A nonprofit housing developer has announced plans for the building of nearly 100 new affordable housing units on the south side of Santa Fe. The group Homewise says it wants to build the project, which will also include a community park and school, off South Meadows Road on a currently vacant 22-acre site. As planned, the project would see the construction of a combination of single-family homes, townhomes, and condominiums. Up to 1.7 acres would be set aside as park space to be located between the various housing units and the planned school. Homewise, which is based in Santa Fe, is dedicated to increasing the affordable housing stock, and specializes in homebuyer education, lending and refinancing programs. The group is currently in the process of attempting to purchase the South Meadows site for a reported $1.8 million. The property in question was purchased by Santa Fe County some two decades ago, before being annexed by the City of Santa Fe in 2014. The project is not without challenges: area residents have expressed opposition, saying they want the site to remain open space. A separate challenge could come from the property’s proximity to the former Eberline plant at 5881 Airport Road, which once owned by the Thermo Fisher Scientific corporation of Waltham, Massachusetts. Although the Eberline plant ceased operations nearly 15 years ago, the property in question has seen some radioactive contamination. The Homewise project is currently in the process of being submitted to the City of Santa Fe and is also expected to be the subject of at least one, if not more, public input meetings. By Garry Boulard
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In an effort to expand workforce housing, the Albuquerque Development Commission has given its approval to the building of a six-story residential project that will go up on a vacant 0.8-acre downtown lot. What will be a $30 million infill project will see the construction of some 191 individual residential units, with each unit measuring around 400 to 500 square feet. The project will also include café and retail space, two courtyards, parking space for up to 60 vehicles, and 200 bicycles. In a statement, Mayor Tim Keller hailed the project, officially called “The Downtowner,” noting: “Housing designed to meet the needs of our local workforce is a proven strategy to attract businesses and their employees to downtowns.” Keller added that The Downtowner is more than just the addition of 181 new apartment units. ‘It’s creating new spaces and foot traffic for businesses, and will contribute to public safety as we bring more activity to the area.” The site for the project, at the southwest corner of First Street SW and Silver Avenue SW, was formerly the home to a Greyhound Bus Terminal, which was demolished some 15 years ago. By Garry Boulard Despite a 2021 uptick in construction activity, overall jobs in the industry remain below pre-pandemic levels, according to a new analysis. The Washington-based Associated General Contractors of America is reporting that employment in the industry in some 39 states is less than what it was in February of 2020, with Texas leading the way in the number of jobs lost at more than 56,700. The states with the biggest job declines are also the country’s largest states population-wise, with New York off by 50,700 jobs and California down by 34,900. At the same time, the West is leading in the number of new construction jobs as of this summer, with Utah adding 7,400 jobs and Idaho up by 3,700. Arizona has seen a loss between February 2020 and August of this year of some 600 jobs; with Colorado down by 8,800 jobs. In New Mexico, total construction employment has gone from 52,000 in February of last year, to 49, 100. Despite those losses, in most of the states of the West construction employment was generally, if only marginally, up over the lowest recorded levels from the early summer of 2020. In a statement, Ken Simonson, chief economist with the Associated General Contractors, said construction employment “slipped or stagnated from July to August in half the states as the Delta variant of Covid 19 affected workers and caused some owners to delay projects.” Simonson added than half of the respondents in the AGC survey reported “experiencing projects that have been cancelled, postponed or scaled back.” States in the West as of August also presented a best of times, worst of times picture, with South Dakota leading the nation in the number of new construction jobs at around 1,700; and Wyoming coming in dead last with an overall decline of 3,800 jobs. By Garry Boulard Plans have been announced for the construction of a large solid-state battery facility in Thornton, Colorado. The project will belong to the company Solid Power, which has its headquarters and another plant in Louisville. According to the company, the new Thornton facility will have the ability to produce up to 20 tons of sulfide-based solid electrolyte material, and is expected to quadruple Solid Power’s manufacturing space. In a statement, Doug Campbell, chief executive officer of Solid Power, noted that in order to continue the company’s “progress in automotive-scale battery production,” Solid Power needs to “significantly increase production of its sulfide-based electrolyte materials.” Earlier this spring it was announced that both the Ford Motor Company and BMW would invest up to $130 million in Solid Power, whose manufactured batteries can deliver 50% more power to cars and trucks above current industry standards. Such solid-state battery innovations are seen by Solid Power and other industry players as a necessary move in making electric vehicles more appealing to consumers. Work is expected to begin on the new 75,000 square foot facility later this year, with a completion date of spring 2022. By Garry Boulard Plans are moving forward for the construction of a pedestrian sky bridge that will cross over a series of