![]() The city of Glendale may soon see the development of a new and modern retail center near the growing Westgate Entertainment District. The project is set to go up on a 7.4-acre site in a mostly residential part of town on the southwest corner of 75th Avenue and Glendale Avenue. As proposed by the Scottsdale-based SimonCRE, the retail center would measure just under 43,000 square feet and would include five separate buildings. Three of the structures will be just over 25,000 square feet; two will be anywhere from 2,000 to 5,258 square feet in size; and one will measure just under 7,500 square feet. Of those structures, three will be built to allow for drive-through services. According to city documents, the project will see space for “offices, retail, personal services, and financial institutions.” The outside of the buildings is set to include a “variety of exterior finish materials with a condition that the materials and colors complement those of existing buildings.” The project has now received a rezoning site approval from the Glendale Planning Commission and is on its way to the Glendale City Council for a hoped-for final approval. If all goes as anticipated, work on the site could begin later this year, with a planned completion date of spring 2022. SimonCRE is a commercial real estate developer and owner that has taken on commercial and retail projects across the country. The company has been particularly prolific in developing Dollar General sites. By Garry Boulard
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![]() A number of new affordable housing construction projects are expected to get underway in the next year in Pueblo, Colorado now that the city has received vital federal support. That support is coming in the form of a community development block grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Along with additional support from HUD’s Home Investment Partnership Program, Pueblo is slated for roughly $2.4 million in funding that will go, in part, for the construction of two infill housing units, as well as the separate development of five rental units. The funding will also pay for the upgrading and rehabilitation of ten existing rental units in the city. Nearly $130,000 in Home Investment Partnership Program funds will go for the repurposing of the Sunset Motel, which will be turned into a property with 10 rooms exclusively for lower-income older adults. Located at 2124 Lake Avenue, the Sunset Motel was purchased last year by a group called Posada of Pueblo which offers emergency shelter for families with children. The group has additionally offered Covid-19 quarantine shelter at the motel. Another $400,000 in Community Development Block Grant funding will go for an upgrade project partly designed to make several sidewalks in the city more Americans with Disabilities Act compliant. Pueblo is designated as a federal entitlement community under the HUD block grant program. According to city documents, the “overall priority” in spending such funds in the city is to “increase self-sufficiency and economic opportunity for lower income residents and individuals with special needs so that they can achieve a reasonable standard of living.” By Garry Boulard New Commerce Department Initiative Underway to Promote Minority College Broadband Connectivity8/6/2021 Upwards of $268 million will soon be available for broadband connectivity projects at universities and institutions of higher learning located on tribal lands.
The funding is coming through the Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration and is specifically designed to increase both broadband connectivity and access. The pilot program will additionally target Historically Black Colleges and Universities, or other defined minority-serving institutions. In a statement, Gina Raimondo, the Secretary of Commerce, remarked that “communities of color have faced systemic barriers to affordable access since the beginning of the digital age.” Raimondo added that what is being called the Connecting Minority Communities Pilot Program will “help communities that are struggling with access, adoption, and connectivity, and will inform our path forward as we seek to finally close the digital divide across the country.” In announcing the parameters of the program, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration is also announcing a Notice of Funding Opportunity that contains details regarding how minority institutions can apply for federal funding. The funding program has a submission deadline of December 1. There are currently just over forty recognized tribal colleges and universities in the U.S., including Dine College and Tohono O’odham Community College in Arizona; and the Institute of American Indian Arts, the Navajo Technical University, and Southwestern Indian Polytechnic Institute in New Mexico. By Garry Boulard New Santa Fe Apartment Complex Seen as Response to City and County's Growing Rental Market Demand8/6/2021 ![]() One of the largest proposed apartment projects in Santa Fe could see construction beginning next year, if it secures city approval. The Tampa, Florida-based DeBartolo Development says it wants to build a 336-unit complex on the southwest side of the city in what is known as the Las Soleras neighborhood. DeBartolo specializes in both retail and residential space development and currently has more than 4,000 multifamily units nationally either under development or in construction. The project is set to be built on a currently vacant site at 5300 Las Soleras Drive, roughly 7 miles to the southwest of downtown Santa Fe in an area of recent commercial development. The subject of at least one initial public input meeting to date, the project will see the construction of 15 three-story buildings on a 17-acre site. Those buildings will house 150 one-bedroom units, along with an equal number of two-bedroom apartments. Plans also call for the construction of 36 townhomes, most of which will have three bedrooms. If all goes as anticipated, construction on the Las Soleras Drive project could begin before the spring of 2022. According to a report published earlier this year by the Santa Fe Association of Realtors, metro Santa Fe is in need of at least 7,300 new rental units to keep pace with population growth. That need also reflects the fact that the median home price in the larger county is above the $500,000 mark, creating a demand for rental space among middle and lower-income earners. By Garry Boulard ![]() Plans are underway for the expansion of a growing homeless shelter in Denver. Officials with the Volunteers of America in Denver have said that they want to first demolish an L-shaped motel built in 1962 in order to make room for more shelter space. Located at 4855 W. Colfax Avenue, the former Aristocrat Motel is regarded by some local preservationists as a historic structure worthy of saving. The two-story, cinder block building, still graced by its original front neon sign, was sold to the Volunteers of America two decades ago. The group has since provided room space to both homeless people and veterans. Last year nearly 1,500 people stayed at the motel for varying lengths of time. The Volunteers of America say they can significantly expand their services with more residential space. The only obstacle to the project will come if members of the Denver City Council should vote to have the motel designated as a historic landmark. Exact plans for the demolition of the motel, and the new facility that will replace it, have not yet been announced. By Garry Boulard Improving and upgrading worksite ventilation is being seen by a new study as one sure means to minimize the effects of the Delta variant of Covid 19.
