NEWTON, MASS. — A joint venture between Austin Street Partners, Dinosaur Capital Partners and Oaktree Development has completed construction of 28 Austin Street, a 68-unit multifamily building in Newton, a western suburb of Boston. The property features 33 one- and 35 two-bedroom apartments, including 23 workforce housing units that are reserved for renters earning less than 80 percent of the area median income. Leasing has begun and many tenants have already moved in. Eastern Bank provided $25.7 million in construction and permanent financing for the project. Stantec and GreenStaxx designed the project. NEI General Contracting constructed the building.
Development
Verc Enterprises Opens 3,825 SF Gas Station, Convenience Store in Webster, Massachusetts
by Alex Patton
WEBSTER, MASS. — Gas station and convenience store operator Verc Enterprises Inc. has opened a 3,825-square-foot store in Webster, located approximately 15 miles south of Worcester. Located at 137 E. Main St., the site offers Gulf gasoline and a car wash and also houses a Dunkin’ on the premises. Verc now owns and operates 34 gas stations and convenient stores with location across central Massachusetts and New Hampshire.
Skanska to Construct $42M Mixed-Use Building for University of South Florida in Tampa
by Alex Tostado
TAMPA, FLA. — Skanska USA will construct a three-story, 120,000-square-foot office and research lab for the University of South Florida (USF) in Tampa. The $42 million project is situated within USF’s Research Park, which is located at 3802 Spectrum Blvd. on the southern end of campus and 10 miles north of downtown Tampa. The building will also offer ground-floor retail and restaurant options. Completion is slated for fall 2021. Gensler designed the building, which will expand the park’s capacity by 30 percent.
Granite Awarded $245M Contract to Pour Concrete at Naval Spent Fuel Handling Facility in Idaho
by Amy Works
IDAHO FALLS, IDAHO — Granite has been awarded a $245 million subcontract by Fluor Marine Propulsion for the concrete placement construction of the Naval Spent Fuel Handling Facility near Idaho Falls. The work includes providing all labor, equipment and materials in order to backfill the excavation site from all bedrock up to the elevation that will support super-structure foundations. The backfill will include approximately 10 million pounds of rebar and 300,000 cubic yards of concrete materials. Construction is underway and the concrete placement phase is slated for completion by summer 2021.
Meridian Development Completes Fire Station, Two Parks at Millenia Mixed-Use Project in Chula Vista
by Amy Works
CHULA VISTA, CALIF. — Meridian Development has completed a $15 million infrastructure improvements program at Millenia, a 210-acre, mixed-use urban village in Chula Vista. Meridian is developing the infrastructure projects for property owner Stratford Land. The facilities include a fire station and two neighborhood parks. The Millenia Fire Station, which will be known as Chula Vista Fire Station #10, is located at the corner of Millenia Avenue and Stylus Street. The two-story, 12,500-square-foot building features three double-deep drive-through apparatus bays and accommodations for a 12-person crew. Jeff Katz Architecture designed the green-built and solar-powered fire station. EC Constructors built the property under a design-build process, with Meridian Development serving as general contractor. The infrastructure improvements also include the 1.5-acre Orion Park and the 1.9-acre Stylus Park, both of which are located along the Chula Vista Regional Trail. MIG Inc. designed Orion Park, which features two playgrounds, a dog park, shaded picnic tables, a comfort station, lawn areas and large plazas. Spurlock Landscape Architects designed Strata Park, which features an outdoor game area, fitness training circuit, interactive play area, community plaza, barbecue and picnic areas, and restrooms. Strata Park also offers a 23-plot community garden, open to all Chula Vista residents, …
CHICAGO — Joseph J. Duffy Co. and Safeway Construction Co. Inc. are underway on the construction of Hope Manor Village, a $14.9 million affordable housing project in Chicago’s Englewood neighborhood. The nonprofit organization Volunteers of America Illinois is the developer. Worn Jerabek Wiltse Architects PC is the project architect. Plans call for 28 two-bedroom units and 10 three-bedroom units. This is the fourth Hope Manor project that Joseph J. Duffy Co. has built for the developer.
Kaufman Capital, Atlantic Residential to Reposition Metro Atlanta Shopping Center into $50M Multifamily Community
by Alex Tostado
DORAVILLE, GA. — Kaufman Capital Partners and Atlantic Residential will redevelop Village at Tilly Mill, a shopping center in Doraville, into a 320-unit, $50 million multifamily community. The property will offer studio to three-bedroom floor plans, including some units reserved for City of Doraville police staff at a discounted rate. The yet-to-be-named property will be situated at 6259 Peachtree Industrial Blvd., 18 miles northeast of downtown Atlanta. The City of Doraville approved $19 million in incentives for the developers. Due to the COVID-19 crisis, the timeline for completion has been extended to March 2023.
Toll Brothers, Carlyle Group to Develop 289-Unit Apartment Community in Woburn, Massachusetts
by Alex Patton
WOBURN, MASS. — A joint venture between Toll Brothers Inc. and The Carlyle Group will develop Emblem 120, a 289-unit apartment community in Woburn, a northern suburb of Boston. The six-story building will feature 9,390 square feet of retail space and amenities including a resident lounge, coworking space, fitness center and pool. Wells Fargo Bank provided construction financing for the project. Toll Brothers Apartment Living will manage the development and leasing of the property. The construction schedule was undisclosed.
Architectural Heritage Foundation Underway on 15,574 SF Retail Redevelopment in Boston
by Alex Patton
BOSTON — Architectural Heritage Foundation is underway on the redevelopment of Charles River Speedway in Boston, a project that will deliver a 15,574-square-foot retail complex. The site is located in the Allston-Brighton neighborhood of Boston and includes the former racetrack administrative building and garage facility, which is a registered historic property. Local craft brewery Notch Brewing will anchor the project with a full brewery, taproom and beer garden, along with other restaurant and retail tenants and event spaces. Construction is slated for completion in December.
Restoration Hardware Plans to Convert Historic Mansion in New Jersey Into Store, Restaurant
by Alex Patton
MORRISTOWN, N.J. — Restoration Hardware (RH) has unveiled plans to transform the 42-room Alnwick Hall mansion in Morristown, a western suburb of New York City, into an upscale home improvement store, restaurant and wine bar. The renaissance revival-style mansion was built in 1904 and modeled after a 16th-century British manor. The Morris Township Committee designated the property, which has been vacant for several years, as a non-condemned area in need of redevelopment in 2018. Next steps include receiving project approval from a local planning board, officially naming RH as the developer and establishing a construction schedule.