railroad tracks in downtown Albuquerque. As envisioned, the Rail Trail Sky Bridge project will go up between Tijeras Avenue and Marquette Avenue and will also see the building of a public plaza at the city’s Springer Square. The project could, according to its supporters, additionally see the construction of up to 140 hotel rooms or residential units on adjacent tracts of land. Long in the concept phase, the plan earlier this month won the approval of the Albuquerque City Council. In a statement, Mayor Tim Keller said the sky bridge is “more than a bridge over the tracks; it connects two historically and economically divided parts of our city core and paves the way for expanded downtown placemaking.” According to city documents, the project is particularly designed to increase “livability and accessibility in the area through construction of spaces for commerce, hospitality, and residential living.” Additionally providing a connection to the city’s Convention Center, the project will also see the construction of an elevator inside in the center’s parking structure, along with an additional elevator and stairway adjacent to the plaza itself. The $6 million project is being spearheaded by the city’s Metropolitan Redevelopment Agency in a partnership with the Santa Fe-based Zydeco 66 development company. Work on the project could begin either later this year or early next year and is expected to take around 12 months to complete. By Garry Boulard Funding to the tune of $45 million for the replacement of the country’s existing lead pipes is included in the $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill proposed by President Biden and about to be voted on in Congress. But according to a report issued by the American Water Works Association, the cost of locating and taking out those pipes, oftentimes found in some of the oldest sections of the nation’s oldest cities, may well exceed $60 million. According to the AWWA, roughly 11,200 community water systems nationally have lead-containing service lines, serving around 293 million people. Estimates for the actual number of those lines vary from 9 million to nearly 13 million, according to the National Resources Defense Council. But such estimates, notes the Wall Street Journal, may not be entirely accurate for the simple reason that “Some states and cities don’t know the location of all of their lead service lines.” Studies indicate that lead in drinking water can lead to increased blood pressure and hypertension in adults, while, according to a fact sheet released by the Environmental Protection Agency, contributing to “damage to the central and peripheral nervous systems” of children. A White House document released earlier this year estimates that lead pipes today serve up to 400,000 schools and childcare centers. Where exactly the funding will come from to launch a comprehensive lead pipe removal effort is somewhat uncertain. While $15 million is targeted in the President’s $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill, another $30 million would come out of the larger, and more controversial, $3.5 trillion reconciliation bill. Members of Congress are expected to vote on both the infrastructure and reconciliation bills during the final week of September. By Garry Boulard Plans have been announced for the creation of a new industrial park that could include around 7 million square feet of facility space near the busy Phoenix Goodyear Airport. An undertaking with several partners, including Harvard Investments and LPC Desert West, the project will see the construction of an initial half dozen buildings ranging in size from 81,000 square feet to some 775,000 square feet. To be built in phases, with construction set to launch early next year, what is being called the Goodyear AirPark could ultimately include as many as twenty buildings featuring up to 40-foot clear heights and truck courts. Based in Phoenix, LPC Desert West focuses on industrial and retail projects and has, during its nearly six decades of operations, developed some 132 million square feet of such space. Harvard Investments of Scottsdale is a long-standing firm with an emphasis on residential communities. The industrial park site was purchased by the two companies for $72.5 million. Goodyear is located just under 20 miles to the west of Phoenix. According to reports, the demand for industrial space is reaching new highs throughout that metropolitan area. The Goodyear AirPark may be fully built out over a period of some four phases, with the first phase expected to see completion by the spring of 2023. By Garry Boulard A project that will see the construction of a modern new retail center in Glendale has taken an important step forward. Members of the Glendale City Council have given their approval to a rezoning request for the project at the currently vacant 7.4-acre site on the southeast corner of Glendale Avenue and North 75th Avenue. The rezoning will take the site from a general commercial to a planned area development designation. As proposed by the Scottsdale-based SimonCRE, the site will see the construction of three separate buildings ranging in size from 2,000 to just over 5,300 square feet. A second building will measure 7,400 square feet. The largest structure will be just over 25,000 square feet and will also include a loading dock and drive-thru lane. Work on what is being called the 75th & Glendale Retail Center is expected to begin later this year with a possible mid-2022 completion date. SimonCRE specializes in real estate development, spearheading commercial projects in some 22 states. The company has been particularly active in Arizona, developing Dollar General, Starbucks, and Chipotle outlets, among other projects. By Garry Boulard The Construction Backlog Indicator produced by the Associated Builders and Contractors dropped to 7.7 months in August, charting a decline from both last month and a year ago last August.
