GREEN VALLEY, ARIZ. — Grubb & Ellis has represented the Corporation of the Presiding Bishop of the Latter-day Saints in its $1.3 million purchase of 5.4 acres of land at the northwest corner of Desert Bell and La Canada in Green Valley. The parcel will be used for a church, the construction of which will commence later this year. Grubb & Ellis’ Jeff Utsch represented the buyer in the transaction, and the seller, WLC Green Valley Ltd. Partnership, represented itself.
Civic
HOUSTON — Cadence McShane Construction Co. will build the 82,000-square-foot Atherton Elementary School on behalf of the Houston Independent School District (ISD). The two-story school will replace an 49,110-square-foot facility that was constructed in 1957. Located at 2011 Solo in Houston, the project will break ground in May with a completion date set for July 2012. The new facility will accommodate more than 500 students from pre-kindergarten to fifth grade. It will include 30 classrooms, two science labs, a library, a full-service cafeteria, a practice gymnasium, administrative areas, a music and choir room, an art instructional space and performing arts area.
FORNEY — Phase I of Forney Parkway, a regional transportation project, has broken ground near Reeder Road and Reeder Lane, just north of U.S. Highway 80 at the CR 212 exit, in Forney. A public-private partnership between the City of Forney and owners of Meadow Ridge Farm, the adjacent property, has facilitated the roadway project. A completion date is set for 2012, with resulting development to begin in the spring of 2013. Phase I of construction includes a two-lane road, which is expandable to four lanes, connecting Reeder Road to U.S. Highway 80 at the future Forney bridge, which will serve as the entrance to the Village at Meadow Ridge Farms, a retail destination. The entire Forney Parkway project will encompass a 2.2 mile-, multi-lane thoroughfare connecting FM 548 to the north to FM 1641 to the south, spanning U.S. Highway 80 and adjacent to the Union Pacific rail line.
NEW YORK CITY — The Fire Department of New York has broken ground for the construction of the Greenpoint Emerggency Medical Service Station in Brooklyn's Williamsburg neighborhood. The two-story, 12,400-sqare-foot facility will include garage space for four vehicles, equipment storage space, offices, locker rooms, a fitness facility, a training room, and a 700-square-foot kitchen and lounge area. The building, which was designed by Michielli + Wyetzner Architects, will feature a skylight running the length of the building as well as a double-height, glass-enclosed entry. The opening is slated for June 2012.
THORNTON, COLO. — Linda K. Gash Family Trust has sold a 19,200-square-foot building and additional land, located at 550 E. 124th Ave in Thornton, to Adams 12 Five-Star Schools for $2.21 million. Cassidy Turley Fuller Real Estate’s Esther Kettering and Chris Ball represented the seller in the transaction, and Kato Mitchell of Keller Williams represented the buyer.
BOSTON — The ribbon-cutting ceremony has been held for The Salvation Army Ray and Joan Croc Corps Community Center in Boston's Dorchester neighborhood. The $35 million project consisted of the construction of a 90,000-square-foot building. Features include three gyms, a swimming pool, a soccer field, a learning center, a library, an auditorium, a music room, a chapel and a recording studio. Chelsea, Mass.-based The Architectural Team designed the project.
DALLAS — Warrior Group, a Dallas/Fort Worth-based general contractor, will provide construction management services for renovations of the FretzPark Recreation Center, located at 6950 Beltline Rd. in Dallas. The project entails interior and exterior improvements to the existing 13,600-square-foot recreation center that serves the North Dallas community. The work will include mechanical and electrical system upgrades, lighting replacement, architectural finishes and site work. Construction is set to begin in May, with an estimated completion date of January 2012. GGO Architects, Dallas, is the architect of record, while Dallas-based Pegasus/URS is the program manager for the project.
FORT BEND COUNTY — A partnership was announced between the University of Houston System and Fort Worth-based video game developer and publisher TimeGate. The agreement includes equipment, facility hosting, training and mentoring for student interns. The university will purchase the motion capture equipment and TimeGate will provide space and commercial talent at its Sugar Land headquarters. This will give students the opportunity to learn real-world experience while still in school.
COLORADO SPRINGS, COLO. — The Korte Co. has broken ground for a $9.5 million exercise facility addition at the United States Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs. The St. Louis-based design-build construction firm will compose approximately 37,390 square feet of space for weight training (both free and machine), aerobic conditioning, Physical Fitness Test-specific exercises, floor aerobics, fencing and spin-cycling classes. Slated for completion in early 2012 and designed to achieve LEED Silver certification, the facility will utilize tilt-up concrete panels with a marble stone veneer to match the existing U.S. AFA building.
LAKE WORTH, FLA.; AND STUART, FLA. — Two transactions, valued at more than $2.3 million were handled by Peter Filomena of Palm Beach Gardens-based Reichel Realty & Investment on behalf of Gulfstream Goodwill Industries. First, located at 7810 S. Dixie Highway in Lake Worth, the 22,000-square-foot former Lighthouse for the Blind building was sold for $650,000 to SEACO III. Additionally, he represented the company in a $1.66 million, 10-year lease from landlord Aaron Rents for 12,800 square feet at 1101 S. US #1 in Stuart.