![]() A well-known three-story office building in downtown Scottsdale may soon be subject to a major renovation. The structure, built in the late 1980s, is located at the intersection of N. Scottsdale Road and E. Indian School Road in a neighborhood lined with multi-story office space. Real estate investment firm Mass Equities, based in Santa Monica, California, wants to completely redesign the building, adding a three-story atrium connecting the structure’s two wings. Plans also call for getting rid of the building’s brick façade and replacing it with a window wall. The idea behind the renovation, as designed by the Phoenix-based Krause Architecture and Interiors, is to give a new look to a building that is currently around 20% leased. Additional plans call for the installation of a public art feature at the corner of the site. The redesign project is currently being reviewed by the City of Scottsdale. If all goes well, work could begin later this year or early next year with a mid-2022 completion date. Built as Class A office space, the 166,000 square foot structure last underwent a renovation nearly a decade ago. By Garry Boulard
0 Comments
![]() Federal funding has been secured for an ambitious project that will see the expansion of a long-standing hangar at the Roswell Air Center. The City of Roswell, which owns the airport, has received $1.8 million in funding coming in the form of a Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act grant to pay for the expansion. Taxiway upgrades near the hangar are also planned. The project has long been in the planning stage with the City of Roswell and the Air Center having applied for the grant in early 2020. Hangar 84, located at 605 E. Challenger Street, was built in 1945 when the airport served as a military air base. It was then called the Roswell Army International Airfield. The structure is currently used by the company CAVU Aerospace, which specializes in commercial aircraft maintenance and repair. Roswell Air Center officials have said that an expansion of what is currently a 43,600 square foot facility will allow it to serve larger commercial aircraft. In announcing the grant, New Mexico Senator Ban Ray Lujan pointed out that the expanded hangar will also serve the state’s booming aerospace industry. A schedule for when work on expanding the hangar will begin has not yet been announced. By Garry Boulard ![]() During a time when construction companies in America continue to be plagued by a shortage of materials from China, U.S. Trade Chief Katherine Tai has announced plans to engage in direct talks with Chinese leaders on tariff issues. Speaking before the Center for Strategic and International Studies, Tai said she will soon sit down with Chinese Vice Premiere Liu to discuss a wide variety of issues that have set the two countries against each other. “I am committed to working through the many challenges ahead of us in this bilateral process in order to deliver meaningful results,” Tai remarked, before adding that the U.S. must “defend, to the hilt, our economic interests.” A heated trade war during the Trump years saw the U.S. imposing increased tariffs of 10% to 25% on a variety of materials, including metal goods, vinyl tile floor coverings, and car parts. At the same time, China slapped enhanced duties on a variety of U.S. products. Despite the heated trade issues between the two countries, the U.S. still imported some $710 billion in electrical machinery and equipment from China in 2020, along with $71 billion in iron or steel. Tai added that she thought it was imperative to “protect ourselves against the waves of damage inflicted over the years through unfair competition.” Earlier this year, President Biden said he would for the present keep in place the tariffs imposed by Trump on China, pending a full review of trade relations between the two countries. Tai, who formerly served as chief trade counsel for the House Committee on Ways and Means, said she rejects the notion that the U.S. can “decouple” from China when it comes to trade. “I think the issue perhaps is, what are the goals we’re looking for in a kind of ‘recoupling,’” she remarked. By Garry Boulard ![]() A new bridge in Gilbert, Arizona could see construction next year, depending upon the fate of a $515 million bond being presented to city voters in November. As proposed, the Ocotillo Bridge would extend from Greenfield to Higley roads, spanning the East Maricopa Floodway, Roosevelt Water Conservation District Canal, and Chandler Heights Basin. Additional Gilbert projects to be funded include improvements to the Heritage Trail and Guadalupe Road, which will see new sidewalk construction and signage; and the reconstruction of roadways within the Val Vista Lakes area. The Val Vista work is set to include a replacement of existing water lines and Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant improvements. An additional project is calling for the extension of a low-speed roadway between Vaughn Avenue and Neely Street. That project will also see the building of new sidewalks and streetscaping. What is officially being called the Streets, Transportation & Infrastructure-Related Improvement Bond is specifically designed to replace aging infrastructure in one of the fastest growing towns in the country. A survey conducted earlier this year indicated that a large 67% of Gilbert respondents regarded improving roadway conditions in the town as a top public works priority. By Garry Boulard ![]() In an effort to increase its affordable housing stock, the City of Santa Fe is offering to give away a vacant residential site in order to spur construction of at least five new homes. The city has issued a Request for Qualifications to build the houses at 635 Alto Street. The site was earlier the subject of a design competition emphasizing green building standards and the construction of houses built to blend in with neighborhood historic design standards. The lot, located in the upscale Westside-Guadalupe Historic District, is surrounded by several two-story residential structures. Santa Fe has tried repeatedly to spur an affordable housing project at the quarter-acre site, which it has owned for some 40 years, but only recently decided to give the land away as a development incentive. According to city documents, if all goes well with the Alto Street project, other underused properties owned by the city may be made available in the future for similar housing initiatives. The submission deadline for the RFQ is October 13. By Garry Boulard A vaccine mandate for contractors working on federal projects could make it more difficult for those projects to be completed.