That backlog stood at 8.5 months in July and exactly 8 months in August of 2020. The decline was less severe in the commercial, institutional, and infrastructure sectors, while the heavy industrial sector went from an 8.1-month backlog in July to 5.4 months last month. The backlog deceased in August in nearly all regions of the country, with the exception of the Midwest, with a 7.1-month backlog in July growing to 7.4 months last month. The West endured one of the greatest drops: from 9 months in July to 7.4 months in August. The backlog was lengthier for construction companies with revenues above $100 million, although even this segment witnessed a decline, from 16 months in July to 10.4 in August. The decline was roughly the same for companies in the $50 million to $100 million category. Companies with revenues in the $30 million to $50 million range saw a backlog drop from 8.6 months to 7.5 months, while companies listed below the $30 million mark went from a backlog of 7.9 months in July to 7.4 months in August. At the same time, ABC is reporting that its Construction Confidence Index has seen declines in such areas as sales, profit margins, and staffing. “Both contractor backlog and confidence have begun to fade,” remarked Anirban Basu, ABC chief economist, in a statement. Basu noted that “higher materials prices and labor costs have conspired to put more projects on hold. In many instances, expanding costs have rendered projects infeasible.” For all of that, Basu said contractors generally expect sales and profit margins to increase by the spring of next year. Basu added that “Recent dips in commodity prices and more normal labor market functioning should help translate into slower cost escalations and rebounding backlog during the months ahead, ultimately reversing the backlog decline sustained in August.” By Garry Boulard Bonds Proposal for Wide Variety of Infrastructure Needs To Be Decided By Denver Voters in November9/17/2021 The campaign, both pro and con, is now underway in Denver centered on passage of a sweeping $450 million infrastructure bond package. Earlier this summer Mayor Michael Hancock suggested one comprehensive proposal that would fund more than 80 individual facility, housing, transportation, and parks and recreation projects. Members of the Denver City Council, however, objecting to a portion of the Mayor’s proposal, calling for $190 million to fund the building of a new arena for the National Western Center, decided instead to break the proposal down into five separate questions that will appear on the November ballot. The objections to the National Western Center project came from council members who wondered whether the project would benefit the surrounding north Denver neighborhood. Ultimately it was decided to keep the National Western Center project intact, but as a separate ballot question. Question 2A is asking for $104 million for a variety of city library, museum, and entertainment venue projects. Nearly $39 million in Question 2B will go for the acquisition and or building of homeless shelters. The third proposal, Question 2C, will see $63.3 million spent on bike and pedestrian projects, while Question 2D is calling for $54 million to be spent on park construction and maintenance projects. A final Question 2E proposes spending $190 million on a new National Western Center arena. By a better than two to one margin, Denver voters in 2017 approved a series of bond proposals totaling $937 million and funding more than 260 citywide projects. By Garry Boulard |
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