![]() A new mall housing local tenants offering a variety of foods may soon see construction in Rio Rancho. What is being called a food court will go up on mostly vacant property near the intersection of Unser Boulevard and Westside Boulevard, not far from the Presbyterian Rust Medical Center. The developer behind the Margarita Hall project is Roy Solomon, who has previously launched the Green Jeans Farmery at 3600 Cutler Avenue NE in Albuquerque. Solomon has additionally spearheaded the development of the Tin Can Alley food hall, located at 6110 Alameda Boulevard NE, also in Albuquerque. Both the Green Jeans Farmery and the Tin Can Alley were uniquely comprised of a series of reconverted aluminum shipping containers. That same design and construction element will be applied for the building of the Margarita Hall. According to plans, the new Margarita Hall will measure around 14,000 square feet and will include a common area of up to 4,000 square feet, with green space and a dog-friendly outdoor seating area. Pending the securing of all needed permits, work on the Margarita Hall could begin late this year, with a rough early 2023 completion. Food halls, housing a series of local restaurants and vendors, have become increasingly popular nationally. According to industry statistics there were only 25 such halls in the country in 2010, while the numbers surpassed the 300-mark as of early last year. According to the website TouchBistro such developments represent a desire among shoppers to move away from “larger chains in search of something unique, but still fast and affordable.” By Garry Boulard
0 Comments
![]() The federal government is making available some $573 million in funding to improve the safety of rail grade crossings across the country. According to the publication Legal Examiner, there were more than 30,000 railroad crossing collisions in a 10-year period between 2008 and 2018, resulting in upwards of 3,600 deaths. Now the federal Department of Transportation has released a Notice of Funding Opportunity for competitive grants to pay for the safety upgrading of such crossings, the installation of protective devices, or track relocation efforts. The funding is part of the larger Railroad Cross Elimination Program, which over the next 5 years will provide up to $3 billion for highway-rail or pathway-rail crossing upgrade projects. Such crossings, notes the National Association of Counties, “pose serious risks to drivers, pedestrians, rail passengers, and freight.” Because the crossings are often located in rural or underserved areas, on-site accidents can also result in large areas being cut off from needed services. The idea of enhancing safety at such crossings, or relocating tracks, has long been discussed by federal, state, and local transportation officials. The Department of Transportation initiative will also fund the installation of protective devices, signals, and signs related to any planned track separation or closure project, as well as its required planning, design, and environmental review. In a statement, Ian Jefferies, chief executive officer of the Association of American Railroads, lauded the availability of new funding for such projects, noting: “States and other eligible entities are positioned to strategically deploy these dollars and maximize the program’s impact.” By Garry Boulard ![]() One of the largest grocery store chains in the west is on the verge of building a handful of new locations in Colorado. Plans have been announced for the Denver-based King Soopers company to develop a 123,000 square foot location inside the new RidgeGate master planned community in Lone Tree. The store will serve as the anchor tenant for a shopping mall, which will house an additional 27,000 square feet of retail space. The new Lone Tree location will add to the footprint for the Kroger Company-owned Soopers that includes around 120 stores in both Colorado and Wyoming. Another location for the chain is currently under construction in the city of Thornton and expected to be completed later this year; with a 100,000 square foot location planned for the Nine Mile Corner mixed-use development in the city of Erie. Several weeks ago, the Pikes Peak Regional Building Department announced that a building permit had been approved for the construction of a King Soopers store in the city of Falcon in the new Falcon Market Place. Speculation has also centered around King Soopers building on the site of a former Kmart Plaza at 2535 S. College Avenue in Fort Collins. That project, which would see the construction of a 123,000 square foot store and fuel center with seven pumps, won the approval of the City of Fort Collins last year. King Soopers stores have traditionally been located on the population-dense east side of Colorado. The company’s stores average in size between 65,000 to 75,000 square feet, with its larger marketplace format averaging some 124,000 square feet. Founded in Arvada, Colorado in 1947, the chain was bought out by Kroger in 1982. By Garry Boulard ![]() Metropolitan El Paso and other parts of Texas are expected to see the construction of electric vehicle charging stations under a new plan being formulated by the state’s Department of Transportation.