Scroll down to read our most recent Hot Topics. LOCAL | July 28, 2021 The Moorestown (Burlington County) Township Council has approved first reading of a plan to redevelop the 84-acre Moorestown Mall, creating 1,065 multifamily units and a hotel. The redevelopment will take place in three phases: Public hearing and final approval are scheduled for the agenda of the August 9 Council meeting. NATIONAL | July 28, 2021 Of 358 metro areas, 101 (28%) marked declining or stagnating construction employment numbers in June compared to pre-pandemic February 2020, and 257 (72%) added jobs, according to the latest analysis from AGC of America. New York City continues to land in the bottom five, clocking a loss of 22,000 jobs (down 14%). In New Jersey, Middlesex-Monmouth-Ocean and Vineland-Bridgeton came out on the plus side for the 16-month period, adding 2,500 jobs (up 6%) and 500 jobs (up 18%), respectively. Bergen-Hudson-Passaic was down 1,500 jobs, a 5% drop; Newark was down 1,300 jobs, a 3% drop; Atlantic City-Hammonton was down 300 jobs, a 6% drop; Camden was down 200 jobs, a 1% drop, and Trenton was down 100 jobs, a 2% drop. LOCAL | July 28, 2021 A $44 million grant from US DOT will allow the Port Authority to upgrade Port Street, the main northern access road for Port Newark and the Elizabeth Port Terminal (EPAMT). The Port Street Corridor Improvement Project also includes upgrades to the Corbin Street ramp and is expected to significantly reduce travel time for vehicles accessing the port, along with improving flow of goods, decreasing air pollution and reducing accidents. LOCAL | July 26, 2021 On July 22, Clifton (Passaic County) gave final site plan approval to developer Prism for a seven-story, 266-room dual-brand Marriott AC/Element Hotel with a rooftop bar at ON3, the first component of the 116-acre development along Metro Boulevard near Route 3. ON3’s campus infrastructure will play a role in the hotel’s energy-efficiency model, including the central utility plant with 10-megawatt cogen facility. The site will include an already-approved 80,000-square-foot medical office building (pre-leased to Hackensack Meridian Health) with ambulatory surgical center and multi-specialty practice areas. NATIONAL | July 21, 2021 Per AGC of America’s latest Data Digest (July 12-16), steel prices have continued to rise in July, up nearly 5% for orders on July 1 and 8-9% for orders on August 1, according to a couple of suppliers; another announced an immediate $125-per-ton increase on mechanical, hollow structural shapes and piling products. In slightly more hopeful news, lumber prices fell last week to “near year-ago” levels but are still 29% higher than the February 2020 pre-pandemic prices. NATIONAL | July 19, 2021 February 2020 construction jobs mark the industry’s employment peak before the pandemic, and AGC of America reports 39 states measured June 2021’s construction jobs at levels still below that peak. New York lost the most construction jobs over the 16-month period, down 54,300, a 13.3% drop. For the month from May to June of this year, 25 states lost jobs, 24 states and DC gained jobs, and one state held steady. New York also lost 6,900 jobs for the month, a 1.9% drop. New Jersey lost 17,900 jobs, an 11% drop, for the 16-month period, and was down 1,300 jobs for the month, a 0.9% slip. Elsewhere in the region, Pennsylvania lost 19,300 jobs for the 16-month period, a 7.3% drop, and 4,100 jobs for the month, a 1.6% loss. Connecticut lost 2,900 jobs for the 16-month period, a 4.9% drop, and 1,000 jobs for the month, a 1.7% loss. Delaware lost 600 jobs for the 16-month period, a 2.6% drop, and 300 jobs for the month, a 1.3% drop. Rhode Island was again the only winner, picking up 1,200 jobs in June compared to February 2020, up 5.9%, and 300 jobs for the month, a 1.4% rise. LOCAL | July 14, 2021 Yesterday, AtlantiCare announced a $75 million expansion for its Regional Medical Center Mainland Campus in Pomona (Galloway Twp., Atlantic County). The three-phase project will add two floors – 35,000 square feet – to the Meadow Pavilion in the first phase, and another 23,000 square feet of the Meadow Pavilion and other areas will be renovated in the second phase. Included in the plans: 50 private medical/surgical rooms (12 with bedside dialysis capability), 14 private rooms in a new intensive care unit in the Meadow Pavilion, a 12-bed dedicated observation unit recreated from the existing ICU on the second floor of the Harbor Pavilion (scheduled for phase 3), increased negative pressure capacity and increased elevator capacity. AtlantiCare anticipates construction will begin in the first half of 2022 and be completed in 2024. NATIONAL | July 14, 2021 AGC of America calculates a 26.3% jump in contractor costs based on “unprecedented” price hikes for construction materials and services from June 2020 to June 2021. Lumber and plywood prices doubled during the period, steel mill product prices leaped 87.5%, copper and brass mill shape prices climbed 61.5%, aluminum mill shape prices rose 33.2%, plastic construction product prices were up 21.8%, gypsum products (wallboard, for example) had price increases of 18%, prices for prepared asphalt, tar roofing and siding products increased 12.1% and insulation materials prices rose 10.1%. Freight truck transportation prices jumped 15.4% and fuel prices are still on the rise. In contrast, the producer price index for new nonresidential construction, which reflects what contractors expect to charge, rose 3.4% for the June year-over-year period. LOCAL | July 14, 2021 Next Wednesday, the Sayreville (Middlesex County) Planning Board is scheduled to hear plans for a massive warehouse/office complex proposed for 72 acres (plus dedicated right-of-way) that comprise Section 1 of the borough’s Hercules Redevelopment Area on Cheesequake Road near the intersection of South Minisink Avenue. The developer, Parlin Section 1 Urban Renewal LLC, seeks preliminary and final major site plan approval and preliminary and final major subdivision approval for the project, which will include three buildings totaling 1,077,776 square feet of floor space on three separate lots: Meeting is scheduled for July 21, 7:30 pm, third-floor Council Chambers in Sayreville Borough Hall. LOCAL | July 12, 2021 As part of its $307 million water infrastructure improvement investment, the USDA last week awarded a low-interest loan of $971,000 and a grant of $320,800 to Paulsboro (Gloucester County). Per the USDA press release, the “Rural Development investment will be used to upgrade the Borough of Paulsboro’s old, undersized, tuberculated water distribution system. The borough will replace the 4-inch diameter ductile and cast-iron water mains to 12-inch water main trunk line that runs between two elevated water storage tanks. This will improve fire flow, water qualit and circulation to a densely populated area of the borough.” NATIONAL | July 12, 2021 Lumber futures prices had been soaring in May (a high of $1686 on May 7) and then took a sudden dive in June ($716 on June 30), but had a little bounceback in the first week of July ($774.60 on July 8). But wholesale suppliers are not budging on the high prices already quoted. Cement prices, which had generally climbed less than 10% in April, are rising at the same increment in July and August. One supplier announced increases on commercial rolling steel doors, parts and heavy hardware, up 22% this week. Freight prices are also rising. LOCAL | July 12, 2021 Last week, the Edgewater (Bergen County) Zoning Board approved developer Three Y LLC’s application for a mixed-used project at 136 and 163 Old River Road plus 114 River Road. The site will hold a single building split into two towers, one with 150 residential units and the other with 170 hotel rooms, along with a gym, outdoor kitchen, dog run, parking garage, courtyard, “zen garden,” “sky deck” with pool and a rooftop restaurant with patio. LOCAL | July 9, 2021 Yesterday, Virtua Health announced plans for major renovations over several years at its acute-care facilities in Camden (Camden County) and Mount Holly (Burlington County). At Virtua Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Camden, five-year work includes expanded parking (already begun last year), a new main lobby, a new tower and converting all patient rooms to private rooms. At Virtua Memorial Hospital in Mount Holly, the facility will be upgraded to contemporary standards; additions will include 10 new operating rooms, new labs and medical suites, an expanded emergency department and renovated hospital units. The name will also change – to Virtua Mount Holly Hospital. The multi-year work will begin later this year. LOCAL | July 7, 2021 L+M Development Partners have proposed Museum Parc, a two-building development next to the Newark Museum of Art (65, 67, 69 and 71 Washington Street, 61, 63, 65, 69, 71-73 and 75-83 Central Ave., and 146 University Ave. in Newark’s Central Ward). The $30 million project calls for a 4,000-square-foot gallery for the Museum and 90 apartments in a six-story building and 160 apartments and 2,400 square feet of retail in a 12-story building, per an application made to the Newark Landmark and Historic Preservation Commission from NMA Owners LLC. The gallery would be positioned at the current Horizon Plaza, corner of Central Ave and Washington Street; the 12-story building would be located at the northeast corner of Central and University avenues. The apartments would range from studio to three-bedroom. Green space for a park is also included in the design. Hearing on the proposal is scheduled for tonight via Zoom at 6pm. LOCAL | July 7, 2021 Last night, the Hoboken Planning Board was scheduled to review a mixed-use project proposed for a 1.83-acre site at 1300 Jefferson Street, owned by subsidiaries of Pegasus Partners. Fogarty Finger Architects designed a tiered structure incorporating a five-story podium with 304 parking spaces and sections above with 11, 16 and 18 stories. The top floors would hold 357 rental apartments; amenities would include “active” roof terraces, a gym and a pool on the 17th floor. Four ground-floor storefronts would total 24,526 square feet flanking a 5,234-square-foot public plaza. Original height was set at 184 feet and later scaled back to 145 feet, although a final determination is yet to be made. Community give-backs in the proposal include, among other items, 17 residential units for homeless veterans to be built next to American Legion Post 107 on Second Street between Willow Avenue and Clinton Street. NATIONAL | July 2, 2021 Nonresidential construction spending fell in May compared to April, reports AGC of America, totaling $1.55 trillion, down 0.3% from April but 7.5% higher than May 2020. Private nonresidential construction spending was down 1.1% for the month and down 5.8% for the year period. Broken out, spending was down for these private nonresidential sectors: Public construction spending across the US plummeted 8.7% for the year period, but slid only 0.2% for the month. Among public sectors… LOCAL | July 1, 2021 Today the US Department of Transportation announced it proposes awarding $905.25 million in grants to 24 projects in 18 states under the Infrastructure for Rebuilding America (INFRA) program. Two projects are in New Jersey: Before the funding is distributed, Congress has 60 days to review the selected projects. LOCAL | July 1, 2021 Inglese Architecture + Engineering has proposed a 16-story mixed-use building at 17-21 Halsey Street and Central Avenue in Newark with 5,520 square feet divided into ground-floor retail plus second-floor commercial space, along with a gallery on a corner of the structure. A total of 66 residential units on the upper floors would include seven studios, 13 one-bedrooms, 39 two-bedrooms and seven three-bedrooms. The building currently on the site, an old auto showroom built in 1913, will be demolished. No timeframe for demolition or construction has been determined. LOCAL | July 1, 2021 Ironstate Development Company, which holds the rights to the site at 256 Observer Highway, currently housing a Department of Public Works garage, plans to demolish the garage and build a two-tiered structure rising 16 stories in one portion and nine stories in the other; the shorter part will run along Park and Willow avenues. Using its Urby (urban living) concept, the project includes 360 apartments and a parking garage with 151 spots. Two floors of retail on Observer Highway will have a 7,139-square-foot storefront and another 4,427-square-foot space on the ground floor, a 7,197-square-foot retail space on the second floor and a 3,193-square-foot space accessed by stairs and connected via an outdoor patio in front of the building’s lobby. Typical Urby amenities will be offered, with a pet-washing station and 12,618-square-foot fourth-floor outdoor deck named as two features. The building’s exterior will highlight the Observer Highway entrance with blue-glazed bullnose brick and metal trim; the upper floors will be covered with brick, terra cotta masonry and stone panels. Landscaping will include lawns, a dog run and seating areas. A Hoboken Planning Board subdivision and site plan meeting today is scheduled to discuss the project in further detail. LOCAL | June 30, 2021 Yesterday, the US Supreme Court upheld the PennEast Pipeline Co.’s right to condemn state-owned land to build its 116-mile, $1 billion project from Pennsylvania into New Jersey. The ruling reverses a 2019 appeals court decision and declares PennEast’s right to eminent domain through the Natural Gas Act. NATIONAL | June 30, 2021 A quarter of the nation’s metro areas – 91 of 358 – clocked in construction jobs in May in numbers still below the pre-pandemic February 2020 levels, and another 24 remained stagnant for the 15-month period, per an AGC of America report released today. In New Jersey, the picture wasn’t quite so bleak: Middlesex-Monmouth-Ocean gained 2,300 jobs, a 6% boost, and Vineland-Bridgeton added 400 jobs, a 14% hike. Atlantic City-Hammonton remained unchanged for the 15-month period. However, Bergen-Hudson-Passaic lost 2,500 jobs, an 8% drop; Newark lost 2,400 jobs, a 5% slide; Camden lost 1,000 jobs, a 4% drop; and Trenton lost 200, a 4% drop. LOCAL | June 29, 2021 Affirming predictions from the Otteau Valuation Group as presented in ACCNJ’s Quarterly MarketCASTs, Northern New Jersey measured the highest rental growth in the nation for industrial and logistical properties, according to CBRE, which reported a 33% rise year-over-year in May (compared to May 2020). Philadelphia’s 19.7% rise in rental rates ranked it at #3; Central Jersey’s 13.9% rise put it at #9. Record-low vacancy rates in existing warehouse and distribution facilities and high demand are keeping the market sector hot, with construction projects in the pipeline throughout New Jersey. LOCAL | June 29, 2021 NJ Performing Arts Center and Center Street Owners (led by L+M Development Partners) yesterday announced a $150 million project on a 7.3-acre site in Newark that will include low-rise multifamily buildings with 350 rental units, townhomes and condos, retail, restaurants and “cultural spaces” along the riverfront on the NJPAC campus. Planned is a “pedestrian-friendly” extension of Mulberry Street (across from the current parking Lot A) that will connect to Rector Street north of the campus. The eastern façade of NJPAC will gain an additional entrance. Prudential Impact & Responsible Investments and restaurateur Marcus Samuelsson (who plans Mulberry Market, a food hall in the project) are also partners in the development group, which will seek city and NJ EDA funding. Groundbreaking will be in 2022, along with NJPAC’s Cooperman Family Arts Education on Center and Mulberry streets. Construction on the development project is expected to be completed in 2024. LOCAL | June 25, 2021 Brick Township (Ocean County) will dedicate at least $1.5 million a year to combat “sunny day flooding” on the mainland and barrier island sections of the township. The capital budget for 2021 includes 10 tide check valves ($50,000 each—locations to be determined when projects go out for bid); Normandy Beach street elevations ($2.5 million in addition to state funds for this ongoing project with Toms River); Channel Drive bulkhead ($220,000); Rochester Drive bulkhead ($17,500); and dredging and permitting costs ($330,128). NATIONAL | June 25, 2021 In a mix of good news and bad, AGC of America’s Data Digest yesterday reported the Architectural Billings Index was up to 58.5, the highest level since 2006, indicating the Otteau Valuation Group’s predictions for a stronger-than-expected construction rebound in 2022 will most likely be realized. However, construction materials prices and lead times, after a drop earlier this month, are once again trending up – particularly for steel. AGC released its third Construction Inflation Alert on Wednesday (www.agc.org). NATIONAL | June 23, 2021 AGC of America reported 40 states and DC shed construction jobs from April to May, primarily due to high materials prices and excessive supply-chain delays that have stalled or canceled projects. New York marked the biggest loss, down 5,900 jobs, a 1.6% drop, with Pennsylvania also in the bottom five, down 3,300 jobs, a 1.3% drop. New Jersey lost 2,200 jobs, a 1.5% drop; Connecticut lost 600 jobs, a 1% drop; Rhode Island lost 400 jobs, a 1.9% drop; and Delaware lost 300 jobs, a 3% drop. The 15-month loss of jobs (comparing May 2021 to the pre-pandemic numbers in February 2020) was also noticeable among states in the Northeast, with New York down 45,200 jobs, an 11.1% drop, the worst in the nation. New Jersey was down 16,600 jobs, a 10.2% drop; Pennsylvania was down 14,500 jobs, a 5.5% drop; Connecticut was down 1,700 jobs, a 2.9% drop; and Delaware was down 300 jobs, a 1.3% drop. Only Rhode Island’s construction jobs picture was on the positive side 15 months after the pandemic began, with a gain of 500 jobs, up 2.5%. LOCAL | June 21, 2021 The Franklin Street School in Cape May will be restored and repurposed as the city’s branch of the County Library System, approved by the New Jersey Historic Sites Council as presented by representatives from Cape May, Cape May County and the County Library. The library will become part of Cape May’s “Museum Row,” joining the Harriet Tubman museum and other buildings in preserving the story of African-American heritage in Cape May. The project, estimated at $6.89 million, received first-round funding from the Library Construction Bond Act of $3,447,081. LOCAL | June 18, 2021 The Jersey City council was expected this week to consider a resolution to build, at city expense, a new Free Public Library Johnston Avenue Branch in 8,000 square feet on the ground floor of the new 295J apartment complex at 295 Johnston Avenue. Included in the resolution was the possible hiring of FC3 Architecture+Design of Hamburg, NJ, to draw up plans for the library, which has large windows and faces the corner at Johnston and Monitor Street. The initial proposal, presented last summer, listed a community room, computer areas, a web design studio, a maker space, a gaming room and a sound-proofed recording studio. NATIONAL | June 16, 2021 Reporting on government data yesterday, AGC of America relayed a 24.3% jump in the cost of goods and services used in construction from May 2020 to May 2021, along with a “record-setting” 4.3% increase from April to May of this year. The year-over-year rise is nearly twice as much as in any previous year. Lumber and plywood PPIs more than doubled, up 111% from May 2020; steel mill product prices soared 75.6%; copper and brass mill shape prices rose 60.4%; aluminum mill shape prices increased 28.6%; plastic construction products rose 17.5%; and gypsum product prices, including wallboard, increased 14.1%. LOCAL | June 15, 2021 Yesterday, Cushman & Wakefield announced it had arranged $42.6 million in industrial construction financing for the second phase of Logan North Industrial Park at 2858 Route 322 in Logan Township (Gloucester County) – Buildings A (164,112 square feet) and F (326,937 square feet). The structures, to be built on spec, will offer 36-foot clear heights, large dock doors and large-capacity trailer and car parking. The 415-acre, 3.2 million-square-foot Class A industrial complex is being developed by partners Advance Realty and Greek Development, which expect to complete 10 buildings on the site. LOCAL | June 15, 2021 On June 8, Cape May County approved a $24 million bond ordinance to fund capital projects, including a $12.7 million government services complex at the Cape May County Airport. Other projects could include $4.2 million in improvements to County Commons (formerly Rio Mall) and $6 million for the county’s municipal redevelopment initiative. The new government complex in Erma, for which funding could also be offset by $1.2 million in an FTA grant, will become home to various county departments. Work will include site preparation, demolition, construction and reconstruction, environmental remediation, testing, landscaping, sidewalks and parking. The Atlantic County Improvement Authority will seek bids to demolish structures and build others in the “Government Services District” at the airport. A hearing and second reading of the proposal is scheduled for June 22, 4:30pm, at the William E. Sturm Jr. Administration Building, 4 Moore Road, Court House. In addition to the bonded projects, Cape May County will enter into a P3 with Cape May Brewing Co. LLC and the Atlantic County Improvement Authority to build a 25,000-square-foot production facility next to the brewery headquarters at the airport. The county will finance construction of the core-and-shell building and retain ownership; the Improvement Authority will build the structure and enter into a long-term lease with the county; and the brewery will sublease the building from the Authority. Funding comes from a 2017 county bond ordinance. LOCAL | June 15, 2021 The medical/professional complex at 994 W. Sherman Avenue in Vineland (Cumberland County) will get a third building as approved by the town Planning Board. The design calls for a 10,000-square-foot structure on the five-acre site on the north side of W. Sherman Ave., east of South Orchard Road. LOCAL | June 15, 2021 As proposed to the Planning Board, the 22-acre Cherry Hill Towne Center at Garden State Park in Cherry Hill (Camden County) could get a five-story, 140-room hotel with a 5,600-square-foot rooftop bar. The owner, Cherry Hill Towne Center Partners LLC of Piscataway, also plans expanded retail space for an Old Navy store. The Planning Board is scheduled to review the proposal June 21. LOCAL | June 14, 2021 Calling the plan consistent with the town’s master plan, the Galloway Township Planning Board (Atlantic County) will meet at a future date to review a formal agreement with ARK Innovations LLC to develop a mixed-use residential and commercial project called Pomona Commons at Pomona Road and White Horse Pike. The project would include a grocery store, a combination of for-sale and rental housing and 100 parking spaces that would be dedicated to a future train station. The property is currently owned by the Diocese of Camden and Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish. LOCAL | June 14, 2021 Last Thursday, the Mount Laurel Planning Board (Burlington County) met to consider preliminary and final site plan approval for a 76,000-square-foot warehouse on 24.54 acres at Union Mill Road and Walton Avenue. The proposal, a “speculative development” submitted by site owner and developer Union Mill Road LLC of Wilton, Connecticut, would have 220 parking spaces, 23 trailer dock spaces and 11 trailer parking spaces, with entrances at the Fern Brook Lane cul-de-sac and Walton Avenue. Variances are sought for buffer width and number of parking spaces; waivers are sought from a sidewalk and compensatory plantings. The property, zoned industrial, is heavily wooded and contains wetlands. An existing pond would remain and water quality treatment from runoff would be upgraded. LOCAL | June 8, 2021 Cushman & Wakefield announced yesterday it has arranged $115 million in build-to-suit construction financing to Lincoln Equities Group for Highland Cross, a fully leased, 360,000-square-foot Class A distribution center in Rutherford (Bergen County) at the point where the Turnpike and Routes 3 and 17 cross. Construction will include cross-docked loading, 70 dock high doors and more than 80 trailer parks, and is scheduled for completion in 2022. LOCAL | June 3, 2021 The old Ballantine Brewery site in Newark’s Ironbound section at 74-82 Freeman Street and 428-444 Ferry Street could become a six-story development with 280 apartments, 125 basement parking spaces, 2,652 square feet of retail, a fitness center, co-working space and a rooftop courtyard. The developer, Ballantine EFG Property Owner LLC (same address in Manhattan as Shorewood Real Estate Group), owns the property and plans studio apartments plus one-, two- and three-bedroom units. The remaining industrial building and parking on the site would be demolished. The developer’s request for preliminary and final site plan approval is scheduled to be reviewed by the Newark Central Planning Board via Zoom next Monday, June 7, at 6 pm. NATIONAL | June 3, 2021 AGC of America reports construction jobs in April were still below February 2020 levels in 30% of US metros (107 of 358), while 217 metros added jobs and numbers in 34 metros remained unchanged. New York City was second from the bottom, down 22,300 jobs, a 14% drop. In New Jersey, only Vineland-Bridgetown showed a gain in the 14-month period, up 200 jobs, a 7% increase. Newark was down 2,900 compared to February 2020, a 7% drop; Bergen-Hudson-Passaic was down 2,400 jobs, an 8% drop; Camden was down 2,200 jobs, a 10% drop; Middlesex-Monmouth-Ocean was down 1,500 jobs, a 4% drop; and Atlantic City-Hammonton and Trenton were down 400 jobs apiece, 8% and 7% decreases respectively. LOCAL | June 3, 2021 Assuming the Governor’s proposed projects are approved by the Legislature, the first round of funding for Securing Our Children’s Future Bond Act ($65.4 million for 494 projects), announced last Friday, would aid these projects of interest to members: LOCAL | June 3, 2021 We posted a Hot Topic April 9 about initial plans for the old Morris Armory in Atlantic City. On May 18, the Casino Reinvestment Development Authority approved revitalization of the Armory, built in 1901 and now to be converted into 31 apartments, ranging in size from studio to two-bedroom, along with 2,975 square feet of retail, by Atlantic City Investments LLC, a subsidiary of developer LMPG Companies. The retail space will be designed as a market. Planned for two phases, construction will commence with the first-floor market and eight units on the second floor, plus structural repairs to the building as a whole. Phase two will renovate the upper floors. The existing façade will remain unchanged but the existing brick will be cleaned and all moldings restored. Variances were granted for minimum front, side and rear yard setbacks and maximum density. No construction schedule has been announced. LOCAL | May 26, 2021 Burlington City owns the former New Jersey National Guard Armory building at 559 High Street, but would like to sell it to a developer and see it become some kind of mixed-use site, perhaps with apartments, businesses, a recreational gym – all ratable ideas welcome, fast turnaround required. The two-story building has one floor above ground, with a basketball gym and offices, and one floor below ground with former classrooms and a kitchen. One portion of the building that faces Belmont Street will still remain with the city as garage and storage for DPW. LOCAL | May 26, 2021 The Route 88 bridge over Beaver Dam Creek connecting Brick to Point Pleasant (Ocean County), 98 years old and structurally deficient, is classified by NJDOT as an “urban principal arterial” and will be replaced by an elongated 41’8” span, raised a foot to minimize bridge flooding. The new bridge, estimated at $11 million (paid for by state and federal funds) will have 11-foot lanes, widened 8-foot shoulders and sidewalks in both directions. Complementary work will include utility relocations, guide rail replacement, landscaping and drainage-system improvements. Construction is scheduled for two stages starting in 2024 and running for two years, with most of the work performed during the day. Stage 1 will start with construction of the southbound side of the new bridge while, during non-summer months, one lane of the existing bridge will stay open for alternating traffic, controlled by a temporary traffic signal (no traffic restrictions June to September). Stage 2 will move traffic to the new portion of the bridge, with one lane open in each direction during construction of the northbound side of the bridge; utility relocation will take place during Stage 2. Just under 4,000 square feet of Ocean County’s Beaver Creek Dam Park will be appropriated to comply with bridge design standards for public use and safety. Brick Township approved the resolution to allow NJDOT to proceed with bridge construction; Point Pleasant Borough must also pass a resolution. LOCAL | May 25, 2021 Simco Logistics, dba Jack & Jill Ice Cream, is moving its headquarters from Moorestown to Logan (Gloucester County), to be located in a new warehouse and office facility off Route 130 and Center Square Road. Approved May 13 by the Logan Township Planning Board, the facility will lie on 14.6 acres of the 72-acre site owned by Jack & Jill, with 271 parking spots, 72 spots for tractor-trailer parking and 23 loading berths. The warehouse part of the structure will comprise 306,040 square feet with a refrigerated cooler and 60,000-square-foot freezer. The three-story office space will claim 37,500 square feet. Truck entrance is planned off Center Square Road; car entrance off northbound Route 130. LOCAL | May 25, 2021 Stone Harbor Borough (Cape May County) had originally planned construction of a $4.2 million Beach Patrol building that included new public restrooms and landscaping, but the project recently approved by the Borough Council has been pared to $2.4 million as some square footage and new restrooms are scrapped from the plans. The building will still be a two-story structure with storage bays on the ground floor, office space on the second floor and a crow’s nest for a wide view of the beach. Design documents are expected to go out to bid in early June, with award in July, construction started after Labor Day and completion by Summer 2022. NATIONAL | May 21, 2021 AGC of America reports today construction employment was still sluggish across the US in April, with 36 states and DC registering numbers below the February 2020 pre-pandemic high. New York and New Jersey landed in the bottom five for the 14-month period, losing 29,300 jobs (down 9.1%) and 15,600 jobs (down 9.5%) respectively. In the rest of the region for the period, Connecticut lost 1,700 jobs, down 2.9%, and Pennsylvania lost 8,500 jobs, down 3.2%; Rhode Island added 700 jobs for the period, up 3.5%, and Delaware added 400 jobs, up 1.7%. For the month from March to April, New Jersey added 400 jobs, up 0.3%; Connecticut added 600 jobs, up 1.1%; Delaware added 100 jobs, up 0.4%; Pennsylvania added 3,400 jobs, up 1.4%; and Rhode Island added 500 jobs, up 2.4%. Only New York lost jobs in the region for the month, shedding 3,900 jobs, a 1% drop. LOCAL | May 21, 2021 As we know, the Fort Monmouth site is 1,126 acres and spans three Monmouth county towns – Oceanport, Eatontown and Tinton Falls. Developers continue to propose ideas and approximately 80% of the site is sold, under contract, in negotiations or set for RFP bidding. Somerset Development, for example, plans to break ground this year on the Lodging Area, 15 acres with 180 townhomes and a waterfront promenade. The Fort Monmouth Economic Revitalization Authority (FMERA), long-tasked with developing the site, is currently offering 82 acres in Eatontown with a million square feet of buildings to be demolished and hopes for a mixed-use, village-style development. Other projects include: LOCAL | May 17, 2021 The FAA awarded more than $898.9 million in infrastructure and safety projects through the FY2021 Airport Improvement Program, and five New Jersey airports received just over $1.9 million. LOCAL | May 17, 2021 Lockheed Martin is scheduled to present its expansion plans to the Moorestown (Burlington County) Zoning Board tomorrow night, seeking preliminary and final site plan approval for an 84,600-square-foot building rising 75 feet off Marne Highway at the defense contractor’s 126-acre campus on Borton Landing Road. The application before the board also requests variances, including a variance to allow height beyond 45 feet. Construction would occur in two phases, with completion by June 2022. Phase one would construct 43,500 square feet on a lot that presently has a parking lot and grassy area. LOCAL | May 14, 2021 This post-Superstorm Sandy project has been a longtime coming, but work has begun and a formal groundbreaking was held last week on the “Rebuild by Design” project to mitigate flooding along the Hudson River in Hoboken, Jersey City and Weehawken. More than $230 million in federal funding awarded to Hoboken in a design competition following Sandy will convert combined sewer systems into separate sanitary and stormwater lines and transform a large, vacant lot into a park as a barrier against storm surges. The $5.26 million resilient infrastructure phase, already in progress, will be completed this fall. The park phase, expected to go out to bid and be awarded before year-end, will include a dog run, waterfront deck area, amphitheater, gardens, an “active-use” section and a children’s play area. The entire project should be finished in 2025. LOCAL | May 12, 2021 Another 19th-century industrial site in Paterson’s Great Falls Historic District (Passaic County) is being eyed for adaptive reuse as a mixed-use residential/retail development. The former three-and-a-half-story mill at 11 Spruce Street (also known as 50 Spruce Street, referring to a site that stretches approximately between Market and Oliver streets) could receive a “complete interior and exterior restoration,” converted to 38 residential units and two retail spaces by the Community Asset Preservation Corporation. The Paterson Planning Board was scheduled to review the developer’s application at a virtual meeting Monday night. LOCAL | May 11, 2021 NJ DOT and Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission have awarded $1 million to Camden County for construction of a pedestrian/bike bridge over the Cooper River in Camden, connecting two sections of the planned 33-mile, 12-foot-wide multi-use Camden County LINK Trail. The funds come through the Transportation Alternative Set-Asides program and construction is expected to begin in Spring 2022. Information on the LINK Trail may be found at www.camdencounty.com/service/parks/cross-county-trail. NATIONAL | May 7, 2021 AGC of America reported this morning April construction employment remained unchanged from March, stagnant at 7,452,000 jobs for both months. That total reflects 196,000 fewer jobs than February 2020’s peak before the pandemic. However, the number of unemployed construction workers dropped to 768,000 in April, an unemployment rate for the industry of 7.7%, which is half the number of unemployed workers in April 2020 when the unemployment rate for the industry was 16.6%. By sector, nonresidential construction lost 3,000 jobs in April, employing 242,000 fewer workers (down 5.2%) than in February 2020. AGC cites a host of reasons for the stagnant growth, including federal unemployment supplements, people forced to care for dependents as schools and daycare centers remain closed or in hybrid mode, and supply chain issues and rising materials prices that are stalling projects. LOCAL | May 5, 2021 Yesterday, NJ DOT announced 39 Local Bridge Fund grants totaling $47.3 million for New Jersey’s 21 counties to maintain bridges in a state of good repair. Funded through the Transportation Trust Fund, the annual grants focus on repair, reconstruction and replacement of bridges with the worst structural deficiencies. This year, the largest grant was awarded to Monmouth County, $5,910,287 for replacement of Bridge MA-11 on Aberdeen Road over Matawan Creek in Matawan. Each of the other 20 counties received at least $1 million. For a complete list of the grants, visit https://www.state.nj.us/transportation/uploads/comm/news/details/comm_np_20210504_102847_MurphyAdminAnnouncesFY2021LocalBridgesFundGrants.pdf. LOCAL | May 5, 2021 Yesterday, Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Atlantic City committed at least $20 million to renovate 66 Celebrity and 25 Roxy suites, open a new Starbucks (scheduled to open later this month with access to the Boardwalk), expand the main casino floor and cage areas with new slots and table games, add a new dining venue (to open later this summer), and refresh beach amenities. The Hard Rock Beach Bar will get new restrooms and more than 1,000 beach chairs; the meeting and convention space and indoor pool will also get improvements. LOCAL | May 5, 2021 The West Windsor Township (Mercer County) Planning Board is scheduled to hear plans for Lake Campus North, the next phase of Princeton University’s West Windsor campus near Lake Carnegie at Washington Road, Lower Harrison Street and Route 1. We posted the proposal for the first phase, Lake Campus South, in Hot Topics in April. These latest plans include three buildings with a total of 379 residential units for graduate and postdoctoral students (253 studios or one-bedrooms, 63 two-bedrooms, 48 three-bedrooms and 15 four-bedrooms), along with a café and community room; an 180,000-square-foot racquet center with indoor tennis and squash courts, locker rooms, coaches’ offices, sports medicine facilities and a fitness center; an outdoor tennis area; and rugby fields. “Portals” will connect landscaped courtyards, a community garden, a volleyball court, green “play” space and barbecue areas. Tonight’s meeting is scheduled for 7pm at the senior center on Clarksville Road in West Windsor. NATIONAL | May 4, 2021 AGC of America reported yesterday nonresidential construction spending across the nation in March dropped 7.4% compared to March 2020 and 1.1% from February, the lowest total in two years and the fourth straight monthly dip. Private nonresidential construction spending dropped 0.9% from February to March and 9.1% for the year-over-year. All 11 segments recorded year-over-year losses, with power construction down 8.3% for the year and 0.4% for the month. Commercial construction (including warehouses) was down 8.8% for the year, 0.5% for the month; manufacturing construction was down 7.8% for the year, 1.3% for the month; and office construction was down 4.2% for the year, 0.4% for the month. Public construction spending also took a dive, dropping 4.6% for the year and 1.5% for the month, with highway and street construction spending down 10.9% for year, 2.2% for the month, and education construction spending down 4% for the year, 2% for the month. However, while transportation facility construction spending slid down 0.9% for the year, it rose 1.8% for the month. NATIONAL | April 29, 2021 According to AGC of America’s latest report from BLS data, 203 of 358 US metro areas (57%) lost construction jobs for the year-over-year period from March 2020 to March 2021. New York City and Nassau-Suffolk counties in New York were in the bottom five, down 24,000 jobs (-15%) and 7,900 jobs (-10%), respectively. All seven New Jersey metro areas reflected year-over-year losses: Newark was down 5,900 jobs, a 13% drop; Bergen-Hudson-Passaic was down 4,200 jobs, a 14% drop; Camden was down 1,900 jobs, an 8% drop; Middlesex-Monmouth-Ocean was down 1,300 jobs, a 3% drop; Atlantic City Hammonton was down 800 jobs, a 15% drop; Trenton was down 700 jobs, a 13% drop; and Vineland-Bridgeton was down 100 jobs, a 3% drop. LOCAL | April 27, 2021 Mohammed Nasim will serve as the new Chief of Construction Management at NJ Transit. His 30 years of experience include most recently serving as project manager for Gateway’s Hudson River Tunnel and Portal North Bridge. With a master’s in civil engineering from Cornell, Nasim is a professional engineer, certified construction manager and project management professional. LOCAL | April 27, 2021 Lantern Real Estate Group has arranged a nearly $26 million loan used by an unnamed client to acquire a 10-acre industrial site at 514-520 South River Road in Hackensack (Bergen County). The site is currently leased by the new owner to an also-unnamed company, apparently one of the world’s largest e-commerce and logistics organizations, which is using it for parking. LOCAL | April 27, 2021 Last Wednesday, Caesars Entertainment announced it will embark on approximately $400 million in renovations to three AC casinos. Phase one will include $170 million for upgrades in rooms and suites at Caesars and Harrah’s Resort, including 600 units at Caesars’ Centurion and Ocean Towers and Harrah’s Atrium Tower (each unit ranges from 450 to 700 square feet). Décor will be “modern Roman” with an AC Boardwalk slant and bathrooms will feature oversized showers. Details on renovations to Tropicana Atlantic City are yet to be announced. In other AC news, Ocean Casino Resort also announced it plans to upgrade its casino floor and outdoor spaces, including pools, cabanas and the beach. LOCAL | April 21, 2021 This afternoon at 12:30 the Newark Municipal Council was scheduled to review – and perhaps give final approval – of a mixed-use project with 212 units, 2,092 square feet of commercial space and 2,092 square feet of “community space” at 103-109 and 111-119 Sussex Avenue in the Central Ward. It could also include 66 parking spaces. The developer, Thomas-Carter Village Urban Renewal LLC (associated with The Alpert Group in Fort Lee), introduced the proposal two weeks ago, and seeks a 25-year tax abatement. The two properties are owned by the New Hope Now Community Dev Corp and New Hope Baptist Church, respectively. REGIONAL | April 21, 2021 On April 9, the Gateway Development Commission announced US DOT has committed to completing the Hudson Tunnel Project’s environmental review by May 28, moved up from the end-of-June date promised in March and posted in Hot Topics. When that Record of Decision is filed, the project can advance. LOCAL | April 19, 2021 Wildwood (Cape May County) will begin a five-year refurbishment of its boardwalk this fall, with the first phase helped by $4 million promised by Gov. Murphy in the proposed state budget. The five-year plan encompasses 24 blocks that are in most need of repair, at an estimated cost of $25 million. Phase one will begin at Oak Avenue and continue north for at least two blocks, possibly three or four, depending on funding. Work will include replacing all wood planks and rails and repairing portions of the concrete substructure, as well as adding new lighting. LOCAL | April 19, 2021 Pemberton Township (Burlington County) is looking forward to a 462,000-square foot warehouse at 200 South Pemberton Road, to be built by developer 200 South Pemberton Urban Renewal LLC. The developer has already laid the foundation but a shortage of structural steel across the country will delay construction until first quarter 2022. Another site on South Pemberton has been designated for redevelopment, possibly light industrial/office, and the township is seeking a redeveloper for that property and others in the Browns Mills section of the township. LOCAL | April 16, 2021 Update on a project ACCNJ has followed for years and posted on Hot Topics: EPA released an “interim” plan Wednesday for a $441 million cleanup of the Passaic River from North Arlington (Bergen County) to the Dundee Dam that spans the river between Clifton (Passaic County) and Garfield (Bergen County). The plan would dredge 387,000 cubic yards of sediment contaminated with dioxin, PCBs and heavy metals along a nine-mile stretch of the river upriver from the lower eight miles originally targeted for cleanup as part of the Diamond Alkali Superfund site in Essex, Bergen and Passaic counties. Contaminated sediment left after dredging would be capped, with other areas dredged and capped as they are cited for potential erosion and still others remediated. This plan is in addition to the original $1.4 billion proposal for dredging of the lower eight miles from bank to bank in Newark and Hudson County. The public comment period opened yesterday and continues through May 14. A virtual public meeting is scheduled for April 27 from 6 to 8 pm. To register for the meeting, visit https://epa_proposed_plan_lprsa.eventbrite.com. NATIONAL | April 16, 2021 Compared to March 2020, 35 states recorded fewer jobs in March 2021. New York and New Jersey fell to the lowest five, with New York losing 29,300 jobs, a 7.2% drop, and New Jersey losing 14,500 jobs, an 8.9% drop, in the year-over-year period. Connecticut lost 2,700 jobs for the year period, down 4.5%, and Pennsylvania recorded a year-over-year loss of 12,000 jobs, a 4.6% drop. Delaware and Rhode Island were up for the year, with Delaware capturing 100 jobs, a 0.4% bump, and Rhode Island gaining 200 jobs, a 1% rise. For the month, construction jobs picked up in 39 states after February’s storms. In the region, New York landed in the top five with the addition of 10,000 jobs, a 2.7% rise; New Jersey added 3,800 jobs, a 2.6% increase; Connecticut added 1,100 jobs, a 2% rise; Delaware added 600 jobs, up 2.6%; and Rhode Island added 500 jobs, up 2.5%. Only Pennsylvania lost jobs, shedding 900 for the month, a 0.4% drop. NATIONAL | April 14, 2021 Yesterday, the US DOT published a Notice of Funding Opportunity for its RAISE grants – Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity – allotting $1 billion for road, rail and port projects under the federal competitive grant program that used to be called TIGER and then BUILD. Maximum grant award is $25 million, with no more than $100 million awarded to any one state, and no more than 50% of the funding awarded to any one project. Details on eligible projects can be found at www.dot.gov; interested parties may register for webinars on the RAISE grants at www.transportation.gov/RAISEgrants/outreach. Deadline for grant applications is July 12, 2021, 5pm. LOCAL | April 14, 2021 Last Wednesday, the Hoboken (Hudson County) City Council was scheduled to review a proposal from Bijou Properties for a mixed-use structure at 1500 Clinton Street, a site owned by the developer that falls within Hoboken’s North End Redevelopment Plan and bordered by 15th, 16th and Grand streets. The proposed 12-story, E-shaped building (153 feet tall with higher ground-floor ceilings) would hold 12,500 square feet of ground-floor retail plus a 305-space parking garage on the next three floors covered with a decorative and illuminated metal screen that would rotate screen-printed artwork. On the ground level of the 16th Street side would be a new Department of Public Works garage (featuring garage walls designed to hold painted murals from the Hoboken art community), with a City Hall annex, Office of Emergency Management Command Center and “flexible” office space on the second floor. Total public works space would be 75,000 square feet. Above the retail and public works space, 478 residential units are planned (48 studios, 273 one-bedrooms, 137 two-bedrooms and 20 three-bedrooms; 48 units designated affordable housing), along with a third-floor amenity terrace with a pool, 5,176-square-foot lounge and a gym. LOCAL | April 12, 2021 Last Wednesday, Princeton University reps were scheduled to seek preliminary and final major site plan approval from the West Windsor Township Planning Board for phase one of the Lake Campus South project, expanding the university’s footprint to a campus off Washington Road between Route 1 and Lake Carnegie in West Windsor (Mercer County). The first phase includes new infrastructure, a parking garage with 612 spaces initially and plans for 325 additional spaces in a later phase, a 300-seat softball stadium and a one-story TIGER CUB (thermally integrated geo-exchange resource central utility building). Plans for the entire Lake Campus, presented to the Planning Board in January 2020, include hundreds of residential units for postdoctoral and graduate students, maker spaces, outdoor areas, faculty/researcher/industry partner working spaces and athletic facilities. NATIONAL | April 9, 2021 AGC of America reported today on the latest federal PPI data, also released today, showing spikes in the price of construction materials and continuing supply-chain disruptions. AGC Chief Economist Ken Simonson notes the Producer Prices Index is a month behind, and contractors already have word from suppliers of expected price increases in the weeks and months ahead. According to today’s PPI, the selling price for goods used in construction jumped 3.5% from February to March and 12.9% since March 2020 – with both increases the highest recorded in the 35-year history of the series. AGC continues to urge the Biden administration to address tariffs, which have also driven up prices and contributed to supply shortages and delivery delays. LOCAL | April 9, 2021 Longacre NJ Properties LLC has asked Atlantic City’s Casino Reinvestment Development Authority for approvals to renovate the old Morris Guards Armory at 10 S. New York Avenue (between Atlantic and Pacific avenues), turning it into a mixed-use building with 31 residential units, a 6,000-square-foot addition to the fifth floor and commercial space on the first floor. Plans call for the brick 30,000-square-foot Armory, built in 1901, to have studio, one- and two-bedroom units. The CRDA’s Land Use Regulation and Enforcement Division, which originally approved renovation of the property in 2015, has scheduled a hearing for April 15, 10 am, available virtually on Zoom. LOCAL | April 7, 2021 Last Thursday, EPA released its next-phase proposal for cleanup of the nearly 20-acre Sherwin-Williams/Hilliards Creek Superfund site, calling for the dredging of 128,000 cubic yards of contaminated sediment plus excavation and capping of floodplain soil at Silver Lake, Bridgewood Lake, Kirkwood Lake and Hilliards Creek in Gibbsboro, Voorhees and Lindenwold (all Camden County). Cleanup would include construction of a system to divert streams during the work. Before capping, EPA proposes removing 42,000 cubic yards of contaminated soil from the top two feet of soil in the floodplain. Contaminants include arsenic and lead in the sediment, and arsenic, lead and paint solvents in the soil. EPA has scheduled a virtual public meeting for April 12, 7 pm, and will accept written comments on the proposal through May 3. To register for the meeting, visit https://epa-sherwin-williams-ou4.eventbrite.com. For more information, contact Pat Seppi at [email protected] or 646.369.0068, and visit the EPA site at www.epa.gov/superfund/sherwin-williams and the Sherwin-Williams site at www.SWHilliardsCreek.com. NATIONAL | April 7, 2021 AGC of America reported this morning 66% of US metro areas (236 of 358) saw a decline in construction employment in February compared to February of 2020, with only 83 metros adding construction jobs during the past 12 months and jobs in 39 metros remaining unchanged. New York City was second from the bottom with the loss of 26,700 jobs, a 17% drop. All seven New Jersey metros lost industry jobs for the year-over-year: Newark shed 6,000 jobs, a 14% drop; Bergen-Hudson-Passaic lost 4,600 jobs, a 15% drop; Middlesex-Monmouth-Ocean lost 3,300 jobs, an 8% drop; Camden lost 2,400 jobs, a 11% drop; Atlantic City-Hammonton and Trenton each lost 700 jobs, a 13% fall for each metro; and Vineland-Bridgeton lost 200 jobs, a 7% drop. NATIONAL | April 5, 2021 After a dismal February jobs report, construction employment made a sharp rebound in March, adding 110,000 jobs across the nation. Total construction employment totaled 7,466,000, which was still 182,000 fewer employees, 2.4% less than the peak in February 2020. The nonresidential building sector is down 231,000 jobs (-4.9%) from pre-pandemic levels. With 835,000 construction workers out of work, the unemployment rate for the industry was 8.6% in March, compared to 6.9% in March 2020. LOCAL | April 1, 2021 PL 835 Plainfield Urban Renewal LLC has submitted a proposal to the City of Plainfield (Union County) for “adaptive reuse” of the Plainfield Area YMCA at 512-24 Watchung Avenue. Plans call for turning part of the three-and-a-half story brick building into a six-story mixed-use complex with 157 residential units, 5,503 square feet of commercial space, and amenities such as an art gallery, fitness room, co-working space and 115 parking spaces. The residential portion would include 97 “live/work” units, 42 studios and 18 one-bedroom units. The rest of the existing YMCA would be demolished. The developer has also applied to demolish a vacant three-story industrial building at 130-40 East 5th Street (Route 28) A virtual hearing on the applications is scheduled for tonight at 7 pm. LOCAL | April 1, 2021 As we had posted in Hot Topics, Deborah Heart and Lung Center in Browns Mills (Burlington County) has been campaigning for $100 million in funds to expand the hospital as it reaches its century mark. It has now received a loan from the USDA for $88.2 million which, added to the $16 million already raised, will allow the hospital to upgrade its double-occupancy rooms to private suites and construct a new three-story in-patient tower with two floors of private patient rooms on top of existing space. Each of the two floors will contain 18 suites; the third floor will be for mechanical systems. Upgrades will be made to the cardiac catheterization labs, a new pharmacy clean room will be added, and the electrophysiology labs will receive new technology and undergo construction. Work is expected to begin this year with completion near the end of 2022 in time for the hospital’s 100th anniversary. LOCAL | April 1, 2021 On Tuesday, AtlantiCare ceremonially broke ground on its $38 million, three-story, 70,000-square-foot Medical Arts Pavilion on Ohio Avenue in Atlantic City, across from the main AtlantiCare campus. As we had posted previously in Hot Topics, it will house a maternal and fetal healthcare program, an urgent care center, a dialysis unit, classroom space, a 150-seat amphitheater and a simulation lab for medical students and physician residents. Site prep work has already begun and the new ambulatory care facility is expected to open in about 18 months. In other news, a proposal made by Reliance Medical Group for a birthing center at Tennessee and Baltic avenues has received a resolution of support from the City Council. The group says funding is in place and hopes to open the center by the end of 2022. NATIONAL | March 29, 2021 All but six states report construction jobs in February remained below pre-pandemic levels. For the period from February 2020 through February 2021, New York and New Jersey landed in the bottom five among the 50 states and DC. New York lost 41,100 jobs for the year-over-year, a 10.1% drop, and New Jersey lost 18,200 jobs, an 11.1% drop. Compared to a year ago in the region, Pennsylvania was down 11,600 jobs, a 4.4% drop; Connecticut was down 3,300 jobs, a 5.6% drop; Delaware was down 700 jobs, a 3% drop; and Rhode Island was down 600 jobs, also a 3% drop. Numbers in four states in the region remained bad for the month from January to February, hurt by bad storms, rising materials prices and continuing supply-chain delays. New Jersey lost 4,200 jobs, down 2.8%; New York lost 15,600, a 4.1% drop; Delaware lost 100 jobs, a 0.4% drop; and Connecticut also lost 100 jobs, a 0.2% drop. Pennsylvania picked up 1,400 jobs for the month, a 0.6% increase, and Rhode Island measured no change for the month. REGIONAL | March 26, 2021 Yesterday, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg told the House Transportation Committee he “hopes” the environmental impact statement for the Gateway Tunnel Project, delayed by the previous administration for three years, will be completed by the end of June, and that the Federal Railroad Administration is working with NJ Transit, Amtrak and other Gateway partners to get it done. He also promised to visit the region to inspect the existing tunnel under the Hudson. Buttigieg’s remarks were in response to questions from the three New Jersey Democrats on the committee: Tom Malinowski, Albio Sires and Donald Payne Jr. LOCAL | March 26, 2021 On Wednesday, the Atlantic City Council approved further exploration of a proposed $2.7 billion development of Bader Field into a racing and car “destination,” with a Formula One race course, townhouses and condos, affordable housing and a center for city residents to train as auto mechanics. Deem Enterprises presented this latest plan for developing the 150-acre site, which the firm would plan as the first carbon net zero development in the state. LOCAL | March 25, 2021 Tonight, the Hamilton Township Planning Board is scheduled to review a proposal for a complex that would include a 91,600-square-foot warehouse with 2,000 square feet of office space, an underground basin and a wet pond. Site plans also reveal the building would be 45 feet high with 43 parking spaces on 10.21 acres at 1384 Yardville Hamilton Square Road, Hamilton (Mercer County), just north of I-195 and approximately eight miles from downtown Trenton. The developer is listed as 1384 Yardville LLC of Manasquan. NATIONAL | March 19, 2021 AGC of America reported today 63% of US metros – 225 of 358 – had fewer construction jobs in January than they did a year ago, reflecting pandemic-driven project cancellations and a slow-down in new projects. In New Jersey, Newark lost the most jobs for the year-over-year period, down 4,000 for a 9% drop. Trenton had the largest percentage drop for the year period, plummeting 13% on the loss of 700 jobs. All the other Jersey metros also lost jobs in January of this year compared to January 2020: Bergen-Hudson-Passaic was down 3,700 jobs, a 12% fall; Middlesex-Monmouth-Ocean shed 1,900 jobs, a 5% decline; Camden lost 1,800 jobs, an 8% drop; Atlantic City-Hammonton lost 500 jobs, a 9% drop; and Vineland-Bridgeton lost 100 jobs, a 4% drop. STATE | March 18, 2021 On Monday, Gov. Murphy announced the opening of the second round of grant solicitation from the Library Construction Bond Act of 2017. This allocation of $37.5 million in grants follows 38 projects that received grants in the first round. Deadline for applicants is June 4. For details, visit https://www.njstatelib.org/services_for_libraries/new-jersey-library-construction-bond-act/ LOCAL | March 18, 2021 As we posted in Hot Topics, Stockton University’s dormitory expansion in Atlantic City was put on hold at the beginning of the pandemic and then put back on track last fall. On Tuesday, the Casino Reinvestment Development Authority approved a $10.3 million long-term loan to help fund the University’s $70 million Phase II project, which includes construction of a 135,000-square-foot residence hall at Atlantic and South Providence avenues, to house 416 beds in 107 apartments. The rest of the funding will be financed through bonds issued by the Atlantic County Improvement Authority. LOCAL | March 17, 2021 The Newark Municipal Council was scheduled to vote today on whether to approve a long-term tax abatement for a mixed-use project that reflects an emerging trend – a combination residential/medical center. The project, proposed by last fall by West Market Owners (same address in Westchester NY as L+M Development Partners), is described as a six-story building with 78 “affordable housing” residential units, of which approximately 16 are planned for “residents with special needs,” and an 8,000-square-foot medical center at 4-22 Littleton Avenue on the corner of West Market Street in the Fairmount section of Newark. LOCAL | March 17, 2021 The North District station of the Jersey City Police Department at 282 Central Avenue will be replaced with a new five-story building on another parcel on Central Avenue and will include ground-floor community meeting space and a parking area behind the building. Without announcing a timeline, the city will prepare bid documents for construction. NATIONAL | March 17, 2021 AGC of America reported Monday 42 states had fewer construction jobs in January 2021 than they had in February 2020, the last pre-pandemic month. In other words, only eight states added jobs in January and the District of Columbia remained unchanged compared to February a year ago. From December 2020 to January 2021, however, only 19 states and DC lost construction jobs while 27 states added jobs, with no change in four states for the month. New Jersey lost 600 jobs for the month, a 0.4% slide, and was down 12,600 jobs, a 7.7% drop from 11 months ago. In the region, Rhode Island gained 200 jobs for the month, up 1%, but was down 400 jobs for the 11-month period, a 2% drop. New York gained 100 jobs for the month (not enough to measure a percentage gain), but was down 26,000 jobs for the 11-month period, a 6.4% drop. Delaware also picked up 100 jobs for the month, a 0.4% gain, but was down 700 jobs for the 11-month period, a 3% drop. Connecticut lost 600 jobs for the month, down 1.1%, and 3,200 jobs for the 11-month period, a 5.4% drop. Pennsylvania lost 1,000 jobs for the month, a 0.4% drop, and was down 14,200 jobs for the 11-month period, a 5.4% drop. NATIONAL | March 15, 2021 AGC of America reported Friday the PPI for key construction materials once again rose for the month (January to February) and continued to show significant increases compared to April 2020. Overall, the PPI rose 1.9% for the month and 12.8% for the 10-month period. Of particular note, prices for the month showed increases in these products: diesel fuel leaped 12.7%; lumber and plywood rose 6.7%; steel mill products jumped 11.8%; steel pipe and tube increased 6.8%; copper and brass mill shapes were up 3.6%; sheet metal products edged up 2.6%; fabricated structural steel was up 2.5%; fabricated structural metal bar joists & rebar were up 3.1%; fabricated structural metal for non-industrial building also rose 3.1%; fabricated structural metal for bridges climbed 4.4%; and ornamental and architectural metal work rose 3.9%. Asphalt prices at the refinery shot up 22.4% for the month. LOCAL | March 12, 2021 Adventure Crossing on CR 537 near Six Flags in Jackson Township (Ocean County), emerging as a home for a three-acre sports dome, recreation, lodging, living and medical research on more than 300 acres, will now also include two warehouses totaling more than a million square feet, approved Monday by the Jackson Township Planning Board. Developer Vito Cardinale asked for the amended site plan for two mid-rise rectangular warehouses measuring 650,000 and 384,000 square feet. Plantings and at least 100 feet of buffer will separate the warehouses from the rest of Adventure Crossing, and plans include a stormwater detention system to channel runoff toward Barnegat Bay (10% of the project lies within the Barnegat Bay watershed). Construction on the warehouses, estimated to last a year, will begin when tenants are secured. LOCAL | March 10, 2021 The Millville (Cumberland County) Planning Board approved an expansion project for Innovation Foods LLC, in partnership with Oatly AB, that will see the construction of a $45 million facility for processing and packaging of oat milk products. The new plant, to be located at 4 Gorton Road, will emerge in two phases, beginning with a 71,866-square-foot main plant with a pipeline connection for product to the nearby Oatly plant on Orange Street and a new wastewater treatment plant. Two more buildings will be constructed in the second phase, creating an overall 125,286-square-foot facility. The state-of-the-art plant will support “low-acid aseptic” production that takes “sterile” product and places it in “sterile” packaging, eliminating the need for refrigeration, promoting longer shelf life and allowing more sustainable packaging. NATIONAL | March 5, 2021 Bad weather and dwindling nonresidential projects contributed to a loss of 61,000 construction jobs across the US in February, boosting the industry’s unemployment rate to 9.6% compared to 5.5% in February 2020, reports AGC of America. In the nonresidential building sector, contractors shed 8,800 jobs, leaving the February total number of jobs in the sector at 316,000, down 6.8% from February 2020. Heavy and civil engineering contractors shed 20,800 jobs in February, primarily impacted by severe winter storms that hit most of the US. LOCAL | March 5, 2021 Renderings of a 282-unit mixed-used development planned for 1400 and 1900 Avenue at Port Imperial in Weehawken (Hudson County), owned by 1419 WK Owner LLC, a subsidiary of Hongkun USA Real Estate Development, reveal two buildings with curved corners, smooth glazing and staggered levels that reach eight stories at their highest points. To be built on a 3.65-acre site on the Hudson River waterfront, the plan features a pedestrian plaza between the two buildings, along with 4,601 square feet of ground-floor retail, a 346-space parking garage and 20,000 square feet of indoor amenities. Proposed amenities range from a residential lounge to an indoor pool, a spa and fitness center, a half-court basketball venue, a multimedia room, kids’ room and game room, a library and co-working space. The tiered design lends itself to multiple decks with outdoor pools, dining and kitchen areas, sun decks, firepits and seating areas. Last month, Hongkun secured $61 million in financing for the project. LOCAL | March 4, 2021 Yet another possible distribution center NOT in South Jersey – Link Industrial has purchased 10 acres in Kearny (Hudson County), former site of the Talbot Hall Rehabilitation Center, with plans to build a 160,000-square foot state-of-the-art distribution center. The property is located at 100-140 Lincoln Highway and Hackensack Avenue; the center is expected to open at the end of 2022. LOCAL | March 4, 2021 North Wildwood (Cape May County) will redesign and move a bulkhead at the north end of the island at the request of NJ DEP and also build a seawall on the ocean side. Further plans call for a dune and berm to increase storm defense, which would run the length of Five Mile Island, part of the Army Corps’ Shore Protection Project. The bulkhead would move to between Fifth and Seventh avenues, requiring removing a playground between the bulkhead and John