Items Tagged ‘commercial’
Council Backs Redevelopment Plan For Vacant Des Moines Building
Synopsis:
A vacant office hi-rise in the heart of Des Moines, Iowa, may soon be called home for a number of households. Faced with a glut of office space in the downtown area, this adaptive reuse project is seen as great opportunity by both city and business leaders. The proposed 145 units of residence will also help to increase the opportunity and quantity of downtown housing. Having been declared a public nuisance by the City Council in January 2011, the redevelopment of the Des Moines Building will help to alleviate a lot of pressure from the city. The declaration also gave ownership of the building over to the city, who has since approved the sale of the property to Nelson Foutch Joint Ventures.
The adaptive reuse of the building will be a mixed-use project. Nelson Foutch intends to create commercial space on the first two floors and 145 market-rate apartments in the upper floors. In addition to the conversion, a low-rise annex to the tower will be torn down to create an outdoor restaurant area and skywalk access.
The redevelopment does come with an additional incentive for the developer – a 10-year, 100-percent tax abatement package that would equal about $400,000 a year. Time will tell of the abatement incentive will pay off for the community as a whole.
Revival of a Tarnished Beauty
Synopsis:
The 131-year-old Treble Hall in downtown Hamilton, Ontario, is set to be restored and find a new purpose. Designed by James Balfour, who was also the architect of the Detroit Museum of Art and Hamilton City Hall (since demolished), the building is fixed with metal detailing in honor of Hamilton’s heritage as a metal town. Built in 1879 for Henry J. Larkin, the building original had four retail storefronts on the first floor, offices on the second, and a public assembly hall on the third floor. Under the plans of the new owner Jeff Feswick, the building will go through a $3 million adaptation which will see the storefronts restored and art lofts and a rehearsal and performance area on the upper floors.
Athol Seeking Proposals for Old Factory
Publication Date:
April 6, 2011Written By:
Martin LuttrellSource:
Worcester Telegram & GazetteRead more...
Synopsis:
The Town of Athol hopes to see the former Maroni Furniture Building brought back to life through adaptive reuse. A request-for-proposals has been issued for this building located in the Central Commercial District. A reuse study has already been performed by the Massachusetts Development Finance Agency and Winter Street Architects (Salem) which outlines the reduced predevelopment costs and numerous reuse options available. The municipally-owned building was found in need of some deferred maintenance but is structurally sound and suitable for commercial or residential uses. This would not be the first adaptation of the building. Originally built in 1874, the building served as the Kendall Boot Factory before being converted for commercial use.
Landmark Detroit Shoreway Building Gets Second Chance Thanks to Keen Developer
Synopsis:
The Gordon Square Arts District in Cleveland is coming back to life. One project currently under construction in the neighborhood is the adaptive reuse of the former Cheerios Building. The project marks the end of seven years of vacancy and the conversion of a former (illicit) nightclub into four market-rate second floor apartments and five additional first floor storefronts. The neighborhood is no stranger to reinvestment – the refurbished Capitol Theatre serves as an indie movie house and the fringy Cleveland Public Theatre is home to avant-garde plays. The new Detroit Avenue streetscape was completed over a year ago and provides public art, broad sidewalks and street-side landscaping. The conversion of the building will incorporate energy-efficient and sustainable features. High efficiency insulation is used in each apartment, brick from a dismantled patio is being reused, and the landscaping will use drought-resistant plantings. Some units will also have hardwood flooring salvaged from an old gym.
Developer Turning Old Boot Factory Into Trendy Commercial Space
Publication Date:
(undated)Written By:
Melinda DaltonSource:
The Record via Canada's Technology TriangleRead more...
Synopsis:
From manufacturing to commercial space, the old industrial buildings along King and Breithaupt Streets in Kitchener, Ontario, are going through a renaissance. These six buildings date back to as early as 1903 and have since had their heavy machinery removed to make way for new life. The first phase, The Breithaupt Block, will provide 175,000 sf of new commercial space marketed to the high-tech, research and creative sectors. The facades of the buildings will be maintained while new courtyards and driveways are incorporated to provide division to the buildings. While some parking will be provided on ground level, the developer is incorporating below-grade parking in some of the basements.