\ In its formative stage, the plan is specifically focusing on building the stations off interstate routes as well as rural areas. A state document called the Texas Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Plan envisions a 5-year build-out period that will ultimately see the construction of stations every 50 miles, with the exact locations of the facilities based on such factors as equipment cost and “community identified needs.” The first year of the plan will see the building of some 48 stations in compliance with the Federal Highway Administration in high-use interstate areas, followed by a second-year initial emphasis of building stations in both small urban areas as well as rural counties. The remaining three years of the plan will be dedicated to more fully building the facilities throughout the vast portions of Texas defined as rural. The stations will all have a minimum of four direct current fast charging units, and a maximum of eight, with pull-through spaces for vehicles with trailers, and restrooms. The facilities will also bebuilt to Americans with Disabilities Act compliance. There are to date more than 129,000 electric vehicles registered in Texas, with some estimates suggesting that that number could easily reach the 500,000 mark by the end of the decade. Around $408 million in federal funds through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act is being made available to Texas for the plan. The state’s electric vehicle infrastructure plan is expected to be officially submitted to the Federal Highway Administration by August 1. By Garry Boulard ![]() Even in the wake of increased concerns about inflation, small businesses across America are continuing to enjoy a post-pandemic rebound, according to a new survey just issued by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Applying numbers gained from its Small Business Index, the Chamber report notes that business activity in the last quarter stood at 66.8 on a scale of zero to 100—up from 64.1 in the first three months of this year. Despite those good numbers, notes the survey, the score is still short of the 71.7 that was recorded in the first quarter of 2020 just as the Covid-19 outbreak occurred. Done in a partnership with the MetLife Insurance company, the index reflects the views of some 750 small business owners and operators nationally. The index also indicates that many small business owners are worried about inflation, with 44% of those surveyed regarding it as their primary challenge, up from 33% in the last quarter. In the spring of 2021, when most small businesses were still trying to shake off the negative impact of the pandemic, only 19% saw inflation as a major concern. In a report accompanying the Chamber/MetLife survey, roughly 50% of small business owners also indicated that they are “working more hours now than they were a year ago.” Five years ago, only 30% of the owners said the same. That 20% increase, continues the report, “speaks to the myriad challenges small business owners continue to face.” By Garry Boulard ![]() An 18-story apartment complex may soon be going up in Denver at the site of a former French restaurant. Scenic Investments, based in New York, wants to build the structure, which would house 416 residential units, at the corner of Lincoln Street and East 8th Avenue. The project would also include ground floor retail space measuring 7,000 square feet as well as 137,000 square feet of underground parking. The property is well known to Denver residents as the one-time home of Le Central, a French restaurant that operated on the site from the early 1980s to 2015. In recent years, the structure has housed the Juna Salon, Gutter Protective Services, and the Harm Reduction Center. Located in the city’s Capitol Hill neighborhood, the building is one of the last structures originally built as a residence more than a century ago. Structures in the vicinity today are made up of multi-story office and apartment buildings. Scenic Investments, which was launched in the summer of 2011, specializes in multifamily and business real estate projects nationally. By Garry Boulard ![]() Opposing parties are waiting to learn the decision of a federal court impacting the construction of a new railway that will slice through a part of Colorado. As proposed, the Uinta Basin Rail line would run for around 85 miles, connecting the Uinta Basin in eastern Utah, known for its shale oil deposits, to a national rail network. In so doing, the line, which would be operated by the Texas-based Rio Grande Pacific Corporation, would go from Grand Junction and through the Moffat Tunnel heading into Denver and beyond. Late last year the federal Surface Transportation