SACRAMENTO, CALIF. — California Gov. Gavin Newsom has issued a series of business closures as statewide cases of COVID-19 continue to increase. In total, the state has 329,162 confirmed cases as of Sunday, July 12, and cases are sharply rising. Based on the increase of cases, Newsom has instructed the closures of numerous indoor businesses statewide, including dine-in restaurants, bars, breweries, wineries, tasting rooms, movie theaters, family entertainment centers, zoos, museums and card rooms. Additionally, counties that have been on the “county monitoring list” for three consecutive days are required to close fitness centers, places of worship, indoor protests, offices for non-critical infrastructure sectors, personal care services, hair salons, barbershops and malls. As of July 13, there were nearly 30 counties on the monitoring list, including Fresno, Los Angeles, Napa, Orange, Colusa, Kings, Glenn, Sacramento, San Diego, Sonoma, Ventura and Riverside. According California’s COVID-19 data collections, the state experienced 109,910 new cases and 1,104 new deaths in the last 14 days. Additionally, in the last 14 days, approximately 1.5 million tests were reported with 7.4 percent resulting in a positive test.
ST. PETER, MINN. — Kraus-Anderson Construction Co. has completed a $70 million renovation and expansion of Nobel Hall of Science at Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter, about 70 miles southwest of Minneapolis. Nobel Hall houses the departments of biology, chemistry, geography and geology, along with interdisciplinary programs in biochemistry, molecular biology and environmental studies. Designed by Hastings+Chivetta, the 182,828-square-foot project nearly doubled the building’s footprint. A lobby and laboratory theater connects Nobel Hall to the Schafer Fine Arts building. The project also added new research and teaching laboratories, offices, classrooms and meeting rooms as well as a museum, greenhouse and auditorium.
SAN ANTONIO — General contractor Adolfson & Peterson Construction has been awarded the contract to build the Northside Independent School District’s Marshall Law and Medical Services Magnet High School in San Antonio, a project valued at $22.1 million. The project includes an 80,000-square-foot addition to the main high school, adding a new magnet school for law and medical services, new soccer and softball fields and a parking lot. In addition, the project will include renovations to the career and technology building and administration area. Completion is scheduled for November 2021. Pfluger Architects is designing the project.
MELISSA, TEXAS — General contractor Talley Riggins Construction Group has broken ground on Melissa United Methodist Church, a 7,630-square-foot civic project that will be located about 45 miles northeast of Dallas. The church will feature an open worship space that can house up to 329 people and a nursery. Shanks Architects designed the project, which will be situated on 5.5 acres and is expected to be complete in January 2021.
NEW YORK CITY — RIPCO Real Estate (RIPCO) has brokered the $7.4 million sale of Woolsey Station Post Office, a 7,668-square-foot building occupied by the United States Postal Service in the Astoria neighborhood of Queens. Located at 2268 31st St., the property is situated near multiple retail and restaurant businesses and offers convenient access to Interstate 278. Greg Batista, Todd Cooper and Mark Kaplan represented the seller, Ditmars Associates, in the transaction. LG Astoria LLC was the buyer.
ANKENY, IOWA — Ankeny Community School District has hired Stahl to build additions to Ankeny High School and Ankeny Centennial High School. Combined costs for the two projects are $24 million. Stahl will begin construction this summer with completion scheduled in time for the 2021-2022 school year. The additions will increase capacity at each school from 1,400 to 1,860 students. Last year, Ankeny ranked as the 10th-fastest growing city in the country, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
HOUSTON — A public-private partnership between Houston-based developer Medistar Corp. and Texas A&M University has branded its new, $401 million medical and engineering campus in Houston and released updated plans for the ensuing phases of construction. The new campus, which is situated on five acres at the intersection of Holcombe Boulevard and Main Street near the Texas Medical Center, will be known as the Texas A&M Innovation Plaza at the Texas Medical Center. New construction plans include the development of Life Tower, a 714-bed student housing building, and Horizon Tower, a 485,000-square-foot medical and academic building. The 17-story Horizon Tower will be constructed atop a 2,700-space parking structure, will include most of the campus’s 15,000 square feet of retail space and is expected to be delivered by or before the first quarter of 2024. Life Tower, along with the parking garage, grade-level retail space and the central “open-air” plaza, is scheduled to be delivered in June 2022. The groundbreaking of this phase of the project is scheduled for late 2020. Development of the campus began earlier this year with the acquisition and renovation of Discovery Tower, an 18-story office building that now houses the university’s EnMed program, which provides students …
PORTLAND, ORE. — Oregon Governor Kate Brown approved reopening for 28 of 33 counties in the state on Friday, May 15. The counties, which met all of Oregon’s safety and preparedness prerequisites for reopening amid a declining prevalence of COVID-19, will begin Phase One opening. Additionally, all retail statewide was approved to open, except for shopping centers and malls in counties not entering Phase One reopening status. Retail businesses that are reopening must maintain social distancing and follow safety measures for employees and customers. In counties approved for Phase One reopening, the following areas can operate if the business complies with sector-specific health and safety guidance: Restaurants, bars and other such establishments for dine-in service until 10 p.m. Personal services businesses All retail businesses, including malls and shopping centers Gyms and other fitness facilities Local gatherings of up to 25 people The counties that have entered Phase One essentially include all those outside the Portland metro area. The state’s three largest Portland-area counties — Multnomah, Washington and Clackamas — did not apply to reopen on May 15, but are expected to apply in the coming weeks. In non-reopening counties, the following new guidelines took effect or remain in effect beginning …
NEVADA COUNTY, CALIF. — Nevada County has received approval from the State of California to move further into Stage 2 reopening related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Located east of Sacramento and just across the state border from Reno, Nevada, the county is among the first in California to receive approval of its readiness plan. County businesses are encouraged to prepare to safely reopen, if they fit into the Stage 2 sectors in the California Recovery Plan outlined in the Resilience Roadmap. Lower-risk workplaces that are outlined in the first step of Stage 2 include retail, childcare, manufacturing, logistics and essential businesses. An expansion of Stage 2 reopenings includes relaxed retail restrictions and the adaptation and reopening of schools, offices and limited hospitality and personal services. While schools are included in the next phase of Stage 2 reopenings, Nevada County does not anticipate schools reopening until August. Prior to reopening, each business must complete its industry-specific checklist for modifications and safety. Businesses must perform a detailed risk assessment and implement a site-specific protection plan; train employees on how to limit the spread of COVID-19, including how to screen themselves for symptoms and stay home if they have any symptoms; and implement …
TAMPA, FLA. — Skanska USA has delivered University of South Florida (USF) Morsani College of Medicine and Heart Institute, a 13-story, 395,000-square-foot building that will bring 1,800 students, staff and faculty to Water Street Tampa. The building features a 400-seat auditorium, clinical teaching labs and research laboratories, office space and a wellness center. Skanska USA and design firm HOK began construction in August 2017. Additionally, the Morsani College of Medicine is situated a mile from Tampa General Hospital, USF’s primary teaching hospital. Water Street Tampa is a $3 billion mixed-use development in downtown that will offer more than 2 million square feet of office space; 1 million square feet of retail, cultural, educational and entertainment space; and two new hotels totaling more than 650 rooms, including the city’s first five-star hotel. Tampa Bay Lightning owner Jeffrey Vinik created Strategic Property Partners LLC to spearhead the project, along with Cascade Investment LLC. The project’s first residential building, 815 Water Street Tampa, is expected to open in late 2020.