Plans are proceeding for the construction of a big 25-story apartment building set to go up in downtown Tempe. The project jointly belongs to developers CA Ventures of Chicago and Wexford Development, which is based in Calgary, Alberta, and will see upon completion the construction of up to 38,000 square feet of commercial space and such amenities as a swimming pool, fitness center, and club room. The structure will be built at 16 East University, in a part of the city thriving with multi-story office buildings of a more recent vintage. The project, which has been in the talking stage for months, will include up to 100 studio-sized apartments, along with 99 one-bedroom units. The largest unit section will be given over to a planned 254 two-bedroom apartments. In the last decade fire pits have become the rage in many modern apartment complexes, even in dense urban surroundings. The same holds true for what is being called 16 East, with fire pits to be featured on the 8th and 25th floor amenity decks. Tempe has enjoyed a more than 10% growth rate in the last two decades, contributing to a current population of around 184,000. Although it isn’t large by the standards of Albuquerque, El Paso, and Phoenix, Tempe, according to the website Bellhop, “has plenty of character and big-city amenities,” as well as a “thriving nightlife.” By Garry Boulard
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The city animal shelters of Albuquerque may be in line for upgrades depending upon the fate of a $200 million bond proposal that will go before voters this fall. Two weeks ago, members of the Albuquerque City Council gave their approval to a list of facility and infrastructure projects citywide that will be funded by the bond, with the exact price tag detailed for each project. Some $2.5 million is being allotted in the bond proposal for animal shelter planning, design, and renovation work. The City of Albuquerque’s Animal Welfare Department has a busy facility called the Eastside Animal Shelter, located at 8920 Lomas Boulevard NE, and a Westside Shelter at 11800 Sunset Gardens Road SW. Those shelters serve as adoption centers and veterinary clinics, while also providing free training classes with every dog adoption. Additional facilities include two adoption centers, one located at 350 Eubank NE and the other at the Coronado Center in the 6600 block of Menaul NE. At any given time, the department’s shelters may house up to 800 animals or more. In his proposed budget for 2023, Mayor Tim Keller noted that the Animal Welfare Department had a budget of just under $13.9 million, while suggesting an increased budget of nearly $16 million. That funding includes money for salaries, as well as telephone, fleet, and network and radio operations expenses. By Garry Boulard A new effort is being undertaken in the U.S. Senate to fund a comprehensive national apprenticeship program designed to expand opportunities for a construction industry greatly in need of new workers. As proposed by South Carolina Senator Tim Scott, the Training America’s Workforce Act will allow for the creation of third-party groups such as trade associations and institutions of higher learning to implement apprenticeship programs that will be especially geared for the teaching of industry-specific skills. In a statement, Scott commented: “At a time when so many Americans have stopped looking for work, thousands of small business owners are struggling to find workers for millions of open jobs.” Scott added that the Training America’s Workforce Act will “create industry-led workforce development programs to get qualified workers into well-paying jobs.” The legislation has won the support of several industry groups, including the National Association of Home Builders. Jerry Konter, chairman of the NAHB, said the bill has the potential to “help erase the housing affordability crisis by allowing the home building industry to expand its workforce training reach through industry-recognized apprenticeship programs.” Late last year, the President Biden, by way of an executive order, put an end to the Industry-Recognized Apprenticeship Program, arguing that such programs should largely be the operated by recognized labor unions. Scott’s measure has been sent for review to the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. By Garry Boulard A project that could see the construction of nearly 1,500 homes in the northern Colorado city of Loveland is on the verge of receiving crucial official support. Known as Centerra South, the project belongs to the Denver-based McWhinney company and will see the ultimate building of up to 700,000 square feet of mixed-use structures on 3,000 acres of farmland off Interstate 25. The McWhinney company, which was launched in 1991 and specializes in real estate development, investment, and management, envisions the project as a kind of village onto itself, populated with tree-lined streets, a full-service boutique hotel, and a children’s museum. That museum is the Children’s Museum of Northern Colorado, which last month announced its intention to build an innovative, immersive facility geared for children 10 years of age and younger at the site. According to city documents, Centerra South will also feature up to 18,000 square feet of facility