Members of the El Paso City Council have decided to tackle at a later unannounced date the question of establishing a historic district in the city. That designation would allow the owners of historic buildings within a defined boundary to apply for tax credits and federal funding when upgrading those properties. The district designation, as certified by the Texas Historical Commission, has been seen as an important first step in the process of preserving nearly 300 historic downtown El Paso buildings, many of which have been hailed for their Art Deco design work. But a group of property owners have announced opposition to the designation, arguing that the district would impose invasive building standards and negatively impact the price of rehabilitation projects. In a council discussion on the matter, City Attorney Karla Nieman raised the possibility that property owners would cede control of any upgrade project to a “state agency in Austin.” Promoted by the County of El Paso, the district idea is at odds with a city ordinance regulating properties in that same defined area. For the district movement to continue, the El Paso City Council has been tasked with changing or doing away with the ordinance altogether. But now, on a 5 to 3 vote, council members have decided to put off the ordinance question, noting that any change would require a defined process that would include public input. It is not yet known when the council will take the matter up again. By Garry Boulard
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A project called the Copper Platte that will see the construction of 224 affordable housing units in Greeley, Colorado is now the recipient of support through what are known as Private Activity Bonds. Those bonds, issued by both the City of Greeley as well as larger Weld County, have a dollar value of more than $14 million, and will go to three residential developments, including the new Copper Platte project. As proposed, that project will see the construction of 104 two-bedroom units, 62 one-bedroom units, and 40 three-bedroom units. Plans also call for the construction of 16 four-bedroom homes, housed in four different structures. The Spokane, Washington-based Inland Group, a company specializing primarily in senior living homes, is the developer behind the project. The Inland Group is increasing its footprint across the West with projects not just in Colorado, but also Idaho, Nevada, and Washington. Entailing a total of eight separate buildings, the Copper Platte project will go up just to the northeast of the popular Greeley Mall, located some 3 miles from downtown Greeley. In order to make way for the new project, a one-story building housing several businesses off U.S. State Route 34, but also near the Greeley Mall, will be demolished. The project is currently under review by the City of Greeley. Although an exact date of construction has not yet been announced, it is thought that it will take around 16 months to complete the project. By Garry Boulard The steady rise in lumber prices is having an impact on both the pace of new home building as well as new home sales, according to a new industry report. In its just-released Rising Lumber Prices and Lack of Supply Threaten Consumers’ Housing Options, the National Association of Home Builders says current lumber prices are nearing an unprecedented high. Matters have only been made worse by the uncertainty of securing lumber for a home’s construction in a timely fashion, and “whether or not the homes will appraise at the correct price to reflect those rising prices.” Framing lumber prices were at a little over $500 per thousand board feet early last summer, before taking off on a wild ride seeing the price steadily rising to more than $900 per thousand board early this year. The Random Lengths Framing Lumber Composite price is now at $966 per thousand board. While overall building materials were up by 5.4% last year, software lumber prices shot up by 12.5%. Prices for southern yellow pine, often used for decks and fences, as well as strand board, used for walls, are also at an all-time high. In response, the national median home price increased to an all-time high of $320,000 late last year, surpassing another record high of $313,000 which was set in the third quarter of 2020. Adding to the home builders’ market uncertainty, says the NAHB report, is the “prospective homeowners’ financial positions,” which includes the possibility of unemployment and a large fixed income Baby Boomer retirement market apprehensive about committing to big purchases. The NAHB has gone on record asking President Biden and Congress to urge domestic lumber producers to ramp up production to ease the shortage challenge. Although the Commerce Department in December reduced tariffs on Canadian lumber shipments from 20% to 9%, the NAHB says it would like to see those tariffs ended altogether. By Garry Boulard Plans are now proceeding for the transformation of a sprawling 120,000 square foot former Kmart store on the upper northeast side of Albuquerque. The building, which for years was both a