denver neighborhood waging battle against "food desert" burden, announces new grocery store plans1/17/2019 A site search is underway in Denver’s Montbello neighborhood for the construction of a new grocery store. While the building of such a space may not strike outsiders as earth-shattering, in Montbello it’s important because this northeastern section of the city currently has no grocery store at all. As such, Montbello is classified as a “food desert,” so defined by the federal Department of Agriculture as any section of a city or rural area lacking in “fresh fruit, vegetables, and other healthful foods, usually in impoverished areas.” The last Montbello grocery, a Safeway supermarket, closed its doors some 5 years ago. Now, members of the Montbello Organizing Committee, after unsuccessfully soliciting various grocery chains to open a site in the neighborhood, have decided to build the new store themselves. To that end, the group has received funding from a variety of sources, including the Colorado Health Foundation and the Kresge Foundation. The new store, as envisioned, will be a one-story structure, with an open front porch area, and will be a part of a larger project that will also include a cultural center. Officials with the Montbello Organizing Committee say they hope to be able to purchase land for the grocery store by this spring, with construction to launch shortly afterwards. A neighborhood of more than 30,000 people, Montbello’s home prices start at just over $200,000, compared to the current average Denver home sale price of more than $520,000. By Garry Boulard
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Work could soon begin on a Flagstaff project that has been long in the planning phase and involves many partners. More than five years ago, the Harkins Theater, Arizona’s Department of Transportation, and Phoenix-based developer Vintage Partners proposed a unique public-private partnership partially designed to find a new home for ADOT’s motor vehicle division. It was decided between the partners that the more than 20 year-old building housing the Harkins Theater at 1959 S. Woodlands Boulevard would be renovated as the new Flagstaff office for the ADOT. But before work could begin, an additional Harkins 16-screen theater was built behind the Flagstaff Mall at 4751 E. Marketplace Drive to take the place of the Woodlands Boulevard theater. The next step required the ADOT to move out of its longtime campus at 1851 S. Milton Road, in order to make way for Mill Town, a 1,200-bed student housing and retail project to be developed by Vintage. Now, the latest stage of the partnership project is set to begin: the renovation of the old Harkins Theater. With LEA Architects of Phoenix serving as the designer, the project will see the renovation and upgrading of a 72,000 square foot structure whose theater seating space will be divided into a series of smaller offices. The work will additionally include building conference space and a mezzanine level, creating in the process the most modern and newest ADOT regional office in the state. Work on the theater renovation is expected to be completed by the fall of this year. By Garry Boulard A segment of the national construction industry that has been seeing growth by leaps and bounds in the last 4 years is expected to see even more growth in the next 4 years. That is the analysis of the market research website MarketsandMarkets.com, which is forecasting a jump in new modular construction projects from a current value of $112 billion to more than $157 billion by 2023. Along with the increase in individual modular projects is the current change in the dimensions of the projects themselves, say experts, with the one-time average 60,000 square foot modular structure of 2015 now measuring more than 200,000 square feet today. The primary reason for the growth in such projects, according to MarketsandMarkets, which is based in Pune, India, is the “rise in demand for complex structures at affordable rates, rapid urbanization, and industrialization.” The market research service adds that a combination of emerging economies projects along with an emphasis on sustainable construction, are “increasing the reliance on modern construction techniques, subsequently creating growth opportunities for modular construction.” The largest global regions for such construction continue to be found in the Asia Pacific and Europe, followed by North America. Currently lagging behind in its embrace of the new technology is the Middle East and South America. Modular construction projects are often used as both school and military facilities in the U.S. Modular construction projects are often used as both school and military facilities in the U.S. Frequently, such projects are temporary in nature, such as those put up as part of a disaster relief effort. But others are more permanent, with the 20-story Citizen M Hotel in New York, which was opened in 2018, a case in point. But despite what MarketsandMarkets says is an industry response to getting projects done in a timely fashion at a greater costs savings, modular construction is not without its challenges. Writing for Real Estate Weekly, building engineer Mike Gervasi cautions: “Owners and architects need to plan for additional floor-to-floor heights and additional space between pods.” “Each pod has an independent wall, floor, and ceiling structure/cavity,” notes Gervasi. “This is unlike conventional construction where two adjacent rooms share the same wall, and two stacked rooms with the same ceiling/floor.” By Garry Boulard Plans are now firm for the construction of both a big distribution plant and restaurant outlet in Colorado that will be a part of the expanding In-N-Out Burger chain. The 4,700 square foot restaurant, set to go up