F. Kennedy Beach Drive. The seawall would extend from its current end at Third Avenue down to Seventh. Estimate for the bulkhead and seawall projects together is approximately $9 million, of which some $6.5 million would be funded by the DEP and the rest by the town. Ultimately, the bulkhead and seawall could be covered by the dune, which would require dredging and more coordination with the federal government. NATIONAL | March 1, 2021 For the first time in seven months, private nonresidential construction spending inched up in the US in January, rising 0.4% over December spending but still way below year-over-year totals. By segment, spending on power construction fell 0.8% for the month and was down 10% for the year; commercial construction spending (including retail and warehouse) dropped 1.8% for the month, down 8.3% for the year; office construction spending slid 0.2% for the month, down 4.4% for the year; and manufacturing construction spending rose 4.9% in January but fell 14.7% for the year. Public construction spending increased 1.7% for the month and 2.9% for the year period. By segment, highway and street construction spending was up 5.8% for the month, up 6.5% for the year; spending on education construction slid 0.1% in January but was up 0.9% for the year; and spending on construction of transportation facilities fell 1% for the month, down 0.6% for the year. LOCAL | March 1, 2021 As previously posted in Hot Topics, the Historic Hinchliffe Stadium in the Paterson Great Falls National Historical Park has been slated for a $94 million redevelopment project, including rehab of the stadium into a 7,800-seat recreation, cultural and entertaining facility with football, baseball, softball, soccer, and track & field playing areas, a restaurant and exhibition space of approximately 11,000 square feet, a 300-space parking garage and 75 units of age-restricted affordable housing with ground-floor childcare space. The Passaic County Improvement Authority has now approved a $60 million bond issuance to help fund the project. Funding and tax credits have also come from municipal, state and federal sources. LOCAL | February 25, 2021 We posted in Hot Topics earlier this month about the need for repairs to the Lake Lenape Dam in Hamilton Township (Atlantic County), classified as a “Class One High Hazard dam” that protects the area from loss of life and property damage, if it stays in good shape. Yesterday, the Historic Sites Council of the New Jersey Historic Preservation Office voted to recommend the NJ DEP approve the essential upgrades to the dam, improving the powerhouse (built in 1920) and rehabilitating the dam (reconstructed in 1978). In the powerhouse, the old wooden gates would be replaced with powered steel sliding gates, existing turbines would be removed, a new electric conduit and power supply would be installed, and concrete cracks and chips inside the sluiceway would be repaired. For the dam, the spillway would be replaced and new concrete training walls and concrete spillway slab would be tied in with footing piles. More approvals are needed before work can begin. LOCAL | February 25, 2021 Dermody Properties of Morristown has announced it will begin construction this spring on three warehouses on 154 acres at Route 322 and Locke Avenue in Woolwich (Gloucester County). The buildings will range from approximately 262,000 to 552,500 square feet. Dermody also plans “significant improvements” to the intersection of the two roads as it develops the “logistics park.” LOCAL | February 25, 2021 South Jersey is not the only part of the state to see warehouse construction. Earlier this week, we posted a Hot Topic about a cold storage facility in Elizabeth. Now, Bayonne has approved an 880,000-square-foot UPS distribution facility on 150 waterfront acres at the city’s Military Ocean Terminal. Local | February 25, 2021 The historic Loew’s Theater in Jersey City’s Journal Square, nearly a century old, is on its way to receiving a $72 million makeover into a 3,300-seat, state-of-the-art Performing Arts Center. This week, the Jersey City Redevelopment Agency designated Devils Arena Entertainment (operator of the Prudential Center) conditional redeveloper of the theater. Work will include bringing the building up to code plus historic preservation of a stage lighting control board, pop-up microphones, and orchestra and organ lifts. Other planned work will add upgrades for visuals and acoustics, concessions and ticketing areas, new ingress/egress points for ADA compliance, expanded audience capacity, and major infrastructure improvements for HVAC, plumbing and electrical systems. Construction is scheduled to begin in 2022 with completion in 2025. LOCAL | February 24, 2021 Yesterday, a new 140,000-square-foot cold storage facility being developed by Elberon Development Group received a $34 million construction loan. The refrigerated warehouse, to be built for FreezPak Logistics on 7.85 acres at 1029 Newark Avenue, Elizabeth (Union County; near Newark Liberty Airport and Port Newark-Elizabeth), will contain 10.5 million square feet, 18 docks, 30,000 pallet positions and excess trailer parking. LOCAL | February 24, 2021 Late in 2018, we posted in Hot Topics of the Brick (Ocean County) land development split between a superdome and other retail. That 122,800-square-foot redevelopment project has now been approved by NJDOT and NJDEP and, pending county and township utility approvals (it was approved in 2019 by the Brick Planning Board), could begin construction this year. The sports facility will be built under the direction of HMZ Brick, a holding company for North Jersey’s Superdome facilities. Two retail stores and a restaurant with drive-through will be built by developer Jack Morris. NATIONAL | February 22, 2021 As we posted last week in Hot Topics, the prices of construction materials rose sharply in January, particularly on lumber. AGC of America reports the Producer Price Index for lumber and plywood jumped 9.8% for the month from December 2020 to January 2021 and was 50% higher than a year ago. Copper and brass mill shape prices were up 3.1% for the month, 22% for the year, and diesel fuel was up 4.2% for the month, 9.2% for the year. Steel was all over the place: steel mill products rose 5.2% for the month and 7.4% for the year, but structural steel for bridges leaped 10.5% for the month and 15% for the year, and sheet metal products remained unchanged for the month and were actually down 0.4% for the year. Near-term futures prices for crude oil, copper and steel scrap rose sharply, indicating further price hikes for petroleum-based and metal construction products. LOCAL | February 22, 2021 We continue to post Vineland industrial development projects in Hot Topics as the city continues to invite interest. The latest is 44 acres off 1615 West Garden Road near the industrial park, on which an ordinance will be introduced this month to transfer the property to the Vineland Industrial Commission, which is able to sell land to a specific buyer rather than have the city auction it off publicly. The sale price is listed at approximately $1.15 million but the prospective buyer is not named. Two other sites in Vineland are also being prepared for eventual sale and industrial development – the former West Campus of the Vineland Developmental Center at Almond and North Orchard roads (68 acres with 17 buildings) and a former farm at 2572 North West Blvd (7.79 acres) that the town would purchase and resell as a package with the West Campus. LOCAL | February 22, 2021 The project, 130 Commerce Center in Hamilton Township (Mercer County), located on 20 acres at 537 Route 130 between I-195 and the NJ Turnpike, has received $12.7 million in construction financing. Partners Penwood Real Estate Investment Management and Metrix Real Estate Services are the developers of the 171,000-square-foot Class A warehouse and distribution facility, which will replace Shoppes at Hamilton. NATIONAL | February 19, 2021 As we posted in Hot Topics Wednesday, AGC of America sent a letter to President Biden asking for his direct assistance in stopping the sharp rise in lumber prices. Among other critical actions, AGC seeks the administration’s aid in encouraging US lumber production and a new trade agreement with Canada on softwood lumber. For the letter, click here: https://www.agc.org/sites/default/files/Files/Communications/AGC-White_house_lumber_letter.pdf LOCAL | February 17, 2021 Hot Topics postings have tracked the development of plans to create a new transportation hub in Camden, and today the Governor and other officials announced they will release an RFP for design of a $250 million redevelopment of the Walter Rand Transportation Center. The design phase of the Walter Rand Transit Center Improvement Project is expected to take nine months and include better accommodation for the 26 bus lines that serve the facility, improved intermodal connectivity with the PATCO Speedline subway and River LINE light rail, additional parking and administrative offices, and enhanced safety. Per the Governor’s press release, the New Jersey Transit-directed RFP will ask qualified firms for proposals to conduct Conceptual Design, Preliminary Engineering, Final Design Engineering and Construction Assistance for the project. REGIONAL | February 17, 2021 Yesterday, the Federal Transit Authority rescinded a rule blocking New Jersey and New York from applying for low-interest federal loans, opening the way for funds to help defray the $13 billion cost of the Gateway Tunnel Project. The rule, put in place in 2018 by the previous administration, prohibited the states from seeking 50% of the funding through federal loans. NATIONAL | February 17, 2021 AGC of America reports from various sources construction materials prices rose sharply in January, along with delays in delivery. Structural steel is particularly affected, with some prices up 24% and 56% and lead times “extended.” The framing-lumber composite price reached an all-time high of $963 per 1000 board-feet, according to Random Lengths, more than double last January’s price. Copper futures are the highest in eight years. Diesel fuel was up 6.3 cents per gallon to $2.80, the biggest increase in nearly 17 months, reported the Energy Information Administration and Transport Topics, although still down 11 cents (-3.4%) from a year ago. Overall, the selling price for materials and services in new nonresidential construction rose 2.5% from December to January and 10.7% since April 2020. AGC of America also reports it “urged the Biden administration to review and rescind a range of trade tariffs…including for Canadian lumber…” LOCAL | February 17, 2021 Last week, the Wildwood Crest (Cape May County) Board of Commissioners approved a bond ordinance for $1.6 million to rehabilitate the old library (located on beachfront property on the bike path). Plans are to turn it into a community center with 38 metered parking spaces. Architectural drawings previously submitted by William McLees Architecture LLC include a new contemporary design with a common area (“living room”), gift shop, senior center/historical room, environmental outreach conference room, concession area and ADA-compliant bathrooms, along with outdoor fire pits and permanently fixed Adirondack chairs. A phased construction plan was originally proposed, beginning with finishing work on exterior walls, followed by bathrooms, interior renovations and, finally, exterior siding, new doors and windows, parking lot expansion and site furniture. STATE | February 15, 2021 As a reminder to ACCNJ members doing work in New York City, the NYC Department of Buildings Local Law 196 requires you to have workers trained by March 1, 2021. If you have a jobsite covered by this Department/Law, please refer to this link for details from the department: https://www1.nyc.gov/site/buildings/safety/sst-faqs.page LOCAL | February 8, 2021 The Hamilton Township (Atlantic County) Committee is scheduled to vote tonight on whether to proceed with applications required to repair the Lake Lenape Dam, which is considered “high hazard” should it fail. Applications to the state Pinelands Commission for development and to the NJ DEP for a safety permit are first steps before repair work commences. The dam is jointly owned and operated by Atlantic County and Hamilton Township, with the county responsible for engineering and the town for controlling water flow during high-volume rain events, which is proving nearly impossible. The DEP’s Historic Preservation Office could issue a permit soon after its scheduled February 17 meeting. The dam, replaced in 1853, includes a powerhouse and 80-foot spillway; the powerhouse would need to be upgraded before a labyrinth system is deployed to increase the amount of the spillway. Other improvements, including LED lighting behind the spillway, are on the table. Cost for the powerhouse upgrade is estimated between $600,000 and $800,000, spillway improvements at $5 million. LOCAL | February 8, 2021 Wildwood (Cape May County) has received two development proposals for its former Back Bay dump, a 26-acre site between Susquehanna Avenue and Post Creek Basin. The brownfield would have to be capped with a low-permeability soil cap with oversight from a licensed site remediation professional and DEP land-use permits would most likely be required following the site remediation. Wildwood officials hope a developer will install roads, utility connections, new bulkheads and other work before creating a mixed-use development with residences, commercial spaces and perhaps a marina. LOCAL | February 8, 2021 Last week, the Millville (Cumberland County) City Commission adopted a bond ordinance committing $771,000 for a remake of the Millville Public Library, a $6.5 million project that last year received $3,262,260 from the state. The city’s commitment will be matched by the Library Construction Bond Act, doubling it to more than $1.5 million. When the work is complete, the library will have added 10,500 square feet, more than double its current size, and gotten extensive renovations and upgrades that pave the way for expanded services. Work includes an elevator to the basement. State | February 8, 2021 We know the workforce in New Jersey has dropped dramatically because of the pandemic, from approximately 4.1 million workers in 2019 to 3.7 million in 2020. Union labor dropped from 642,000 to 600,000 year-over-year, but the percentage of union workers increased from 15.7% in 2019 to 16.1% in 2020, according to the Economic Policy Institute in a report released January 22. The report found unionized sectors had far lower layoff rates than non-union sectors. NATIONAL | February 5, 2021 The construction industry overall in the US had been adding jobs since the early months of the pandemic, but January signaled a slow-down with an unemployment rate of 9.4%, compared to 5.4% unemployment in January 2020. AGC of America reports nonresidential construction employment clocked in at 259,000 jobs last month, 5.5% less than in February 2020, with only 60% of the initial pandemic-driven job losses in nonresidential construction filled. LOCAL | February 4, 2021 David Placek, Montclair resident and landlord, and his real estate investment company BDP Holdings, have purchased the 7.6-acre Lackawanna Plaza property in Montclair, home to the Lackawanna train terminal that’s on the New Jersey and National Registers of Historic Places. A strip mall on the site is mostly vacant; the Pathmark supermarket closed in late 2015. Other development plans that included razing the train station and creating a mixed-use residential/retail complex have been sidelined by a citizens’ lawsuit. Without revealing a lot of specifics, Placek is proposing to rehabilitate and protect the train station, attract a supermarket and create public space. He expects to have open community discussions in the near future. LOCAL | February 4, 2021 Last night, the East Orange Planning Board was scheduled to review a proposal by Novus Landmark East Orange Urban Renewal LLC for a mixed-use complex at 429, 431 and 433 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd (aka Main Street). Called “Hue Soul Apartments,” the plans call for a five-story building with 113 residential units, 3,562 square feet of retail and restaurant space, and a parking garage with one space per unit. Units would be divided among eight studios, 82 one-bedrooms and 23 two-bedrooms. Construction is estimated at more than $24 million. LOCAL | February 3, 2021 Scheduled for a hearing tonight before the Mahwah (Bergen County) Board of Adjustment is a proposal from Monarch Communities LLC of New Hampshire, which seeks preliminary and final major site plan approval for a senior housing and mixed-use development across from the Mahwah train station. Documents released by the town detail a 175-unit multifamily senior housing complex rising four stories that would include 7,956 square feet of retail space and a parking garage. The senior living would be divided into 97 congregate apartment units, 48 assisted living units and 30 memory care units. The 3.46-acre site encompasses 6 East Ramapo Avenue and adjacent properties on Franklin Turnpike, King Street and Siding Place and currently houses four commercial buildings, the Mahway Post Office and parking lot. The application calls for “demolishing the existing site improvements” and lists Mahwah Town Center LLC of Maywood as owner with Monarch Communities listed as “contract purchaser.” NATIONAL | February 3, 2021 AGC of America reports the number of construction jobs dropped in December 2020 compared to December 2019 in 191 of 358 US metro areas (53%). In New Jersey, only Middlesex-Monmouth-Ocean added jobs, picking up 1,100 in the year-over-year period for a 3% gain. Atlantic City lost the highest percentage in the year-over-year, a 25% plummet on the loss of 1,400 jobs. Bergen-Hudson-Passaic shed the highest number, down 6,000 jobs for a 19% drop. Newark lost 4,500 jobs, a 10% decline; Camden lost 600 jobs, a 3% slide; Trenton lost 300 jobs, a 6% drop; and Vineland-Bridgeton lost 100 jobs, a 3% decline. LOCAL | February 1, 2021 Vineland (Cumberland County) is seeing rapid growth in its manufacturing, warehouse and distribution facilities lately, particularly in the Vineland Industrial Park off Route 55. The city just approved the expansion of M&O Freezer at 1200 North Mill Road in the park. Doubling its warehouse space, the cold storage company will add 222,186 square feet in two phases of building on newly acquired land plus on more land to be purchased in the near future. Ultimately, the site will measure about 27 acres. No construction timetable was included in the recent approval. LOCAL | February 1, 2021 The former Congoleum Corp. site, 65.7 acres of brownfields at 861 Sloan Ave. in Hamilton (Mercer County), could become the Sloan Avenue Redevelopment Area – transformed into townhomes, retail outlets, office space, restaurants and a hotel over the next three decades, a potential “Transit Village” with access to the NJ Transit Hamilton train station. A minimum of 20% of the redevelopment area would be left as open space. The Township Planning Board recommended remediation and development of the site, which now awaits approval by the Hamilton Council. NATIONAL | February 1, 2021 AGC of America reports private nonresidential spending across the nation collapsed in December 2020, public construction showed some life and residential construction soared. It was the sixth consecutive month of declining private nonresidential construction spending, which fell 1.7% from November and 9.8% from December 2019. In the category, power construction spending fell 10.8% year-over-year, although it edged up 0.6% from November. The commercial sector (including retail and warehouse) slid down 2.8% for the month, down 1.4% for the year period. Manufacturing construction spending dropped 5.6% for the month, and plummeted 17.6% for the year. Office construction spending edged up 0.2% for the month (more space reconfiguring due to the virus) but was down 3.3% for the year. Healthcare construction spending dropped 3% for the month and 8.7% for the year. Public construction spending edged up 0.5% for the month, up 3% for the year. By sector, spending for highway and street construction crept up 0.5% for the month and 3.9% for the year; education construction bumped up 0.6% for the month and 4.5% for the year; and transportation construction rose 0.9% for the month but dropped 1% for the year. Private residential construction spending rose 3.1% in December with a leap of 20.7% for the year. Within the category, multi-family construction spending was up only 0.1% for the month but climbed 17.8% for the year. LOCAL | January 29, 2021 Boraie Development of New Brunswick has submitted plans to redevelop remediated industrial land (five parcels) at 880-900 Garfield Avenue in Jersey City on Zone A within an area designated as the Canal Crossing Redevelopment Plan. The site is also bordered by Carteret Ave., Forrest Street and the Hudson-Bergen Light Rail tracks, and Halladay Street. The proposal includes 1,256 apartments in seven five-story buildings (just over 72 feet high), along with 11,100 square feet of retail and 2,400 square feet of office space. Apartment floorplans are expected to consist of 189 studios, 785 one-bedrooms, 257 two-bedrooms and 25 three-bedrooms, and 569 parking spaces are also planned. The Boraie application, filed under Hampshire Urban Renewal Redevelopment LLC and Garfield JC Partners LLC, asks for variances regarding larger-than-allowed curb cut width and minimum trees in parking lots. It also notes utilities and drainage infrastructure would be constructed by the Jersey City Municipal Utilities Authority before development work begins. No date has been scheduled for application review by the planning board and no renderings have been released. LOCAL | January 29, 2021 The third phase of the mixed-use Vermella Union development near Kean University and Union Station in Union Township was scheduled for review last night at the Township Planning Board meeting. Developer 1011 Morris Avenue Urban Renewal (same Carlstadt address as Russo Development) has applied for site plan and subdivision approvals for two new apartment buildings and 12 townhome buildings. One building would include 309 apartments with an “amenity courtyard,” a pool and 6,881 square feet of retail or restaurant space. The second would contain 44 affordable apartment units and the townhome buildings would hold approximately 118 “for-sale” units to be “constructed in phases.” Other sections of the site would remain open space, include other outdoor amenities, and contain a new parking deck and lot. NATIONAL | January 26, 2021 While 37 states added jobs in the month from November to December 2020, only 15 states and DC had more jobs in December than in pre-pandemic February. In the region, New York lost the second-highest number of jobs across the 10-month period (down 30,900 jobs, a 7.5% drop) while New Jersey lost the fourth-highest number (down 16,700 jobs, a 10% loss). New Jersey’s percentage drop was the second-highest for that period. For the month, New Jersey finally added jobs, up 3,100 for a 2.1% gain, placing it in the #13 spot in the country. New York also added jobs for the month, picking up 8,500 for a 2.3% gain and the #10 spot. Connecticut, which lost 3,000 jobs for the 10-month period, a 5% drop, picked up 1,100 jobs for the month, up 2%. Delaware lost 2,000 jobs for the 10-month period, an 8.6% drop that put it in the bottom five, and also lost 700 for the month, a 3.2% drop that put it dead last in the country. Pennsylvania lost 11,300 jobs for the 10-month period, dropping 4.2%, but added 600 for the month, edging up 0.2%. Rhode Island lost 1,100 jobs for the 10-month period, a 5.4% drop, and remained unchanged from November to December. LOCAL | January 26, 2021 The $1 million gift to New Jersey City University in Jersey City came from developer Robert Kaye (founder and CEO of the PRC Group of Companies) for the university’s $10 million campaign to build its Center for Music, Dance and Theater and The Guarini Performing Arts Center. The Center will be the centerpiece of University Place, a $400 million redevelopment of NJCU’s West Campus, and will feature a 25,437-square-foot performing arts center with a 492-seat theater and 100-seat recital hall. NATIONAL | January 26, 2021 As we posted earlier this month in Hot Topics, steel prices rose in December and now continue to jump in January because of supply issues, with further large increases predicted in February. Per AGC of America’s most recent Data Digest, tariffs and anti-dumping duties have caused limited tonnage from non-US sources; imports are down dramatically. The two domestic producers are limiting production; the electric arc furnace mills that supply most construction steel are running at full capacity on flat-rolled steel. Commodity prices, particularly on iron ore and scrap, are rising along with demand. LOCAL | January 25, 2021 On January 13, the City of Vineland (Cumberland County) approved expansion of Vineland Packaging Corp. on its five-acre lot in the industrial park at 3602 N. Mill Road near Weymouth Road. The project will add two buildings totaling 40,379 square feet – one is a 2,400-square-foot office building and the other is a 37,979-square-foot building behind the office space. Room will be made for the new construction by moving the existing dock doors, loading area and trailer storage – the city approved variances and waivers along with the site plan approval, including a higher percentage of impervious ground cover. Vineland Packaging applied for the site plan approval as Dale Holdings LLC. NATIONAL | January 25, 2021 The BLS reports a slight uptick in the percentage of construction workers who are union members, rising from 12.6% in 2019 to 12.7% in 2020. Per the report, the pandemic led to a nonunion workforce loss of 523,000 compared to a union workforce loss of 62,000. Median weekly pay in 2020 for nonunion workers was $920; for union workers it was $1,254 per week. LOCAL | January 22, 2021 Flemington (Hunterdon County), which has pondered revitalization proposals and attempted efforts at reinventing its downtown for years, is using a $100,000 grant from the state’s 2019 Opportunity Zone program to pay Stantec to propose a redesign. Stantec’s assessment and suggestions are expected to include new mixed-use development and remakes of Main Street, Stangl Road, Liberty Village and the Turntable Junction area. In the meantime, Jack Cust, a former MBL player who is now a local developer, will refurbish the 200-year-old, 15-room Union Hotel on Main Street in addition to building a new 85-room facility and 206 apartments in his Courthouse Square plan approved last year. Flemington officials are also reviewing land-use plans for the old Liberty Village site with its 162,000 square feet of outdoor outlet mall. NATIONAL | January 22, 2021 AGC of America reports House Democrats have released legislation today to bolster the multiemployer pension system. Called the Emergency Pension Plan Relief Act of 2021, the bill includes reform elements we have already seen introduced (e.g., special partition program for critical and declining plans), avoids major funding rule changes and premium increases, and does not include authorization of Composite Plans as suggested for several years by AGC. While AGC doesn’t expect it to pass in the Senate, some parts of the funding relief could be included in a future COVID relief package. LOCAL | January 20, 2021 Yesterday, the Atlantic County Board of Commissioners approved a bond issuance of $13.5 million, adding to a potential state grant of approximately $40 million to expand the Atlantic County Institute of Technology in Mays Landing. If the county wins the state grant, the $53.5 million project would fund new programs like aviation maintenance, expand existing programs, and allow the school to double the number of students it now serves, from 425 to 850. LOCAL | January 15, 2021 Jersey City is expected to select a contractor in late February or early March to begin initial infrastructure work on the Bayfront development that will eventually offer 8,000 residential units and 23 acres of open space on the Hackensack River. The RFP calls for roadway embankments and the placement of surcharge material, demolition and removal of existing utilities, and then installation of settlement plates, drainage pipes and structures. Once that work is complete, the first construction project will be mid-rise buildings with 1,092 units on 16 acres, covering four parcels of the 95-acre site located between the Hudson Mall and Society Hill off Route 440. The portion of the property that borders the river could offer sidewalk cafés and water taxis, with an area called The Point on the southwest corner to feature public spaces, two-level pavilions, a riverkeeper’s pier and a boathouse. BRP Development Group and Bayfront Development Partners LLC were designated as redevelopers last June. NATIONAL | January 15, 2021 The BLS reported today the Producer Price Index for inputs to new nonresidential construction rose 1.7% in December, and AGC of America calculates it has risen 8.1% since April of 2020. Prices on individual materials are noted as “volatile,” including diesel fuel (up 12% in December), although diesel fuel still costs 2.8% less than it did in December 2019. Copper and brass mill shape prices rose 6.8% for the month, up 20% for the year-over-year; lumber and plywood prices were up 6.7% and 36% for the two periods; and steel mill product prices rose 3.7% and 2%. The Federal Reserve and Institute for Supply Management both confirmed materials prices were up in December. NATIONAL | January 8, 2021 AGC of America reported today 51,000 new construction jobs were added across the US in December, in both nonresidential and residential sectors. However, AGC warns, based on the results of its latest Construction Hiring Survey, released yesterday, contractors are pessimistic about work prospects in 2021. Only 35% of the 1,300 contractors who responded to the survey report they anticipate adding staff this year, 24% plan to reduce staff and 41% expect to maintain current staff size. Contractors in the Northeast see a particularly bleak picture in 2021, with 41% expecting to have to reduce staff and less than 25% expecting to add staff. STATE | January 8, 2021 Governor Murphy this week signed the ACCNJ-supported “New Jersey Economic Recovery Act of 2020,” an economic development package for businesses seeking a tax incentive for facility construction, expansion or relocation. ACCNJ was successful in incorporating language into the law that strengthens contractor and craftworker protections for projects that receive incentives, including prevailing wage requirements, performance of work by registered public works’ contractors only, and penalties for developers that subvert the program’s requirements. For details, access Bulletin 04-21 on the members-only section at www.accnj.org. NATIONAL | January 5, 2021 OSHA reminds employers to electronically submit their 2020 OSHA 300A: Summary of Work-Related Injuries and Illnesses by Tuesday, March 2, 2021. The 300A annual summary form must also be posted in the workplace from February 1, 2021, through April 30, 2021. For details, see the OSHA Trade Release online: https://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/USDOL/bulletins/2b3f07d LOCAL | January 4, 2021 On January 12, the Avalon (Cape May County) Planning and Zoning Board will consider a proposal from developer Tim Kerr for a two-story, 44-foot-high, 310-seat restaurant and bar at 2800 Boardwalk (29th Street and the beach). The site is zoned as public conservation, the proposal would require assorted variances and a building on the site would be demolished. Plans call for a raised structure with glass panels, rooftop dining, a bar, banquet facilities and an ice cream parlor. NATIONAL | January 4, 2021 Based on new data, AGC of America reports a bleak November picture, with spending on private nonresidential construction sliding 0.8% from October and down 9.5% from November 2019. It was the fifth consecutive month of decreased spending for the sector. Power construction, the largest segment, slid down 0.9% for the month, commercial construction (including retail and warehouse) was down 0.3% for the month and healthcare construction fell 1.4% for the month. Manufacturing edged up 0.1% and office construction gained 0.3%. Public construction spending declined 0.2% for the month but was up 3.1% for the year-over-year. The two largest public segments increased from October to November: highway and street construction rose 1.8% and educational construction inched up 0.3%. LOCAL | December 30, 2020 A site at 10 Main Street in Woodbridge Township (Middlesex County), planned for a mixed-use development with 279 residential units (studios and 1-, 2- and 3-bedrooms) and 5,800 square feet of retail, has been purchased by the developer, Woodbridge 10 Main Urban Renewal (registered at the same address in Jersey City as Mill Creek Residential, which posts the project as “Modera Woodbridge” on its website). The site is adjacent to the Woodbridge New Jersey Transit station (North Jersey Coast Line). Amenities listed on the site include a rooftop deck, barbeque social lounge, pet spa, coffee bar, fitness studio, clubhouse and conference room, along with private garage parking and dedicated bike storage. Projected opening is late 2022. In April, the Woodbridge Township Planning Board approved a long-term tax exemption application and execution of a financial agreement with the developer. LOCAL | December 28, 2020 Rowan University in Glassboro (Gloucester County) has issued an RFP for construction management services. The project is a 30,000-square-foot expansion to the university’s Chamberlain Student Center on Route 322 (Mullica Hill Road), to fit between the existing three-story, 134,000-square-foot structure and the university library. Renderings indicate a glass-walled building whose height descends away from the road, along with a large, open interior with stairway that also creates auditorium seating. Construction is expected to start in mid-2021. NATIONAL | December 24, 2020 As predicted, steel prices have jumped up since mid-November, with an increase of $30 per ton before Thanksgiving and another $65 per ton leap in early December, per AGC of America’s Data Digest report on the three major Southeast steel mills. Imported rebar prices are rising even faster than domestic rebar, wire mesh prices are also on the rise. A shortage of scrap metal and huge international demand for it are straining the supply chain. Lumber prices, which had stabilized in early November, are also climbing again, with #3 grade lumber “scarce” and prices up 10% to 15% over in mid-December vs. a month ago. LOCAL | December 23, 2020 Linden (Union County) has issued an RFP seeking sale and redevelopment proposals for the site at 940 South Park Avenue, home of the former Park Plastics manufacturing plant (now demolished) located across 1-278 from the Bayway Refinery. Just under three-quarters of an acre, the land is offered for sale for at least $500,000 and the city would like residential development proposals. Deadline for proposals is December 29, 2020. LOCAL | December 23, 2020 A mixed-use tower in Downtown Newark (Central Ward) has new plans that call for a 22-story development that preserves the “façade and structure” of the Metropolitan Building at 260-266, 268 and 272 Washington Street. The revised proposal was scheduled to be reviewed this past Monday night by the Newark Central Planning Board; the developer, 272 Washington LLC, seeks preliminary and final site plan approval for the structure that would contain 207 residential units (124 one-bedrooms, 83 two-bedrooms), five ground-floor retail spaces, a café, a third-floor “amenity space” for tenants, a rooftop area with deck, patio dining, expo kitchen area and lounge. No parking is included in the plans. Per the site plans from Brick Studios, the existing buildings at 268, 270 and 272 Washington Street would be demolished. LOCAL | December 23, 2020 Promising hundreds of construction and permanent jobs, the Governor announced yesterday the state will build a $250 million facility to manufacture monopiles, the huge steel columns that hold the offshore wind turbines to be positioned 15 miles off Atlantic City in Ørsted’s 1,100-megawatt Ocean Wind farm. The facility will be located at the Paulsboro Marine Terminal on the Delaware River. Groundbreaking is planned for January and production of the monopiles is expected to begin in 2023. Funding for the state-of-the-art manufacturing plant comes from Ørsted, EEW of Erndtebrück, Germany (a supplier of monopiles to Ørsted), state tax credits and the US Department of Energy. This facility will dovetail with the previously announced Wind Port, planned for Lower Alloways Creek Township, which will serve as the staging and assembly point for the offshore wind projects. NATIONAL | December 23, 2020 Despite hearing of New Jersey’s population decline, the state showed a 0.94% increase in the decade from 2010 to 2020, according to BLS figures distributed by AGC of America. Resident population in New Jersey in 2010 was 8,799,451; in 2020 it was 8,882,371. The only two years to record decreases were in 2019 (down 0.01%) and 2020 (down 0.10%). We will track these numbers again when the latest US Census figures are released in 2021. LOCAL | December 21, 2020 Last week, Colliers International partnered with Essex Capital Group to finance a planned $7.5 million, state-of-the-art medical clinic at 3155 State Route 10 in Denville (Morris County). The financing covers site acquisition and construction. NATIONAL | December 18, 2020 In the month from October to November, 31 states and DC added construction jobs, even though levels in 35 states and DC remain below pre-pandemic levels, per AGC of America’s latest report. New Jersey landed second from the bottom among states that lost jobs for the month, down 2.5% on the loss of 3,800 jobs. In the region, Delaware had the largest percentage gain for the month, up 3.8% with an uptick of 800 jobs, while Pennsylvania was second from the top in jobs added, with 4,300 new jobs for a 1.7% rise. Connecticut added 500 jobs for the month, up 0.9%; Rhode Island added 100 jobs for the month, up 0.5%; and New York shed 100 jobs (no measurable percentage change.) Compared to pre-pandemic February numbers, the states in our region all reflected lower numbers in November: LOCAL | December 18, 2020 Yesterday, the New Jersey Senate confirmed two people to the Gateway Development Commission, the group providing oversight of the Gateway Development Program, including replacement of the Portal North Bridge. Confirmed are Janine Bauer, partner in the law firm of Szaferman Lakind in Lawrenceville, and Balpreet Grewal-Virk, vice president of community engagement for the Northern Region at Hackensack Meridian Health. NATIONAL | December 18, 2020 Through the Build America Bureau, the US DOT has issued a Notice of Opportunity for states and municipalities to apply for low-interest loans via the Regional Infrastructure Accelerators Demonstration Program authorized by the FAST Act. The program looks for projects that will serve specific geographic areas, e.g., a state or multiple states, an urban or metro area, a group of rural communities (even if they cross state lines), or any other “multiple jurisdiction” area (including river basins, transportation corridors and more). The award-winners (at least three and as many as eight) will be eligible for TIFIA loans and receive technical assistance for their projects. For all the details, visit https://www.transportation.gov/buildamerica/sites/buildamerica.dot.gov/files/2020-12/RIA%20NOFO_0.pdf NATIONAL | December 18, 2020 On Wednesday, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported fatalities in the private construction industry rose 5% in 2019. The total, 1,061, is the largest since 2007. LOCAL | December 16, 2020 Yesterday, the Casino Reinvestment Development Authority approved construction of Bart Blatstein’s proposed $100 million luxury waterpark next to the former Showboat Casino, giving final land use approval. Blatstein seeks 20-year tax abatements, which still await the CRDA’s agreement. LOCAL | December 16, 2020 The (almost) 10% gas tax increase, the 2% millionaire’s tax and a 5.5% increase in monthly sales tax intake bumped New Jersey’s November revenue up 6% compared to November 2019. NJ Treasury notes that’s in distinct contrast to the first five months of what would have been the state’s regular fiscal year, when revenues were coming in approximately 5% lower year-over-year. However, sales tax revenues have been up more than 4% for the past five consecutive months compared to the same months in 2019. And income tax collection, reflecting the new rate, is also up. LOCAL | December 14, 2020 Last week, Wildwood Crest (Cape May County) Borough Commissioners introduced a $5.3 million bond ordinance that, if approved, would pay for capital projects. Plans call for approximately half of the monies to be used for street upgrades to Beach Ave., Washington Ave., Seaview Ave. and Stanton Road. Another $1.8 million would be spent on foot showers, benches and walkways at beach points, and municipal buildings could also benefit from upgrades. A public hearing on the ordinance is planned for later this month. NATIONAL | December 11, 2020 Scheduled for release this Monday, December 14, the Federal Highway Administration proposes 600 changes to the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices for Streets and Highways (MUTCD). The FHWA hasn’t made updates to the Manual in more than a decade. LOCAL | December 11, 2020 The Kastner Mansion on Clinton Avenue in Newark’s South Ward, damaged in a fire a year ago, could be restored and turned into a community center if the Phoenix Restoration Consortium is successful. The Consortium seeks to secure ownership of the Victorian-era home (currently it’s city property) for the community center project and perhaps find tax abatements to help pay for the $7 million renovation. Plans propose salvaging the façade of the mansion with its brownstone turret and portico, designing a contemporary three-story structure around it and adding a parking lot. The original mansard roof, destroyed in the fire, would be replaced by a new top floor and balcony overlooking Clinton Avenue. Ascendant Architecture & Interior Design of Metuchen, a Consortium member, has created conceptual drawings but the firm hasn’t been able to gain access to the interior to take measurements. LOCAL | December 11, 2020 With plans already progressing for the 1,100-megawatt wind farm off the coast of Atlantic City, Ørsted North America has submitted a second bid, this time for Ocean Wind 2, a 2,400-megawatt project also 15 miles off AC. No estimate has yet been attached to the proposal. NATIONAL | December 11, 2020 Per data from AGC of America and the Bureau of Labor Statistics, contractors report the prices they would charge for new non-, residential construction edged up 0.1% in November. Input prices (material and labor costs) for the sector held steady in November and have increased only 2.3% over the past 12 months. Lumber and plywood prices had jumped 29% during the first six months of the pandemic but trailed off 15% in October and November, only to pick up again. Other construction materials prices noted in the data include copper and brass mill shapes, up 1.8% for the month from October to November and up 12% for the year-over-year; aluminum mill shapes, up 0.3% for the month but down 5.1% for the year period; and diesel fuel, up 6.8% for the month but still down 10% since last November. Anecdotal information reveals steel prices have jumped up sharply and will continue to rise in the near-term. And lumber prices, which spiked and fell and spiked again, may fall now the Commerce Department reduced tariffs on Canadian soft lumber from 20% to 9% as of December 1, but continued demand from homebuilders may instead keep prices high. LOCAL | December 10, 2020 AvalonBay Communities Inc. has purchased 15 acres in downtown Somerville (Somerset County), advancing the Somerville Station redevelopment project that will see construction of a new 4,000-square-foot civic center, street-level retail, a public plaza, a new NJ Transit parking structure to replace current lot parking and a 374-unit apartment complex. Apartments are expected to include studios to three-bedrooms, with amenities to feature a fitness center, co-working space, a lounge, a heated outdoor pool, a rooftop deck, courtyards with barbecue grills, a pet spa and a pet park. LOCAL | December 10, 2020 Yesterday, the NJ Transit Board of Directors authorized a Full Funding Grant Agreement with the Federal Transit Administration to construct a new Portal North Bridge across the Hackensack River for an estimated $1.8 billion. Pending final USDOT and Congressional review, the Agreement can be signed and construction begin, as the bridge is already designed and permitted. The FTA will fund $766.5 million, the Federal Highway Administration will fund $57.1 million, and the remainder will be covered by New Jersey’s local share of $811 million and Amtrak’s $261.5 million. The Portal North Bridge will be primarily owned by NJ Transit and maintained by Amtrak, and construction is expected to take five years. LOCAL | December 10, 2020 Matrix Development of Middlesex County has proposed building a 145,390-square-foot “last-mile” distribution hub for an online retailer on 30 acres off the westbound side of Admiral Wilson Blvd (Route 30) in East Camden. No retailer tenant has been found to date. The site is currently empty and contains lots owned by both public and private owners. The proposal is scheduled to be heard tonight by the Camden Planning Board. LOCAL | December 9, 2020 While the state-of-repair of New Jersey bridges has improved, the 2020 Better Roads Bridge Report from Equipment World ranks the state #31 in the nation, with 30 states showing a lower (better) percentage of bridges in poor repair. With a total of 6,740 bridges, New Jersey has 1,804 in good repair (26.77%), 4,438 in fair condition (65.85%) and 498 in poor condition (7.39%). In the region, Delaware comes in at #5, with only 1.85% of its 863 bridges in poor condition; Connecticut is ranked #22 with 5.78% of its 4,202 bridges in poor repair; and New York is ranked #41 with 9.95% of its 17,540 bridges in poor condition. Pennsylvania and Rhode Island land in the bottom five, with Pennsylvania at #47 (14.62% of its 22,897 bridges in poor shape) and Rhode Island at #49 (18.42% of its 771 bridge in poor shape). LOCAL | December 9, 2020 Over the next five years, Newark Penn Station, which opened 85 years ago, will get $190 million in renovations, restorations and upgrades, beginning with $30 million in 2021 for restoration of waiting-room benches, installation of brighter lights, upgrade of bathrooms, HVAC and air-handling, new paint and tile, and a “deep clean” of the limestone exterior. Bus lanes will see improved lighting and drainage. The station will also receive improved directional signage. The $190 million in state funding adds to $18 million in federal funding received in 2020. NATIONAL | December 4, 2020 AGC of America reports 27,000 construction jobs across the country were filled in November, mostly for residential construction. Total construction jobs reached 7,360,000, an increase of 0.4% over October, but employment in the industry is down 3.7% (-279,000 jobs) compared to February. The unemployment rate in November was 7.3% compared to 4.4% in November 2019, with 732,000 workers unemployed, up from 428,000 a year ago. REGIONAL | December 4, 2020 The Federal Reserve report from the Philadelphia District confirms homebuilding reached above-average levels in November, while commercial construction remains 13% below pre-pandemic activity levels. However, per the report, “demand remains strong for warehouse construction and leasing.” The Federal Reserve report from the New York District is more pessimistic, citing “sluggish” new construction activity and “particularly depressed” commercial construction. LOCAL | December 3, 2020 Developer Milelli/Morristown LLC proposes transforming an existing one-story structure at 23 South Street in downtown Morristown (Morris County) into a five-story mixed-use with 26 residential units, a 1,960-square-foot roof terrace and “modifications” to existing retail space. The residential units would include three studios, 13 one-bedrooms, six two-bedrooms and four three-bedrooms. The retail revisions would include moving the existing Pure Pita to 824 square feet around the corner on DeHart Street to allow room for a resident lobby; reducing Laboratory Hair Studio’s existing 1,849 square feet to 939; and slightly reducing J.C. Reiss Optician’s space from 1,571 square feet to 1,514. Other retail located in the basement of the existing building would remain unchanged. The proposal and site plans by Studio 1200 were on the agenda for last night’s Morristown Board of Adjustment meeting. NATIONAL | December 2, 2020 Of 358 metro areas across the country, 209 (58%) lost construction jobs in the year from October 2019 to October 2020, while 109 added jobs (30%) and 40 remained unchanged. In New Jersey, six of seven metro areas lost jobs for the year-over-year; Trenton construction employment remained unchanged for the year. Atlantic City-Hammonton lost 1,300 jobs for the year period, down 23%; Bergen-Hudson-Passaic lost 6,500 jobs, a 20% drop; Newark lost 5,500 jobs, an 11% slide; Camden lost 1,200 jobs, down 5%; Middlesex-Monmouth-Ocean also lost 1,200 jobs, a 3% drop; and Vineland-Bridgeton lost 100 jobs, also a 3% drop. NATIONAL | November 24, 2020 While 36 states and DC added construction jobs in October, employment in the industry is still way down from February’s pre-pandemic levels, according to an AGC analysis of BLS data. New York lost the most jobs over the eight-month period, down 41,000, a 10.1% drop. In the month from September to October, Maryland lost the most jobs, down 2,600, a 1.4% drop, with Delaware second-from-the-bottom on a loss of 300 jobs, also a 1.4% drop. Delaware also lost 2,100 jobs for the eight-month span, a 9.1% drop. New Jersey also suffered a big loss over the eight months, down 16,100 jobs, a 9.7% drop, but picked up 1,100 jobs for the last month, up 0.7%. Finishing out the region, Connecticut lost 3,400 jobs February to October, a 5.6% drop, and 300 for the month, down 0.5%; New York picked up 2,200 jobs for the month, a 0.6% uptick; Pennsylvania lost 16,000 jobs over eight months, a 6% drop, but picked up 2,200 jobs for the month, a 0.9% gain; and Rhode Island lost 1,200 jobs over eight months, a 5.9% drop, but picked up 400 jobs for the month, up 2.1%. LOCAL | November 23, 2020 Moorestown Mall (Burlington County) redevelopment could include three apartment buildings, each four stories and holding a total of up to 1,065 units, plus a 112,000-square-foot hotel. Proposed as a three-phase project on the 84-acre mall site, the first phase would include a 412,500-square-foot, 375-unit apartment building and parking structure in a parking lot between Boscov’s and Nixon Drive along with the hotel to be built in a parking lot off Lenola Road. No mall demolition would be necessary during the first phase. Phase Two would replace the former Lord & Taylor department store and adjacent parking lot with a 345-unit apartment building, and Phase Three would replace the former Sears store and parking lot off Route 38 with a third 345-unit apartment building. Plans didn’t specify parking structures for the second and third phases. The proposal has been agreed upon by PREIT, the mall owner, and Moorestown officials. LOCAL | November 23, 2020 Last week, the Stone Harbor (Cape May County) Council reviewed remake designs for its three-acre municipal marina, Marina Park, that included a new headquarters building with permanent restrooms, an elevated pedestrian walkway along the bay, an upgraded boat ramp, two kayak launches, a new fish-cleaning station and major new landscaping. Proposed infrastructure upgrades include raising the low-lying parking lot, bringing bulkheads in compliance with new borough standards, adding handicapped-accessibility ramps and features, and raising the boat ramp elevation. The estimated $5.4 million cost for the total project may make it prohibitive. LOCAL | November 20, 2020 On Tuesday, the Governor and NJ DOT Commissioner Diane Gutierrez-Scaccetti jointly announced infrastructure projects designed to increase safety and enhance vehicle flow at Port Authority locations. LOCAL | November 20, 2020 Yesterday, Governor Murphy announced $161.25 million in Municipal Aid grants slated for road, bridge, safety and quality-of-life improvements in 543 cities and towns. The average grant was $300,000; 28 cities received at least $600,000 and five got $1 million or more: View the complete list at https://www.state.nj.us/transportation/uploads/comm/news/details/comm_np_20201118_110319_FY2021_Municipal_Aid_Grants_County_by_County.pdf LOCAL | November 20, 2020 Blue Onyx Companies of Clifton, which purchased seven old silk mill buildings in Paterson (Passaic County) last year, envisions transforming the area into a $50-million, two-acre mixed-use community with 60 to 100 residential units, amenities, offices, retail and outdoor public space. The site, at 24-1/2 Van Houten Street in the Great Falls Historic District near the Passaic River, is listed on the National Register of Historical Places. The developer commissioned HWKN Architecture of New York to repurpose the mills, which will also include co-working space and maker suites for start-ups, a possible distillery or beer garden, a fitness center, food hall, community theater and event space. The project, dubbed 24+Half, must be approved by Paterson’s planning and historic preservation board as well as the National Park Service. LOCAL | November 20, 2020 On Monday, developer 140 W. Webster Ave LLC was scheduled to submit to the Roselle Park (Union County) Municipal Land Use Board a proposal for a new three-story building with 57 residential units and 4,000 square feet of retail space along four parcels at 118, 120, 13 and 138 West Webster Ave., which make up more than an acre. Plans call for 38 one-bedroom units, 18 two-bedrooms and one three-bedroom, 92 parking spaces, and a possible roof deck and 1,250-square-foot outdoor public plaza. The property parallels NJ Transit’s Raritan Valley Line and is close to the Roselle Park train station. Working with the developer are gk+a Architects and Neglia Engineering Associates. LOCAL | November 20, 2020 Denholtz Properties of Red Bank will invest more than $60 million in redevelopment of 269,000 square feet on 26 acres at Fort Monmouth, the former Army base that spans parts of Eatontown, Oceanport and Tinton Falls in Monmouth County. “District A,” purchased by Denholtz from the Fort Monmouth Economic Revitalization Authority (FMERA), sits in Oceanport and includes the former commissary, post office, warehouse district and parking lot. First phase of the plans includes converting the 53,000-square-foot commissary into a food and beverage production facility, possibly a mix of food and craft production-related uses that could offer eateries and creation spaces. That project is expected to break ground early in 2021. The rest of the property is slated for office and technology space; the existing buildings will be demolished and replaced by approximately six new buildings with 215,000 square feet that could become medical and office space, innovator makerspace, light fabrication and technology space. LOCAL | November 19, 2020 A new complex on 10 acres on Woodbury Glassboro Road in Mantua (County Road 553, Gloucester County) will house retail and medical components being developed by Mantua Partners LLC and North Bridge Properties. Two three-story medical buildings totaling 77,500 square feet will be connected by a covered walkway; each building will have ground-floor covered parking. Retail will include a 3,200-square-foot free-standing building with drive-thru and a 2,500-square-foot endcap (a Dunkin’ and a 12,250-square-foot divisible retail building already exist on the site). Construction is scheduled to begin this spring and be completed by spring/summer 2022. LOCAL | November 13, 2020 Last week, Twin River Worldwide Holdings Inc., prospective new owner of Bally’s Atlantic City, promised an investment of at least $90 million to upgrade the casino. Twin River officially changed its name to Bally’s this week. Plans for the upgrade include renovation of more than 900 hotel rooms to create 30 to 40 mini-suites, a new restaurant and bar, exterior renovations and an updated spa and fitness center. LOCAL | November 13, 2020 Last week, the Newark Municipal Council authorized the sale of three lots on Bergen Avenue in the South Ward – 768, 770 and 772 – to PGH & Associates LLC of Weequahic for the development of a mixed-use building with 21 apartments and two commercial spaces. LOCAL | November 6, 2020 A five-story mixed-use building with 12 apartments, a ground-floor grocery store and residential amenities is slated for construction at 405-407 Watchung Avenue in Plainfield (Union County) within the city’s Transit Oriented Development Downtown Zone. The plan, approved last night by the Plainfield Planning Board, offers eight one-bedroom and four three-bedroom units, all ADA-compliant with elevator service. A selling point for the city – each floor has a trash chute down to an interior trash room with secure access. All apartments have covered balconies and share a resident lounge, landscaped outdoor courtyard, package room, tenant storage lockers and interior bike racks. Developer Adonai Property LLC also owns and operates the ground-floor grocery store. Taylor Architecture & Design of North Plainfield designed the proposed building. LOCAL | November 6, 2020 Yesterday, Gov. Murphy presented a list to the Legislature of projects proposed to receive the first round of funding from the Library Construction Bond Act, approved by voters three years ago and authorized to provide $125 million in state bonds to fund critical improvements to New Jersey’s public libraries. Because the Bond Act requires applicants to match 50% of the funds for their projects, it essentially provides $250 million for library improvements. The Governor’s list included 38 projects from 16 counties for this first round of $87.5 million, with proposed improvements ranging “from major building renovations to vital technology upgrades,” per the Governor’s news release. Read the release with the list of projects: https://nj.gov/governor/news/news/562020/approved/20201105a.shtml NATIONAL | November 6, 2020 AGC of America reported this morning the nation added 84,000 construction jobs in October, up 1.2% from September for a total of 7,345,000 jobs. However, employment in the industry is still down by 294,000 jobs, a 3.9% loss, from the February peak before the pandemic. And nonresidential construction jobs are stuck at 262,000, 5.6% below the February peak. Reports out today that Congress plans to consider new coronavirus relief before year-end are encouraging, says AGC, noting “new measures, including investments in infrastructure, new Paycheck Protection Program flexibility, tax relief and liability reforms will help offset the impacts of the growing number of project cancellations and delays.” Visit www.agc.org for today’s news release. LOCAL | November 4, 2020 There has been a bank at 397 Millburn Avenue, Millburn (Essex County) for many years, but a hearing tonight before the Millburn Planning Board could result in a mixed-use with 53 apartments and 3,000 square feet of retail space, plus 97 parking spaces on that lot and the adjacent 160 Spring Street, now a parking lot. The proposal by Beahive Properties LLC (with a Broward County, Florida, address) seeks preliminary and final major site plan approval for plans that include a second-floor “amenity courtyard,” clubhouse, private event room and fitness room. Of the 53 apartments, 12 are slated as one-bedroom, 39 as two-bedroom, and two as three-bedroom (designated affordable). Tonight’s meeting is scheduled via Zoom for 7 pm. LOCAL | November 2, 2020 Monies from the Secure Our Children’s Future Bond Act could help pay for a new educational and technical training center at the Rowan College of South Jersey campus in Sewell, under the auspices of the Gloucester County Vocational Technical School/Special Services School District. When the GCIT/SSSD’s grant application under the Act is submitted and approved, construction plans will get underway for a center that will accommodate 120 to 150 full-time high school students during the day, transition to college education and programming in the evening, and house the new Academy of Applied Technology and Advanced Manufacturing. LOCAL | November 2, 2020 Land at 1 Terri Lane in the Bromley Commons industrial park in Burlington has been purchased by Peter Singh for the intended development of a warehouse/industrial facility, per real estate firm WCRE of Marlton. LOCAL | October 30, 2020 A grant of nearly $5 million “will be used to construct a new water treatment facility in the Borough of Seaside Park” (Ocean County)…”to improve water quality” in compliance with NJ DEP requirements, according to a release from the USDA Water and Environmental Program. The grant, $4,999,132, covers the treatment facility and piping, which “will be elevated along with a new emergency generator above the floodplain to prevent future flooding.” Project elements include: LOCAL | October 30, 2020 After push-back from communities and environmental groups, New Jersey Transit has cancelled its proposed natural gas power plant in the New Jersey Meadowlands and will instead build a microgrid using renewable energy and battery storage to provide power backup in the event of a power failure along the heavily traveled Northeast Corridor rail line. The agency will hire a renewable energy expert to oversee the project, which will perhaps be constructed using design-build with $409 million in federal funds, originally awarded to the natural gas project. LOCAL | October 30, 2020 If they’re sold to a developer, three adjacent parcels in Newark’s West Ward – 437-443 and 451-459 West Market Street plus 16 North 6th Street – could become a mixed-use building with 67 residential units and ground-floor commercial space. The developer is Tritop Realty LLC (same address as a Hackensack law firm, Ofeck & Heinze LLP). The site is partly vacant and also holds a dilapidated commercial building. Scheduled for approval last week, the proposal is now listed as “held in council” by the Newark Legislative Research Center. NATIONAL | October 28, 2020 Per AGC’s latest survey of COVID-19’s impacts on construction (taken October 7-19), across the country 75% of respondents report owners postponed or canceled at least one project (85% of respondents in the Northeast reported the same). Project delays were most often caused by shortage of materials, equipment or parts. However, volume of work has ticked up since the summer, with 35% reporting business matches or exceeds levels a year ago, compared to 29% who reported that on the August survey. And while 34% don’t expect business to recover to last year’s level for more than six months, that’s down from 38% on the August survey. Investment in nonresidential structures declined 15%, with investment in commercial and healthcare structures down 6.6%, power and communication structures down 3.9%. Increases in real investment were seen in manufacturing structures, up 5.8%, and other non-mining structures, up 7.2%. Multifamily building investment was up 42%. Construction costs were mostly down, with lumber pricing finally beginning to fall and ready-mix concrete prices remaining flat. Copper prices rose for the fourth consecutive month. LOCAL | October 28, 2020 A proposal slated to be heard last week by the Passaic County Planning Board calls for new student housing next to William Paterson University in Wayne. Pompton Development LLC has plans for two three-story buildings at 438 Pompton Road, adjacent to the campus, with 71 units holding 242 bedrooms, plus a surface parking area offering 144 spaces. Of those units, 21 would be two-bedroom, 50 would be four-bedroom; one building would hold 36 units and the other would hold 35. Next step – proposal is scheduled to be heard by the Wayne Township Zoning Board of Adjustment on November 16. NATIONAL | October 28, 2020 PSMJ Resources’ Quarterly Market Forecast reports the design and construction outlook for the Multifamily-for-Rent sector rebounded in Q3 to pre-COVID levels with a net plus/minus index of 40% after a steep drop in the first half of 2020. LOCAL | October 28, 2020 New Jersey Transit has received an $18.3 million grant from the Federal Railroad Administration’s FY 2020 Federal-State Partnership for State of Good Repair (SOGR) program. The grant plus $7.1 million from NJ Transit and $1.6 million from Amtrak will pay for upgrades at the Trenton Transit Center on the Northeast Corridor line, which serves NJ Transit, Septa Light Rail and Amtrak passengers. The project includes rehab of the station’s two island platforms, restoration of platform canopies, replacement of wooden platform sections with concrete surfaces, addition of new tactile strips and rub rails, reconstruction of platform deck joints and repair of concrete spalls. Also in the plans – an ADA accessibility-compliant high-level platform with an elevator from the concourse. LOCAL | October 23, 2020 To mitigate salt water leaching from the Delaware Bay into Del Haven wells, Middle Township came up with a plan to provide fresh water for the 1,000+ households in the unincorporated area in the Township (Cape May County). That plan, a new water system based on a water supply and distribution agreement between Middle Township and Lower Township Municipal Utilities Authority, is moving forward, with permit applications submitted to the state. The Township expects the project to go out for bid early in 2021 and be completed by Spring 2022. LOCAL | October 23, 2020 Developer Ashour Investment Group Wharton LLC was scheduled to present its plans to the Wharton Borough (Morris County) Planning Board last Tuesday for a four-story complex on three acres that was formerly an industrial site. The proposal calls for 75 residential units and eight