department and grocery store, was opened in the fall of 1966 during a time when the Kmart Corporation was rapidly expanding its locations nationally, ending up eventually with more than 2,300 outlets. The store’s location at 2100 Carlisle Boulevard NE was aided by the advent of another 1960s expansion: the building of the adjacent Interstate 40. After five decades in business, the Carlisle store was one of nearly one hundred outlets closed in the fall of 2018 by the owner Sears Holding Corporation as that company entered into Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. Now, after months of planning and study, Albuquerque-based Modulus Architects & Land Use Planning has announced plans to transform the old site, which sits on some 10 acres, into a new shopping center called the Carlisle Crossing. As part of that transformation, a portion of the rectangular-shaped structure will be demolished to make way for a new Whole Foods Market store. It was earlier reported that the Whole Foods outlet would measure around 45,000 square feet, in line with the chain’s average 25,000 to 50,000 square foot size. Modulus specializes in retail design projects, and has been an integral part of the big Winrock Town Center development. Overall, Carlisle Crossing will encompass some 130,000 square feet of retail space. Work on the site is expected to begin later this year, with an anticipated early 2022 completion date. By Garry Boulard The New Mexico Department of Cultural Affairs has submitted a capital outlay request for 18 museum and historic site improvement projects to the state legislature. Altogether, the request for money totals nearly $7 million, with a $1 million request for design, repair, and construction work at the New Mexico History Museum in Santa Fe making up the largest item. The department is also asking lawmakers for $832,000 in state funds for design and construction upgrade work at the New Mexican Museum of Space History in Alamogordo. Some $725,000 will target planning, design, and construction work, as well as exhibition improvements, at the New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science in Albuquerque. A slightly smaller request of $675,000 will go to the Albuquerque-based National Hispanic Cultural Center for the planning, design, and construction of improvements to the institute’s facilities and exhibits. Lawmakers meeting in what is officially the First Session of the 55th Legislature will also be tasked with approving $490,000 for planning, design, and construction work to the Taylor-Mesilla Historic Property in southern New Mexico. That property is dominated by a large adobe structure, parts of which were originally constructed in the 1850s. The smallest Cultural Affairs capital outlay request, at $95,000, is for planning, design, and construction work at the Jemez Historic Site in Jemez Springs. That site in northern New Mexico is the home to the archaeological remains of the 16th century Native American Giusewa Pueblo. By Garry Boulard Responding to complaints that the process is too slow and bulky, the Small Business Administration has announced a series of changes in the way the Paycheck Protection Program is administered. A large number of applications across the country has been held up due to new validation procedures that had been earlier put in place by the SBA to eliminate cheating. According to sources, that approach delayed nearly a third of applications for PPP assistance. At particular issue was a feature making it impossible for lenders to directly address errors that were putting a stop to otherwise valid applications. The SBA says it will now allow lenders to certify borrowers’ eligibility, while also letting those same lenders “upload supporting documentation of borrowers with validation errors.” The agency is also creating new communication channels designed to speed up the application process, with an “immediate national lender call” to brief lenders on the program’s latest capabilities. Established last year as part of the big Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, the PPP as of last fall had doled out more than $500 billion in loans. The program was reopened in early January with around $284 billion in new funds. According to the SBA, some 1.3 million new PPP loans have been approved as of the first week of February, with a dollar amount of $101 billion. In a statement, Michal Roth, SBA senior advisor, said the PPP remains committed to “targeting the smallest of small businesses and providing economic relief at a crucial time in American history.” Applications for PPP funding will be accepted until March 31. By Garry Boulard A concept plan has been submitted to the City of Denver for the construction of a new 8-story apartment building in the popular Capitol Hill neighborhood. The project belongs to Palisade Partners, Inc., a mid-market real estate development firm specializing in mixed-use and multi-family projects. The structure will go up on a just under half-acre site at 720 N. Grant Street in an area of town known for its historic 19th century mansions, new