Board gave its approval to several different route proposals for the new railway, all following in the same general direction. The project, which in various forms has been talked about for decades, carries with it a price tag of anywhere from $1.2 billion to $1.5 billion. Proponents of the railway say it will not only provide an efficient means for moving crude oil from the Uinta Basin, which could amount to around 350,000 barrels daily, it will also serve to reduce congestion on area highways, which are now used for such transport. Opponents have raised environmental concerns, wondering about the potential danger to the communities the railway would travel through should there be an accident. Officials in Eagle County have since filed a suit in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit challenging the STB’s approval of the project. The Eagle County action has now received the official support of nearly a dozen other Colorado counties and more than forty cities in the state. The legal action charges that in giving its approval to the project, the STB failed to look at its potential negative environmental impact, which could include the destruction of wildlife habitat and rare plants to make way for its construction. It is not known when the Court of Appeals will announce a decision in the matter. By Garry Boulard ![]() A desire for larger homes, one of the staples of American suburban expansion in the post-World War II decades, remains a potent market force, according to a new survey. Looking at the most recent consumer trends, the American Institute of Architects says that “homeowner interest in larger homes, which grew in 2021 for the first time in five years, continued to increase over the last 12 months.” The findings revealed in the AIA’s Home Design Trends Survey also indicate a growing interest in accessibility and “aging in place” designs, as well as outdoor living spaces, which include such amenities as outdoor firepits. In a statement, Kermit Baker, chief economist with the AIA, noted a post-pandemic mood among homeowners, remarking that the “fervor in demand created by homeowners wishing to have the ability to isolate at home has lessened a bit.” The Home Design Trends Survey, conducted on a quarterly basis by the AIA, reflects the most recent views of more than 300 architectural firms with a residential sector focus in their practices. According to the survey, 28% of respondents said client interest in larger homes was on the upside thus far this year; up from 19% during the covid year of 2020. Although those seeking a larger square footage in the entry level/affordable homes category was down by 12%, the real growth was in the custom/luxury/upper end home category, which so far this year has seen a 38% increase. Exactly 74% of the firms said they were seeing a demand for outdoor living space, which includes blended indoor/outdoor spaces such as kitchens that open to the outdoors, as well as glass walls. By Garry Boulard ![]() A nearly 10,000 square-foot modern medical facility on the east side of El Paso is up for sale for $4.7 million. The one-story structure is located at 7281 Alameda Avenue and has been the home to the DaVita Dialysis Center. Classified as a Class B building, the structure was built in 2017 and sits on a nearly two-acre site on a busy thoroughfare dominated by car dealerships. Listed by Matthews Real Estate Investment Services, which is based in El Segundo, California, the building includes office and clinic space, as well as a canopied drive-up. Based in Denver, the DaVita company currently has more than 2,800 facilities across the country. Those centers generally range in size from 5,000 to 10,000 square feet. By Garry Boulard ![]() A growing design company based in Rio Rancho is receiving state funding to expand its facilities. Located at 561 Quantum Road NE, the Deluxe Design company was launched in 1986 and specializes in everything from wall graphics to banners to stickers and apparel. The company is receiving some $250,000 in Local Economic Development Act funds from the New Mexico Department of Economic Development to expand and upgrade space at 3646 New Mexico State Road 528. Altogether, the new manufacturing and office space comes to around 24,000 square feet on a 2.5-acre site. The new facility will be located around 6 miles to the northeast of Deluxe Design’s current shop. The company is also receiving $75,000 in economic development funding from the City of Rio Rancho, as well as another $75,000 from Sandoval County. Altogether, the new facility project is expected to cost around $5 million. In a statement, Norman Ruth, the vice-president of Design Deluxe, said the facility will help the company respond to “the ever-increasing and innovative requests of our clients and increase our ability to do research and development of new products, services, and sustainability within the market.” By Garry Boulard |
Get stories like these right to your inbox.
|