ELIZABETH CITY, N.C. — Los Angeles-based BH Properties has leased a 102,000-square-foot retail property to the U.S. Coast Guard. The building, a former Wal-Mart, is located in the Port Elizabeth Shopping Center in Elizabeth City. The Coast Guard will use the space to store aircraft parts. John Wessling and Bill Overman of GVA Advantis’ Norfolk, Va., office represented the landlord.
NEW YORK CITY — Massey Knakal has arranged the sale of a two-story, vacant commercial property, located at 108-121 72nd Ave. in the Forest Hills neighborhood of Queens, New York City, for $2 million. The property is 20 feet wide and currently contains 3,240 square feet; it could ultimately be built out to 10,452 square feet. Massey Knakal’s Nick Pertkoff was the sole broker in the transaction. The undisclosed buyer plans to construct a private school on the property.
RALEIGH, N.C. — Atlanta-based Choate Construction is eyeing a summer completion date for a 107,000-square-foot dormitory building on the campus of Meredith College, an all-women school located at 3800 Hillsborough St. in Raleigh. The property is broken up into 48 four-bedroom and 30 two-bedroom apartments; each unit features a full kitchen, a washer and dryer, private bedrooms and two full bathrooms. The dorm is being built to LEED standards and includes water-saving fixtures and recycled construction materials.
BEMIDJI, MINN. — Minneapolis-based Kraus-Anderson Construction Co. has broken ground for the new Bemidji Regional Event Center, located in Bemidji. The 193,000-square-foot event center will be the home of Bemidji State University’s hockey program, and will also host concerts, conventions, trade shows, festivals and other events. The arena will be able to accommodate 4,000 spectators for hockey games and 6,000 for concerts. The convention center component of the project will include 10,000 square feet of divisible ballroom space and 4,000 square feet of meeting rooms. An outdoor plaza will be constructed adjacent to the building. The construction timetable was not released.
EAST LOS ANGELES — Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority has selected Woodland Hills, Calif.-based Klorman Construction as design/build general contractor for an $8.65 million Park N Ride parking structure in East Los Angeles. The three-level, 261-car, post-tension structure will be located at 255 South Atlantic Blvd. Construction is expected to begin in May with completion slated for March 2010.
SAN JACINTO, CALIF. — Barnhart Inc. and The San Jacinto Unified School District have completed the $32 million addition and modernization of San Jacinto High School in San Jacinto. The 77,168-square-foot addition includes a two-story, 33-classroom building with computer and art labs, a gymnasium with a ticket area and Hall of Fame entry, an outdoor art court with ceramic kilns, soundproof band practice rooms and special education classrooms. HMC Architects designed the project, which was the second phase of the school’s redevelopment plan.
WINDERMERE, FLA. — Orlando, Fla.-based Pertree Constructors will break ground on two classroom buildings, totaling more than 20,000 square feet of space, on the campus of Windermere Preparatory School. The private K-12 school is located at 6189 Winter Garden-Vineland Rd. in Windermere. The $3 million project will include constructing offices, chemistry labs, classrooms, a media center and a band room.
HIALEAH GARDENS, FLA. — Tilt-Con Corp. has completed tilt-up work for the Miami-Dade County Public Schools’ 326,726-square-foot Hialeah Gardens Senior High School. Fort Lauderdale, Fla.-based James A. Cummings serves as general contractor of the project, which spans 56 acres on Okeechobee Road in Hialeah Gardens. Coral Gables, Fla.-based architect Spillis Candela designed the project.
VIRGINIA BEACH, VA. — Hampton Roads Church of Christ has purchased a 3,200-square-foot former church property from The Episcopal Diocese of Southern Virginia for $950,000. The building sits on 4.5 acres at 2520 Holland Rd. in Virginia Beach. Robert Thornton of Thalhimer’s Virginia Beach office brokered the sale.
ST. LOUIS — St. Louis Community College has broken ground for the new Harrison Education Center, a two-story, 30,265-square-foot facility located at 3140 Cass Ave. in St. Louis. The $7.5 million project will include an art studio, a general science lab, a multi-purpose community room, computer labs, classrooms, a bookstore, a commons area, an outreach center and administrative offices. It will replace the current, smaller Harrison Education Center that is located on Natural Bridge Road. The project is seeking LEED-Gold certification. Completion is scheduled for May 2010. Locally based KAI Design & Build is serving as project architect, interior designer, project manager and engineer. Locally based Kwame Building Group is serving as construction manager and owner’s representative.