Construction is expected to begin later this year in the town of Arlington, Arizona on a large solar power plant that will have a unique battery component. Arlington, with a population of less than 300 people, is located 40 miles west of Phoenix. The project by First Solar, Inc., of Tempe will go up near the Arizona Public Service Company’s Red Hawk Power Plant on 363rd Avenue. The centerpiece of the new facility will be a giant battery capable of delivering up to 50 megawatts of power, enough energy for around 12,500 homes for several hours a day, making it one of the largest battery storage systems in the country. But the plant will also include the installation of solar panels with a total capacity of 65 megawatts. The new plant will provide power to Arizona Public Service during the peak hours of 3 to 8 p.m., during a time when temperatures in the summer months can range between 110 and 120 degrees. First Solar is based in Tempe and is a photovoltaic manufacturer and provider of photovoltaic power plants. In a statement, Mark Widmar, chief executive officer of First Solar, said the Arlington project, which begins with a 15-year power purchase agreement with Arizona Public Service, will show the “capabilities of solar coupled with large-scale battery storage.” “Together,” continued Widmar, “these technologies highlight the significant role for solar in providing reliable, cost-effective energy.” By Garry Boulard
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For more than two years, officials with the Boulder-based Mapleton Hill Investment Group have been talking about building an upscale senior living complex, complete with a wellness center, memory care facilities, therapy pool, and other amenities.
The project has been proposed for a 15.7-acre site on the edge of the city’s historic Mapleton Hill neighborhood, a part of the city graced with stately brick mansions, many of which were built in the 19th century. But while opponents of the senior living project have expressed concerns about its density and impact on area traffic, what has really sparked discussion is an official designation for 3.7 aces of the site described as “Open Space-Other.” Efforts on the part of the developer and city officials to change that designation to make it more consistent with the rest of the development site have prompted foes of what is being called the Academy at Mapleton Hill to wage a battle in opposition. The matter is now expected to be decided by the Boulder Planning Board and the Boulder City Council. The original proposal on the part of the Mapleton Hill Investment Group called for the construction of more than two dozen buildings at the site and as many as 175 living units. The most recent proposal has reduced the number of units to 93. By Garry Boulard Although apartment construction has been on the increase since the Great Recession, fueled by demand, a new report issued by the National Association of Realtors suggests that that same dynamic could lead to increased growth in home construction.
The key, according to Housing Opportunities and Market Experience, is the desire of renters themselves, a strong majority of which say they want to own their own homes some day. Of those respondents, members of the Millennial Generation, those born between 1985 and 2000, express the strongest desire to have their own home. “Housing demand in 2018 will be fueled by Millennials finally deciding to marry and have kids and the expectations that solid job growth and the strengthening economy will push incomes higher,” Lawrence Yun, the NAR’s chief economist, said in a statement on the survey. But Yun noted that an ongoing lack of supply in new homes is continuing to challenge this demographic, adding that it is “critical for much of the country to start seeing a significant hike” in the nation’ housing stock. The generational perspectives on whether now is a good time to buy a house are seen in the response of Baby Boomers to the NAR survey, 78 percent of whom felt bullish on that question. By contrast, only 63 percent of those 34 years of age or younger thought so. The survey also found that only 61 percent of respondents in the West thought now is a good time to buy a house, compared to 78 percent in the Midwest. That response could be framed by an earlier NAR report in 2017 showing that the average single-family home price in the West rose 7.5 percent to $372,000, while the average single-family home price in the Midwest increased 6.6 percent, to $204,000 in mid-2017. By Garry Boulard Voters in New Mexico may have the option in November of deciding whether to approve up to $165 million in general obligation bonds for more than one hundred school, senior center, and library construction and upgrading projects. Senate Bill 94, proposed by Senator Carlos Cisneros, has won the approval of both houses of the legislature, and is now on its way to Governor Susana Martinez for her signature. The bill proposes separate bond issues, with $10.7 million for senior citizen facilities statewide; $12.9 million for library resource acquisitions; and $135.9 million for higher education facilities, as well as tribal and special school improvements and acquisitions. The legislation is the result of input from the state’s Aging and Long Term Services Department, which reported that it had received capital outlay requests of $29 million for senior centers facility work statewide. The New Mexico Library Association requested $17.5 million for public libraries, and school, academic and tribal libraries. The $135.9 million for higher education facilities was pared down from an original $200 million request on the part of those institutions. Of that amount, $16 million will go for modernizing the Clark Hall chemistry building at the University of New Mexico; and $7.5 million for renovations and upgrades to the Ken Chappy Hall on the campus of Central New Mexico Community College. By Garry Boulard Although El Paso city officials have yet to say what exactly is to become of the Cohen Stadium on the northwest side of the city, a new master plan for the site the stadium sits on envisions a variety of entertainment and recreational uses.
Months in the making, the master plan specifically mentions the construction of athletic and recreational facilities on the 50-acre site at 9700 Gateway Boulevard North, as well as several hotels, restaurants, and both retail and green space. Plans for the 10,000-seat Cohen Stadium itself, which was built in 1989 and, according to city officials, has been underused ever since the El Paso Diablos baseball team stopped playing there some 5 years ago, remain uncertain. It has been suggested that ultimately the stadium will be demolished by the city, but that has not yet been officially announced. The Cohen Stadium site master plan comes after months of public input. As currently proposed, what is being called the Cohen Redevelopment could see the construction of up to 228,000 square feet of hotel space; 394,000 square feet of retail space; 97,000 square feet of office space; and just under 900 multi-family residential units. The project would be funded using a combination of public and private dollars. A specific date launching the beginning of the Cohen Redevelopment remains to be announced. By Garry Boulard More than 900 new stores belonging to the ALDI discount grocery store company are expected to be built from the ground up or carved out of existing space in the next four years.