commercial units (7,819 square feet of retail space plus two restaurants) at 170 North Main Street along the Wharton Rail Trail. Residential units would include 54 one-bedrooms, 12 two-bedrooms and nine three-bedrooms. REGIONAL | October 22, 2020 Beige Book reports issued yesterday from the Second and Third Districts of the Federal Reserve, covering North and South Jersey, show construction activity remains depressed because of the pandemic. However, across the state, construction activity and leasing in the warehouse and industrial sector remain steady. NATIONAL | October 20, 2020 Only eight states gained back in September the number of construction jobs they recorded in February, before the pandemic shut down construction projects across the US. New Jersey was not one of the eight, nor were any other states in our immediate region. However, while still down 17,900 jobs from February’s total of 166,600, a 10.7% drop, New Jersey showed a promising uptick of 2,500 jobs from August to September. New York added the most jobs in the country for the month, up 5,300 for a 1.5% gain. Also in the region, from August to September, Pennsylvania added 2,400 jobs, Rhode Island added 300 jobs, Delaware gained 100 jobs, and Connecticut lost 500 jobs. NATIONAL | October 18, 2020 The latest weekly Census Small Business Pulse survey (October 4-12) indicates a small uptick in construction firm optimism across the country: 16.9% report a return to year-ago levels and 52.9% report no supply chain issues. On the other hand, 33.6% believe it will take longer than six months for a return to “normal.” Members are invited to complete AGC’s latest survey, which closes at midday on Monday, October 19 (visit www.agc.org). Prices on construction goods and services rose 2.5% from August to September and 3.8% compared to September 2019. Lumber and plywood prices shot up 19% for the month, 49% for the year-over-year, the highest hike ever for that index. Prices for aluminum mill shapes rose 6.8% for the month but dropped 3.1% for the year-over-year, and copper and brass mill shape prices rose 3% for the month, 11% for the year period. In contrast, steel mill product prices slid down 0.1% for the month, dropped 10% for the year period, and diesel prices continued the downward trend, falling 2.7% for the month and 14% for the year-over-year. BLS also announced in late September it will produce a set of “satellite inputs to industry price” indexes that combine domestic producer prices with import prices, which could put a very different spin on the prices. As an example, domestic prices on construction inputs decreased 0.8% from August 2019 to August 2020, while imported goods prices increased 2.6%. LOCAL | October 16, 2020 The Bayonne (Hudson County) City Council is considering an ordinance that would allow 13 lots along First Street near Avenue A to be used for a film studio and production facilities. Currently zoned industrial, the lots are owned by Chevron, which requested proposals from redevelopers for contemporary use of the land. A potential buyer emerged with the film studio plan that would also include a public access walkway along the waterfront portion of the property. A public hearing on the proposal was on the agenda for the Bayonne Planning Board meeting this past Tuesday; a vote on the zoning change is scheduled for the City Council meeting October 21. NATIONAL | October 16, 2020 AGC of America today asked President Trump and former Vice President Biden, the two presidential candidates, to “establish and implement a nationwide plan for the distribution of approved coronavirus vaccines” to lift the burden of responsibility from state and local officials and alleviate confusion, delays and economic hardship. “A thoughtful and comprehensive plan…will ensure that the construction industry can continue to provide support for other critical sectors of the economy,” reads the letters to each candidate from AGC CEO Stephen Sandherr. “There is real potential that conflicting and confusing priorities at the state and local level will undermine the distribution process.” Sandherr cites the struggles to get PPE in the early days of the pandemic as an example of difficulties experienced at the state level. To read the letter to Trump and Biden, visit https://www.agc.org/sites/default/files/Files/Communications/Vaccination_Letter_to_Trump_0.pdf and https://www.agc.org/sites/default/files/Files/Communications/Vaccination_Letter_to_Biden_0.pdf LOCAL | October 16, 2020 In its rebranding plan released earlier this week, University Hospital in Newark includes its vision for a “village surrounding the hospital that can provide wrap-around services, supportive housing, and programmatic efforts that address clinical needs, skills training for entry-level employment, and a physical address from which patients can begin a process of rebuilding and thriving. A patient ‘discharged’ from University Health Village would walk away with the tools to thrive,” read the press release. Read the release online at http://www.uhnj.org/press_room/UH_Vision_and_Branding.pdf LOCAL | October 14, 2020 The old Parkway Motel at 925 Lakewood Road in Toms River (Ocean County) could be demolished and replaced with a new four-story, 79-room Avid Hotel on the four-acre lot, proposed to the Toms River Planning Board by Route 37 Americana LLC of Edison. Avid is part of InterContinental Hotels Group; no other Avid Hotels have been built in New Jersey. LOCAL | October 9, 2020 Rider University announced Monday it had received an anonymous donation from two people of $2.5 million as part of its fundraising campaign for a new arena. The Alumni Gym project, estimated at $17.7 million, aims to transform the space into a contemporary NCAA Division I Arena. To date, the campaign has raised $11 million, 62% of the goal. LOCAL | October 2, 2020 Orange Township (Essex County) envisions a massive “Health and Wellness and Residential Complex” to be constructed at the intersection of Main and High streets, according to a letter from the Department of Administration. Orange officials would like a developer to buy the land and construct as many as 400 rental units, parking, swimming pools, basketball court, fitness center, commercial kitchen, yoga studios…all built at 395, 401 and 407 Main Street plus 12 High Street. Deadline for developer proposal submissions is October 26. LOCAL | October 2, 2020 Newark Municipal Council authorized last week the sale and redevelopment of property at 256-262 Lyons Avenue at the corner of Clinton Place in the Weequahic section of Newark’s South Ward. Tactical Development Group LLC of Freeman Street in Newark is expected to buy the site and move ahead with its proposed development of 32 residential units, retail space and parking. NATIONAL | October 2, 2020 Across the country, construction added 26,000 jobs in September, up to 7,245,000, while construction spending gained almost nothing (0.1%) in July. Residential spending (which included a 4.9% jump in multifamily construction spending) had edged up 2.1% over June, but the nonresidential spending drop of 1.2% just about canceled out that gain. Public spending overall slipped 1.3% in July, pulled down by a 3.1% drop in highway and street construction spending, a 3% decline in education construction and a 1.6% slide in transportation facilities. Private nonresidential construction spending also fell, down a percent from June to July, including a dip of 0.1% in power construction and a drop of 3.2% in commercial construction. Manufacturing construction spending rose 0.2%. NATIONAL | September 30, 2020 More than two-thirds of US metro areas, 241 of 358 (67%) showed job losses in August compared to August 2019, slightly worse than July’s year-over-year numbers. New Jersey’s August numbers reflected drops from a year ago in all seven metros, with significant drops in some: Bergen-Hudson-Passaic lost 7,100 jobs, plummeting 22%; Atlantic City-Hammonton lost 1,300 jobs, also a 22% fall; Newark shed 5,500 jobs, an 11% drop; Middlesex-Monmouth-Ocean shed 2,400 jobs, a 6% loss; Trenton shed 300 jobs, a 5% drop; Camden shed 700 jobs, a 3% loss; and Vineland-Bridgeton shed 100 jobs, also a 3% loss. LOCAL | September 28, 2020 As Deborah Heart & Lung Center in Browns Mills (Burlington County) approaches its 100th anniversary, it has announced a $100 million renovation-and-remake plan to expand and modernize its facilities. First up, three additional floors on top of the existing two floors, with work scheduled to begin in first-quarter 2021. Two of those floors will each house 18 private critical-care rooms; the third will be mechanical/HVAC space. Second phase, renovating existing rooms to make them all private, will commence in 2022 (the 100th anniversary year). A third phase, expanding the staff respite center, will follow, with all work completed in 2024. The hospital hopes to supplement monies from fundraising with a US Department of Agriculture loan. It hosted a public meeting this morning to discuss the capital plan. LOCAL | September 28, 2020 Avalon (Cape May County) Borough Council is making plans to redo its fire station, constructing a second story and expanding and extensively renovating the first floor. The additional 6,400 square feet will allow the station to house new equipment and build new staff quarters. Plans also include elevation compliance under new floodplain rules. A needs report made to the Borough Council last week did not include an estimated cost for the construction. LOCAL | September 28, 2020 Tomorrow, the Jersey City Planning Board is scheduled to hear an application submitted by the city for a new fire station to be built at 627 Grand Street in the Bergen-Lafayette neighborhood on a currently vacant lot just under a half-acre, along with an existing side street. Netta Architects of Mountainside designed the two-story station, 11,751 square feet with a brick façade, fiber cement panels on the west side and rear, and a ground face concrete masonry band along the base capped with cast stone elements. The first floor would hold the fire company’s operations area and trucks; the second is planned for a gym, kitchen, Captain’s office and officers’ quarters, with a small balcony at the rear. The site would feature a driveway with landscaping. LOCAL | September 24, 2020 Anne and Sheldon Vogel, local philanthropists in Monmouth County, have donated $50 million to Monmouth Medical Center in Long Branch. The money will be used to construct a state-of-the-art, environmentally friendly facility to be called Vogel Medical Campus in Tinton Falls (also Monmouth County). Monmouth Medical Center is part of RWJBarnabas Health. NATIONAL | September 18, 2020 For the month from July to August, 31 states and DC added construction jobs, but the year-to-year numbers were bleak, with 39 states showing job losses in August 2020 compared to August 2019. New Jersey lost jobs in both periods, down 300 jobs for the month, a 0.2% dip, and 13,500 for the year, an 8.4% slide. In the region, New York and Pennsylvania landed in the top five for the month period: New York added 5,200 for the month, up 1.5%, and Pennsylvania added 4,100 jobs for the month, up 1.7%. But New York was in the bottom five for the year period, down 46,00 jobs compared to August 2019, an 11.3% drop. Pennsylvania’s construction jobs were also way down from a year ago with a loss of 16,900 jobs, a 6.5% drop. Connecticut added 200 jobs for the month, ticking up 0.3%, but lost 2,000 jobs compared to last year, a 3.4% drop. Delaware added 100 jobs for the month, up 0.5%, but lost 1,300 for the year, down 5.7%. Rhode Island lost 100 jobs for the month, down 0.5%, and also lost 1,600 for the year period, an 8% drop. NATIONAL | September 18, 2020 On Tuesday, the 10% tariffs on aluminum from Canada, imposed last month, were dropped. The White House cited “normal” levels of aluminum imports as the reason the tariffs were ended, after saying last month a surge of imports justified the tax levy. Canada was set to impose retaliatory tariffs on Tuesday. LOCAL | September 10, 2020 The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) awarded another $150 million to NJ DOT, announced today by Governor Murphy and DOT Commissioner Diane Gutierrez-Scaccetti. It’s the second year in a row the state has received additional federal funding of $100 million or more. The extra funding comes from monies not spent by other states that reverts back to federal control. This year, $4.7 billion was available for redistribution. New Jersey requested and received $150 million, placing the state in the top 10 for most additional funding, and bringing its total to $280 million in extra funding during the Murphy administration. The money will supplement the state’s capital plan budget. NATIONAL | September 4, 2020 Across the country, construction added 16,000 jobs in August but most were in housing; the infrastructure and nonresidential construction sectors lost 11,000 jobs. Here is the breakdown from AGC of America’s Workforce Survey, done in partnership with Autodesk and released Wednesday: residential construction picked up 27,700 jobs in August; nonresidential building added 10,200 jobs but specialty trades lost 15,700 jobs and heavy/civil lost 5,500 jobs. August’s industry unemployment rate was 7.6% with 762,000 construction workers idled, more than double the figures from August 2019. The survey revealed 38% of respondents do not expect an uptick in volume of business for six months or more. And 60% reported project postponements and cancellations, up from 32% in the June survey. Full survey results are available at www.agc.org. NATIONAL | September 4, 2020 While AGC of America’s survey of construction contractors found a pessimistic view of construction because of the pandemic, a Small Business Economy Update released yesterday by the NFIB Research Center has a more positive outlook. The National Federation of Independent Business report, which focused on small business in the construction, manufacturing, retail and service industries, lists key findings that point to overall optimism for the construction industry: demand for new construction remains high, demand for new workers remains high and 24% of respondents plan to increase workforce in the next three months. The NFIB study was based on survey results tabulated in July. LOCAL | September 2, 2020 Suez North America announced today it plans a $640 million investment in New Jersey water systems over the next four to five years, including new mains, removal of lead service lines and improvements to treatment plants. In that total, $135 million was already slated for 170 projects in 68 municipalities in 2020. The project list includes: NATIONAL | September 1, 2020 As July construction spending sank across the country, 238 of 358 metro areas (66%) lost construction jobs compared to July 2019. Another 90 gained jobs and 30 held the same. New York City lost the most jobs, down 26,500 (a 16% loss). In New Jersey, every metro area lost jobs compared to a year ago. The most significant declines were in Atlantic City-Hammonton (-1,300 jobs, down 23%) and Bergen-Hudson-Passaic (-6,500 jobs, down 20%). Newark lost 3,900 jobs, down 8%; Middlesex-Monmouth-Ocean lost 1,700 jobs, down 4%; Camden lost 1,100 jobs, down 5%; Trenton lost 300 jobs, also down 5%; and Vineland-Bridgeton lost 100 jobs, down 3%. LOCAL | August 31, 2020 Last week, the Cape May County Board of Freeholders agreed to a 15-year plan to repair or replace the county’s 23 bridges plus five toll bridges, a long-term project expected to cost between $603 million and $890 million. The county is relying on state and federal funds to help defray the cost and will bond for the balance. Possibly up first will be the drawbridge into Stone Harbor at 96th Street, which has already gone through extensive, expensive repair and is now operating under reduced speed limits because of structural issues. The country proposes seeking design/engineering proposals in Spring 2021 and begin construction that would last until sometime between 2025 and 2027, at a cost of more than $20 million. Review of the other bridges in the county calls for replacement of four of the five toll bridges plus replacement of bridges at Hand Avenue in Wildwood, Springers Mill in Cape May Courthouse and another Stone Harbor bridge at 104th Street. LOCAL | August 31, 2020 The Portal North Bridge just received an installment of federal monies, but another part of the Gateway project, construction of a new two-track Hudson River rail tunnel, has been postponed until 2022, a year delay. At issue: cost is now estimated at $11.6 billion, up 3% ($275 million), federal contributions remain uncertain and environmental approvals have not been made. A draft environmental impact statement was submitted for final consideration in February 2018 and remains in limbo. LOCAL | August 28, 2020 On Wednesday, Atlantic City Electric filed a proposal with the NJ BPU to build a Smart Energy Network that would modernize and enhance its energy grid, which spreads across South Jersey. The estimated $220 million project would install smart meters and upgrade the grid with state-of-the-art networking equipment, designed to improve reliability and resiliency, increase options for alternative energy and help the company restore power more quickly in the event of an outage. If the BPU approves the plan, Atlantic City Electric expects to begin construction in 2022 and complete it in approximately 21 months. LOCAL | August 28, 2020 As we posted in Hot Topics in April, Stockton University’s expansion plans for its Atlantic City campus came to a halt when state funding ceased and the university faced a massive revenue shortfall because of the coronavirus pandemic. But the Governor’s budget, announced Tuesday, revealed the $4.6 million originally promised to Stockton was back in the mix. If it’s approved by the Legislature in September, Stockton Phase II would commence with a $64 million, 400-bed dormitory across from O’Donnell Park in Atlantic City’s Chelsea neighborhood. LOCAL | August 27, 2020 New Jersey received $280 million as one of the installments from the federal government to help replace the ancient Portal North Bridge over the Hackensack River in Kearny. As we have posted in Hot Topics, the Portal North rail bridge frequently fails to function, causing lengthy delays on the New Jersey Transit/Amtrak Northeast Corridor. Its replacement is part of the larger Gateway project that has been stalled in the federal approval process. The federal share of the bridge replacement project is approximately $800 million; the rest of the estimated $1.8 billion will come from the state and Amtrak. This recent installment will help fund the ongoing engineering process. REGIONAL | August 26, 2020 Last Friday, the FAA gave its initial approval for a $2 billion rail link from New York City to LaGuardia Airport. The Port Authority would build an elevated track that would connect LaGuardia with a subway and train stop at Citi Field in Queens. If final environmental approvals are granted, construction could begin in Summer 2021 and the link completed in late 2025. LOCAL | August 26, 2020 Twin River Worldwide Holdings of Rhode Island, which expects to complete its acquisition of Bally’s Atlantic City by year-end, has plans to restore the city’s third-oldest casino to competitive eminence. Twin River will invest in upgrading and renovating, with immediate focus on refurbishing rooms and adding suites. Next in the plans are new restaurants, gaming products, meeting and convention space, and an “enhanced” spa and pool. Twin River also expects to apply for a sports betting and internet gaming license soon. LOCAL | August 26, 2020 Last Thursday, the Smithville (Galloway Township in Atlantic County) Planning Board approved the final major site plan for a 139-room assisted living complex with 62 one- and two-bedroom apartments and eight single-family, single-story, two-bedroom cottages with garage. The Board also gave preliminary approval for an 80-room, three-story hotel with a first-floor gym and 88 parking spaces, a convenience store and gas station. Other parking would include 74 spaces for the assisted living facility, 131 for the residences and 62 for retail customers. The $20 million development would rise on 18+ acres near Route 9, across from the Smithville Inn, with the store and gas station on a subdivided piece of the same site. Plan applicants are the Towne of Historic Smithville and Windsor Healthcare of Norwood (Bergen County). LOCAL | August 26, 2020 An old Wildwood (Cape May County) landfill, long closed, could go out to bid by year-end in hopes a developer will express interest in recreating it for residential and/or commercial use. The site, which stretches along the bay between Baker and Garfield avenues, is being reviewed by CME Associates, the city engineer, to determine the condition of the land. NATIONAL | August 21, 2020 For the month from June to July, the country saw a drop in construction jobs in 26 states and DC, and an increase in 24. For the year-over-year comparing July 2019 to July 2020, 39 states saw a drop in construction jobs while 10 saw an increase, and Arkansas and DC remained unchanged. New Jersey gained 2,400 jobs for the month, up 1.7%, but had 13,000 fewer jobs than a year ago, an 8.2% loss. In the region, New York added the most jobs for the month, up 13,600 for a 4% gain, but was down 50,700 for the year-over-year, a 12.5% drop. Connecticut added 1,000 jobs for the month, up 1.8%, which put it at #5 in the country, but the state was down 2,300 jobs compared to last year, a 3.9% decrease. Delaware added 300 jobs for the month, up 1.4%, but lost 1,500 jobs for the year period, a 6.6% decline. Rhode Island added 400 jobs for the month, up 2.2% for a #4 ranking in the country, but lost 1,500 jobs for the year period, a 7.5% drop. And Pennsylvania lost jobs for both the month and year periods, shedding 1,500 jobs for the month, down 0.6%, and 18,700 for the year, down 7.2%. NATIONAL | August 21, 2020 Overall construction starts dropped 7% from June to July, plummeted 36% compared to July 2019, and are down 20% year-to-date. The month decline was primarily due to the steep drop in the nonbuilding segment, which fell 31% from June. The decrease in the year-over-year was pushed by a huge 44% free-fall in nonresidential starts in July 2020. And the year-to-date drop was due to private construction plunges in two major categories: commercial starts dropped 34.6% compared to the first seven months of 2019; industrial starts dropped 77.5% for the same period. Multi-family residential starts were down 34% for the year-over-year and down 22% year-to-date. On the public side, institutional construction starts dropped 15% year-to-date compared to the first seven months of 2019, and engineering (civil) dropped 9.4% for the same period. On a positive note, nonresidential building starts rose 3% for the month from June to July, an uptick caused by construction activity in the Northeast and West. LOCAL | August 19, 2020 24/7 Wall Street ranked New Jersey’s rail infrastructure the most dangerous in the nation, based on train derailments per 100 miles of track from 2015 to 2019. The state had 10.9 derailments per 100 miles of track during the time period, while the US in total had 4.8 derailments per 100 miles of track. New Jersey also ranks worst in combined highway, bridge and rail infrastructure. LOCAL | August 19, 2020 Last night, the Bloomfield (Essex County) Planning Board was scheduled to hear plans for South Junior High School at 177 Franklin Street to be transformed into a development with 122 residential units, arts spaces, a 9,900-square-foot community auditorium and 171 parking spots. Plans call for renovation of the school building plus construction of a 20,368-square-foot addition to raise the height to five stories on the 3.629-acre site. The developer, Bloomfield South Junior High School Urban Renewal LLC of Los Angeles, estimates construction and site improvements will cost almost $30.8 million and take 12 months. Renderings by Urban Smart Growth of Pawtucket, RI, name the project “Bloomfield Lofts.” LOCAL | August 19, 2020 A group of properties at 7000 Adams Street in Guttenberg (Hudson County) could become a nine-story residential development with 156 units, two retail spaces, a green roof and an embroidery museum – named in the renderings from Baseline Architecture as the “Museum of Embroidery & Industry of North Hudson, harkening back to an era of thriving embroidery enterprises. The two-winged museum would be situated between the retail spaces. The 25,000-square-foot site, which Baseline named “E-Residences at Arts District,” is located near 70th Street between Bergenline Avenue and John F. Kennedy Boulevard and encompasses parcels on Adams and Jackson streets. According to plans, 130 of the residential units would be one-bedroom or studio apartments, 25 would be two-bedroom units and one would have three bedrooms. LOCAL | August 14, 2020 Plans to build an eight-story, 56-unit mixed-use on Bruen Street in Newark’s Ironbound neighborhood could be approved by the city’s planning board next week. The developer, 53 Bruen LLC (registered out of 109 Bruen Street), is seeking approval for the project at 53-55 and 57 Bruen Street; plans were submitted to the city by The Nader Group of Warren County showing eight balconied units on each of seven floors above two 2,000-square-foot ground-floor retail spaces. Between Lafayette and Hamilton streets, the site on Bruen, which parallels the Newark train tracks, is two blocks off McCarter Highway and approximately two blocks from Newark Penn Station. It sits in the East Ward’s MX-3 zone. The Newark Central Planning Board is scheduled to review the application on Monday during a 6 pm Zoom meeting. NATIONAL | August 7, 2020 Construction employment across the nation rose by 20,000 jobs in July due to increased activity in the residential sector, which added 24,000 jobs. Employment in the infrastructure and nonresidential building sectors, however, slid downward, losing 4,000 jobs. Total construction employment of 444,000 jobs clocked in at 5.6% lower than February’s peak. Drilling down, jobs in heavy/civil construction were 7.4% below February’s total and jobs in nonresidential building and specialty trades construction dropped 6.8% below the February numbers. The industry unemployment rate in July was 8.9% with 870,000 construction workers idled, more than double the number in July 2019 and the highest totals since 2012 and 2013, when the industry was still suffering the effects of the recession. LOCAL | August 5, 2020 Due to come before the West Windsor (Mercer County) Planning Board tonight at 7 pm is a proposal from Palladium Realty LLC for “Princeton Executive Park” on Meadow Road east of Route 1. Plans include 656 apartments, a hotel, retail and a restaurant, to be built in four phases. Phase 1 would be a 130-room hotel with a liquor license, indoor pool and rooftop bar, expected to be “Element by Westin” owned by the Briad Group. Phase 2 would be 356 residential units in 12 buildings and a clubhouse. Phases 3 and 4 would include 16,000 square feet of retail, a 6,915-square-foot restaurant and the other 300 apartments in 17 buildings. In total, the apartments would include 225 one-bedroom units, 351 two-bedroom units and 80 three-bedroom units. Palladium Realty appears to be part of Mack-Cali Realty Corporation. LOCAL | August 5, 2020 Last Friday, NJ DOT announced it was releasing $161.25 million in County Aid Grants for FY 2021 to help pay for infrastructure improvements. The grants to all 21 counties range from nearly $3.5 million for Cape May County to more than $12.6 million for Ocean County. For the allocation to each county, visit https://www.state.nj.us/transportation/uploads/comm/news/details/comm_np_20200731_113159_FY21_County_Aid_Breakdown.pdf LOCAL | August 5, 2020 Eldorado Resorts Inc., the new casino company that took over Caesars Entertainment Corp., has committed to an investment of $400 million in capital improvements over the next 36 months at its three Atlantic City properties – Caesars, Harrah’s and Tropicana. Of that $400 million, a minimum of $150 million will be spent on hotel renovations, gaming upgrades and new food and entertainment offerings at Caesars. Twin River Worldwide Holdings of Rhode Island is negotiating the purchase of Bally’s Atlantic City, but if the deal collapses, Eldorado would spend another $125 million on capital improvements at Bally’s. NATIONAL | August 4, 2020 The US Census Bureau reports construction spending in June dropped to $1.355 trillion, marking four consecutive months of declines, but still coming in 0.1% higher than June 2019. By sector, the news wasn’t all disaster. New multifamily construction spending rose 3% for the month; private nonresidential construction spending as a whole was up 0.2%; spending on power projects was up 0.7%; spending on warehouse construction was up 0.2%; spending on manufacturing construction rose 1.7%; and even office construction spending was up 0.3%. Commercial construction spending was down 1.3%, with retail as part of that, down 3.4%. Also down for the month – spending on highway and street construction dropped 1.7%, education dropped 2.7% and transportation dropped 0.6%. LOCAL | August 3, 2020 Last week, the Paterson City Council approved a tax break for developers to rebuild Hinchliffe Stadium, former home of the New York Black Yankees and New York Cubans of the Negro Baseball Leagues in the 1930s and 40s. Plans include housing for seniors, parking and a restaurant at the site. Groundbreaking is planning for October with construction completed in two years. LOCAL | July 29, 2020 Atlantic City International Airport has received $11.2 million for runway improvements, the fourth largest grant given out by the US DOT as part of a $273 million package of grants for 184 airports across the country. All 10,000 feet of Runway 13-31 will be repaved; the grant covers 96% of the cost. Two other New Jersey airports also received grants: $2.7 million for Cape May Airport runway and lighting upgrades, and $1.5 million for Millville Municipal Airport apron expansion. LOCAL | July 29, 2020 NJ DOT has proposed an I-80/Route 15 Interchange Improvement plan estimated at $95 million to ease congestion on Route 15 in North Jersey. The proposal, which was only open for a short time for public comment, would create a connection between I-80 and Route 15 at its most congested section in Rockaway Township, Wharton and Dover (Morris County). Construction will not begin until Spring 2025 and is expected to take four years. Plans include: NATIONAL | July 29, 2020 From May to June, 291 of 358 metro areas (81%) added construction jobs, a positive sign, but compared to June of last year, 225 of 358 lost jobs, a nearly 63% decline. In New Jersey, all seven metros added jobs for the month, and all but one metro lost jobs for the year-over-year period. Atlantic City-Hammonton added 500 jobs for the month, up 13%, but lost 1,200 jobs for the year period, a 21% drop. Bergen-Hudson-Passaic added 3,000 jobs for the month, up 14%, but lost 6,700 jobs for the year period, a 21% drop. Camden added 900 jobs for the month, up 4%, but lost 1,300 jobs for the year period, down 5%. Middlesex-Monmouth-Ocean added 900 jobs for the month, up 5%, but lost 1,900 jobs for the year period, down 4%. Newark added 3,700 jobs for the month, up 10%, but lost 5,600 jobs for the year period, down 12%. Vineland-Bridgeton added 100 jobs for the month, up 4%, but lost 200 jobs for the year period, down 7%. Only Trenton added jobs for both periods, with 600 jobs for the month, up 12%, and 200 jobs for the year period, up 4%. NATIONAL | July 22, 2020 Back in March, the US Department of Homeland Security announced easing of the Form I-9 rules requiring in-person inspection of documents for Section 2 of the form, thus allowing employers to comply with I-9 rules while employees worked remotely during the pandemic. DHS has extended this flexibility, which expired Sunday, until August 19, 2020. For the news release, click here: NATIONAL | July 17, 2020 Across the country, construction employment increased in 31 states and DC in June compared to May. For the year-over-year, June 2019 to June 2020, jobs increased in 15 states, decreased in 24 states and DC, and remained the same in one. After suffering the biggest losses, New York realized the biggest gains for the month, adding 42,000 jobs, a 14.2% jump, but the year-over-year losses put New York at the bottom, down 68,300 jobs, a 16.8% fall. New Jersey came in at #7 in the nation for the month, adding 7,100 jobs, a 5.2% hike. But state construction employment was way down from a year ago with the loss of 15,100 jobs, a 9.5% drop. In the rest of the region, Connecticut added 2,800 jobs for the month, a 5.2% increase (tied with New Jersey in the #7 spot), but was down 3,300 jobs for the year period, a 5.5% loss; Delaware was up 200 jobs for the month, a 1% increase, but down 1,900 jobs for the year, an 8.3% drop; Pennsylvania added 11,700 jobs for the month, up 5.1%, but was down 16,900 jobs for the year, a 6.5% drop; and Rhode Island added 100 jobs for the month, edging up 0.6%, but was down 1,900 jobs for the year, a 9.5% fall. LOCAL | July 10, 2020 The developer, 803 South Avenue LLC (subsidiary of Eden Property Company of Edgewater), gained final approval July 2 from the Plainfield (Union County) planning board for a five-story, 104-unit mixed-use building on a 1.35-acre site near the town’s Netherwood train station (NJ Transit’s Raritan Valley Line). Clad in brick with cement panels, the residential units will include 10 studios, 61 one-bedrooms and 33 two-bedrooms, complemented by internal parking with 115 spaces, a bicycle storage room with space for 52 bikes, a club room and fitness center on the second floor, 870 square feet of commercial space on the first floor facing South Avenue, and a stormwater management basin designed to control up to 7,200 cubic feet of rain runoff. The development lies within Plainfield’s Transit-Oriented Development Netherwood – South Avenue Redevelopment area and is expected to break ground this year. LOCAL | July 6, 2020 Late last week, the Plainfield (Union County) Planning Board unanimously approved a five-story mixed-use structure with 14 apartments and ground-floor retail for a newly designated Transit-Oriented Downtown Development Zone south of the Plainfield NJ Transit station between Central and Watchung avenues. The building, to be located at 522-526 Park Ave., was designed by Taylor Architecture & Design to echo the style of many buildings in downtown Plainfield. Eight two-bedroom apartments and six studio units will be clad in brick veneer and composite cement fiber panels; large windows will show off the ground-floor retail space. Resident amenities include storage, a fitness center, a package room and rooftop terrace. Energy-saving features are also built into the design. The developer is 522-526 Park Avenue Urban Revival LLC. Plainfield has designated more than a dozen development zones near its Plainfield and Netherwood train stations. NATIONAL | July 2, 2020 AGC of America reports construction employment ramped up by 158,000 jobs in June across the country, after adding 453,000 jobs in May. The June numbers are 4.4% below June 2019 stats. By construction segment, heavy/civil lost 9,700 jobs in June and 60,100 for the year (down 5.6%); nonresidential building was up by 13,100 jobs for the month but down 47,000 jobs for the year (a 5.5% drop); and nonresidential specialty trades added 71,300 jobs for June but were down by 140,000 jobs for the year (a 5.2% drop). The industry unemployment rate clocked in at 10.1% in June, the highest June levels since 2012 and 2.5 times higher than June of last year. NATIONAL | July 2, 2020 Yesterday, AGC of America reported construction spending across the nation declined 2.1% in May, the third consecutive month of declines. Private project spending dropped sharply, pulling the total spending numbers down despite a rise in public work. Per AGC, total construction spending in May was $1.36 million, the lowest total since June 2019, and total spending has declined 5.9% since February, “the steepest three-month contraction since 2009.” By category, private construction spending dropped 3.3% from April to May, after having slid 3.8% from March to April. Public construction spending rose 1.2% in May over April but had dropped 2.7% from March to April. LOCAL | July 1, 2020 Yesterday, the Paterson (Passaic County) City Council approved a $48 million Visitors Center and parking garage for Great Falls National Park. Plans call for three phases, to include a $24.5 million visitors center on the overlook facing the falls, a $15.1 million parking deck with 270 spaces plus ground-floor retail, and an $8 million community center at Main and Ward streets. The project now needs approval from the Passaic County Board of Freeholders, Passaic County Improvement Authority and the NJ EDA. NATIONAL | June 30, 2020 Across the US, 329 of 358 metro areas added construction jobs in May compared to April, nearly 92%, indicating fewer restrictions on construction as states began to reopen for business. In New Jersey, every metro increased jobs for the month. Newark added 6,800 jobs, a 22% jump; Bergen-Hudson-Passaic added 4,300 jobs, a 24% leap; Camden added 3,200, an 18% hike; Middlesex-Monmouth-Ocean added 1,900 jobs, a 5% rise; Atlantic City-Hammonton added 800, another big 24% rise; Trenton added 300, a 7% rise; and Vineland-Bridgeton added 100, a 4% increase. NATIONAL | June 30, 2020 In AGC of America’s annual Work Zone Safety Survey, two-thirds of the more than 200 respondents reported “at least one crash involving a moving vehicle” in the past year on the jobsites they operate, and 33% reported five or more. Of the crashes, 17% resulted in injuries to construction workers, 44% in injuries to the drivers or passengers. Workers were killed in 5% of the crashes and drivers or passengers were killed in 15%. For the complete survey results, visit agc.org. LOCAL | June 19, 2020 In February, we posted in Hot Topics plans for a new social services complex at 1027 Hooper Avenue in Toms River. On Wednesday, the County Board of Freeholders approved an ordinance to construct a three-story, 121,000-square foot building with a new price tag of $56.8 million that will consolidate the six buildings of the current Ocean County social services offices and house the Board of Social Services (approximately 50% of the space). About 18% of the space will be divided among the Office of Senior Services, Consumer Affairs Department, Veterans Services Bureau, Human Services, the Ocean County Adjuster’s Office, the county Medical Examiner’s office, county School Superintendent and the Private Industry Council, with the rest used for common areas, conference rooms and job training classrooms. A parking lot will hold 715 vehicles. The 10-acre site on Hooper Ave., now owned by the county, has four old buildings that will be demolished. The project will be managed by T&M Associates in Toms River; groundbreaking is planned for late 2020 with construction completed in 1Q2022. LOCAL | June 19, 2020 New Jersey Wind Port, announced earlier this week by Gov. Murphy, will be the first of its kind in the US, a 200-acre marshalling and manufacturing port for the offshore wind industry, estimated to cost $300-$400 billion when complete. Construction will begin next year with a 25-acre manufacturing site and 30-acre marshalling and staging site in Lower Alloways Creek (Salem County) and is expected to create hundreds of union jobs. In addition to the manufacturing and marshalling space, the port will include heavy-lift wharfs and open access to the Atlantic Ocean, with “short steaming distances to more than 50%” of the country’s offshore wind lease areas. The Governor and EDA’s CEO Tim Sullivan predict the project will support up to $500 million annually in new economic activity. NATIONAL | June 19, 2020 After an abysmal April, May construction employment trended up in 45 states and DC. New Jersey added 14,100 jobs, an 11.6% jump, for the month, ranking 7th in the nation. However, the year-over-year numbers for the state showed a loss of 23,400 jobs compared to May 2019, a 14.7% drop. In the region, New York hit rock bottom for the year-over-year, losing 105,300 jobs, a 25.9% decline, but picked up 57,700 jobs for the month, up 23.7% to grab the #5 spot in the nation. Connecticut lost 6,400 jobs year-over-year, down 10.7%, but added 3,200 jobs for the month, up 6.4%. Delaware lost 2,300 jobs year-over-year, down 10%, but added 400 jobs for the month, up 2%. Pennsylvania lost 24,500 jobs year-over-year, down 9.4%, but added 77,400 jobs for the month, up 48.9%, #2 in the nation. Only Rhode Island saw losses for both periods, down 2,400 jobs year-over-year, a 12% drop, and 100 jobs for the month, a 0.6% drop. LOCAL | June 4, 2020 Last night, Amazon was scheduled to present to the Kearny (Hudson County) Planning Board its proposal for a distribution facility in an industrial park at 670 Belleville Turnpike, seeking Preliminary and Final Site Plan approval. Plans include renovation of an existing 194,642-square-foot warehouse, 18 loading docks and parking. Another Amazon proposal is scheduled to go before the Teterboro (Bergen County) Planning Board on June 9 for renovation of a building at 125 North Street to become a “last-mile delivery station.” And West Caldwell (Essex County) recently approved an Amazon Logistics delivery station at 10 Patton Drive. NATIONAL | June 4, 2020 In the month from March to April, 326 of 358 metro areas across the country (91%) lost construction jobs. New York City shed the highest number, down 75,900 (a 49% drop). In New Jersey, all seven metro areas lost jobs. The biggest percentage loss was in Bergen-Hudson-Passaic, which dropped 37% on the loss of 11,400 jobs, and the biggest number of job losses was in Newark, down 14,800 jobs, a 33% drop. Camden lost 4,800 jobs, a 22% drop; Middlesex-Monmouth-Ocean lost 3,700 jobs, a 9% drop; Atlantic City-Hammonton lost 1,300 jobs, a 24% drop; Trenton lost 700 jobs, a 13% drop; and Vineland-Bridgeton lost 500 jobs, an 18% drop. LOCAL | May 29, 2020 A mixed-use development on the site of the old Hess plant, 19 acres at 615 River Road along the Hudson River in Edgewater (Bergen County), could move forward if Edgewater Planning Board officials approve the site as an “area in need of redevelopment” in a Zoom meeting scheduled for next Monday evening at 7pm (https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83064456357, meeting ID 830 6445 6357). The developers, 615 River Road Partners, a joint venture between The Maxal Group and EnviroFinance Group of Denver, propose approximately 1,200 residential units and up to 20,000 square feet of retail in glass-fronted buildings situated on both sides of River Road. The buildings would be connected by a public skybridge, public parks would flank both sides of River Road and the waterfront area would feature an amphitheater. An upgraded pier on the Hudson would be converted to a new ferry stop into Manhattan and public bus “super stops” would be integrated into the development. Five acres on the western portion of the site would be donated to the town for a new public school. LOCAL | May 28, 2020 Developer and Atlantic City Showboat owner Bart Blatstein has announced plans to build a $100 million water park between the Showboat and the Ocean Casino Resort, on land at the north end of the Boardwalk that is currently a parking lot but has been slated for redevelopment. Blatstein applied for state tax credit to help finance the project, which he hopes to start in August. If the Casino Reinvestment Development Authority approves the site as an entertainment retail district, it could earn an annual tax rebate of as much as $2.5 million in sales tax generated by the water park. Blatstein also seeks tax breaks on construction materials for the project. LOCAL | May 27, 2020 Yesterday the Federal Railroad Administration announced a $55 million grant to Amtrak as part of the federal contribution to share the cost of replacing the Portal North Bridge in Kearny. The funds follow the Federal Transit Administration’s raised rating on the bridge project in February, which moved it to medium-high and therefore eligible for more federal monies. NATIONAL | May 26, 2020 All the rest, 49 states and DC, lost construction jobs in April, due of course to the coronavirus pandemic. New Jersey, despite keeping essential construction projects open, lost 37,600 jobs compared to April 2019, a 23.5% freefall. For the month from March to April, the state shed 43,800 jobs, a 26.4% drop. In the region, Delaware lost 2,000 jobs for the year-over-year, down 8.7%, and 2,100 for the month, down 9.1%; Rhode Island lost 2,800 jobs for the year-over-year, down 13.9%, and 2,700 for the month, down 13.4%; Connecticut lost 11,100 jobs for the year period, down 18.3%, and 10,600 for the month, down 17.6%; Pennsylvania lost 103,000 for the year period, down 39.4%, and 100,900 for the month, down 38.9%; and New York lost 167,900 for the year period, a 41.1% drop, and 166,200 for the month, a 40.8% drop. LOCAL | May 21, 2020 On Tuesday, the Casino Reinvestment Development Authority approved a $15 million capital improvement budget for the remainder of 2020, covering projects inside the AC Convention Center and Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall. A third will go for the $5 million switchgear replacement in West Hall (contract awarded Tuesday). LOCAL | May 12, 2020 Last week the Evesham (Burlington County) Planning Board approved construction of a three-story, 76,500-square-foot, 87-unit assisted living facility with 105 beds on just over six acres (three lots) at 5 Executive Drive off Evesham Road. Capitol Senior Housing of Washington DC was named the developer last fall and anticipates construction will begin between November 1, 2020, and January 1, 2021, taking approximately 15 months to complete. Of the units, 60 will be assisted living and 27 will be memory care. Also included in the plans: 30,000 square feet of common space, a common dining room, private dining space, a theater, living rooms, a bistro, hair salon, seating areas, lounges and outdoor gardens featuring a pond. LOCAL | May 11, 2020 A $500,000 grant from EPA will go toward remediation of the old Borden Chemical plant on 2.7 acres on the 1600 block of Federal Street in Camden, which is polluted with heavy metals, semi-volatile and volatile organic compounds. Another nearly $300,000 from the feds, awarded to Cooper’s Ferry Partnership, will be used to assess other possible brownfield sites on roughly 80 acres in North Camden. The city hopes to encourage private development following cleanup at the sites. NATIONAL | April 29, 2020 Compared to March 2019, 99 of 358 (nearly 28%) US metro areas lost construction jobs this March, the first month that reflected the shutdowns and project cancellations caused by COVID-19. Nonetheless, 205 metro areas picked up jobs and 54 remained unchanged from a year ago. In New Jersey, four of seven metro areas increased construction employment March to March: Middlesex-Monmouth-Ocean added 2,400 jobs, a 6% gain; Bergen-Hudson-Passaic added 1,400 jobs, a 5% gain; Newark added 800 jobs, a 2% gain; and Vineland-Bridgeton added 200 jobs, an 8% jump. Atlantic City-Hammonton and Trenton registered no change for the year period, and only Camden lost jobs, shedding 400, a 2% drop. NATIONAL | April 23, 2020 Draft legislation, proposed by John Barrasso (R-Wyo), chair of the Environment and Public Works Committee, and Tom Carper (D-Del), top Democrat on the committee, would authorize $19.5 billion for Army Corps of Engineers flood protection, ecological restoration and drinking water programs. It’s a two-bill legislative package that includes America’s Water Infrastructure Act of 2020 and the Drinking Water Infrastructure Act. Between the two, $7.5 billion over three years would be allocated for EPA’s Clean Water State Revolving Funds, which go toward wastewater treatment projects, and $2.5 billion would be slated for drinking water State Revolving Funds. The senators hope to move the legislation along with highway infrastructure funding once the coronavirus crisis subsides. LOCAL | April 23, 2020 After receiving the first installment of state funds earlier this year, Stockton University was moving ahead on its Atlantic City dorm expansion project. But the coronavirus crisis has put that project on hold. State funding, both specific to the project and regular aid to the university, has stopped. The university also spent $6.3 million in refunds and credits to students who lived on campus, and lost another $2.5 million in revenue from housing, parking and event fees. The result is a spending freeze on “nonessential” expenditures. However, the Atlantic City Development Corp., the project developer, is continuing to advance the permitting and planning of the Stockton project so it can pick up again when funding is restored. LOCAL | April 17, 2020 In the planning stage is a multi-story student housing complex that could include commercial space, proposed for 519 and 525 South Orange Avenue, across the street from Seton Hall University’s South Orange campus (Essex County). A public hearing by phone is scheduled for Monday at 10 am, hosted by the New Jersey Educational Facilities Authority. LOCAL | April 17, 2020 On April 9, NJ DOT announced it received $47.3 million in grants from the state’s Local Bridges Fund for repair, reconstruction and replacement of county-owned bridges across the state that are deemed structurally deficient. The funds are an initiative of the Transportation Trust Fund. For a list of the bridge projects, download: https://www.state.nj.us/transportation/uploads/comm/news/details/comm_np_20200409_103927_FY2020_Local_Bridge_Fund_Grants.pdf NATIONAL | April 17, 2020 Across the US, 20 states and the District of Columbia lost construction jobs in March, showing the beginning of a sharp decrease in jobs as construction was shut down in many states. New Jersey shed 100 jobs for the month, a 0.1% dip, but was strong compared to March 2019 with the addition of 6,900 jobs, a 4% increase. In the region, New York added 1,900 jobs for the month, up 1%, and 3,200 jobs for the year period, also a 1% gain; Connecticut added 700 jobs for the month, up 1%, and 1,000 jobs for the year period, a 2% gain; Pennsylvania lost 5,600 jobs for the month, down 2%, but was up 1,000 jobs for the year-over-year, a 0.4% gain; Rhode Island remained unchanged for the month but added 200 jobs for the year period, a 1% gain; and Delaware remained unchanged for both the month and year. LOCAL | April 9, 2020 In January, plans received a public hearing for a seven-story mixed-use development at 10 Main Street off Rahway Avenue in Woodbridge (Middlesex County), being called Modera Woodbridge by the developer, Woodbridge 10 Main Urban Renewal LLC. The existing strip mall and parking lot, across from the Woodbridge Municipal complex and a block from the Woodbridge NJ Transit rail station, would be replaced with 279 residential units and 5,800 square feet of retail space, along with two parking garages, one a two-level and one a three-level. The developer has applied for NJDEP permits and the project was listed on the Township’s February Planning Board agenda as “tentatively scheduled for adoption.” REGIONAL | April 3, 2020 As announced on Tuesday, Pennsylvania has opened 61 highway, tunnel and bridge construction projects, a partial reversal of the order that had shut down all construction projects last month because of the coronavirus crisis. The projects are designated “emergency and critically important.” LOCAL | April 3, 2020 Rowan University has released a how-to guide to producing 3D-printed face masks that can be “washed, disinfected and reused.” Complete with designs and instructions, the guide describes face masks in three sizes. Each has a replaceable filter, can be made of sterile, nonwoven material and, when dipped in hot water, can be molded to the wearer’s face for optimum coverage and protection, although Rowan alerts users the masks are not meant to replace the N95 masks recommended by the CDC for healthcare workers. To download the guide and STL files, visit www.rowan.edu/mask. NATIONAL | April 2, 2020 On Monday, Smartvid.io, a provider of construction safety software, will launch a new app for Vinnie, its artificial intelligence interface, that can measure social distancing on construction jobsites. When connected to cameras, Vinnie can become a “virtual safety inspector” and determine the distance between two workers. Reporting can be done in real-time or in daily reports so jobsite supervisors can make adjustments as necessary. LOCAL | March 27, 2020 Last week, Vineland (Cumberland County) approved construction of a 140,000-square-foot, two-level industrial building on 16.5 acres of private land off West Forest Grove and Mill roads between Rts. 55 and 47 near Kroelinger Airport. The developer, B.D.G.S. Inc. of Vineland, plans a 125,000-square-foot ground floor and 15,000-square-foot mezzanine. The Vineland Zoning Board granted a height variance from 40 to 46 feet. NATIONAL | March 17, 2020 Compared to January 2019, 32 states added construction jobs in January 2020, based on BLS data and AGC of America analysis. For the month from December 2019 to January 2020, 33 states added jobs. However, AGC noted the numbers were collected before the coronavirus hit the US, which is expected to hurt job creation in construction and other industries. New Jersey fared well during both periods, adding 1,700 construction jobs for the year-over-year, a 1.1% gain, and 2,000 jobs for the month, a 1.3% increase. In the region, Pennsylvania added 2,100 jobs for the year period, edging up 0.8%, and 4,400 for the month, up 1.7%; New York lost 1,800 jobs for the year period, slipping 0.4%, but gained 4,700 for the month, up 1.2%; Delaware lost 200 jobs for the year period, down 0.9%, but picked up 600 for the month, a 2.7% gain; Rhode Island lost 600 jobs for the year period, a 3% drop, landing in the bottom five states, but held steady with no change for the month; and Connecticut lost 200 jobs for the year period, down 0.3%, and lost 700 jobs for the month, a 1.2% drop. LOCAL | March 13, 2020 Developers of the old Elizabeth General Hospital site, whose sale we posted in Hot Topics in 2015, just received a $56 million construction loan for a Class A apartment complex called Jersey City Walk. The five-and-a-half-acre site at 901 East Jersey Street will hold two six-story buildings totaling 218,292 square feet, offering 274 studio, one-bedroom and two-bedroom apartments and 3,000 square feet of ground-floor retail. A 540-space free-standing parking garage currently on the site will be renovated. Construction on Phase I, already started, is expected to be completed in Spring 2021. Construction on Phase II, also two six-story buildings with 240 apartments, is still in the planning stage. Units average 683 square feet. CMT Developers LLC received the loan from Parkview Financial of Los Angeles. LOCAL | March 12, 2020 On Tuesday, the Newark Municipal Council approved submitting a petition to the state to designate part of the city a transit village. If accepted by the state, a half-mile area around Broad and Market streets would become a Transit Village, eligible for NJDOT grants and priority status for other state monies. LOCAL | March 12, 2020 The NJ BPU has proposed a rule that could spur the replacement and repair of wastewater infrastructure, creating projects potentially worth tens of billions of dollars, but would also bypass regulatory oversight in order to accelerate the approval process. The rule, called the Wastewater Systems Improvement Charge (WSIC), would allow the 11 regulated wastewater utilities in the state to recover upgrade costs more quickly. It would not apply to the municipal and county authorities. LOCAL | March 4, 2020 Hugo Neu Group, developer of The Annex at Kearny Point, has secured $14.5 million for construction and rehabilitation of The Annex, a 90,000-square-foot building next to Building 78 on the old shipyard site in Kearny (Hudson County). The two-story Annex design includes office space, modern amenities, break-out areas and a craneway lit by floor-to-ceiling windows. Green components include integrated stormwater management, a carbon adaptation garden and carbon sink, and a 1,200-kilowatt microgrid with solar and battery storage. LOCAL | March 4, 2020 The “440 connection” would add a 3,200-foot extension of NJ Transit’s Hudson-Bergen Light Rail from the current West Side Avenue terminus to a new terminal along Route 440 on the Hackensack River waterfront, around which the city hopes new development will occur. In addition, the city plans a bridge over Route 440 to connect the terminal to “Bayfront,” the proposed mixed-use development on land owned by Jersey City and Honeywell International. The total proposal is estimated at $220 million. LOCAL | March 2, 2020 On February 19, the Hoboken (Hudson County) City Council unanimously approved the latest version of the Hoboken Yard Redevelopment Plan, allowing commercial development at three sites totaling 1.3 million square feet. Other aspects of the plan include parking requirements (0.125 spaces per 1,000 square feet commercial; 0.25 space for every residential unit), along with renovation of the Hoboken Terminal ferry building and Warrington Plaza that would include new pick-up/drop-off zones for ride-sharing services, taxis and shuttle buses and could include new outdoor market space and a renovated second floor. LCOR is the designated redeveloper of all the sites. NATIONAL | March 2, 2020 If there is a silver lining to the coronavirus outbreak…AGC of America reports the costs of some construction materials have begun to fall as part of the impact of the global health issue. Down nearly 25% since the beginning of the year are crude oil prices, likely resulting in further declines in the cost of gasoline, diesel fuel and liquid asphalt. As China’s demand for copper and steel falls, so too are those prices expected to drop. However, commodity price drops may not be felt immediately. The PPI from January, before the effects of the coronavirus were measured, showed steel mill product prices were up 0.3% for the month but down 15% compared to January 2019; prices for asphalt paving mixtures and blocks were up 7.1% for the month and 1.1% for the year period; and diesel fuel prices were down 8.1% for the month but up 7.2% for the year period. LOCAL | February 24, 2020 96 Clay Partnership LLC will seek approval tonight from the Newark Central Planning Board for a 40-story mixed-use development on seven tracts in the Mount Pleasant/Lower Broadway neighborhood – 94 Clay Street, 1239-1241-1243 McCarter Highway (Route 21) and 316-320, 322-326 and 328-330 Mount Pleasant Avenue. The building would include 484 residential units and ground-floor commercial space. LOCAL | February 21, 2020 REB Construction and Maintenance LLC of Bound Brook was issued a stop-work order on January 31 and fined $19,250 for wage violations while on a Jersey City project at 100 Water Street. REB was cited for failure to maintain records, failure to pay payroll taxes, misclassification of construction workers and failure to carry workers’ comp insurance. NJDOL reports general contractor Katerra has replaced REB on the project. NATIONAL | February 21, 2020 On Wednesday, US DOT published a Notice of Funding Opportunity for Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development (BUILD) grants totaling $1 billion. BUILD grants for surface transportation infrastructure – roads, bridges, transit, rail, ports or intermodal transportation – are awarded on a competitive basis for projects that demonstrate significant local or regional impact. USDOT is hosting a series of webinars to assist grant applicants, with the next webinar scheduled for February 25. Deadline for applications is May 18, 2020. For more information, visit https://www.transportation.gov/BUILDgrants. LOCAL | February 21, 2020 In January, the Burlington Township Zoning Board gave final major site plan approval to Johnson Development Associates’ proposal for a 266,966-square-foot warehouse that includes 9,670 square feet of office space. The warehouse will sit on a 59-acre site along Elbow Lane, which runs from Springside Rancocas Road to Mt. Holly Road, passing under I-295. Plans include 156 passenger vehicle parking spaces, 45 loading berths and two landscaped parking areas for future additional parking if needed. LOCAL | February 19, 2020 The Frank J. Guarini Justice Complex, a $345 million project to replace the old Hudson County Administration Building on the other side of Newark Street in Jersey City, will include 24 courtrooms, jury assembly spaces, offices and the Sheriff’s Department. The five-story building, aiming for LEED Silver, will also feature a 75-seat public food court, a self-help law library, a play area for children, training spaces and a 459-space parking garage. Cook Street will be eliminated and other streets realigned to extend Central Avenue to connect with Newark Avenue. The complex entrance will be on Central Avenue; the garage will be near the intersection with Route 139. Last week the Hudson County freeholders awarded a $2.6 million contract for roadwork and passed a resolution to authorize the county to seek bids for construction of the court complex, which is expected to be completed in 2023. Once that work is done, the old building will be demolished, to be replaced by a three-acre public park. The Hudson County Improvement Authority will act as redeveloper on the project. LOCAL | February 19, 2020 The marina district, 16 blocks on approximately 25 acres in Pleasantville (Atlantic County), could get a huge upgrade in the form of a dredged marina, 180 market-rate apartments, retail, a restaurant, clubhouse and pool, and public space for art and wine festivals and street fairs. In addition, depending on the DEP’s Green Acres Program rules, Ty Helfrich Field near the old Pleasantville High School could be improved. Scarborough Properties of Marmora, which owns the site, is proposing the $30 million project, which has yet to go through the Planning Board. LOCAL | February 19, 2020 On February 24, Mansfield Realty North plans to present to the Mansfield (Burlington County) Planning Board a proposal to build 853,000 square feet of warehouses on 82.5 acres along both sides of Route 206. One building, on 62.3 acres between Route 206 and Aaronson Road north of White Pine Road, would be 772,800 square feet, divided into 742,500 square feet of warehouse and 30,300 square feet of office. The second building, 150,000 square feet divided into 135,500 square feet of warehouse and 15,000 square feet of office, would be built on 20.2 acres west of Route 206. Both would include loading docks, trailer spaces, employee parking and stormwater management facilities. Jughandles from Route 206 would be built to access each site. LOCAL | February 14, 2020 A $47 million social services complex at 1027 Hooper Avenue in Toms River will consolidate the six buildings of the current Ocean County social services offices, offering one location for unemployment, Medicaid, food stamps and other programs. The county freeholder board will pay for the complex from its 2020 capital budget, assuming approval at a meeting scheduled for next Wednesday. The county purchased the land in 2018 and will own the new building. Construction is planned for late 2020 through 2021. LOCAL | February 14, 2020 Toms River officials, including the mayor, a retired US Navy rear admiral, passed a resolution expressing their wishes for a new US Army headquarters to be built at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst. It would be the fourth Army HQ in the country and would house an operational command post with more than 200 soldiers (meaning they could be deployed overseas in a conflict) and an administrative component for 630 active-duty soldiers. New Jersey’s Congressional delegation and Ocean County officials have also given their support for the project; Joint Base-MDL is apparently among 31 bases being considered for the new HQ. LOCAL | February 13, 2020 A block of 38 attached prefab townhouses on a 1.81-acre in Jersey City could be replaced by a tiered high-rise with 810 rental units, 14,000 square feet of ground-floor retail and a 294-space parking garage. Lennar Multifamily Communities, through the Harsimus Cove Association, detailed plans for the lot bounded by First and Second streets, Marin Blvd. and Grove Street, cut through by two dead-end roads, Saddlewood Court and Laurel Court. Those two streets give the redevelopment its temporary name, Laurel & Saddlewood. As part of the deal, a pre-K through 5th grade school would be built along First Street. Also, Philippine Plaza, which sits on the site, would be nearly quadrupled to 11,400 square feet, preserving the existing memorial and creating a public park. Design elements feature brick with glass on the tower and multiple terraces, green roofs and a stormwater management system. The City Council is scheduled to vote tonight on a resolution to declare the site a “condemnation redevelopment area.” Lennar hopes for redevelopment plan approval in March, followed by formal plan submittal this summer and groundbreaking in September 2021. LOCAL | February 13, 2020 According to the BLS, 15.7% of New Jersey’s wage and salary workers were union members in 2019, compared to 10.3% nationwide and up from 14.9% in 2018. The percentages are based on 642,000 union members out of 4.094 million wage and salary workers in the state. LOCAL | February 12, 2020 On Monday, the Federal Transit Administration raised the rating on the ancient Portal Bridge, which carries NJ Transit and Amtrak trains across the Hackensack River in Kearny, to medium-high, making it eligible for federal funding. The bridge replacement project now awaits the Trump administration’s approval of the grant request and decision on a funding level. In the meantime, the FTA rating on the Gateway Tunnel under the Hudson is medium-low, so it remains ineligible for federal funding. LOCAL | February 6, 2020 In August 2018, we posted in Hot Topics news of East Brunswick’s RFP for developers interested in redeveloping more than 30 acres along Route 18 in this Middlesex County township. This week, township officials revealed plans from River Development Equities LLC of Red Bank for a “pedestrian-oriented” development stretching south from Ruth Street (one street south of Eggers) to Lake Avenue along southbound Route 18. Plans include a bus terminal and commuter parking garage, a “main street” running parallel to Route 18 with a traffic circle, and mixed-use buildings that would contain 800 rental units, retail shops and restaurants for indoor and outdoor dining. A “mixed-use lifestyle center,” the focus of the first phase of building, would include residential, retail, a medical office complex, the bus terminal, a tech center and East Brunswick’s municipal center, which would be relocated from its current site at Civic Center Drive off Ryder’s Lane. Other aspects proposed include indoor and outdoor pet facilities, pedestrian walkways, parks and greenways, and a central public plaza with amphitheater for farmers’ markets and concerts. Currently, most of the property is privately owned and houses partially empty strip malls. The developer plans to purchase the site and start demolition in last summer 2020. NATIONAL | February 6, 2020 For the year from December 2018 to December 2019, construction jobs in 211 of the nation’s 358 metro areas grew, a positive 59%, while 73 metro areas lost jobs and 74 remained unchanged. Just as it did last month, New York City lost the largest number of jobs in the country for the year period, shedding 4,500 for a 3% drop. New Jersey metros were mixed. Bergen-Hudson-Passaic gained 2,400 jobs, up a healthy 8%; Atlantic City-Hammonton picked up 300 jobs, a 6% boost; Middlesex-Monmouth-Ocean added 400 jobs, up 1%; and Vineland-Bridgeton gained 100 jobs, up 4%. The other three metros lost jobs: Newark shed 1,700, a 4% decrease; Trenton dropped 200 jobs, also a 4% loss; and Camden lost 1,700 jobs, a 7% drop. LOCAL | January 31, 2020 Last month, the Passaic County Planning Board conditionally approved plans for a 72-unit apartment building at 198-206 Lafayette Street in the Wrigley Park section of Paterson (Fourth Ward Redevelopment Area). 