Historic Normandy Farm in Blue Bell, Pa., is being transformed by Hansen Properties of Blue Bell into a conference center housing meeting space, ballrooms, banquet facilities, and dining. The $25-million project will preserve the former dairy's distinctive T-shaped barn. The conference center will open in June 2003. A 116-room hotel, previously on hold, is slated for occupancy in 2004.
The United Parcel Service has completed the $44-million expansion of its Ontario, Calif., international air hub. The 176,000-sf addition expands the size of the hub to 676,000 sf. The hub's sorting capacity will increase by 53% to 107,000 packages per hour, creating 200 additional permanent jobs. UPS currently has 4,000 employees at the Ontario facility, which supports export operations between the United States and the Asia-Pacific region.
Buck Distribution recently completed the design and construction of its new 150,000-sf office and distribution facility in Upper Marlboro. Designed and built by R.W. Murray Co., the building houses 65,000 sf of warehouse space and 42,000 sf of interior loading and staging areas. Also on the project team were Ben Dyer Associates of Mitchellville, Md., GMA Architects of Tampa, Fla., and Beverage Distribution Facilitators of St. Louis.
Recovery Point Systems, a Gaithersburg-based disaster recovery and data storage company, is planning to build the nations largest "hot site." The 120,000-sf, $41.2-million facility will accommodate up to 1,000 workers as a backup office facility in the case of an emergency. Recovery Point Systems currently operates a 40,000-sf disaster recovery office in Gaithersburg that can house up to 200 workers.
The American Urological Association (AUA) recently broke ground on its new $9.5-million headquarters on nearly 10 acres in Lithicum, Md. Constructed by Hitt Contracting, the 87,000-sf facility will provide space for education, research, and daily business operations. The building will enable AUA to consolidate its Baltimore headquarters location with its Office of Education, currently sited in Houston. The headquarters will include four office levels, a fitness center, and a library.
Philadelphia-based Post & Schnell are relocating to 80,000 sf at Four Penn Center in Philadelphia. A universal, "one-size-fits-all" 110-sf office plan will be implemented on the three floors the law firm will occupy. Overseen by architectural firm Hillier, the new facility's offices will be standard in size and furniture yet customized to individual specifications. Three additional types of rooms will be available for attorney use: a "work" room, for use over several days or weeks; a "war" room that can be used for months to yea
FedEx will occupy a 65,000-sf facility on a six-acre parcel in an industrial business park planned in San Leandro, Calif. Developed by McMahon Development Group LLC, the 21-acre park is comprised of nine parcels and will include up to seven additional light industrial facilities totalling 300,000 sf. These planned buildings are being marketed to eco-industrial users, companies who divert and utilize materials that would otherwise go into the city landfill.
Epsilon has awarded Boston-based Structure Tone of Massachusetts the construction management contract for the interior construction of 90,000 sf of new office space and a 10,000-sf data center in Wakefield.
Political media company Congressional Quarterly (CQ) has awarded Chantilly-based R.W. Murray Co. the $1.8-million contract to build its new 42,000-sf headquarters. Located less than two blocks from CQ's existing Washington facility, the new building will house three floors of offices, a data center, and several meeting spaces. Hickok Warner Fox Architects was hired to complete the design of the project, which will allow room for expansion.
National City, Calif.-based Corky McMillin Cos. broke ground on the first two buildings in the Liberty Station development in October 2002. Sited at the former Naval Training Center in San Diego, the $62-million project will eventually accommodate 380,000 sf in seven office buildings. The first two facilities are slated to open in mid-2003. The project team consists of architect KMA Architecture and Engineering of San Diego and Bycor General Contractors of San Diego.
Medical equipment distributor Medline Industries will establish its distribution center for Virginia and the Carolinas in the recently purchased CenterPoint I warehouse in Research Triangle Park. The two-year-old facility totals 323,000 sf. Medline will vacate its existing 60,000-sf space in Durham's Research Tri Center.
The South Shore Tri-Town Development Commission has selected Irvine-based Lennar Partners as the master developer for the South Weymouth Naval Air Station base conversion project. Construction could begin in six to nine month on Phase I of the "smart growth" redevelopment, which will integrate "green," sustainable design, public transportation, protection of open space, and preservation of air and water quality.
JMI Realty and the San Diego Padres are developing East Village Square, a 2½ block mixed-use office, retail and residential redevelopment project in downtown San Diego next to the new baseball park. The developer of the potentially 200,000-sf office component is Cisterra Partners of San Diego. Ground floor retail space will be accompanied by 200 or more condominiums. The project is currently in the conceptual planning phase.
Provo, Utah-based Novell is consolidating with a move to 105,000 sf in Hobbs Brook Office Park in Waltham. Consolidating Cambridge and Billerica facilities from its July acquisition of SilverStream Software, the Waltham lease includes occupancy of the building's top floor and one lower floor for at least five years.
NFL Films's new 200,000-sf headquarters and production facility will initiate its first year of service with the 2002 football season. Designed by Russ Berger Design Group of Dallas and Garrison Architects of Bala Cynwyd, the project team also included the Philadelphia office of The Staubach Company as development manager and construction manager W.S. Cumby & Son of Swarthmore.