Writing in the Harvard Business Review, two health experts, while supporting increased vaccinations for workers, contend that “increasing the amount of air that’s exchanged indoors decreases the likelihood of infection in the workplace.” Jeff Levin-Scherz, a professor at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, and Patricia Toro, a physician trained in infectious diseases, say that “improving ventilation doesn’t always require expensive renovations.” On the contrary, the authors say, “Many workplaces can add more air exchanges and improve the filtration systems on existing air-handling systems, and some can open windows.” A recent report in the website Vox remarks: “The most obvious way to ventilate, especially during the summer and early fall, is to keep windows open and keep doors open to outside hallways.” Continues Vox: “Most office buildings have central HVAC systems, and a really good one will provide four to six air exchanges per hour, meaning that every 10 or 15 minutes, the indoor air is being replaced by fresh air from outside.” The Harvard Business Review authors, however, discourage the use of ultraviolent lighting as an anti-Covid tool. Last year the U.S. Food and Drug Administration suggested that ultraviolet lamps might be helpful in disinfecting surfaces. Levin-Scherz and Toro contend that there is “little evidence” that such lighting has done much to curb Covid 19. The authors also emphasize the continued use of masks and distancing in the workplace, emphasizing the need to keep workstations as clean as possible. Noting that normal cleaning is generally adequate to protect against infections, the authors contend that “disinfection can be reserved for high-touch, high-traffic surfaces.” While the latest version of Covid is not expected to go away any time soon, the authors add, “employers must remain vigilant and implement existing and new processes that are proven to keep employees, customers, and communities safe while meeting their organizations’ needs.” By Garry Boulard ![]() Work could begin next year on the construction of a new station for the Albuquerque Fire Rescue Department. The facility would go up within the boundaries of the city’s International District. City officials have long wanted to see a new station built in that vicinity in order to increase area response times. Mayor Tim Keller has added the building of what will be called Fire Station 12 to a $140 million general obligation bond package that will ultimately be decided upon by voters in November. As proposed, the bond package will allocate $4 million for the building of the International District station. The Mayor has additionally proposed construction of a regional public safety center, which would go up on the southeast side of the city. The bond package will include $7 million for the construction of that center. Keller has said that the bond package proposals, which also include funding for road upgrades and affordable housing initiatives, will help make Albuquerque “a place where hard-working families can get ahead and kids can grow up safely and have opportunities right here at home.” Located in southeast Albuquerque, the International District has a unique demographically diverse population, and is known for its international grocery stores and restaurants. The last time Albuquerque voters were presented with a general obligation bond was in November of 2019. Ultimately, that bond was approved with 71% of the vote. By Garry Boulard Work has been approved for the construction of an extensive backlot in Farmington that will belong to a local film and television production company.
Members of the San Juan County Commission have given their approval to building the facility within the borders of the San Juan County Industrial Complex off County Road 1130. The project will belong to the Farmington-based Totah Studios, a group that recently spearheaded the renovation of the historic Totah Theater. That $1 million upgrading project for a downtown Farmington theater that was built in 1949 was completed earlier this year. The building now serves as the home to Totah Studios, while also being open to any number of local entertainment events. According to reports, some $250,000 in funds approved last year by the New Mexico State Legislature is currently available for the construction of the backlot, which will be built to resemble a small village. The project comes after months of discussions between San Juan County and City of Farmington officials and Totah Studios. A timetable the backlot’s construction remains to be announced. By Garry Boulard Although the rest of the nation’s economy is opening in the wake of Covid-19’s decline, nonresidential construction saw a nearly 1% decline in June, according to a new study released by the Associated Builders and Contractors.
The decline was seen in eight sectors, including conservation and development, public safety, and transportation. Education sector construction is down by nearly 11% over where it was in June 2020, with religious institutional work off by just under 15%. One of the largest year-to-year declines was recorded in the lodging sector, off by 26.6% from the early summer of 2020. In a statement, Anirban Basu, chief economist with the American Builders and Contractors, noted that overall nonresidential spending is down by 12% over January of 2020, and has been generally moving in a downward direction for most of this spring and summer. “Many contractors report rising backlog and strong expectations for sales, staffing and profit margin growth over the balance of the year,” noted Basu, before adding: “Yet the macroeconomic data continue to show an industry struggling to stabilize the pandemic-induced recession.” Basu went on to note that even though the demand for construction remains high across the country, the industry continues to be hampered by supply chain and worker shortages. Those shortages, in turn, are negatively impacting demand. The year-to-year decline was the lowest in the water supply sector, manufacturing, and commercial sectors, with the sewerage and waste disposal sector actually posting a 2.2% increase over June of 2020. By Garry Boulard ![]() A growing Idaho battery manufacturer has announced plans to build a nearly $ billion plant in southern Arizona. Kore Power, Incorporated says it wants to put up the massive facility on a 214-acre site in Buckeye at the intersection of Baseline Road and Arizona State Route 85. Work on the first phase of the project is expected to launch later this year. The facility will be called the KOREPlex and, once operational, will be capable of producing enough power to supply around 3.2 million homes a year. As planned, the new facility is expected to be entirely operational by the spring of 2023. Kore, whose corporate headquarters is in Coeur d’Alene, is currently the leading developer in the country of battery cell technology designed for the energy storage and electric transportation industries. Founded in 2018, the company explored potential sites for its new lithium-ion battery plant in Florida and Texas, before settling on Buckeye. In a statement, Lindsay Gorrill, chief executive officer of Kore, said Buckeye and larger Arizona were chosen because of a “track record of supporting energy storage, a growing clean transportation sector, and a workforce that could deliver American-made battery technology that the supply chain so desperately needs.” By Garry Boulard |
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