198-206 Lafayette St Holdings LLC, registered at the same address on East 18th Street as Florio Property Management, owns the land, which currently has a vacant building. Plans call for a five-story building on 26,062 square feet and a parking garage with one space per residential unit, plus a new sidewalk in front of the building. Because the site is adjacent to New Jersey Transit train tracks, and redevelopment of a second tract just west of it has been proposed, long-term plans for Passaic-Bergen rail connection would include a rail station at Lafayette Street. LOCAL | January 31, 2020 Yesterday, FERC approved the petition from PennEast Pipeline requesting a declaratory order and expedited action on the Natural Gas Act’s eminent domain authority. FERC’s approval could mean PennEast may continue its plan to build a 120-mile natural gas pipeline from Luzerne County in Pennsylvania, across the Delaware and through six townships in New Jersey. PennEast is still appealing the Third Circuit Court decision, which prohibited the pipeline installation on state land. LOCAL | January 27, 2020 On January 15, the Hoboken City Council approved Applied Monroe Lender LLC, a subsidiary of Ironstate Development, as conditionally designated redeveloper of a 1.43-acre site at 800-822 Monroe Street. Plans for a tiered mixed-used development, rising to 120 feet at the highest point, include 10 floors with 186 rental units in the highest tiers (and equivalent parking spaces on the ground floor), comprised of one three-bedroom unit, 135 one-bedroom units and 50 two-bedroom units. Some could feature interior-facing private terraces or outdoor space. A third-floor common courtyard would offer two pools, seating and a lounge. A dog run is planned for the roof. Other amenities could include bike storage and a pet cleaning station. A public outdoor terrace would run along 8th Street; 1,900 square feet of retail would flank the corners of Monroe and Jackson streets; and a subsurface stormwater detention system would help mediate flooding. Exterior would be brick and flush cast stone with glass and metal window features. The site is part of Zone 2 of Hoboken’s Northwest Industrial Redevelopment Plan. Remediation of the site, formerly the home of Levolor Blind Manufacturing Company, is expected to be finished in the first quarter of this year; final approvals could come as early as April and construction could begin late in 2020, completed in 2022. LOCAL | January 27, 2020 We posted in Hot Topics in August the Brick Church Plaza in East Orange (Essex County) could be redeveloped into the Crossings at Brick Church Station. Now we report the East Orange Planning Board approved an application submitted by Brick Church Opportunity Zone Fund I LLC for Preliminary and Final Site Plan approval for the project, expected to include 820 residential units and 197,650 square feet of commercial space in two buildings, one nine stories and the other five stories, plus a seven-story parking garage. Per Triangle Equities of Queens, the development would be constructed in three phases, with groundbreaking at year-end 2020 and phase one completed by 2Q 2023. ShopRite could be one of the tenants, with a new store replacing the existing supermarket. NATIONAL | January 27, 2020 New Jersey was one of 34 states that saw an uptick in construction jobs for the year from December 2018 to December 2019, adding 1,400 jobs, a 0.9% bump. But New Jersey saw a loss for the month, November to December, losing 600 jobs for a 0.4% drop, while 29 states gained jobs for the month. In the region, New York lost 600 jobs for the year period, down 0.1%, but gained 1,100 for the month, up 0.3%; Connecticut lost 3,400 jobs for the year period, a 5.5% drop (which landed it in the bottom five in the nation), but gained 600 jobs for the month, up 1%; Rhode Island lost 300 jobs for the year, down 1.5%, and remained unchanged for the month; Delaware lost 300 jobs for the year period and again for the month, a 1.3% drop for each; and Pennsylvania lost 3,300 jobs for the year period, down 1.3%, plus lost another 1,600 for the month, down 0.6% (which put it in the bottom five across the country). NATIONAL | January 20, 2020 Infrastructure for Rebuilding America (INFRA) grants were opened last week, making available $906 million for investments focused on freight movement and encouraging public-private partnerships. Large-project grants must be at least $25 million; small-project grants must be at least $5 million. Applications must be filed by February 25, 2020. For details, visit www.transportation.gov/INFRA. NATIONAL | January 20, 2020 As mandated in 2015, OSHA penalties may be adjusted annually to match inflation, based on the Consumer Price Index. This year’s increases, up by a multiplier of 1.01764, went into effect January 15. Serious violations may now be charged a minimum penalty of $964 per violation, up to $13,494 per violation. Willful or Repeated violations may be charged $9,639 per violation, up to a maximum of $13,937 per violation. Failure to abate beyond the abatement date could result in a fine of $13,494 per day. For details and charts, visit https://www.osha.gov/sites/default/files/2020-01/20200110124448588.pdf -- the OSHA memo sent to Regional Administrators on January 10, 2020. LOCAL | January 17, 2020 As we posted in Hot Topics in late May, Stockton University approved Phase II of its expansion plan in Atlantic City – a $64 million, six-story, 105-unit dorm and complex across from O’Donnell Memorial Park. However, the project was contingent on nearly $5 million in annual state aid. Yesterday, the State Treasury released the remainder of its 2020 spending, including the funding for Stockton’s dorm, $4.6 million. LOCAL | January 16, 2020 The State Senate approved four new NJ Transit board members Monday, including Bob Gordon, former State Senator from Fair Lawn, who led oversight hearings on NJ Transit following the fatal train crash at Hoboken Terminal in 2016. He most recently served on the State Board of Public Utilities. Also approved were James D. Adams of West Orange, a civil engineer who worked for the Schools Development Authority and New Jersey Highway Authority; Cedrick Fulton of Hamilton, formerly director of the Port Authority’s bridges, tunnels and terminals; and Robert Maroko, recording secretary and general counsel for the New York Hotel Trades Council and a regular commuter on the Montclair-Boonton line. NATIONAL | January 16, 2020 For the first time since March 2019, materials prices eclipsed bid prices for the month from November to December, but PPI inputs for construction were up only 1.5% in 2019, far below the 4% increase in 2018. And some prices dropped at year-end 2019: steel mill product prices were down 16% compared to a 19% leap in 2018; gypsum product prices were down 5.2% compared to a 4% rise in 2018; aluminum mill shape prices fell 4.4% compared to a 6.8% rise in 2018; and asphalt paving mixture and block prices slipped 1.3% compared to a 10.5% jump in 2018. LOCAL | January 16, 2020 April will see construction begin on a new 159,000-square-foot Costco on the 212-acre site off Route 70 and Haddonfield Road in Cherry Hill (Camden County) – and the developer, Commerce Center at Cherry Hill LLC, expects it to be completed in four months. The developer is also seeking variances for signage, maximum lot coverage and off-street loading spaces. Another 20,000-square-foot building is planned, scheduled to house a Duluth Trading Co. outlet and another retailer, plus a 3,300-square-foot pad site. The new shopping and residential area is known as Cherry Hill at Garden State Park. LOCAL | January 16, 2020 Brick (Ocean County) officials have hired ACT Engineers to help solve Brick’s flooding issues, the same company that recommended multiple solutions in Ocean City. Recommendations for Brick could include installing pumping stations to propel water from roadways into the bay, erecting physical barriers to redirect water around residential streets, dredging shallow lagoons, removing silt from inlets, raising roadways and installing new drainage pipes. The town has already committed to installing flapper valves on storm drains, which let stormwater exit but stop bay water from backing up through the drains to the street. LOCAL | January 16, 2020 If approved, a 480,000-square-foot warehouse could be built on a 35-acre lot at Route 38 and Lawrence Boulevard in Hainesport (Burlington County) that is part of both the Highway Commercial Zoning District and the Lawrence Boulevard Redevelopment Area Zoning District. The developer, Bluewater Property Group, is applying for preliminary and final major site plan approval, expected to come up at the Hainesport Joint Land Use board meeting on January 21. The warehouse site is part of a larger lot, for which Hainesport Commerce Center Urban Renewal LLC seeks minor subdivision approval to create two lots; the second lot would be a much smaller 3.5 acres for “future retail.” LOCAL | January 8, 2020 On Monday, Gov. Murphy announced applications are now open for the first round of grants approved by voters in November 2017 under the Library Construction Bond Act. The Act authorized $125 million in state bonds for ADA accessibility, major building renovations and new construction projects. The State Librarian, Mary Chute, is responsible for the administration and oversight of the application process. NATIONAL | January 6, 2020 Across the country, 226 of 358 metro areas (63%) added jobs in November compared to November 2018. In New Jersey, four of the seven metros added jobs for the year period, two lost jobs and one, Trenton, remained unchanged from a year ago. Bergen-Hudson-Passaic picked up 2,100 jobs, a 7% jump; Newark added 1,900 jobs, a 4% gain; Atlantic City-Hammonton added 300 jobs, a 6% increase; and Vineland-Bridgeton added 100 jobs, a 4% gain. Middlesex-Monmouth-Ocean lost 1,000 jobs for the year period, a 3% drop, and Camden shed 500 jobs, a 2% drop. In the region, New York City saw the largest decline year-over-year, shedding 6,900 jobs (down 4%), and Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford recorded the largest percentage drop, down 11% on the loss of 2,300 jobs. LOCAL | January 3, 2020 New Jersey American Water, which will acquire the wastewater assets of Long Hill Township (Morris County) as approved by voters in November, has agreed to a $13 million-plus upgrade to Long Hill’s sewer system over the next five years. Improvements will include pump station upgrades, sewer main lining and replacements to reduce stormwater infiltration, and treatment plant upgrades to reduce or eliminate release of partially treated wastewater during heavy rains. REGIONAL | January 3, 2020 Per its agreed-upon rotation, Gateway Program Development Corp. approved Steven Cohen, trustee for New York State, as its chairman for 2020, succeeding New Jersey trustee Jerry Zaro, who served as chair in 2019. Zaro will become treasurer of the corporation following board approval and Anthony Coscia, Amtrak trustee, will remain vice chairman. The three-member corporation will continue its current structure until the bi-state Gateway Development Commission is full constituted with seven commissioners – three from each state and one from Amtrak. NATIONAL | December 23, 2019 For the year-over-year, November 2018 to November 2019, 38 states and DC added construction jobs, but only 18 states added jobs for the month from October to November 2019. New Jersey added 3,700 jobs for the year period, up 2.3%, but lost 700 for the month, a 0.4% slide. However, New Jersey still showed best in the region, followed by Rhode Island, which gained 400 jobs for the year period (up 2.1%) and lost the same for the month (down 2%), and then by Delaware, which gained 200 jobs for the year period, up 0.9%, but also lost the same for the month, down 0.9%. New York lost 700 jobs for the year period (down 0.2%) and for the month (down 0.2%); Pennsylvania lost 1,600 for the year period (down 0.6%) and 2,800 for the month (down 1.1%); and Connecticut lost 2,900 for the year period (down 4.8%) and 100 for the month (down 0.2%). NATIONAL | December 19, 2019 Per the Bureau of Labor Statistics, which released its report on 2018 occupational fatalities this week, 1,003 people were killed on the job in the construction industry, up from 965 in 2017. The rate remained the same, 9.5 per 100,000 full-time workers. Of those fatalities, 731 were in the construction trades. Among the work categories, 259 were laborers, 96 were roofers, 86 were carpenters, 80 were electricians, 39 were operating engineers, 37 were plumbers, pipefitters and steamfitters, and 14 were highway maintenance workers. For more information, visit https://www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/cfoi.pdf. NATIONAL | December 18, 2019 NATIONAL | December 18, 2019 LOCAL | December 18, 2019 The Rutgers board of governors has approved $14 million for design and infrastructure work at the New Jersey Medical School in Newark. The 650,000-square-foot building, more than 40 years old, is slated to get new medical research labs, lab support spaces and faculty work spaces, along with a new fire detection system, alarm systems and elevator upgrade. In addition, plans include an “enhanced” exterior, a new pavilion and reconfigured public spaces on levels B and C. NATIONAL | December 16, 2019 While overall inputs to construction inched up a bit – 0.2% for the year-over-year since November 2018 – individual prices dropped sharply, as they had in August, the last quarterly report. Diesel fuel prices were down 16% this November, compared to a jump of 18% last year; steel mill product prices fell 15% this year, after last year’s 21% gain; aluminum mill shape prices were down 5% for the year period, after rising 6.9% last year; and prices for asphalt paving mixtures and blocks dropped 1% for the year period following a 9.2% hike last year. LOCAL | December 12, 2019 The Ocean County Board of Freeholders approved a $50 million expansion plan for the main Justice Complex in Toms River (120 Hooper Avenue at Washington Street), a plan that will eliminate all the satellite buildings and leased offices, plus seven of nine security checkpoints. A $5 million design of an additional 150,000 square feet will kick off the project, with construction on an actual 120,000 square feet scheduled to begin in 2023 and be completed in 2025. The expansion will be built on the north side of the complex, south of Toms River High School South. The 30,000 square feet included in the design but not part of the initial construction will allow for future expansion. LOCAL | December 12, 2019 The field house at Riverbank Park in Newark’s Ironbound section was destroyed by fire in April, and recently the Essex County Board of Freeholders advanced plans to appropriate $1.1 million to replace it “in the exact same footprint.” Final approval review was on the agenda at a meeting last night. LOCAL | December 12, 2019 Pegged at $2.5 billion and, on 400 acres billed as the largest mixed-use development in the state’s history, the Riverton project advanced Tuesday as the Sayreville (Middlesex County) Planning Board approved a revised application to divide the property into seven lots for the first phase. Initial construction will include Bass Pro Shops, a hotel, a bowling alley, a movie theater, other retail and nearly 300 residential units. A concrete pad for Bass Pro Shops will be built first, followed by the outdoor gear store, taking a total of two years to complete. Ultimately, North American Properties expects to develop more retail, restaurants, office space, more hotels, parks, a marina and 2,000 residential units on the site, which is owned by the Sayreville Economic & Redevelopment Agency. Public financing from NJEDA is yet to come. LOCAL | December 12, 2019 We posted in Hot Topics in late November about a construction loan for Vinty, the mixed-use project in Elizabeth with 267 residential units and 37,000 square feet of ground-floor retail. This week, professional services firm JLL announced it has secured $77.75 million in funds for the project’s development. It’s due to be finished in early 2021. NATIONAL | December 9, 2019 Early in December, OSHA issued a temporary enforcement policy that allows crane operator certifications issued before December 2, 2019, by the Crane Institute Certification (CIC) to be accepted. CIC lost its accreditation and OSHA no longer considers its certifications compliant, but will accept CIC certifications issued before December 2. LOCAL | December 6, 2019 Old manufacturing sites in Paterson (Passaic County) that surround the Great Falls and its new National Historic Park could get a boost from this NJ DEP program that identifies and helps clean brownfield sites – and then explores redevelopment funding options. The first site under review by the Community Collaborative Initiative is seven acres that belonged to the former Allied Textile Printing, where the buildings are now partially collapsed because of fires. Paterson would also like to see Hinchliffe Stadium and other old factories included in the CCI review. LOCAL | December 6, 2019 Epire, a New York developer and owner of the 10,000-square-foot site at 144 First Street in Jersey City (at Provost Street), last month submitted a Final Major Site Plan for a 12-story mid-rise mixed-use building, 125 feet high, with 81 residential units and 3,959 square feet of ground-floor retail. The units would include eight studios, 39 one-bedrooms, 27 two-bedrooms and seven three-bedrooms; resident amenities proposed include a gym, playroom, lounge and 1,500-square-foot roof deck. Renderings show a masonry-clad exterior. No parking is included in the plans and the developer seeks a height variance. LOCAL | December 6, 2019 The old Bradlees in Stratford (Camden County) will be renovated as a new Camden County Board of Social Services, 110,000 square feet in a strip mall off South White Horse Pike near New Road. Construction should begin next year and the project is expected to be finished within 18 to 24 months. The redeveloper is Brandywine Real Estate Management Services Corp. The county’s social services are currently housed in the Aletha R. Wright Administration Building next to City Hall in Camden. Once that building is empty, it will be demolished. LOCAL | November 27, 2019 Nyack College in Lower Manhattan will construct 72 dorms on three floors at 150 Bay Street in Jersey City, following approval November 12 by the Jersey City Planning Board of the Preliminary and Final Site Plan presented by Bay Street Associates LLC. The dorms, serving 400 students, will be built on the fourth, fifth and sixth floors of the building, a total of 121,041 square feet that will also include nine units for resident advisors, a study lounge, cafeteria and recreation area. Proposed dorm room plans can be viewed at https://nyackinnyc.org/floor-plan/. The college expects the dorms will be ready for Fall 2020. STATE | November 27, 2019 The $161 million will go to 542 towns and cities to cover 545 road, bridge, safety and “quality-of-life” improvement projects. For the complete list of towns and projects, visit https://www.state.nj.us/transportation/business/localaid/documents/FY2020MunicipalAidGrantRecipients_001.pdf LOCAL | November 27, 2019 The project, called Vinty, is planned for 2.48 acres at the corner of Union and West Grand streets, across from the NJ Transit station. Citizens Commercial Banking made the $55 million loan to LeCesse Development Corp. and MAS Development Group for the 267-unit mixed-use project, which will include 25 studio apartments, 175 one-bedroom and 67 two-bedroom units on four stories above 37,000 square feet of retail and office space, along with a 274-space parking garage. Amenities include a virtual golf simulator, yoga and cycling studio, community lounge, outdoor summer kitchen and grills, and a dog park. Construction should be completed by the first quarter of 2021. LOCAL | November 27, 2019 The Delaware & Raritan Canal Commission approved environmental permits for NJ Transit’s Delco Lead Storage and Inspection Facility and County Yard Improvement Project, clearing the estimated $370 million project for construction. Located along the Northeast Corridor Line In New Brunswick and North Brunswick (Middlesex County), the facility will allow safe and secure storage for at least 400 rail cars. Work is expected to begin in late 2020 and run through early 2025. STATE | November 27, 2019 The US DOT awarded 14 New Jersey airports $39.5 million in grants, announced last Friday by Secretary Elaine Chao. Two of the biggest grants went to Newark Liberty, which received $8.28 million for runway work, and Atlantic City, which received $10 million for a de-icing containment area. For the complete list, visit https://www.faa.gov/airports/aip/aip_supplemental_appropriation_2019/ NATIONAL | November 25, 2019 Across the country, 231 of 358 metro areas (65%) added construction jobs in October compared to October 2018. In New Jersey, the picture is even brighter – six of seven metros picked up jobs this year and one remained unchanged, in stark contrast to last October when five of seven shed jobs. Once again, Bergen-Hudson-Passaic realized the biggest gain, adding 4,200 jobs, a 13% leap. Newark added 1,600 jobs, up 3%; Camden gained 700 jobs, also up 3%; Middlesex-Monmouth-Ocean, which has consistently lost jobs recently, added 400, up 1%; Atlantic City-Hammonton added 200 jobs for a healthy 4% increase; and Vineland-Bridgeton added 100 jobs, also a 4% gain. Trenton maintained status quo, neither adding nor shedding jobs for the year period. REGION | November 21, 2019 As we posted in Hot Topics as far back as 2015, plans to reopen Philadelphia’s Franklin Square Station, part of the PATCO Hi-Speedline system, have been in the works for a long time. But the Federal Transit Administration announced this week the Delaware River Port Authority, the overseeing entity, was awarded $12.6 million through a 2019 BUILD grant, giving the project half the $25.2 million estimated for upgrading and remodeling. With design and engineering plans 90% complete, the underground station will have a glass-walled, glass-roof entrance building on 7th Street near Race Street in Franklin Square Park, featuring roof vegetation to control stormwater runoff and provide building insulation, wifi and improved handicapped access. Upgrades will be made to the structure, electrical, plumbing, communication, signal and security systems. Construction is expected to start in late 2020 or early 2021 and finish up in 2023. The commuter line runs from Center City Philadelphia to Camden and through South Jersey to its endpoint in Lindenwold (Camden County). LOCAL | November 21, 2019 Formally called an anaerobic digestion facility, the wastewater treatment plant in Linden (Union County) will convert organic waste from North Jersey and New York City into bio-methane, which will then be refined to “pipeline-quality” gas – ultimately reducing waste disposal costs and carbon emissions. The project received bridge funding through an agreement between Leyline Renewable Capital of Durham, NC, and RNG Energy Solutions, and is expected to create more than 400 direct and indirect jobs during construction. A similar project under the same agreement will be built in Philadelphia. STATE | November 21, 2019 On Tuesday, Governor Murphy signed an executive order boosting the original projected 3,500 megawatts of offshore wind to 7,500 megawatts by 2035, adding five years to the timeline. Per the Governor, the new goal will meet half the electric power needs in the state, provide enough electricity to power more than 3.2 million homes and generate thousands of union jobs. LOCAL | November 21, 2019 The old Beach Theatre on Beach Avenue across from Convention Hall in Cape May (Cape May County) has been purchased by ICONA Resorts and will be replaced by ICONA Resort Cape May to become the fourth-largest beachfront hotel in the city. The resort will offer first-floor retail, 100 guest rooms, indoor and outdoor pools, and space for weddings and corporate events. NATIONAL | November 20, 2019 For the period from October 2018 to October 2019, construction employment was healthy, with 41 states adding jobs for the year-over-year. For the month from September to October, 28 states added jobs. New Jersey ranked #11 in the “gain” column, adding 7,700 for the year period, a 4.9% jump, and also registered a small gain for the month, added 300 jobs, up 0.2%. In the region, Pennsylvania added 4,600 jobs for the year period, a 1.8% rise, and 1,900 for the month, up 0.7%; Rhode Island added 400 jobs for the year period, up 2.1%, and 400 jobs for the month, also up 2.1%; Delaware added 500 jobs for the year period, up 2.2%, while its job count remained unchanged for the month; New York added 1,100 jobs for the year period, edging up 0.3%, but lost 3,000 jobs for the month, down 0.7%; and Connecticut ranked near the bottom for the year period, shedding 1,400 jobs, a 2.4% drop, but added 700 for the month, up 1.2%. NATIONAL | November 15, 2019 STATE | November 13, 2019 As you may know, the SDA is required to pay for the full cost of school construction in Abbott districts, 31 of the state’s neediest school districts. The state EDA issues bonds for the SDA to pay for the cost of new school buildings and any needed emergency repairs in Abbott districts. It was recently revealed the SDA is out of money for new projects and much needed repairs and plans on seeking reauthorization from the Legislature to bond several billion dollars. 15 Abbott districts lack the necessary building capacity to adequately deliver core curriculum content; ELC’s legal efforts have started the conversation. NATIONAL | November 13, 2019 In another report, the 2020 Dodge Construction Outlook, released October 31, forecasts an overall slide in 2020 of 4% below 2019, with a drop of 3% for nonresidential building and nonbuilding construction starts. LOCAL | November 12, 2019 NATIONAL | November 12, 2019 STATE | November 12, 2019 STATE| November 12, 2019 LOCAL | November 5, 2019 LOCAL | November 5, 2019 LOCAL | October 31, 2019 NATIONAL | October 31, 2019 In the year from September 2018 to September 2019, 244 of 358 metro areas (68%) added construction jobs, a slight downward slide from August. In New Jersey, five of seven metros saw growth. Again, Bergen-Hudson-Passaic realized the biggest gain, adding 4,000 jobs, a 13% jump, even larger than last month’s year-over-year numbers. Camden picked up 2,200 for the year period, up a healthy 9%; Newark added 2,400 job, up 5%; Vineland-Bridgeton added 2,900 jobs, up 4%; and Atlantic City-Hammonton added 100 jobs, a 2% increase over September 2018. Middlesex-Monmouth-Ocean continued to lose jobs, down 800, a 2% drop; and Trenton lost 200 jobs, a 4% drop. LOCAL | October 30, 2019 LOCAL | October 30, 2019 LOCAL | October 29, 2019 LOCAL | October 29, 2019 LOCAL | October 28, 2019 LOCAL | October 28, 2019 LOCAL | October 28, 2019 STATE | October 25, 2019 The construction will take place over a 10-year span. Plans include new AirTrains to Newark Liberty International Airport and LaGuardia Airport at $2.05 billion each. Contracts are expected to be awarded in 2021 with construction wrapping up in 2024. This construction is in addition to the new Terminal One at JFK, bringing the total for New York and New Jersey airport construction to $30 billion. The PATH System will see $78.6 million of improvements to Exchange Place, Grove Street, Newark Penn and Journal Square. PATH system work will take place throughout 2022. LOCAL | October 24, 2019 LOCAL | October 24, 2019 LOCAL | October 21, 2019 STATE | October 21, 2019 LOCAL | October 15, 2019 Today Governor Murphy, Amtrak Board Chairman Tony Coscia and NJ Transit CEO Kevin Corbett announced the beginning of fall 2019 construction work at four NJ train stations – New Brunswick, Elizabeth, Trenton Transit Center and Princeton Junction. The announcement brings hope for an improved customer and travel experience throughout New Jersey and signifies a new positive relationship between NJ Transit and Amtrak. The work is expected to take place through early 2020. Specifics of the projects at each station is as follows: LOCAL | October 14, 2019 A North Jersey company will potentially buy and repurpose Vineland’s former ShopRite at 215 N. Delsea Drive. The 75,000 square foot property has been vacant for more than six years. The property would be purchased and converted into an indoor, self-storage facility. Vineland Ventures LLC, potentially, would build an additional 75,000 of storage on site in a second phase. New construction would occur in the parking lot of the approximately 8.33-acre property. LOCAL | October 14, 2019 A $10 million project is in the works to improve the intersection of Alps Road and Hamburg Turnpike in Wayne, NJ. The project will include the construction of two jughandles, installation of new traffic lights and widening of Hamburg Turnpike. Final drawings for the project will be presented for approval by NJDOT, with a contract being awarded as early as the spring. LOCAL | October 14, 2019 Bayside Park, located across Route 35 from Brick Beach III, will be completely rebuilt after damage from Hurricane Sandy left parts off limit to visitors. The Brick Township Council voted in favor of seeking bids for part of the work that will go into the park, which will start with a new boardwalk. LOCAL | October 9, 2019 In March, we posted in Hot Topics the Coast Guard’s agreement to temporarily restrict passage of marine traffic under the Portal Bridge in Kearny to avoid opening the 110-year-old swing bridge during certain busy commuter train times. On Monday, regulations were posted in the Federal Register making those restrictions permanent. Thus, most marine traffic on the Hackensack River will not be able to cross under the bridge between 5 and 10 am and 3 and 8 pm. LOCAL | October 7, 2019 This morning, New Jersey and New York governors announced the commissioners for the Gateway Development Commission who will oversee construction of the Hudson Tunnel Project. New Jersey Governor Murphy’s nominees include Janine G. Bauer, Partner at Szaferman Lakind and an expert on environmental issues, and Balpreet Grewal Virk, PhD, Director of Community Engagement in the Department of Population Health at Hackensack Meridian Health. Both must be confirmed by the New Jersey Senate. Once confirmed, they will serve with Jerry Zaro, Chairman of the Gateway Program Development Corporation. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo appointed New York State Department of Transportation Commissioner Marie Therese Dominguez, Thruway Authority Project Director Jamey Barbas, and former Secretary to the Governor Steven M. Cohen. For the official press release issued by Governor Murphy’s office, which contains bios on all the commissioners, visit https://www.state.nj.us/governor/news/news/562019/approved/20191007a.shtml LOCAL | October 7, 2019 NJ Transit is hoping to attract developers to propose ideas for 21 stations in 15 towns along the light-rail River LINE between Camden and Trenton. Such transit-oriented developments could include homes, stores and offices or other work spaces along the 37 miles of the line, and would primarily be planned for the station parking lots, which are generally vacant. NATIONAL | October 2, 2019 In the year from August 2018 to August 2019, 252 of 358 metro areas (70%) added construction jobs, continuing the positive growth we saw all summer. In New Jersey, only Middlesex-Monmouth-Ocean saw a loss, shedding 800 jobs for the year period, a 2% drop. Bergen-Hudson-Passaic realized the biggest gain, adding 3,600 jobs, an 11% jump. Camden picked up 1,900 for the year period, up a healthy 8%, and Newark gained 3,400 jobs, a 7% boost. Vineland-Bridgeton added 100 jobs for a modest 3% gain. And Atlantic City-Hammonton and Trenton both held even for the year period. LOCAL | October 2, 2019 Last week, the Brick Planning Board was scheduled to review a proposed 74,999-square-foot building project, to be developed by Kamson Corporation as a medical facility on a 409,028-square-foot triangular site bordered by Route 88, Jack Martin Blvd., and Burrsville Road. The project could be a Veterans Administration outpatient clinic, as it is one of three sites being considered by the VA. The site has undergone other proposal reviews, most recently as a mixed-use complex (posted in Hot Topics, April 2018). LOCAL | October 2, 2019 The Cranberry Park redevelopment project in Bordentown City (Burlington County) could include 296 apartments on East Park Street, perhaps to be called Cranberry Lofts, along with a 2,800-square-foot clubhouse and pool and 611 parking spaces that would include 40 garage and 40 driveway spaces. Developer Modern Recycled Spaces is expected to present preliminary and final site plans to the planning board next Monday. The redevelopment proposal also includes demolition of a 480,000-square-foot facility that was part of the original Ocean Spray Cranberries complex and renovation of a 65,300-square-foot building into office, retail or commercial space. LOCAL | September 27, 2019 Yesterday, Governor Murphy announced an additional $100 million from the Federal Highway Administration was awarded to NJDOT, which will cover 28 projects in 19 counties. For a list of the projects funded, visit: https://www.state.nj.us/governor/news/news/562019/docs/20190926a_FY19Funds.pdf NATIONAL | September 27, 2019 Yesterday the US Senate confirmed Eugene Scalia, age 56, as Secretary of the US Department of Labor. A partner at Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher and a member of the Washington law firm’s labor and employment practice group, Scalia is the son of the late Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia. He served as solicitor of the Labor Department from 2002 to 2003 under President George W. Bush, and earned his undergraduate degree at the University of Virginia and his law degree at the University of Chicago Law School. LOCAL | September 24, 2019 The 1,100-megawatt Ocean Wind offshore wind farm will use 90 new 12-megawatt turbines to generate power, produced by GE Renewable Energy. Each of these next-gen turbines has a rotor diameter of 722 feet; each blade is 351 feet long; and total “sweep” area is 409,000 square feet. The project, approximately 15 miles off the coast of Atlantic City, will be the third-largest wind farm in the world and is expected to go into construction in 2020 and open in 2024. NATIONAL | September 23, 2019 In the year from August 2018 to August 2019, 39 states added construction jobs, one less than July’s year-over-year, but 29 states added jobs for the month from July to August, a gain of four over last month. New Jersey was strong for the year-over-year, adding 8,800 jobs for a 5.6% hike that placed it 12th in the nation. The month saw a drop of 400 jobs in the state, a 0.2% dip. In the region, New York added 10,600 jobs for the year period, up 2.7%, and 3,000 for the month, up 0.7%. Pennsylvania added 7,300 jobs for the year period, a 2.9% gain, and 500 for the month, up 0.2%. Rhode Island added 700 jobs for the year period, up 3.7%, but shed 200 for the month, a 1% loss. Delaware also added 700 jobs for the year period, a 3.2% gain, but dropped 100 for the month, a 0.4% slip. Connecticut lost 1,000 jobs for the year period, a 1.7% drop that placed it in the bottom five nationwide, but picked up 500 for the month, a 0.9% bump. NATIONAL | September 19, 2019 After serving as deputy director since February 2017, Scott Ketcham has been appointed as the new director of OSHA’s Directorate of Construction. For 19 years, Ketcham was an OSHA compliance officer and manager, assistant area director, area director and then acting deputy regional administrator in the Seattle, Dallas and Philadelphia regions. Before joining OSHA, he was a staff industrial hygienist for five years with the US Army Medical Activity at Bassett Army Hospital, Ft. Wainwright, Alaska. He retired from the Army after 24 years of active and reserve duty. Ketcham earned his bachelor’s degree from Texas A&M and his master’s in Public Administration from the University of Alaska. He is a Certified Safety Professional. LOCAL | September 18, 2019 NJ DOL announced yesterday it had issued its first Stop Work Orders following Governor Murphy’s July expansion of enforcement authority at DOL. The Stop Work orders were issued August 22 to Three Sons Construction LLC of Union for “failure to pay prevailing wage, unpaid and late wages, and failure to keep accurate certified payrolls” at jobsites at Maurice Hawk Elementary School in West Windsor and Bayonne Fire House, Engine 6 in Bayonne. A Stop Work Order was also issued to Three Sons Construction’s offices in Union. On September 4, the Stop Work order was lifted at the Bayonne Fire House but continued at the West Windsor school. LOCAL | September 17, 2019 Catalyst Experiential of Pennsylvania was designated as redeveloper of three sites in Mount Laurel (Burlington County), one of which will be a new EMS facility at Route 73 and Howard Blvd. The 7,860-square-foot building will have four drive-through accessible bays, two offices, a lounge and kitchen, two bunk rooms, showers, lockers, training space and a laundry room. With a futuristic design, the front “tip” of the building will be glass; the other exterior siding will be aluminum panels and stone. Two 700-square-foot screens on the front of the building will function as digital billboards. The EMS facility will be built in conjunction with two promotional, monument-style digital displays on Route 38 and I-295 that welcome visitors to Mount Laurel. NATIONAL | September 17, 2019 AGC of America’s analysis of producer price indexes from BLS show construction materials slid down 0.2% from July to August, and crept up only 0.4% compared to August 2018, when they had jumped 6.4%. For the year-over-year period, diesel fuels fell 18%, compared to a 35% leap last year; lumber and plywood dropped 12% after a 6% hike last year; steel mill products were down 11% after last year’s 18% jump; gypsum products were down 8.4% after last year’s 7.5% increase; and aluminum mill shapes were down 5.2% after last year’s 15% jump. LOCAL | September 16, 2019 Caven Point Studios will open next spring at 21 Caven Point Avenue, an industrial area in Jersey City. Criterion Group LLC is building a 135,000-square-foot complex with three sound stages (70,000 square feet will be devoted to studio and sound stages) and other spaces to suit “large-scale” productions that may be filmed in Jersey City. LOCAL | September 16, 2019 Eagle Intermodal Inc., a national trucking company based in Chicago and charged by NJ DOL 13 years ago with misclassifying drivers, has agreed to pay $1.25 million in back unemployment and disability contributions to the state. The company will make the pay-back during the next year, with the first payment due in 30 days, and agreed to future NJDOL audits. LOCAL | September 16, 2019 After 25 years sitting vacant on Millburn Avenue in Springfield (Union County), the old Saks Fifth Avenue building may be demolished and the nine-acre site transformed into a mixed-use complex with 223 rental apartments, 47 rental townhomes, street-level retail and parking. Developer Springfield 92 Millburn Avenue Urban Renewal LLC, conditionally designated as the redeveloper, filed an application with the Township Planning Board for Preliminary and Final Site Plan approval, scheduled to be on the board agenda last Thursday. Most of the site lies in Springfield Township, but a piece of it on Millburn Avenue sits in Millburn (Essex Township) – and the entire site is currently owned by Stop & Shop’s parent company. LOCAL | September 16, 2019 International supply-chain company Seldat Distribution Inc. will build a 509,000-square-foot warehouse at the corner of Birmingham and South Pemberton roads in Pemberton Township (Burlington County) that will rise as high as 66 feet in some sections. Plans call for visibility screening and light protection to be provided by a setback and berm. Preliminary and final major site plans and variances for height of building and light poles were approved by the Pemberton planning board earlier this month, and construction is expected to begin within weeks. LOCAL | September 10, 2019 If the residents of Palisades Park (Bergen County) approve it by ballot in November, the town will start substantial upgrades to three schools, at a cost of $63.14 million, of which $17.24 million would be funded by a state grant. Charles Lindbergh Elementary School, built in 1927, would get a three-story addition, 12 more classrooms and a new recreation center. The Junior/Senior High School, built in 1968, would get a two-story addition, eight new classrooms, renovations in the science labs, auditorium, gym and weight room, various replacements throughout the building, and HVAC and electrical upgrades. The Early Childhood Center, built in 2006, would see replacement of its roof and windows, restroom renovations, and HVAC, lighting and electrical upgrades (budgeted for $3.8 million of the total). LOCAL | September 10, 2019 The Stratford (Camden County) Joint Land Use Board approved redevelopment of the Laurel Mills Shopping Center, a dilapidated and nearly empty 7.4-acre site at Warwick Road and Longwood Drive. The plan includes 80 townhomes – one-, two- and three-bedroom units, of which 16 would be affordable housing, and 14,000 square feet of new retail, all to be developed by Laurel Mills LLC of Jersey City, which owns the property. Townhome construction could commence once a redevelopment agreement is completed with the borough; retail construction would not start until the developer signs an anchor tenant. LOCAL | September 5, 2019 Schiff Foods Products Co. plans to expand and upgrade its Totowa facility following its purchase of Morris J. Golombeck Inc. of Brooklyn. Both companies are purveyors of herbs and spices. Schiff Foods’ current plant includes a 300,000-square-foot warehouse, of which 30,000 square feet is temperature-controlled and another 15,000 square feet is a designated production area. LOCAL | September 4, 2019 The $270 million in bonds approved by the New Jersey Educational Facilities Authority will finance construction of two student residential towers for 1,000 students, 19 and 21 stories with single and double and suites, and an adjacent three-story, 75,000-square-foot university center with multi-purpose event space, dining facilities, retail, a fitness center, study lounges, game rooms and other spaces. The project, located on Stevens Institute of Technology’s Hoboken campus, is designed to achieve LEED Silver certification. NATIONAL | September 4, 2019 Since April, construction employment in the nation’s 358 metro areas has held steady, with approximately 70% of the metros adding jobs each month for the year-over-year period. July reflected the same as 255 metros added jobs (71%) compared to July 2018. New Jersey’s metros, however, continued to show uneven numbers. As it did in June, Atlantic City-Hammonton lost jobs in July, shedding 300, a 5% drop compared to July 2018. Trenton also lost jobs in June and again in July, down 200 (-4%) this month compared to July 2018. And Middlesex-Monmouth-Ocean, which had marked a 1% increase in June for the year period, lost 600 jobs in July, a 1% decrease compared to July 2018. In contrast, Bergen-Hudson-Passaic bounced upward from its 8% gain in June to an 11% gain in July, adding 3,500 jobs over July 2018’s number. Camden also noted an 11% boost, adding 2,600 jobs for the year from July to July. Also for the year period, Newark saw a 4% gain with the addition of 2,000 jobs and Vineland-Bridgeton had a 3% gain with 100 jobs. LOCAL | August 23, 2019 OPort Partners LLC, owned by Denholtz Properties of Matawan, has proposed investing $31.5 million to transform Fort Monmouth’s old post office and warehouse district in a research park. There are currently seven buildings on the 20-acre site in the Oceanport section of Fort Monmouth; the developer would demolish them and build nearly 150,000 square feet of space for offices, research and storage for the medical, biotechnical and software R&D industries. OPort, which will pay $1.95 million for the properties, is in the middle of the due diligence phase of the contract and will complete demolition and begin site improvement within four months of closing. The contract calls for the redevelopment to be finished within 22 months. The Fort Monmouth Economic Revitalization Authority expects the project to create 264 full- and part-time construction jobs. LOCAL | August 23, 2019 The Atlantic City CRDA voted to designate Village Supermarkets LLC, owner of 29 ShopRites in three states, to develop and operate a $13.5 million, 40,000-square-foot ShopRite on a four-acre site at Indiana and Baltic avenues. The site is owned by CRDA and currently holds a parking lot and a groundwater filtration plant that is no longer in use. Atlantic City was named a “food desert” with only one other chain market in the city. LOCAL | August 23, 2019 A tour of the abandoned Roebling Block II and a community clean-up are two activities Trenton officials hope will bring in a developer to revitalize the property. The city would like that developer to restore rather than demolish the historic buildings in the complex. LOCAL | August 22, 2019 Two 18-story towers with 344 rental units linked by a tiered base would rise more than 200 feet above the Lincoln Harbor waterfront in Weehawken (Hudson County), according to a proposal by site owner Hartz Mountain. It would also include 398 indoor parking spots, retail space on the ground floor, a rooftop pool and a public dog park along Harbor Blvd. Weehawken officials scheduled a seventh hearing August 20 on the project as they work through legal issues, including whether giving the planning board authority to determine allowable building heights, lot coverage and number of units complies with New Jersey’s Municipal Land Use Law. In addition, part of the site crosses into Hoboken; thus, the project may require approvals from Hoboken officials. LOCAL | August 22, 2019 Last night, a hearing was scheduled for a proposed 820-unit residential and 197,500-square-foot commercial complex at the site of the existing Brick Church Plaza near NJ Transit’s Brick Church Station in East Orange (Essex County). Named the Crossings at Brick Church, the complex would include two buildings, a five-story structure with 400 units and a nine-story structure with 420 units, located on Main Street/Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. between Halsted and South Harrison streets. The application for Preliminary and Final Site Plan approval was filed by Brick Church Opportunity Zone Fund I LLC. LOCAL | August 21, 2019 Per an announcement yesterday from New Jersey’s US Senators Bob Menendez and Cory Booker, along with US House Representatives Albio Sires, Donald Payne Jr. and Tom Malinowski, US DOT has awarded $18,445,000 to rehab New Jersey Transit’s Newark Penn Station. The project includes repairing Platform D, which serves Tracks 3 and 4, replacing “structurally compromised reinforcement…applying a corrosion-resistant membrane on the platform surface…rebuilding platform edges, installing new tactile strips and timber rub rails, repairing and/or replacing the overhead canopy and lighting fixtures…(and replacing) deck joints throughout the platform.” Sen. Menendez is the ranking member of the Senate’s mass transit subcommittee; Congressmen Sires, Payne and Malinowski are members of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. LOCAL | August 20, 2019 Traffic along the border of Brick and Toms River in Ocean County can bottleneck, so Ocean County engineers will conduct a study of the traffic on the border roads, Brick and Hooper avenues, as they run from Beaverson Blvd. in Brick to Church Road in Toms River, in hopes of finding a way to ease the congestion. The North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority will join the county in deciding alleviation solutions. LOCAL | August 20, 2019 In May, we posted in Hot Topics news of a $6 million, 38,000-square-foot warehouse at 3490 N. Mill Road in Vineland Industrial Park-North, expected to open in 2020. Last week, the Vineland Planning Board gave its unanimous approval to the final site plan – specifically, a 37,372-square-foot building at 3546 N. Mill Road for KRES Cold Storage, targeted for a Spring 2020 opening. The board also gave preliminary approval for a second, 72,132-square-foot building on the 10.48-acre site; no construction schedule has been determined. KRES Cold Storage president is Ray Cronk II; the site plan applicant is Cronk Curcio Realty LLC. LOCAL | August 20, 2019 USDA – Rural Development awarded nearly $1.9 million to Woodbine (Cape May County) in loans and grants, adding to the nearly $2 million previously awarded for critical repairs and improvements to the town’s existing water treatment plant and distribution system. Upgrades will include the well house, filtration system, garage and related facilities, and extension or replacement of water mains. NATIONAL | August 19, 2019 In the year-over-year from July 2018 to July 2019, 40 states added construction jobs, but only 25 states added jobs from June to July 2019. New Jersey added a healthy 9,000 jobs for the year period, a 5.8% bump that placed it 12th in the nation, and 500 for the month, a 0.3% increase. In the region, Rhode Island added 1,000 jobs for the year period, up 5.2%, and 200 for the month, up 1%; Pennsylvania added 7,700 jobs for the year period, a 3% rise, and 1,100 for the month, up 0.4%; and New York added 7,600 jobs for the year period, a 1.9% rise, and 600 for the month, up 0.1%. Delaware added 900 jobs for the year period, a 4.1% increase, but lost 100 for the month, a 0.4% dip. And Connecticut landed in the bottom five nationwide, shedding 1,500 jobs for the year period, a 2.6% drop, and losing 300 for the month, down a half-percentage point. LOCAL | August 15, 2019 Burnt Tavern Road in Brick will be redesigned to correct a difficult merge where the road intersects with Greenbriar Blvd. at the Greenbriar II entrance as well as Van Zile Road. The existing acceleration lane, into which traffic is channeled as it turns left from Greenbriar onto Burnt Tavern Road, will be eliminated so that traffic can safely proceed straight on Burnt Tavern or turn right on Van Zile. In addition, traffic on Burnt Tavern Road approaching Greenbriar will be stopped to allow vehicles to make that left out of Greenbriar Blvd. Ocean County will combine the redesign project with repaving Burnt Tavern Road. No construction date has been announced. NATIONAL | August 12, 2019 In June a year ago, construction materials prices jumped 7.9% across the nation, but this June the PPI edged up only 0.1% in comparison, while bid prices rose 5.6%. Bid prices in the US were strong for office and healthcare building construction (up 4.% for the year-over-year), warehouses (up 5.4%), industrial buildings (up 6.6%), and schools (up 7.1%). In contrast, prices for lumber and plywood, which had jumped 16% in June 2018, fell 16% this June. Diesel fuel was down 14% for the year period, compared to its 43% leap last year; steel mill products dropped 7.5% this year-over-year period after a 12% rise last year; aluminum mill shapes fell 4.9% this year period after a 17% jump last year; and gypsum products fell 7.3% this year period following a 4.9% rise last year. Architectural coatings, however, rose 7.8% for the year period, following a 4.6% increase last year. LOCAL | August 7, 2019 Last week, Jersey City officials saw plans for a new North District police station to replace the current one at 282 Central Ave, which was built in 1901. Totowa architects Coppa Montalbano LLC showed a preliminary site plan for a six-story, 31,000-square-foot building facing Central Avenue, down the street at 269-273, along with a six-story parking garage with 190 spaces for police vehicles, to be accessed from Sherman Place. Jersey City is now seeking comment from residents. LOCAL | August 7, 2019 As we posted in a lengthy Hot Topic in June, Florence anticipates a mixed-use development at the junction of Route 130 and Cedar Lane, approved by the township and waiting NJDOT approval. That approval seems to be likely and perhaps imminent, as the Department backs developer Weiss Properties’ plan to fund and construct a $1 million roundabout on Cedar Lane at Hunts Circus Drive that will replace the existing jughandle. The land surrounding the jughandle is owned by NJDOT; the agency must approve Weiss’ purchase of the property to continue the project. LOCAL | August 7, 2019 The $125 million Library Bond Act was approved by voters nearly two years ago, but the proposed regulations to implement the bond issue were just released for comment through August 30. If approved, the spending per square foot for new construction would be capped at $350 and at $200 for renovations, with the state funding half the cost of approved projects and the library paying for the other half. Nearly 300 county, municipal and joint libraries could apply for funding to purchase new technology, comply with ADA, add public meeting spaces and make safety repairs, in addition to public services. The proposed regulations could be adopted after September 30, followed by applications through the rest of the year; funding is not expected to be available until spring. LOCAL | August 6, 2019 Last week, NJ DOT announced it is releasing $161.25 million in FY2020 County Aid grants for infrastructure improvements, funded through the TTF. Counties receiving $10 million or more include Bergen ($13,617,122), Burlington ($10,219,162), Middlesex ($10,963,208), Monmouth ($10,140,896) and Ocean ($12,722,128). For the list of grants to all 21 counties, visit https://www.state.nj.us/transportation/about/press/2019/FY_2020_County_Aid_Allotment.pdf. NATIONAL | August 6, 2019 OSHA is considering revisions to Table 1 in the construction standard for silica. As you know, construction contractors who follow Table 1 aren’t required to monitor employee exposure to silica, nor are they subject to PEL limits. Last week, OSHA submitted a draft Request for Information to OMB; if approved, OSHA will publish the RFI in the Federal Register and determine from responses if revisions to Table 1 are appropriate. Per the RFI, OSHA seeks information “on the effectiveness of control measures not currently included for tasks and tools listed in Table 1. The Agency is also interested in tasks and tools involving exposure to respirable crystalline silica that are not currently listed in Table 1, along with information on the effectiveness of dust control methods in limiting worker exposure to respirable crystalline silica when performing those operations.” LOCAL | July 30, 2019 Metuchen and Edison may execute a Shared Service Agreement for the design and construction of a sewage pumping station. The Metuchen Borough Council met last night to discuss a resolution authorizing the agreement; the Edison Municipal Council had met July 24 for the same purpose. The new single-pump station would replace the Edison Pump Station and the Metuchen Jersey Avenue Pump Station and would include equipment to pump sewage to the Middlesex County Utilities Authority. LOCAL | July 29, 2019 Plans are evolving for a mixed-use on the site of an old factory at 1200-1318 Madison Street in Hoboken, now owned by Hoboken Western Edge LLC with an address linked to Pegasus Partners, already designated a Hoboken redeveloper. The mixed-use would include 351 residential units (including 10% affordable housing), 224,000 square feet of commercial/office space and 48,000 square feet of retail (no height specified). At its July 10 meeting, the Hoboken City Council awarded a contract to CBRE to provide consulting for negotiating a redevelopment agreement for the Madison Street project. No timelines for the agreement, approvals or construction have been announced. NATIONAL | July 29, 2019 The US Small Business Administration announced last week it issued an interim final rule detailing new revenue thresholds for companies to be classified as small businesses (published in the July 18 Federal Register). SBA says thresholds will rise approximately 8%, set to take effect August 19, and will allow 90,000 more companies to qualify as small businesses, increasing federal small-business contracts up to $750 million and small-business loans. The SBA had also recently proposed a longer lookback period for revenue-averaging, from three to five years (published in the June 24 Federal Register). Both moves were applauded by AGC of America. LOCAL | July 23, 2019 Developer iStar has agreed to replace a four-block section of Asbury Park boardwalk it removed last fall, a project that will cost iStar $8 million for the 25-foot-wide wood section stretching from Convention Hall to the city’s border with Loch Arbor at the north end. The project will also include stormwater catch basins architecturally designed to be “rain gardens.” Plans must still receive approval from the City Council and a CAFRA permit from NJ DEP. The expectation is the new boardwalk will be finished by the beginning of Summer 2020. LOCAL | July 22, 2019 If an unnamed company specializing in charter plane maintenance and repair decides to make a home at the Atlantic City International Airport, the South Jersey Transportation Authority will build it. Last Thursday, the Authority approved a resolution to negotiate a ground lease with the Atlantic County Improvement Authority, which would finance the project if county freeholders agree. The hanger, 22,500 square feet, would be built between existing Hangars 1 & 2, on “developable” land, per the FAA’s master plan. LOCAL | July 22, 2019 Last Thursday, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced it has awarded two offshore wind projects totaling 1,700 megawatts to Equinor, a Norwegian developer with a US unit, and a joint venture of Ørsted, the Danish company that was awarded New Jersey’s offshore wind project, and Connecticut’s Eversource Energy. Each project is estimated to cost $3 billion and will be built with a union PLA. Equinor’s 816-megawatt project, expected to be operational in 2024, will include 60 to 80 wind turbines of approximately 10 megawatts each, set on gravity-based foundations in an 80,000-acre lease area in the New York section of the New York/New Jersey Bight, which extends from Cape May Inlet to Montauk Point. Ørsted’s 880-megawatt project, on which construction will start in 2021 and be operational in 2022, will have turbines of approximately 8 megawatts each; turbine builder is Siemens Gamesa. NATIONAL | July 22, 2019 In the year from June 2018 to June 2019, 42 states added construction jobs, while 30 added jobs in the month from May to June this year. New Jersey added jobs in both periods, gaining 8,000 (up 5.1%) for the year, 700 (up 0.4%) for the month. In the region, Pennsylvania added 6,600 for the year period, a gain of 2.6%, but lost 300 for the month, a 0.1% drop; New York gained 5,700 for the year period, up 1.4%, but lost 100 for the month (not measurable as a percentage); Delaware gained 800 jobs for the year, up 3.6%, but lost 100 for the month, down 0.4%; and Rhode Island added 700 jobs for the year, up 3.6%, remaining unchanged for the month. Connecticut hit the bottom for both periods, losing 1,000 jobs for the year, a 1.7% loss, and 1,100 for the month, a 1.9% drop. LOCAL | July 18, 2019 On July 9, the labor departments in New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Delaware signed a reciprocal agreement to share information and enforcement efforts that will help ensure employer compliance with labor laws in all three states. The agreement allows the states to strategically share data, refer cases across state lines and jointly investigate cases. The goal of the alliance is to foster more efficient investigations of, among other things, wage claims, worker misclassification and workplace safety issues. This kind of interstate cooperation is one of the recommendations of the Stockton University studies on the underground construction economy as well as the Task Force established in New Jersey by executive order in 2018 to combat misclassification. LOCAL | July 17, 2019 NJDOT is planning work – beginning in 2022 – on 6.9 miles of Route 9 between Indian head Road in Toms River and Hurley/Central Avenue in Lakewood. Here are some of the improvements planned: LOCAL | July 17, 2019 Yesterday, NJDOT announced $30.1 million in grants to help counties and towns improve safety for large-truck traffic. Of the 59 applications NJDOT received for the competitive grants, 25 were awarded in 24 towns in 13 counties. Projects include one Bridge Preservation; three Truck Safety and Mobility; two New Construction; and 19 Pavement Preservation, falling into the four categories eligible for funding. For the complete project list, visit https://www.state.nj.us/transportation/about/press/2019/Local_Freight_Infrastructure_Fund-Grants.pdf LOCAL | July 17, 2019 Yesterday, the Casino Reinvestment Development Authority gave preliminary approval for $10.4 million to renovate part of Boardwalk Hall so the Atlantic City School Board could use it as rent-free office space. Total project cost is estimated at $12.5 million; the School Board could contribute $2.1 million. Next step is a public hearing and then a final CRDA Board vote. LOCAL | July 16, 2019 NJ Transit granted $7 million to the Walter Rand Transportation Hub in Camden, to be used to construct a pedestrian bridge over the six-lane Martin Luther King Boulevard, connecting the transit building (PATCO and commuter parking) to Broadway businesses and Cooper University Hospital. Construction on the bridge will begin in 2021. As we posted in Hot Topics in March 2018, the design of the pedestrian bridge and other upgrades at Walter Rand was covered by a $2 million federal grant through the Transportation Improvement Program. LOCAL | July 16, 2019 The Brick Township Board of Adjustments won’t make a final decision for months on whether to allow a 45,000-square-foot, 78-foot tall restaurant and banquet hall on 25 acres near the Mantoloking Bridge, but officials did approve the site for banquets, negating the need for a use variance. As we posted in May Hot Topics, the owners, brothers Barry and Joseph Maurillo and partner Vito Cucci (plus restaurateur Chip Groboski) want an upscale wedding/event and restaurant venue with outdoor and rooftop decks, dock-and-dine slips, raw and traditional bars, steak-and-seafood restaurant, cocktail room and large reception room with vaulted ceiling, along with an adjacent smaller building for restrooms and a ship’s store for marina customers. In addition to township approval, a permit from DEP (under CAFRA – Coastal Area Facilities Review Act) would be required before construction could begin. LOCAL | July 15, 2019 In a Hot Topic posted way back in 2015, we told you of a redevelopment proposal for Newcomb Hospital in Vineland (Cumberland County), which had already been closed for more than a decade. Now approaching two decades empty, the old hospital is being demolished and Vineland Development Corp. has reclaimed ownership of the property from developer A.J. Danza. Plans for the site could include an assisted-living facility; two senior high-rise apartment buildings (the high-rises, approved in April, are under the direction of developer Hans Lampart of Eastern Pacific Development in Vineland); the city’s Emergency Medical Services Division, due to open this year; and the Inspira Health Network’s medical office building, already occupied. LOCAL | July 15, 2019 On 43 acres originally designated for 456 multi-family rental units in Westampton (Burlington County), MRP Industrial NE LLC plans to build a 610,000-square-foot logistics center or warehouse with office space, more than 150 loading docks, 181 trailer parking storage spaces and 214 parking stalls. The redeveloper was approved last week by the Township Committee for the property at 50 Western Drive off Burlington-Mount Holly Road, behind the Towne Crossing Shopping Center and just west of the Turnpike. Next step is approval of the new redevelopment plan and a redevelopment agreement, which could occur at the Township Committee meeting scheduled for August 20. NATIONAL | July 12, 2019 Labor Secretary Alexander Acosta announced his resignation today, effective in one week, following news coverage of and backlash from a 2008 secret plea deal he made with Jeffrey Epstein, the billionaire financier who at the time was accused of sexually