So says the Associated Builders and Contractors in response to a guidance issued by the Safer Federal Workforce Task Force mandating contractor vaccines. In a public letter sent to that task force, Ben Brubeck, vice president of regulatory, labor and state affairs for ABC, contends that construction workers opposed to mandatory vaccines are likely to leave their current federal contractor employer and seek employment elsewhere. “Should it withstand legal challenge, a vaccine mandate for federal contractor employees is likely to further exacerbate the labor shortage and undermine federal contractors’ ability to meet contractual obligations to build projects that are critical to national security and other federal government objective,” Brubeck says. Brubeck further contends that an unanticipated result of any new vaccine mandates will see “fewer federal construction companies” pursuing federal contracting opportunities. “Instead,” says Brubeck, “they will choose to pursue private and government contracts not subject to vaccine mandates.” The Safer Federal Workforce Task Force was formed under the auspices of the General Services Administration and Office of Personnel Management. The mission of the task force has been to provide the heads of various federal agencies with guidance pertaining to Covid 19 protocols. Last week the workforce announced that all federal contractor employees must be fully vaccinated no later than December 8. By Garry Boulard ![]() Plans have been announced for the creation of what would eventually be a very big city in Arizona that could someday be the home to more than 5 million people. Marc Lore, former president and chief executive officer for Walmart eCommerce, has said that the city would most likely be built in an undeveloped area. To be called Telosa, the first phase of the city’s development could see the construction of up to 50,000 houses, and would also include schools, offices, and retail space. An entrepreneur and investor, Lore has said that the new city would be sustainable, with energy efficient construction, and an emphasis on open spaces. The centerpiece of the project, at least visually, will be a high rise to be called the Equitism Tower, which will include a photovoltaic roof, and space for aeroponic farms and water storage. Although no specific location for the project has yet been decided on, reports indicate that besides Arizona, Lore is considering possible sites in Nevada, Utah, Texas, and Idaho as well. First phase building of the city on some 1,500 acres could begin within the next two to three years, with a completion date of 2030. The Copenhagen, Denmark-based architectural firm Bjarke Ingels Group has been brought in to take on the master planning of the city. A vision statement for Telosa suggests the new city would have the “vibrancy, diversity, and culture of New York City, combined with the efficiency, safety, and innovation of Tokyo, and the sustainability, governance, and social services of Sweden.” Reports indicate that it will cost upwards of $400 billion to build Telosa over a span of several decades. Where that funding will come from has not yet been determined. By Garry Boulard ![]() The City of El Paso has issued a Request for Proposals for work on two taxiway projects at the El Paso International Airport. The work would see the construction of a new taxiway, officially called Taxiway J9, which would be built at the airport’s cargo apron. A second project centers on the reconstruction of Taxiways J and Taxiways K2. The work is expected to include demolition, taxiway and shoulder construction, stormwater improvements, and electrical improvements. The projects will also see the building of associated airfield lighting, grading, and drainage. Two years ago the El Paso airport was the recipient of a $6.5 million grant from the Federal Aviation Administration’s Airport Improvement Program for the repaving of two taxiways, among other projects. The airport has recorded an unprecedented increase in business this summer, seeing a more than 200% jump in passenger traffic in just July alone. The RFP has a submission deadline of October 13. By Garry Boulard ![]() With action apparently stalled on President Biden’s $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill, members of both the House of Representatives and Senate have overwhelmingly voted to approve funding for current highway and transit construction projects. Unlike the infrastructure legislation, which has sparked spirited debates and maneuvering among lawmakers of both parties, the funding extension measure was passed with relatively little debate. The extension has a calendar of only 30 days. Lawmakers said they acted promptly to extend funding because to do otherwise might suddenly stop a wide range of construction projects already underway or in the planning stage. As it is, because of the last-minute nature of the legislation, federal money for various state surface transportation efforts will be interrupted in some cases for at least two weeks. “We need to act now to avoid further ramifications for surface transportation programs,” Peter DeFazio, the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman, said in a statement. The House action extends the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act, originally approved in 2015. That $305 billion legislation, popularly known as the FAST Act, provides funding for transportation and transit line projects, working with transportation departments on the state level across the country. Last October Congress approved a one-year extension to the FAST Act, transferring in the process nearly $14 billion to the High Way Trust Fund to support those transportation construction projects. Jim Tymon, executive director of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, said that while his group appreciated the quick work on the FAST Act, “short-term extensions are not a suitable way to govern.” Speaking with the Washington Post, Tymon added that “this particular extension doesn’t include any new funding for state departments of transportation until October 15, leaving them without support from their federal partners for weeks while they continue the work of moving people and goods through our communities.” By Garry Boulard ![]() Five ski resorts in Colorado are expected to see a series of upgrades that will include facility expansions as well as new ski lifts. The Broomfield, Colorado-based Vail Resorts says it wants to build a new high-speed 6-person chairlift, as well as 16 new trails and a ski patrol facility, at its resort in Keystone. Plans also call for a roughly 6,000 square foot expansion of the resort’s Outpost Restaurant. Another chairlift will be built at the company’s Vail Mountain resort, while the Breckinridge Ski Resort in the central Colorado town of Breckinridge, will get a new 4-person lift. Rob Katz, chairman and chief executive officer of Vail Resorts, said the new upgrades, which will also include work at the company’s California, Nevada, New Hampshire, and Utah properties, are designed for “guests to have more time to enjoy the sport they love.” In a statement, Katz also noted that his company has spent upwards of $2.2 billion in the last nearly two decades upgrading its ski properties. Altogether, the company anticipates spending upwards of $325 million on property and facility upgrades in the next year. Vail Resorts currently owns and operates 37 mountain ski resorts in a dozen states and three countries. The company recorded revenue of more than $204 million for the spring of this year, a nearly $130 million jump over the same time period in 2020. By Garry Boulard |
Get stories like these right to your inbox.
|