KALAMAZOO, MICH. — Hendricks & Partners (H&P) has brokered the sale of University Club at Howard, a 120-unit student housing community located directly across from Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo. Situated on 9.3 acres, the community consists of six four-story buildings with all four-bedroom units. The property also contains a leasing office with two staff apartment units. It is fully pre-leased for the upcoming academic year. University Club at Howard was acquired out of receivership by Campus Habitat 16 LLC, a subsidiary of New York City-based Campus Habitat. As part of the deal, Campus Habitat will assume the property’s existing financing from Wells Fargo Bank, N.A., which is acting as trustee for the registered holders of J.P. Morgan Chase Commercial Mortgage Securities Corp. Kevin Larimer of H&P’s National Student Housing Advisory Group arranged the transaction as the court appointed disposition receiver. The special servicer for the property’s new financing is J.E. Robert Cos. H&P recently brokered two additional Midwest multifamily transactions. In Mehlville, Mo., Paul Cunningham of the firm’s St. Louis office represented both parties in the $2.05 million disposition of Vescovo Townhomes. The 29-unit community is located at 3605-3685 Vescovo Dr. The seller was Ballwin, Mo.-based Vescovo Townhomes LLC …
HILLIARD, FLA. — The Nassau County School District has completed the renovation and expansion of its 32,700-square-foot Hilliard Middle-Senior High School, located at One Flashes Ave. in Hilliard. The school’s campus is centered around a two-story school house constructed in 1912. The $4.7 million project included renovating the original building, adding a locker room to the property and converting classrooms into an administration building. Jacksonville, Fla.-based SchenkelShultz Architecture designed the project.
PARAMUS, N.J. — Hasbrouck Heights, N.J.-based DMR Architects has been selected to design a new landscaping facility for Bergen County Special Services at the school’s Paramus campus. The building will contain 7,950 square feet of classroom space, a 1,000-square-foot greenhouse and 5,000 square feet of outdoor landscaping and gardening areas. The building will contain a garage area, a classroom with demonstration space, a computer lab and a biology lab. The greenhouse will be able to simulate a variety of environmental types. The project will be constructed on the site of a former maintenance and storage facility, which will be demolished prior to the beginning of construction. The construction timetable was not released.
ATTLEBORO, MASS. — Skanska USA Building has been selected to serve as project manager for a renovation of Attleboro High School, located at 100 Rathbun Willard Dr. in Attleboro. Major renovations to the 300,000-square-foot building will include a double-roof replacement. The project will begin this fall, with completion scheduled for the end of the year.
WILL COUNTY, ILL. — Waste Management and officials of Will County have announced a partnership to develop a landfill gas-to-energy plant at Prairie View Recycling & Disposal Facility, the primary landfill for Will County that is located near Wilmington. Initial plans call for the installation of three to four reciprocating engines, which will be able to produce 2.4 to 3.2 megawatts of electricity for the local grid. Waste Management will build and operate the facility, which should be operational by 2010. Will County plans to apply for federal economic stimulus funds for the renewable energy project, and the county expects to be able to contribute at least $1 million in stimulus funds toward the project once the grant process is complete. Prairie View is owned by the county and operated under a long-term agreement by Waste Management. In 2007, Waste Management announced plans to add 60 gas-to-energy plants to its network by 2013. Its 11 Illinois plants currently generate 41.5 megawatts of electricity — enough to power more than 35,000 homes.
COLLEGE STATION, TEXAS — Groundbreaking has occurred for the new Agriculture Headquarters Building for Texas A&M University. The $62.4 million project will consist of a five-story, 166,000-square-foot building situated at the corner of John Kimbrough Boulevard and Penberthy Road in College Station at the school’s west campus. The facility will house three academic departments: agricultural economics; agricultural leadership, education and communications; and recreation, park and tourism sciences. The building’s top floor will contain administrative offices for the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, as well as offices for the directors of two state agencies, Texas AgriLife Research and the Texas AgriLife Extension Service. The building will also contain classrooms, laboratory facilities and faculty offices. A two-story, 13,000-square-foot visitors center will also be constructed beside the Agriculture Headquarters Building. Completion is scheduled for 2011. The two buildings are part of a four-building complex eventually planned for the site.
SAN DIEGO — Barnhart Inc. has been selected by the U.S. Navy for the construction of building and facility upgrades to Berth Lima at Naval Base Coronado in San Diego. The $23 million project includes the construction of a security building, a pump house building, a restroom/payphone building, two masonry and steel watchtowers, two guard houses, security fencing, high-mast security lighting, utility upgrades and surveillance infrastructure. Waterfront upgrades include widening the existing quay wall by two feet, installing 80 new primary fender piles, fender panels and armor rock. Completion is slated for January 2010.
LOS ANGELES — McCarthy Building Companies Inc., serving as general contractor, has topped out construction for Los Angeles Unified School District’s South Region High School #2, which is located at the corner of South Central and East Gage Avenues in Los Angeles. The 220,000-square-foot project consists of eight buildings, which include three three-story classroom buildings, a three-story administrative and classroom building, and a two-story music, sports and multi-purpose complex. LEO A DALY provided architectural services for the project.
PLAQUEMINES PARISH, LA. — North Miami Beach, Fla.-based Hammurabi is developing two fire stations in Plaquemines Parish using structural concrete insulated panel construction. The Boothville-Venice Fire Station and the Port Sulphur Fire Station and EMS Complex will be built to withstand category-4 winds and tidal surges. The 13,000-square-foot Port Sulphur station will include ground-floor breakaway panels and impact-resistant glass. DonahueFavret Contractors will construct the Boothville building, and Aegis Construction will build the Port Sulphur property. Sizeler Thompson Brown Architects designed both stations.
DESERT HOT SPRINGS, CALIF. — McCarthy Building Companies has begun construction on the new $39.5 million Painted Hills Middle School in Desert Hot Springs. Located at 9250 Sonora Dr., the 138,000-square-foot project will feature classroom wings, central administration offices, a library/media center, a central courtyard, an outdoor amphitheater, a covered lunch shelter and a multi-purpose room with attached food service and locker rooms. Riverside, Calif.-based Ruhnau Clarke Associates provided architectural services for the project, which is slated for completion in 2011. Palm Springs Unified School District is developing the new school.