abusing more than 40 young girls. Acosta was then serving as the US Attorney for the Southern District of Florida; the plea deal resulted in Epstein serving 13 months in jail, paying settlements to the victims and registering as a sex offender. Without the plea deal, Epstein could have been sentenced to life in prison. Federal prosecutors in New York recently filed similar sex-abuse charges against Epstein. Acosta was sworn in as Labor Secretary in 2017. LOCAL | July 12, 2019 On July 3, NJDEP officials met with Monmouth County residents who live in the Two Rivers region in the northeastern section of the county to discuss the department’s “Two Rivers, One Future” plan to make the coast more resilient against flooding. Towns residing on the peninsula that marks the confluence of the Navesink and Shrewsbury rivers include Eatontown, Fair haven, Highlands, Little Silver, Long Branch, Middletown, Monmouth Beach, Ocean Township, Oceanport, Red Bank, Rumson, Sea Bright, Shrewsbury Borough, Tinton Falls and West Long Branch. Plans proposed by the DEP include raising roads and homes, fortifying levees, raising sea walls, elevating railroad bridges, relocating marinas and even designing a new “inland coast” with public access to the waterfront. LOCAL | July 10, 2019 The Port Authority’s 30-year master plan details how its shipping facilities in New York and New Jersey will remain vital and able to handle the huge cargo volumes predicted. Issues reviewed in the plan include security, cybersecurity, environmental impacts and alternative energy sources, land use in a time of rising sea levels, integrating port facilities into a transportation network, infrastructure delivery and quite a few others. Download the 38-page PDF at http://www.panynj.gov/port/pdf/port-master-plan-2050.pdf. NATIONAL | July 9, 2019 Yesterday, the US Commerce Department announced tariffs on fabricated steel imports from Mexico, effective immediately. The American Institute of Steel Construction had requested the department investigate government subsidies given to companies exporting fabricated steel from Mexico, China and Canada; the Commerce Department found in a preliminary determination exports from Mexico and China warranted tariffs. NATIONAL | July 3, 2019 For the year from May 2018 to May 2019, 249 of 358 metro areas added construction jobs, nearly 70%. In New Jersey, five of seven metros added jobs, but Atlantic City-Hammonton dropped 1,000 jobs, a whopping 15% decrease that placed it second-from-the-bottom among all metros across the country. Trenton lost 100 jobs, a 2% decrease. Camden picked up 2,700 jobs, a 12% jump; Bergen-Hudson-Passaic added 2,400 jobs, an 8% hike; Newark added 1,900 jobs, a 4% increase; and Middlesex-Monmouth-Ocean added 200 jobs, a 1% increase. Vineland-Bridgeton remained unchanged for the year period. LOCAL | July 2, 2019 Somerset Development has purchased 31 acres in Somerville (Somerset County) from New Jersey Transit and will transform it into Somerville Station, a mixed-use complex with two apartment buildings housing 371 units, 156 townhomes in 14 buildings, two parking garages, 4,000 square feet of retail, a 4,000-square-foot community/civic center and a road that connects the development to Route 206. The community/civic center will offer rooms for borough council and municipal board meetings. More than 300 trees will be planted along the residential streets in Somerset Station. Construction, to be rolled out in phases, will begin this summer on a parking deck that will replace the current commuter parking lot adjacent to the train station, a stop on NJ Transit’s Raritan Valley line. The development is expected to be finished in 2023. LOCAL | July 2, 2019 The old Mercedes HQ in Montvale (Bergen County) will become Tri-Boro Square, a $150 million mixed-use redevelopment that will include five buildings encompassing 139,500 square feet of retail, 40,500 square feet of office, 308 residential units, a 150-room hotel and a built-to-suit mixed-use office and retail building. The developer, S. Hekemian Group of Englewood, was approved in June to redevelop the site, which lies just off the Garden State Parkway at Exit 172, near the New York State line. LOCAL | July 2, 2019 The university has proposed a six-story student dormitory with 72 units, 151 beds, at 762 Montgomery Street in Jersey City, a property owned by the university in the McGinley Square neighborhood. The application was filed with the Jersey City Zoning Board seeking Preliminary and Final Site Plan Approval with variances for use, rear-yard setback and height; it was scheduled to be considered last week. LOCAL | June 26, 2019 The New Jersey Treasury Department is adopting changes to the certification processes for Disabled Veteran-Owned Businesses (DVOBs): LOCAL | June 25, 2019 The Casino Reinvestment Development Authority last week approved Atlantic City’s Marina District Redevelopment Plan, which allows multifamily housing in addition to redevelopment agreements and tax incentives. As we posted in Hot Topics in May, MGM and Boraie Development had announced plans to build 200 luxury condos on 14.72 acres of waterfront next to the Golden Nugget in the Marina District, pending CRDA and Army Corps approval. MGM also owns 69 acres between Harrah’s and Borgata, part of which is a remediated and capped city dump with monitored vents. Because the area is wetlands, the Army Corps would have to issue permits for development. LOCAL | June 24, 2019 On Friday, NJ BPU granted an award to Ørsted and PSE&G for their proposed 1,100-megawatt Ocean Wind project, an offshore wind farm expected to generate enough electric power for about half-a-million homes. Ocean Wind would be built 15 miles offshore from Atlantic City. The now-closed B.L. England generating station in Upper Township (Cape May County) could be the first land connection point. The two firms hope to have Ocean Wind operational in 2024, but the project must still obtain federal and state permits. NATIONAL | June 24, 2019 Last week, US DOT launched a Port Infrastructure Development Program, backed by $292.7 million in funding opportunities to improve safety, efficiency and reliability as ports move goods into the US. The first round of funding will be based on a competition for projects at coastal seaports OR projects that directly relate to port operations or intermodal connections to ports. Projects will be evaluated on these criteria: use of federal funds; geographic diversity; costs and benefits; outcomes; readiness; and domestic preference. A minimum award of $10 million has been set aside for selected projects, and federal costs may not exceed 80% of any project. NATIONAL | June 24, 2019 From May 2018 to May 2019, 39 states and DC added construction jobs, while 31 states added construction jobs from April to May 2019. New Jersey had the strongest showing in the region for the year period, ranking #16 among all states with the addition of 8,000 jobs (up 5.1%). Delaware was a close second for the year period, ranking #17 with the addition of 1,100 jobs, a 5% jump. Rhode Island, ranked #22, added 700 jobs for a 3.6% hike for the year, followed by Pennsylvania at #23 with the addition of 8,300 jobs, a 3.3% gain. Connecticut and New York tied at #34 for the year period; Connecticut added 800 jobs, a 1.4% increase, and New York added 5,400 jobs, also a 1.4% increase. For the month period, New Jersey added 800 jobs, a half-percentage point gain. Rhode Island added 200 jobs for the month, up 1%; Delaware also added 200 jobs, up 0.9%; and Pennsylvania added 100 jobs, which left it statistically the same from April to May. Connecticut and New York landed in the bottom five among all states for the month period. Connecticut lost 900 jobs, a 1.4% drop, and New York shed 5,500 jobs, a 1.3% drop. LOCAL | June 24, 2019 If the New Jersey Legislature’s proposed budget is a go, Stockton will get an extra $4 million, which would help the university move forward on plans for Phase II of its Atlantic City campus. As we posted in Hot Topics on May 31, the Stockton Board of Trustees approved expanding its AC presence, but the growth was predicated on more state aid. Plans include a $64-million, six-story, 405-bed (105-unit) dorm and complex across from O’Donnell Memorial Park. LOCAL | June 20, 2019 Four towers with 2,360 rental units (20% designated affordable housing), retail space and indoor parking for 1,180 vehicles are proposed within a five-block area along the I-78 Turnpike extension in Jersey City. The site, part of the Bates Street Redevelopment Area, lies between Center and Bates streets. Manhattan Building Company, the Master Redeveloper, proposes a 50-story tower; three other towers would reach 23 to 46 stories. Some would feature a tiered, “slender” design. The development would include open green space and possibly a walkable corridor under the I-78 extension to connect to Gateway Field, along with several community amenities to be funded by developer fees paid into an Open Space Trust. In addition, infrastructure improvements estimated at $15 million would include raising four blocks of roads, including Center Street, to mitigate flooding; separating an existing combined sewer into two systems; removing combined water lines; and building new stormwater and sanitary systems. The developer was slated to present plans at another community meeting last night. LOCAL | June 20, 2019 The Bloomfield (Essex County) Planning Board is considering this week Preliminary and Final Major Site Plan approval for a new mixed-use complex on eight sites in Bloomfield Center proposed by Royal Urban Renewal LLC. The plan consists of new construction with 210 apartments, 7,283 square feet of retail, 15 townhouses and a parking garage with 311 spaces (24 less than required) at 610-612, 616 and 622 Bloomfield Avenue, 55A and 81-85 Washington Street, 10 and 18 Ward Street, and 7 Farrand Street. Of “varying heights,” the building will be eight stories and just over 96 feet at the highest point. Parking garage construction would be paid for by the Township of Bloomfield. LOCAL | June 20, 2019 Atlantic City Electric has announced its Atlantic City/Brigantine Community Reliability Project, implementing upgrades to the Brigantine and Atlantic City energy grid, with work planned for Fall 2020 through May 2022 during “off-season” times. The resiliency/reliability project will replace a Brigantine substation on Bayshore Avenue (on an expanded 1.5-acre lot at the current location), elevating it several feet above flood zone to protect against power outages. It will also rebuild 3.4 miles of transmission lines with modern equipment, both underground and above-ground, starting from the substation on North Arkansas Avenue in AC, running along Route 187 (Brigantine Blvd.) and ending at the new Brigantine substation. Steel poles designed to withstand hurricane-force winds up to 120 miles per hour will replace existing wood poles on sections of Route 30 and Route 187 and along Brigantine Blvd. from the Brigantine Bridge to 38th Street. For further details, visit www.atlanticcityelectric.com/reliability. LOCAL | June 18, 2019 A 140-megawatt natural gas-fired power plant in Kearny (Hudson County), says NJ Transit, would keep the electricity flowing during bad weather and power outages, electrifying the tracks and operating controls. The plant would be located on 227 acres comprised of two old industrial sites on the former Kopper Koke peninsula that juts into the Hackensack River, near two substations that serve the Morris & Essex Line and Northeast Corridor. From there, transmission lines and infrastructure would extend to substations in the county to support limited and emergency operations on the Hudson-Bergen Light Rail, the Northeast Corridor between New Brunswick and New York Penn Station, and the Morris & Essex Line between Maplewood and Hoboken. The power plant is part of the NJ TransitGrid Project, which received a $546 million grant from the Federal Transit Administration to build reliability and resilience in mass transportation following the devastation of Superstorm Sandy. NJ Transit will hold two public hearings on the power plant today in Jersey City. LOCAL | June 18, 2019 The 718-acre Kingsland Tract, formerly the EnCap landfill that ran through Lyndhurst, Rutherford and North Arlington in Bergen County, will be converted into Kingsland Meadowlands, a development of logistics and e-commerce operations. As many as six buildings will offer more than three million square feet of industrial space, with the first building expected to be completed in late 2021. Developers are Russo Development and Forsgate Industrial Partners, who purchased the site for $42.5 million. LOCAL | June 18, 2019 The Municipal Redevelopment Initiative will kick off with a two-year pilot program partnership to help with the redevelopment of certain towns identified as having “economic challenges” and lacking the resources to improve distressed areas on their own. The partnership will include the county, each specified town, private business and the Atlantic County Improvement Authority. The first project will focus on parts of downtown Wildwood’s Pacific Avenue corridor. LOCAL | June 18, 2019 Authorized by the New Jersey BPU and beginning July 1, Elizabethtown Gas will invest in a $300 million, five-year infrastructure improvement program, replacing 250 miles of old cast iron and bare steel mains and installing excess flow valves on the new service lines. The goal is to enhance safety and reliability, reduce emissions and create jobs. LOCAL | June 18, 2019 Jefferson Washington Township Hospital (Gloucester County) is slated to receive a new 90-bed patient pavilion, an 822-car parking garage and a helipad from Thomas Jefferson University, one of several large construction projects Jefferson announced this week. Jefferson said it plans to borrow more than $400 million in municipal bonds for the projects but didn’t attach cost estimates to any specific project. LOCAL | June 12, 2019 Talk of development at the Golf Land site at 801 Haddonfield-Berlin Road (County Rte. 561) in Voorhees (Camden County) has been building for a long time. Now the township zoning board is set to consider a proposal from developer Hartford Properties LLC to construct a nearly 100,000-square-foot complex with upscale restaurants, cafes and retailers in six buildings on 12.3 acres. The Shoppes at Voorhees project is scheduled to be on the zoning board agenda for tomorrow night’s meeting. LOCAL | June 12, 2019 As we posted in Hot Topics last July, RWJBarnabas Health and the Rutgers Cancer Institute announced a P3 agreement with the intent to spend $1 billion on new facilities. Last week, the two groups announced plans for a $750 million free-standing cancer center, the Cancer Pavilion, to be constructed in New Brunswick in partnership with New Brunswick Devco. The facility will feature outpatient services including chemotherapy and radiation, major diagnostic modalities, inpatient cancer services, and research labs that will provide clinical assessment, feedback on clinical trials and fast, efficient collection of research data. The four-year construction schedule will start with a groundbreaking in the summer of 2020. The precise location has not been specified, but the Cancer Pavilion will be adjacent to RJW University Hospital and the Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey. LOCAL | June 4, 2019 The Florence (Burlington County) Planning Board approved a mixed-use development at the intersection of Route 130 and Cedar Lane, which would create 240 apartments in 10 three-story, 24-unit buildings (eight units per floor), a 104-room Marriott and an adjacent retail store or restaurant. The residential units are specified in the plan as 92 one-bedrooms, 140 two-bedrooms and eight three-bedrooms; 15% of the units would be affordable housing. Other proposed features are a clubhouse, retention pond and recycling center. Planned entrance and exit would be along Route 130 Northbound and Cedar Lane at the roundabout, with a low median down the middle to block left turns into the Wawa on Cedar Lane, crosswalks at all the ingress and egress points, and a four-foot-high “decorative” wall along Cedar Lane. NJ DOT would be asked to install a mid-block crosswalk near the Wawa entrance. The deal is contingent upon NJ DOT allowing the developer, Weiss Properties of New Brunswick, to acquire the part of the property owned by NJ DOT, eliminate the existing jughandle and install a roundabout on Cedar Lane at Hunts Circus Drive to replace the jughandle. It’s not a new idea. Last July, we posted in Hot Topics an NJ DOT plan to replace the northbound Route 130 jughandle at Cedar Lane with a roundabout and widen the southbound jughandle to two lanes – a project that wasn’t expected to go into construction for a couple of years. If NJ DOT approves the land purchase and roadwork, the project would be developed in phases, beginning with the roundabout, followed by construction of five of the apartment buildings. Phase 2 would include construction of the hotel, retail site and the other five apartment buildings. LOCAL | June 3, 2019 Eric and Wendy Schmidt’s gift will allow Princeton University to consolidate its computer science programs, now located in nine buildings, into a single space in the center of the campus. Guyot Hall, built in 1909, will be renovated, preserving the architectural details of the exterior, and renamed the Eric and Wendy Schmidt Hall. A new building with the Guyot name and supporting Princeton’s environmental science programs will be built elsewhere on campus. Construction, which will increase the square feet of the computer science department, is expected to run from early 2024 to mid-2026. LOCAL | May 31, 2019 On Friday, Senators Menendez and Booker announced another $7,422,115 in FAA grants for improvements at Morristown Municipal Airport and Atlantic City International Airport. Most of it, $7,021,659, will go to runway safety improvements at Morristown. The other $400,456 will go to AC, adding to the $8 million announced in May for a de-icing facility. NATIONAL | May 31, 2019 Nearly 70% of the nation’s metropolitan areas saw an uptick in construction jobs in April compared to April 2018. However, New Jersey showed an uneven pattern metro-to-metro. In the plus column, Camden’s job growth hit 12% with the addition of 2,700 jobs year-over year; Bergen-Hudson-Passaic also added 2,700 jobs, a 9% jump; and Newark added 2,800 jobs, a 6% hike. In the minus column, Atlantic City-Hammonton plummeted 13% with the loss of 800 jobs year-over year, which put it in the bottom five percentage drops in the country; Vineland-Bridgeton fell 4% with the loss of 100 jobs; Middlesex-Monmouth-Ocean dropped 3% with the loss of 1,200 jobs; and Trenton slid 2% with the loss of 100 jobs. LOCAL | May 31, 2019 To close a $1 billion operating deficit, New York City’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority wants a 10% fee cut from engineers, contractors and other vendors on current projects (mid-contract). The MTA notified vendors via letter; the 10% cut was due to be applied to all invoices beginning April 1. In other MTA rule changes, all major projects must be design-build and all contractors whose project goes more than 10% over budget and schedule will be disbarred. LOCAL | May 31, 2019 Wednesday, Stockton University trustees authorized the Atlantic City Development Corp. to go ahead with planning a $64-million, six-story, 405-bed (105-unit) dorm and complex across from O’Donnell Memorial Park. The site, bounded by Atlantic, South Hartford and South Providence avenues, holds the former Eldridge Building, which will be converted into the new residential complex. The site plan was approved this month by the CRDA, which has oversight of the Tourism District in which Stockton is located. AC Devco has already applied for a Coastal Area Facilities Review permit from the state and will ask the CRDA for a $10 million loan for construction. However, the project is contingent upon another $5 million in annual state aid to Stockton in its 2020 budget. LOCAL | May 29, 2019 Broad Street Urban Renewal LLC has proposed construction of two five-story buildings at 349-377 and 379-397 Broad Street with a combined 255 residential units, “community gallery” retail space, two pocket parks on Broad Street, an outdoor dining area, parking for 268 vehicles on the ground floor, and roadways to connect the development with State Street. The NJ Transit station is across Interstate 280; the proposed site lies between House of Prayer Episcopal Church and a Burger King. Along with preliminary and final site approval, the developer is seeking variances with the Newark Central Planning Board. The properties are owned by 349 Broad Street New LLC of Edison. LOCAL | May 29, 2019 In April, we posted in Hot Topics developer and auto dealer Tom Maoli had proposed an entertainment venue on 46 acres in Burlington City (Burlington County) that was home to the US Pipe and Foundry factory and is currently owned by the city. Latest news is Maoli has a Memorandum of Understanding with Burlington City, with expectations the $200 million “Burlington Dream Park” project will offer market-rate multifamily housing with 400 units, a 75,000-square-foot water park, resort hotel and corporate banquet center, promenade along the Delaware River, farmer’s market and performing arts space. Maoli estimates construction could begin in 18 months to two years, following all the necessary financing and filing. NATIONAL | May 28, 2019 In its 2019 highway work zone survey, AGC of America found 67% of the nearly 400 road contractors surveyed reported vehicles had crashed into their construction work zones during the past year. AGC of America is launching a nationwide campaign through radio and social media to urge drivers to use more caution and be alert as they pass by or through highway work zones. To view the national results: https://www.agc.org/news/2019/05/23/2019-highway-work-zone-safety-survey For results in the Northeast: https://www.agc.org/sites/default/files/Files/Communications/2019_Work_Zone_Survey-Northeast.pdf LOCAL | May 22, 2019 If more redevelopment of the Bayonne Military Ocean Terminal actually happens in this latest proposal, here’s what we might see: Developer Mahalaxmi Bayonne Urban Renewal would use 12 lots in the Harbor Station South Redevelopment Plan Area along Goldsborough Drive for a 218-room hotel and a 4,500-unit residential component with 80,906 square feet of retail space. This would be in addition to the retail, industrial and residential construction already expected. The new proposal must be approved by the Bayonne Planning Board. LOCAL | May 21, 2019 The US Economic Development Administration is giving a $3 million grant to Kearny (Hudson County) to upgrade and improve Hackensack Avenue between Routes 1 & 9 and Eastern Road, a main access road into the Kearny Point business center development. Expected to be matched by $1.3 million in local funds, it’s the first Opportunity Zone grant in New Jersey, designed to help the development of Kearny Point, a 130-acre business community plan to be comprised of five buildings with 2 million square feet of light manufacturing, office and coworking space on the peninsula that marks the confluence of the Passaic and Hackensack rivers. NATIONAL | May 21, 2019 Last Friday, the President announced the US will lift the steel and aluminum tariffs imposed on Canada last year. Canada will withdraw retaliatory tariffs in return. LOCAL | May 21, 2019 As we posted previously in Hot Topics, the elevation of a one-mile stretch of Black Horse Pike, aka Route 40, in Egg Harbor Township (Atlantic County) will undergo a $27.5 million uplift to ease flooding on what is a main evacuation route out of Atlantic City. Last week, NJDOT explained the plans in a public forum, beginning with the raising of Route 40 by 2.5 feet on that mile from Naples Avenue to Bayport Drive. Crews will excavate three feet of soil below the pavement and replace it with lightweight fill and new pavement to keep the roadway from sinking. Plans also call for new storm drains and installation of a new outfall pipe on Venice Avenue; the pipe will be six inches wider and hold a flap to prevent water from spewing back out during severe flooding. NJDOT expects construction to start in 2022 and be completed by 2025, during which the two westbound lanes on Route 40 will remain open but the eastbound side could be reduced to one lane at times. Because NJDOT wants to expedite construction, the agency expects the project will require a high number of craftworkers. NATIONAL | May 20, 2019 Construction jobs ticked up in 43 states this April compared to April 2018, including New Jersey, which saw a 3.9% increase with the addition of 6,100 jobs. The month from March to April of this year wasn’t as strong, with 32 states adding construction jobs. New Jersey lost 400 jobs for the month, a 0.2% drop. In the region, Connecticut had one of the steepest percentage losses for the month, a drop of 3.7% as the state shed 2,300 jobs, but for the year-over-year, Connecticut added 1,900 jobs, a 3.3% hike. Delaware added 1,200 jobs for the year period, up 5.5%, and 100 jobs for the month, up 0.4%. New York added 14,000 jobs for the year period, a 3.5% rise, but lost 700 for the month, down 0.2%. Pennsylvania added 6,500 jobs for the year period, up 2.6%, but lost 1,300 for the month, down a half-percentage point. Rhode Island added 700 jobs for the year period, up 3.7%, and 100 jobs for the month, up a half-percentage point. LOCAL | May 16, 2019 Announced Tuesday, Atlantic City International Airport and Ocean County Airport (Berkeley and Lacey Townships) will receive $8.4 million from the FAA to fund repairs and improvements. The biggest chunk, $8 million, will pay for construction of a de-icing facility at the AC airport. The other $400,000 will pay for a new beacon at the Ocean County Airport. LOCAL | May 16, 2019 From the $182 million New Jersey Transit paid in back rent to Amtrak, $31 million will be invested in railroad infrastructure along the Northeast Corridor. LOCAL | May 16, 2019 MGM Resorts International and Boraie Development LLC plan to build 200 luxury condos in Atlantic City’s Marina District, on 14.72 acres owned by MGM Resorts. Plans include retail, dining space, fitness and recreation areas plus a multistory building for timeshares. The proposal must be approved by the Army Corps of Engineers and the CRDA. LOCAL | May 15, 2019 The deadline for construction workers to complete an OSHA 30-Hour Construction Health & Safety Course per New York’s Local Law 196 has been pushed back six months from June 1, 2019, to December 1, 2019. For updates, check the Service Updates page of the New York City Buildings Department at https://www1.nyc.gov/site/buildings/business/service-updates.page. LOCAL | May 9, 2019 Ducktown, the only Atlantic City neighborhood whose borders are within the federal opportunity zone, is eligible for tax credits for rehabilitation and development. And because it also falls in the AC Tourist District, it could receive Casino Reinvestment Development Authority funding. How the rehab and development might occur over the next decade was presented in a 185-page Ducktown Neighborhood Revitalization Plan approved by the AC Planning Board this week. Ducktown, 184 acres, is bordered by Texas Avenue, the Bay, the AC Expressway/Arkansas Avenue and the Boardwalk. According to the plan, 98 acres are considered “readily developable and redevelopable properties.” Recommendations in the plan, to list a few: Because 70% of Ducktown residents live within a half-mile of the Atlantic City Train Station (due to begin operations again next week), the plan recommends Atlantic City pursue “Transit Village” designation for Ducktown, which would make it eligible for additional funding for high-density development. The plan is available for download at http://cityofatlanticcity.org/?p=21071. LOCAL | May 6, 2019 We posted Hot Topics of other cold storage facilities being constructed in Vineland (Cumberland County), and here is word on the latest: a $6 million, 38,000-square-foot warehouse at 3490 N. Mill Road in Vineland Industrial Park-North, expected to open in 2020. KRES Cold Storage will occupy a 5.05-acre site between N. Mill Road and Route 55 that was the home of GraphiColor Inc. In April, Vineland City Council approved approximately $1.6 million for the project, to come from the city’s Urban Enterprise Zone loan fund. Ocean First Bank and private sources supplied the rest of the funding. LOCAL | May 6, 2019 A new $138 million, 385,000-square-foot ResinTech complex – headquarters and two manufacturing plants – will be built on 27 acres, currently a vacant lot near Federal Street and River Avenue in East Camden. A $138.8 million EDA tax incentive granted in October 2016 allowed the company to make plans to move from its original home in West Berlin; ResinTech expects to bring 400 jobs to Camden and move manufacturing on-shore when the new complex opens in 2020. LOCAL | May 6, 2019 The original sewer system in Medford Lakes (Burlington County), built in the 1930s and upgraded in the 1960s and 70s, is due for a $6.5 million rehab and repair, replacing non-PVC pipe in about 90% of the system. Work includes installing interior lining of about 110,000 linear feet of 8” and 12” sanitary sewer piping; repairing 500 manholes with interior lining and new grout; testing and sealing roughly 1,350 4” and 6” lateral connections; open-cut replacement of approximately 5,000 linear feet of 8” and 12” sanitary sewer pipe and up to 20 4’ diameter sanitary sewer manholes. Replacement of the infrastructure will be done in the same trench as the existing infrastructure. Details of the plan can be found in a Fact Sheet on the Medford Lakes website: https://www.medfordlakes.com/DocumentCenter/View/295/Medford-Lakes-Borough-Sewer-Lining-Fact-Sheet LOCAL | May 2, 2019 Caterers in the Park (owned by brothers Barry and Joseph Maurillo and partner Vito Cucci) has proposed a high-end restaurant at the foot of the Mantoloking Bridge at Barnegat Bay Marina in Manoloking Borough (Brick Township, Ocean County). The developer, which also has upscale restaurant and wedding venues in Florham Park (Park Savoy) and East Brunswick (Park Chateau Estate and Gardens), revealed plans for a four-story building, 82 feet high (requiring a variance), with first-floor outdoor deck, dock-and-dine slips, and raw and traditional bars; second-floor indoor steak and seafood restaurant; and a wedding/event venue on the top floor with a 270o bay view, a cocktail room and a large reception room with vaulted ceiling. Included in the plans are a rooftop deck, “ample” parking and a separate, smaller building for restrooms, a ship’s store and amenities for marina customers. The developer presented the plans to the Brick Township zoning board, which will continue to review the proposal at its July 10 meeting. LOCAL | May 1, 2019 Garden State Plaza in Paramus (Bergen County), one of the top 10 best-performing malls in the US, will become a major mixed-use development with office space, 300 luxury apartments, gym space and yoga studios, a hotel, high-end restaurants and more than three acres of public green space (parks, gardens and open space). Owned by Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield and located at the intersection of Route 4 and Route 17, the mall’s renovation is expected to be complete in 2022. NATIONAL | May 1, 2019 Of the 358 metro areas in the US, 218 (61%) added construction jobs in March compared to March 2018. New Jersey overall held onto some semblance of health, but Atlantic City-Hammonton tanked in the bottom five of all US metros with a 17% drop on the loss of 1,000 jobs. Middlesex-Monmouth-Ocean lost 300 jobs, a 1% slide. Bergen-Hudson-Passaic clocked a 9% gain, on the other hand, adding 2,700 jobs; Camden saw a 7% gain with 1,500 new jobs; Newark picked up 1,900 jobs for a 4% gain; and Trenton edged up 2% with 100 new jobs. Vineland-Bridgeton showed no change in the year-over-year. LOCAL | April 29, 2019 The Route 539 Interconnector Project, proposed three years ago, would create an overpass for Route 539 in Ocean County, under which large convoys of military vehicles could travel across the 42,000 acres of Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst protected from public traffic. Estimated at $15 million, funding for the overpass has been uncertain. At a recent meeting of officials from Burlington, Ocean and Monmouth counties, funding was proposed that would have each of the three counties contribute an equal sum, along with a contribution from the State Transportation Trust Fund, for a total of half the $15 million, with the other half coming from the feds. Nothing is finalized yet, but one possible source of federal funding is the new Defense Community Infrastructure Program, authorized in the 2018 annual National Defense Authorization Act, to be used for infrastructure improvements that directly benefit military installations. NATIONAL | April 22, 2019 PPI for construction materials rose 1% for the month and 2.6% for the year-over-year. Energy prices leaped 12% for the month, up 1.1% for the year period, with diesel fuel soaring 13% for the month, 9.2% for the year period. Other big jumps were seen in steel mill products, edging up 0.1% for the month but jumping 10% for the year period; asphalt felts and coatings were down 2.8% for the month but climbed 8.2% for the year period; paving mixtures and blocks were down 0.8% for the month but up 5.1% for the year period; architectural coatings remained unchanged for the month but were up 9.7% for the year period; and lumber and plywood were up 0.1% for the month, 10% for the year period. Prices on gypsum products were down, dropping 1.2% for the month and 8.6 for the year; copper and brass mill shapes rose 2.2% for the month but dropped 4.6% for the year. Construction machinery and equipment prices remained unchanged for the month but rose 5.6% for the year. NATIONAL | April 22, 2019 Across the country, 38 states, including New Jersey, added construction jobs for the year from March 2018 to March 2019, and 29 states, also including New Jersey, added jobs for the month. New Jersey’s construction employment increased by 4,300 jobs for the year period, a 2.7% rise, and 1,300 for the month, up 0.8%. In the region, Connecticut gained 2,500 jobs for the year period, up 4.3%, but lost 900 for the month, down 1.4%. Delaware gained 1,200 over last year, up 5.5%, and 400 for the month, up 1.7%. New York gained 14,300 over last year, up 3.6%, and 2,700 for the month, up 0.7% -- and New York again recorded a record high in construction employment. Pennsylvania gained 7,400 over last year, up 2.9%, but lost 1,800 for the month, down 0.7% -- the biggest state loss for the month. Rhode Island gained 200 over last year, up 1%, and 100 for the month, up 0.5%. LOCAL | April 18, 2019 On Tuesday, the Port Authority announced it has opened a new office to help Newark-area, minority-owned and women-owned businesses find contracting opportunities with the Terminal One Redevelopment Program, the $2.7 billion project at Newark Liberty Airport. The Newark Community Outreach Office will be the central resource to assist in recruiting certified MWDBEs. Among other events, the office will offer certification workshops and job fairs. The office is located at 89 Market Street, Fourth Floor, Newark; reached by phone at 973.961.6944 and online at https://www.ewrredevelopment.com/. Click on Jobs & Contracting Opportunities in the top nav bar and then scroll that page to the MWSDBE Registration button. LOCAL | April 18, 2019 Following preliminary news we posted in January Hot Topics, Atlantic City’s Casino Reinvestment Development Authority granted final approval to donate land worth $3 million and provide $15 million in funding for a three-story, 65,000-square-foot medical building at Ohio and Atlantic avenues across from AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center. The building, estimated at $38 million, will house classrooms for undergraduate medical students and graduate medical residents; AtlantiCare’s Maternal/Fetal Medicine Program; an urgent care center for uninsured and under-insured residents; and a floor for dialysis provided in partnership with Fresenius Kidney Care Boardwalk. NATIONAL | April 16, 2019 We know how devastating the underground construction economy is in New Jersey. Yesterday, “Tax Day,” along with the New Jersey Locals, others from the United Brotherhood of Carpenters took up the rallying cry for similar harmful effects in New York City and Rochester, Providence RI, Los Angeles and San Diego, Charleston WV, Springfield and Framingham MA, Columbus OH, Richmond VA, Seattle, Canada…the list goes on across North America. The protesters called attention to payroll fraud, cash under the table and worker misclassification – which defraud federal, state and local governments of $66 billion a year. LOCAL | April 11, 2019 Tom Maoli, who owns a Whippany (Morris County) car dealership and Real Estate Opportunity Investments LLC, has proposed redeveloping a crumbling industrial site in Burlington City (Burlington County) into an entertainment venue with a 75,000-square-foot indoor water park, resort hotel, apartments, condos, riverfront promenade with outdoor dining and shopping, and an “arts and culture district” with galleries, museums, a farmer’s market and performing arts space. The 46-acre site holds the former US Pipe foundry between New Pearl Street and the Delaware River; most of it is now owned by the township. The plan divides the site into six acres for the Riverwalk, six for the arts area, 14.5 for residential and 18 for the hotel and other amusement areas. No estimate or timeframe for the project is available yet. LOCAL | April 11, 2019 Yesterday, Walmart announced an estimated $96 million for renovations on 13 stores in New Jersey, including remodeling, relocation or expansion. The 11 store remodels are scheduled for Brick, Clinton, Freehold, Hackettstown, Hammonton, Millville, Piscataway, Rockaway, Somerdale, Watchung and Williamstown. In addition, construction plans include nine Walmart pickup towers. NATIONAL | April 11, 2019 AGC of America seeks member response to its annual survey on the state of highway work zone safety in the US. The survey collects information on the number and severity of highway work zone crashes, along with impacts and potential solutions. The information will be used as the focus of a media and public education campaign to be launched before Memorial Day, the traditional start of the summer driving season, which of course is also a busy highway construction season. AGC asks members to use this link to complete the survey by May 15: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/6ZRY9VG LOCAL | April 10, 2019 NJ EDA yesterday launched a new Brownfield Loan Program to offer low-interest bridge financing for remediation of brownfield sites. Potential purchasers or current owners of vacant or underutilized brownfield sites can receive up to $5 million to cover the costs of site investigation, assessment and remediation, demolition of structures and asbestos removal. For eligibility details, see the NJ EDA press release at https://www.njeda.com/brownsfieldsrelease. LOCAL | April 10, 2019 In other EDA news yesterday, Gov. Murphy announced the new NJ EDA Business Network for Offshore Wind, a free online portal for investors to find New Jersey firms with which to partner in offshore wind projects. The portal will contain the Offshore Wind Supply Chain Registry for New Jersey companies looking for new opportunities to benefit from offshore wind development. LOCAL | April 9, 2019 A warehouse complex measuring 1.284 million square feet was approved last month in Carney’s Point (Salem County). To be located along Route 40 near the McLane Distribution Center (the Wawa fulfillment center), and developed by Arbok Partners and Panattoni Development Company, the warehouse will be close to the New Jersey Turnpike’s last exit before the Delaware Memorial Bridge. Township officials plan to install a traffic light at the intersection of Route 40 and Courses Landing Road, the road that leads into the development. LOCAL | April 8, 2019 On Friday, Gov. Phil Murphy and NJDOT Commissioner Diane Gutierrez-Scaccetti announced 537 (95%) municipalities will receive Municipal Aid grants, a total of $161.25 million. The grants will be used for road, bridge, safety and “quality-of-life” improvement projects. For a list of the FY 2019 Municipal Aid Grant Recipients (by county), visit http://d31hzlhk6di2h5.cloudfront.net/20190405/30/b1/35/00/e99bce171db111d47ebb3b9e/FY2019_Muni_Aid_Grant_Awards_by_county.pdf LOCAL | April 5, 2019 As announced last year, an 18-story high-rise plus an adjacent new four-story apartment building are planned for Rutgers University-Newark campus at 155 Washington Street, with L+M Development Partners partnering with the university. New details include an estimated cost of $73 million, approximately 220 apartments in the high-rise – an array of studios (50%), one-, two- and three-bedrooms, retail on the first floor, plus terraces, a lobby, a bike room and storage space for tenants. Along with the first-floor retail space, 4,000 square feet of institutional space in the high-rise will be dedicated to the Rutgers-Newark admissions office, which will have 33 parking spaces and electric-vehicle charging stations. Description of the exterior reads “clad in black veneer, with metal panel, fiberglass cornice, and other accent pieces on the storefronts…” Another 29 apartments are planned for the four-story structure. A “pedestrian mews” between the two buildings will be landscaped and accented with installed artwork. The existing two-story structure on the site will be partially demolished. Work has not begun on the project, but it has gone through planning approvals and tax abatement. LOCAL | April 5, 2019 Phase 2, estimated at $62 million, will bring a six-story, 105-unit structure to the Stockton Atlantic City campus on nearly an acre bound by Atlantic, South Hartford and South Providence avenues. AC Devco will present the plan to the Casino Reinvestment Development Authority on April 18 for site plan approval, although there will be no signed agreement between AC Devco and Stockton until funding is secured. AC Devco would like to begin construction this fall. LOCAL | April 5, 2019 Matawan (Monmouth County) and NJ Transit are planning a mixed-used development near the train station off Atlantic Avenue, on seven acres that runs along the New Jersey Coast Line tracks. The town and transit group hope development will comprise residential units, office and retail space and public areas to create a walkable community. Seeking developers, NJ Transit has opened its request for qualifications of interest. LOCAL | April 5, 2019 According to Cushman & Wakefield’s quarterly report, first-quarter industrial leasing is up nearly 20% compared to first quarter of 2018, bringing the vacancy rate to 3.5%. Seven industrial buildings totaling more than 2.5 million square feet were delivered in the quarter, with more than 54% of that pre-leased. More than half of another 5.7 million square feet currently under construction has been pre-leased. Industrial rents also continued to rise during the quarter. In sum, demand for Class A industrial space will remain strong in the near future as occupancy and rents reach historic highs. LOCAL | April 1, 2019 As we posted previously in Hot Topics, Toms River (Ocean County) approved a downtown redevelopment plan that could bring a VA clinic, a new post office, a new fire department substation and multifamily housing to a 22-acre site off Hooper and Caudina avenues. In the latest news, the town proposes closing the post office at its current location on West Water Street and building a new 20,000-square-foot postal facility at Seacourt Pavilion, part of the redevelopment site. It would be the first project in the planned redevelopment. The VA clinic could be 60,000 or 80,000 square feet, with 400 to 480 parking spaces, and would be adjacent to an office park that is the site of a planned Ocean County project to construct a new Office of Veterans Affairs. The multifamily component would most likely be 50 townhomes. NATIONAL | April 1, 2019 Last week, the US Senate approved Nicole Nason to serve as the 26th Federal Highway Administrator. Nason had been Administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration under George. W. Bush and assistant secretary at US DOT. Most recently she served as Assistant Secretary of State under the current administration. NATIONAL | March 29, 2019 Last week, Kentucky became the 25th state to block state and local government agencies from requiring PLAs on public works projects. According to Construction Dive, 88% of Kentucky’s construction industry is open-shop. LOCAL | March 27, 2019 Paramount Union LLC, a developer, has proposed a new commercial complex at 1650, 1720 and 1740 Route 22 East near Vauxhall Road in Union Township (Union County), to include a Wawa store and gas station, a Fairfield Inn by Marriott, a CubeSmart Self Storage and a restaurant. The application is scheduled to be heard tomorrow night by the Union Township Planning Board. NATIONAL | March 25, 2019 From February 2018 to February 2019, 37 states added construction jobs, including New Jersey, which added 3,600 jobs for the year-over-year, a 2.3% gain. But only 16 states added jobs for the month from January to February, and New Jersey was one that lost jobs, down 300 for a 0.2% drop. In the region, Connecticut gained 3,500 jobs for the year period, up 6%, but lost 100 for the month, down 0.2%. Delaware picked up 1,000 jobs for the year period, a 4.6% gain, but lost 700 for the month, down 3% (at the bottom percentage-wise across the country). New York added 8,100 jobs for the year period, a 2% gain, but lost 300 for the month, down 0.1%. In a reverse showing, Rhode Island lost 100 jobs for the year period, a 0.5% drop, but picked up 100 for the month, a 0.5% gain. Pennsylvania, which reached a state record-high number of construction jobs with 265,200, was the only state in the region to add jobs for both periods, up 8,200 for the year-over-year, a 3.2% gain, and 1,300 for the month, a 0.5% gain – landing in the top five across the country. LOCAL | March 22, 2019 Last night, the Paramus (Bergen County) Planning Board heard initial testimony on plans for a new Valley Hospital to replace the Ridgewood facility. Plans call for the new hospital to be located on a 40-acre lot near Winters Avenue, Valley Health Plaza and E. Ridgewood Avenue, with seven stories, 362 beds, single-patient rooms, a five-story parking garage with 1,500 spaces plus 1,319 outdoor spots, and four acres of greenery with a park-like setting near Winters Avenue. Hospital and garage would have green roofs. The proposal seeks variances, including minimum building setback, rooftop mechanical setback, access driveways distance and parking. Another hearing is on the Planning Board agenda for April 18. LOCAL | March 19, 2019 The Portal Bridge in Kearny (Hudson County) will not open for marine traffic between 5 am and 10 am and between 3 pm and 8 pm, with limited exceptions. The US Coast Guard agreed to halt traffic that requires the bridge to open during those times to ease commuter train flow and decrease the risk of a bridge failure. The restrictions went into effect last Thursday, March 14. LOCAL | March 19, 2019 A one-mile stretch of Route 40/322 in Egg Harbor Township (Atlantic County) – Naples Avenue to Bayport Drive – will be raised by as much as two-and-a-half feet to mitigate flooding, an NJ DOT project expected to take three-and-a-half years and cost approximately $27.5 million. Construction, not expected to start until 2022, will include new pavement, new curbs and sidewalks, relocation of aerial and underground utilities and new drainage. NATIONAL | March 15, 2019 AGC of America’s analysis of BLS construction data revealed 275 metro areas, nearly 77% of the 358 areas, added construction jobs between January 2018 and January 2019. In New Jersey, the year period was particularly positive for Camden, which saw an 11% leap in construction employment with the addition of 2,300 jobs. Bergen-Hudson-Passaic added 2,400 jobs, an 8% jump; Vineland-Bridgeton added 100 jobs, a 4% rise; Newark added 1,300 jobs, a 3% gain; and Trenton added 100 jobs, a 2% gain. Middlesex-Monmouth-Ocean remained unchanged for the year period. Only Atlantic City-Hammonton experienced a loss, shedding 200 jobs, a 4% drop. NATIONAL | March 14, 2019 AGC of America is the first-ever Signature Sponsor of the industry-led Safety Week, May 6-10, and encourages all member firms and chapters to get involved: http://www.constructionsafetyweek.com. The theme for the 2019 National Construction Safety Week is “Safe by Choice,” reflecting the commitment of the industry and our members “to do whatever it takes to ensure our safety programs are best-in-class.” LOCAL | March 14, 2019 Developer Seaside Ocean Terrace LLC has received approval from the borough planning board for a 17,000-square-foot permanent beach bar and 28,000-square-foot pool club on the oceanfront in Seaside Heights (Ocean County), along Ocean Terrace from Dupont Avenue to the Seaside Park border (Porter Avenue). Also proposed and awaiting approval is a 10,700-square-foot entertainment venue designed to seat 1,000 to 2,000 people. Planning board review for the venue is scheduled for March 27. Construction will be in two phases, beginning with the bar and club. LOCAL | March 14, 2019 Mostly speculative right now, but there is movement on the county and state levels to make Atlantic City “an international center on global warming and change.” Here’s what’s envisioned: agricultural research facilities not too far from a storm system test center in Venice Park, a public art installation on the Boardwalk depicting predicted sea-level rise and, most promising, Stockton’s $41 million Marine and Environmental Science Center, a 600,000-square-foot building on Bader Field with docks and ramps accessing the ocean and bays. A feasibility study is currently underway for the Stockton project. LOCAL | March 12, 2019 The industrial site at 1631 Paterson Plank Road along the Hackensack River in Secaucus (Hudson County) could be the new home of a single-building multi-family housing development with 116 units, 23 of which (20%) would be reserved for “low- and moderate-income households.” The developer, Secaucus Riverside Urban Renewal LLC, applied for a zoning certificate for a new residential project from the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority that could include a public walkway connected to the river’s footpath, along with common space and amenities. Unit specs in the application call for five three-bedroom affordable units, 58 studio and one-bedroom units at market rate, 35 two-bedroom units at market rate, and four studio and one-bedroom units at unspecified rates (presumably affordable rates). The application also requests 163 parking spaces, which the agenda of the Secaucus Zoning Board noted as “insufficient.” The Board was scheduled to hear the application last night. NATIONAL | March 11, 2019 In the year from January 2018 to January 2019, 44 states added construction jobs, while 33 states added jobs for the month from December 2018 to January 2019. In the region, New York and Connecticut were in the top five for the year-over-year period, adding 16,400 jobs (up 4.2%) and 6,300 (up 11%) respectively. Construction employment hit a record high in New York in January. Both states also made the top five in monthly gains, adding 5,200 jobs (up 1.3%) and 2,300 jobs (up 3.8%) respectively. As for New Jersey and the other states in the region: NATIONAL | March 7, 2019 Construction materials prices rose 3.3% from January 2018 to January 2019, which wasn’t as great an increase as the midyear point in 2018, when prices were up 8% over the same period the year before. And some prices have dropped precipitously recently, including lumber and diesel fuel. Most frustrating for builders, however, is the unpredictability of prices. Lumber, for example, dropped to $327 per thousand board feet in January, down from May 2018’s high of $582, a result of demand that started strong and fell sharply, plus Canadian lumber tariffs, plus oversupply from a build-up during the price hikes. In the same vein, the price of diesel fuel dropped 13% in January but, reflecting the volatility, had risen 18% from January to November 2018, and could rise again if the US imposes new sanctions on Venezuela. Steel prices are spiking because of the 25% tariff – steel mill product prices leaped 19% from January 2018 to January 2019. LOCAL | March 4, 2019 Last week, New Jersey Natural Gas filed a $507 million investment program with the BPU to upgrade its delivery and IT systems over the next five years. Projects in the Infrastructure Investment Program would include replacing natural gas transmission and distribution systems, along with tightening IT security and improving customer service systems, billing, asset management work orders and accounting. LOCAL | February 26, 2019 A closed Procter & Gamble factory in the Avenel section of Woodbridge Township (Middlesex County) was sold in November to IPT Avenel DC Urban Renewal LLC of Denver. The firm shares the same address as Black Creek Group, a real estate investment management company whose website states it is a major Walmart stores developer, along with hundreds of commercial and multifamily properties in North America. The former P&G plant at 100 East Essex Avenue manufactured fragrances and chemicals on the 5.5-acre site. LOCAL | February 25, 2019 The South Jersey Building and Construction Trades Council – 23 unions and 25,000 members – signed a memorandum of understanding with Orsted, the Danish company that has proposed a 1,100-megawatt wind farm 15 miles off the coast of Atlantic City. Orsted says the project, called Ocean Wind, would create more than 1,000 construction jobs and take two to three years to complete. Orsted and the other firm that proposed a wind farm will hear from the state in July which company will receive ratepayer subsidies to proceed. LOCAL | February 25, 2019 A $24.1 million referendum question for school construction in Florence (Burlington County) will come up on the March ballot. The two-part question will ask for voter approval of $21.5 million in HVAC, roof, flooring and bathroom upgrades and repairs, parking lot improvements, and new security vestibules and interior doors at Roebling Elementary and Riverfront Middle schools. In addition, the elementary school (1330 Hornberger Avenue, Roebling), would get a new nurse’s suite, new fire alarm system and reconfigured main office. The middle school (500 E. Front Street, Florence) would have its home economics and wood shop areas converted into five classrooms, along with a renovated auditorium, media center, gym and locker rooms. Florence Township Memorial High School (1050 Cedar Lane in Burlington) would get a bus transportation center, A/C and bathroom upgrades, and parking lot improvements. The second part of the ballot question, worth $2.6 million and contingent upon passage of the first part, proposes construction of pole barns for storage at the elementary and high schools and improved irrigation systems for athletic fields at the middle and high schools. LOCAL | February 25, 2019 In December, we posted in Hot Topics news of a $24.1 million bond issue in Cape May County to purchase and rehab the former Kmart building in Rio Grande. Having purchased the building, finalized in January for $5.75 million, the county freeholders have now hired architects Buell Kratzer Powell of Philadelphia to proceed with the renovation, estimated at $6 million to $7 million. Plans include county offices, state social services offices and a veterans’ clinic. The VA will contribute $1.3 million toward the renovations and then pay rent for use of the clinic space. The Cumberland County Improvement Authority is the coordinator for the project in Cape May County. LOCAL | February 20, 2019 The University Performing Arts Center, expected to anchor Jersey City’s West Side development known as University Place, was originally planned as a six-story building with a 500-seat theater and 160 residential units. However, with the Joffrey Ballet relocating to the new PAC, Strategic Development Group, the developer, has updated its proposed renderings to a 10-story height and 320 residential units. No date released yet for groundbreaking, but the developer announced the Joffrey will relocate by 2021. LOCAL | February 15, 2019 Yesterday’s federal funding bill, passed by Congress, includes $650 million for Amtrak's Northeast Corridor, some of which will be dedicated to the Gateway project, plus another $130.1 million in transit grants that can be used for Gateway. LOCAL | February 7, 2019 Last night, the Toms River Planning Board approved construction of a seven-story (97 feet tall), 79,000-square-foot OceanFirst Bank headquarters building, just south of but on the same property as the existing HQ, 975 Hooper Ave. The new site is undeveloped and will get 200 new trees and 875 new plants, plus have an existing tree barrier shored up. The building project includes reapportioning the existing parking lot to add more spaces; 2,700 square feet of retail banking space;13,000 square feet dedicated to a cafeteria and an employee gym with lockers and showers; and new lighting. Variance was granted to allow the bank’s logo on the façade above the top floor. NATIONAL | February 5, 2019 Finally, after months of dismal news, metro construction employment grew in New Jersey in December, along with the other 272 metro areas that reflected growth (76% of 358 metros). Only one NJ metro lost jobs – Middlesex-Monmouth-Ocean saw a decrease of 1,300 jobs, down 4%. Atlantic City-Hammonton gained 900 jobs, a whopping 16% increase from a year ago. Camden picked up 1,100 jobs, up 5% over last December; Newark gained 1,600, up 4%; Vineland-Bridgeton added 100, up 3%; Trenton also added 100, up 2%; and Bergen-Hudson-Passaic added 400, edging up 1%. In the meantime, AGC of America reports construction employment in January climbed to an 11-year peak across the country, up 338,000 over January 2017 for a total 7,464,000. NATIONAL | February 5, 2019 If the FAA’s proposed drone rules are ratified, more drone night-flights and over-people flights would be permitted without waivers. The new regs would sync with the FAA’s Low Altitude Authorization and Notification Capability, an agency app that provides almost instantaneous approval or denial to fly in an airspace the drone operator designates. The proposed regs also authorize a pilot program – Unmanned Traffic Management Pilot Projects – three sites that will work to develop automated communications among drones to avoid collisions. The proposal is open for public comment until March 14. NATIONAL | February 5, 2019 The President’s Executive Order, signed last Thursday, follows up on an earlier EO that asked federal agencies to “buy American” whenever possible. This one covers infrastructure projects receiving federal financial assistance – loans, grants and interest subsidies – “encouraging” contractors to use American iron, steel, aluminum and cement, among other American products and materials. Read the EO at https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/executive-order-strengthening-buy-american-preferences-infrastructure-projects/ LOCAL | January 29, 2019 Last week, Governor Murphy asked the Port Authority to pay for a new AirTrain – the monorail at Newark Liberty Airport – at a cost of $2.1 billion, rather than continue to pay for repairs and maintenance (for which $380 million was included in the Port Authority’s 2017-2026 capital budget). The monorail, nearly a quarter-century old, carries 33,000 people a day, 11 million a year, and breaks down frequently. It was originally designed with only a 25-year lifespan. NATIONAL | January 29, 2019 Scott Ketcham has been named acting chief of OSHA’s construction directorate, succeeding Dean McKenzie, who passed away in November. Ketcham has served as deputy director since 2017 and is a former OSHA area director. LOCAL | January 29, 2019 The Route 47 bridge over I-295, which runs through Westville and Deptford (Gloucester County), will be demolished and replaced in a $7.7 million project. Utility work has already begun on the project, and construction will follow, to be done at night to minimize traffic impact. Per NJDOT, the concrete deck, parapets and superstructure will be replaced and the bridge will be raised from 14 feet, 4 inches to 16 feet, 6 inches. LOCAL | January 23, 2019 Following preliminary approval of a grant from the Casino Reinvestment Development Authority for land and some funding, AtlantiCare has announced it will construct a 65,000-square-foot medical facility to expand services to Atlantic City residents. The building, estimated to cost $38 million, will house classrooms for undergraduate medical students and graduate medical residents; AtlantiCare’s Maternal/Fetal Medicine Program (which will move from its current location at 1401 Atlantic Ave.); an urgent care center for uninsured and under-insured residents; and a floor for dialysis provided in partnership with Fresenius Kidney Care Boardwalk. The new facility will be located at Ohio and Atlantic avenues across from AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center. The site was given to AtlantiCare through the CRDA grant, along with $15 million toward construction of the project. LOCAL | January 22, 2019 Rutgers’ School of Engineering has released a study demonstrating pavement preservation cuts greenhouse emissions, notably carbon dioxide. An asphalt overlay of up to two inches will reduce carbon-dioxide emissions by 2%, the study found. The asphalt overlay was more effective at cutting emissions than chip seal, slurry seal and crack seal preservation. Regardless of method, the study also pointed out smoother pavement can cut transportation agency spending by 10% to 30%, along with reducing driver costs – lower fuel consumption and maintenance costs, less tire wear and vehicle repair. The study, Quantifying greenhouse gas emission of asphalt pavement preservation at construction and use stages using life-cycle assessment, was published January 11 in the International Journal of Sustainable Transportation. LOCAL | January 22, 2019 If Virtua Health and Lourdes Health merge as planned, Virtua would turn Lourdes Medical Center in Willingboro (Burlington County) into a specialty hospital for behavioral health and addiction treatment. Currently it’s a full-service hospital with 173 beds on Sunset Road. Also as part of the merger, Virtua would convert Our Lady of Lourdes hospital in Camden into a cardiac care center. The merger is under review by the state Attorney General’s office. LOCAL | January 21, 2019 A letter to US DOT Secretary Elaine Chao from Gateway Program Development Corp. Chairman Jerry Zaro requests immediate completion of the environmental review and record of decision, both required for the Gateway Project to proceed and both, per the One Federal Decision, due within specified, expedited times (two years for the environmental review, 90 days for the record of decision following the review). Because of the federal government shutdown, the USDOT agencies involved in the review process – the Federal Railroad Administration had reviewed it and turned it over to the Federal Transit Administration – have ceased work. Through his letter to Chao, Zaro asked the FRA to “issue a positive Record of Decision on the Hudson Tunnel Project that would also serve as the Final EIS (Environmental Impact Statement) and Record of Decision for the FTA.” NATIONAL | January 18, 2019 For both the month and the year, state construction employment across the country was positive, with 43 states and DC adding jobs between December 2017 and 2018, and 36 states adding jobs between November and December. After a long year of construction job losses, New Jersey ended on a positive note, up 100 jobs for the year period, a 0.1% blip, and 400 jobs for the month, a 0.3% increase. In the region, Connecticut came out strong with the highest percentage gain for the year-over-year, leaping 16.9% on the addition of 9,700 jobs, and in the top five percentage increases for the month, up 3.3% with 2,100 new jobs. Rhode Island did well for the month, coming in fourth in percentage gain at 4.1% with 800 new jobs. For the year, Rhode Island added 900 jobs, a 4.8% increase. Delaware added 1,600 jobs for the year period, a 7.1% jump, and 300 for the month, up 1.3%. New York added 14,600 jobs for the year, up 3.8% – bringing total construction employment to a new record high for the state – and 1,500 for the month, up 0.4%. Pennsylvania added 900 jobs for the year, a 0.4% gain, but lost 1,200 for the month, down 0.5%. NATIONAL | January 18, 2019 The 2012 EPA plan, approved by Congress in December, was signed into law this week, allowing municipalities to come up with their own plans to lawfully gain permits for combined sewer overflows, management of sewer collection systems, and stormwater/wastewater discharges. These so-called integrated plans may include water reclamation, recycling, reuse and “green infrastructure” – an option the EPA is now bound to promote. A municipal ombudsman, established in the legislation, will assist municipalities with integrated planning options and Clean Water Act compliance. NATIONAL | January 16, 2019 Construction costs spiked nearly every month in 2018, according to AGC of America’s analysis of Labor Department data, so December was a small respite at year-end. Diesel fuel prices dropped sharply in December, down 12.1% for the month but up 5% for the year. Also per the PPI, steel pipe and tube costs slid 0.9% in December but were 21.3% higher than December 2017, fabricated structural metal costs edged down 0.3% for the month but were up 12% for the year, asphalt paving mixtures and blocks remained the same for the month, up 10.2% for the year, and aluminum mill shapes dropped 0.4% for the month, up 6.3% for the year. LOCAL | January 9, 2019 Hilco Redevelopment Partners, based in Chicago, purchased two closed PSE&G coal sites in New Jersey with plans to redevelop the sites as state-of-the-art industrial parks with warehouse distribution centers. Hudson Generating Station in Jersey City and Secaucus (Hudson County) and Mercer Generating Station in Hamilton