In an era when many of the country’s leading retailers have been announcing store closings, the Dollar General Corporation is getting ready to build some 900 new outlets this year.
In recent days, the retailer has seen the beginning of construction on three new stores in Georgia, Kansas, and Pennsylvania, followed by the news late last year that it is building a new 1 million square foot distribution center in Longview, Texas. That facility marks the 17th distribution center designed to serve Dollar General’s expanding network, which today is just a little over 14,300 stories. Although a Dollar General spokesperson declined to say where the new stores for 2018 are planned, one of the announced strategies for the chain is to become an even larger presence in rural communities than it already is. Dollar General Chief Executive Officer Todd Vascos recently commented that the corporation’s building strategy means that around 75 percent of the country’s population is now within 5 miles of a Dollar General. On top of the new outlets, Dollar General also plans on remodeling at least 1,000 of its already up-and-running stores. By Garry Boulard
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43 year-old downtown albuquerque office building to be redeveloped into innovative mixed-use space1/23/2018 The Albuquerque Development Commission has given its approval to a $30 million Metropolitan Redevelopment Bond to update and enhance a structure once known as the Bank of America Centre. What is being called “Elevate @ 3rd and Lomas,” is being defined as an infill mixed-use project that will see the building of ground floor retail space, upper floor office space, and 174 two-bedrooms apartments. Also included in the project will be a business center, conference room, dog park, theater room, and fitness center, among other amenities. First phase work on the project, which will start this summer, will include the creation of nearly 17,000 square feet of ground floor retail; 21,000 square feet of offices; and 114,000 square feet of residential space. Beginning in either late 2019 or early 2020, the project’s second phase will see a final 6,700 square feet of ground floor retail; nearly 38,000 square feet of residential; and 7,000 more square feet of office space. The $30 million redevelopment bond secured by the project is designed as a tax abatement tool, allowing the owners to use money that would otherwise go to taxes for building the project instead. Bordered by Lomas Boulevard on the north and Roma Avenue on the south, the structure, built for $4 million in 1975, is located in a section of downtown dominated by public and private-use office buildings. By Garry Boulard A 4-story warehouse in downtown El Paso may soon be repurposed into a combination residential and retail development. The larger site that the warehouse is located on, which also includes an existing 1-story building, will also be redeveloped to make way for a new restaurant and bar. Splendid Sun Productions, with offices in El Paso and Austin, purchased the two buildings at the 1000 block of Texas Avenue in a part of the city dominated by garages and warehouses, more than a year ago. The music promotion and event production company said it wanted to transform the rectangular-shaped site into a music venue with an emphasis on outdoor concerts. The organizers behind the popular annual Neon Desert Music Festival in downtown El Paso, which attracts upwards of 32,000 people, Splendid Sun Production is also the owner of the city’s Lowbrow Palace music club. Besides redeveloping the 48,000 square foot warehouse, which was built in 1965, Splendid Sun Productions wants to build a lawn bar and small market just to the west of that structure. Plans also call for the construction of two covered outdoor stages, as well as the renovation and upgrading of the 1-story building, which measures 2,900 square feet and was built in 1917. Members of the El Paso City Council have now given their approval to a zoning change for the project, as well as the project itself. It has not yet been announced when work on the site will officially begin. by Garry Boulard Two cell tower projects, one with a height of 100 feet and the other coming in at 93 feet, are set for construction sometime this spring in metro Colorado Springs.
Members of the El Paso County Commission have given the green light to the construction of the taller structure, set to go up at the 39-acre site of the Falcon Middle School at 9755 Tower Avenue. That tower, upon completion, will be surrounded by a 7-foot tall wooden fence. The second project will go up at the 30-acre site of the Woodmen Hills Elementary School at 3663 Woodland Hills Drive, some 10 miles to the west of the Falcon Middle School project. That tower will be protected by a 6-foot tall cyclone fence. Both projects, defined as free-standing commercial mobile radio service facilities, are being developed by the Denver-based Centerline Solutions. That company, founded in 2000, specializes in developing mobile phone infrastructure. Its customers include government entities, private industries, and major wireless providers. by Garry Boulard Trying to foreclose a funding gap for America’s transportation infrastructure that some estimates say could reach $2 trillion in the next decade, a bi-partisan Congressional group is advancing a plan to modernize the manner in which that system is funded.
