Even though there was a handshake deal on a term sheet agreement for the financing, construction and operation of the nearly $400-million Entertainment and Sports Complex made in February between the Sacramento Kinds owners (the Maloof family) and the city of Sacramento along with AEG (the ESC operator), the deal has apparently fallen apart. According to news reports, the Maloof family, lawyers and consultants met with National Basketball Association owners and commissioner David Stern in New York this week and presented a “historical analysis of the transaction,” which basically says the city’s financing scheme and other obstacles show problems with
As Mayor Ed Lee praised the nonprofit developers responsible for the ground breaking earlier this month of the Rene Cazenave Apartments in San Francisco, the realization that the state’s redevelopment agency funding has gone away for projects like this became a little less painful to the affordable housing supporters in attendance. Rendering courtesy of BRIDGE Housing Rene Cazenave Apartments, San Francisco The 120 affordable housing units coming from the new project are the product of co-developers Community Housing Partnership and BRIDGE Housing Corp., which together and individually have been active in getting affordable projects off the ground in the city.
Thanks to a state directive mandating the use of more renewable energy and a new federal priority on advancing renewable projects on public lands, solar power claimed the first five spots on this year's ENR California Top Starts ranking for projects that broke ground in 2011. Related Links: 2012 Top Project Starts Ranking Those five solar projects totaled $7.9 billion, a 52% jump over the combined value of the top five on last year's list (ENR California 4/11/11), which was dominated by high-profile transportation projects funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.This year's roster excludes a massive solar project
Edison Mission Group's $500-million Walnut Creek Energy Park in the City of Industry is designed for those days when electricity consumption peaks or renewable-power sources refuse to play ball. "Historically, peaking powerplants like Walnut Creek operate only when energy demand is highest," says Larry Kostrzewa, managing director, commercial management for Santa Ana-based Edison Mission Group, a unit of Edison International. "Say it's a hot summer daythe Santa Anas are blowing and everybody has their AC on. That's when these plants will get going." The power provided to Southern California by the natural-gas-fired plant also will come in handy when energy
The California High-Speed Rail Authority released a revised business plan that is $30 billion cheaper by blending services with existing transportation infrastructure in both the North and the South rather than building a fully dedicated track system that was projected to cost $98.1 billion in the original draft plan. At an unveiling today in Fresno, Jim Hartnett, an authority board member, said that the $68.4-billion plan will make early investments in systems like Caltrain in the North that will lead to early benefits for those commuters who utilize that system.“By working in cooperation with regional and local transportation agencies on
The Southern California Contractors Association (SCCA) and United Contractors (UCON), formerly the Engineering & Utility Contractors Association (EUCA), have signed a Memorandum of Understanding for a new strategic partnership that will provide joint legislative and regulatory advocacy and labor relations throughout the state. The associations said they will work closely together to aggressively advocate on behalf of the heavy, civil construction industry on state and federal legislation, regulations and litigation matters.United Contractors President Rob Layne, O.C. Jones & Sons Inc., said that by working collectively, UCON and SCCA will form “the only statewide union-only labor relations service to California’s construction
With a budget topping $4 billion, the Los Angeles International Airport's multi-year modernization is among the largest public-works projects in the city's long history.
The market recession has severely tested the confidence of the normally optimistic construction industry. Four years of struggling markets have taken a toll. However, the slow-but-steady recovery of the U.S. economy has many firms in the industry now believing that the worst is behind them and that a broad recovery is poised to begin. The recovery of the industry’s optimism can be seen in the most recent ENR Construction Industry Confidence Index (CICI) survey. Photo courtesy of Webcor Builders The recovery of the industry's optimism can be seen in the most recent ENR Construction Industry Confidence Index (CICI) survey. The
A peer review panel investigating the seismic safety inspection practices of a former Caltrans engineer concluded that the Bay Bridge east span foundation in question is safe and that it “meets or exceeds the state-of-practice and will result in a safe and reliable performance.” Photo courtesy of Caltrans The Bay Bridge Eastern Span in San Francisco Duane Wiles, a Caltrans safety technician in its Foundation Testing Branch, was fired in November for falsifying safety tests on other Caltrans projects. Wiles also tested the Bay Bridge’s Self-Anchored Suspension span T-1 foundation, which caused a regional uproar as well as calls for
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