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Tag: project

  • Inglewood people mover gets $1-billion commitment from federal officials

    Inglewood people mover gets $1-billion commitment from federal officials

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    Federal officials have pledged up to $1 billion for an elevated train connecting SoFi Stadium and other venues to the Crenshaw Line, marking a major milestone for a marquee project that could open ahead of the 2028 Olympic Games.

    The Federal Transit Administration commitment would finance half of the project’s $2-billion price tag.

    To lock down the award, the city of Inglewood and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority must clear several more hurdles, including securing the other half of the money and making substantial progress to prepare the project for construction.

    “It’s going to improve the fan experience,” said Inglewood Mayor James Butts, who has championed the project. “Fans, our residents and the employees deserve affordable and efficient transit options. This system will be good for the environment. It will again create jobs.”

    Known as the Inglewood Transit Connector, the fully automated three-stop people mover will roll through Inglewood’s downtown and ferry fans to the city’s growing list of entertainment venues, which include the Kia Forum and the soon-to-be opened Inuit Dome. It’s expected to ease traffic during major events.

    The city and Metro, which together form the project’s joint powers authority, say they have secured about 85% of the total $2-billion tab, counting the federal commitment. Although that commitment is not finalized, officials say it signals the viability of an ambitious project they aim to open before the 2028 Olympic Games.

    “This federal support is a force multiplier on our momentum and an endorsement of all levels of government working together to benefit the public. We will get the next step done,” said Lisa Trifiletti, who is overseeing the project for the authority.

    And although officials hope the people mover will be running by 2028, Federal Transit Administration documents show that it isn’t expected to open until 2030 and will cost $33 million a year to operate.

    If the connector does open in time for the Olympics, Inglewood, a city of about 104,000, would be center stage, starting with the opening ceremonies at SoFi Stadium. Transit officials plan on creating a car-free Olympics and have been using events at SoFi, including Taylor Swift’s Eras tour, as a testing ground for not only the Olympics but how to deal with changing ridership patterns.

    Backers say the elevated people mover and the tourists it brings will also help revitalize downtown Inglewood. But dozens of business will be forced to relocate to make room for it. And transportation experts question whether the people mover, which has increased in price by more than half a billion dollars over the last few years, is worth the cost and will deliver on its promises.

    On a busy weekday, hundreds come through the door of Fiesta Martin Bar & Grill at Florence Avenue and Market Street. Esaul Martin, who runs the downtown Inglewood restaurant with his sister, is among those who will be forced to relocate.

    “We don’t have a choice in what to do,” he said. The outside patio is teeming on weekends, and he has a steady local clientele.

    Though his family owns several restaurants in town, he said, this is the most successful.

    “Most people aren’t happy about it,” Martin said about other businesses nearby. “The options that they are giving us doesn’t come close. Either it doesn’t have parking, it’s too small, or the rent is four times this.”

    Martin has hired a lawyer. But, he said, no relocation fee can replicate what he has created here. And he worries about his 45 employees.

    Butts said change is hard, but the relocation packages are generous.

    “This is major progress in the evolution of the city. Things are not going to be the way they are,” he said. “The benefits of this project far outweigh the angst of displacement, because everyone in Inglewood wins.”

    Transit experts say the other big winners are people like Rams owner Stan Kroenke.

    The $5-billion SoFi Stadium, home to the Rams and Chargers, opened in 2020. It had bypassed the lengthy environmental review process typically required in California, which would have quantified the traffic, pollution and noise that would come with a 70,000-seat stadium. Often, the developer must mitigate those impacts.

    Instead, the project was approved six weeks after it was announced.

    “There is definitely a good case to be made that at least there should be some financial contribution from the stadium owners,” said Jacob Wasserman, a research project manager at UCLA Institute of Transportation Studies. “It is going to serve the customers there who pay money to go see events and games. All transit serves businesses, and it’s a public service, but I think that this is disproportionately focused on these event venues.”

    Butts said providing transportation is the job of municipalities.

    The authority estimates that the people mover will have 4 million boardings in 2028 and nearly 8 million by 2078, which Wasserman said is likely overly optimistic.

    Environmental studies show regular weekdays will be much quieter, bringing 414 passengers during peak hours and carrying 11,450 riders the hour after games.

    Three pre-qualified teams are now preparing bids for the project, and the authority expects to choose one this summer.

    Is it worth it?

    James Moore, founding director of the USC Transportation Engineering Program, said it probably isn’t. He pointed to the half billion dollars it cost to connect the Oakland Airport to BART, which, he said, ended up having no measurable effect on either airport traffic or BART ridership.

    “The bus was doing just fine,” he said. “If the goal is to connect riders from the event generator to the rail line, this is an expensive way to do it.”

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    Rachel Uranga

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  • UC Berkeley makes dead-of-night push to wall off storied People's Park

    UC Berkeley makes dead-of-night push to wall off storied People's Park

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    BERKELEY — 

    A massive contingent of law enforcement officers converged on People’s Park in the wee hours of Thursday morning, intent on clearing the way for crews to wall off the storied green space near the UC Berkeley campus in preparation for construction of a much-contested housing complex for students.

    The university launched the extraordinary operation — designed to double-stack metal cargo containers around the entire park perimeter — around 12 a.m.

    On their arrival, police surrounded the park. Inside, they were met by several dozen protesters, chanting “Long live People’s Park” along with shouts of “Fight back!” Some were holed up in a makeshift treehouse and on the roof of a single-story building in the park.

    By starting the exercise under the cover of darkness and during students’ winter break, university leaders hoped to minimize a conflict with activists adamant the park should remain open space, a living tribute to free speech and student activism. The university planned to install the cargo containers over several days, banking on the massive metal structures to provide a more formidable barrier than the fences protesters have easily breached in the past.

    The university acknowledged that construction of the housing, ensnared in a legal dispute, cannot begin unless the state Supreme Court agrees that the Berkeley campus has completed an adequate environmental review of the project. The proposed development would create a dormitory with space for 1,100 students in a college town with a dire shortage of affordable housing. In addition, it would include permanent supportive housing for 125 people living homeless. About 60% of the site would remain green space, with commemorative exhibits about the park’s history.

    “Given that the existing legal issues will inevitably be resolved, we decided to take this necessary step now in order to minimize the possibility of disorder and disruption for the public and our students when we are eventually cleared to resume construction,” Chancellor Carol Christ said in a prepared statement.

    The university said it intended to keep streets around the park, and at least one block to the north and east, closed for three or four days.

    “Unfortunately, our planning and actions must take into account that some of the project’s opponents have previously resorted to violence and vandalism,” Christ said, adding that this was “despite strong support for the project on the part of students, community members, advocates for unhoused people, the elected leadership of the City of Berkeley, as well as the legislature and governor of the state of California.”

    Activists intent on preserving the park were tipped off several days in advance that the university would try to cordon off the site while students were on break. They called the incursion by law enforcement and work crews an “attack” that would destroy a legacy to people-powered activism.

    Nicholas Alexander was among the activists standing watch over People’s Park on Wednesday evening, prepared to protest efforts to wall off the site.

    (Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)

    Nicholas Alexander was among a small group standing watch over the park Wednesday evening around sunset. Alexander, once unhoused, praised the park as a place that needy people have been able to go for decades to find assistance. He said he was part of the group that helped tear down a university-erected fence in 2022. “This park has always helped the counterculture and the disenfranchised,” he said, “and it’d be a shame if it was taken from us now, because where else will we go?”

    Another member of the group watching the park, Sylvia Tree, said she had graduated from Berkeley in 2021. She described the conflict as “a struggle based on the land.”

    “It’s about a place where people who don’t own any land can have a little piece of it, a piece that you can grow things on, that you can have sunshine on, that you can meet your friends on,” said Tree, 25. “There’s nobody who controls it. There’s nobody who’s selling you something.”

    Such passionate advocacy has become a perennial rite at the small patch of green just south of the campus and a few paces east of Telegraph Avenue.

    It began more than half a century ago, in 1969, when the UC system’s founding campus announced its plan for development on what was then an empty lot. Hundreds of students and community activists had another idea, dragging sod, trees and flowers to the lot and proclaiming it People’s Park. The university responded by erecting a fence.