The Problem Solvers Caucus, equally made up of both Democrat and Republican members of the House of Representatives, wants to see the current 18.4 cents per-gallon user fee on gasoline increased as a means of raising needed revenue for infrastructure construction and maintenance projects. It its report, entitled Rebuilding America’s Infrastructure, the caucus says it is up to Congress to “provide stable long-term sustainable funding for infrastructure,” and calls in particular for the federal tax-exempt status of both municipal and private activity bonds used to finance infrastructure projects. In addition, the group is recommending that states be given incentives to adopt public/private partnership legislation specifically designed to pay for infrastructure projects. “While private sector participation alone cannot close the infrastructure gap,” says the report, giving states and local government incentives to pass legislation allowing for public private projects “will provide them with an additional tool in their toolbox.” What chances the group’s recommendations will have in the current session of Congress are unknown, particularly regarding upping the gasoline tax. But an additional recommendation being advanced by the caucus has received some positive comment: requiring all federally-funded projects worth more than $20 million to conduct 20-year life-cycle assessments to “assess all future costs associated with the operation and maintenance” of the projects in question. by Garry Boulard New mexico state university three-story residence hall set for construction later this year1/19/2018 With a growing enrollment and a requirement that all of its freshmen live on campus, the Las Cruces-based New Mexico State University is on the verge of building a modern and architecturally significant residence hall. “We’ve finished about 75 percent of the construction documents and are now reviewing those drawings,” notes Heather Zack Watenpaugh, NMSU’s campus planning officer and university architect. “If all continues to go well, this project will most likely go out to bid at the end of the winter,” she adds. The new structure, which will house around 300 beds, is set to go up near the school’s Corbett Center Student Union. Upon completion, it will bear the same distinctive Spanish Renaissance Revival design seen in other NMSU structures, including, most prominently, the Rhodes-Garrett-Hamiel Hall, which was originally a Works Progress Administration project. That building, also a residential facility, saw construction during World War II and is registered with New Mexico’s State Register for Cultural Properties. “We’re trying to repeat that style with our new buildings, creating a kind of branding and cohesive feel for the entire campus,” says Watenpaugh. The new residence hall couldn’t be coming at a better time. In 2016, the school’s Board of Regents voted in favor of requiring all NMSU freshmen to live on campus for at least the first year of their college career. “They said there’s a difference in the needs of students based on the year they are participating,” remarked Regent Board member Mike Cheney at the time of the vote, referring to a study conducted for NMSU by the Washington-based Brailsford & Dunlavey, a program management and development advisory firm. “With freshmen it’s good to engage them and involve them and immerse them in the university community,” continued Cheney during a Regents meeting. “As you become sophomores, juniors and seniors, you move toward autonomy.” The new policy took effect last fall, meaning that at least 2,000 freshmen moved into NMSU residential facilities. But it has not been a policy without controversy. “Texas students, but specifically El Paso students, feel that the housing requirement is certainly unnecessary for their situation,” noted the Round Up, NMSU’s student newspaper. “Other El Paso students love change and want to experience the full college life of living in the dorms and possibly visiting home on the weekends.” “We’ve tried to keep the residence hall apartments that are located closest to the center of the campus full and maintained,” says Watenpaugh. “By keeping them in a nice condition, students can more appreciate the benefits of living on campus and being closer to their classes.” The new residence hall will be three stories tall, featuring semi-suite or shared rooms, and will also offer a courtyard, with the residents’ entrance at the building’s north tower lobby. “There will be student spaces on each floor and a kitchen on the third floor that can be used for either teaching or entertainment,” continues Watenpaugh. The roughly 74,000 square foot building will also house a laundry. Because meals and study spaces can be found at the next-door Corbett Center Student Union, says Watenpaugh, “we didn’t want to duplicate a lot of those functions” in the new residence hall. The new structure will be going up on a site of old memories. It was once the home of the three-story Monagle Hall, which was built in 1965 and for years served as a women’s residence center. Because the building, which in some parts had the look of a 1960s suburban motel, was deemed as structurally inefficient and too costly to maintain, NMSU demolished it last year. Work on the new residence hall is expected to begin sometime this coming June, with a completion date of one year after that—in plenty of time for students to move into the modern new facility by the fall of 2019. by Garry Boulard After nearly three months of deliberations, Amazon has announced a list of 20 finalist cities to build its new $5 billion headquarters in—and that list includes Denver. The internet commerce giant last fall sent out a Request for Proposals asking cities across the country, as well as in Canada and Mexico, to tell it why they would be a good fit for the company, which plans to build an 8 million square foot