in Colorado Springs at the intersection of Voyager and Interquest parkways, will be the company’s first presence in the Centennial State. The outlet is scheduled to be open for business by the fall of 2020. Founded in Baldwin Park, California in 1948, the In-N-Out Burger company has been slow to build beyond its origin state, primarily due to its insistence that all of its meat must be fresh. That standard means that In-N-Out Burger will begin work on a 100,000 square foot patty production and distribution center, also in Colorado Springs, later this year or in early 2020. That facility, set for completion in late 2020, will go up on just over 20 acres inside the city’s Victory Ridge 153-acre mixed-use site. With revenues in excess of $575 million in 2017, In-N-Out Burger has strict requirements for its outlet locations, with lots measuring no less than 45,000 square feet and buildings averaging around 3,800 square feet. By Garry Boulard Nearly 24 gigawatts of new energy capacity is expected to be added to the U.S. electric power sector before the end of 2019. So says a report just issued by the Energy Information Administration, which also forecasts the percentage of planned energy facility retirements, noting that 53 percent of those facilities will be coal-based, followed by gas plants at 27 percent, and nuclear plants at 18 percent. Of the new utility-scale additions, some 46 percent will be comprised of wind, while natural gas will account for 34 percent and photovoltaics will make up 18 percent. The EIA report, Preliminary Monthly Electric Generator Inventory, predicts that Texas will see more than 50 percent of all planned wind capacity projects in the coming year. Natural gas capacity will experience the most growth in Pennsylvania, Florida, and Louisiana, while almost 50 percent of the 4.3 gigawatts of utility-scale electro power photovoltaic additions will occur in Texas, California, and North Carolina. New wind projects in 2019 will overwhelmingly be in the Great Plains states from North Dakota heading south to Nebraska, Oklahoma, and northern Texas. Currently, notes the EIA, some 35 percent of electricity generation in the country comes from natural gas, a figure that is up from 32 percent in 2017. Electricity generation from coal is on the decline, dropping from 30 percent in 2017 to an anticipated 26 percent this year. Meanwhile, nuclear-based power generation will remain unchanged at 19 percent. The Energy Information Administration operates under the auspices of the Federal Statistical System, and is tasked with collecting and analyzing energy trends and information. By Garry Boulard A project that will see the construction of a new hotel on a mostly vacant site along Central Avenue could be on the verge of securing significant incentives. The hotel will go up across the street from the Presbyterian Hospital and will be connected to that building via a sky bridge. To be branded as a Marriott Springhill Suites, the new hotel is part of a larger project seeing the mixed-use development of five city blocks. According to documents earlier submitted to Albuquerque’s Environmental Planning Commission, the larger project was described as one that will “respect the existing urban neighborhood values, surrounding development, and Central Avenue, creating and enhancing the urban environment.” Titan Development, an Albuquerque-based real estate developer, is hoping to receive some $26 million in redevelopment bonds, as well as a tax abatement from the city that could be worth up to $3.2 million for the hotel project. The 118-room hotel, earlier proposed at 122 rooms, will stand six stories tall with the third floor of the structure to be used by the Ronald McDonald House Charities of New Mexico. The sky bridge will feed into the structure’s second floor, which will also serve as the hotel’s lobby. Located just one block to the east of Interstate 25 and a half a block from the iconic Crossroads Motel, the immediate site off of Central was formerly the home of a gas station which has since been demolished. Members of the Albuquerque City Council may vote on the proposed incentives package during their upcoming January 23 meeting. By Garry Boulard Some four months after mold was discovered in at least six classrooms of the Columbia Elementary School in Las Cruces, members of the city’s school board have yet to decide what to do with the building. When the mold was discovered, students from the school located at 455 Elks Drive were initially transferred to the Vista Middle School, before finally being moved to the larger Centennial High School. Parents have complained about the inconvenience of moving the students from one place to another, while school district officials have publicly debated the wisdom of spending money upgrading a facility that also has some structural issues, including a cracked foundation. According to presentations made to the Las Cruces School Board, it will cost at least $9 million and take around 14 months to remediate and remodel the Columbia school. A proposal to build an entirely new school at the Elks Drive site carries with it a $31 million price tag and two-year construction schedule. In November, the school board authorized the district administration to have architectural remodeling plans for the current Columbia school drawn up. At the same time, a geotechnical survey has been ordered to determine the geological status of the Elks Drive site. Meanwhile, several community input meetings have been held asking parents, district residents, and others for their opinions on whether or not to remodel the existing school or build an entirely new one. In a November announcement, the district maintained that the “health and safety of students and staff remain our top priority throughout this