Township (Mercer County) were closed in 2017. LOCAL | January 7, 2019 NJ DOT awarded a $10 million grant to Camden County to improve roads in the city of Camden. The Federal and Market Streets Feeder Road Improvements Project will redesign both roads to accommodate two-way traffic between Haddon and Delaware avenues (Federal is County Route 537 and Market is County Route 537 Spur). Other improvements on these roads in downtown Camden include replacement of traffic signals, installation of dynamic message signs and reconfiguration of the interchange at Flanders Avenue and Federal Street. That interchange, providing access to and from Route 30, will be realigned and reconstructed while the westbound Route 30 on-ramp from Flanders will be moved 500 feet west to the other side of Federal to improve access to Route 30 westbound. LOCAL | January 7, 2019 We have posted in Hot Topics proposals for Newark’s Riverfront Square and now report construction of the massive mixed-use development will proceed in seven phases, completed within three years per an agreement approved in late October 2018 between the City of Newark and developer LEG 450 Broad Street LLC. The developer, which owns some of the properties on the site, has been designated “exclusive redeveloper” and will construct all infrastructure improvements. LOCAL | January 3, 2019 Jerry Zaro takes over from Steven Cohen as new chairman of Gateway Program Development Corp., the nonprofit in charge of replacing the Portal Bridge, constructing a new two-track rail tunnel under the Hudson and rehabilitating the North River Tunnel, infrastructure projects estimated at $20 billion to $30 billion. In addition to Zaro and Cohen, the other corporation trustee is Anthony Coscia. LOCAL | January 2, 2019 Last Friday, Ørsted US Offshore Wind announced its application to build and operate a wind farm 15 miles off the coast of Atlantic City that would provide enough electricity to power more than 500,000 homes. The application states 1,000 construction jobs would be created during the two or three years of the project build. NATIONAL | December 27, 2018 Of the 358 US metros, 265 (74%) saw an increase in construction jobs for the year-over-year period from November 2017 to November 2018. Another 45 realized a loss and 48 held the status quo. In New Jersey, three metros added jobs for the year period, three lost jobs and one, Vineland-Bridgeton, remained unchanged. Adding jobs were Atlantic City-Hammonton, up 600, an 11% jump; Camden, up 400, a 2% increase; and Bergen-Hudson-Passaic, up 200, a 1% gain. Losing jobs were Middlesex-Monmouth-Ocean, down 2,400, a 6% drop that put the metro in the bottom five nationwide; Newark, down 900, a 2% loss; and Trenton, down 200, a 4% drop. LOCAL | December 27, 2018 AtlantiCare has proposed a $38 million HealthPark adjacent to its campus in Atlantic City that could include a maternal and child health clinic and a dialysis unit. The proposed site on Ohio Avenue is owned by the Casino Reinvestment Development Authority; AtlantiCare applied to CRDA this year for a grant to help in building the HealthPark. LOCAL | December 27, 2018 Evesham (Burlington County) officials are considering plans for a new Main Street that might include more parking, outdoor seating and a pedestrian bridge over Route 73. Ideas for the redevelopment came from the town’s master plan and community input, with a goal of focusing downtown around the town’s main intersection. Plans already approved include moving the historic Harvest House to the front of its property at 52 E. Main Street and building a 52-unit apartment building with attached garages behind it. Harvest House would be renovated to offer 1,000 square feet of commercial space and two apartments. At 63 E. Main Street, a 23-unit apartment building with nearly 4,000 square feet of non-residential space has also been approved. NATIONAL | December 26, 2018 It’s becoming a refrain – New Jersey lands near the bottom in high job-loss totals for the year compared to the other 49 states and DC. This time it’s for the year-over-year period from November 2017 to November 2018. New Jersey ranked 48th with a loss of 2,200 jobs, a 1.4% drop. On the positive side, the state added 1,800 construction jobs for the month, a 1.2% increase over October’s numbers. In the region, Connecticut was a big gainer for the year period, adding 6,400 jobs, an 11% jump that put the state in the #5 spot. Connecticut also added 700 jobs for the month, up 1.1%. Delaware’s showing was strong as well, up 1,700 jobs for the year period, a 7.7% rise, and 200 for the month, a 0.8% increase. New York added 13,000 jobs for the year period, up 3.4%, and 100 for the month, too small an increase to measure a percentage. Pennsylvania added 4,900 jobs for the year period, up 1.9%, and 1,900 for the month, up 0.7%. Rhode Island’s numbers reflected no change for the year period and a loss of 700 jobs for the month, down 3.6%. LOCAL | December 19, 2018 Atlantic City’s Casino Reinvestment Development Authority has contracted with Uplift Solutions, a grocery story development consulting firm, and is considering a site on Baltic Avenue near the Convention Center for a new supermarket, the first since 2004. As the CRDA and Uplift review funding options, they hope construction can start in the next year. LOCAL | December 18, 2018 NJIT’s November Board of Trustees meeting agenda reveals plans to purchase 15 properties in University Heights for $6 million and hold the lease on it for up to four years while the college decides what to build on the site. Some of the properties are owned by Frederick Mueller Family LLC and are listed as these addresses: 11-21 Sussex Avenue, 311 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., 156 Central Avenue and 129 Bleecker Street. The Sussex Avenue property includes a large warehouse at Sussex and Summit Street; Mueller Supply Company and Mueller Brothers Florists form a complex at the corner of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. and Central Ave. Mueller Brothers will most likely lease the property from NJIT for the interim. Another site NJIT may acquire is the three-story Tau Kappa Epsilon frat house at 317 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., which could become college property through eminent domain. LOCAL | December 18, 2018 Along with the Toms River Road Project we posted last week in Hot Topics, the Delaware Memorial Bridge is another local project that received a federal BUILD grant. The grant, $22 million, will cover half the cost of building a floating concrete fender system that will protect the bridge should an out-of-control ship collide with it. Eight 80-foot-wide floating cylinders will be anchored to the riverbed flanking the suspension bridge towers, positioned to deflect ships away from the bridge or absorb an impact. They are required by a federal mandate that calls for enhanced protection around critical bridges. Designed by Modjeski and Masters of Mechanicsburg, PA, to protect against ships weighing up to 156,000 tons and traveling at seven knots, the fenders will be manufactured and installed by 2023. LOCAL | December 18, 2018 Last week the Brick (Ocean County) Planning Board approved subdividing the 10.9-acre site on Route 70 proposed for a 75,000-square-foot sports complex, a 96-seat restaurant and retail space. Currently an empty parking lot that used to be home to a Foodtown, the site may be developed by HFZ Superdome, based in New York City and owned by developer Peter Tasca of Point Pleasant, and M&M at Route 70, based in Piscataway (Middlesex County) and led by developer Jack Morris. On half the lot, HFZ’s plans for the sports complex include indoor climate-controlled basketball courts and a turf field for year-round football, soccer and lacrosse, possibly a wave pool, rooms for fitness classes, a ballet studio, space for physical therapy, party rooms and other activities. Around the exterior, HFZ envisions a turf area, a walking path and two beach volleyball courts. M&M would develop the other half of the site with a restaurant and two new buildings with nearly 30,000 square feet of retail space. The planning board gave preliminary approval to the development plan and the town must now complete the sale of the property to M&M for $5 million. The developers also need DEP permits to build under CAFRA because the site is immediately adjacent to Forge Pond. LOCAL | December 18, 2018 Cape May County freeholders introduced a $24.1 million bond ordinance last week to purchase and rehab the former Kmart building at 3801 Route 9 South in Rio Grande ($15.7 million) and recreate it into a new Department of Social Services. Funding will cover demolition, reconstruction and improvements to parking and access roads. State funds will cover state portions of the Social Services offices and the US Department of Veterans Affairs will contribute to a new 11,000-square-foot clinic. The new complex will house other county departments, including the Department of Human Services. In the bond, $3.9 million is slated for improvements to other county buildings, including the Day Care at Crest Haven Nursing Home and Rehabilitation Center, the jail and the Health Department lab, plus the purchase of modular lab space for Mosquito Control and installation of a pole barn at the Police Academy. Just over $1 million will be used by the County Prosecutor’s Office to purchase the lot at 372 Court House-South Dennis Road and demolish the site’s existing 3,318-square-foot building or reconstruct it into a Child Advocacy Center. A second reading and public hearing on the bond is scheduled for December 26 in Court House. LOCAL | December 18, 2018 On Friday, a US District Judge ruled PennEast Pipeline Co. may take land via eminent domain along the New Jersey portion of the route the 116-mile pipeline will travel. The pipeline will originate in Luzerne County, PA, cross the Delaware River and travel through Hunterdon County to Mercer County in New Jersey. New Jersey landowners will receive compensation for their property. The company received a ruling in Pennsylvania two weeks ago allowing it to survey the land it needs along the route; Pennsylvania’s law requires a separate process to take land via eminent domain and compensate landowners. PennEast plans to begin construction in mid-2019. LOCAL | December 13, 2018 NJ EDA gave preliminary approval on Tuesday for Paterson (Passaic County) to use $30 million in tax credits for transit-oriented housing, offices, retail and a new parking garage around the Paterson train station at Ward Street and Memorial Drive. The tax credits are part of the $130 million granted years ago to Paterson by the state Legislature; all applications must be filed before the grant package sunsets next June 30. The current parking garage holds 735 spaces. The Paterson Parking Authority will oversee the part of the project that will include a new 940-space garage, along with office and retail space. Demolition could start in February. The city will seek proposals for housing around the train station from private developers. NATIONAL | December 13, 2018 Yesterday, USDOT announced $1.5 billion in BUILD grants (the Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development grants replaced TIGER grants under the current administration) for 91 projects, including $5,660,000 for the Downtown Toms River Loop Road Project (Ocean County). The project will elevate Herflicker Blvd. and reconfigure it as a one-way street, convert Water Street to a one-way and create a loop from the Garden State Parkway to the waterfront business district. It also includes improvements and upgrades on connecting streets. Elevating Herflicker will limit flooding and allow the road to be used as an evacuation route. Total project cost is estimated at $21,018,046; the BUILD grant will contribute approximately 27%. NATIONAL | December 10, 2018 Last Thursday, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine released a study, mandated by Congress, recommending $45 billion to $70 billion per year in state and federal spending over 20 years to improve the nation’s interstate highway system. That would be $20 billion to $45 billion more than the current combined annual spending of $25 billion. The report, “Interstate Renewal and Modernization Program (RAMP),” calls for rebuilding pavements, foundations and bridges, making the system better able to cope with extreme weather and climate change effects, and adding capacity, tolling capabilities and other demand-management techniques. The report doesn’t include the costs of adding resiliency to the roadways or reconfiguring and rebuilding the system’s 15,000 interchanges, and the authors note the estimated spending levels are not enough to cover those much-needed fixes. To help pay for the major overhaul, the report recommends an increase in the federal gas tax and allowing more tolling. To read the news release announcing the study, visit http://www8.nationalacademies.org/onpinews/newsitem.aspx?RecordID=25334&_ga=2.200882345.60904912.1544460574-1112485382.1544460574 LOCAL | December 6, 2018 The former Echelon Mall in Voorhees (Camden County) will be sold to developer Brandywine Financial Services Corp., meaning the town won’t have to pursue eminent domain to seize the property from current owner Namdar. Brandywine is expected to present new redevelopment plans next week, a mixed-use design for the 51-acre site at Somerdale and Burnt Mill roads that combines townhouses and senior housing along with entertainment venues that could include microbreweries, restaurants, arcades and sports bars. Boscov’s, the only anchor store still open, will most likely remain. LOCAL | December 6, 2018 A massive $82 million project in Wildwood (Cape May County) will overhaul water lines, sewer lines and drainage systems to alleviate flooding. The phased plan will most likely begin on the west border at Ottens Canal and run between Park/Delaware avenues and New York Avenue, and will progress through Districts 1-5. NATIONAL | November 29, 2018 AGC of America released its analysis of BLS data today, indicating five of seven New Jersey metros lost jobs in the year-over-year from October 2017 to October 2018. Compared to the other 357 metros in the US, Middlesex-Monmouth-Ocean lost the largest number of jobs for the period, down 3,900, and measured the largest percentage drop (down 10%). Camden, which lost 1,100 jobs, a 5% drop, also landed in the bottom five. Newark lost 1,000 jobs, a 2% drop. Bergen-Hudson-Passaic and Trenton each lost 100 jobs, down 0.3% and 2% respectively. Vineland-Bridgeton remained unchanged for the period. Only Atlantic City-Hammonton added jobs for the year-over-year, picking up 700 jobs for a healthy 13% increase. LOCAL | November 27, 2018 Inspira Health Network wants to raise $20 million in its capital campaign to help fund construction of Inspira Medical Center Mullica Hill (Gloucester County), estimated to cost $350 million. The medical center will offer a cancer center, state-of-the-art surgical suites, a pediatric ER and other high-tech facilities. Launched last week, the campaign has already received $17 million in pledges. LOCAL | November 27, 2018 The Delaware River Port Authority approved a 2019 budget that includes $43 million of the estimated $159 million for the multi-year PATCO rail yard refurbishment at the PATCO terminus in Lindenwold (Camden County). The 2019 work will replace 50-year-old rail, signals and the communication system. Other monies in the budget include $11 million for elevator installation in PATCO stations and $1.5 million for the final design for reopening the Franklin Square Station in Philadelphia, a five-year project expected to cost $26 million. NATIONAL | November 19, 2018 In the year from October 2017 to October 2018, New Jersey shed more construction jobs than any other state, dropping 3,800 jobs, a 2.5% loss. Across the country, only five other states and DC lost jobs for the period. However, for the month from September to October this year, 36 states and DC added jobs – and New Jersey was in the top 10, with 1,800 jobs added for a 1.2% gain! In the region, New York was in the top five for the year-over-year, picking up 15,600 jobs, a 4.1% boost, a new record high. For the month, New York was again in the top five, gaining 2,500 jobs, a 0.6% increase. Connecticut added 3,900 jobs for the year period, up 6.6%, and remained unchanged for the month. Delaware picked up 1,300 jobs for the year, a 5.9% hike, and 100 for the month, up 0.4%. Pennsylvania added 6,300 jobs for the year, up 2.5%, and 1,900 for the month, a 0.8% increase. Rhode Island gained 1,100 jobs for the year, a 6% jump, and 300 for the month, up 1.6%. LOCAL | November 15, 2018 With a 10-year, $39.1 million tax credit from NJ EDA’s Grow NJ Program, GoBrands Inc. will construct a $43 million, 299,750-square-foot facility in Gloucester County that will consolidate the software company’s logistics, data analytics, R&D, warehouse and distribution operations. The facility will be located in Glassboro Borough and Harrison Township and will be completed by February 11, 2020, per the agreement between EDA and GoBrands. LOCAL | November 15, 2018 Caesar’s Entertainment Corp. announced plans for a $56 million upgrade of Harrah’s Coastal Tower, to include renovation of 507 rooms and suites. The multi-phase project should be completed by next summer. LOCAL | November 15, 2018 Community Health Care Associates (CHA) of Bloomfield plans to buy The Memorial Hospital of Salem County in Mannington Township. Last week, state officials heard specifics of the proposal, which include renovation of a “substantial portion” of the hospital and “significant upgrades” in medical equipment and IT. CHA also seeks a modification of the hospital’s license to allow fewer medical/surgical beds and add adult acute psychiatric beds and 30 long-term care beds. Total investment is expected to be between $30 and $60 million. A final agreement with the state could be reached by year-end. NATIONAL | November 15, 2018 AGC of America’s analysis of October Labor Department data reveals contractor bid prices are rising but not as fast as the cost of construction materials. The Producer Price Index for construction inputs edged up 0.6% in October, making the 12-month PPI 6.6% higher. In the year-over-year from October 2017, diesel fuel prices jumped 27%, steel mill products climbed 18.2%, asphalt paving mixtures and blocks rose 11.6% and aluminum mill shapes increased 8.2%. NATIONAL | November 9, 2018 OSHA has a handful of publications downloadable as eBooks for easy reading on smartphones and tablets. Of interest to construction professionals are the Fall Prevention Training Guide, Employer Rights and Responsibilities Following an OSHA Inspection, Hazard Communication and Ladder Safety. To order these free eBooks, visit https://www.osha.gov/pls/publications/publication.athruz?pType=Types&pID=10412. LOCAL | November 8, 2018 Gov. Murphy and Senators Menendez and Booker sent a joint letter to the US Coast Guard asking for a halt to Portal Bridge openings during rush hour. While the Portal Bridge, which has a tendency to stick in the open position, causing massive delays for commuters, isn’t supposed to open for maritime traffic during rush hour, a loophole in the regulations allows the Coast Guard to open it with a one-hour advance notice. The letter seeks to eliminate the loophole “to mitigate this ongoing commuter crisis.” LOCAL | November 8, 2018 The Red Bank Planning Board has approved preliminary and final site plans for a Denholtz Associates proposal of a four-story mixed-use at 101-107 Oakland Street, adjacent to the NJ Transit Red Bank train station. The proposal for The Rail @ Red Bank Station on 1.25 acres includes 57 apartments (1-, 2- and 3-bedroom units) and 6,275 square feet of ground-level retail in the four-story building and 30,000 square feet of office space in an existing building at 116 Chestnut Street, along with a two-level parking garage and 95-spot parking lot, two open-air courtyards and a 568-square-foot café. Construction work, projected to begin next Spring, will involve demolishing two existing structures. LOCAL | November 5, 2018 The site of the former Baker Lanes on Cuthbert Boulevard in Cherry Hill will become home to a $27 million, 90-bed inpatient substance abuse center for Cooper University Health Care, to be operated by Advanced Recovery Systems. Located between Route 70 and Route 38 in an industrial/office park area, the 22,000-square-foot facility will have 20 detox rooms and 36 rehab rooms, and also offer a yoga room, indoor basketball and volleyball courts and a large gym. NATIONAL | October 30, 2018 While construction jobs increased in 278 of 358 metro areas in the US year-over-year, nearly 78%, they declined in four of seven New Jersey metros, with three metros landing at the bottom. Largest job losses in the country for the year from September 2017 to September 2018 were in Middlesex-Monmouth-Ocean, which dropped 4,000 jobs, a 10% fall, followed by Newark (down 3,000 jobs, a 6% drop) and Camden (down 2,500 jobs, an 11% hit). Bergen-Hudson-Passaic also lost jobs, down 100, a 0.3% drop. On the up side, Atlantic City-Hammonton picked up 700 construction jobs, a 13% jump; Trenton added 200 jobs, a 4% hike; and Vineland-Bridgeton also added 200 jobs, a 7% increase. NATIONAL | October 25, 2018 NIOSH funded two studies to determine ways to reduce worker exposure to silica dust. The first demonstrates using electric drills to cut concrete can greatly reduce the amount of silica dust – a pneumatic drill generated 444 times the OSHA permissible exposure level, while an electric drill generated 11 times the PEL. Also, the pneumatic drill produced much higher vibration and noise. The second study determined sharp, carbon-tipped drill bits produce less dust, noise and hand vibration than dull bits when drilling into concrete – and dull bits take more time to cut, increasing the exposure. In a related matter, OSHA’s top fine levied during the May to October 2018 period ($304,130) was for silica dust exposure and included citations for improper eye/face protection, not providing proper training for workers, not using appropriate wet methods and respiratory protection, not assessing potential employee exposure, and providing insufficient respiratory equipment and medical evaluations. The NIOSH studies may be found in its October 2018 Research Rounds: https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/research-rounds/resroundsv4n4.html LOCAL | October 24, 2018 In August, we posted in Hot Topics plans to remake Ocean County Mall on Hooper Avenue in Toms River. On Monday, the Toms River Planning Board approved the Simon Property Group’s proposal, which includes demolishing the empty Sears store and replacing it with 97,679 square feet of retail space for perhaps a dozen new tenants, plus creating a new mall entrance and adding new landscaping. Construction will begin once all permits are obtained and take approximately 18 months. NATIONAL | October 19, 2018 While 45 states and DC added construction jobs for the year-over-year period from September 2017 to September 2018, New Jersey lost a seemingly inexplicable 9,600 jobs (down 6.1%), including a loss of 1,500 jobs (down 1%) for the month. New Jersey’s losses were by far the greatest in the country. In the region, New York added the most jobs for the year period with a gain of 11,700 (up 3%) and Pennsylvania added the most for the month, a gain of 3,700 (up 1.5%). New York added 100 jobs for the month, which didn’t register a percentage change, and Pennsylvania added 4,000 jobs for the year-over-year, a 1.6% gain. Connecticut fared well with 5,000 jobs gained in the year period, up 8.6%, and 1,000 jobs in the month, up 1.6%. Delaware added 1,600 jobs for the year period, up 7.3%, and 300 for the month, up 1.3%. And Rhode Island added 900 jobs for the year period, up 4.9%, including 200 for the month, a 1% rise. LOCAL | October 18, 2018 In a hearing scheduled for tonight in front of the Jersey City Zoning Board, a developer operating as 2 Hoboken Avenue LLC is proposing a 13-story, 161-unit mixed-use on Harrison Street between the Hoboken Business Center and the NJ Transit tracks (on the block between Observer Highway and Jersey Avenue/Newark Street), at the border between Jersey City and Hoboken. Plans include commercial space on the ground floor, bike-sharing, sidewalk improvements and a parking garage. The developer seeks Preliminary and Final Site Plan approval with variances for height and use. LOCAL | October 18, 2018 We have followed the progress of Jersey City’s huge planned development along the Hackensack River, and the latest update is approval by the city council last week to bond for $170 million to proceed with the Bayfront portion of the project. The approval designates $90 million to purchase Honeywell’s 60 acres of the Bayfront property, a former Superfund site that lies between Route 440 and Kellogg Street. The city will then become the master developer, install infrastructure ($71 million of the bond), demolish some structures ($6 million) and sell parcels to developers. Expectations call for 8,000 residential units, of which 35% could be affordable housing. NATIONAL | October 10, 2018 Construction materials prices rose 7.4% overall in September compared to September 2017. AGC of America Chief Economist Ken Simonson warns the September figures may be skewed low since they were reported before new tariffs were in place. Per the producer price index, diesel fuel prices soared 29.3%, steel pipe and tube costs leaped 22.1%, fabricated structural metal climbed 11.7%, asphalt paving mixtures and blocks rose 11.2% and aluminum mill shapes rose 10.7%. LOCAL | October 9, 2018 Berry’s Creek, a Hackensack River tributary, originates at Teterboro Airport, runs for about 6.5 miles through Teterboro, Wood-Ridge, Moonachie, Carlstadt, Rutherford, East Rutherford and Lyndhurst, all in Bergen County, and purportedly has the highest mercury levels of any freshwater wetlands in the country. It’s also highly contaminated with PCBs and chromium. After studying the Berry’s Creek area since the 1970s and declaring it part of the Ventron/Velsicol Superfund site in 1984, the EPA will finally begin phased clean-up of the creek and marshlands. Download a PDF Fact Sheet at https://semspub.epa.gov/work/02/550178.pdf LOCAL | October 9, 2018 The Point-No-Point swing span crossing, owned by Conrail and used by CSX and Norfolk South freight rail lines, was built in 1901, making it even older than the passenger rail Portal Bridge. Conrail has applied to NJ DEP for permits to begin the process of replacing the bridge, which crosses the Passaic River between Newark in Essex County and Kearny in Hudson County, roughly paralleling the New Jersey Turnpike crossing. Plans call for building a bascule bridge between the existing bridge and the Turnpike, plus an access road, with construction beginning in 2020 or 2021, should the project permits and financing fall into place. LOCAL | October 9, 2018 Rutgers plans to build a new Business School, perhaps at the intersection of Fifth and Market (C.R. 537) streets in Camden, although the university does not yet own the property. However, Rutgers Camden expects the acquisition and design to be completed by Spring 2019, using $9 million in state funds. The construction estimate is $70 million or more. NATIONAL | October 9, 2018 Last week, during a one-week extension of the previous FAA reauthorization period, the Senate passed a five-year reauthorization bill that holds grant authorizations for the Airport Improvement Program at the current $3.35 billion per year but includes a new discretionary airport infrastructure grant program with $1.02 billion in FY 2019. The new grant funding would rise annually to a maximum of $1.11 billion in FY 2023; federal share would cap at 80%. The Passenger Facility Charge, which funds airport infrastructure, remains unchanged. AGC of America expressed concern about the lack of guaranteed appropriations after 2019. LOCAL | September 28, 2018 Recognizing Trenton’s historical importance and the state’s huge investment in property and employees in the city, Governor Murphy signed Executive Order 40 establishing the New Jersey State Capital Partnership to advise Trenton on how best to realize its master plan, Trenton250, and redevelop parts of the city. The Partnership, effective immediately, is under the direction of the Treasury Department and will include representatives from DCA, DEP, DOT, NJ Transit, EDA and the Department of Law and Public Safety. Its focus will be on redevelopment of state property in downtown Trenton and around transit centers supporting mixed-use development, along with market-rate housing initiatives, Capital Park and the waterfront, public safety, attracting private capital to grow Trenton’s Opportunity Zones, workforce development strategies, and promoting Trenton’s arts and cultural assets. An infrastructure component will work toward getting federal grant funding for Trenton’s infrastructure plans. LOCAL | September 28, 2018 Responding to state recommendations, the Casino Reinvestment Development Authority in Atlantic City will move its Zoning Enforcement Office from Pennsylvania Avenue to City Hall on Bacharach Avenue in an effort to close the gap between planning and development processes of the CRDA and the city. Public land-use hearings, for example, will now be scheduled at City Hall. The move should be completed by the end of October. NATIONAL | September 28, 2018 Last spring, the President nominated Gordon Hartogensis to replace W. Thomas Reeder as director of the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation, the group that oversees multi-employer pension plans. Hartogensis is the brother-in-law of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (married to McConnell’s wife’s sister). Confirmation hearings were scheduled but canceled yesterday within the Senate Finance Committee. We will continue to track the outcome. NATIONAL | September 27, 2018 Of the 358 US metro areas, 287 gained construction jobs in the year-over-year period from August 2017 to August 2018. But three New Jersey metros landed at the bottom, losing more construction jobs than most other metros: Middlesex-Monmouth-Ocean lost 4,500 jobs, an 11% drop; Camden lost 2,600 jobs, also an 11% drop; and Newark lost 2,400 jobs, a 5% drop. Bergen-Hudson-Passaic also shed jobs, down 100 (no percentage registered). Atlantic City-Hammonton was the bright spot, gaining 700 jobs, a healthy 13% increase. Trenton and Vineland-Bridgeton also picked up jobs for the year period, 200 (up 4%) and 100 (up 3%) respectively. LOCAL | September 24, 2018 The project, estimated at $26 million, will re-open the PATCO Hi-Speedline station at Franklin Square in Philadelphia, which closed in 1979. The Delaware River Port Authority saw new design concepts for the station last week. Still in infancy, the design calls for a building at street level with four glass walls encasing a lobby and fare gates, an angled roof along Seventh Street and a main entrance on Race Street. Escalators from the lobby would carry passengers down to the train platform. DRPA applied for a $13.9 million US DOT grant to help pay for the new building and has also allotted part of its annual Federal Transit Administration grants toward the project. Targeted construction start date is April 2020 with a completion date in December 2022. NATIONAL | September 24, 2018 New Jersey again came in at the bottom of all 50 states and DC, one of only three states that lost construction jobs between August of 2017 and August of 2018. Down 6,600 jobs, a 4.2% decline, New Jersey did gain 200 jobs for the month from July to August, a tiny 0.1% increase. Across the country, 45 states and DC added jobs for the year-over-year, and two remained unchanged, including Pennsylvania, which did lose 1,900 jobs for the month, a 0.7% decrease. Elsewhere in the region, Connecticut picked up 3,700 for the year period, up 6.3%, and 500 for the month, up 0.8%; Delaware added 1,400 jobs for the year period, up 6.5%, and remained unchanged for the month; New York added 12,900 jobs for the year period, a 3.4% increase, and 800 for the month, up 0.2%; and Rhode Island added 700 for the year period, a 3.8% gain, although it lost 100 jobs for the month, a 0.5% drop. LOCAL | September 19, 2018 Updating the Hot Topics we have posted on the former Echelon Mall at Somerdale and Burnt Mill roads in Voorhees (Camden County), the township chose Brandywine Financial Services Corp. as the conditional redeveloper of the mall property. Expectations are Brandywine will turn the site into a mixed-use development with housing, retail and entertainment. Plans will not be finalized until Voorhees and Brandywine reach a formal redevelopment agreement. LOCAL | September 19, 2018 A strip mall at 682 Route 440 in Jersey City will be converted to a 12-story mixed-use development with ground-floor retail and 120 residential units, under the direction of Myneni Properties. The executive board of the Jersey City Redevelopment Agency approved the developer to build and operate the property, which sits across 440 from Hudson Mall. LOCAL | September 18, 2018 The Merchantville (Camden County) downtown redevelopment area could undergo a major transformation, per a proposal from Viking Group of Cherry Hill. Two apartment buildings (48 feet in height or less), retail space and pedestrian walkways would be constructed on a two-acre triangular site bordered by Centre Street, East Park Avenue and Chestnut Avenue, in a project estimated between $14 and $19 million. Plans include renovation of the old PNC bank building, owned by the town, and demolition of another borough-owned building that houses Eclipse Brewing, which would be moved elsewhere within the triangle. The apartment buildings would house 55 and 33 units respectively, with the former offering ground-level parking. Retail space would range from 15,000 to 16,000 square feet. Two walkways would bisect the triangle in a T, one from Centre Street to the middle of the site and the other from East Park to an existing biking/walking trail that parallels East Chestnut. A pocket park and landscaping are also planned. The proposal is available with sign-in at https://www.scribd.com/document/388536399/Merchantville-Downtown-Redevelopment-Area-proposal#download LOCAL | September 18, 2018 A 15-acre piece of Atlantic City’s 140-acre Bader Field could become the site of a new Marine and Environmental Science Center for Stockton University, estimated to cost $41 million. Atlantic City and the university received a $100,000 state grant to conduct a feasibility study on the proposed facility. LOCAL | September 17, 2018 A Trenton Production and Knowledge Innovation Campus is planned for North Broad Street near Mercer County Community College’s James Kerney Campus, thanks to a $100,000 grant to cover architect fees and other related planning costs. The goal is to create a collaborative hub and a research/commercialization nexus for people to develop their ideas, concepts, products and businesses, led by Mercer County’s five colleges and universities: Mercer County Community College, Princeton (Princeton), Rider (Lawrence Township), The College of New Jersey (Ewing) and Thomas Edison State University (Trenton). Still in concept stage, the Innovation Campus would most likely depend on state and college funding for construction. NATIONAL | September 12, 2018 Year-over-year construction materials costs were up 6.2% in August over August 2017, although they declined 0.8% from July to August of this year. In the year-over-year comparison, diesel fuel was up 33.9%, steel mill products were up 18.6%, aluminum mill shapes were up 14%, asphalt paving mixtures and blocks were up 9.2% and gypsum products were up 8.2%. LOCAL | September 10, 2018 In March, we posted a Hot Topic about a multi-tower mixed-use plan for Van Reipen Avenue and Cottage Street in Jersey City, which included a “reconstruction” of Congregation Sons of Israel’s synagogue at 35 Cottage Street. The latest update reports the 27-story tower planned for the site will include ground-floor space for the synagogue, along with 329 residential units, a preschool, a banquet hall, two floors of office space and ground-floor retail. LOCAL | September 10, 2018 In January, we posted a Hot Topic about industrial property in Jersey City’s Ward B that was up for sale and potential development. Latest update: the property was sold in August to 400 Claremont Urban Renewal LLC, which plans a mixed-used development. The project will include a five-story building with 600 residential units and ground-floor commercial space, along with parking. The proposal has yet to be reviewed by the Jersey City Planning Board or Zoning Board. LOCAL | August 21, 2018 Developer Emmet Mulberry LLC of Lakewood (Ocean County) proposes two new five-story mixed-use buildings at 529-531 Mulberry Street in Newark’s Ironbound section in the East Ward that would hold 16 residential units and commercial space, along with parking. The site is currently a private, gated surface parking lot that used to belong to the Ace Tool & Manufacturing Company and is now owned by Emmet Mulberry. The same developer also proposes transforming the three-story Ace Tool building at 526 and 528-532 Mulberry, across the street, into a four-story, 28-unit residential development. On the corner of Mulberry and Emmet Street, that property also has a 164 Emmet Street address. NATIONAL | August 20, 2018 Compared to July 2017, 45 states and DC added construction jobs in July 2018. But in New Jersey, which shed 6,000 jobs, a 3.9% drop, the job loss was the steepest, both in numbers and percentage, among the five states that lost jobs. The New Jersey news wasn’t good for the month from June to July either, as the state lost 1,000 jobs, a 0.7% drop. In the region, Connecticut added 3,200 jobs, up 5.5%, for the year-over-year, and 400 jobs, a 0.7% gain, for the month. Delaware picked up 1,300 jobs for the year period, up 6%, and 300 for the month, up 1.3%. New York added 12,800 jobs for the year period, up 3.3%, although it slid back 0.1% for the month on the loss of 300 jobs. Pennsylvania added 2,500 for the year period, up 1%, but also lost jobs for the month, down 1,600 for a 0.6% drop. Rhode Island gained 900 jobs for the year period, up 4.9%, but lost 100 for the month, a 0.5% drop. LOCAL | August 17, 2018 East Brunswick (Middlesex County) has released a Request for Proposals for developers interested in redeveloping more than 30 acres along Route 18 as a mixed-use transit village – the NJ DOT designation for areas that combine public transportation access, residential, retail and commerce. The site runs west of Route 18 from Ruth Street, just south of the Turnpike ramp to Exit 9, to Lake Avenue, and includes two shopping areas, 18 Center and Loehmann’s Plaza, along with the jughandle access to Old Bridge Turnpike and Edgeboro Road. The shopping areas, which are mostly vacant, were previously designated Areas in Need of Development. The township would like the redevelopment to include a third commuter parking garage and other structures that incorporate retail and commerce on the ground floors and residential units on the floors above. It would have a central boulevard and access to Route 18 via a traffic circle at the center of the village. LOCAL | August 15, 2018 Two neighboring lots in downtown Newark could soon be under new ownership and slated for mixed-use development. The lots, located between Washington and Military Parks at the corner of Central Avenue and Broad Street, were recently listed for $5.5 million and are already “under agreement,” indicating a potential new owner. The development opportunity is amid a significant number of other projects in the area that have recently been completed, are under construction, or are set to begin construction in the near future. Despite the demand for mixed-use spaces, there are still vacant sites on major corridors, waiting for a new purpose. LOCAL | August 15, 2018 A developer is planning an eight-story, mixed-use building for 614 and 616 Summit Avenue in Ward C of Jersey City’s Journal Square neighborhood. The building plans include 32 residential units as well as retail space on the first floor. The project was proposed by Alan Cancro, an individual who owns multiple properties in Jersey City and is seeking Preliminary and Final Site Plan approval. The Jersey City Planning Board was scheduled to meet last night to hear the plans. NATIONAL | August 9, 2018 The good news, as reported by AGC of America’s Chief Economist Ken Simonson, is the prices for construction materials and services remained unchanged overall from June to July of this year. The bad news is the year-over-year price index on construction goods and services leaped 8.1% (July 2017 to July 2018). Some of that increase is a result of rising materials costs and some is due to rising service costs, including the delivery of materials and equipment to construction sites, hauling away dirt, debris and equipment, and operating diesel-powered equipment. Diesel fuel prices soared 43.6% for the year-over-year; aluminum mill shape prices shot up 17.8%; steel mill product prices increased 12.4%; and lumber and plywood prices climbed 16.3%. Truck transportation and freight prices were up 8.2% over the year. LOCAL | August 9, 2018 The Stockton University Board of Trustees has approved the university’s plan to negotiate the purchase the former Atlantic Club casino, a couple of blocks up the Atlantic City boardwalk from campus, from current owner TJM of Florida. Stockton plans to expand its Atlantic City campus housing, now at almost 100% capacity, and could use the Atlantic Club property for that expansion. The site has 11 upland lots, one beach lot, a nine-level parking garage with 550,000 square feet, approximately 50,000 square feet of office space and a 23-story hotel tower, which TJM would demolish as part of the sale. At least some of the funds from Stockton’s recent sale of the Seaview Resort in Galloway Township to KDG Capital LLC of Florida will be used for the Atlantic Club purchase. No timeline for acquisition or development has been announced. LOCAL | August 9, 2018 Competitive Power Ventures, which owns a 725-megawatt natural gas plant in Keasbey, Woodbridge Township (Middlesex County), wants to build another power plant next to it. The project was scheduled to go before the Woodbridge Planning Board last night. LOCAL | August 8, 2018 Announced in April, a second mixed-use tower developed by Shaquille O’Neal and Boraie Development (operating as the Newark Plaza Urban Renewal Company LLC) was approved by the Newark Planning Board this week. Plans call for a 33-story building with 370 residential units (studios and one- and two- bedroom apartments), 14,495 square feet of ground-floor retail and a 222-space parking garage above the retail space. Amenities include a pool, artscapes and landscaping on top of the parking garage. The site, currently a parking lot owned by the developer, is 769-781 McCarter Highway between Market Street and Edison Place, about half-a-block from Newark Penn Station. Project completion is projected sometime next year. LOCAL | August 8, 2018 New West 1 LLC of Ramsey (Bergen County) has proposed five residential and mixed-use buildings for sites west of Newark’s downtown. The plans are due to go before the Newark Planning Board next week. LOCAL | August 8, 2018 Simon Property Group, which owns Ocean County Mall on Hooper Avenue in Toms River, plans a remake of the mall. Simon bought the Sears building last year, and Sears closed in April, leaving a 104,000-square-foot building that Simon would like to demolish and replace with a new parking lot. Other changes include constructing two buildings, separate from the mall, the first of which would be 34,000 square feet with a single tenant and the second with five tenants in spaces ranging from 2,805 square feet to 28,000 square feet, with the goal of creating a center of shops, restaurants, entertainment and fitness venues. Two additions to the mall itself would have two and three tenants respectively, the first addition with spaces of 3,100 square feet and 6,248 square feet, and the second with spaces ranging from 2,335 square feet to 2,840 square feet. Already approved at the mall is a new 9,947-square-foot BJ’s Restaurant & Brewhouse with a patio. Simon’s plans go before the Toms River Planning Board in October. NATIONAL | July 31, 2018 AGC of America’s analysis of BLS data shows construction employment rose in 272 of 358 metros (76%) from June 2017 to June 2018. It fell in 44 metro areas and remained unchanged in 42. New York City made the top five, adding 8,300 jobs for the year-over-year, a 5% increase. Middlesex-Monmouth-Ocean in New Jersey had the largest job losses, however, shedding 3,400 jobs for an 8% drop. Newark was second from the bottom, losing 2,800 jobs, a 6% drop. As for the rest of the New Jersey metros: Camden dropped 1,600 jobs, a 7% loss; Bergen-Hudson-Passaic added 600 jobs for a 2% increase; Vineland-Bridgeton added 200 jobs, a 7% rise; Trenton added 400 jobs, an 8% rise; and Atlantic City-Hammonton added 6,500 jobs, a 16% leap, which placed it in the #6 top spot. LOCAL | July 31, 2018 Last week, NJ BPU proposed the Offshore Renewable Wind Energy Certificate rule that would allow an offshore wind project, once it started generating electricity, to receive funds, known as ORECs, from New Jersey ratepayers through their electric distribution companies, which the wind farm could then use to pay back those firms that financed the project. The wind farm would sell electricity to the grid; all revenue would go to ratepayers. The proposed rule had not yet been published in the New Jersey Register. LOCAL | July 26, 2018 A parking garage currently sits at 170 Erie Street in Jersey City, but developer Silverman, who is also the garage owner, has plans to replace it with a 10-story mixed-use that combines two retail spaces totaling 10,000 square feet, a 50-car parking garage with a triple-stack system on the first and second floors, and 20,158 square feet of office space on each of the third and fourth floors with rear-facing terraces. Above all that, the next five floors will house 59 residential units and the two top floors will offer a roof deck, lounge, business center, media room, bar, gym and a multipurpose space. The proposal must be approved by the Jersey City Planning Board. LOCAL | July 25, 2018 In August, Cumberland County officials expect to secure financing and go out to bid on the new jail, estimated at $65 million. To be located on 30 acres owned by the Cumberland County Improvement Authority and adjacent to South Woods State Prison on South Burlington Road in Bridgeton, the new jail is still expected to open sometime in 2020. CCIA will handle bonding and financing and will lease the jail back to the county when construction is complete. The old jail on West Broad Street in Bridgeton will be demolished and replaced by a 15,000-square-foot holding center, attached to the adjacent Cumberland County Courthouse, with the rest of the site available for further development. LOCAL | July 25, 2018 A part of the Jersey Avenue Park Redevelopment Plan in Jersey City may get an adaptive reuse project that could include three high-rises and a two-acre park built around the old Emerson Radio industrial complex. The brick complex, nearly 100 years old, originally housed the Continental Can Company and could be listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The whole property sits between Coles and Monmouth streets, north of I-78 and Route 139, and is currently used as a Statco warehouse. Statco Development Group LLC owns the property. Plans include demolishing part of the factory between 14th and 15th streets and adaptively reusing the part between 15th and 16th, creating 1,000 residential units (134 studios, 338 one-bedrooms, 263 two-bedrooms, 182 three-bedrooms and 83 four bedrooms), 526 parking spaces, 44,000 square feet of retail and 23,900 square feet of public-use space that could become a Jersey City police station. To be built in four phases, the first phase would be a new 26-story, 304-foot-tall tower at the corner of Coles and 14th streets with 350 residential units, 307 parking spaces, 10,040 square feet of retail and the public-use structure, along with Coles Street Park on city land that runs between 16th and 18th streets. Part of the 305 Coles Street development, the park could include new playground equipment, walkways, benches, grassy areas, sculpture artworks, an elevated sundeck of composite wood and perhaps a train car set with tracks. At Monmouth and 15th streets, phase II would be on the opposite corner of the first structure, another 26-story building linked to the first by a six-story section, with 300 residential units and 159 parking spaces. Phase III turns the old radio factory into 150 apartments, 60 parking spaces and 34,000 square feet of retail on the ground floor, plus new windows throughout. Phase IV adds a third 26-story tower on Monmouth between 15th and 16th streets with 200 residential units. The new construction is planned in brick and steel to match the industrial look of the old building. Rooftop terraces are proposed for the three towers and the old building could have rooftop amenities such as a pool, firepits, a projection screen for movies, greenery areas and an outdoor TV. Existing water towers on the roof would be preserved and painted with murals. Redevelopment of the site itself includes relocating utilities and subdividing three lots into eight, of which four would become streets. The Jersey City Planning Board has approved three redevelopment applications for the project with conditions. No construction timeline has been announced. LOCAL | July 25, 2018 As part of a 20-year plan, RWJBarnabas will first spend $100 million on a new clinical and research building for the Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey, plus a new ambulatory care center, both in New Brunswick and both expected to open in 2020. While remaining separate entities, RWJBarnabas and Rutgers will form a joint committee for strategic planning and oversight of their shared academic health system. LOCAL | July 23, 2018 In January, we posted a Hot Topic reporting the former Roebling Steel site in Florence Township (Burlington County) was partially reclaimed and ready for redevelopment, according to the EPA. Now it’s possible Kampack, a manufacturer in Newark that turns paper into cardboard, will purchase 37 acres of the 240-acre site and build a new plant – proposing 500,000 square feet of commercial and industrial space to be constructed in two phases. The property is still a Superfund site, under the purvue of the EPA with restrictions on excavation and groundwater use, and the Kampack proposal must be approved by the Florence Planning Board. NATIONAL | July 20, 2018 For the year from June 2017 to June 2018, construction employment rose in 43 states and DC, but of the six states that lost industry jobs, New Jersey was hardest hit. For the year-over-year period, New Jersey lost 4,800 jobs, a 3.1% drop. However, for the month from May to June 2018, New Jersey picked up 300 jobs, a 0.2% increase. In the region, New York had the largest one-month gain, adding 3,700 jobs, up 0.9%, and the state added 14,800 jobs for the year period, up 3.9%. In addition, construction employment reached a record high in New York. Connecticut added 1,200 jobs for the month, up 2%, and 2,100 for the year, up 3.6%. Rhode Island also added jobs for both periods, with 200 new jobs for the month, up 1.1%, and 1,200 new jobs for the year, up 6.6%. The number of Delaware construction jobs remained unchanged for the month, but rose by 700, up 3.2%, for the year period. Pennsylvania lost 1,900 jobs for the month, a 0.7% drop, but gained 3,400 jobs for the year period, up 1.4%. LOCAL | July 20, 2018 Prime logistics rents – the highest rates commanded by high-quality warehouses and distribution centers – rose 9.5% in New Jersey for the year ending March 31. Driving the rent increases, of course, is the demand for warehouse space, and New Jersey is one of three US locations among the top 10 in the world that measured the highest gains in prime logistics rents. LOCAL | July 19, 2018 In a U-shaped site bordered by 1166-1236 East Broad Street, 1130-1154 Chestnut Street and 230-238 Jefferson Avenue in Elizabeth (Union County), part of the East Broad Street Redevelopment Plan Area, a proposal scheduled to be heard tonight by the Elizabeth Planning Board could bring three nine-story buildings. The buildings would house 300 one-bedroom and two-bedroom residential units, offices, stores and restaurants, including a top-floor restaurant. Existing structures on the site would be demolished. Developers seeking Preliminary and Final Site Plan approval are C&L East Broad Realty LLC and C&L 1130-1150 Chestnut Realty LLC. LOCAL | July 18, 2018 The Eatontown Planning Board gave final approval to the latest plan to redesign Monmouth Mall into a mixed-use residential, retail and office complex. Known as “The Heights at Monmouth,” the project includes 700 apartments, of which 85 will be affordable housing, and 1.62 million square feet (enlarged from the existing 1.54 milion) of leasable space for shops, restaurants and entertainment, and medical offices. The existing two-story indoor corridor will be opened up as outdoor and entertainment space. The buildings owned by JC Penney, Lord & Taylor and Macy’s will remain the same. Next step: a developer’s agreement (with construction timeline) between Kushner Cos., which owns the mall, and the Eatontown Borough Council. LOCAL | July 17, 2018 Close to the middle of what is known as McGinley Square in Jersey City is a triangle formed by Fairmount, Monticello and Fairview avenues. Owner and developer Monticello Equity Properties LLC proposes to build a 10-story mixed-use complex, “Monticello Triangle,” that would cover nearly the entire site, with 199 residential units, an underground parking garage, a 2,065-square-foot gym, self-storage units and an outdoor terrace for residents. A triangular plaza and two retail spaces (5,275 square feet and 4,435 square feet) would be for public use. The project has yet to be reviewed by the Jersey City Planning Board. LOCAL | July 17, 2018 JCP&L wants BPU to approve $400 million via a rate increase to upgrade its electric grid. The utility’s upgrade plan includes strengthening the resiliency of overhead wires, replacing underground distribution cables and transformers, installing new equipment to reduce outages as well as identify and fix them faster, managing vegetation to reduce the risk of trees falling on lines, and increasing substation protection with flood mitigation and upgraded equipment. JCP&L filed its request with BPU on Friday, July 13. LOCAL | July 16, 2018 The FTA gave NJ Transit a six-month extension to file all necessary information in NJ Transit’s quest for funding to replace the Portal Bridge over the Hackensack River. The funding would come through the “New Starts” program, a Capital Investment Grant. The original deadline was this past Saturday, July 14. NJ Transit now has until January 31, 2019. NATIONAL | July 12, 2018 AGC of America’s recent analysis of Labor Department data shows construction costs were up again in June compared to a year ago, some reflecting the impact of tariffs. From June 2017 to June 2018, prices jumped 20% for aluminum mill shapes, 17.4% for copper and brass mill shapes, and 12.3% for steel mill products. Prices also rose 52.8% for diesel fuel, 18.3% for lumber and plywood, 7.5% for asphalt felts and coatings, 5.5% for ready-mixed concrete, and 5% for paving mixtures and blocks. Overall, the cost of construction materials rose 9.6% for the year-over-year period, which AGC notes is the steepest increase since October 2008. LOCAL | July 10, 2018 RWJBarnabas Health has plans to build a medical campus on 36 acres in the Tinton Falls portion of the former Fort Monmouth, on the site of the former Myer Center, known informally as the Hexagon building. The focus of the campus will be a cancer center, perhaps 100,000 square feet, along with an ambulatory care center, a business office, and room for more than 500,000 square feet of medical offices. LOCAL | July 10, 2018 As in other counties in New Jersey, townships in Atlantic County have designated or are exploring designation of “areas in need of development,” hoping to attract developers and ideas to boost business ventures, both new and existing. Here is a short list: LOCAL | July 9, 2018 Jersey City has approved a resolution that would allow the city to buy out Honeywell International’s share of a former Superfund site for the Bayfront Redevelopment Project. Part of the larger Hackensack River Waterfront redevelopment, Bayfront plans call for transforming approximately 100 acres of old industrial properties into mixed-use residential, commercial and industrial space. The site, of which the city owns about 40 acres and Honeywell owns 60 acres, runs along the east shore of the Hackensack river in Jersey City’s West Side, with Route 440 as its eastern boundary and Kellogg Street as the southern border. Jersey City officials plan to become the master developer of the site and create a mixed-income community with as much as 35% affordable housing. Next step is to get bond issues approved to purchase Honeywell's share of the site. LOCAL | July 6, 2018 A sports complex that would include a 100,000-seat Formula 1 racetrack and a cricket stadium has been proposed for a tract of land near the toll booths of the I-78 New Jersey Turnpike Extension, just outside Liberty State Park in Jersey City. The project would also need 25 acres of public land in the park, land that is currently part of the planned 240-acre restoration project. The developer is Liberty Rising (apparently not the group by the same name that proposed a casino near Liberty State Park). Included in the proposal is a rail stop, location to be determined but most likely within the park, along with possible incentives like funding for the restoration project and new playgrounds throughout Jersey City. NJ DEP has the power to approve or reject the proposal. LOCAL | July 6, 2018 Since Superstorm Sandy damaged septic tanks along the Delaware Bay, Downe Township (Cumberland County) has planned to build a wastewater treatment plant. Now it has approximately $6.5 million state and federal funding and has started engineering work for the Fortescue/Gandy’s Beach Wastewater Project, which will ultimately cost as much as $15 million. The balance of the funding will come from bonding through the county. The plant will be located in Fortescue, with sewage from Gandy’s Beach pumped in for treatment. LOCAL | July 5, 2018 The Gateway Project to build tunnels under the Hudson and a new Portal Bridge in New Jersey has been revised to address federal concerns as the Port Authority seeks federal funding. The project has been divided into smaller pieces under various authorities, with the Port Authority overseeing tunnel construction and rehab work on existing tunnels and New Jersey covering the cost of replacing the local portion of the bridge over the Hackensack River. The revised plan now goes to US DOT for review. NATIONAL | July 2, 2018 Construction spending across the nation in May rose 0.4% over April’s spending and 4.5% over May 2017, hitting a record high of $1.309 trillion. For the month, private nonresidential spending slid down 0.3%, but grew a modest 1.8% for the year-over-year period. Within the category, the year-over-year spending was uneven: multifamily construction spending rose 4.2%; power construction spending dropped 0.7%; commercial construction spending (retail, warehouse, farm buildings) gained 2%; manufacturing construction spending dropped 11%; private office construction spending rose 9.7%. LOCAL | July 2, 2018 It’s two years away and will take 18 months to complete, but Burlington County officials expect its $12.5 million plan will ease congestion along Route 130, particularly at the intersection of Florence-Columbus Road. That upgrade will include replacing the jughandle with a larger one, adding a northbound ramp from County Road 656 to Route 130, and adding double left lanes. The county will provide $10 million in funds initially, but expects to be paid back, as the state has committed a $9 million award from the TTF for those improvements. The intersection of Route 130 and Cedar Lane, included in the project, would see replacement of the Route 130 North jughandle with a roundabout, as well as widening of the Route 130 South jughandle to two lanes. Also in the project is the intersection at Neck Road and Dutty’s Lane; to proceed with those plans – easing the curve on Dutty’s Lane as it approaches the intersection and creating a double left turn to Route 130 North – the county and Burlington Township would have to trade jurisdictions of the two roads. LOCAL | June 29, 2018 Our Hot Topic postings on the former Echelon Mall in Voorhees (Camden County) are becoming monthly (April 10, May 17) as the township has moved quickly to approve eminent domain with the intent to seize the property and solicit redevelopment ideas. Four developers recently proposed various plans for the 665,000-square-foot mall at Somerdale and Burnt Mill roads, including building microbreweries, entertainment venues, a hotel, housing, amphitheaters, a rock-climbing wall, parks, gardens and more. All four plans focus on a walkable environment. Redevelopment would not include the freestanding Boscov’s or municipal offices adjacent to the mall. The township committee has also approved creation of a business improvement district that encompasses the mall site, funded by a tax on the mall owner. The current owner is Namdar Realty Group of Long Island. LOCAL | June 28, 2018 We posted in Hot Topics on May 23 the proposed Ironbound project that has now been approved (Monday). It will be the first development under Newark’s new measure establishing an MX-3 district – Mixed-Use 3 Residential and Commercial Zone. Newark’s Planning Board approved construction of a new 12-story building with 403 units, 3,300 square feet of retail and 196 parking spaces. The 1.25-acre site lies at 28-50 McWhorter Street, 51-57 Union Street and 108 Hamilton Street near Newark Penn Station and is currently a fenced parking lot. The developer is 28 McWhorter Street LLC, registered at the same address as J&L Parking Corporation in Roseland; Jose Lopez, president of J&L Companies, owns the site. NATIONAL | June 27, 2018 In a 5-4 decision this morning, the US Supreme Court declared it is “unconstitutional” (a violation of the First Amendment) for public-employee unions to require public workers who don’t join the union to pay dues. The decision overturns the 1977 decision in Abood v. Detroit Board of Education that ruled states could allow public-employee unions to collect fees from non-members to cover the cost of workplace negotiations but not the union’s political activities. LOCAL | June 26, 2018 Cape May County will work with the Atlantic County Improvement Authority to construct a “tech village” for firms that develop drones. Planned for the 14-acre site of the old Everlon building at Cape May County Airport, an initial building will be 20,000 square feet and house four high-tech firms. Other buildings could be in the works down the road. The plans are now with the Lower Township Planning Board, which expects to return them to the Lower Township Council for approval by July 2. The Atlantic County Improvement Authority will provide project oversight if plans are approved. NATIONAL | June 26, 2018 In 263 of 358 metro areas in the US (73%), construction employment rose between May 2017 and May 2018, dropped in 47 and was unchanged in 48. Unfortunately, three of New Jersey’s seven metro areas saw losses that put them in the bottom five nationwide. Newark lost more jobs than any metro area for the year period, shedding 3,900 jobs for an 8% loss. Middlesex-Monmouth-Ocean was second-lowest, down 3,300 jobs, also an 8% drop. And Camden took the fourth-lowest spot on the loss of 2,100 jobs, a 9% drop. Bergen-Hudson-Passaic was also in the negative column, losing 600 jobs, a 2% decline. On the positive side, Atlantic City-Hammonton gained 1,100 jobs, an enormous 20% leap; Trenton added 500 jobs, a 10% jump; and Vineland-Bridgeton added 300 jobs, an 11% gain. LOCAL | June 26, 2018 Riverfront Square, planned for a 12-acre tract between Broad Street and McCarter Highway in Newark on the site of the former Newark Bears Stadium, now has full-site renderings designed by four different architects that show three development phases of commercial and residential use. Phase I consists of three office buildings attached by atriums, forming the nation’s “largest timber office complex,” along with two residential components and a 2,923-space parking garage. One residential building features a curved design, the other is four rectangular buildings linked by courtyards. Phase II will build two structures along the railroad tracks that run perpendicular to Broad, one for offices and the other a 240-room hotel. Phase III is a tall, thin residential tower decked in glass on Broad Street. In total, Riverfront Square will offer 2,526 residential units, 48 live/work units, more than 2.2 million square feet of office and commercial space, the hotel, 102,144 square feet of retail space and five acres of open space. The property is owned by Lotus Equity Group. No construction timeline was released. LOCAL | June 22, 2018 Logan North Industrial Park at 2858 Route 322 in Logan Township (Gloucester County), a 415-acre site being developed by F. Greek Development and Advance Realty, will include 3.3 million square feet of new warehouse and distribution space. The plans specify 11 buildings ranging in size from 90,000 square feet to 1.1 million square feet with build-to-suit options. Other specs include maximum ceiling heights of 40 to 45 feet; slab-on-grade construction with live floor loads that exceed 500 pounds per square foot; and trailer parking and loading ratios that meet top industry standards. LOCAL | June 19, 2018 A modified Garden State Growth Zone bill has passed through the state Assembly and Senate budget committees and now heads to a vote by the full Legislature. The bill would create a Growth Zone around the Atlantic City International Airport in Egg Harbor Township, allowing businesses to apply for tax incentives if they relocated within a mile of the airport. The original