space to be used for public meetings, and both multifamily and townhome construction. Opposition to Centerra South has been voiced by those questioning the public-private partnership component of the project, which will likely see the City of Loveland absorbing the cost of the initial roads and utilities construction. If the project secures the official approval of the Loveland City Council, work on the massive master-planned community could begin later this year. By Garry Boulard Voters in El Paso will make their intentions known later this week on a controversial charter amendment known as the Climate Charter which seeks to address a wide range of climate issues locally. Appearing on city ballots as Proposition K, the proposal, if passed, would establish a Climate Department allowing for the public ownership of the utility company El Paso Electric. The proposal also calls for creation of a city-wide solar energy plan, a blueprint for preparing the city’s infrastructure for extreme weather events, and a ban on the sale of city water for any fossil-fuel related activities beyond the physical boundaries of El Paso. The new charter would additionally mandate that 80% of the energy used by the city must be composed of “clean renewable energy” by the end of the decade. A further item in the proposal would see the establishment of a Climate Commission tasked with advancing the goals of the Climate Charter. The proposal has won support from a number of community and labor groups. In fact, its appearance on the ballot is the result of a successful petition drive late last year securing upwards of 36,000 signatures. Among those groups supporting the Climate Charter: the Sunrise Movement of El Paso, Justicia Fronteriza, and the Washington-based Earthworks. Those in opposition, charging that the Climate Charter will prove too cumbersome and expensive to enforce, include the El Paso Chamber of Commerce, El Paso Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, and a group called the Consumer Energy Alliance. By Garry Boulard A move is underway in Washington to provide enhanced funding for infrastructure upkeep and repairs within the National Park System. Three years ago, in a rare bipartisan vote Congress overwhelmingly approved the Great American Outdoors Act, which sailed through the Senate by a 73 to 25 margin and in the House by 310 to 107. The legislation has since provided up to $1.9 billion in support for deferred maintenance needs annually for projects that are not only a part of the National Park System, but also the U.S. Forest Service, the Fish and Wildlife Service, and the Bureau of Land Management. The support has been particularly needed considering an historic recent increase in park visitations which have put pressure on the parks’ roads, bridges, visitor centers and trails infrastructure. Last year, there were around 312 million such visitations—a 5% increase over the year before. In the West, the Grand Canyon remains a crowd magnet, seeing around 5 million visitors, while the Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado brings in 4.5 million annually and the White Sands National Park in New Mexico is nearing the 800,000 mark. In a letter to the House Subcommittee on Federal Lands, Jack Waldorf, executive director of the Western Governors Association, has urged for an extension of the Great American Outdoor Act “beyond 2025,” while also suggesting that Congress should “examine longer term solutions to the deferred maintenance backlog.” The National Parks Conservation Association, among other groups, is also calling for an extension of the legislation, which it describes as a “critically needed source of funding for deferred maintenance and repairs.” By Garry Boulard Extensive renovation work may begin later this year on two longstanding apartment complexes in Denver’s North Capitol Hill neighborhood. The three-story Art Deco-designed Drehmoor Apartments at 215 E. 19th Avenue was built in 1926 and encompasses 74 residential units. Those units, in a city with a rapidly increasing cost of rent, are income restricted. Now members of the Denver City Council are contemplating approval of loans through the Department of Housing and Stability that will fund the renovation work. Last week, the council’s Safety, Housing, Education and Homeless Committee gave its approval to the awarding of those loans. One loan will see just under $726,000 going for the work at the Drehmoor. According to city documents, that work will include the installation of low flow plumbing fixtures and LED lights, as well as repairs to the building’s elevator and sidewalks. The second loan in the amount of $1.1 million would target similar renovation work at the Argonaut-El Tovar Apartments, located at 1505 Grant Street. An elegantly Italianate-designed structure of five floors built in 1908 as a hotel, the Argonaut-El Tovar complex houses 108 residential units in two brick buildings. This complex, too, will see repairs to its elevator, sidewalk upgrades, and installation of both LED lights and low flow plumbing fixtures. Most residents at both complexes are on Social Security disability income, with the units restricted to those earning 30% of Area Median Income. By Garry Boulard |
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