

Technology has changed dramatically, Franks said.

Thesetech tools are no longer optional. The process of predicting consumer traffic at ashopping center has becomemore specific. For example, retail brokers can pull customer cellphone data.

We can look at different information from that data to say what's their education level? What are their spending habits? Taylor said.

I look at where we are now, and we have entire tour books on an iPad with an interactive map that can immediately pull up aerials that are showingall of [a client's] competition at an intersection and all of the major traffic generators, Franks said. We have traffic counts there,and we have demographics that are pulled immediately.

Brokers also use tech tools like Placer thatare embedded intocellphone apps, Harden said. Thesetools track cellphone usage in specificareas, allowing brokers toaccess data thatcreates a more direct correlation between where traffic is heading in aretailarea and a store'sprojected sales based on the traffic.

Landlord reps, on the other hand, have to besocial media savvy,Harden added.

He said it is important to recognize what retailers in a shopping center or potential tenants are good at driving traffic to their own locations via social media channels.If they drive traffic to one location, it creates a spillover effect that helpsother tenantsand the landlord.

Courtesy of Rob Franks/JLL

JLL Managing Director Rob Franks

Diverse Asset Types And Knowledge Sets

Today'ssuccessful retail broker is also one who understands every CRE asset type.

This is particularly true as e-commerce merges with theindustrial sector and retail development becomes more dependent on mixed-use development.

About 90%of new retail construction inDFW and Houstonis tied to themixed-use category,Harden said.

You have to be more knowledgeable of other property types if you are going to be in that genre of mixed-use," hesaid.

This is particularly true with many North Texas cities using retail possibilities as a benchmark for determiningwhether they will approve construction of apartments inside mixed-use developments, hesaid.

The idea behind this is the broker is responsible for marrying the right retail tenantto a certain office building or multifamily product inside these cohesive neighborhoods.

As stand-alone retail projects become more difficult to pencil in financially, mixed-use development is one way investors and developers can justify the build-out of new retail.

National trends also show more shoppers prefer the mixed-use concept today. About 78% of adults in the U.S. have said they would consider living in a mixed-use development, JLL reported in its Q22019 Retail Development Profile. Developers have responded by building more of this multifamily/retail/entertainment mixed-use product.

And to keep upwith howretailers engage with last-mile delivery hubs in the e-commercechannel, Harden recommends partnering up with industrial brokers or learning moreabout their product types.

I think there is a lot more crossover with the other product types than there ever has been before, so I think it'sprobably going to create some need for more collaboration with other product type specialists.

Finding A New Client Mix

Today'sbroker also is behind the eight ball iftheyarent finding new types oftenants to backfill traditional retail spaces while diversifying their overall clientbase.

In the last three years, we have done more medical deals in retail spaces than I have ever done previously in my career, Frankssaid. Additionally, we have done more speciality retail uses in traditional retail space than we ever have done before.

The alternative uses Franks has deployed at traditional stores include everything from online retail to entertainment with an esports component.

The trend of adding entertainment hubs or wellness centers also is growing nationwide.

Retail spaces assigned to non-retail or restaurant tenants increased from 19.2% in 2012 to 24.5% in 2018, according to JLL's Q22019 Retail Construction Outlook report. U.S. shoppers also grew their number ofvisits to fitness and wellness centers by 47%.

The food and beverage, entertainment and medical categories also saw shopper visits grow by 42%, 39% and 35%, respectively, according tothe same JLL report.

Unless brokers continue tofindnew long-term traffic-driving concepts to replace spaces left empty by traditional retailers,the next decade could prove difficultfor brokers.

Im always looking for new ways to innovate with retail, and I think if you are not, you are most certainly falling behind because it is going to continue to change and evolve, Franks said.

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The Life Of A Retail Broker Is Never Going To Be The Same Again - Bisnow

A new four-story, 37-unit affordable housing development is underway on a vacant lot at the corner of Oak Park Avenue and Van Buren Street in Oak Park, Illinois. Boston-based nonprofit real estate developer, The Community Builders, is developing the project with a scheduled completion timeline of spring 2021.

Joseph J. Duffy Co. was selected to provide preconstruction services including preliminary budgets. The construction phase for the 801 apartments, designed by DesignBridge Ltd., is based on a lump sum contract with Duffy. A brick veneer and cement board siding system will cover a structural steel/light gauge steel/wood-framed building. A 28-car paved parking area, part of which is covered, an outdoor roof terrace, and a multipurpose room complete the project.