bill was vetoed in January by outgoing Gov. Christie; this new bill was narrowed in scope to create a Growth Zone specifically for the AC airport. LOCAL | June 19, 2018 Newark Waterfront Associates LLC, registered out of the same office as Boraie Development in New Brunswick, plans to buy two lots on Newark’s waterfront in the Central Ward and construct a mixed-use project, which could include 200 residential units, retail and/or office space and onsite parking, and be as high as 25 stories. The two properties, 930 McCarter Highway and 10-18 Passaic Place, are currently owned by the Newark Housing Authority, which will sell the lots to the City of Newark, which will in turn sell them to Newark Waterfront Associates, listed as the properties’ exclusive redeveloper. NATIONAL | June 15, 2018 For the year-over-year period from May 2017 to May 2018, 42 states and DC added jobs in construction, but New Jersey came in dead last, losing 4,600 jobs, a 3% drop. New Jersey also came in at the bottom for the month from April to May, losing 2,900 jobs, a 1.9% drop. In the region, Connecticut gained 400 jobs for the year period, a 0.7% rise, but lost that much for the month; Delaware gained 800 jobs for the year, up 3.7%, and remained unchanged for the month; New York added 12,300 jobs for the year, a 3.2% increase, and 3,000 for the month, a 0.8% rise that put it in the top five in the nation; Pennsylvania added 9,300 for the year period, a 3.7% rise, and 1,900 for the month, a 0.7% gain; and Rhode Island added 900 for the year period, a 4.9% hike, plus 600 for the month, up 3.2%. LOCAL | June 15, 2018 As we posted in March Hot Topics, developer Hanini Group’s 33 Maple LLC affiliate announced plans to turn Newark’s Maple Street School into multifamily housing. While the historical renovation of the 62,010-square-foot building is still in the works, 33 Maple LLC also plans a 3,300-square-foot expansion on the property for a total of 57 residential units and 27 on-premise parking spaces. The project was on the Newark Zoning Board agenda for last night’s meeting, seeking Preliminary and Final Major Site Plan approval with variances for excessive front yard setback, insufficient parking and insufficient parking lot lighting. The Newark Central Planning Board was authorized in April to determine if the school’s Weequahic neighborhood (South Ward) is an area in need of redevelopment. LOCAL | June 15, 2018 Scheduled to open in 2019, Amazon’s ninth New Jersey warehouse will spread across one million square feet on the 1100 block of New Pearl Street in Burlington. No specific timeline for construction has been announced. LOCAL | June 15, 2018 Property that includes the LaCosta Lounge & Deck Bar, the Coast Motel, the Casino Steaks & Pizzeria and a parking lot on Landis Avenue in Sea Isle City (Cape May County) has been sold to local developers Christopher Glancey and Bob Morris for potential mixed-use development. The lease for the LaCosta Lounge extends through October 2019; no timeline or specific plans for a project on the 1.25-acre property have been released. NATIONAL | June 13, 2018 AGC of America’s analysis of May construction costs showed another jump when compared to costs from a year. Some hit the double-digits, a growing concern when contrasted with the 4.2% rise in the price index for new construction. From May 2017 to May 2018, the producer price index for aluminum mill shapes leaped 17.3%; 13.9% for lumber and plywood; 13.8% for copper and brass mill shapes; and 10.5% for steel mill products. Diesel fuel was up 44.5%; asphalt felts and coatings were up 8.9%; ready-mixed concrete was up 6.5%; and paving mixtures and blocks were up 5.2%. The impact from the steel and aluminum tariffs imposed on imports from Canada, Mexico and the European Union, which went into effect May 31, was not measured in these increases. LOCAL | June 13, 2018 The Murphy administration has proposed issuing a $600 million bond to cover New Jersey Transit’s share of the cost of replacing the nearly 110-year-old Portal Bridge across the Hackensack River near Secaucus Junction (Hudson County). Replacing the bridge, which is owned by the federal government, is estimated at $1.5 billion. A sizable New Jersey contribution could be the catalyst to obtain matching federal funds. Yesterday the NJ EDA board approved a preliminary bond resolution and funding agreement with NJ Transit. LOCAL | June 12, 2018 An empty lot bordering Asbury Park on the north end of Ocean Grove (an unincorporated area within Neptune Township in Monmouth County) may be turned into a mixed-use site with a 40-room hotel, condos, single-family homes, restaurants, shops and parking. The land owner is Michael Badger, President of the Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Association, who formed Ocean Grove North End Development LLC to develop the site. No timeline has been established for the project. LOCAL | June 12, 2018 The Elizabeth (Union County) City Council plans to grant a tax break to 190 Union Redevelopment Urban Renewal LLC, developer of the Vinty mixed-use project on city-owned land at 190 Union Street between West Union and West Jersey streets. The plans call for 267 residential rental units, parking, a café, restaurant, greenhouse, retail spaces and an outdoor courtyard with pool. Phase II, a new building to be located at 100-134 Price Street and 69-73 West Jersey Street, also on city-owned property across the street from the first Vinty building, will include 63 market-rate rental units, 1,000 square feet of retail space and 72 parking spaces for residents. River Trail Park, a half-acre recreational area along the nearby Elizabeth River, is also planned. LOCAL | June 12, 2018 Central Jersey is one section of the state seeing strong demand for and a limited supply of state-of-the-art warehouse facilities because of increased port activity and online shopping. CBRE, the commercial real estate firm, released a report in late May stating projected rents for warehouse space in Central Jersey indicate the area could support more warehouses and distribution centers. Based on the 21% gap between rental rates on new warehouse construction and the rent needed to cover overall development costs in Central Jersey, CBRE reports warehouse development would remain profitable. NATIONAL | June 12, 2018 According to a study from the Florida Department of Transportation, highway work zones that use blue flashing lights on stationary police vehicles are safer, as the lights caused drivers to slow down three to four miles-per-hour as they approached the work zone. The lights also reduced speeding (more than 65 mph) by 10 to 20%. In addition to the speed reduction, drivers were also slightly more likely to change lanes and move away from the work zone when they noticed the blue flashing lights. LOCAL | June 6, 2018 Waleed Mohammad and Muhmood Ahmadi of Livingston have proposed a three-story mixed-use for 478-482 Springfield Avenue between Holland and Blum streets, three tracts in Newark’s Central Ward that are part of the Kent/Brenner/Springfield Redevelopment Area. The proposal, for 14 one-bedroom apartments on the upper two floors and three commercial spaces plus one residential unit on the ground floor, must be approved by the Newark Zoning Board; the owners/developers seek a variance for the ground-floor apartment. A vacant three-story building currently sits on part of the site. LOCAL | June 5, 2018 Cumberland County Technical Education Center will get a new $25 million healthcare science building to meet student demand for the school’s Health Science and Medicine program. With construction tentatively scheduled to begin in the fall, the 55,000-square-foot building will be constructed on the current site of the Cumberland County College softball field, adjacent to the CCTEC building off College Drive and connected via a hallway extension. The Cumberland County Improvement Authority is in charge of design and construction services for the project; plans are currently under DOE review. NATIONAL | June 5, 2018 The requirement, proposed in 2010 but never put into effect, stated the crane operator be certified for specific lifting capacity. The latest proposed rule eliminates it and, according to the OSHA press release, “would expand the type of certification programs for crane operators.” It more clearly determines crane operator certification requirements and reinstates the employer responsibility to ensure qualified crane operators. The operator certification compliance date was extended until November 10, 2018, and this latest proposed rule is open for comment until June 20. For details, visit www.osha.gov. LOCAL | June 4, 2018 Sale of property owned by the City of Newark to a private developer, AC and J Restoration Group of Newark (836 South 19th Street), could mean that seven congruent parcels of land will become the site of Scott Towers, a mixed-use development with 90 affordable and market-rate residential units, 35 parking spaces and one retail space. The lots, currently vacant and gated, are listed as 333, 337 and 339 Mulberry Street, and 17, 19, 21 and 23 Scott Street in the Central Ward. The Newark Central Planning Board and the Newark Zoning Board of Adjustment must approve the proposal. If approved, the project must begin within three months of the sale and be completed within two years. LOCAL | June 4, 2018 Through Atlantic City’s site assessment program to spur development of contaminated property, Asbury Park developer Patrick Fasano has received a grant to assess land he would like to turn into a mixed-use development. The beach block between New York Avenue and Saint James Place, now vacant, could become a food court and 40 apartments. The brownfield assessments are funded through a $300,000 EPA grant announced in January. LOCAL | May 31, 2018 As we posted in Hot Topics in recent years, Fishermen’s Energy had twice tried for approval of its pilot, 24-megawatt offshore wind project, and twice had the project rejected by BPU, despite securing federal funds for it. Now Fishermen’s Energy will reapply and has agreed to allow the project to be purchased by EDF Renewable Energy, a global firm with corporate headquarters in San Diego and grid-scale wind projects across the US. NATIONAL | May 31, 2018 Nearly 72% of metro areas – 256 of 358 – saw an increase in construction jobs this April compared to a year ago. The tally in New Jersey, however, continues to be uneven. Atlantic City-Hammonton landed in the top five metros, adding 1,000 jobs for a 19% jump. Vineland-Bridgeton also fared well, adding 300 jobs for the year period, a healthy 12% gain, and Trenton added 400 jobs, an 8% gain. The other four New Jersey metros lost jobs for the year-over-year: Bergen-Hudson-Passaic shed 700 jobs, a 2% dip; Camden lost 800 jobs, a 4% drop; Newark lost 2,000 jobs, also a 4% drop; and Middlesex-Monmouth-Ocean lost 2,900 jobs, a 7% drop. NATIONAL | May 29, 2018 AGC of America released the results of its annual work zone safety survey last week, announcing 54% of the 550 contractors who completed the survey report motor vehicles had crashed into their construction work zones during the past year. Of those, 48% said motor vehicle operators or passengers were injured, 24% of the crashes resulted in a driver or passenger fatality, 25% of the crashes caused injuries to construction workers and 3% resulted in the death of a worker. In addition, 53% of the responding contractors reported crashes delayed highway work for at least one day. In response to the latest survey results, AGC of America has launched a new targeted mobile advertising campaign, urging those who regularly commute through highway work zones to be watchful and careful, reaching drivers in Pittsburgh, St. Louis, Birmingham, AL, and Evansville, IN. The ads appear when the mobile phone user opens a web browser or an app with ads – and won’t appear unless the user can safely use the phone. During the first three weeks of the campaign, 1.5 million motorists have seen the ads and several thousand have clicked on an ad to view more highway work zone safety tips. LOCAL | May 23, 2018 Newark’s MX-3 district – Mixed-Use 3 Residential and Commercial Zone – in the Ironbound could lead to construction of a new 12-story building with 403 units, 3,300 square feet of retail and 196 parking spaces. The 1.25-acre site lies at 28-50 McWhorter Street, 51-57 Union Street and 108 Hamilton Street near Newark Penn Station and is currently a fenced parking lot. The owner/developer is 28 McWhorter Street LLC, registered at the same address as J&L Parking Corporation in Roseland. LOCAL | May 23, 2018 With 1,500 craftworkers on the American Dream jobsite at least five days a week in the Meadowlands, there is a lot of construction activity. The public can watch it real-time live on the EarthCam: https://www.earthcam.net/projects/americandream/meadowlands/ NATIONAL | May 21, 2018 After talks between the US and China, both countries have halted proposed tariffs. The US had threatened steel and aluminum tariffs, China had in return threatened tariffs on aircraft, soybeans, cars, pork, wine, fruit and nuts. An agreement to reduce the trade deficit, in which China would buy more US goods, resulting in both sides backing off from punitive tariffs. LOCAL | May 21, 2018 Although funding for the massive Gateway program hasn’t been finalized, a relocation project to move utilities out of the path of Section 3 of the Hudson Yards Concrete Casing project will secure a critical concrete construction path for a future tunnel under Hudson Yards on Manhattan’s West Side. The project involves Long Island Railroad’s emergency services building and was planned by the Port Authority in collaboration with LIRR and the Related Cos. working on the Hudson Yards project. LOCAL | May 21, 2018 Brick Township (Ocean County) has approved a 79,000-square-foot multi-use indoor sports complex on Route 70 at Brick Blvd., site of the long-vacant Foodtown shopping center. The complex, a sports dome, will include training facilities for baseball, basketball, field hockey, football, lacrosse, soccer, surfing and volleyball, feature an arcade, host birthday parties and could be expanded for other entertainment and recreation. A commercial complex will screen the front of the facility and could include pads for retail stores and a restaurant. According to Brick officials, the owner wants to open the sports facility by November. LOCAL | May 21, 2018 Because of partnerships with various manufacturers, County College of Morris will build a $10 million, 30,000-square-foot engineering and manufacturing facility to expand its education and workforce development programs, scheduled for a Fall 2019 opening. Plans include an electronics assembly lab and webinar technology. The building that currently houses the manufacturing and engineering equipment will be dedicated to health sciences and get its own expansion – a state-of-the-art virtual hospital. Funding for the new center comes from the county, state and private donors. NATIONAL | May 21, 2018 Construction jobs ramped up in 29 states for the month from March to April and in 38 states for the year-over-year period, April 2017 to April 2018. New Jersey added 700 jobs for the month, a 0.5% increase, but lost 500 for the year period, down 0.3%. In the region, Connecticut lost 200 jobs for the month, a 0.3% drop, but gained 1,200 for the year period, up 2.1%. Delaware also lost jobs for the month, down 400 for a 1.7% drop, but added 500 over last year, up 2.3%. Pennsylvania dropped 700 jobs for the month, a 0.3% loss, and 10,000 for the year period, a 4.1% slide. Rhode Island shed 200 jobs for the month, down 1.1%, but added the same number for the year period, a 1.1% gain. Only New York picked up jobs for both periods, adding 900 jobs for the month, up 0.2%, and 9,500 for the year, up 2.5%. LOCAL | May 21, 2018 A five-story mixed-use with three residential units and 881 square feet of ground-floor retail at 630 Adams Street in Hoboken will replace the existing three-story single-family built in 1901 and now owned by developer 630 Adams LLC, registered out of Hoboken City Real Estate. The new mixed-use will include an elevator to the three residential units – two duplexes and a simplex – and a green roof. LOCAL | May 17, 2018 Following up on our Hot Topics posting on April 10, the Voorhees (Camden County) Township Committee will use eminent domain to seize the Echelon Mall property with the expectation of revitalizing it. The Committee designated parts of Voorhees Town Center as “condemnation redevelopment areas,” which allows the town to seek a court ruling to force the sale of the mostly vacant mall, owned by Namdar Realty of Great Neck NY. LOCAL | May 17, 2018 As we posted in Hot Topics on May 2, Newark released its application to Amazon for the HQ2 project. In the application, letters from various developers reveal plans for Newark. LOCAL | May 17, 2018 Avenir, a project planned for 1072 and 1075 West Side Avenue in Jersey City, was approved in 2016 by the Planning Board as a mixed-use with 486 units, 384 parking spaces and 25,242 square feet of retail. It was never built, and now the owner, Amerestate Holdings, has listed the 3.35-acre property for sale for $50 million. The existing approvals mean construction could start immediately after the sale. Jersey City officials hope to construct a PATH Station in the same neighborhood. LOCAL | May 17, 2018 Per the terms of the US Supreme Court ruling on Monday, the former Garden State Park racetrack could be home to a new sports betting facility. The 10-acre site at Route 70 and Garden State Blvd. in Cherry Hill (Camden County), owned by Pennwood (a partnership between Penn National Gaming and Parx), still has the brick-and-wrought-iron gate of the former racetrack. LOCAL | May 15, 2018 Meridian Capital Group has landed a $7.6 million construction loan for a new five-story, 58-unit residential building at 51 North Walnut Street in East Orange (Essex County). The property is located within a couple of blocks of the East Orange and Brick Church train stations. LOCAL | May 14, 2018 Last Friday, the NJ EDA approved an agreement with Devco, the New Brunswick Development Corp., to establish up to four million square feet of commercial development on a 12-acre site known as The Hub in downtown New Brunswick. EDA also approved a $2 million limited partnership investment in Edison Properties IX, a group formed earlier this year to support technology firms with revenues between $5 and $25 million and 40 to 50 personnel at the time of the initial investment. LOCAL | May 14, 2018 A 16-unit residential building with two retail spaces on the ground floor has been proposed for 327 Communipaw Avenue, at the northwest corner of Pine Street, in the Morris Canal Redevelopment area of Bergen-Lafayette in Jersey City. The developer is 327 Communipaw Ave. LLC, approved as redeveloper by the Jersey City Redevelopment Agency in March. A two-story building has been on the site for many years; the proposal did not specify the number of floors planned for the new construction. LOCAL | May 14, 2018 Last Thursday, a ceremonial groundbreaking kicked off a planned five-story, 119,000-square-foot mixed-use project at 389 Main Street in Hackensack that will hold 82 contemporary residential units and 3,500 square feet of retail space. The structure is a key part of Hackensack’s Rehabilitation Plan, which calls for 389 properties on 163 acres. The mixed-use is scheduled to be completed this fall. The Hampshire Cos., NAI James E. Hanson Inc. and Claremont Cos. are the real estate redevelopers. LOCAL | May 14, 2018 The Camden County Improvement Authority is seeking bids for a feasibility study to determine if Camden County College should construct a new indoor athletic complex on the Blackwood Campus “that could provide additional revenue streams.” The arena might include seating that falls somewhere between the 2,400 seats of the campus’ current Joseph Papiano Gymnasium and large arenas like the 10,000-seat Liacouras Center at Temple University in Philadelphia. LOCAL | May 14, 2018 The Kroc Center at Cramer Hill in Camden plans a $2.5 million project that would include a 4,400-square-foot combination gym and multipurpose room plus a turf field for soccer games and shade structures for the existing pool and play areas. The addition would be available for community rentals; expected completion for both the field and addition is by year-end. NATIONAL | May 10, 2018 Construction materials costs rose in April at the fastest year-over-year rate since 2011, according to AGC’s analysis of US DOL data released yesterday. The producer price index for inputs to construction increased 1% for April and 6.4% over the 12 months since April 2017, and the PPI for nonresidential construction increased 1.1% for the month and 4.2% year-over-year, indicating that costs are quickly outpacing contractor profit margins. Year-over-year materials cost increases: 11.9% jump for aluminum mill shapes; 11% rise for lumber and plywood; 7.4% bump for steel mill products; 41.6% leap for diesel fuel; 10.5% increase for copper and brass mill shapes; 7.5% rise for gypsum products; 6.9% rise for ready-mix concrete; and 6% rise for freight transportation. LOCAL | May 10, 2018 Next to the West Side Plaza shopping center, the address is 313 Jackson Street between 3rd and 4th streets in Hoboken, a 2,500-square-foot site that currently holds a three-story single-family home with a separate two-car garage. As approved by the Planning Board on April 3, developer Kore Realty LLC of Montville (Morris County) plans a five-story building with 16 residential units (four each on the top four floors) and 831 square feet of retail space on the ground floor. All apartments will be three bedrooms; the highest unit will have a private deck. Bike rack and garbage area will be included. LOCAL | May 10, 2018 A JV between SJP Properties and Aetna Realty of NYC has proposed building office and retail space, a hotel and residential units, and a large public plaza in as much as two million square feet on a 3.7-acre site next to NJ Transit’s Newark Broad Street Station. New York architect Gensler has been tapped to design the space. LOCAL | May 10, 2018 A blighted eight acres on Route 70 and Park Blvd (North Park Drive) in Cherry Hill (Camden County) that formerly held America’s Best Value Inn, Palace of Asia restaurant and Living Faith Christian Academy will be transformed into apartments overlooking Cooper River Park. The 192 units will include 29 affordable units; 176 will be garden-style apartments and 16 will be stacked flats. The developer will likely be CHLA, an affiliate of First Montgomery Group. LOCAL | May 10, 2018 A new $14 million aquatic center could be built at the Cape May County Airport, based on a feasibility study presented to the Lower Township Council this week. It could feature a 25-meter swimming pool, an ADA-compliant physical therapy pool, locker rooms, administrative office space and a social hall. The township is considering shared-service options and is applying for a $15 million grant from the Cape May County Open Space Board to fund the project. LOCAL | May 10, 2018 Jefferson Washington Township Hospital on Hurffville-Cross Keys Road in Turnersville (Gloucester County) ceremoniously broke ground yesterday on its $205 million expansion. In the first of two phases, the project will include a $23 million eight-level parking garage with 800+ spaces, plus another 340 surface parking spaces. Phase two, scheduled to begin in March 2019, will be construction of a seven-floor patient tower with 60 private rooms, plus space for another 60 private rooms if needed. In the tower: a new main entrance to the hospital; a two-story, light-filled lobby; a cafeteria with outdoor seating; a same-day surgery unit and recovery room; and a new central processing distribution center. LOCAL | May 8, 2018 The 64-acre Colgate-Palmolive site that runs across Morris Township and Morristown in Morris County will become a residential/retail mixed-use complex with a 150,000-square-foot shopping center, 143 townhomes and 60 rental apartments. Most of it will be situated in Morris Township; a second phase will be in Morristown. JMF Properties of Whippany (also Morris County) owns the property and will develop it, expecting to break ground soon. The buildings have all been razed. LOCAL | May 8, 2018 Onyx Equities will redevelop a 7.8-acre site at 440 Franklin Turnpike in Mahwah (Bergen County), currently holding a vacant office building. With redevelopment site approval from the township, the developer plans to build a 120,000-square-foot warehouse and distribution facility with 6,000 square feet of mezzanine office space. Project completion is expected sometime in 2019. LOCAL | May 8, 2018 The grant, from the US Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Authority, will be used for infrastructure needed to improve access for vessels as they are repaired in dry dock at the former Marine Ocean Terminal in Bayonne. Included in the plans: demolition and rebuild of two existing platforms, E1 and E2, categorized as failing. The project is expected to create 75 jobs and generate $19.5 million in private investment. LOCAL | May 8, 2018 A $12 million renovation of Bergenfield’s municipal center at 198 North Washington Avenue is slated to begin in September, with a completion date in early 2020. The project will gut the entire three-story-plus-basement interior but preserve the exterior of the building, which was built in 1925. Proposed plans include repairs to the parking lot; exterior masonry repairs; window replacement; front canopy repairs; interior reconfiguration of space; replacement and repair of interior finishes; bathroom upgrades; ADA compliance upgrades; new stair towers; mechanical/electrical/plumbing system upgrades; and structural repairs. NATIONAL | May 3, 2018 On Tuesday, the White House announced it would postpone for a month its decision to impose steel and aluminum tariffs on Canada, Mexico and the European Union – the three largest suppliers of steel to the US. The tariff exemption on the three was set to expire at midnight on Tuesday. To date, South Korea has won a permanent exemption, and exemptions for Australia, Argentina and Brazil appear to be in the works. NATIONAL | May 3, 2018 Of 358 metro areas in the US, 245 (68%) added construction jobs for the year between March 2017 and March 2018, while 67 shed jobs and 46 remained at the same level of construction employment. New Jersey’s picture was uneven for the year-over-year period, with Atlantic City-Hammonton picking up 600 jobs for a whopping 12% gain and Vineland-Bridgeton adding 300 jobs for an impressive 13% gain. Other increases were seen in Bergen-Hudson-Passaic, which added 600 jobs for a 2% rise, and Trenton, which added 400 jobs, a comfortable 8% jump. However, three other New Jersey metros had substantial job losses for the period: Newark lost 1,700 jobs, a 4% drop, which put it in the bottom five in the country; Camden lost 1,500 jobs, a 7% drop; and Middlesex-Monmouth-Ocean lost 1,300 jobs, a 4% drop. While many firms across the country were concerned about the impending impact of steel and aluminum tariffs, it’s also worth noting that in New Jersey we suffered three snowstorms during March, which undoubtedly affected construction projects and employment. LOCAL | May 2, 2018 As we posted in Hot Topics, a Lidl supermarket has been approved for the former Nike missile base on Berlin-Cross Keys Road in Gloucester Township. Now the German chain proposes a second one – 25,400 square feet on 3.3 acres at the Commerce Plaza II complex on Blackwood-Clementon Road (between the existing Cherrywood Liquors and the closed Friendly’s restaurant). The vacant shopping center on the site would be demolished and much of the existing parking lot repaved while a 100’x230’ pad would be seeded. The Gloucester Township Planning Board will review the proposal on May 8 when Lidl seeks Final Major Site Plan Approval and variances. LOCAL | May 2, 2018 The Woods at Toms River, a 141-unit apartment complex on Route 9 between Sunset Avenue and Church Road in Toms River (Ocean County), was approved by the town’s Planning Board. The building will be a mix of 113 market-rate apartments and 28 affordable units. However, the 32,000-square-foot retail building next to the apartments, which was planned for 12 to 15 stores, was not approved. The project developer is 1606 Lakewood Road LLC. LOCAL | May 2, 2018 Until this week, Newark officials (at the request of Amazon) have refused to release details of its bid for the Amazon HQ2. Now they have opened up some details while redacting six pages of financials that explain the $7 billion tax incentives. Here are the proposals revealed: LOCAL | April 26, 2018 NJIT and Newark officials announced the start of a redevelopment project in the University Heights section of Newark that will produce a new mixed-use apartment and retail building. Gateway MLK, being developed by PRC Group, involves remediating and razing a building at 240 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., and replacing it with a new building with 99 market-rate apartments, 1,300 square feet of ground-floor retail and 100 parking spaces. Asbestos abatement and demolition will begin in early 2019, and construction on the new building will begin in spring 2020. NATIONAL | April 23, 2018 While 38 states and DC added construction jobs for the year-over-year period, March 2017 to March 2018, only 29 added jobs for the month from February to March. Pennsylvania leaped to the top five for the year period with 13,600 jobs, a 5.6% gain, while New Jersey fell among the bottom five for the same period, losing 1,800 jobs, a 1.2% drop. New York lost the most construction jobs for the month, down 5,200 jobs, a 1.3% drop, and New Jersey and Rhode Island were also among the bottom five for the month, shedding 1,400 jobs, a 0.9% dip, and 500 jobs, a 2.6% drop, respectively. But Rhode Island added 300 jobs for the year-over-year, edging up 1.6%. New York showed a strong year-over-year gain of 8,200 jobs, a 2.1% rise, and Pennsylvania remained positive for the month period, adding 200 jobs for a 0.08% rise. Connecticut and Delaware added jobs for both periods: Connecticut gained 500 jobs for the month, a 0.8% increase, and 1,000 jobs for the year-over-year, a 1.7% rise; while Delaware gained 100 jobs for the month, a 0.4% increase, and 800 jobs for the year-over-year, a 3.6% jump. LOCAL | April 23, 2018 Last week, bridge and road experts in Cape May County presented proposals for to repair or replace three bridges, depending on cost. The three bridges, built in 1939 along 2.75 miles of Ocean Drive between Exit 0, Route 109 in Lower Township and Madison Avenue in Wildwood Crest, are showing serious aging issues: In addition, Ocean Drive’s roadbed would be raised to address flooding and add protection against “100-year” storms like Sandy. The four phases of the proposed plan would each take at least two years to complete. Public meetings are planned for May. LOCAL | April 20, 2018 Front Street in Jersey City lies between Journal Square and McGinley Square, a short, dead-end block on which a developer, 16 Front Street LLC (registered out of Freehold Township in Monmouth County at the same address as MYK Builders), has proposed building a five-story, 25-unit apartment building on a single-family lot with 13 bicycles spots but no parking spaces for cars. The lot is included in the Journal Square 2060 Redevelopment Plan Area and the Palisades Preservation Overlay District. The developer, which owns the property, has asked for Preliminary and Final Site Plan approval with a variance for front yard setback. The project is on the Jersey City Planning Board agenda for the April 24 meeting. LOCAL | April 20, 2018 The Monmouth Mall Planning Board held another hearing on the redesign plan, in which the owners presented architectural plans for the mixed-use structure that would hold 700 apartments. Eatontown Monmouth Mall LLC, made up of Kushner Cos. and Rouse Properties, wants board approval for new retail, recreational and commercial uses for the mall, in addition to the residential component. The proposed architecture is podium-style, using multiple stories of wood over an elevated concrete slab and giving the appearance of multiple buildings with varying heights of 47, 54, 65 and 75 feet. A bridge connects the elements to form a continuous building. At the next hearing, scheduled for May 7, the board requested the developer to present apartment floor plans and a drawing of the buffer design with leafless (winter) trees. LOCAL | April 18, 2018 The latest opening date from American Dream Meadowlands developer Triple Five is March 2019. The mall/entertainment destination is expected to offer an 8.5-acre Nickelodeon Universe theme park, two roller coasters, an indoor ski and snowboard park (billed as the first in North America), a Ferris wheel, an ice rink and a 1,400-seat movie theater, plus more than 450 retailers, including Century 21, European Primark and Microsoft. LOCAL | April 18, 2018 Gov. Murphy announced this week that the state will end Jeffrey Chiesa’s oversight of Atlantic City within 30 days. Per a statement from the Governor’s office: LOCAL | April 18, 2018 Cedarbridge in Lakewood (Ocean County) will get a new four-story, 75,000-square-foot office building, a Chase Bank and a 23,000-square-foot retail operation, a total of three structures plus 600 parking spaces that received initial approval from the Township Planning Board this week. Developers are listed as Ave of the State Office LLC and AOTSR LLC, affiliated with Empire State Holdings. The site, on the corner of Cedar Bridge Avenue and Avenue of the States, is part of the 86 acres that holds FirstEnergy Park (home of the Lakewood BlueClaws). LOCAL | April 16, 2018 The North Bergen (Hudson County) Liberty Generating Project, proposed by Diamond Generating Corp. of Los Angeles (a subsidiary of Mitsubishi), would be a $1.5 billion natural gas plant in the Meadowlands. Generating 1,200 megawatts of electricity, the plant would transport the power via underground cable to Manhattan. The proposed site is 15 acres between Railroad Avenue and Bellman’s Creek already zoned for a power plant. With connections to the Transco pipeline for natural gas and the Bergen County Utilities Authority in Little Ferry for treated wastewater to cool the plant, the 6.5-mile underground cable would run from the plant through North Bergen, Fairview, Cliffside Park and Edgewater, cross the Hudson and end at ConEdison’s 49th Street substation. The company is seeking NJDEP permits. LOCAL | April 16, 2018 Union Packaging LLC could relocate from Yeardon, PA, to Camden if it takes advantage of an EDA-approved Grow New Jersey tax incentive of $10.6 million. In return, the company would purchase a former commercial laundry building on Broadway in the 2200 block and build a 35,100-square-foot addition, making a capital investment of $10.6 million with plans to occupy the site in May 2019. LOCAL | April 16, 2018 Walmart plans to spend $68 million over the next year to open a new store and expand and remodel 12 other stores in New Jersey, along with adding instore and online money-saving programs. Plans include a new “Supercenter” in Mount Laurel (Burlington County), expansions in North Brunswick (Middlesex County), Cinnaminson (Burlington County) and Rio Grande (Cape May County), and remodels in Cinnaminson, Lumberton (Burlington County), Marlton (Burlington County), Rio Grande, Turnersville (Gloucester County), Kearny (Hudson County), Woodbridge (Middlesex County), North Brunswick, Brick (Ocean County), Howell (Monmouth County) and Boonton (Morris County). LOCAL | April 16, 2018 Three projects are waiting for approval in Brick Township (Ocean County); all three were proposed previously and presented again in new versions: LOCAL | April 10, 2018 Yesterday, the state Division of Gaming Enforcement released data on Atlantic City casino profits showing a 22.5% jump in gross operating profits and a 5% rise in net gaming revenue in 2017, compared to 2016. The seven casinos reported nearly $133 million more for a total of $2.67 billion, including online gaming, which picked up more than $25 million in 2017. Borgata came in at #1 as usual, reporting more than $290 million in profits, up 19.5% over last year. Tropicana had the biggest percentage increase, up 71% with profits of $92 million. Adding to the positive trend, AC’s casino hotels enjoyed higher occupancy rates and average room rates compared to 2016. LOCAL | April 10, 2018 In late March, Voorhees (Camden County) officials voted to allow the town to take over and redevelop the Echelon Mall – now called Voorhees Town Center – at Somerdale and Burnt Mill roads. While no future plans currently exist for the 665,000-square-foot complex on 40 acres, the move makes eminent domain a possible lure for developers to propose a redevelopment plan. The mall is roughly 50% occupied and includes the now-vacant Macy’s. The current owner is Namdar Realty Group of Great Neck NY. NATIONAL | April 9, 2018 For the year-over-year from February 2017 to February 2018, 257 of 358 metropolitan areas in the US added construction jobs, about 72%, reflecting strong demand for construction across the country. In New Jersey, however, only four of seven metros saw an uptick in construction employment for the period. Vineland-Bridgeton saw a 13% jump with the addition of 300 jobs; Trenton followed with an 11% hike from 500 new jobs; Atlantic City-Hammonton’s healthy 8% increase was based on 400 new jobs; and Bergen-Hudson-Passaic noted a 3% rise on 800 new jobs. Declines were recorded in Middlesex-Monmouth-Ocean, with a 5% drop on the loss of 1,700 jobs; Camden, with a 3% slide on the loss of 600 jobs; and Newark, with a 2% drop on the loss of 900 jobs. LOCAL | April 2, 2018 RBH Group, the developer that spearheaded Newark’s Teachers Village and proposed the Four Corners Millennium Project, would like to begin construction on the Paramount Theater in 2019. The project at 193-195 Market Street is expected to preserve and restore the theater’s façade and build a new structure behind it that would hold 220 residential units with 23,900 square feet of retail or commercial space on the street level and another 25,828 square feet for retail or commercial on the second floor. A residents’ lobby and parking are also included in the proposal. LOCAL | April 2, 2018 KMS Development Partners of Philadelphia and Hoboken officials have agreed on a new design for the proposed Hilton Hotel, which will now rise 17 stories instead of 20. Plans also include a rooftop bar, 15th-floor banquet hall and parking garage. The proposal originally called for the hotel to be built in conjunction with the US Post Office, which owns the waterfront property on Sinatra Drive between 1st and Newark streets; plans remain in place to build a larger enclosed loading dock for the Post Office at 1st and River streets, renovate the existing Post Office and add an underground parking garage. Next step is designating KMS as the redeveloper, on the agenda for the April 4 City Council meeting. Specific plans and a redevelopment agreement will need to follow before construction can start. LOCAL | April 2, 2018 The four-tract site, at 309 and 325 Routes 1/9 Truck in Jersey City’s Ward B, could be transformed into a retail or commercial project, as proposed by M & M Realty Partners LLC. Leadership of M & M includes Jack Morris, president and CEO of Edgewood Properties in Piscataway, and Joe Marino, head of ACCNJ member Century 21 Construction of Clifton. The land, owned by Jersey City, is part of the PJP Landfill Superfund Site, now described by the EPA as no longer contaminated. Plans for the site still need approval from the Jersey City Planning Board. LOCAL | April 2, 2018 The $29.99 Tennis Shoes Wearhouse, located in the building at 530 52nd Street between Bergenline Avenue and JFK Blvd. in West New York (Hudson County), could become part of a residential redevelopment proposed by Amir Elsherbini of West New York Luxury LLC of Hillsborough. The proposed structure would be five stories with 24 units on the top four floors, parking on the ground floor with 22 resident spaces. The developer is seeking variances for use, lot area, building height and parking. LOCAL | April 2, 2018 Still in concept stage, a new Children’s Museum could become part of Morristown, within walking distance of public transportation. Sara Sorenson of Bernards Township and Nicole Pittaluga envision “dig! Children’s Museum of New Jersey” with a STEM theme, occupying 40,000 square feet of new or renovated space. LOCAL | April 2, 2018 Planned for 240 Mantua Grove Road near I-295 and Route 130 in West Deptford (Gloucester County), Amazon’s distribution center would be 650,000 square feet. Approved by the West Deptford Planning Board last fall, the project has no construction or opening dates yet. LOCAL | April 2, 2018 Last week, Middle Township (Cape May County) approved ordinances that establish redevelopment plans for commercial areas in the township. One site is land off Route 47 North that holds a former concrete factory; the other covers all land along Route 9 in Court House and commercial areas just east of Route 9. Also included in the ordinances are parcels on the north side of Stone Harbor Blvd. east of the Garden State Parkway; retail areas at Dennisville Road and Route 9 (Acme and Big Lots are located in shopping areas at that intersection); land in Rio Grande North on Route 9 and Rio Grande South from Route 9 to Fulling Mill Road; sites in Burleigh around the former Lamonica clam processing plant; land along Wildwood Blvd.; and certain lots on Indian Trail Road between Route 9 and Shunpike Road. All the properties are zoned commercial. The Township hopes to attract private investment and could offer tax abatements. LOCAL | March 28, 2018 A 350-acre tract in Linden (Union County), recently purchased by a partnership of Advance Realty and Greek Development, could become home to Class A warehouse space. The land is off Trembly Point Road, which roughly parallels the Rahway River, and is located less than 10 miles from the Port of New York and New Jersey. Real estate experts expect the larger container ships coming through the ports since the raising of the Bayonne Bridge will increase the demand in New Jersey for warehouse space of all kinds. LOCAL | March 27, 2018 On the agenda for the March 22 meeting of the Jersey City Zoning Board of Adjustment, developer 350 Pavonia Group LLC is asking for Preliminary and Final Site Plan Approval for a six-story residential building with 45 one- and two-bedroom units and 21 parking spaces at 348 Baldwin Avenue between Washburn Street and the Divided Highway (Hoboken Ave and Route 139). An operating Delta gas station currently resides on the site. Renderings show the building could include a bike area in the parking deck, plus an amenities room and residential lobby. LOCAL | March 27, 2018 A five-story multifamily building with 14 units and 14 parking spaces is proposed for a lot at 6000-6002 Jefferson Street in West New York (Hudson County) at the corner of 60th Street, where two single-family homes now stand. The developer, 6000-60002 Jefferson Street LLC, based in Moonachie (Bergen County) is seeking Preliminary and Final Site Plan Approval with variances (lot coverage, density and lot area). NATIONAL | March 27, 2018 In 38 states, construction firms added jobs for the month from January to February, and in 35 states and DC, they added jobs for the year-over-year period from February 2016 to February 2017. New Jersey landed in the top 10 states for the month, adding 2,100 jobs for a 1.4% gain, but slid to the bottom 10 for the year period, losing 1,200 jobs for a 0.8% drop. In the region, Connecticut added 1,500 jobs for the month, a 2.6% hike that was the highest monthly percentage jump in the nation, but lost 100 jobs year-over-year, a 0.2% slip. Delaware added 300 jobs for the month, up 1.3%, and 1,100 jobs for the year period, up 5%. New York added 7,700 jobs for the month, the highest of all states, up 2%, and 11,000 jobs for the year period, a 2.9% rise. Pennsylvania added 3,800 jobs for the month, up 1.5%, and 10,800 for the year period, up 4.4%. Rhode Island added 100 jobs for the month, a 0.5% increase, and 400 for the year period, a 2.1% rise. LOCAL | March 20, 2018 Governor Murphy yesterday announced he is looking for a New Brunswick (Middlesex County) site to be transformed into an innovation hub for research and start-ups. The land, off Easton Avenue next to the NJ Transit rail station, is owned by the city, managed by DevCo and approved for up to four million square feet of commercial development. The Governor has asked EDA to begin a planning and implementation study and identify potential partners for “The Hub.” NATIONAL | March 16, 2018 Across the country, construction employment posted gains in 248 of 358 metro areas (nearly 70%), fell in 68 and remained the same in 42 from January 2017 to January 2018. Some New Jersey metros didn’t fare well in the year-over-year period, however, as Camden came in among the bottom five with the loss of 1,700 jobs, an 8% plummet; Middlesex-Monmouth-Ocean lost 1,500 jobs, a 4% drop; and Newark lost 600 jobs, a 1% decline. On the upside, Vineland-Bridgeton added 200 jobs for the year-over-year, a 9% jump; and Atlantic City-Hammonton and Trenton each picked up 200 jobs, a 4% rise for each. NATIONAL | March 15, 2018 The Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs recently issued Directive 2018-01 to standardize the use of Predetermination Notices (PDNs), letters that inform federal contractors of preliminary findings of employment discrimination. While OFCCP regional and district offices have had discretionary power to issue PDNs prior to Notices of Violation, the new directive specifies a uniform protocol for OFCCP staff, who now must issue a PDN at the conclusion of a compliance evaluation if the contractor has not provided adequate explanation for discrimination findings. The PDN gives contractors an additional 15 days to rebut the findings. The directive also orders staff to withhold a Notice of Violation until a PDN has been issued to allow a contractor the additional 15 days to respond to preliminary findings. The directive went into effect February 28, 2018. For more information, visit www.dol.gov/ofccp. LOCAL | March 14, 2018 Last week, Superior Court Judge Mary C. Jacobson ruled in Mercer County that Princeton and West Windsor must ensure 155,000 affordable housing units are built during the next decade. Her ruling could set a precedent for more than 100 other towns whose disputes over affordable-housing obligations are currently or will be under court review. Meanwhile, 190 municipalities or more have already settled with the courts, which determined their affordable-housing obligations. Last week’s ruling could be appealed. LOCAL | March 14, 2018 Tonight, the Jersey City Planning Board is scheduled to hear plans for a six-story mixed-use development at 155 Newark Avenue near Erie Street, along the Newark Avenue Pedestrian Mall. The building would house 17 residential one-bedroom units, a penthouse level on top of the six stories and commercial space on the ground floor and possible the basement level. The penthouse level could contain three duplexes, each with a private outdoor deck and two or three bedrooms. Shulammite LLC of Palisades Park (Bergen County) owns the property and is proposing the development; the site, which is bordered on one side by Christopher Columbus Drive, currently holds an unoccupied two-story building. NATIONAL | March 14, 2018 AGC of America reports prices on many construction materials jumped in February, and told contractors to expect even higher prices when the steel and aluminum tariffs go into effect next week. Overall, the producer price index for inputs to the construction industry, including all goods and services, rose 0.6% in February, a significant one-month hike, with a 4.4% jump over 12 months. The index rose 4.2% for all of 2017 and only 0.9% in 2016. Here’s a list of the increases year-over-year on the index for several products: LOCAL | March 14, 2018 The Montclair (Essex County) Planning Board is scheduled to review new plans for the redevelopment of Lackawanna Station tonight, the latest in a series of proposals for 1 Lackawanna Plaza in Montclair. HP Lackawanna Office LLC and Lackawanna SPE LLC have applied for Preliminary and Final Site Plan approval with variances and design waivers including parking, height and setback, with plans to turn the parking lot across Grove Street from the station, called “East Parcel,” into a four-story residential development with 154 apartments and an outdoor pool above a 130-space parking garage, plus another 100 parking spaces surrounding the building. The “West Parcel” plans call for renovation of the 43,495-square-foot space that formerly held Pathmark, with hopes another supermarket would move in. Also included in the proposal: removal of the interior of the existing shopping mall and retail space and the addition of two more floors with 18,060 square feet of office and medical space. Some of the original train station features would be preserved. NATIONAL | March 14, 2018 In the last two weeks, OSHA issued announcements on silica and beryllium rule compliance: For details on both rules, visit www.osha.gov. LOCAL | March 14, 2018 On a 0.124-acre triangle of land bordered by Ferry Street, Cortland Place and Fleming Avenue in Newark’s East Ward, PM Consulting LLC wants to build a four-story mixed-use development that would house 1,307 square feet of commercial space on the first floor and 10 residential units on the three floors above. The developer has applied for Preliminary and Final Site Plan approval with multiple variances, including density, insufficient lot area and excessive number of signs; a public hearing is scheduled for tomorrow night by the Newark Zoning Board. Currently the lot, listed as 520-526 Ferry Street, contains an unoccupied single-story structure. NATIONAL | March 13, 2018 For the January 2017 to January 2018 year-over-year, 35 states added construction jobs, and 32 states plus DC added jobs for the month from December 2017 to January 2018. New Jersey fell in the middle, losing 1,600 jobs, a 1% drop for the year-over-year but gaining back 1,800, up 1.2% for the month. In the region, New York construction employment remain unchanged for the YOY, and picked up 5,100 jobs, a 1.3% gain, for the month; Pennsylvania added 8,200 for the year, a 3.4% increase, but was a big loser for the month, shedding 4,300 jobs, a 1.7% drop; Connecticut didn’t fare well, losing 1,400 jobs, a 2.4% drop, for the year, and 300 for the month, a 0.5% drop; and Delaware, which gained 700 jobs for the year, a 3.2% increase, lost 100 for the month, a 0.4% drop. Only Rhode Island saw increases both periods, adding 600 jobs for the year, a 3.3% rise, and 300 for the month, a 1.6% increase. LOCAL | March 13, 2018 Landmark Developers’ Frank Cretella has proposed a seven-story, 120-room hotel for 269 and 273 Communipaw Avenue in Jersey City, close to Liberty Science Center, Liberty State Park and the Hudson-Bergen Liberty State Park Light Rail Station. The vacant lot is owned by New Jersey Transit and must be purchased by the developer, who also developed Liberty House Restaurant at Liberty State Park and other local projects. The proposed Morris Hotel project would also include parking, a restaurant and a coffee shop. LOCAL | March 13, 2018 If approved by the Newark Central Planning Board, a proposal to build a 42-story high-rise on Broad Street would create Newark’s tallest building. It would offer 480 residential units (with 20% designated as affordable housing) above 9,000 square feet of commercial space on the ground floor, with a rooftop amenity space for residents. LOCAL | March 13, 2018 Pompton 5 Associates Urban Renewal would like to turn a brick three-story commercial building known as Towne Center at 223 Wanaque Ave. in Pompton Lakes (Passaic County) into a five-story mixed-use residential and retail development with 20 apartments ranging from 750 to 1,800 square feet. The street level and lower back level would be retail space. Currently there is one tenant in the building. LOCAL | March 13, 2018 Built in 1905, the two-story Summit Theater at 1212-1216 Summit Avenue in Union City (Hudson County) closed in 2013. Its current owner, Hung Fat Inc. of West New York, has applied for Site Plan approval with height-related variances to expand and adaptively reuse the theater. Plans include converting the quadplex theater into an indoor basketball court for a non-profit organization and adding two floors with 10 residential units. The application was scheduled to be reviewed by the Union City Zoning Board of Adjustment last week. LOCAL | March 9, 2018 Eight miles of NJDOT roadwork on Route 23 in West Milford (Passaic County) will go out for bid next month, expected to take eight years to complete. The first project includes renovation of two bridge decks near Oak Ridge Reservoir between Doremus and Reservoir roads (carrying north- and southbound traffic), a two-year, $5 to $10 million repair. The bridges are determined structurally deficient and will get new decks, walls, curbs and approach slabs, and possibly repairs to rocker bearings and concrete piers that hold the span above the railroad tracks. The project will be conducted in stages to minimize traffic impact. Other planned projects: LOCAL | March 6, 2018 Costco plans to build a warehouse and gas station on a site in Bayonne’s former Military Ocean Terminal Base, with expected groundbreaking coming this spring. Costco bought a parcel of land from the city that sits between Route 440 and Chosin Few Way, across from Bayonne Fire Station 5. LOCAL | March 6, 2018 PSE&G and Exelon, owners of the Salem nuclear power plant in South Jersey’s Salem County, has halted funding for all capital projects at the plant until legislation is passed that “sufficiently values” nuclear energy, according to the SEC filing. The bill to approve as much as $300 million per year for PSE&G’s New Jersey nuclear plants, S-877, stalled last week when the State Senate postponed a vote. LOCAL | March 6, 2018 The Mount Laurel (Burlington County) School District has started plans to add classrooms at the Larchmont and Fleetwood Elementary Schools. Proposed expansions include a 4,384-square-foot addition at Larchmont and a 5,757-square-foot addition at Fleetwood. NJDOE still must approve final estimated costs and determine eligibility for state funding. The district’s capital funds will also cover some of the cost. LOCAL | March 5, 2018 John Ruga, president of Northeast Precast of Millville who lives in Vineland, is in the process of purchasing a 280-acre site off Lincoln Avenue near Route 55 along the Millville border in Vineland (Cumberland County), with plans to expand his business and develop an industrial park to attract other businesses. The City Council approved the sale and development with Ruga, who is operating as NEP Real Estate of Vineland Urban Renewal for the project. When the sale is complete this month, construction will begin on Phases I and 1A, a 120,000-square-foot steel and multi-use shop, plus installation of a concrete batching plant and the opening of two access driveways from Lincoln Avenue – all to be completed within two years. Phase 2, which could begin at the same time, includes construction of a 400,000-600,000-square-foot master production building, again to be completed within two years. Phase 3, expected to kick off later in 2019 and be completed within five years, calls for construction of corporate offices, and Phase 4, beginning in early 2019 and completed with five years, includes site preparation and building pads for other prospective tenants. Also included in the development plans: 10 acres reserved for expansion of the Vineland Municipal Electric Utility (the Clayville Substation fronts the property on Lincoln Avenue). LOCAL | March 5, 2018 Cooper University Hospital in Camden has applied to the city planning board for a 10,000-square-foot conference center next to the 10-story Roberts Pavilion that would include a single level of executive offices and meeting rooms currently residing in the Pavilion. LOCAL | March 5, 2018 The Rockefeller Group, developer of The Green at Florham Park (Morris County), hired architect Gensler to redesign its proposed office complex, 110 Park Avenue, part of the 268-acre The Green. The new design includes two connected buildings and a central plaza and could offer up to 300,000 square feet of office space. Materials could include timber and cast-in-place concrete, according to the design, which also adds outdoor space on the second and third floors and a large open café. LOCAL | March 5, 2018 Muhlenberg Hospital in Plainfield (Union County), closed since 2008, will become a mixed-use combination of residential units and medical facilities, as approved by the city council in early January. The 186,000-square-foot medical arts component could include primary and specialty care, women’s healthcare, a diagnostic lab and an ambulatory surgical center. The residential portion – 39 one-bedroom units and 81 two-bedrooms with high-end finishes – will also feature a grand lobby, multipurpose rooms, a fitness center and a business center, bike storage and a rooftop terrace. Plainfield expects the project to create 200 construction jobs and 600 permanent jobs, along with approximately $10 million in Community Benefit Payments and a PILOT agreement. The developer is Community Healthcare Associates, doing business as Muhlenberg Urban Renewal LLC; Community Healthcare Associates also repurposed Barnert Hospital in Paterson, Greenville Hospital in Jersey City and the William B. Kessler Memorial Hospital in Hammonton. LOCAL | March 5, 2018 The preliminary design portion of the Walter Rand Transportation Center at Dr. Martin Luther King Blvd. and Broadway in Camden will be covered by a federal Transportation Improvement Program grant of $2 million. When it’s upgraded (Coopers Ferry Partnership estimated the project at $18.5 million five years ago), the hub is hoping to get an adjacent six to 12 stories of offices, apartments and hotel space, a relocation of the bus loading and drop-off areas into a 25-berth sheltered terminal, a 280-space parking deck above the bus terminal, perhaps more stories above the parking garage, and an enclosed bridge that connects the terminal with the PATCO train station across Broadway. LOCAL | March 5, 2018 Developer 256-260 Urban Renewal LLC, an affiliate of real estate firm Blackstone 360, plans to turn the two sites at 256-260 South Harrison Street in East Orange (Essex County) into an 18-story multifamily with 201 rental units (a mix of studios, one-bedrooms and two-bedrooms, some with studies or balconies), 200+ parking spaces, an indoor “amenity” space and a green roof. The lots are located diagonally across from Clay Street, halfway between Melrose and Central avenues. One is vacant, the other has a five-bedroom, single-family vacant house built in 1892 that will be demolished. The developer is seeking Preliminary and Final Major Site Plan approval from the East Orange Zoning Board of Adjustment with variances for density, yard setback and lot coverage. If plans are approved at the board’s March 14 meeting, construction could begin this spring with an 18-month schedule. LOCAL | March 5, 2018 Hanini Group of Newark would like to conduct a historical restoration of the Maple Avenue Elementary School in Newark’s South Ward and convert it into a residential multifamily with a mix of one-bedroom and two-bedroom units, along with parking. The three-story school at 33-47 Maple was built in 1924. The development proposal must be approved by the Newark Central Planning Board; no date is scheduled. LOCAL | March 1, 2018 Project proposals come fast-and-furious for Jersey City. Here are two more, both planned for neighborhoods that currently hold two- and three-story buildings: LOCAL | March 1, 2018 Jersey Central Power & Light plans to boost reliability across its network – 13 counties in North and Central Jersey – with a $357 million investment this year, mostly in replacing remote-controlled substation equipment and 34.5 kilovolt substation circuit breakers. Other projects include upgrading distribution circuit breakers and 90+ circuit upgrades, enhancing security systems, replacing cable and more. LOCAL | March 1, 2018 By proposing two entertainment districts, one in downtown Trenton and the other in the Roebling neighborhood (both in the North Ward), Trenton hopes to encourage economic development in the city. As defined by the city, the downtown district is a triangle bounded by Route 1, East State Street and Route 29 along the river, with South Broad and South Warren as focal points; the Roebling neighborhood is bordered by Route 1, South Broad Street and Hudson Street. Still in its infancy, the entertainment district plan needs to be approved by ordinance of the City Council. LOCAL | February 27, 2018 Late last week, Governor Murphy announced $161 million in municipal aid grants, the highest total awards in NJDOT history and more than double last year’s awards, made possible by the gas tax increase. The grants will go to 505 communities in the state for local road and bridge safety improvement projects. For the list of towns and awards (listed by county), visit www.state.nj.us/transportation/about/press/2018/pdf/2018MuniAid.pdf LOCAL | February 27, 2018 Two Toms River (Ocean County) projects are in the works: LOCAL | February 27, 2018 At an estimated $80 million, Vibe will be a 17-story glass tower with 260 luxury rentals and luxurious amenities on top of retail at the intersection of Halsey and William streets in Newark’s “Living Downtown” Redevelopment Area. Planned in 179,760 square feet of residential space are 54 studios (each 450 square feet), 154 one-bedroom units (each 650 square feet) and 52 two-bedroom units (each 950 square feet). The rest of the total 300,470 square feet will include garage parking with 156 spaces, two restaurants at street level, a coffee bar in the lobby, a state-of-the-art fitness center and indoor/outdoor Pilates and yoga studios on a residential level, plus a rooftop pool, whirlpool spa and outdoor dining area with grills and fire pits. The list of amenities goes on and on…concierge, party room with chef’s kitchen and bar, conference room equipped with A/V, a game room, a covered dog run and a children’s play area. WiFi and Alexa will be built into all apartments and common areas, along with app-based apartment entry, temperature control and package notifications. LOCAL | February 22, 2018 Diversified Realty Advisors and a private investor that formed a joint venture called DRA 30 Court LLC have secured $24.8 million in financing for a 58-unit condo development in Morristown. The 30-month construction loan will cover The Residences at 30 Court’s planned two-bedroom units and for-sale homes ranging from 1,276 to 1,939 square feet, plus a two-story, 131-space parking garage. The site is located a mile from NJ Transit’s Morristown Train Station, within walking distance of the Morristown Green and six miles from I-287 and I-80. Expected completion is 2019. LOCAL | February 21, 2018 The Jersey City Redevelopment Agency has issued RFPs to “qualified developers” for ideas to remake the public parking lot at 693-701 Newark Avenue and 30 Cottage Street near the Five Corners in Journal Square (Ward C). The legal notice states agency is looking for proposals that “maximize the site’s potential and benefit and complement the surrounding area” and the RFP encourages developers to submit proposals with a “boutique hotel component.” Site visit for interested developers is scheduled for tomorrow, and proposals are due March 16. NATIONAL | February 21, 2018 AGC of America’s Chief Economist Ken Simonson warns contractors will pay 4% to 5% more overall this year than last for materials and services. Futures prices for March delivery of softwood lumber are already up 25% over January and February. Steel is rising in response to government policy. Copper, aluminum and diesel fuel prices have all seen large increases. The bump in diesel fuel could result in higher prices for truck transportation and leasing. LOCAL | February 12, 2018 Toms River’s downtown could become a walkable area with apartments, condos and shops, restaurants, craft breweries and micro-distilleries. The new downtown proposal, incorporated in the town’s revised master plan, would require changes in building height limits so multifamily structures, for example, could rise as high as eight to ten stories. The township would like to see developers provide shuttle service from downtown to NJ Transit’s bus station on Highland Parkway. Plans could include a redesigned, relocated post office, which could move from West Water Street to the corner of Irons and Water and become a three-story facility topped by six more stories of residential units. If a “transit village” design is adopted, multifamily housing could be built next to the bus station and traffic patterns revised to allow better circulation – such as extending Herflicker Blvd. to Highland Parkway but making it one-way eastbound, while making Water Street one-way westbound from Irons to Highland. At that juncture, motorists could connect via a new ramp to the northbound Garden State Parkway. Despite all the plans, redevelopment will probably not begin until 2020 or 2021, when the cleanup of the old coal gasification site near the post office on Adafre Avenue is expected to be complete. In the meantime, Toms River officials plan to purchase the 50-room Red Carpet Inn at Main and Water streets and demolish it. Public hearings on that prospect begin this week. LOCAL | February 15, 2018 Last week, Holmdel (Monmouth County) officials approved a 200-room hotel on the roof of the former Bell Labs office building. It’s the latest phase in the redevelopment of the giant office building into a mixed-use complex, known as Bell Works. The rooftop hotel rooms will line the perimeter, leaving intact the 60,000-square-foot photovoltaic skylight that occupies the entire length of the building. The developer is Somerset Development, which has not yet selected an operator for the hotel. LOCAL | February 15, 2018 The old A&P supermarket on Westfield Avenue in Clark (Union County), empty since 2006, could be taken over by the town through eminent domain and condemned. The private owners of the 24,500-square-foot