location. Altogether, more than 240 cities responded, emphasizing their individual transportation and technology assets, the education level of the local workforce, and tax incentive packages of varying sizes. Albuquerque, El Paso, Phoenix, and Tucson all put in bids to woo the company. Tucson, in submitting its bid. also sent to the Seattle-based company a 21 foot-tall saguaro cactus, which Amazon subsequently declined, saying it couldn’t accept gifts. Albuquerque, in its bid, emphasized its diverse population and more than 300 days of sunshine, while El Paso noted its bilingual and young workforce as well as the availability of 200 acres that once belonged to the American Smelting and Refining Company. Denver’s bid was submitted as part of a combined effort by the Metro Denver Economic Development Corporation and the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade. That bid mentioned Denver’s clean energy initiatives, green spaces, the arts, and its educational institutions. The State of Colorado offered incentives to the tune of more than $100 million. In September, the New York Times picked Denver as the city most likely to win Amazon’s nod based on its supply of tech talent, lifestyle, and affordability. In a statement in response to Denver having ended up on the finalist list, Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper said his state had a reputation as one of the most business-friendly states in America, adding: “We believe the Denver region would be a great choice for Amazon.” Amazon has said it will make a decision on which city will be its final choice later this year. by Garry Boulard A new shop for automotive maintenance and repair classes may be going up on the campus of Santa Fe Community College, reflecting the two-year school’s need to accommodate one of its most popular programs.
Funding for the project will come from a $17 million general obligation bond that voters will decide on in upcoming city elections scheduled for the first week of February. If successful, the school, located at 6401 Richards Avenue on the southwest side of the city, also hopes to see the upgrading of its greenhouse technology classrooms, as well as renovations to the William C. Witter Fitness Center. The last time the community college asked local voters for support was in 2010 when a $35 million bond targeting the construction of the school’s new Higher Education Center, as well as general campus facility upgrades, was approved. The 34,000 square foot education center was completed in early 2015. SFCC’s automotive program currently operates out of a 2,000 square-foot garage that, according to school officials, is not up to National Automotive Technician’s Education Foundation standards. The new automotive shop will measure 17,000 square feet, housing classrooms, as well as a customized training center. The structure will include an EPA approved-building exhaust system and special thick concrete slabs to support heavy equipment. If the bond passes, work at the Witter Fitness Center will include new gym seating and flooring, an upgrade of power and utility equipment, an exterior and interior facelift, and repairs to the facility’s two swimming pools. by Garry Boulard Work could begin later this year on the construction of a 402-bedroom student housing project in Fort Collins, Colorado. The project, officially called the Union on Elizabeth, is slated for construction at the intersection of West Elizabeth and Shields streets and will include a parking garage and rooftop pool. Also included in the new building will be nearly 4,000 square feet of retail space. The project has won the approval of the Fort Collins Planning and Zoning Commission and is being developed by the Memphis-based student housing developer and management firm, EdR. According to city documents, a primary component of the project is the “accommodation of a public bicycle/pedestrian connection.” Going up on a 2.3-acre site, the three-story structure will also have a defined amenity space on its first floor. Located just two blocks to the west of the Fort Collins campus of Colorado State University, the Union at Elizabeth is a response to a steady increase in recent years to that school’s enrollment, which has jumped from around 29,900 in 2010 to more than 33,400 last fall. The project must still win the final approval of the Fort Collins City Council. by Garry Boulard The future look and use for a nearly 90 year-old 8.8-acre campus in downtown Boulder has beguiled area residents for the last two years.
In late 2015, the City of Boulder purchased for $40 million what is known as the Broadway campus of Boulder Community Health, after the healthcare organization announced plans to move to another location in the city. Since then, both city officials and area residents have been thinking and talking about how the property, which also includes two smaller lots on adjacent North Street, could be redeveloped. With at least 2 acres of the campus already set aside for city government offices, the rest of the site may well see the construction of new housing, additional offices, and both retail and community gathering space. An effort officially known as the Alpine-Balsam Vision Plan, in honor of the two streets, Balsam and Alpine Avenues that border the north and south ends of the campus, is currently exploring all of the ideas for the space. Increased public input on the future of the campus, which today features 355,000 square feet of existing buildings as well as a four-story garage, is expected to serve as a prelude to a final master plan for the site, perhaps as early as late this year. City officials have said that once Boulder Community Health has moved out of its last offices on the site in the spring of 2019, construction work on the new vision for the campus could begin in earnest. by Garry Boulard |
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