    The student newspaper, the Daily Californian, urged students to “take back the park.” More than 6,000 people marched down Telegraph, where they were confronted by law enforcement. In the clash that followed, one man died and scores were injured.

    In the decades since, the university has made repeated efforts to reclaim the property, once attempting to construct a parking lot on the edge of the park. A new generation of demonstrators arrived, with shovels and picks, to uproot the asphalt and restore plant life.

    In the early 1990s, a young machete-wielding activist infuriated by the university’s construction of volleyball courts at the park was shot and killed by police after she broke into the campus residence of then-Chancellor Chang-Lin Tien. Police said they found a note in the teenager’s bag. It read: “We are willing to die for this piece of land. Are you?”

    The push for the university to develop the property gained new life after Christ became chancellor in 2017 amid a student housing crisis. With Berkeley providing housing to a lower percentage of its students than any other UC campus, Christ promised to double the number of beds within a decade. She made it clear that she considered People’s Park — long a “third rail” that campus leaders avoided — a good location for housing.

    Activists gather on a rooftop in People's Park.

    The tensions over UC Berkeley’s efforts to develop People’s Park have spawned more than half a century of activism and debate.

    (Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)

    Opponents of the housing development contend that UC Berkeley has not done enough to study alternative sites. Their cause got a boost in December, when a unit of the National Trust for Historic Preservation wrote a letter calling for “exploring all possible opportunities” for preservation of the park.

    The university counters that its plan does acknowledge the historic nature of the park while also trying to resolve problems that have plagued the site and nearby streets in recent years, including homeless encampments, open drug use, petty theft and violence. UC Police Chief Yogananda Pittman characterized this week’s action as necessary to provide members of the community with “the safety and security they need and deserve.”

    The university released results of a survey in 2021 that showed students favor the project by 56% to 31%. More recently, in an effort to address complaints that the proposed development would displace unhoused people living in the park, the university hired a full-time social worker and said most park denizens had been relocated to a Quality Inn and offered support services.

    But the project suffered a setback early last year when a state appellate court ruled that UC had not properly complied with the California Environmental Quality Act, a decades-old law known as CEQA, which requires state and local governments to consider the environmental impacts of certain construction and housing projects. The court found the university had not properly addressed the issue of noise — specifically the noise generated by students who might drink and hold “unruly parties,” as some neighbors asserted in documents submitted to the court.

    The court also ruled that the campus had not properly justified its decision not to consider alternative locations for the housing development. UC attorneys have said that because the project’s aim is to repurpose the park, no alternative would suffice.

    The university appealed the decision to the state Supreme Court and also turned to the Legislature. Lawmakers passed a law, signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom in September, designed to make it easier for universities to build housing and overcome lawsuits from residents who raise noise concerns as a potential problem.

    All parties in the dispute await a decision by the high court, and the new law presumably will factor into its deliberations.

    The last concerted effort by UC to take control of the park for construction came in August 2022. Just hours after an Alameda County judge issued a tentative ruling that the university could begin clearing the park, construction machinery moved into place. But the 2 a.m. operation soon drew protesters who confronted construction crews, toppling a newly erected chain-link fence and streaming into the park, where they were tackled by California Highway Patrol officers.

    By day’s end, the university ended the standoff by suspending its effort to take control of the park.

    Berkeley City Councilmember Kate Harrison issued a public letter this week calling on police involved in any new go-round with protesters to “follow the City of Berkeley’s rules concerning use of ‘less-lethal’ weapons and tactics,” which include a ban on the use of pepper spray and tear gas. Harrison added: “These rules, established to protect human life and people’s first amendment rights, are core to our City’s value.”

    Staff photographer Jason Armond contributed to this report.

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    Hannah Wiley, Jessica Garrison, James Rainey

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  • Metrolink service closes for four days, starting today

    Metrolink service closes for four days, starting today

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    The transportation system of Los Angeles has been beset by labor unrest, arson, presidential motorcades, civil disobedience and just too much traffic. But a four-day stoppage affecting train service this week is more mundane — and perhaps even beneficial in the longer run.

    Beginning today, Metrolink service will be suspended for maintenance and enhancements, capping a three-year modernization project.

    Trains will not run on any part of Metrolink’s six-county system through the end of Friday and will resume normal service on Saturday.

    The disruption was scheduled to coincide with a lighter period for those who commute to work — precisely unlike the disruption this month when demonstrators pressing for a cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas war blocked the 110 Freeway and then, later, blocked access to Los Angeles International Airport.

    “We scheduled this work on dates of historically low ridership and are working hand-in-hand with our transit partners to identify alternate transportation options for those who will be impacted,” Metrolink CEO Darren Kettle said in a statement.

    Metrolink has provided customers with alternative routing options on its website.

    Metrolink and other public transit systems have struggled to recover ridership since the COVID-19 pandemic — and a better, more efficient ride is part of the plan.

    “Placing our system temporarily out of service was necessary,” Justin Fornelli, Metrolink’s chief of program delivery, said in a statement. “This unique break in service will allow us to tackle state-of-good-repair projects across multiple lines.”

    Metrolink is operated by the Southern California Regional Rail Authority and serves Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, Ventura and North San Diego counties.

    The service is a major cog in a local public transit system that is trying to overcome problems that include inadequate regional coverage as well as crime and drug use.

    The required modernization work will restrict access in and out of downtown’s Union Station, the terminus for six of Metrolink’s seven service lines, as well as the agency’s Central Maintenance Facility, where passenger cars are cleaned and locomotives are serviced daily.

    The work will encompass replacing 1930s-era signal relay technology with a “state-of-the-art, microprocessor-driven signal system, allowing Metrolink to simultaneously run multiple trains on multiple tracks as they enter and depart,” the agency said. The increased capacity is expected to reduce delays and improve safety.

    Among other planned projects are repairing concrete on platforms, painting, cleaning canopies and gutters, adding more emergency lighting, and servicing high-voltage components.

    Teams also will replace rail on the curvy, mountainous Antelope Valley Line, reducing the need for “slow orders,” which can lead to delays.

    “By modernizing our rail network, we are preparing our system for the World Cup, Olympics and Paralympics,” the agency said.

    During the closure, Amtrak’s Pacific Surfliner will bypass Union Station entirely.

    “Passengers traveling to or from LAX can utilize bus connections from either Glendale or Fullerton, depending on the specific train they are traveling on,” Amtrak advised. “Bus seats are limited.”

    Union Station will not be in total shutdown. Other transit providers will continue to operate, including the L.A. Metro light rail and subway service, Amtrak bus connections, LAX FlyAway bus service and LADOT and municipal bus routes. Union Station restaurants and other businesses also will remain open.

    Metrolink has posted online a page with answers to questions riders are likely to have.

    The agency has secured $2.4 billion for recent and ongoing improvements — part of a $10-billion wishlist for priority projects. The Southern California Regional Rail Authority relies on local, state and federal funding sources for its projects.

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    Howard Blume

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  • Newsom administration advances delta tunnel project despite environmental opposition

    Newsom administration advances delta tunnel project despite environmental opposition

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    In the face of heavy opposition from environmental groups, Gov. Gavin Newsom and his administration are pushing forward with a controversial plan to build a 45-mile water tunnel beneath the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta — a project the governor says is vital to modernizing the state’s aging water system.

    State officials released their final environmental analysis of the proposed delta tunnel project on Friday, signaling the start of a process of seeking permits to build the tunnel that would use massive pumps to transfer water from the Sacramento River to cities and farmlands to the south.

    Newsom and state water managers say the tunnel would help California adapt to worsening cycles of drought fueled by climate change and capture more water during wet periods. They say it would also help address the risks to infrastructure posed by earthquakes and flooding.

    “Climate change is threatening our access to clean drinking water, diminishing future supplies for millions of Californians,” Newsom said in a written statement. “Doing nothing is not an option. After the three driest years on record, we didn’t have the infrastructure to fully take advantage of an exceptionally wet year, which will become more and more critical as our weather whiplashes between extremes.”

    Aggressive and impactful reporting on climate change, the environment, health and science.

    Environmental groups have condemned the plan, saying the tunnel would seriously harm the delta’s deteriorating ecosystem and threaten fish species that are already on the brink. Opponents argue that the funds needed to build the tunnel would be better spent on groundwater recharge efforts, water recycling, and stormwater capture, among other projects.

