New Tower Slated for Battery Park City

A group including the Sheldrake Organization, Plaza Construction Corporation and RW Consultants Inc. were selected by the Hugh L. Cary Battery Park City Authority Board of Directors to erect another "green"residential tower on its last waterfront site.

The building will be approximately 30 stories tall and contain more than 300 units. It will also have 26,000 sq. ft. of ground floor space to be used as public space including a new home for Poets House. The new 537,400-sq.-ft. building, slated for Site 16/17, is located on the Hudson River, bordered on the north by Murray Street, the east by North End Avenue, the south by Vesey Street and the west by River Terrace.

Site 16/17 will be the fifth site developed under the authority's green development guidelines and with a 45,000-sq.-ft. footprint. The tower will sit between the Irish Hunger Memorial and Teardrop Park.

Stamford Project Breaks Ground

Ground was broken for the Mill River House, the first large-scale luxury condominium development in downtown Stamford, Conn. in over 20 years.

The developers of the project are River House Associates LLC, a Stamford, Conn.-based real estate development firm owned by developers Seth Weinstein and Paxton and Ray Kinol. Built on 1.5 acres, the 92-unit condominium located on West Broad Street at the corner of Hanrahan Street, will be the first significant private development to be built under Stamford's recently instituted Mill River Corridor Plan and Design District that encourages development along the Mill River.

Starting prices for the units will begin in the low $300,000 range for a two-bedroom, two-bathroom unit and up to $500,000 for a duplex three-bedroom unit. Sixty percent of the condominiums have already been pre-sold.

Hill to Oversee Roosevelt Island Project

Hill International, Inc. has been awarded a contract by the Roosevelt Island Operating Corporation to provide owner's representative services in connection with the design and construction of the Octagon Development.

The Octagon Development is a planned 500-unit residential complex which will involve the historic renovation of the 31,000-sq.-ft. Octagon Building, originally constructed in 1842, and the construction of two new residential wings. The new wings will each be 12 stories plus a penthouse. Hill's services as owner's representative on behalf of the RIOC will include design review, project management and construction administration.

Brooklyn Hospital Project Breaks Ground

Construction started on the $118 million major modernization project at Maimonides Medical Center at 48th Street and Fort Hamilton Parkway in Brooklyn.

The new 9-story building, which will be completed in early 2007, is the centerpiece of the project. The new building, to be located on the northeastern corner of the main campus, will be accompanied by related renovation of the adjacent affected structures. Together, these projects will result in an enlargement of surgery facilities (both ambulatory and inpatient), new and improved state-of-the-art medical technologies, and the reorganization and enlargement of Maimonides' Center of Excellence, including the Cardiac Institute, the Women's and Children's Center, the Emergency Department and inpatient nursing units.

Reckson to Move Forward With Office Project

Reckson Associates Realty Corp. plans to begin ground-up development of a 277,000-sq.-ft. Class A office building, for a total anticipated investment estimated at approximately $60 million.

The new building at 68 South Service Road in Melville will complete the final phase of Reckson Executive Park. It will be across from the company's recently constructed and leased 58 South Service Road, completing the three-building, 681,000-sq.-ft. Class A office park.

Reckson's decision to begin construction reflects the company's confidence in the Long Island economy and commercial real estate market.

Mixed Use for Old GM Plant

Design is complete on Englewood Commons, a mixed use rental, retail and office project planned for a former General Motors site in Englewood, N.J. Construction of the apartments and retail buildings will take place over the next two years. The starting date for construction on the 12-story, 200-sq-ft office building has not been announced. The project is being developed by S. Hekemian Kasparian Troast LLC of Paramus, N.J., and was designed by Minno & Wasko Architects and Planners of Lambertville, N.J.

MAST Tops Off Culinary Arts Building

The $25 million Culinary Arts Institute and Conference Center in Jersey City, N.J., was topped last summer, passing an important milestone in the 73,000 sq. ft. project underway on the Journal Square campus of Hudson County Community College. The five-story, Georgian Revival Style building, designed by Rivardo, Schnitzer and Capazzi, will support the College's culinary arts and hospitality programs. It includes eight kitchens, conference center, banquet facility, classrooms, offices and work spaces. MAST Construction Services, Inc., of Little Falls, N.J., which is construction manager for the project, anticipates an early 2006 completion.

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