Plans are advancing for the construction of a 25-story building that will go up at the site of a well-known Firestone Complete Auto Care outlet in downtown Denver. As proposed, the new structure would house just over 260 multifamily units, and will also include a club room, gym, swimming pool, and outdoor terrace and dog run. To be called The Fairlane and offering units ranging in size from studio to three bedrooms, the project belongs to the GBT Realty Corporation, which is based in Brentwood, Tennessee. GBT purchased the half-acre site at 2000 N. Broadway in the spring of 2021 for around $5.4 million. Demolition of the Firestone building, which opened in 1965, will precede construction of the new building. The Firestone Complete Auto Care chain launched in 1926 and today includes more than 1,700 outlets. By Garry Boulard
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Dutch Bros Coffee’s fifth Albuquerque location is scheduled for construction in February.
In an invitation to bid for subcontractors released Monday, Dutch Bros Coffee posted a work schedule stating that White Sands Construction Inc. is to start construction on February 10th, 2022 at 220 98th St. NW in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The plans obtained by The Built Environment state that the location will include both a drive-thru and walk-up window service. The plans are marked as “for review only”. Gnich Architectural Studio LLC, grouped with Barghausen Consulting Engineers, Inc. and Case Engineering, Inc., are the design team according to the plan set. Dutch Bros Coffee’s Construction Manager John Caglia declined to disclose both the estimated cost of the project and the contract amount for the general contractor, White Sands Construction, Inc. The invitation to bid said that the construction schedule for the fifth location is based on a 90 Calendar Day Build. Caglia said that generally that is how long it would take to complete a single location, but these timelines have extended. “Because of the environment, of the lack of subs, GCs and material shortages, our projects are taking longer now, about 120 days,” said Caglia. Within the parcel located East of 98th St. and North of Volcano Road, the coffee drive thru should be open for business 150 days after the start of construction, said Caglia. Madison Fahey, a public relations specialist for Dutch Bros Coffee said in an email response,"we don't have a specific date for the opening at 220 98th St. but we're hoping to open mid-late next year." According to Caglia, the building will be 950 square feet with the total project square footage at 33,000 square feet. The cover sheet of the plan set lists the total parcel area as 30,056 square feet. Caglia said that the building permit was submitted to the City of Albuquerque. Upon searching building permits in the past two months, The Built Environment could not locate the permit for the project on the city’s website. In October, Albuquerque Business First reported that the fourth location was under construction at 3615 New Mexico 528 NW. White Sands Construction Inc. is native to New Mexico and has completed several fast-food projects including eight Burger Kings, two Dunkin’ Donuts, two Arby’s and two Carl’s Junior locations. A pre-bid conference call for the project will be held on December 12th, 2022 and the bid submission deadline for subcontractors will be January 10th, 2023. IMAGE CAPTION: Image for general illustrative purposes only – actual building design may differ. By Dane Vaughn Just under 210 new units of housing in downtown Albuquerque may soon see construction as the Albuquerque City Council contemplates development documents required for the project. What is being called The Downtowner will go up on a currently vacant site at 1st Street SW and Silver Avenue SW and will also include 11 additional live-work units as well as a café. The project is the result of a public-private partnership between the Metropolitan Redevelopment Agency and the Albuquerque-based REMBE Urban Design + Development firm. Long in the talking and planning stage, The Downtowner will go up on land that was formerly the home to a Greyhound Bus Terminal, which was demolished well over a decade ago. Surrounded by other apartment complexes and across the street from the popular Silver Street Market, the site has long been regarded as a prime property for retail development. In a statement, Mayor Tim Keller noted that the city is in the throes of a “critical need for more housing units to accommodate the existing and future housing demand at all income levels.” Keller added that it was his hope that the Downtowner will “bring an influx of development to our downtown core, increasing street-level activity, and creating a safer environment.” The documents being reviewed by council members include a development and disposition agreement, as well as a redevelopment tax abatement application. REMBE Urban Design + Development has been extensively involved in a series of urban design and infill projects, including the mixed-use Bricklight Courtyards and Silver Lofts apartments, both in Albuquerque. By Garry Boulard Congress is expected to soon pass a short-term measure designed to keep the government in business for the next 10 days, says sources. The move comes as members of both parties in both chambers are working to avoid a partial government shutdown scheduled for midnight December 16. Lawmakers hope to be able to pass a spending bill. But differences exist over what should be in that spending bill. According to Alabama Senator Richard Shelby, there is a gap of around $25 billion in terms of budget priorities. The spending bill is expected to come in at around $1.6 trillion. A continuing resolution in the House is designed to keep the government fully funded through December 23. Speaking to reporters, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer declared, “We have no intention of shutting down the government.” Domestic and non-defense related spending levels remain one of the primary differences between the two parties as the shutdown deadline nears. Congressional leaders have maintained that the likelihood of an actual government shutdown appears remote, even as a document issued from the Office of Management and Budget has said it will work with senior agency officials in order to “review and update orderly shutdown plans.” By Garry Boulard Final federal approval has been secured for the building of two massive reservoirs in growing northern Colorado. The Northern Integrated Supply Project is designed, upon completion, to get water to more than a dozen cities, towns, and water districts in the northern section of the Centennial State. The new water storage reservoirs will provide water for an estimated half a million people. For years, local officials in northern Colorado have talked about what they regard as a