    Debate over the project has been simmering for decades. Former Gov. Jerry Brown sought a two-tunnel proposal, calling the project WaterFix. Newsom has supported a redesigned project with a single tunnel, called the Delta Conveyance Project.

    The plan calls for a concrete tunnel 36 feet wide and running 140 to 170 feet underground, connecting to a new pumping plant that would send water into the California Aqueduct.

    Construction costs have previously been estimated at $16 billion, but the state plans to update those cost estimates next year.

    California officials say the tunnel’s two proposed intakes on the Sacramento River would allow the system to capture and transport more water during wet periods. State water managers say the current infrastructure makes for missed opportunities when large quantities of stormwater are allowed to flow trough the delta and into the Pacific Ocean during rainy periods, such as last winter.

    Tunnel supporters say the project would improve California’s ability to withstand worsening droughts and intense swings between wet and dry periods.

    “We really don’t have time to waste in terms of getting all projects moving forward that can secure California in this new hydrologic scenario,” said Karla Nemeth, director of the state Department of Water Resources.

    Nemeth said the increase in water availability from the delta would be “pegged to those times when we do have those high flows,” rather than during dry times.

    “Ultimately, it really is triggered by intense pulse conditions,” she said.

    Officials estimated that if the tunnel had been in place during the torrential storms in January, the state could have captured and moved an additional 228,000 acre-feet of water, enough to supply about 2.3 million people for a year.

    “We need to preserve the backbone of our water system,” said Wade Crowfoot, the state’s natural resources secretary.

    Crowfoot said without this update, the existing water system is vulnerable to the effects of climate change as well as potential damage from a large earthquake, which could disrupt water deliveries for 27 million Californians. He said a quake could render the system unusable for months or more than a year, which he said would be “the largest catastrophe in any water system in America.”

    “To ensure that our conveyance is both climate-resilient and earthquake-resilient, we need to modernize this infrastructure,” he said.

    Environmentalists and other critics argue that the state is failing to see the big picture and has based the project on outdated climate science.

    “Like its predecessor, the WaterFix Project, the Delta Conveyance Project fails to consider or address the risks from accelerating climate change impacts to Sacramento and San Joaquin River watersheds and the delta,” said Deirdre Des Jardins, an independent water researcher.

    Des Jardins and a coalition of environmental and fishing advocates said in recent written comments that the project faces major uncertainties, “including worsening climate change impacts on water supply and sea level rise, coupled with the need to reduce exports in order to increase freshwater flows through the delta.” They also said the state has failed to consider non-tunnel alternatives.

    Newsom’s tunnel proposal, as outlined in the state’s final environmental impact report, is “another failure of state water officials to imagine alternative approaches in a climate-impacted California,” said Barbara Barrigan-Parilla, executive director of the group Restore the Delta.

    “The big pipe engineering solutions of the last century are no longer the way forward in California water’s climate-changed reality,” Barrigan-Parilla said. The latest delta tunnel plan, she said, is “out of date for climate change science” and will quickly be obsolete if it’s built.

    She suggested the state invest in projects that “reduce reliance on water exports from the delta,” such as underground water storage in farming areas, more stormwater collection and wastewater recycling in cities.

    Other environmentalists said the tunnel’s water diversions would deny critical flows to the delta and San Francisco Bay. They warned that would exacerbate recent declines in native fish such as Chinook salmon, longfin smelt, white sturgeon and endangered delta smelt.

    “The science clearly demonstrates that fish need increased river flows to survive, but state agencies are ignoring it,” said Jon Rosenfield, science director for San Francisco Baykeeper. “California diverts more than half of the water flowing through Central Valley rivers to serve industrial agriculture and big cities. Because of excessive water diversions, the list of fish native to San Francisco Bay and its watershed that are verging on extinction continues to grow, and our fisheries are increasingly shut down.”

    This year, commercial salmon fishing was shut down along the coast because fish populations declined dramatically.

    Scott Artis, executive director of the Golden State Salmon Assn., charged that Newsom and his administration “mismanaged our rivers during the drought,” harming the fishing industry, and that the tunnel project “looks like an extinction plan for salmon.”

    “Southern California residents will be on the hook to pay for nearly all of this $20-billion boondoggle,” Artis said. “The tunnel could cause Southern California water rates to skyrocket — without delivering much benefit. The core problem is that we’re pumping too much water from the Bay-Delta. We need to divert less.”

    John Buse, senior counsel for the Center for Biological Diversity, said the state’s final environmental report “maintains the same skewed analysis by failing to come to terms with the massive harm this tunnel will bring to the delta and its fish.”

    Although many environmental groups oppose the tunnel, Newsom’s proposal has found support among some water districts, organized labor and business groups.

    Jennifer Pierre, general manager of the 27-member State Water Contractors, said California can no longer afford to delay the project.

    “Our climate reality requires that we build and adapt,” Pierre said. “The Delta Conveyance Project represents a golden opportunity to increase the [State Water Project’s] ability to move and store water when it’s wet for use when it’s dry and will allow us to be more flexible in response to the state’s changing hydrological conditions.”

    Jennifer Barrera of the California Chamber of Commerce said that improving the state’s “water system and its infrastructure through the Delta Conveyance Project is urgently needed.”

    Within 10 days, the state is expected to certify the environmental documents, culminating the review and enabling the Newsom administration to turn to environmental permits. State officials said they expect to complete all permits by 2026, allowing for construction to begin around 2030.

    The completion of the environmental review will also lead to discussions among managers of water agencies about whether to contribute financially to the project. The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California will review the environmental documents as well as an upcoming analysis of costs and benefits as the district’s board considers “how best to invest our resources in response to the changing climate,” said Adel Hagekhalil, the district’s general manager.

    State officials said the project is part of a broader water strategy to respond to a projected 10% loss in average water supplies by 2040 due to hotter conditions.

    The state is continuing to invest in other types of projects, including wastewater recycling, stormwater capture and groundwater recharge, as well as improved efficiency and conservation efforts, Crowfoot said.

    “But at the same time, we can’t stick our head in the sand about the fact that our backbone water infrastructure remains essential,” Crowfoot said. “We can’t simply shift investments into all those localized sources and expect to maintain water reliability for 40 million people in the fifth-largest economy in the world. We have to do both.”

    Times staff writer Hayley Smith contributed to this report.

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    Ian James

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  • 'Game-changer for the Valley': Almost 1,500 new housing units to be built at North Hollywood Metro station

    'Game-changer for the Valley': Almost 1,500 new housing units to be built at North Hollywood Metro station

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    As part of an ongoing Metro effort to build housing and community around transportation hubs, a new mixed-use development dubbed District NoHo is coming to North Hollywood’s Metro station.

    The Los Angeles City Council voted Friday to approve the 15-acre project, greenlighting a massive development that will include 1,481 residential units as well as office, retail and restaurant space.

    A quarter of the units will be rent-restricted, more than double the ratio required for the city’s density bonus.

    “District NoHo will be a transformative project for this city,” City Council President Paul Krekorian said in a statement. Krekorian represents Council District 2, which includes North Hollywood.

    “This is a truly transit-oriented development that will enable hundreds of Angelenos to live, work, study, shop and enjoy recreation without driving, parking or riding in anything other than zero-emission public transportation,” he said.

    The project will also bring to the area 750 parking spots reserved for Metro customers, and two acres of open space for the public as well as three shopping plazas. The North Hollywood station is Metro’s third busiest.

    District NoHo is one of Metro’s several joint development projects, which are real estate collaborations between Metro and private developers built on Metro land to create more housing around transit.

    The project will feature improvements to North Hollywood’s Metro station, including a new entrance to the B Line subway on the west side of Lankershim Boulevard, improvements to the G Line busway terminus, and new internal streets and walkways to break up the large development site, a city report said.

    Metro has made the ambitious commitment to build 10,000 housing units in Los Angeles County by 2031, “with the goal of contributing to solving Southern California’s housing crisis,” the agency said in a news release in July. Half of the units are intended to be rent-restricted for lower- to moderate-income households.

    While District NoHo will include 366 rent-restricted units, some community members say the project isn’t doing enough to create affordable housing. Reimagine District NoHo, an effort driven by the nonprofit NoHo Home Alliance, has been fighting for the inclusion of more affordable units.

