MILWAUKEE — Wisconsin Center District has selected Gilbane Building Co. and CD Smith (Gilbane Smith) to serve as construction manager for the expansion of the Wisconsin Center convention hall. Gilbane Smith and the architecture team of tvsdesign and EUA will immediately begin working together to formulate the design and determine a cost estimate for the project. However, the Milwaukee Business Journal estimates project costs at $300 million. Renderings are expected early in the second quarter. The Wisconsin Center District Board is expected to vote on a financing package for the project at a meeting on Thursday, April 2. The district owner’s representative is CAA/ICON. Wisconsin Center District is a government body created in 1994 to fund, build and operate the Wisconsin Center.
Civic
ANN ARBOR, MICH. — Michigan Union at the University of Michigan has reopened following an 18-month, $85.2 million renovation. The project included electrical, mechanical and plumbing system improvements; elevator replacements and upgrades; replacement of the roof and windows; and restroom upgrades. The building now features more social space, meeting options and a newly created IdeaHub. Project architects included Integrated Design Solutions, Workshop Architects and Hartman Cox Architects. Walbridge Aldinger served as construction manager and contracted Full Spectrum Stained Glass to complete a preservation of the century-old windows. Originally built in 1919, the building spans 250,000 square feet. There are more than 44,000 enrolled students at the university.
Triad Lagoon Valley Acquires 840 Acres for Mixed-Use Development in Vacaville, California
by Amy Works
VACAVILLE, CALIF. — Triad Lagoon Valley, a Washington limited liability company affiliated with Seattle-based Triad Development, has purchased 840 acres from Lennar Corp. for an undisclosed price. The buyer plans to develop Lagoon Valley, a mixed-use community on the site. Lagoon Valley is approved as a conservation community, balancing jobs and housing, with more than 80 percent of its specific plan area entitled for open space/recreational use. Site grading is slated to commence in May, with building construction scheduled to begin in early 2021. Lagoon Valley will include Class A office space, 12 residential neighborhoods and a variety of recreational components. The office portion — Ascend @ Lagoon Valley — will feature seven four-story buildings ranging in size from 700,000 square feet to potentially 1 million square feet. Additionally, Ascend will offer a 30,000-square-foot amenity building with a fitness center, food and recreation space. Outdoor amenities at the property will include an amphitheater, sports courts and field space. Lagoon Valley is also surrounded by 2,000 acres of protected open space, including a 470-acre Lagoon Valley Park, 100-acre lake, a centrally located eight-acre public park and numerous neighborhood parks. The community will also include a fire station, a 50,000-square-foot town center …
Dougherty Mortgage Arranges $16.2M in Financing for Healthcare Clinic in Templeton, California
by Amy Works
TEMPLETON, CALIF. — Dougherty Mortgage has partnered with Community Health Care Centers of the Central Coast (CHCCC) to obtain $16.2 million in public and private financing for a new healthcare clinic and expanded community services in Templeton. CHCCC provides healthcare services to the Central Coast’s vulnerable and at-risk residents. Located at 1330 Las Tablas Road in Templeton, the clinic, which is open and welcoming new patients, will meet more of the needs in the community for primary care, dental and behavioral health services. The project was financed through two United States Department of Agriculture Rural Development programs. Half of the total investment was provided to CHCCC through the department’s Community Facilities Loan program, with the remaining $8.1 million invested as a loan guarantee to Dougherty Mortgage.
C.W. Driver Breaks Ground on $50M Language Arts, Social Science Building at Orange County College in California
by Amy Works
COSTA MESA, CALIF. — C.W. Driver Cos. has broken ground on Orange Coast College’s new $50 million Language Arts and Social Science Building in Costa Mesa. Slated for completion in summer 2021, the three-story, 107,760-square-foot building is part of a larger initiative to modernize the campus and accommodate its expanding enrollment. The building’s first floor will house classrooms, labs, an English as a Second Language computer lab, facilities for the Speech, Debate and Theater Team and a journalism newsroom. The second floor will feature classrooms and connect to the existing Mathematics Business and Computer Center Building, while the third floor will encompass division and faculty offices. Additionally, the building will include two elevators, a lactation room and gender-neutral restrooms on every floor. tBP Architecture is serving as architect on the project. The building is being financed through a combination of funding from California Proposition 51 and Measure M, a $698 million general obligation bond provided to construct education facilities for Coast Community College District.