apartment development, and thriving arts and entertainment scene. The site, which Palisade purchased some 7 years ago for $700,000, is currently the home of a one-story garage which will be demolished to make way for the new 118,000 square foot apartment building. As planned, the project will house 110 units varying in size from one to two bedrooms, along with a smaller number of studio apartments. A proposal to build a mechanical multi-level parking lift that could handle up to 80 vehicles is also being considered as part of the project. Designer for the project is the Denver-based Crane Architecture, Incorporated. Palisade is currently completing work on another project, this one called The Hooper, at 2600 Welton Street in Denver’s Five Points neighborhood. That nine-story project, with more than 100 units, is expected to be completed later this year. By Garry Boulard Upgrade plans are in the works for a popular park in Durango, which runs adjacent to the banks of the Animas River. Located at 149 S. Camino del Rio on the south side of the city, the Santa Rita Park, which features a river trail, playground, and fishing area, among other features, has been the subject of several city studies looking at how to make the site more user-friendly. Now the city’s Parks and Recreation Department is planning to soon issue a Request for Proposals for a project that will see the building of several new park features. Those features include a covered picnic pavilion, as well as a new basketball court and two sand volleyball courts. But before any work on the project can begin, an existing wood-frame building at the site will be demolished to make way for the new features. That nearly 40 year-old, barn-like structure is the former home of the Durango Chamber of Commerce, which moved its headquarters to a new location in downtown Durango two years ago. Earlier this year the city sponsored an auction to find a new owner for the structure, only to see the winning bidder withdraw from the process after realizing that he was required to either move the building, dismantle it, or demolish it. It is thought that the city may now proceed on its own with the demolition of the structure. At exact schedule for when work on the new park amenities will begin has not yet been announced, but reports have indicated that project is expected to be completed by the end of this year. By Garry Boulard Even in the face of the pandemic economy, construction industry compensation packages increased by 2.8% last year, according to a new report issued by the Construction Labor Research Council. The compensation packages include wages, fringe benefits, and other employer payments. Regionally, the largest compensation packages were seen in the Northwest with a 4.0% increase over 2019; with the smallest increase recorded in the southeast and south central parts of the country, at 2.6% each. Overall increases ranged from 2.0% on average for ironworkers to 4.4% for operating engineers. According to earlier CLRC figures, boilermakers, ironworkers, and pipefitters are generally the recipients of the largest compensation packages; while plasterers, painters, and roofers are usually lower on the list. Construction industry compensation packages in recent years have averaged anywhere from 2% to 2.5%. Such packages reached a historic high in 2008 at 4.6%, but fell dramatically to 1.7% during the depth of the Great Recession. The industry saw a steady compensation increases in the years to follow, topping out at 3.0% in 2018. Wages typically comprise the vast majority of compensation packages, followed by retirement and healthcare benefits. A smaller package portion is comprised of vacations and apprenticeships. The Washington-based Construction Labor Research Council tracks labor costs, contract evaluations, and workforce demographics, among other subject areas. By Garry Boulard The City of El Paso has issued a Request for Proposals for upgrades to two much-used parks on the east side of the city. Work on the Dick Shinaut Memorial Park, located at 11701 Rufus Brigalba Drive, will be focused on enhancing the site’s skate board assets. The project will include the construction of new skate ramps, a 6-inch reinforced concrete slab, grinding rails and ledges, as well as a new hot mixed asphalt concrete path with a header curb. The park, which was opened in the summer of 1999, will also see the installation of concrete pads for benches, retaining rock walls, and a new irrigation system. The second project is scheduled for the Salvador Rivas Jr. Spray Park, located at 12480 Pebble Hills Boulevard. Opened in the summer of 2017, the Rivas Park will see the building of Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant ramps, a concrete sidewalk, new parking lot, and irrigation system. Additional work at the Rivas Park entails landscaping, boulder placement, the planting of trees and shrubs, and new illumination poles. Both projects are expected to cost upwards of $900,000. The RFP has a submission deadline of February 24. By Garry Boulard |
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