    “The government’s obligation is to do the most good for the most people,” said Desmond Faison, with Reimagine District NoHo. “I think that it misses the mark. … We’re building a monolith to capitalism.”

    Faison said that only the most wealthy North Hollywood residents would be able to afford to live in District NoHo’s market rate units. Glenn Block, another North Hollywood resident who is involved with Reimagine District NoHo, said the 15 acres the development will be built on could be put to better use.

    “This project fails on every level,” he said.

    The property will have nearly 100 more rent-restricted units than the original proposal, according to Metro project manager Marie Sullivan. The number of affordable units is limited because funding for the units comes from many different sources, all of which have restricted budgets.

    “There’s only so much affordable housing funding that comes from federal, state and local sources each year,” Sullivan said.

    Metro is also using income from the market-rate units to fund other aspects of the project, including a park and shopping plazas, she said.

    “We need the revenue from market-rate homes to fund a lot of these public benefits,” she said.

    District NoHo will also boost the community by creating roughly 10,000 jobs during construction, according to a city report, and an additional 2,500 jobs through property operations. Construction is expected to generate $1 billion.

    The development of the property includes the demolition of nearly 50,000 square feet of surface parking lots and industrial space.

    The project, which has been in the works since 2015, “provides a model of sustainable development for the whole region,” Krekorian said. “This is a game-changer for the Valley.”

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    Caroline Petrow-Cohen

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  • SoCal to Vegas in two hours? High-speed rail comes closer to reality with $3-billion award

    SoCal to Vegas in two hours? High-speed rail comes closer to reality with $3-billion award

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    A high-speed rail project between the Inland Empire and Las Vegas landed a $3-billion federal grant that sets it on track to be open by 2028, in time for the Olympic Games in Los Angeles, officials said Tuesday.

    Brightline, a private company that opened an intercity rail line connecting Miami and Orlando, Fla., this year, secured the U.S. Department of Transportation grant as part of the historic infrastructure package, Nevada‘s U.S. senators said. The rest of the funds for the $12-billion project are expected to be raised through private capital and bonds.

    The trip on the 218-mile electrified line from Rancho Cucamonga to Las Vegas will take just over two hours, with stops in Hesperia or Apple Valley, according to Brightline. The trains can reach speeds of 200 miles per hour. The company already has the federal permits, the labor agreements and the land — a swath in the wide median of Interstate 15 — to build the line. Construction is expected to begin early next year.

    In Southern California the line will connect to the Metrolink commuter train system, linking it directly to downtown Los Angeles. In Las Vegas, the terminus will be on the south end of Las Vegas Boulevard.

    The company operates the only high-speed private rail service in the United States and its rapid rise runs in stark contrast to California’s effort to build a high-speed rail between Los Angeles and the Bay Area, which has been mired by politics, cost overruns and delays.

    California submitted a separate $3-billion high- speed rail application that Gov. Newsom said in a letter to the White House would allow the state to complete an initial 119-mile segment in the Central Valley. Federal officials have not made any announcements on that project.

    The Brightline grant application was co-submitted with the Nevada Department of Transportation.

    “This is a historic moment that will serve as a foundation for a new industry, and a remarkable project that will serve as the blueprint for how we can repeat this model throughout the country,” said Wes Edens, founder and chairman of Brightline. “We’re ready to get to work to bring our vision of American-made, American-built, world class, state-of-the-art high-speed train travel to America.”

    Although Brightline did not get the full $3.7-billion package that it hoped for, the grant will ensure the project’s construction, officials said. The train is conceived as both a premium tourist train and a more traditional transportation link between Southern California and Las Vegas, two regions with deep ties. The company has said that passengers may ultimately be able to check into their Las Vegas hotels at the train station.

    “This historic high-speed rail project will be a game changer for Nevada’s tourism economy and transportation,” said Sen. Jacky Rosen (D-Nev). “It’ll bring more visitors to our state, reduce traffic on the I-15, create thousands of good-paying jobs and decrease carbon emissions, all while relying on local union labor.”

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    Rachel Uranga

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  • How to Make a Christmas Wreath from Scratch (With Video!)

    How to Make a Christmas Wreath from Scratch (With Video!)

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    Making a fresh wreath has quickly become one of my absolute favourite holiday traditions. Using greenery in your garden and neighbourhood, you can create a beautiful and local wreath to decorate your front door with. Here’s how to make a Christmas wreath for your home.

    Every year we like to hang a different Christmas wreath on our front door during the holidays. We’ve amassed a collection of wreaths to match the holiday season trends of red berries, Christmas ornaments, peacock feathers, and square-shaped boxwood, but my favourites are most certainly natural, fresh wreaths.

    A fresh wreath makes for an individual work of art that smells as good as it looks. Florists and garden centers are wonderful places to find one to suit any style, but if you are feeling adventurous, a homemade wreath made with garden clippings or purchased greens can be most gratifying.

    Given the current popularity of lateral space gardening, supplies are available for all sorts of wreath plantings. Evergreen, succulent, moss, and flower wreaths are beautiful micro gardens that will suit almost any style or climate. Care will vary depending on what type of planting you decide on, but many will last for months, if not years, with a couple of weekly squirts of a spray bottle.

    Let’s dive into how to make a Christmas wreath, shall we?

    Fresh wreath on light wooden doorFresh wreath on light wooden door
    I like to use lots of different foliage for tons of texture.

    Watch the Wreath Making Video!

    Follow along with me as I make one of my fresh wreaths from scratch.

    YouTube videoYouTube video

    How to Make a Christmas Wreath

    My go-to style is wild and local. I forage for all kinds of greenery beyond the traditional holly and pine (though I like those too!) and incorporate lots of colour in my wreath. The best part about learning how to make a Christmas wreath is that you can truly design it in your own style.

    Materials

    Make It!

    Step 1: Gather a variety of foliage, berries, twigs, pinecones, ribbons, and anything else you want to add to your wreath. Some of the evergreen cuttings that work very well are holly, cedar, cotoneaster, pine, pieris, boxwood, laurel, camellia, fir, cypress, and magnolia.

    I like to contrast needles with broad leaves and vary the colour, but a wreath made entirely of one type of foliage can be incredibly dramatic. Also, think about tucking in herbs like rosemary, sage, and lavender into the foliage to add another delightful aroma.

    how to make a Christmas wreath using a grapevine formhow to make a Christmas wreath using a grapevine form
    The size of your grapevine wreath will determine the size of your finished wreath.

    Step 2:  Using a grapevine wreath as your base (you can buy one or make your own), start by choosing a firm branch with a stem that is thick enough that it will not bend easily. Add other cuttings of different foliage on top and gather the bunch in your hand. Snip off any long stems.

    Bundling fresh evergreens to make a wreathBundling fresh evergreens to make a wreath
    Save time by making all your small clippings ahead of time.

    Step 3: Using the twine, wrap around the bunch and the grapevine wreath together a few times until secured. For the first bunch, tie a knot in the twine to hold it in place, but do not cut the end of the twine.

    Adding fresh greens to a wreath formAdding fresh greens to a wreath form
    Wrap around the bunch a few times first, then wrap the bunch to the grapevine wreath.

    Step 4: Gather a second bunch of foliage. Lay this bunch, overlapping the twine of the first, securing the first bunch to the wreath. Wrap twine around the base of the new bunch a few times and set it down.

    Adding bundles to a wreathAdding bundles to a wreath
    Overlap in different directions for a more natural look.

    Continue adding foliage to the wreath by overlapping the previous bunch and securing it with twine until there are no more gaps to fill.

    A DIY fresh wreathA DIY fresh wreath
    Use different foliage in different bunches to mix things up.

    Step 5: Secure the final bunch by gently lifting the foliage from the first bunch and tucking the stems underneath it. Secure with twine and tie off the final bunch with a few knots.

    how to make a fresh Christmas wreathhow to make a fresh Christmas wreath
    Use your first bunch to hide the twine of your last bunch.

    Step 6: Now, take a last look at the wreath. You can tuck in a few more greens to even out the design or add a few embellishments such as pinecones (using florist wire to attach them), berries, ribbons, or even ornaments. Feel free to prune unruly parts as well.