The development was approved by Oak Park in October 2018 but was delayed by a lawsuit filed by neighbors against the village in December 2018. Since the lawsuits dismissal in late October 2019, the development is moving ahead, filling several roles within Oak Parks housing community.

Besides delivering much-needed affordable housing for Oak Park, it is considered a transit-oriented development, said Joseph Beuttas, vice president of business development for Joseph J. Duffy Co. The site is located near public transportation, the Eisenhower Expressway and Oak Park Blue Line stop. Another unique feature is the live-work units, which will cut your commute to only seconds.

According to Kirk Albinson, project manager with The Community Builders, two live-work units flank the building, with one on Van Buren Street and the other on South Oak Park Avenue. The back of those units will have a one-bedroom dwelling unit with space in the front of the apartment that someone can use for a business or retail operation. When completed, an additional three studios, 30 one-bedroom and two two-bedroom units will be available. The ground floor will also house approximately 900 square feet of commercial space plus bicycle storage.

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Construction begins on mixed-use affordable living building in Oak Park - REjournals.com

From the moment that Surdyks Flights opened at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport in 2010, customers began suggesting to its owners where else they should build a wine bar and cafe.

Literally, from day one, said Emily Surdyk with a laugh. And they always think its their idea. And we always pretend that were hearing it for the first time.

Following the unasked-for advice of probably every person they have ever met, the Surdyk family is adding to their restaurant holdings outside the airport.

They have christened their new venture Sidebar. When it opens this summer, the restaurant will occupy a portion of the familys landmark store in northeast Minneapolis.

Surdyks Liquor & Cheese Shop (303 E. Hennepin Av., Mpls., surdyks.com) dates to 1934. Its the fourth generation of Surdyks triplets Taylor Surdyk, Melissa Surdyk and Molly Surdyk, as well as Taylors wife Emily Surdyk who are the driving force behind Sidebar. The siblings got their start in the family business in the third grade, operating a sidewalk brat stand.

Each Surdyk before us has made their mark on the business, Melissa Surdyk said. Now its our turn.

Planning started in earnest two years ago, which led to a search of nearby properties in the burgeoning neighborhood, where hundreds of apartments are either planned, under construction, opening, or all of the above.

We knew it would be in Northeast, because thats us, Taylor Surdyk said. Weve been here since our great-grandparents.

Logic eventually had them looking within their own building.

Our customers are already here, Melissa Surdyk said. We like to feel that were a destination store, and this will only enhance the Surdyks experience.

Theres another asset, and its a valuable one: We have a parking lot, Taylor Surdyk said.

The casual, 60-seat restaurant will take over a section of retail space thats directly behind the cheese shop.

The cheese shop, which dates to 1979 and may pack more fine foods per square foot than any other Minnesota retailer, is also getting an overhaul: a sleek new look, a slightly enlarged inventory, but not much more elbow room. A walk-up window will cater to dog walkers and other quick-service customers, and the shop and restaurant will share a kitchen.

The liquor store will remain open during construction, but the cheese shop will be temporarily shuttered. No construction dates have been announced.

The project is being designed by Shea Design of Minneapolis. The restaurants centerpiece is a 19-seat bar, which will feature 15 to 20 wines by the glass, a long list of local beers and a roster of craft cocktails that will include, yes, a signature Sidebar Sidecar.

The restaurant will have its own entrance on the Hennepin Avenue portion of building, along with a 34-seat sidewalk patio fronting a large bifold glass door. The Sidebar name is a reference to that side-of-the store location.

But it also speaks to what happens in a bar, Taylor Surdyk said. You speak confidentially, as in a legal proceeding.

The menu falls under the purview of longtime Surdyks culinary director Mary Richter. The table-service restaurant will prepare lunch and dinner daily, focusing on global versions of classic French brasserie fare steak frites, moules frites, a Nioise salad while taking full advantage of the cheese shops expertise via shareable cheese and charcuterie boards served with breads from Minneapolis bakers Rustica and Bakers Field Flour & Bread.

We have the best pantry at our disposal, Richter said. That gives us so much to play around with. Its hard to mess up when you have the best ingredients.