process and we appreciate your cooperation and patience as we work to arrive at the most suitable, longterm solution.” By Garry Boulard The more than 38,000-member American Planning Association has just released what it calls its “Opportunity Agenda” designed to place a renewed emphasis on national housing and infrastructure issues. That agenda is tasking the new Congress to formulate and pass housing legislation that “advances affordability, availability, quality, and access to economic and social opportunities.” On infrastructure legislation, the APA, which has offices in both Chicago and Washington, wants Congress to “invest in infrastructure that leads to stronger, more vibrant communities.” In so doing, says the group, Congress should pursue both “inclusive growth and development strategies,” as well as “healthy and safe communities through good planning and strategic investments.” “Well-planned infrastructure investments are a catalyst for economic growth, longterm prosperity, and access to opportunity,” the APA statement continues. Last year, the Trump Administration suggested an infrastructure plan that included using upwards of $200 billion in federal money combined with private, state and local investment to fund a wide variety of road, port, and airport infrastructure projects. That idea went nowhere, although in the wake of the November election, Nancy Pelosi, now the new Speaker of the House, indicated a willingness to work with the White House on infrastructure issues. Those matters, however, have for the moment fallen by the wayside as the federal government shutdown nears its fourth week. By Garry Boulard colorado supreme court drilling decision is win for oil & gas industry; new governor unhappy1/15/2019 In a unanimous decision, members of the Colorado Supreme Court have reversed an earlier State Court of Appeals ruling ordering that state regulators must factor in health and environmental concerns when it comes to permitting new wells. The decision is regarded as a major victory for oil and gas producers in Colorado. In a statement, Dan Haley, chief executive officer of the Colorado Oil and Gas Association, said the ruling will pave the way for the continued development of oil and gas wells in the state, “while also protecting our environment.” The litigation centered on a move to force the regulatory Colorado Oil & Gas Conservation Commission to apply a series of environmental and health protection requirements when considering permits for new projects. In their ruling, the justices of the state’s highest court said current Colorado law does not “allow it to condition all new oil and gas development on a finding of no cumulative adverse impacts to public health and the environment.” That ruling comes just days after new Governor Jared Polis, in his first State of the State address, said he wants to push Colorado in the direction of “being a leader in the growing green energy economy.” In his gubernatorial campaign last fall, Polis said his goal, if elected, would be to have Colorado achieve 100 percent renewable energy status by the year 2040. In his State of the State speech, Polis said that goal is not confined to just climate change: “It’s also about saving money for consumers with cheaper energy, it’s about making sure that good-paying green jobs of the future are created right here in Colorado.” Pursuit of the 100 percent goal, said the Governor, “means modernizing both our grid infrastructure and streamlining our regulatory process to ensure that all Coloradans are able to reap the full suite of benefits associated with swift adoption of renewable energy.” Polis’ 100 percent renewable energy 2040 goal is now the most ambitious in the country, surpassing both California and Hawaii, which have pledged to go there by 2045. In a statement issued after the Supreme Court ruling, Polis remarked: “While I’m disappointed by today’s ruling, it only highlights the need to work with the Legislature and the Colorado Oil & Gas Conservation Commission to more safely develop our state’s natural resources and protect our citizens from harm.” By Garry Boulard In a move to upgrade and improve energy transmission, the El Paso Electric company announced more than a year ago that it wants to build a new substation in southeast Las Cruces. The project would go up on a 3.7-acre site off of Soledad Canyon Road in the community of Talavera. That community has been enjoying both a population boom and a boom in new residential construction, with many houses priced between $200,000 to more than $1 million. But residents of the community, represented by the Talavera Community Association, have expressed their opposition to the construction of the substation. Specifically, those residents have said they are worried about a possible negative impact that the substation will have on property values. The project has also been criticized by opponents who have raised questions regarding whether or not it is cost effective. Now, members of the New Mexico Public Regulation Commission have voted in favor of delaying a final decision on the new substation until El Paso Electric officials can respond to specific questions about the project. It is not yet known when the commission will take up the matter again. If ultimately approved, the project would see the construction of some 23 miles of new transmission lines, and the rebuilding of more than 10 lines. Last summer, the Las Cruces district of the Bureau of Land Management, which owns the land needed for the substation, approved the project. El Paso Electric officials have earlier said that more than a dozen sites were considered for the new substation, with the company ultimately deciding on the Talavera location. By Garry Boulard |
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