    How to make a fresh wreathHow to make a fresh wreath
    You can always add more and prune afterward.

    Step 7: Hang and enjoy!

    An easy homemade Christmas wreathAn easy homemade Christmas wreath
    Your wreath is ready to welcome guests!

    FAQ About Making a Christmas Wreath

    How long will a fresh wreath last?

    I make my wreath in November, and it lasts until March. I live in Vancouver, so it’s pretty rainy and moist outside to keep the wreath hydrated.

    Is there anything you can do to make a fresh wreath last longer?

    I don’t do anything extra for my wreath, but if you live in a warm and dry climate, you can try misting your wreath daily with water. Before making your wreath, let your clippings sit in water for a few hours to get hydrated before you trim them.

    There are also spray preservatives you can use to help keep your wreath hydrated.

    Can I keep a fresh wreath indoors?

    It will dry out more quickly indoors with the heat, but you can certainly keep it indoors.

    Can you make a fresh wreath using yew?

    Yew is toxic and can lose its needles really fast. It’s one of the few I recommend skipping in this post.

    Can I use wire instead of twine to make a fresh wreath?

    I like twine (it’s compostable!), but wire should also work fine. Use whatever you have on hand.

    fresh Christmas wreathfresh Christmas wreath

    The final word on making a perfect wreath: just have fun with it. Experimenting with different foliage will allow the wreath to become traditional or modern, contained or wild, themed or every day.

    A special thanks to the wonderful neighbourhood gals who provided all the foliage, wine, and treats that go along with the annual wreath-making afternoon.

    More Ideas for Christmas Decor

    How to Make a Christmas Wreath

    Make a fresh wreath using greenery from your own garden and neighbourhood.

    • Gather all of your clippings and separate them into groups. Holly, cedar, pine, fir, cypress, laurel, magnolia, boxwood, camellia, and pieris are all good options.

    • Choose a firm branch with a thick stem for the base, and add a couple more different foliage on top. Snip any long stems.

    • Wrap around the base of the bundle a couple of times with the twine before securing it to the grapevine wreath and wrapping the twine around the wreath. Tie a knot to hold it in place. Do not cut the twine.

    • Repeat the last step, overlapping bundles all the way around the wreath.

    • Secure the final bunch by gently lifting the first bunch and tucking the stems underneath it. Secure it with the twine and tie it before cutting it.

    • Hang the wreath and prune any unruly parts. Add decorations if you want or leave it as is.

    YouTube videoYouTube video

    How to Make an Evergreen WreathHow to Make an Evergreen Wreath

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    Stephanie Rose

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  • Sunset Boulevard may be getting its own sphere, but don’t call it that

    Sunset Boulevard may be getting its own sphere, but don’t call it that

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    Sunset Boulevard might be getting its own orb-like structure that doubles as a billboard and broadcasting space, but the project is not trying to be the next Sphere. The Las Vegas venue has its ginormous globular eye on it.

    The proposed project was previously named “The Sphere,” but its legal spokesperson, Wayne Avrashow, told The Times his clients were contacted by representatives of Sphere in Las Vegas, “who informed us that there was the potential of conflict and confusion.”

    Avrashow said his clients would, as a result, change the name of the project, though they haven’t yet landed on a new moniker.

    “We will do that internally and in consultation with the city,” Avrashow said.

    In a statement to The Times, Sphere Entertainment said, “We will defend our products against any entity that purposefully tries to steal our IP and trade off of Sphere’s worldwide recognition.”

    Similar names aside, Sphere is a dome-shaped structure and Vegas’ newest performance venue, and the West Hollywood project is spherical in shape. Sphere’s outer shell is an LED screen that displays images of a blinking eyeball, the Earth and artificial-intelligence-generated art by Refik Anadol.

    The Las Vegas building reaches 366 feet high and 516 feet wide. The West Hollywood structure would be a great deal smaller, at 49 feet in diameter.

    If approved, the new structure would sit between the Pendry West Hollywood and Best Western hotels on 8410 Sunset Blvd.

    The project is still in its early stages. It’s undergoing review by the city of West Hollywood’s Sunset Boulevard Arts & Advertising subcommittee.

    Included in the proposed development are three billboards. Two would be placed on the surface of the circular structure, replacing two digital billboards currently at the site; the third is described as a “discreet vertical billboard.”

    According to the project documents, the orb would be built onto an existing apartment building whose entrance is on De Longpre Avenue, which runs parallel to Sunset Boulevard.

    The proposed glass sphere would have “exterior pedestrian-oriented amenities and interior spaces built around broadcasting in real time.”

    The structure itself would have three levels and hover eight feet above a privately owned public-oriented plaza at the ground level, with an existing basement level below.

    It’s proposed that two of the three levels house a green room and rooms for broadcasting and podcasting.

    The next steps for the project are further review by the Arts & Advertising subcommittee in January, where applicants are expected to provide information on topics including potential light pollution from the project and how the building would be maintained.

    Then the project eventually would go before the city planning commission and City Council.

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    Karen Garcia

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  • A new SoCal underground water storage project aims to keep supplies flowing during drought

    A new SoCal underground water storage project aims to keep supplies flowing during drought

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    A solution to help bolster Southern California’s water outlook during future droughts is taking shape in the Mojave Desert. Water transported in canals and pipelines has begun flowing into a series of basins carved into the desert, filling a large underground reservoir that will be available to draw upon in dry times.

    The facility, called the High Desert Water Bank, started taking in supplies from the State Water Project last month. Water diverted from the East Branch of the California Aqueduct has been flowing through a 7-foot-wide pipeline and gushing into one of the basins, where it gradually percolates into the desert soil and recharges the groundwater.

    Newly drilled wells will allow for water to be pumped out of the aquifer when needed to supply cities and suburbs throughout Southern California.

    The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California is spending $211 million to build the facility. The district’s officials say the project is a vital step in improving the region’s water infrastructure to adapt to climate change.

    “We know that climate change will bring more of the dramatic swings between wet and dry that we saw over the last few years, so we must take every opportunity to store water when it is available,” said Adán Ortega Jr., chair of the MWD board.

    Aggressive and impactful reporting on climate change, the environment, health and science.

    The agency already stores water underground in other areas, but the High Desert Water Bank represents the MWD’s largest investment in groundwater storage to date.

    The district developed the facility working with the Antelope Valley-East Kern Water Agency, which owns the property near Lancaster.

    After three years of construction, the initial phase of the project has allowed the district to take advantage of the plentiful water from this year’s historic storms. And more water could be coming with the current strong El Niño, which has brought forecasts of another wet winter.

    Water fills a recharge basin at the new High Desert Water Bank near Lancaster.

    Water fills one of the recharge basins at the High Desert Water Bank near Lancaster, where the Metropolitan Water District is starting to store water underground for cities across Southern California.

    (Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)

    There is enough aquifer space in the Antelope Valley groundwater basin to store up to 280,000 acre-feet of water, comparable to the capacity of Castaic Lake and nearly four times the size of Big Bear Lake.

    The facility, which is scheduled to be fully built in 2027, will allow the MWD to put in or withdraw up to 70,000 acre-feet of water per year — enough for about 210,000 average households.

    With this much additional storage in place, Ortega said, “we can confront the next drought with more confidence.”

    By increasing the district’s ability to store and withdraw water along the aqueduct, the project provides the state’s largest urban water supplier greater flexibility and a valuable backup supply to adapt to more extreme cycles of drought and wet weather.

    The district’s managers said having the water bank will ensure more reliable supplies during severe droughts like the one during the last three years, when supplies from Northern California were drastically cut, forcing mandatory water restrictions for nearly 7 million people.

    By banking more backup supplies, the project is also intended to help Southern California reduce reliance on the overburdered Colorado River, where depleted reservoirs remain at low levels.

    “When drought hits California, we can turn to this stored water, instead of drawing more heavily on our Colorado River supplies,” MWD General Manager Adel Hagekhalil said.

    Hagekhalil and other officials spoke this past week at an event inaugurating the facility. As they spoke beneath a tent, water gushed into the pond behind them, creating a fountain-like upwelling in the wind-rippled surface.

    At a turnout facility on the California Aqueduct, water flows into the newly built High Desert Water Bank.