Buyer Sought For Roosevelt Road Firehouse
Synopsis:
The old Engine Company 18 Firehouse, dating back to 1873, has sat vacant and unused since 2008. Nearly two years later, the City of Chicago will release a request for proposal on March 15th. The City would prefer a commercial or mixed-use redevelopment, and has stated that proposed projects must adaptively reuse the building and encourages maintaining the facade which has been in place since 1916. Although the Fire Museum of Greater Chicago had originally hoped to add the building to its cultural offerings, the City appears to be going down a different route.
Prescott Neighbors Push Back
Synopsis:
Residents of Groton, Massachusetts, are speaking up about what they want to see happen with the old Prescott School. The public meeting on February 6th saw the community asking the town to sidetable plans to convert the building for residential and commercial use and instead keep it as a public asset. While the original discussion was whether to sell it to a private developer or to adapt it for affordable housing, the meeting brought out a new request to have it remain as some type of education center. Any reuse proposal for Prescott will need to go through town meeting, though the Board of Selectmen hope to find a new use so that the building does not go vacant and deteriorate.
IDA Adaptive Reuse Policy to Benefit Restorations
Synopsis:
The Eire County Industrial Development Agency (ECIDA) passed a new Adaptive Reuse Policy to help encourage the private sector to convert and rehabilitate old structures in the county through tax credits. In order to conform to state law, these tax credits are only available if the project qualifies as a “commercial” project. The ECIDA is encouraging mixed-use conversions that include both commercial and residential components. The potential savings was noted to be as much as 20 percent on construction. There was one vote against the policy, as the board member felt that incentives should be provided to encourage industry as opposed to housing. “New housing is not needed because the region is losing population.”
Gasometer City
Synopsis:
History
The Gasometers were built between 1896 and 1899 in the Simmering district of Vienna near the Gaswerk Simmering gas works of the district. The containers were used to help supply Vienna with town gas. At the time, the design was the largest in all of Europe. The Gasometers were retired in 1984 due to new technologies in gasometer construction, as well as the city’s conversion from town gas and coal gas to natural gas. In 1978, they were designated as protected historic landmarks.
(Re)Developer
Vienna undertook a remodelling and revitalization of the protected monuments and in 1995 called for ideas for the new use of the structures. The chosen designs by the architects Jean Nouvel (Gasometer A), Coop Himmelblau (Gasometer B), Manfred Wehdorn (Gasometer C) and Wilhelm Holzbauer (Gasometer D) were completed between 1999 and 2001.
Outcome
Each gasometer was divided into several zones for living (apartments in the top), working (offices in the middle floors) and entertainment and shopping (shopping malls in the ground floors). The shopping mall levels in each gasometer are connected to the others by skybridges. The historic exterior wall was conserved. One of the ideas rejected for the project was the plan by architect Manfred Wehdorn to use the Gasometers for hotels and facilities for the planned World Expo in Vienna and Budapest. On 30 October 2001, the mayor attended the official grand opening of the Gasometers, but people had begun moving in as early as May 2001. The Gasometers have developed a village character all their own and are a city within a city. A true sense of community has developed, and both a large physical housing community (of tenants) as well as an active virtual internet community (Gasometer Community) have formed. Numerous theses and dissertations in psychology, urban planning, journalism and architecture have been written about this phenomenon. Indoor facilities include a music hall (capacity 2000–3000 people), movie theatre, student dormitory, municipal archive, and so on. There are about 800 apartments (two thirds within the historic brick walls) with 1600 regular tenants, as well as about 70 student apartments with 250 students in residence.[1]
Lexington Distillery District One Step Closer to Revitalization
Publication Date:
October 31, 2009Written By:
Mary Hemlepp and Julie EdwardsSource:
Whiskey IntelligenceRead more...
Synopsis:
The Kentucky Economic Development Finance Authority (KEDFA) announced tax increment financing (TIF) that will transform the old Lexington Distillery District into a new mixed-use venue. The developer will utilize the existing 300,000 James E. Pepper Distillery along with the Old Tarr Distillery to incorporate commercial, residential, and tourism elements. The largest adaptive reuse project in Lexington, it will play off the booming tourist base the city is experiencing. The intention of the project is to boost local tourism, improve the area, and connect to the Bourbon Trail.