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Surdyk's is opening a restaurant and bar in its northeast Minneapolis store this summer - Minneapolis Star Tribune

The corner of Mamaroneck Avenue and East Post Road where The Mitchell is being built. Photo by Peter Katz.

It will be at least another year before construction begins in earnest on the mixed-use project planned by Lennar Multifamily Communities for the site of the former Pavilion Mall in White Plains, Greg Belew, LMCs divisional president for the New York tristate area, told the Business Journal.

The old mall was torn down and the 60 S. Broadway site cleared. Weve had some activity in terms of doing some art installations in partnership with ArtsWestchester where weve had some local artists doing murals on the construction fence surrounding the site, Belew said.

LMC had told Westchester Countys Industrial Development Agency it anticipated construction on the first phase of the two-phase project to begin in June 2020 with occupancy expected around September 2022. Phase two was expected to begin at that time with occupancy expected by September 2024. Two 28-story towers have been planned with a total of 814 apartments. There would be 28,000 square feet of retail and dining along with 932 parking spaces. The cost of each phase of the project has been estimated at $250 million.

We are still very bullish on White Plains, Belew said. We think its a great market and will continue to be so.

He said though construction at 60 S. Broadway has been delayed, activity on LMCs project on a site that begins on Mitchell Place and runs through to the corner of Mamaroneck Avenue and East Post Road has been in high gear. The project is known as The Mitchell. The Pavilion site is being used to store some materials needed for The Mitchell.

Weve seen new properties come online in the market and lease ups have gone very well. Were confident that ours will also, Belew said. When our project on Mamaroneck Avenue is delivering, just knowing the other properties in the market and where they will be in lease ups, there likely will not be too much coming into the market at the same time.

The Mitchell is being constructed on properties carrying the addresses of 9 Mitchell Place and 131 Mamaroneck Ave. Alliance Residential Co. had received approvals for a project it called Broadstone White Plains. LMC bought the properties in 2018. The parcels cover approximately 2.1 acres. The plans call for two 15-story buildings and a six-story parking structure. There would be 434 apartments ranging from studios to three-bedroom units. The plan includes about 8,000 square feet of ground-level retail and restaurant space along Mamaroneck Avenue.

Belew noted that LMCs activity in White Plains coincides with its project slated to open in the summer of 2021 in Stamford. Known as The Smythe, its a mixed-use, 15-story building featuring 414 apartments, 19,330 square feet of retail and three levels of parking. The Smythe is at 885 Washington Blvd. and is being promoted as within walking distance of The Palace Theater, The Stamford Center for the Arts and Miller River Park.

We like southern Fairfield County a lot and well continue to look for other opportunities in the area, Belew said. What we tend to see a lot of in these markets like White Plains or Stamford is that as you get even more residential density downtown, oftentimes you have the entertainment and nightlife scene really follow. You generate even more demand and you have more people downtown and more entertainment and nightlife value in the immediate surrounding area.

While the parent Lennar operation is well-known as a creator of single-family developments, LMC has communities with some 28,800 units valued at $11.2 billion operating or under development.

Weve probably exceeded all expectations as to how quickly weve grown and how successful weve been as part of the company, Belew said of LMC. We have 13 offices all over the country and I think when you look at the ranking of top national developers around the country, were generally within the top five.

LMC is headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina. Todd Farrell is its president. The parent company, Lennar Corporation, based in Miami, is publicly traded and for its 2018 fiscal year reported revenue of $20.6 billion, net earnings of $1.7 billion and deliveries of 45,627 new homes. The Lennar Multifamily segment of the business was responsible for $42.7 million in earnings for the 2018 fiscal year.

We have a solid pipeline of projects into the future that youll see coming out as time goes on, Belew said.

Theres been such a shortage of new rental product in the Northeast that the attitude on the part of a lot of developers was, build it and they will come. Now that theres been a lot more development in recent times it has forced the development community to produce a high-quality product thats more fully amenitized. Youve really gotten into an amenity arms race, he said.

LMC also has been looking at the workforce portion of the market.

Despite doing the top-of-the-market, high-end buildings, we are also now starting to focus more attention on the workforce housing market which, I think, is a different product that is not necessarily in the immediate urban core. It tends to have a slightly different renter. The workforce housing market will be high-quality, but it will be more affordable to a broader spectrum of renters, Belew said.

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Former Pavilion site dormant; The Mitchell and Smythe rise in White Plains - Westfair Online