    At a turnout facility on the California Aqueduct, water flows into the newly built High Desert Water Bank in the Antelope Valley. The water percolates underground to be stored for Southern California’s cities.

    (Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)

    “Climate change is upon us,” Hagekhalil said. “We need to have creative new tools, holistic solutions.”

    Hagekhalil noted that the district is developing a new climate adaptation master plan, focusing on building more flexibility into the region’s water system to improve reliability of supplies. He said storing more water underground will be one piece of the district’s climate adaptation efforts in the coming years, along with recycling wastewater and cleaning up contaminated groundwater.

    “It’s finding new ways to take water when we have it during wet years and put it in the ground, so we can have access to it when we have dry conditions,” Hagekhalil said. “This is the future of water management in the 21st century.”

    Water has been flowing into the facility from the California Aqueduct since mid-September. By the end of the year, the district estimates it will have stored about 12,000 acre-feet in the groundwater basin, enough to meet the annual needs of about 36,000 average households.

    Managers of the Antelope Valley-East Kern Water Agency (AVEK) said this part of the High Desert is well-suited for storing water underground. The 1,300-acre property includes vacant land and farm fields that were left dry and abandoned years ago.

    As work crews have built recharge basins, they have removed old irrigation systems.

    Farms in the valley have produced a variety of crops, such as hay, peaches, carrots and onions, but falling groundwater levels and increased costs for imported water have led to a decline in agriculture. The Antelope Valley groundwater basin is managed under a 2015 court ruling, which regulates pumping to manage supplies and address the long-term declines in aquifer levels.

    “Our groundwater supplies, they’ve diminished. And thank goodness for these water banks,” said George Lane, president of the Antelope Valley agency’s board. “It will raise the water table. … It was completely overdrafted for a number of years.”

    The Metropolitan Water District will be able to recover 90% of the water it stores at the site, paying the Antelope Valley agency when it withdraws water.

    Evaporation losses and water that will be left underground will account for the remaining 10%, said Matthew Knudson, general manager of AVEK.

    So far, crews have finished building six recharge basins to receive water. When finished, the water bank will have 26 recharge basins covering about 600 acres, and 27 wells for recovering water from the aquifer.

    The groundwater is tainted with toxic arsenic, so the project will also require building a facility to treat the water before sending it flowing back into the California Aqueduct.

    Geese gather in a groundwater recharge pond at the High Desert Water Bank near Lancaster.

    Geese gather by the groundwater recharge basin at the High Desert Water Bank near Lancaster, where the Metropolitan Water District has begun storing water in the desert aquifer.

    (Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)

    The agencies plan for water levels to rise and fall as supplies are deposited and withdrawn. Groundwater levels at the site now range from about 260 feet to 280 feet underground, and will be allowed to rise as high as 75 feet underground at full capacity.

    When water is pumped back into the aqueduct, it will flow into the MWD’s delivery system. The district supplies drinking water for 19 million people in six counties from San Diego to Ventura.

    Ortega praised the agencies’ collaborative efforts on the project, saying the High Desert Water Bank is an example of “the kinds of partnerships that we’re going to need to establish throughout the state as climate change forces us to become more interdependent.”

    One big plus, Ortega said, is that the underground storage facility is coming online “in time to take advantage of this historically wet year.”

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    Ian James

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  • L.A. City Council approves new West L.A. homeless facility

    L.A. City Council approves new West L.A. homeless facility

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    A homeless housing project in West L.A., backed by Mayor Karen Bass and opposed by some neighborhood groups because of its proximity to residential homes, was approved by the Los Angeles City Council on Friday.

    The council, with exception of one member who was absent, voted unanimously in favor of the 33-bed facility on a city-owned parking lot at Midvale Avenue and Pico Boulevard, across from the former Westside Pavilion. The council also decided that the project is exempt from a comprehensive environmental review.

    Bass, Councilmember Katy Yaroslavsky and other supporters argue the project will provide relief for the area’s unhoused population. It will also help the city comply with a legal settlement that requires it to add beds.

    “The citywide issue of homelessness deserves a citywide response,” Bass said in a statement Friday. “We must continue to do all that we can to bring unhoused Angelenos inside and I thank Councilmember Yaroslavsky and the City Council for continuing the work to urgently confront the homelessness crisis.”

    Yaroslavsky spoke ahead of the vote, promising residents and business owners who opposed the project that she would secure additional parking before breaking ground and would also develop a neighborhood safety plan with the Los Angeles Police Department and local homeless service providers.

    “But let me be absolutely very clear, we need these beds,” said Yaroslavsky, who represents the area. “I know 33 beds doesn’t seem like a lot, because in all honesty, it’s not. It’s not nearly enough, considering the emergency we’re in right now.”

    Right now, Yaroslavsky said, fewer than 100 of the city’s 16,000 homeless beds are in her district.

    “What this means for my constituents, not only in Westwood but across the entire district, is that when we are trying to resolve an encampment and bring people inside, off the street and into housing, it’s nearly impossible,” she said.

    The facility, which is projected to cost nearly $4.6 million, will include “sleeping cabins” with restrooms in each unit. There will also be on-site laundry facilities, storage bins and office space, according to a report from the city’s Bureau of Engineering. It’s expected to open in about a year, Yaroslavsky told The Times.

    She said residents will have access to mental health and substance use disorder specialists, employment assistance and help finding permanent housing. There will be 24-hour security on-site. Most of the beds will be reserved for people who have ties to the area.

    The Westside Neighborhood Council voted last week to oppose the project because it would be near homes and businesses along Pico Boulevard. The group also expressed “dismay that other sites were not being evaluated as alternatives.”

    Controversy over the proposed facility ratcheted up earlier this week when Bass abruptly removed the president of the Transportation Commission days after he led his colleagues in delaying a vote on an environmental review waiver.

    At a commission meeting, President Eric Eisenberg had expressed concern about the waiver and asked for a delay so the panel could hear more about the project from city representatives.

    On Monday, Eisenberg said, he was informed by the mayor’s office that he was no longer a commissioner. Bass’ office has declined to explain why she removed Eisenberg.

    At a special meeting on Wednesday, the Transportation Commission — now operating without Eisenberg — approved the waiver.

    Bass has made reducing homelessness her top issue. Her Inside Safe initiative seeks to quickly move unhoused Angelenos into motels and hotels, and she has ordered city departments to hasten the construction of affordable housing and shelters.

    Eisenberg, in a statement he provided to The Times, said he wasn’t convinced the project should be exempt from review under the California Environmental Quality Act.

    A “project of thirty small homes, with sewage, plumbing lines, and trash disposal, [could] cause a situation, where the benefits of the project do not outweigh the hazards to the community,” he wrote.

    Barbara Broide, a neighborhood council member, urged the City Council at a committee hearing on the project earlier this month to look at different sites, including one on Cotner Avenue.

    “We’re here to tell you this is the wrong location,” Broide said. “It’s a good project for another place.”

    Broide was one of several residents who hoped to address the City Council before Friday’s vote. But the council did not allow comments until afterward.

    “I just wanted the council to know that it has shredded the faith that dozens of my neighbors have in their government,” said Meg Sullivan, who lives in the council district. “They came here today to let you know their very reasonable concerns, which I share, about putting housing on a much-needed public lot on Midvale, and yet they were not able to speak.”

    Margaret Gillespie, a member of the Westside Neighborhood Assn., spoke in support of the project.

    “I want to thank Councilmember Yaroslavsky for her leadership on this very difficult issue. It’s difficult because of all the misinformation that circulates and the false narratives about the homeless,” she said. “I support the project because 25 of the 30 units are reserved for people who live here.”

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    Dakota Smith, Ruben Vives

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  • Real Estate Investing: How To Find A Partner For Your Business Plan

    Real Estate Investing: How To Find A Partner For Your Business Plan

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    If you know what type of asset class you want to invest in and have found an opportunity, you’ll want to put together a business plan. This can include where the property is located, how you plan to improve it, and details related to the project. Once you have formulated the business plan, you might consider bringing in a partner—especially if you don’t have experience in real estate investing.

