Construction Maison

Lebanon— The apartment complex to be built behind the Element hotel on Route 120 in Lebanon moved has moved a step closer to reality as the developer has filed his plans and sought permission from the city to begin construction. Manchester developer Dick Anagnost filed a permit application with the Lebanon’s city planning department to begin construction on a $4 million, three- story apartment building . He hopes to be able to break ground on the project this fall and have it ready for occupancy next summer, according to Anagnost. The apartment building is the first in a planned 153- unit residential complex in Altaria Lebanon Park , a mixed commercial and residential development spanning 65 acres of which the 4-year-old Element hotel was the first phase. Anagnost expects the entire five- building apartment project to be completed by 2019 at a cost “all-in, probably $20 million to $30 million,” he said in an interview. And even though construction on the project has not yet beg...

The Orchard Park apartment complex will be demolished this summer, to be replaced by new apartments for students with families by fall 2020. UC Davis will issue a request for proposals seeking bids for a new family living apartment complex in May. Key criteria in the RFP will be affordability, quality of life and facility design. The decision follows a consultation and planning process that included graduate student representatives . “We’re grateful to all who participated in the consultation and planning process and we’re looking forward to a development that expands housing opportunities for graduate and undergraduate students with families,” said Grant Rockwell , assistant vice chancellor for capital planning and real estate. The campus closed the aging complex in 2014. The Student Family Housing Redevelopment Committee delivered its final report in June 2015, highlighting the value of student family housing to the campus, identifying key requirements to meet the needs of st...

John Altschul with his dog, Ethanol. (Photo by James Mills) EDITOR’S NOTE: The is another in a series of occasional stories titled “The Grownups” about West Hollywood residents 75 years old or older who are active in civic life. He’s been called the elder statesman of West Hollywood . He possesses the leadership, diplomacy, patience, charm and institutional memory necessary to hold that honorary title. More importantly, he has the ear of city leaders, community activists , business leaders and developers that is required of an effective statesman. Although he was not involved with the formation of the city, he became a guiding force in shaping West Hollywood . And this week, John Altschul celebrates his 81st birthday. He reluctantly accepts the idea of being the city’s elder statesman, but would prefer he wasn’t quite so much on the elder side of it (wouldn’t we all!). “ West Hollywood has always been a place where everyone has been so friendly,” says Altschul. “I’ve always felt ...

A proposed 276- unit apartment complex set to go on the southwest corner of Airport Road and Clover Basin Drive has surrounding Longmont homeowners worried about their home values as well as traffic and space for schoolchildren. The Renaissance Village apartment complex , being developed by Longmont- based company Actis LLC , would be housed in 16 three- story buildings spread over roughly 21 acres. The complex would feature a clubhouse, pool, pocket parks and pavilion, according to plans submitted to the city. There have been two neighborhood meetings between the developer and the community and the project will be on a planning and zoning committee meeting agenda once the city planning department staff completes its review. Kirk Christoffersen, a Clover Creek HOA board member , said the meetings did not go well at all and the community doesn't feel the developer is listening to them or responding to homeowner concerns. Richard Groves, with Actis LLC, did not return calls se...

Whitney and Luke Bowerman dream of building cottages on one of the few larger lots remaining in Olympia’s Eastside neighborhood. They want to leave the existing trees on the Fairview Street Southeast lot , and reflect the character of the neighborhood in their design. The cottages would join a new, three-bedroom house also designed to fit the area. But the city of Olympia has made it expensive to build cottages, the Bowermans said. They estimate that city fees alone will run $30,000 to $40,000 per cottage. And the cottages will be just between 500 and 800 square feet. “The impact fees for a 500-square-foot cottage are almost the same as for a single-family home,” Whitney Bowerman said. “But you can’t rent them for as much,” Luke Bowerman said. If changes aren’t made to reduce the costs, the Bowermans said, they might have to abandon the cottage idea and build a more traditional subdivision. Out of respect for the neighborhood, they don’t want to do that. Meanwhile, Olympia is poised...

BOONE — The Watauga County Board of Commissioners is hosting a second public hearing on the proposed amendments to the ordinance that governs subdivisions and multi-unit structures on Sept. 19. The ordinance changes originally went before a public hearing in May but the commissioners asked planning and inspections to review the ordinance again after some questions were raised. The department was asked to review the ordinance by the commissioners in January, when Boone’s former area of extraterritorial jurisdiction was returned to county authority. The idea was to clarify some language and add things that reflect statutory changes, said Director Joe Furman back in May. As previously defined in the ordinance, a multi-unit structure is a building containing three or more separate and independent dwellings, offices or commercial establishments (excluding hotels/motels). Ric Mattar, with planning and inspections, addressed the commissioners at their Aug. 15 meeting. Matt...

A judge ruled Thursday that web hosting company DreamHost must turn over data from an Inauguration Day protest website to federal prosecutors looking to find evidence against people charged with rioting during the event. D.C. Superior Court Chief Judge Robert Morin said there would be safeguards in place to address First Amendment concerns raised by the company, which said it was “problematic” to turn over such sensitive information. As a result of the ruling, investigators will be able to review emails related to the website DisruptJ20 .org and identify those who sent and received communications through the domain. But the judge, who ruled from the bench, ordered the government to abide by strict rules to minimize the collection of information about individuals who communicated through the website but committed no crime. “I am going to be supervising their search,” Judge Morin told the lawyers. The Justice Department said it’s no longer looking for casual visitors to the websit...

It’s been only two months since the Portland Housing Authority opened Bayside Anchor , its first new housing development in decades. But already, the low- income housing provider is poised to file plans for two additional projects , totaling more than 155 units of housing at a time when a dearth of affordable housing in Maine’s largest city is reaching crisis levels . “This is the continuation of our effort to be a part of the solution to the affordable housing crisis in Portland,” said Jay Waterman, the housing authority ’s development director. The authority is looking to build a 55- unit apartment building at 58 Boyd St. in the city’s East Bayside neighborhood . The site is practically across the street from Bayside Anchor , a highly energy- efficient PHA apartment building at 81 Oxford St. with 45 units that opened in June. A public meeting about the East Bayside proposal has been scheduled for Monday, from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m., at 47 Smith St. Meanwhile, about 2 miles away, t...

Ascent Med Center apartment project next to a 357-room hotel. Ascent will offer units from 339 square feet, with students in mind, to large three-bedrooms aimed at higher-income renters. Photo: Medistar Corp." /> Photo: Medistar Corp. A rendering shows the Ascent Med Center apartment project next to a 357-room hotel. Ascent will offer units from 339 square feet, with students in mind, to large three-bedrooms aimed at higher-income renters. Oil's going for less than $30 a barrel. The high- end housing market is on the skids. And companies are unloading gobs of office space they no longer need. Yet some developers want to keep building. Greystar, an apartment developer with multiple projects under construction here, recently said it would move forward with a plan to build another one: a soaring glass and brick tower of 375 luxury units on a 1.3- acre parking lot next to the Texas Medical Center . "It is a little contrarian, isn't it?" Greystar's David ...