Based in Essen, Germany, ALDI currently has in excess of 10,000 stores internationally, with the U.S. currently being its second largest market behind Germany. ALDI is known for having its shelves stocked with boxes of products such as carbonated beverages and snack foods on the theory that customers will buy larger quantities of such staples. Also the company determined that it can save thousands of hours in wages by not having employees opening those boxes and placing their contents on the shelves, as is the typical practice in most other grocery stores. According to an analysis published by the Chicago-based market research company Information Resources, Inc., ALDI in recent years has been making significant inroads with Millennial Generation shoppers due to its “increasing emphasis on organic and healthier products.” ALDI stores typically measure anywhere from 10,000 to 15,000 square feet. Where the company’s new outlets will be located is expected to be announced incrementally. Most of ALDI’s current stores are located in the Midwest and South. In December the company announced it was opening three new stores in California, two in Florida, and one each in Alabama, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, New York, North Carolina, and Virginia. By Garry Boulard Members of the Santa Fe County Planning Commission are expected to review the positive recommendations of a hearing officer regarding plans for the construction of a travel center/truck stop that could go up at the New Mexico State Road 14 and Cerrillos Road interchange. For months, residents living near where the proposed Pilot Flying J project would be built have packed public meetings and asserted that the facility, to be built on part of a 26-acre site, was inappropriate for the area. Concerns have been expressed regarding potential traffic that the travel center would generate, as well as its impact on air, light, and noise pollution. In an effort to find a resolution to the question, the commission in January appointed Santa Fe attorney Nancy Long, a former member of that body, to study the pros and cons of the project. Long has now submitted her findings to the commission, stating that the conceptual plan for the travel center is in keeping with Santa Fe County’s Sustainable Land Development Code. Long additionally noted that the application for the project, submitted by the land planning firm Hames W. Siebert and Associates of Santa Fe, had adequately addressed lighting, landscape, utilities, and road design issues, while also producing required environmental impact, water use, and traffic impact reports according to county standards. The commission is scheduled to review the project’s conceptual plan on March 15. As proposed, the travel center will comprise some 10 acres of the 26-acre site, with the rest being set aside for future retail and hotel construction. There are currently more than 550 Pilot Flying J travel centers operating in the U.S. and Canada. Those centers are typically open 24 hours and offer a variety of fast food restaurant choices as well as laundry rooms and showers. By Garry Boulard In a move to increase the city’s affordable housing stock, members of the Denver City Council have voted to allow developers to build structures as high as 16 stories in the popular River North Arts District.
In return, developers building those structures would allot more living space to affordable income units. The building height plan will specifically apply to the area of the 38th and Blake Street commuter rail station. The plan leading to the council vote has been in the works for some two years. The council vote will also allow developers to build tall if they include in their projects entities such as day care services and small grocery stores that will serve the larger community. According to city documents, the measure means that a developer putting up a 12-story structure, by way of example, would be required to build seven “incentive required units,” along with the already-established three units for that size building. That would result in ten new affordable units for what would be a nearly 200,000 square-foot structure. By Garry Boulard Democrats in Congress are criticizing President Trump’s recently announced $1.5 trillion infrastructure revamping project as inadequate.
Congressional detractors of the plan are taking special aim at the $200 billion that the President has suggested could be used to fund a variety of rebuilding projects, saying that figure is too low. That $200 billion, as proposed by the White House, would be used over a period of 10 years to spur greater contributions from states, cities, and private investors. In a statement, House Democrat Caucus Chairman Joe Crowley of New York said Trump’s proposal “falls far short of the investment our country desperately needs and deserves. At a time when our bridges and roads are crumbling and our schools and hospitals are severely antiquated, the President’s empty proposal lacks vision.” Senate Democrat Minority Leader Charles Schumer said the proposal would put an “unsustainable burden on our local government.” In order to pay for the President’s plan, Schumer predicted the creation of “Trump tolls all over the country.” Democrats have called for an infrastructure plan of up to $1 trillion, less than the President’s overall package. But the vast majority of that money would come from Washington, and unlike the White House plan, would not rely as much on state and local funding support. By Garry Boulard After months of behind the scenes talks, the announcement has been made: a new 1 million square-foot manufacturing plant for the Nikola Motors company is going to be built in Buckeye, Arizona, a suburb of Phoenix. The plant is expected to cost $1 billion to build and will be a facility outfitted with the latest high-tech advances in order to build Nikola’s much-awaited new semi-trucks. Regarded by industry analysts as an obvious market for Tesla Motors, the Salt Lake City-based Nikola plans to introduce its own all-electric semi-truck, the Nikola One, next year as the next wave in the move away from diesel-powered trucks. Nikola, which also builds electric vehicle drivetrains, energy storage systems, and hydrogen stations, will build its new facility on a currently vacant 500-acre site near the intersection of Sun Valley Parkway and the Wintersburg Parkway. “Nikola Motor Company’s selection of Arizona demonstrates that we are leading the charge when it comes to attracting innovative, industry-disrupting companies,” Arizona Governor Doug Ducey said in a statement upon the announcement of Nikola’s building plans. Plans call for Nikola to move its corporate office to Arizona later this year. Although an exact schedule for when work on the new facility will begin has not yet been announced, company officials have said that they would like to have the plant up and running by the latter part of 2019. As a sign of the increasing competition between the two companies, Tesla Motors, founded in 2003, was named in honor of the legendary engineer Nikola Tesla, who created the alternating current power transmission, among other things. Nikola Motors is also named in honor of Nikola Tesla. By Garry Boulard |
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