ST. LOUIS — The Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District (MSD) has purchased a 60,000-square-foot manufacturing building in St. Louis for an undisclosed price. The property was purchased for MSD Project Clear, MSD’s long-term initiative designed to improve water quality and alleviate wastewater concerns. The facility is located at 1600 Macklind Ave. on three acres. Part of the 60-year-old building situated near River Des Peres will be torn down to create access for MSD Project Clear, the project involves creating underground tunnels to store rain runoff during heavy storms, and then conveying it to wastewater treatment plants for treatment when storms pass. Hal Ball of Hilliker Corp. represented the seller, DFD Industries LLC in the transaction. MSD had internal representation in the transaction.
Civic
WALTHAM, MASS. — Vantage Builders, a general contracting and construction firm based in Waltham, has begun construction on a new worship center for New England Sikh Study Circle (NESSC). Located at 168 Flanders Road, the 21,000-square-foot temple, known as a Gurduara Sahib, will become the principal place of worship for the New England Sikh community. The facility will feature classrooms, meeting places of various sizes, a community kitchen able to serve up to 400 people, a library and residences for the community’s leaders. The project team includes JG Associations, AKAL Engineering Inc., Waterman Design Associates and Rivermoor Engineering. The facility is slated for completion by the first quarter of 2015.
HOUSTON —The United Way of Greater Houston has renewed and expanded its lease at 1300 Bay Area Blvd. in Houston. The charitable organization expanded its footprint from 31,770 square feet to 34,906 square feet. Trey Miller negotiated the lease on behalf of Boxer Property, while Jeff Lindenberger of Avison Young represented the tenant.
CLAYTON, MO. — The newly renovated Clayton Police Headquarters and Municipal Building in Clayton, a suburb of St. Louis, has earned Platinum LEED Certification from the U.S. Green Building Council. The six-story Colonial Williamsburg-style structure, built in 1959, becomes the first LEED-Platinum Certified law enforcement facility in Missouri. The property is located at 10 S. Brentwood Blvd. Pinnacle Contracting Inc. served as general works contractor on the project, which introduced 21st century technology and energy-wise features to approximately 83,000 square feet. Pinnacle helped achieve LEED Platinum status by developing construction waste management and indoor air quality plans followed by its sub-contractors. Other LEED features at the building include on-site energy generation (via the largest single-site solar array in Missouri); the installation of high-efficiency HVAC, lighting and water systems; and a facility-wide commitment to optimal indoor air quality plus thermal and lighting controls for all building users. The facility hosts a state-of-the-art police headquarters; forensic laboratories; a municipal court and offices; a back-up data center for the City of Clayton; and parking spaces for more than 150 vehicles in an adjacent structure. St. Louis-based The Lawrence Group served as architect for the project. Pinnacle's work at the facility exceeded $5 million.
SILVER SPRING, MD. — Washington Property Co. (WPC) and Montgomery County have signed an agreement to develop Progress Place, a homeless services center that will be located at 8110 Georgia Ave. in Silver Spring. The new facility is scheduled to break ground in a year, according to WPC. The first three floors of the facility will service the county’s homeless community and the fourth floor will feature 21 personal living quarters for individuals transitioning into permanent housing. Under the terms of the recently signed agreement, WPC will build Progress Place at no cost to the county and the county will operate the facility. WPC will obtain the deed to three contiguous land parcels totaling about 1.5 acres in exchange. The site of the current Progress Place sits in that parcel, which is located adjacent to WPC’s new Solaire-Silver Spring property at 1150 Ripley St.
ST. LOUIS — The city of St. Louis has contracted Kwame Building Group Inc. to provide construction supervision and materials testing services for a taxiway reconstruction project at Lambert-St. Louis International Airport. Construction is set to begin in September and wrap up in 2015. The contract includes three projects: reconstruction of a taxiway, removal of a taxiway, and reconstruction of an apron. Kwame currently is the project manager on Lambert’s nearly complete $70 million Airport Experience renovation project.
CARBONDALE, ILL. — A new $3.1 million fire station will open July 1 in Carbondale, a city in southern Illinois. The new Carbondale Fire Station will be a 12,400-square-foot, single-story brick building, which will replace its 50-year-old fire station. The new facility will feature four apparatus bays, seven bunk rooms, a living and kitchen space, a workout room, a training room and office space. In addition, the city of Carbondale’s Emergency Operations Center and Storm Watch Center will relocate from city hall into a new space at the new fire station. The building has been designed to be energy efficient, meet all energy codes and seismic standards. Design features will include a backup generator, capable of powering the entire building; geothermal heating and air-conditioning for the living area; and provisions for the addition of future solar equipment. FGM Architects and general contractor Fager McGee Commercial Construction are a part of the design team for the project.
DETROIT — The Downtown Development Authority (DDA) has approved Barton Malow-Hunt-White to serve as the general contractor for construction of the new Detroit events center, which will be home to the Detroit Red Wings. The new facility is set to be located west of Woodward Avenue at I-75. The construction of the new center, residential and commercial mixed-use district will create approximately 8,300 jobs and $290 million in job-related income. Barton Malow-Hunt-White is an industry leader in sports and entertainment construction. Notable projects of the joint venture include the expansion and renovation of Michigan Stadium, Detroit Riverfront, Detroit Medical Center Pediatric Specialty Center and Amway Arena in Orlando, Fla. The new Detroit events center is a part of the $650 million public-private catalyst development project that includes a $200 million investment by Olympia Development of Michigan to redevelop an underutilized area in downtown Detroit. The area will be redeveloped into a mixed-use development of residential, retail and office space. Of the project costs, ODM will contribute $367 million (or 56 percent) and the state of Michigan and the DDA will contribute $283 million (or 44 percent). It is expected that the project’s economic impact on Detroit, the region and state …
McKINNEY, TEXAS — Henry S. Miller Brokerage has arranged the sale of a 59,416-square-foot building in the Dallas/Fort Worth suburb of McKinney. Children’s Lighthouse Learning Centers acquired the facility, and franchisee Emily Fernando will operate the facility under the Children’s Lighthouse brand. Fernando now operates four Children’s Lighthouse educational child care centers in North Texas. The property is located at the intersection of Stacy and Alma roads, in proximity to a new Megatel Homes single-family home development. Grant Brodeur of Henry S. Miller Brokerage represented the buyer in the transaction. Marty Neilon of CBRE represented the seller, McKinney 18 LP.
MENDOTA HEIGHTS, MINN. — The Opus Group has completed a 31,100-square-foot expansion and renovation for Visitation School in Mendota Heights, a southeast suburb of Minneapolis. Phase I, completed in January 2013, included constructing a new 4,000-square-foot Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) building, known as Opus Hall. The first phase also included a 1,800-square-foot expansion to the school’s dining area and the creation of an interior courtyard. Construction of Phase II began in June 2013 and included 14,300 square feet of new construction, including the addition of a third level and 11,000 square feet of renovations. The project created a new entryway and commons for the school, including a three-story atrium space, new classrooms and breakout and study areas. Opus Design Build LLC was the design-builder and Opus AE Group LLC served as the design architect and architect of record. NELSON provided interior design services.