    Since commercial properties typically have starting prices in the millions of dollars, new investors frequently struggle to gather the needed capital to make an acquisition. Rather than trying to figure it out alone, bringing on a great partner can help resolve these initial funding obstacles. If you connect with someone who has a track record of accomplishments and relationships with investors and lenders, it could be the perfect way to step into the game. Moreover, you’ll benefit from their experience and can pick up insight as you go through the investment process.

    Use these guidelines as you search for a partner who can help you break in and achieve more in the commercial real estate space.

    Research Noteworthy Players

    Look to see which investors, operators, and developers are actively carrying out projects that are similar to yours. Check online, read trade publications, and review what’s trading. Make a note of anyone you see who is already doing the type of project you want to emulate.

    Oftentimes an established professional who is doing a larger project might be interested in the idea of bringing on a junior partner to do the day-to-day business on smaller deals. Suppose you’re looking to convert mixed use properties in Brooklyn. Maybe you’re considering a 10-unit multifamily with a store. There could be a developer who is doing a project involving 100 units with five stores. You could ask if they would consider partnering with you for a smaller arrangement. Offer to take care of the daily tasks and help with what’s needed.

    Leverage Your Deal Team

    Reach out to professionals you’ve worked with, including your attorney, mortgage broker, and investment sales broker. Tell them you’re looking for a partner for a potential project. Check if they have other clients or know developers who might be interested in hearing about your business plan. Your deal team could provide the inner track to get you connected with the right person.

    Get Involved in Organizations

    Many cities have real estate associations—check your area to see what’s available at a local level. Look for national organizations and tap resources like Bisnow to see how you can connect. I helped found the Colgate Real Estate Council at my alma mater as a place where alumni, students, parents, faculty, and staff can connect with others in the real estate industry. Check alumni groups from your years of education, as they may open doors and lead to potential partners. Also review your social media channels and groups—sites like LinkedIn can be a powerful tool. Start following influencers who share information and updates on commercial real estate in your area; also reach out to others who share your same interests.

    Vet Real Estate Professionals

    As you evaluate a potential partner, follow up on references they provide. Then go a step further and research their background and transactions. Find the lenders and brokers they worked with in the past and ask questions to see what they were like when doing business. Keep in mind that not every transaction has optimal results. Sometimes it’s equally as important to see how someone acted when things didn’t go as planned. Integrity goes a long way in this space, and you’ll want to work with others who have a stellar reputation (which will help you as you build your own too!).

    Meet in Person

    While it’s easy to connect digitally today, there’s really no substitute for meeting someone in person and getting a feel for them. You’ll be able to identify what their values are and how they will act as a partner. You want to understand their traits and skills so you know exactly who you’ll be working with as you go into a deal. While expertise and a history of high-performing projects plays a role, the way they achieved their success is far more important.

    When I started in real estate, I built a couple of strong relationships that have lasted for decades. In fact, throughout my 25-year career I have relied on these personal connections, as they have led to some of the best long-term deals that have outperformed the market. As you move ahead, choose a partner wisely—if done well, you can create a working relationship that is maintained in deal after deal.

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    James Nelson, Contributor

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  • Investment Decisions In Today’s Development Market

    Investment Decisions In Today’s Development Market

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    Investors looking at development opportunities may face obstacles this year as speculation about a recession looms and interest rates rise. The market uncertainty and shifting demand could cause extensive delays or abandoned developments. Property developers, who are the parties that oversee the project, will need to make tough decisions ahead.

    If you’re thinking about investing in a development project, there can be higher returns, but a lot more risk too. In this article of the series, “Making Investing Decisions in Today’s Real Estate Market,” we’ll go over some of the factors that need to be weighed as you consider development investments. (See the first, second, third, and fourth articles of the series.) Keep these in mind as you peruse land for sale.

    Look at entitlement requirements: Getting entitlement refers to the legal process you’ll need to go through to obtain a city’s approval for your project. Some places, such as New York City, grant a right of development which allows you to build without seeking entitlements. Still, there could be a variety of issues and complications that arise. You might face restrictions in historic districts or neighborhoods near transportation infrastructure, which could ultimately make it difficult to build. Bring in zoning and transactional counsel when going through the approval process. To avoid risk, you might look for projects that are already fully entitled.

    Be aware of environmental issues: Is it possible to build on the land you buy, based on the soil’s consistency? Will your project interfere with environmental codes in the region? You’ll need a Phase 1 Environmental Site Assessment, which will research the history of the project. If there is reason to believe that contamination is possible, you may need a Phase 2 Environmental Site Assessment. This step involves soil samples. Gather good counsel for this, as making a clean environmental report (or at least capping the exposure) will be essential in a contract.

    Recognize capital for development is key: Even if you create a timeline for your business plan, delays for approvals and supplies could lead to long wait periods. Unexpected costs might increase your forecasted financial needs. If you are not properly capitalized, and you borrow money or commit to paying returns to a group of investors, it could drain the cash flow of the project.

    That said, some savvy investors do look to get sites tied up, meaning they put soft deposits on contracts that are contingent on approvals. If you’re able to do this, and you’re willing to speculate the cost to get entitlements and approvals, that could be a way to come out ahead. You might sell or flip the contract to get a return. (However, remember there is no guarantee in this space!)

    Know that lenders will be careful: Getting financing can be especially tough in today’s market. Lenders tend to be very cautious about the riskiest types of real estate investing, meaning they will often only look to provide construction financing for the most experienced and credited developers. Oftentimes, the construction loans require personal guarantees. For a private individual, this could be catastrophic if the project falls through. It’s essential to consult your attorney before moving forward. Also check with a mortgage broker to understand the realities of financing in today’s market.

    Ask about incentives for development: If your city or state offers assistance for projects, it can open doors to opportunities and ease the cost burden. In some markets, these perks are virtually a requirement to get started. For instance, with the current land prices in New York City, it can be tough to make the numbers work for rental development without a tax abatement. Other municipalities might have pilot programs or incentives based on your project’s plan to support public infrastructure.

    In certain pro development markets, such as Houston, it could be easier to build. However, that also creates a chance for a neighboring developer to step in and compete with your project. Oftentimes it’s helpful if there’s income in place, such as from a parking operator or short-term retail tenants. In these cases, make sure the leases are all cancellable so they don’t hold up your development.

    Finally, remember that when you’re investing in a development project, it’s not a question of where the market is today. You’ll want to be looking two to three years down the road, when the project is ready to bring to market. It can be difficult to predict the future, but if you’re in a supplied constrained market and you deliver the right product at the right time, it can lead to a very successful project.

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    James Nelson, Contributor

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  • Austin Pets Alive! | Where is Charlie Now? Our 1,000th Pet Transport

    Austin Pets Alive! | Where is Charlie Now? Our 1,000th Pet Transport

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    Apr 19, 2021

    When the winter storm hit a few months back, a lot of shelters in Texas were facing one of the hardest decisions they had to make. They needed to get their animals out to a safe shelter or be left with the choice that no shelter ever wants to make, euthanasia. A lot of these shelters are in rural parts of the state where the kennels are outside and their access to resources is always limited, especially during a weather crisis. That is when Austin Pets Alive! and our national division, American Pets Alive!, sprang into action. We made it our mission to get 1,000 pets out of Texas safely to shelters all across the United States. In a matter of just four weeks, we hit our goal with our 1,000th pet being an adorable cat named Charlie.

    Charlie traveled all the way from Loredo, TX to KC Pet Project in Kansas. His journey up north was made special by having a first-class seat in a private plane flown by our volunteer pilot friend, David Nelson. Once he landed at KC Pet Project, it was only a matter of days until he found his forever home. We took a moment to hear from his adopter, Kathryn, to see how our 1,000th pet is doing.

    It turns out that Kathryn and her husband are both originally from Texas so adopting Charlie who came from Texas as well felt like it was a perfect fit. “We felt like he was our cat from the moment we saw him. Knowing we came from the same place just cemented that feeling.”


    You might be wondering what made them choose KC Pet Project and why they felt now was the right time to adopt. It turns out after mourning the cat that they had for over 18 years who died in 2020, they were ready to bring another family member into their life in 2021. They are an “adopt don’t shop” type of family so Kathryn said going to KC Pet Project was a no-brainer. “Their mission and their compassion made them the perfect place for us.”