COLLEGE PARK, GA. — The City of College Park has opened Gateway Center, a multipurpose sports and entertainment venue that serves as home of the WNBA’s Atlanta Dream team and the College Park Skyhawks, the official NBA G League affiliate of the NBA’s Atlanta Hawks. Designed by Atlanta-based tvsdesign, Gateway Center is located at 2330 Convention Center Concourse in the south Atlanta city of College Park and contains a maximum of 5,000 seats. A partnership between Georgia International Convention Center (GICC) and The Fox Theatre will operate the arena. The 100,000-square-foot property, which has been in progress since February 2018, was funded by the City of College Park and is located next door to the GICC and near Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. In addition to home basketball games, the arena will also be used to host graduations, conferences and conventions. The Fox Theatre will also book a variety of entertainment events including comedy performances, family shows, concerts and lifestyle events at the arena.
DALLAS — Locally based developer KDC has broken ground on a new, 8,000-square-foot facility in Dallas for The Magdalen House, a nonprofit organization focused on helping women recover from alcoholism. The new facility will increase the organization’s space by roughly 44 percent. Omniplan is serving as the project architect, and Buford Hawthorne Builders is the general contractor. Completion is scheduled for early 2021.
WILLISTON, N.D. — Cardon Global has opened the Williston Basin International Airport (XWA) in Williston, located approximately 215 miles northwest of Bismarck. Development costs were estimated to be $273 million. The 100,000-square-foot airport includes four gates and three passenger boarding bridges as well as a 50-seat bar and restaurant. XWA is the first ground-up commercial airport built in the Midwest since the 1940s, according to the developer. “Prior to the completion of XWA airport, the region was lacking the capacity, ease and essential airport amenities necessary to inspire travelers flying in and out of Williston,” says Don Cardon, CEO of Cardon Global. “In designing a vision for the airport to serve the region for decades to come, we’ve collectively tried to anticipate the needs of today’s travelers. That means providing an amazing mix of amenities, access, comfort and enjoyment to make the process of air travel much more enjoyable and productive moving forward.” The airport is functionally replacing Williston’s now decommissioned Sloulin Field International Airport, which was built in 1947. Forbes reports that Sloulin Field accommodated about 148,000 passengers, down from about 240,000 in 2014. Those numbers are up from 22,000 in 2009. So far, 2019 has seen a 22 percent increase …
American Campus Communities Starts Construction of Mixed-Use Development on University of California Riverside Campus
by Jeff Shaw
RIVERSIDE, CALIF. — The University of California, Riverside (UCR) and American Campus Communities (NYSE: ACC) have broken ground on North District, a mixed-use community anchored by new student housing buildings. The project will be situated on the university’s campus in Riverside, a city located in the Inland Empire about 60 miles east of Los Angeles. Upon full build-out, the project will feature up to 6,000 new student housing beds, new dining facilities, an NCAA Division I competition field, a field house sports facility, functional open spaces, multi-use spaces that can serve as classrooms, meeting spaces and study areas, and more than 100,000 square feet for retail, commercial and university services. The project, a redevelopment of the former Canyon Crest Family Housing site, is part of UCR’s vision for creating a “living-learning” campus, much like other mixed-use developments seek a live-work-play environment. The university projects enrollment will rise from approximately 24,000 students today to 35,000 by 2035, necessitating the new student housing beds. “This project will help us prepare for this tremendous growth,” says UCR Chancellor Kim Wilcox. “Part of this vision includes residential life programs that will provide a balance of privacy while embracing community to enhance the overall academic …
C.W. Driver Starts Construction of $43.3M Mt. San Jacinto College Temecula Valley Campus in California
by Amy Works
TEMECULA, CALIF. — C.W. Driver Cos., as general contractor, has started construction of Mt. San Jacinto College’s (MSJC) new $43.3 million, 350,000-square-foot Temecula Valley Campus in Temecula. The project consists of a seismic retrofit and tenant improvement of an existing office building, creating a new campus and addressing current classroom shortages. The building’s twin five-story, 175,000-square-foot towers will be converted from office space into classrooms, laboratories and offices to serve MSJC students. The fifth floor will be entirely lab space. Other upgrades will include a kitchen, fitness center and lounges for students and faculty use. Located at 41888 Motor Car Parkway, the first phase of the 27-acre campus includes all seismic retrofits and full build-out of three floors. The phase is slated for completion in time for the fall 2020 semester. The second phase is scheduled for completion by summer 2021. PMSM/Nineteen Six Architects is serving as architect for the project. MSJC acquired the property from Abbot Laboratories with Measure AA facilities bond funds, which were approved to fund improvements to existing facilities and purchase new assets to accommodate increasing student enrollment.