pressing need for more water in a part of the state that is expected to see a doubling of its population in the next three decades. Now, the U.S. Corps of Engineers has issued a final permit to build the Northern Integrated Supply Project, which is expected to cost $2 billion to complete. Upon that completion, the new reservoirs will be capable of supplying up to 40,000 acre-feet of water on an annual basis. Design work on the two reservoirs is currently underway, with the actual construction expected to launch either in late 2024 or the early part of 2025. If all goes as anticipated, the big project will be completed sometime in 2029. Although the project has been opposed by some environmental groups, a press release issued by the Northern Colorado Water Conservancy District noted that the Corps of Engineers had concluded that it was the “least environmentally impactful means” of satisfying the increasing water needs of the region. By Garry Boulard Plans are underway for the construction of a first-of-its kind all-abilities park in Farmington. The park would go up at the site of the former Tibbets Middle School, located at 312 East Apache Street. The more than 75-year-old school was demolished in 2017, with Farmington Municipal Schools donating the 7-acre site to the City of Farmington last year. Upon that transaction, the city applied for and received a Resilient Park Access Grant through the National Recreation and Park Association. A $300,000 grant was subsequently awarded to cover the cost of construction design documents for the all-abilities park. Aspects of the park, the plans for which are open to public input, could include a skate park, walking trail, and zip line. A press release issued by the City of Farmington said the park will also feature “visual impairment areas, therapeutic elements, outdoor musical instruments, adaptive swings and wheelchair swings,” along with shade structures and bathroom facilities. All-abilities and inclusive parks are specifically designed for children with disabilities and are increasingly seeing construction across the country. According to the site GameTime, such parks typically include accessible ramps, climbers, and transfer platforms, and are located at supervised places with accessible routes of travel. It is expected that it will cost around $13 million to build the Farmington all-abilities park, with funding coming from a variety of public and private sources. By Garry Boulard Continuing a trend that has been ongoing throughout the year, construction companies hired more than 20,000 new workers in November. According to a new analysis compiled by the Associated General Contractors of America, the residential construction sector took on around 3,900 new people last month, with nonresidential construction employment seeing a marginal gain of 300 workers. Building contractors saw a healthy increase of 8,200 people, followed by a gain of 5,300 workers recorded by the nation’s civil engineering firms. While most industry segments noted November job gains, specialty trade contractors saw a decrease of 5,500, with building contractors off by 2,600. At the same time, seasonally adjusted average hourly rates for nonsupervisory and production employees have seen an increase of just over 6% compared to November of 2021—a figure larger than the average 5.8% increase for all private sector employees in the last 12 months. The latest increases work out to just under $33 an hour nationally. A press release issued by the AGC suggests that despite the new job gains, construction job openings continue to outpace hiring, a sign that employers “wanted to bring on many more workers than they are able to find.” By Garry Boulard In a move that has caused some concern among developers and builders, the City of Scottsdale has announced a series of mandatory green codes for all new commercial and residential developments. Approved by members of the Scottsdale City Council, the codes require, among other things, the installation of irrigation systems and solar panel systems in new structures, while also mandating the use of low gas emitting paints, sealants, and flooring and ceiling tiles. In taking the vote, council members were adopting the latest version of both the International Energy Construction Code as well as the International Green Construction Code. According to city sources, benefits to be expected from the new codes will include a 10.6% decrease in overall energy costs, as well as a greenhouse gas emission reduction of 10.2%. Additional aspects of the code will see the construction of low slope cool roof surfaces, LED lighting, and interior lighting controlled via dimmers and sensors. Electric charging garage outlets for electric vehicles will also be required for all new residential projects. In a statement appearing on the City of Scottsdale’s website, Anthony Floyd noted that the environmental benefits to be gained from imposition of the green codes include “conserving natural resources, improved air quality, enhanced occupant comfort and health.” Additional benefits: “Reduced waste streams, low environmental impactful materials, and minimized strain on local infrastructure.” Floyd is the green building program manager for the City of Scottsdale. By Garry Boulard Some $84.5 million in federal funding has now been secured for a wide variety of water infrastructure projects in New Mexico. The funding is coming through the recently passed National Defense Authorization Act and will see, among other things, $22 million going for new water and wastewater infrastructure in Espanola, as well as $15.5 million for water infrastructure work in Farmington. The funding was earlier inserted into the 2022 Water Resources Development Act, which ended up becoming a part of the massive $768 billion defense bill. “Water is ground zero for climate change, and communities across New Mexico and the West are facing rapid hydrologic change,” said New Mexico Representative Melanie Stansbury in a statement celebrating the legislation. Another supporter of the measure, New Mexico Representative Leger Fernandez, said the bill “includes provisions that are important to New Mexicans, like greater funding and protection for our acequias and water infrastructure, and funding to clean up environmental contamination.” The bill also includes $2.9 million for wastewater infrastructure in Mora County; and a big $21 million for water and wastewater infrastructure work in Santa Fe. Up to $27 million will go for to the Acequia Irrigation System in a specific effort to upgrade vulnerable acequia systems throughout the state. Altogether, the Water Resources Development Act provides just over $25 billion to a wide array of water infrastructure, ecosystem restoration, and flood mitigation infrastructure across the country. By Garry Boulard |
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