![]() After spending up to $10 million remodeling six of its stores in metro El Paso, supermarket chain Albertson’s is looking at the possibility of opening several other locations in the area. The Boise, Idaho-based chain, one of the largest supermarket companies in the country, currently has eight stores in urban and suburban El Paso. But the company earlier this summer announced it was closing one of those stores, this one located in northeast El Paso at 9111 Dyer Street. At the announcement of that closing, Albertson’s spokesperson Nancy Keane said the company decided to do away with the Dyer Street store in an effort to improve the operational efficiency of the chain in El Paso. Keane has since told the El Paso Times that the company is “looking at other locations to expand Albertsons’ presence in El Paso.” Where those new stores will be located, and whether they would be opened in existing spaces or newly-constructed buildings, has not yet been announced. Albertson’s, operating under several banner names, has more than 2,200 stores nationally. The company has often engaged in a process of closing what it regards as under-performing outlets in some cities, while building entirely new stores in different locations in the same cities. Typical Albertson’s stores measure anywhere between 50,000 square feet and 70,000 square feet and are located primarily in the West. By Garry Boulard
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![]() The Washington-based American Planning Association is pushing for a greater involvement of professional planners in compiling information for next year’s national census. In a statement, the group notes that responses to the decennial survey will “determine how we are represented in Congress and guide the allocation of billions of federal dollars to states and local and tribal governments each year for infrastructure and services such as schools, transportation projects, public safety, and health care.” In a posting on the APA’s website, Timothy Olson, associate director of field operations for the U.S. Census, suggested that professional planners can provide technical assistance to any of the more than 2,500 counting committees set up by the bureau to process survey responses. Olson also recommended that planners serve as liaisons between census officials and elected officials. Planner participation may additionally be seen in helping to explain the complexities of the census to the general public. “Planners are well positioned to shape our nation’s future by getting involved locally, helping to ensure that every person living in this nation is counted once, only once, and in the right place,” added Olson. Millions of finalized questionnaires will be printed by the Census Bureau early this month. That process follows on the heels of a U.S. Supreme Court decision blocking for now a question regarding citizenship status on the survey. That question would have asked: “Is this person a citizen of the United States?” Detractors said that question could have prompted many would-be respondents from taking part in the survey out of fears that the answer might be shared with law enforcement officials. In turn, the Census Bureau maintained that if those respondents declined to take part in the survey it could lead to significant undercounts in some communities. The American Planning Association hailed that decision, noting, in a statement, that it is a “partial victory for communities that strive to create inclusive neighborhoods that connect residents—no matter their citizenship status—to jobs, services, and affordable and accessible housing and transportation options.” By Garry Boulard ![]() Work could begin later this year on the construction of a new student housing complex in Flagstaff that is being developed by McGrath Real Estate Partners. The project is set to go up on just over 14 acres in the 800 block of E. Butler Avenue and will see the building of exactly 333 apartment units. As previously discussed, the new apartment project will be particularly geared for students attending Northern Arizona University, whose Flagstaff campus is roughly one mile to the northeast. In the last decade, NAU has seen its enrollment increase from 23,600 to more than 31,000, fueling the need for more student housing in Flagstaff. The planned units will vary in size from efficiencies to four bedrooms, with the Houston-based developer also anticipating construction of six townhouses to the rear of the site. At least 10 percent of the planned units will be built for affordable housing. The project has been in the talking stage for more than a year. Although it was initially approved by the city’s Planning and Zoning Commission, it ran into trouble in the Flagstaff City Council when members wanted to see a larger number of one and two-bedroom units as part of the plan. With the developer subsequently making those changes, the council has indicated that it will give its final approval to a rezoning ordinance for the project this week. By Garry Boulard |
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