    “Charlie (as my husband and I call him), “Fluffy Ball”(as my 5 YO calls him), is full of energy and has brought a lot of humor to our house,” Kathryn gushed when asked about what their family loves about Charlie. “As a 7-month-old cat, he bounces around the house constantly, nipping at our legs when we walk by, chasing toys and balls, jumping on beds… so that has been a source of enjoyment for all of us. He is also extremely gentle and patient with our daughter. She gets in his face, kisses him constantly, follows him around, and he is totally gentle with her and never seems to get tired of her attention.”

    It’s clear that Charlie is now living the good life with his new family in Kansas City, surrounded by love and affection every single day. It’s heartbreaking to think what his future would have been if he didn’t get the chance to be transported to KC Pet Project, which is why Kathryn wanted to leave you all with this message. “Adopt, don’t shop! There are so many wonderful animals that need a good home. Also, VOLUNTEER! KC Pet Project has wonderful volunteers and plenty of opportunities for individuals and families to volunteer at their beautiful facilities. Make it your mission to make a difference in animals’ lives, whether through adoption or volunteering at the organizations who help them.”

    Austin Pets Alive! is always in need of volunteers, and there are various ways you can do so! From walking dogs to feeding bottle baby kittens, to even transporting pets like Charlie from rural shelters to our doors here in Austin; the list is endless. If you are reading this from the Kansas City area, you can find all of KC Pet Project’s volunteer information on their website as well. We wish Charlie a happily ever after with his new family!

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  • Gordie Howe Sports Complex Teams Up With Tarkett Sports to Create One of Canada’s Most Impressive Community Sports Centers

    Gordie Howe Sports Complex Teams Up With Tarkett Sports to Create One of Canada’s Most Impressive Community Sports Centers

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    Gordie Howe Sports Complex in Saskatoon grows to serve more athletes with the help of FieldTurf, Beynon Sports & Playteck Enterprises.


    SASKATOON, Saskatchewan, February 8, 2018 (Newswire.com)
    –
    One of Canada’s largest, most ambitious and popular, year-round, community sports complexes is receiving a massive upgrade; setting itself up as a leading example for communities worldwide.

    The improvements will elevate the Gordie Howe Sports Complex, in Saskatoon, to a legendary level of public amenities and extend a strong relationship with the Tarkett Sports family – FieldTurf, Beynon Sports & Playteck Enterprises. Included in the upgrade will be a conversion to premium FieldTurf surfaces (including Canada’s first outdoor FieldTurf CORE sports field); adding a winter speed skating oval that converts into a summer outdoor Beynon track by Playteck Enterprises; plus, new indoor and outdoor baseball and softball diamonds, and much more.

    “Our history with the Saskatoon sports community goes back to 2005 when we first installed our playing fields at the SaskTel Soccer Centre. Over the years, this relationship has continued to grow and in 2014 we were delighted to build our first FieldTurf Revolution field at the Gordie Howe Sports Complex,” said Eric Daliere, President, Tarkett Sports. “Led by the Friends of the Bowl, this community is leveraging the combined strengths of our Tarkett family by utilizing the unique features in every product we offer; from the debut of our CORE system to the use of FieldTurf Armour to create a winter speed skating track on top of an outdoor Beynon IAAF certified athletic running track – this is a dream project for us.”

    Strong community support spearheaded by the visionary leaders of the Friends of the Bowl has experienced significant financial donations from multiple donors and has been encouraged by a supportive Saskatoon City Council.

    “Whereas our Mission with the ‘Friends of the Bowl’ is to improve all sporting facilities within the Gordie Howe Sports Complex for the benefit of all citizens of Saskatoon, we are thrilled to be partnering with FieldTurf, Beynon Sports, Playteck Enterprises and its various product lines to ensure that we have the very best of sports surfaces in all areas to be used by all for many years to come,” stated Bryan Kostersoski, Chairperson.

    In total, multiple sporting activities will be featured at the Gordie Howe Sports Complex, including football (tackle, flag and touch), soccer, softball, baseball, speed skating, cross-country skiing, track and field, ultimate frisbee, hockey, rugby and lacrosse.

    Upgrading the existing facilities at the complex will continue to allow the hosting of future national and international sports championships, now in even more activities than ever before.

    Details of newly added features include:

    • Canada’s first outdoor FieldTurf CORE system. The world’s first multi-layer, dual-polymer turf fiber will debut at the Gordie Howe Sports Complex.
    • New, indoor, 60,000 square foot multi-sport training center featuring Beynon Sports PolyTurf flooring for weightlifting spaces and general areas, plus indoor FieldTurf fields for softball/baseball infield diamonds.
    • New Beynon Sports BSS 2000 track and field surface built to Class II IAAF certification standards will be one of the largest and most prestigious athletic facilities across Canada. This unique, 400-meter track with all associated field events as well, will convert to a speed skating oval for use by the skating community throughout the winter months.
    • Two all-weather, year-round, outdoor FieldTurf baseball infields.
    • Batting cages, both indoor and outdoor.

    The complex was originally created as part of an existing city park and renamed and expanded to honor “Mr. Hockey”, the legendary Gordie Howe, a native son of Saskatoon. From 1946 to 1980, Howe played twenty-six seasons in the National Hockey League and six seasons in the World Hockey Association; his first 25 seasons were spent with the Detroit Red Wings. The support of the Howe family with this city complex continues to this day. Construction on the new additions to the complex begin in April and scheduled for completion by late 2018.

    More about the products slated for the Gordie Howe Sports Complex:

    FieldTurf CORE is the world’s first multi-layer dual-polymer fiber. Engineered as the premier system, CORE is designed to deliver a more realistic, textured, grass-like shape with optimal durability and resilience. The system is constructed to deliver the highest fiber performance and resiliency available on the market. CORE is designed to provide elite high schools, high-level collegiate programs and professional teams with a system that exceeds even FieldTurf’s current industry-leading products.

    Beynon Sports BSS 2000 This Olympic-caliber track system is designed to deliver safe daily training and still be exceptionally fast on race day. The track features a force reduction layer of high-performance butyl rubber and full-depth color polyurethane, finished with Beynon’s specialized Hobart Texture™, engineered to eliminate the EPDM granule migration found in traditional embedded track systems.

    Beynon Sports PolyTurf Plus is a seamless sports flooring option, manufactured by Beynon Sports. This polyurethane pad and pour system is formulated for superior durability, precise game line markings, and fast installation. PolyTurf Plus Pad and Pour is also GREENGUARD Gold certified, representing a higher standard of indoor air quality. It is an excellent solution for schools and physical training areas.

    FieldTurf Armour Designed to minimize wear and damage to your track & field surface. FieldTurf Armour protects against surface abrasion, surface and base compaction and contamination of the turf and the infill, as a result of event attendee traffic.

    ABOUT FIELDTURF

    When it comes to artificial turf sports fields, FieldTurf is the most trusted brand in the industry. Whether it’s football, soccer, baseball or any other sport, FieldTurf fields provide athletes with the safety and performance they need to perform at their best, while giving field owners the durability they want to maximize the value of their investment. FieldTurf is the world leader in artificial turf with over 20,000 installations worldwide.

    ABOUT BEYNON SPORTS & PLAYTECK

    Beynon Sports, the leader in track surfacing, is represented in Canada by Playteck Enterprises. Playteck has been installing, innovating and transforming the Canadian track market over the last 30 years. Alongside their nation-leading 5 Class II IAAF certified tracks, Playteck is the trusted supplier of University of Alberta, the University of Guelph, University of Victoria, Canada Games Center at the University of Prince Edward Island, Foothills Athletic Park in Calgary and countless University and College projects in Canada.

    ABOUT TARKETT

    Tarkett is a global leader in innovative and sustainable solutions for flooring and sports surfaces. Offering a wide range of products including vinyl, linoleum, carpet, rubber, wood & laminate, synthetic turf and athletic tracks, the Group serves customers in more than 100 countries worldwide. With 12,000 employees and 34 industrial sites, Tarkett sells 1.3 million square meters of flooring every day, for hospitals, schools, housing, hotels, offices, stores and sports fields. Committed to sustainable development, the Group has implemented an eco-innovation strategy and promotes circular economy. Tarkett is listed on Euronext Paris (compartment A, ticker TKTT, ISIN: FR0004188670). www.tarkett.com

    Source: FieldTurf & Beynon Sports

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