building, RBD Clark LCC, have been unresponsive to township requests for redevelopment, and the town has now rezoned the area for mixed-use redevelopment, allowing apartments above businesses. Some 15 to 20% would be affordable housing; the other rental units would be listed at market rate. The next step for the town council would be to authorize the planning board to investigate if the area can be classified as one in need of redevelopment. LOCAL | February 15, 2018 ENR New York announced it has chosen New Jersey Department of Transportation as its Owner of the Year for 2017. The publication pointed to multimillion dollar projects like the $480 million Wittpenn Bridge replacement (Contract 4 was awarded in June 2017) and the latest phase of the $920 million I-295/State Route 42/I-76 intersection (Contract 3 was awarded to ACCNJ member South State Inc. with a bid of $192.2 million). ENR New York notes a complete description of NJDOT’s infrastructure projects will appear in its print edition of March 19-26. NATIONAL | February 6, 2018 December 2017 construction employment rose in 269 of 358 US metros (75%) compared to December 2016, riding a wave of private projects as public work lagged, according to AGC of America. But New Jersey didn’t fare as well as much of the rest of country. Two New Jersey metros tanked in the bottom five: Middlesex-Monmouth-Ocean lost 1,200 jobs, down 3% compared to last year, and Bergen-Hudson-Passaic lost 1,100 jobs, down 4% for the year. Also in the loss column for the year-over-year: Newark lost 900 jobs, a 2% drop; Camden shed 800 jobs, a 4% drop; and Trenton lost 300 jobs, a 6% drop. Atlantic City-Hammonton construction employment remained flat for the year-over-year. Only Vineland-Bridgeton showed an uptick, adding 100 construction jobs for a 3% gain. LOCAL | February 6, 2018 Last Friday, New Jersey Attorney General Gurbir Grewal denied a proposal from PennEast to use state-controlled land for that part of its 120-mile natural gas pipeline that would run through New Jersey. Also last Friday, NJ DEP rejected PennEast’s application for water permits. PennEast has received permitting approvals from the federal government and from Pennsylvania for the portion of the pipeline that would run across the northeastern part of that state. LOCAL | February 6, 2018 Two 22-story high-rise towers are coming to Bayonne, representing the largest, tallest mixed-use development in the city. Each building at 26 North Street between Avenue C and Kennedy Blvd. will hold 170 residential rental units, mostly one- or two-bedroom apartments, plus 25,020 square feet of commercial space – possibly a high-end gourmet grocery retailer – and another 4,200 square feet for a daycare center or restaurant. A garage with 725 spaces is planned for four underground floors. The site is close to the Bergen Light Rail Station, Route 440, the Bayonne Bridge and the Broadway business district. Lance Lucarelli of The L Group LLC (Bayonne) and John Cali of Cali Futures LLC (Cranford) are listed as developers. Construction is expected to be completed in early 2020. LOCAL | February 6, 2018 Mostly vacant lots at 51, 55 and 57 Newkirk Street between Summit and Baldwin avenues on the edge of Journal Square in Ward C are slated for a six-story, 42-unit building, approved by the Jersey City Planning Board last week. Ash Street LLC of Hackensack (Bergen County) is the developer of the sites, which total just under 20,000 square feet and are part of the Journal Square 2060 Redevelopment Plan Area. A two-family house sits on one corner of the 51 Newkirk lot; its fate wasn’t determined in the proposal. NATIONAL | February 2, 2018 The Bureau of Labor Statistics released “Measuring Productivity Growth in Construction” in January, a report that uses new metrics and, because of the new metrics, reveals gains in production in various construction sectors. As the study states, economists have “found it exceptionally difficult to develop reliable output price deflators to convert observed revenues into meaningful measures of output growth over time.” This study used specific output indexes to measure productivity in four construction sectors: single-family residential; multifamily residential; highways, roads and bridges; and industrial. Three of the four showed productivity gains; only highways, roads and bridges did not. For the report, visit LOCAL | February 2, 2018 The Offshore Wind Energy Development Act, signed into law in 2010 by then-Governor Christie, didn’t develop into anything much, as offshore wind energy developers were not able to receive BPU approvals. But Governor Murphy’s Executive Order No. 8, issued Wednesday and effective immediately, directs BPU to implement the Act, develop an Offshore Wind Strategic Plan that will reduce costs, spur job growth and supply-chain businesses, promote workforce development, establish data collection, ensure “appropriate siting of facilities” and protect natural resources. Once BPU and the State Treasury Department come up with a Pricing Plan for the Act’s Offshore Renewable Energy Certificate program, known as OREC, BPU is directed to issue a solicitation for proposals “for the generation of 1,100 megawatts of electric power, the nation’s largest such solicitation to date.” The BPU has 60 days to begin the rulemaking process that will establish the proper flow of payments for ORECs from suppliers to offshore wind developers. In addition, BPU is ordered to reach out to other states in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic to discuss possible collaboration. NATIONAL | February 1, 2018 The EPA and the Army Corps of Engineers declared yesterday the Clean Water Rule, or Waters of the US rule, won’t be implemented until 2020. In the next two years, the federal government plans to replace it and specify the waters subject to federal regulation. LOCAL | January 25, 2018 The long-vacant Our Lady of Grace Parish on White Horse Pike in Somerdale (Camden County) – church, school and rectory – is slated to become a mixed-use development, as proposed by Somerdale Borough officials. The “Reserve at Grace,” estimated at as much as $10 million, could include 30 to 40 “active adult” apartments, 40 to 50 market-rate apartments, 7,00 to 9,000 square feet of retail, a clubhouse, a restaurant that would occupy the 5,000-square-foot first-floor interior of the 63-year-old church, a community center on the lower level and space in the building for the currently operating food bank. Thus the church would be preserved but the site transformed with the hope it spurs development in Somerdale. Billed as a “public/private initiative,” the project is considered a “conceptual arrangement” with developer Urgentcare RE LLC. The town is looking for completion in 2019. LOCAL | January 25, 2018 Appearing on a list of 31 sites announced by the EPA last week, the 200-acre Roebling Steel site in Florence (Burlington County) apparently is ready for redevelopment. It has been on the EPA’s Superfund list since 1983, and cleanup began in December 1985, now partially completed. The site currently holds the Roebling Museum, a 37-acre park and an NJ Transit light rail station, and is zoned for general manufacturing and recreational uses. However, new development will be prohibited from using groundwater and excavation on the site will be limited. NATIONAL | January 23, 2018 From December 2016 to December 2017, 42 states added construction jobs, while 32 states and DC added jobs for the month from November to December 2017. AGC of America attributed the overall national expansion to demand from the private sector. While New Jersey added jobs for the year, up 2.3% with 3,400 new jobs, the state came in dead last for the month in both numbers and percentage, shedding 4,300 jobs for a 2.7% drop. Elsewhere in the region, Pennsylvania made a strong showing in both time periods, adding 4,800 jobs for year-over-year, a 1.9% increase, and a whopping 13,100 jobs for the month, a 5.4% bump. New York construction employment was flat for the year period but rose 2.7% for the month with the addition of 9,900 jobs. Delaware had modest increases, adding 300 jobs for the year, a 1.4% rise, and 500 for the month, a 2.4% rise. Rhode Island lost 200 jobs for the year, a 1% drop, but added 2,100 for the month, an 11.3% leap. Connecticut fared poorly in both periods, down 1,000 jobs for the year, a 1.8% drop, and 1,900 for the month, a 3.3% loss. LOCAL | January 22, 2018 Pace Glass will open a glass recycling plant in Andover Township (Sussex County), to be built in a former quarry on Limecrest Road, a site that measures nearly 85 acres. The plant will handle up to 1,500 tons of glass gathered from regional sorting facilities. Pace also plans to extend a spur from an adjoining railroad to carry both inbound and outbound product. Construction is scheduled to begin after winter weather moves out. LOCAL | January 22, 2018 David Garsia, an owner of The Art Factory in Paterson, a group of 25 former industrial buildings, plans to transform the complex into a 269,483-square-foot mixed-use attraction with a new food hall, art galleries, a restaurant and café, boutiques and a hotel with 19 rooms for film crews. Currently the property is used for film shoots, workshops, weddings and coworking spaces. The $12 million rehabilitation project has been approved by the Paterson Historic Preservation Commission (some of the buildings date back to the 19th century) and the Paterson Planning Board. The Art Factory also plans to augment its 20 parking spaces with a new public transportation system with two free trolley bus lines that would connect to the Great Falls and the Paterson Train Station. LOCAL | January 22, 2018 Atlantic City has grants available to ease economic development, including one from the federal EPA and two from the state EDA. The $300,000 EPA grant will allow developers to fund remediation assessments at no cost to themselves. The EDA funding expands the target area for business improvement to include Atlantic and Pacific avenues from Massachusetts to Albany avenues and Albany Avenue from Pacific to West End. The Downtown Loop is also included. Grants are designed to assist development of new and expanding retail and services at street level. Applications for the EPA and EDA grants are being accepted now. Ben Kaufman, acting director of the Atlantic City Department of Planning and Development, can provide additional information to applicants and can be reached at 609.347.5404. LOCAL | January 22, 2018 Just before the federal government shutdown last Friday, the US Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) approved the PennEast Pipeline Project, a 116-mile line providing natural gas to from Luzerne County in Pennsylvania, through Carbon, Northampton and Bucks counties, and then across the Delaware into Hunterdon and Mercer counties in New Jersey. The PennEast Pipeline Company had planned to begin construction this year pending FERC approval."]
NATIONAL | January 22, 2018 According to recent Federal Reserve reports, input prices in the Second District (New York area) have increased in manufacturing, wholesale, transportation, education & health, and leisure & hospitality sectors. Office availability rates have climbed some in New York City but edged down in North Jersey. Asking rents for office space remain flat. Vacancy rates for industrial properties remain very low, pushing rents up. The retail market is soft, with vacancy rates rising and rents mostly flat. LOCAL | January 22, 2018 The old Press of Atlantic City building at 11 Devins Lane in Pleasantville (Atlantic County) has been sold and will be partly demolished, making way for a tax decrease on the property and possible redevelopment. A 30,000-square-foot building, also on the 9.7-acre site but facing Washington Avenue, will remain intact and could be transformed into a warehouse or offices. The purchaser is RGC 3 LLC of Egg Harbor Township, owned by James DiNatale, president of Site Enterprises Inc. A case of water contamination remains ongoing with DEP; RGC 3’s agreement states Abarta, former owner of the Press of AC, is responsible for remediating the contamination. As we posted in Hot Topics, DiNatale’s RGC 1 bought the former Lenox China plant in Galloway in 2014, now home to Barrette Outdoor Living. LOCAL | January 19, 2018 Two plans for more Jersey City reveal the emphasis on development and redevelopment continues. In Ward C, 39 New York Avenue, the NRP Group of Ohio, in partnership with the Hoboken Brownstone Company of Jersey City, plans a five-story residential building on a 1.288-acre property. Construction is expected to start this summer on 131 units – 28 studios, 57 one-bedrooms and 46 two-bedrooms – with an underground, 82-space garage, a ground-floor leasing office and a second-floor outdoor deck. Spring 2020 is the targeted completion date. In Ward B, properties near Hudson-Bergen Light Rail’s West Side Avenue Station could be redeveloped as residential and mixed-use. The site at 400 Claremont Avenue, 2.73 acres, has been listed for sale since December. It houses a large industrial complex last used by Elementis, which sold its US colorants business in March 2017 to Chromaflo Technologies, but is being marketed as a potential residential/retail development, subject to the state’s Industrial Site Recovery Act. An RFP to potential developers has been issued. LOCAL | January 17, 2018 As we’ve been tracking in Hot Topics, Kushner Cos. continues its ongoing efforts to redevelop Monmouth Mall, submitting a new site plan application in late 2017. The plans for the Eatontown property, which is being referred to as “The Heights at Monmouth,” will not be presented by the Planning Board for hearings until March. The plans call for 700 new apartments and a mix of commercial retail spaces. The construction of the 104-acre property would create 1,064 jobs. LOCAL| January 16, 2018 The Paterson Planning Board recently approved construction of a four-story building on Park Avenue by Jersey City developer Novus Equities. The building near Straight Street, estimated as a $6 million project, will contain 67 new apartments and three retail spaces. No start date has been announced. LOCAL | January 15, 2018 Construction for the “New Meadowlands” project could begin as early as 2020 to decrease chronic flooding that has occurred since Hurricane Sandy. Five Bergen County towns — Little Ferry, Moonachie, Carlstadt, South Hackensack and Teterboro — have experienced an increase in flooding from rain since Sandy. The plans include flood mitigation through improvements to existing water channels, improving public parks and increasing vegetation to soak up rain water. All improvements and changes were originally estimated at $850 million, but the US Department of Housing and Urban Development awarded only $150 million so plans were revised downward to address only flooding. Improvements will include: The project is under the direction of NJDEP’s Office of Engineering & Construction, which would like to see completion by 2022. LOCAL | January 15, 2018 An old warehouse in Passaic will be converted into a $20 million river-facing commercial space with 63 loft aparments. Noam Newman, founder of Venture Equity Partners, has spearheaded the project and has gained approval from the City Council of Passaic. Newman has partnered with developer Steven Gelbtuch of Stonegate buildings, and the project is scheduled to be completed by 2019. LOCAL | January 11, 2018 Plans for a retail and parking garage originally proposed for a site near Camden’s waterfront have been significantly revised. A $30.8 million, 217,000-square-foot structure with 20,000 square feet of retail and 740 parking spaces will go up next to the Rand Transportation Center on a 1.5-acre lot at South Broadway and Federal Street, across from the Camden County Aletha Wright Administration Building. The garage project, aided by $14 million in funding from NJ EDA, is under the direction of the Camden Parking Authority, which owns the lot. LOCAL | January 10, 2018 Approved by the Jersey City Zoning Board on December 12, the 130-year-old St. Bridget’s Roman Catholic Church at Montgomery and Brunswick streets in Ward F will be converted into a residential property with 38 units (17 studios, 19 one-bedroom apartments, and one two-bedroom and one three-bedroom units). Developer and property owner SBJC, LLC, received Preliminary and Final Major Site Plan approval and will preserve much of the existing interior and exterior of the church, including most of the stained glass. An addition behind the church covered in terracotta panels will hold mechanical equipment, an elevator and stairwell. If approved, the basement could be converted to commercial space. LOCAL | January 10, 2018 Maa Lalita Westside LLC, a Jersey City developer, plans to construct a six-story residential building with 60 units and 46 parking spaces at 271-277 Sip Avenue on the corner of Whitman Avenue in Jersey City’s Marion neighborhood (Ward B). Currently, the site holds a vacant two-story industrial building and fenced grassy lot. The proposal was granted Preliminary and Final Major Site Plan approval on December 7 by the Jersey City Zoning Board. LOCAL | January 8, 2018 Approved in December for an NJ EDA tax incentive of nearly $19 million over 10 years, Pero Family Farms of Delray Beach, Florida, wants to invest $13 million in a new 118,400-square-foot facility at the corner of North Mill and Weymouth roads in Vineland (Cumberland County). The 110-year-old company produces fresh vegetables and sells them whole, as side dishes and as snacks to Walmart, Target, Wegmans, Whole Foods and other retail stores. No construction timeline has been announced. LOCAL | January 5, 2018 Yesterday, NJ Transit Director Steven Santoro announced he is stepping down from the position on a date to be announced. Santoro has worked for NJ Transit for 18 years, serving as director since October 2016. LOCAL | January 2, 2018 Plans are underway for the former East Brunswick Kmart at 645 State Route 18 to be redeveloped. TFE Properties, LLC recently acquired the 150,000 square-foot building and plans to break the space up into several retail spaces. No construction dates have been announced. New Residential Properties Coming to East Rutherford A massive, multifamily residential development is coming to Southern Bergen County. The previously industrial 7.339-acre property will soon be renovated into seven buildings with 208 rental units at 10 and 20 Oak Street in East Rutherford between Paterson Avenue and Central Avenue. The project will be developed by Livingston-based Sterling Properties’ Oak and Central Developers, LLC. LOCAL | December 27, 2017 Local Businesses See the Advantages of GROW NJ Tax Incentives With the support of Cumberland County’s Improvement Program, three area businesses will receive a combined total of $27.5 million in tax incentives as part of the GROW NJ Program. The three companies that have been granted the tax breaks are Vineland’s Richland Glass, Legacy Cold Storage, LLC, and Rosenhayn’s F&S Produce. Legacy Cold Storage plans to rehab an existing facility and construct 42,000 square feet of new cold storage space. F&S Produce will renovate the old General Mills plant in Vineland. NATIONAL | December 27, 2017 From November 2016 to November 2017, 40 states added construction jobs, while 39 states added jobs for the month from October to November. AGC of America attributes the strong growth to economic expansion, which should continue to improve with new tax cuts and regulatory reforms. In the region, New York and Pennsylvania were in the top five states adding jobs for the year-over-year period. New York posted a gain of 12,600 jobs, a 3.4% increase, and Pennsylvania recorded 12,000 new jobs, a 4.6% jump. Rhode Island showed the second-highest percentage increase for the year, a 13% hike with the addition of 2,400 jobs. All three appeared in the top five for the month period as well: New York added 5,300 jobs, a 1.4% bump; Pennsylvania added 3,400 jobs, a 1.4% rise; and Rhode Island added 500 jobs, a 2.5% increase. New Jersey was in the plus column for both periods, adding 7,400 for the year-over-year, a healthy 4.5% increase, and 900 jobs for the month, edging up 0.6%. Delaware had modest growth for both periods, adding 400 jobs for the year, up 2%, and 200 for the month, up 1%. Connecticut didn’t fare as well, shedding 1,000 jobs for the year, a 1.7% loss, and 1,300 jobs for the month, down 2.2%, which put it among the bottom five states. NATIONAL | December 21, 2017 Construction jobsite fatalities in the US rose 5% in 2016 on private-sector projects, climbing from 937 in 2015 to 991 in 2016, based on the latest report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The industry rate remained at 10.1 per 100,000 full-time-equivalent workers. By segment, specialty trades recorded 631 fatalities, building construction reported 182 fatalities and heavy-civil construction reported 159 fatalities. Falls remain the number one killer in construction, with 388 fatalities in 2016 due to falls, 36% of the total jobsite deaths, up from 367 in 2015. Even more detailed numbers reveal fatal falls increased more than 25% in 2016 for roofers, carpenters, and heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers. In New Jersey, 19 people died in construction jobsite incidents (19% of the 101 workplace fatalities in the state), of which 11, more than half, were the results of falls. LOCAL | December 19, 2017 Recently we posted in Hot Topics news of Georgian Court University’s plans for a new academic building in Flemington (Hunterdon County), part of Flemington’s downtown redevelopment. In the latest move, the Flemington Borough Council voted on December 11 to approve the Union Hotel redevelopment plan, which would be the center focus of the Courthouse Square complex. Redeveloper Jack Cust, currently working to complete his purchase of the Union Hotel, wants the 300,000-square-foot complex to include a 100-room hotel, 200+ residential units, a parking garage, a restaurant with liquor license and retail space. LOCAL | December 19, 2017 Penn Medicine and Virtua have partnered to build a new proton therapy facility on the Virtua Voorhees (Camden County) campus. Estimated at $35 million, the new center is expected to open by 2020, allowing cancer patients to undergo proton therapy in single-room treatments and access clinical trials. LOCAL | December 19, 2017 Rowan University plans to lease to developer Elite Development Program 300 acres on Route 322 in Harrison Township (Gloucester County) for a sports complex. Called the West Campus Fields project, the complex will include a 4,500-seat arena, an indoor training center, 50 athletic fields, facilities for tennis, baseball and outdoor track, and a hotel. Eventually the West Campus Fields will serve as the site of the university’s sports fields and the original fields on the main Glassboro campus will be used for new academic buildings. LOCAL | December 15, 2017 Following up on an earlier Hot Topic, the original redevelopment plan for the 20-acre site in Cherry Hill (Camden County) that lies between Hampton Road and Cuthbert Boulevard has been substantially changed. Apartment buildings holding 252 units (rather than 300) and two wooded tracts of about three acres came about as part of a compromise with residents whose homes lie adjacent to the site. Cherry Hill Land Associates (owner of Woodcrest Country Club in Cherry Hill) will likely be the developer, but groundbreaking is not expected anytime soon. LOCAL | December 15, 2017 A six-and-a-half-story multifamily residence with 235 units is planned for 439 Main Street in Hackensack (Bergen County) near the corner of Anderson Street. Waypoint Hackensack Urban Renewal LLC was granted Preliminary and Final Major Site Plan approval last month; the developer appears to be Waypoint Residential of Stamford CT. That project is in addition to plans for redevelopment of Continental Plaza on Route 4, as we posted in Hot Topics in September, plus a 60-unit building on West Camden Street, a 377-unit mixed-use development on Zabriskie Street and another mixed-use with 82 residential units and retail space at Main and Ward streets, 30 warehouse lofts, 254 residential units along the Hackensack River and conversion of a Main Street bank to 127 residential units. Making Hackensack particularly desirable for commuters is New Jersey Transit’s move to operate passenger rail service between Hackensack, Paterson and Hawthorne, and possibly North Bergen. LOCAL | December 15, 2017 Finalized November 20, Palisades Park (Bergen County) granted Preliminary and Final Site Plan approval with variances to developer Berkeley Palisades Park LLC for a 14-story, 121-unit building on eight lots just east of East Edsall Blvd. and west of Edsall Blvd. Currently a wooded wetland known as Long Swamp, the site is just clear of the Fort Lee borough limits on the Palisades, an undeveloped piece of land surrounded by homes and other residential high-rises. LOCAL | December 15, 2017 Rutgers University and the City of Camden will jointly finance redevelopment of Campbell’s Field, creating a new complex of athletic facilities for baseball, lacrosse and field hockey. It will be owned by Camden, operated by Rutgers and open to Rutgers students and the public. With site approvals from the city pending, and Rutgers’ men’s baseball team using the field in Spring 2018, a date for construction to begin is as yet undetermined. LOCAL | December 15, 2017 Boraie Development, developing the Beach at South Inlet with 250 apartments, is partnering with Project IMPACT to bring a union apprenticeship and job-training program to Atlantic City in January. Similar Project IMPACT programs have had success in Jersey City, Elizabeth and Newark, Boraie’s hometown. Approved by the unions, the program will offer classes, qualifying tests and interviews for eligibility into the Carpenters, Laborers, Plumbers & Pipefitters, Electricians and Painters. LOCAL | December 15, 2017 Long Branch Partners (based in Millville, Cumberland County), which owns 54 sites on 10 acres along Lower Broadway in Long Branch (Monmouth County), will build 590 apartments or multifamily residential units, 99,500 square feet of commercial space and 1,255 parking spots on that corridor – creating a walkable community estimated at $175 million. Lower Broadway, only a block from the beach, encompasses four blocks between Second Avenue and Liberty Street and Union and Belmont avenues. As part of the deal with the city, the developer will either develop or contribute to a fund to develop 30 affordable housing units in another location in Long Branch. The city will fund Broadway road improvements and two parking garages, providing a $5 billion redevelopment area bond for the street improvements. LOCAL | December 12, 2017 In 2015, we posted in Hot Topics news that Logan Township (Gloucester County) had agreed to expand its sewer treatment facility to accommodate the Woolwich mixed-use project at Kings Highway and Route 322. In Summer 2018, after nearly three years of considering route options, Woolwich will begin sewer construction for that project, with pipes running down Route 322, a tie-in at a pump station in Bridgeport and then connection to the Logan infrastructure. Public water will be installed at the same time for cost-efficiency. To finance design and construction of the sewer and water infrastructure, Woolwich is waiting on a loan from the NJ Environmental Infrastructure Trust. In the meantime, the project, now called Kings Landing at Woolwich, faces more decisions from township, county and state officials regarding traffic flow, sidewalks, crossings, road repairs and other pedestrian-friendly improvements. Ultimately, Kings Landing will encompass half-a-million square feet of retail and 3,000 to 4,000 new residential units. LOCAL | December 12, 2017 The Port Authority has added another nearly $500 million to the $2.3 billion Terminal A Redevelopment Program at Newark Liberty Airport, slated for major projects as the program constructs a new million-square-foot terminal. In addition, another $250 million will go toward two new concurrent projects: $175 million to pave 40 acres to create aircraft parking; and $75 million for foundation work on new terminal frontage in preparation for a future AirTrain alignment. LOCAL | December 12, 2017 When the agency meets this week, NJ Transit could approve a $5 million contract amendment that would cover an engineering study on extending the Hudson-Bergen Light Rail to Route 440 in Jersey City. As Jersey City revitalizes the western side of the city, the extension would offer a mass-transit option for the Bayfront development on the Hackensack River and connect the Hudson and Hackensack River waterfronts. The 100-acre Bayfront is expected to include more than 8,000 residential units plus parks, retail and other commercial properties. The contract amendment is on the agenda for NJ Transit’s meeting scheduled for tomorrow, December 13. LOCAL | December 6, 2017 In the state budget signed into law October 31, Connecticut raised the project value on prevailing wage jobs from $400,000 to $1 million, effective immediately. The threshold had not been changed since 1991. However, a new provision in the budget now requires that prevailing wage rates be paid on construction projects valued at $1 million or more if they are financed by Connecticut’s Department of Economic and Community Development, including private-sector projects that are financed by grants and loans. The prevailing wage threshold for public renovation projects remains at $100,000. LOCAL | December 6, 2017 Awaiting votes in the State Assembly and Senate is an ACCNJ-supported bill that would provide tax incentives to businesses in Garden State Growth Zones – and establish a new zone around the Atlantic City airport, including the Stockton Aviation Research Park and the FAA William J. Hughes Technical Center. Five New Jersey cities are already established as growth zones – Atlantic City, Camden, Passaic, Paterson and Trenton – which allows firms in those zones to receive tax credits up to $35 million. LOCAL | December 6, 2017 Jersey City waterfront development has been substantial, but it’s not the only part of the city where municipal planners want to see success. Tier-3 Zones, such as Bergen-Lafayette (west-southwest of downtown) and Greenville (the southern section bordering Bayonne) come with a 20-year tax abatement for developers. City officials would like to see Bergen-Lafayette become a high-density, transit-oriented community focused on families. LOCAL | December 6, 2017 Mars Wrigley Confectionery will build a $25 million, 110,000-square-foot headquarters at Ironside Newark, a 450,000-square-foot commercial and retail center adjacent to Mulberry Commons Park that is itself undergoing extensive renovation. Approximately 130 new jobs will be created, and the headquarters will also accommodate about 300 personnel from the candy company’s Chicago global headquarters and another 100 from Hackettstown (Warren County). In November, Mars Wrigley received $31 million in EDA’s Choose NJ tax credits for the Newark relocation of its US operations, plus a $1 million capital project grant for the Hackettstown renovation, which is expected to cost $54 million. LOCAL | December 6, 2017 Announced in a press conference yesterday, Georgian Court plans to open a new academic building in Flemington (Hunterdon County) in early 2019. Part of a redevelopment project along several blocks in downtown Flemington that includes the historic Union Hotel, Georgian Court’s building will occupy 30,000 square feet on Courthouse Square (to be situated approximately at Main and Court streets). The entire redevelopment project comes up for vote at the December 11 Flemington Borough Council meeting and the developer, Jack Cust, Jr., hopes to break ground soon after final project approval. NATIONAL | December 4, 2017 AGC of America commented favorably on three Federal Highway Administration regulatory proposals that streamline the environmental review process under the National Environmental Protection Act (NEPA). The proposals implement various provisions of the MAP-21 and FAST Acts. For more information, visit www.agc.org. NATIONAL | December 4, 2017 OSHA has extended the compliance date to December 15, 2017, for the electronic reporting of injury and illness. The move was made to allow employers more time to become familiar with the new electronic system. For details, visit www.OSHA.gov. NATIONAL | December 4, 2017 Nearly 68% of the nation’s metropolitan areas realized construction employment gains in October compared to October 2016 – 243 of 358 metros. New York City was in the top five gainers, adding 10,100 jobs, a 7% jump. However, New Jersey’s Middlesex-Monmouth-Ocean metro was in the bottom five, losing 2,300 jobs for a 6% drop. Trenton also lost jobs, down 300 (a 6% drop), as did Atlantic City-Hammonton, losing 200 jobs (a 4% drop). Two other NJ metros gained jobs: Camden picked up 1,100 for a 5% hike and Newark added 1,100 for a 2% gain. Vineland-Bridgeton construction jobs remained the same as last year. Bergen-Hudson-Passaic added 100 jobs but that wasn’t enough to reflect a percentage increase. At the same time, construction spending hit a record high in October based on public and private outlays, but public infrastructure spending was down from last year. By sector, public spending on highway and street construction dropped 4.3%; transportation spending edged down 1.6%; sewage and waste disposal spending plummeted 15.9%; and water supply construction spending dropped 9.6%. LOCAL | December 4, 2017 North American Properties announced in mid-November it plans to build a 418-acre waterfront development on the site of the former National Lead Industries on the Raritan River in Sayreville for $2.5 billion. The project, called “Riverton,” will be a mixed-use of retail, restaurants, offices, hotels, parks and a marina, all built on one of the largest brownfield remediation projects in the state. The developer’s managing partner, Mark Toro, now based in Atlanta, comes from Belvidere and is a Rutgers graduate. LOCAL | October 25, 2017 If Light House Properties’ development proposal goes through, Stockton students on the Atlantic City Gateway campus will have more than 100 beds in off-campus housing on North Trenton Avenue facing the bay. Light House Properties is currently acquiring properties at 106, 108 and 110 North Trenton, one of which is vacant, one holds just a foundation and the third has an occupied residential building. The plan is for a four-story, eco-friendly structure off Sunset Avenue, adjacent to the Wonder Bar, with waterfront views on two sides and a front-facing view of the Gateway. The first floor would be a common lobby while furnished residential units of 350 to 400 square feet would populate the three floors above. A green roof, kayak and paddle-board launchings and surveillance are some of the planned amenities. Off-street parking is also planned. The project has yet to be presented to the AC Planning Board and will require permitting, including a Coastal Area Facilities Review Act permit from NJ DEP, which could take six months. However, the developer hopes for a January 2019 opening. NATIONAL | October 20, 2017 The number of construction jobs in September rose in 35 states compared to September 2016, but the monthly totals from August to September, showing only 26 states added jobs, were likely affected by the devastating hurricanes that hit the South and the Caribbean. In the region, Rhode Island was in the top five, adding 2,500 jobs in the year-over-year period, a 13.7% gain. But Rhode Island lost 400 jobs for the month, down nearly 2%. Connecticut was down in the bottom five for both periods, losing 2,500 jobs for the year (down 4.3%) and 1,500 jobs for the month (down 2.6%). New York was also in the bottom five for the month, losing 2,900 jobs, a 0.8% drop, and lost 3,800 jobs for the year-over-year, a 1% drop. Delaware lost jobs in both periods, down 300 for the month (a 1.4% drop) and down 400 for the year (a 1.9% drop). New Jersey gained 4,900 jobs for the year, up 3.2%, but lost 400 for the month, a 0.3% drop. Only Pennsylvania showed all positive numbers for the region, gaining 8,700 jobs for the year, a 3.7% hike, and 4,000 for the month, a 1.7% increase. LOCAL | October 19, 2017 If Kontos Foods, which makes pita bread in Paterson, decides to stay in the state rather than move to a better plant in Bethlehem, PA, it will receive up to $30 million in EDA tax credits over the next 10 years. In return, Kontos will invest $8.5 million to expand its plant, save 166 existing jobs and add 45 new jobs. LOCAL | October 19, 2017 PSE&G will begin work on three transmission projects totaling more than $300 million, part of the $12 billion in sustainability investments planned for the next three years. LOCAL | October 17, 2017 In addition to E-ZPass, due to be completely installed by next spring on the five Cape May County Commission bridges, the Commission is considering significant upgrade projects. The first could be replacement of the Townsends Inlet Bridge that connects Avalon and Sea Isle City, built in 1940 – it was already shut down for two months of emergency repairs after a crack was found in one of the supporting piers. The Commission is also considering upgrades to the other four, which include the Ocean City-Longport Bridge, originally built in 1927 but mostly torn down and reconstructed in 2002, the Middle Thorofare Bridge between Cape May and Wildwood, built in 1940, the Grassy Sound Bridge between North Wildwood and Stone Harbor, also built in 1940, and the Corsons Inlet Bridge between Strathmere and Ocean City, built in 1946. All have had work done through the years. LOCAL | October 17, 2017 Gloucester County will replace the Cooper Street Bridge and Dam, both declared functionally obsolete, at Almonesson Lake in Deptford Township. Both structures are 90 years old. The work could take two-and-a-half years and county officials will apply for federal funds to pay for the project. LOCAL | October 17, 2017 Middle Township (Cape May County) has designated five areas that need rehabilitation and redevelopment, including Cape May Courthouse, Rio Grande, Stone Harbor Boulevard, the site of the former Lamonica Oyster Processing plant, and Cape Harbor. Average age of the buildings in those areas is 80 years, and parts of the sewage infrastructure are older than 80. Plans could include walkable, mixed-use residential and retail areas. To proceed, the township will hire a redevelopment lawyer and possibly apply for state and federal grants. LOCAL | October 17, 2017 Last week, Atlantic City auctioned off 29 city-owned properties for $1,173,500 in the Northeast Inlet and Midtown South. Most of the sites were vacant or parking lots, many sold in bundles. Eight of the listed properties didn’t sell and could be put up for auction again. NATIONAL | October 9, 2017 On Friday, DOT officially ended the local hire pilot program and withdrew the proposed local hire rule that allowed states to require contractors to meet local hiring mandates on federal highway and transit projects. AGC of America had opposed the rule since it was proposed in 2015 and had reiterated its objections to Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao earlier this year. LOCAL | October 9, 2017 Argent Ventures, based in Manhattan, announced a third proposal last month for Aetna Street in Jersey City’s Ward F, following its proposals earlier this year for the same street. The mixed-use development of 5, 26 and 36-44 Aetna Street, plus adjoining property on Jersey Avenue, would include approximately 280 residential rental units, parking and ground-floor retail space. The Jersey City Redevelopment Agency approved the proposal in September. The site currently holds abandoned industrial buildings and vacant lots overgrown with scrub plants. NATIONAL | October 9, 2017 AGC of America met with senior EPA officials last week to launch the “Smart Sectors” program, an aggressive attempt to eliminate or improve rules that have harmed contractors or hampered economic growth. The partnership with EPA means AGC of America will have a direct point-of-contact in the EPA Office of Policy and the opportunity to effect outcomes in AGC’s regulatory agenda. One initiative that may see early success is AGC’s request for EPA to revive the Sector Strategies program, through which AGC worked with EPA to develop the online Construction Industry Compliance Assistance Center and a toolkit for developing an environmental management system. For more information and updates, visit www.agc.org. LOCAL | October 4, 2017 Bergen County will invest more than $50 million in capital improvements at New Jersey’s largest public hospital, Bergen Regional, now renamed New Bridge Medical Center. The 1,070-bed hospital in Paramus provides long-term care, acute medical services, and expertise in behavioral health and substance abuse. Upgrades will include operating room renovations and expansions of the acute and ambulatory care facilities, along with technology and equipment upgrades. The hospital is operated by Care Plus Bergen Inc., a partnership of Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, Integrity House and Care Plus NJ Inc. LOCAL | October 2, 2017 A $13.5 million loan will provide funding to renovate 765 Broad Street in Newark and create a new headquarters for the Newark Public Schools. The seven-story, 214,172-square-foot building, built in 1960, has a basement and ground-level retail space, part of which is leased by Wells Fargo Bank. Newark Public Schools will take over three floors and part of the ground-floor retail for its new community outreach center. The Schools administration expects to occupy the new offices by the end of the year. LOCAL | October 2, 2017 The Community Outreach Team, founded by the Heavenly Temple Church of God in Christ, has proposed a new mixed-used development in the Greenville section of Jersey City that would include 225 affordable and senior apartments and 223 parking spaces. Planned for property on Martin Luther King Drive (1, 11, 14, 15-19 and 21), Warner Avenue (129 and 131) and McAdoo Avenue (30 and 32), all in Ward A in the Jackson Hill Redevelopment Area, the development will also offer a 12,600-square-foot multipurpose community center, an 11,320-square-foot employment training center and gym, and another 21,200-square-foot space that could be for commercial or medical use. The apartments will have one, two or three bedrooms, with 85 available at market rates, 70 at affordable-housing rates and 70 for senior citizens. Currently the sites have gated parking lots, a church and community center, a one-story industrial building, two abandoned houses and a vacant lot. The Community Outreach Team, COT, will serve as redeveloper. NATIONAL | September 27, 2017 Construction jobs increased in more than three-quarters of the country’s metro areas from August 2016 to August 2017, showing more positive results than the state figures for the same time period. Of the 358 metros, 274 added jobs, 52 lost jobs and 32 remained the same over the year period. In New Jersey’s seven metros, however, the picture was not so rosy. Middlesex-Monmouth-Ocean was in the bottom five in the nation, losing 1,900 jobs, a 5% loss. And Trenton was in the bottom five percentage-wise, marking a 9% drop on the loss of 500 jobs. Atlantic City-Hammonton experienced a 5% drop on the loss of 300 jobs. Bergen-Hudson-Passaic, on the other hand, picked up 2,600 jobs for the year-over-year period, an 8% gain. Newark added 1,600 jobs, a 3% uptick, and Camden added 300 jobs for a 1% bump. Vineland-Bridgeton’s numbers remained the same as a year ago. NATIONAL | September 15, 2017 Most parts of the country are experiencing a rising demand for construction, reports AGC of America, but only 34 states added construction jobs in August compared to a year ago, and only 30 added jobs since last month, indicating a shortage of craftworkers. In our region, Rhode Island came out on top with the highest percentage of new construction jobs in the nation this past year, up 17.6% with the addition of 3,200 jobs. Rhode Island was also up for the month, adding 1,100 jobs, a 5.4% hike. New Jersey was up 4.3% for the year with 6,300 new jobs, and up 0.8% for the month with 1,300 jobs. Pennsylvania also looked healthy, up 2% with 4,700 jobs for the year and 0.7% with 1,700 jobs for the month. The rest of the region did not fare as well. Delaware edged up 0.5% for the year on 100 jobs, but fell 0.9% for the month, losing 200 jobs. New York slid 0.4% for the year, losing 1,400 jobs, and was down 0.7% for the month, losing 2,600 jobs. Connecticut lost 1,200 jobs for the year, a 2% drop, and 900 jobs for the month, a 1.5% drop. LOCAL | September 14, 2017 Plans aren’t yet proposed, but Continental Plaza, a three-tower, 650,000-square-foot office complex off Route 4 in Hackensack (Bergen County), has been approved for redevelopment. The City Council voted last month to convert the property to mixed-use, which could include residential units, retail space, a hotel and public open space. It’s owned by Capstone Realty Group and JD Companies. LOCAL | September 14, 2017 Because of $7.1 million in state grants, Perth Amboy will convert a brownfield into the 2nd Street Park, a 6.1-acre public park with an area for performances, a skate park, a bike course and spray ground, access to the Raritan River, a coastal landscape, floating wetlands, a stormwater forest and community gardens. Remediation of the brownfield site near Robert N. Wilentz Elementary School, the first phase of the project, will begin in early 2018 with $2.5 million from NJ DEP’s Hazardous Discharge Site Remediation Fund. Phase two will be funded by $4.6 million from Natural Resource Damages settlements secured by the DEP. NATIONAL | September 7, 2017 Several recent surveys of multiemployer pension plans reveal 65% of all plans are in the Green Zone, and plans in the construction industry are healthier than most. Of the 788 construction industry plans, 30 (about 4%) are in “critical and declining” status (failure anticipated within 15 years), affecting approximately 29,000 participants. The other 96% are expected to remain solvent. Segal Consulting reports construction plans have an average funding level of 89%, three percentage points higher than the average of all the plans surveyed. NATIONAL | September 7, 2017 The Port of Houston, badly damaged by Hurricane Harvey, is the largest steel importer in the US, which could push up prices contractors pay for steel products. The prices for diesel fuel and gasoline have already spiked, although they’re expected to fall again soon because the country is less reliant on Gulf Coast natural gas than in the past. PVC feedstock, another petrochemical product, could see a longer-term price rise because 70% or more of the total US capacity is already affected or could be affected by Harvey-related damage. NATIONAL | September 7, 2017 When we published the ACCNJ Industry Update this month, we noted OSHA had not yet issued a new compliance date for crane operator certification. However, a compliance date of November 10, 2018, is now on the calendar, with a deadline for comments of September 29, 2017. LOCAL | September 7, 2017 Last night, the City Council approved a lease/management deal with Scarborough Properties of Somers Point to redevelop Gardner’s Basin, located on the waterfront in Atlantic City where New Hampshire Avenue meets the Bay. The agreement includes intent to purchase Caspian Point, adjacent to Gardner’s Basin, owned by Kushner Cos., to be used for parking. Plans also include enhancement of the existing aquarium, building a new pier restaurant, and adding a children’s garden, minigolf course, water taxi, retail and restaurants. The National Park Service shut down Crafters Village and has asked the City to remove the shacks because of Green Acres violations. LOCAL | September 6, 2017 In late August, Governor Christie announced a $250 million project to improve 16 service areas on the New Jersey Turnpike and the Garden State Parkway. The replacement and remodeling of buildings will be paid for by HMSHost and Sunoco, the private companies that operate the food and fuel concessions. In return, the companies will receive new 25-year contracts. Replacement of 60-year-old buildings, an HMSHost project, will cost $10 million to $15 million per building at these eight service areas: Vince Lombardi (Turnpike between Exits 18E & 18W in Ridgefield, Bergen County); Thomas Edison (southbound Turnpike between Exits 11 & 12 in Woodbridge, Middlesex County); Joyce Kilmer (northbound Turnpike between Exits 8A & 9 in East Brunswick, Middlesex County); Walt Whitman (southbound Turnpike between Exits 3 & 4 in Cherry Hill, Camden County); Clara Barton (last service area on the southbound Turnpike in Oldmans Township, Salem County); John Fenwick (first service area on the northbound Turnpike in Penns Grove, Salem County); Forked River (Parkway milepost 76, Ocean County); and Monmouth (Parkway milepost 100, Monmouth County). Construction on the Thomas Edison and Monmouth facilities will begin in 2018 and finish in 2019; the rest will be completed during the first seven years of the new contract. Buildings at another six service areas will be renovated, at a cost of $26.4 million, with new dining areas and restrooms, among other improvements: Woodrow Wilson (northbound Turnpike between Exits 7 & 7A in Hamilton Township, Mercer County); Richard Stockton (southbound Turnpike between Exits 7 & 7A in Trenton, Mercer County); Molly Pitcher (southbound Turnpike between Exits 8 & 8A in Cranbury, Middlesex County); James Fenimore Cooper (northbound Turnpike between Exits 4 & 5 in Mount Laurel, Burlington County); Cheesequake (Parkway milepost 123, South Amboy/Sayreville, Middlesex County); and Montvale (Parkway milepost 100, last stop heading north, Bergen County). Sunoco will spend $90 million to improve 21 fuel facilities and remodel the existing convenience stores, plus build new stores at Brookdale North (Parkway northbound at milepost 153.3 in Bloomfield, Essex County) and Alexander Hamilton (southbound Turnpike between Exits 15E & 16E in Secaucus, Hudson County). Another possible project for Sunoco could be a new fuel stop and convenience store on the Turnpike’s eastbound Newark Bay-Hudson County Extension. The agreements must be approved by the Turnpike Authority, which will meet later this month. LOCAL | September 6, 2017 The last time Bader Field was up for sale, it received only two bids, both rejected by Atlantic City officials. In late August, the city got four redevelopment proposals: LOCAL | August 23, 2017 As we posted in Hot Topics more than a year-and-a-half ago, Virtua Health System purchased a 110-acre lot at Route 541 and Woodlane Road in Westampton (Burlington County), with plans to build an acute-care hospital. Construction plans were recently approved with an additional 190,000 square-feet above the two million originally proposed. The campus will include a hospital, long-term care facility, medical office buildings, surgery center, critical care unit, and a women and children’s pavilion. LOCAL | August 22, 2017 Construction plans continue to proliferate in Jersey City, from the Holland Tunnel to the West Side: NATIONAL | August 22, 2017 Thirty-six states and DC added construction jobs between July 2016 and July 2017, but only half of the states added construction jobs between June and July, attributed to declining public-sector investments in infrastructure and other construction projects, says AGC of America. Over the last year, Rhode Island increased jobs by 12.7% with 2,300 jobs, in the top five across the country, yet remained unchanged over the last month. Pennsylvania lost 2,900 jobs over the last month, a 1.2% decrease, second worst in the nation, overwhelming its positive rise of 0.8% for the year with 2,000 jobs. New Jersey gained 900 jobs from June to July 2017, a 0.6% increase, opening 5,300 new jobs over the last year for a 3.5% rise. Connecticut, Delaware and New York each suffered losses for the month but remain up for the year. Connecticut lost 1,600 jobs with a 2.6% loss for the month but still up for the year with 100 new jobs and a 0.2% increase. Delaware lost 500 jobs for the month for a 2.3% decrease yet is up 500 jobs for the year with a 2.4% increase. New York saw 1,200 jobs disappear for the month, only a 0.3% decrease, and remains up for the year with 2,500 new jobs, a 0.7% growth. NATIONAL | August 16, 2017 Today President Trump announced an executive order to speed up the federal environmental review and permitting process for transportation, water and infrastructure projects by making the process more efficient and uniform. Going forward, agencies must complete environmental reviews of such projects within two years. In the order, Trump revoked former President Obama’s executive order that stated projects built in flood plains take into account rising sea levels. Jimmy Christianson, Regulatory Counsel for AGC of America, noted the revoked EO did not standardize how to account for rising sea levels across government agencies, creating a burdensome responsibility for each agency to develop its own standards. However, like streamlining provisions enacted in 2012 and 2015, this latest executive order will require regulators to issue compliance guidance, typically a lengthy process in itself. LOCAL | August 16, 2017 Wildwood officials have started planning to replace large sections of rotting boards on the Boardwalk and the supporting concrete below. The project will cost the city between $800,000 and $1 million as the concrete, power, gas and other utility lines that run below the Boardwalk are expensive to replace. LOCAL | August 16, 2017 The skyway between Tropicana Atlantic City and the former Chelsea Hotel has been approved by the AC City Counsel. Construction should begin later this year to connect recently acquired the recently acquired hotel at 111 S. Chelsea Ave., with completion expected in early 2018. NATIONAL | August 10, 2017 The National Student Clearinghouse Research Center reports students majoring in construction disciplines in four-year colleges jumped 26.4% from Spring 2016 to Spring 2017 – the largest percentage increase of any discipline. The most common major in the field is construction management. In Spring 2016, 7,659 students were enrolled in a construction major. That number grew to almost 10,000 by Spring 2017. Colleges and universities have also expanded their offerings: in 2006, 60 baccalaureate degree programs for construction management were accredited by the ACCE, but by the 2015-2016 school year, 73 programs were accredited. LOCAL | August 10, 2017 NJDOT anticipates the long-delayed $44 million bypass project designed to channel traffic away from Hillsborough Township’s (Somerset County) business district will go out to bid this fall, once the contract is finalized. The agency expects a contractor to be selected before the winter, with work beginning next spring and finished by late 2020. Initial work to clear trees, move utility lines and poles, and grade the surface was completed in 2015, but work was halted last summer as part of the shutdown. LOCAL | August 9, 2017 Morristown (Morris County) could see another new mixed-use development in the near future. The proposal is for 38 residential units along with retail space at 45 Morris Street on the corner of Wilmot Street. The proposed five-story building has been approved by the Morris County Land Development Review Committee, but more approvals are needed before the plans are put to action. LOCAL | August 9, 2017 With the opening date of the American Dream Meadowlands getting closer, officials are considering adding even more acreage to the redevelopment area surrounding the site. The area east of Washington Avenue in Carlstadt could see 109 more acres, which could be used for the addition of hotels and other commercial ventures. NATIONAL | August 9, 2017 The Census Bureau reports government spending on public works in the second quarter of this year equaled 1.4% of the country’s GDP, the lowest level ever recorded, and was 9.5% lower in June 2017 than it was in June 2016. The Bureau includes transportation systems, roads, highways and bridges in its analysis. The low spending level contrasts sharply with total construction spending, which has topped pre-recession highs because of private-sector activity, particularly in commercial construction. And it continues a downward curve from last year, when spending in 34 states was lower than in 2007. At the same time, infrastructure across the country continues to deteriorate with age. The average road surface in 2015 clocked in at 28 years old. LOCAL | August 9, 2017 If Geri-Care Pharmaceuticals Corp., which manufactures generic drugs and supplements, decides to move from Brooklyn to Lakewood (Ocean County) instead of Gulfport, MS, it will get a $1.17 million incentive over 10 years. If Aptapharma Inc. of Pennsauken (Camden County), an oral drug delivery technology firm, chooses to expand and upgrade in New Jersey instead of moving to Bensalem, PA, it will receive just under a half-million dollars in a 10-year incentive. And Eywa Pharma Inc., subsidiary of a Singapore drugmaker, will get a 10-year, $221,000 incentive if it opens operations in Cranbury Township (Middlesex County) rather than Wayne, PA. All three incentives were approved yesterday by the NJ Economic Development Authority. Of interest to the construction industry, Aptapharma would invest $4.9 million in upgrading and expanding its Pennsauken location from 29,000 square feet to 43,000 square feet. LOCAL | August 8, 2017 The headquarters of the New Jersey Economic Development Authority will be renamed the Caren Franzini Memorial Building in honor of the woman who lead the Authority for 18 years. Caren Franzini, who passed away in January, joined EDA as deputy director in 1991 and became executive director in 1994, leaving in 2012 to start her own firm. In 2016, she helped found Great Trenton, a nonprofit dedicated to economic development in the capital city. As you know, Caren was a good friend of the Association and is much missed by the construction industry and many others in public and private domain in New Jersey. LOCAL | August 8, 2017 Montclair (Essex County), is getting a new development project that will create a mixed-use complex. Developer BSREP II Wellmont, GSA acquired the building on Bloomfield Avenue and Seymour Street for $2.425 million and plans to use the 29,835 square feet to build a six-story building with 200 residential units, a lobby and lounge, four retail spaces, and 81 parking spaces. LOCAL | August 8, 2017 A new development is in the works for 285 Newark Avenue. The proposed space will consist of 22 residential units and commercial space on the ground floor. The proposed six-story building, which needs a variance, will also feature balconies, a roof-deck and bike storage. LOCAL | August 8, 2017 Burlington County officials recently received approvals to shut down the Centerton Road Bridge, over Rancocas Creek, after it sat unused for two years and was declared structurally deficient. The demolition is expected to take five months and officials have already started discussion about what will replace the bridge. LOCAL | August 7, 2017 Cascades Inc., which produces green packaging products and tissue paper, recently announced an $80 million project for a new containerboard packaging plant in Piscataway. The 400,000 square-foot plant will create 120 jobs; operations will begin in the second quarter of 2018. LOCAL | August 3, 2017 Yesterday, the FTA approved the environmental impact statement for the Portal Bridge replacement project – another step toward getting federal funds. The project over the Hackensack River is estimated at $1.6 billion and is part of the larger Gateway Tunnel project. LOCAL | August 2, 2017 Once again, Bader Field is up for sale. The last time the 143-acre property was on the block, Atlantic City only received two bids, neither very high considering it is prime real estate. The city is now welcoming redevelopment proposals. NATIONAL | August 2, 2017 Construction employment increased in 264 out of 358 metro areas between June 2016 and June 2017 and the employment gains were the most pronounced in the western third of the country. New Jersey’s biggest construction employment increases were in Vineland-Bridgeton, where there was a 7% increase with 200 new jobs. Camden saw a 5% rise with 1,100 new employment opportunities, and Newark had a 3% increase with 1,500 new jobs. Although the majority of metro areas had increased employment nationally, 57 of the metro areas decreased, and parts of New Jersey showed discouraging losses. One of the largest losses for metro areas in the country was in Atlantic City-Hammonton, which showed a 9% decrease on 900 job losses. Middlesex-Monmouth-Ocean showed a 7% decrease with 2,900 job losses. Trenton NJ had a 6% decline when 300 jobs disappeared. LOCAL | August 2, 2017 Selected by Governor Christie, New Jersey Senator Kevin O’Toole will replace John Degnan as Chairman of the Port Authority. At the same time, Rick Cotton, special counsel for New York Governor Cuomo, will take over as Executive Director from Patrick Foye. Both appointments take effect September 28 following the next Port Authority Board meeting. The governors announced the two new leaders will resume the search for a new CEO. LOCAL | August 2, 2017 Several developers have proposed plans or are currently constructing approved plans for mixed-use projects in downtown Hackensack (Bergen County), thanks to new zoning pushed for by the city’s Main Street Alliance in 2012. Altogether, the city has 881 units under construction, approved site plans for 510 units and more than 1,500 units in planning stages. Street work will include a $5 million project to turn Main and State streets into two-way roadways, which involves new traffic lights and meters. LOCAL | August 2, 2017 A parking lot in Bloomfield is set to be replaced by a mixed-use building. The parking lot is alongside the New Jersey Transit tracks from Washington Street and will be used for a six-story building. The building will hold 176 apartments, 314 parking spaces and a 2,700 square foot common area. LOCAL | August 1, 2017 Lotus Equity Group recently unveiled plans to turn the site of the former Bears & Eagles Riverfront Stadium into as many as 2,000 rental apartments and 400,000 square feet of office space. In total the development will be 2.3 million square feet and will include retail stores and open space. The site is within walking distance of Rutgers, NJIT and trains to Manhattan. Lotus has named four architecture firms that will collaborate on the design. LOCAL | August 1, 2017 Public Service Electric & Gas says that if it receives approval from the Board of Public Utilities, it will create 3,000 new jobs over the next five years. PSE&G plans to replace 1,250 miles of aging gas pipes, a project that will cost $2.7 billion. The project is part of a long-term goal to replace 4,000 miles of cast-iron gas pipes with modern plastic ones. LOCAL | July 31, 2017 Public Service Electric & Gas won approval to replace a large, outdated substation in Newark. The estimated cost of the project is $275 million and is one of many of PSE&G’s electric transmission reliability projects. The work on the project will begin immediately so that the station can be in service by June 2021. NATIONAL | July 28, 2017 For the year from June 2016 to June 2017, 42 states added construction jobs, a strong showing indicating increased private-sector demand. However, for the month from May to June, nearly half the states lost jobs, attributed to a shortage of workers in some parts of the country. Coming out ahead of the other 49 states and DC, New Jersey added the largest percentage of new construction jobs for the month, up 2.7% with 4,200 jobs. For the year, New Jersey gained 4,600 jobs, a 3% hike. Rhode Island added the highest percentage of jobs for the year-over-year, up 13.4% with 2,400 jobs, and saw a 1% increase for the month with 200 jobs. Delaware also gained during both periods, up 1,200 jobs (5.9%) for the year, 100 (0.5%) for the month. Connecticut, which gained 1,500 jobs for the year-over-year, a 2.5% bump, lost more jobs for the month than any other state in the region, shedding 800 jobs, a 1.3% drop. Pennsylvania added 5,600 jobs for the year period, a 2.4% increase, but lost 500 jobs for the month, a 0.2% loss. New York picked up 5,500 jobs for the year, a 1.5% increase, but lost 100 for the month, down 0.03%. LOCAL | July 25, 2017 Corning to Expand Vineland Plant Following its partnership with Merck and Pfizer, Corning Inc. in Vineland is expected to add 1,000 jobs to its plant, which will require the plant to be expanded by 26,500 square feet. LOCAL | July 25, 2017 Jenkinson’s Will Build Seawall Jenkinson’s Pavilion in Point Pleasant Beach has settled a lawsuit with the borough, the State Department of Environmental Protection, and the US Army Corps of Engineers that requires them to install a steel seawall on its private beach. The agreement is for a steel sheet pile bulkhead, 18 feet above sea-level constructed at Jenkinson’s expense. LOCAL | July 21, 2017 Delta will pay $3.4 billion of the $4 billion project, with the Port Authority covering up to $600 million following the Authority’s approval yesterday of the lease agreement with Delta. Work on the 37-gate facility is scheduled to begin this summer. LOCAL | July 19, 2017 Yesterday, the US Department of Labor announced it has told three East Orange construction firms to pay $850,000 in back wages and damages to workers who were cheated out of overtime. The companies, DKNJ Masonry Corp., Roy Rock LLC and Silver Construction Inc., all run by Rui Pires, paid 153 workers straight time after 40 hours of work, rather than time-and-a-half. US DOL also reported the companies did not properly track employee hours and in fact hid overtime hours worked for one company in the payroll of another. All were violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act. NATIONAL | July 14, 2017 Recently, the House Small Business Committee passed H.R. 2594, a bill supported by AGC of America that would speed up payments to small-business federal contractors. The bill addresses change order payments, requiring 50% payment in a timely manner of the billed change order work amount. Currently there is no Senate companion bill; ACCNJ will track this bill’s movement. LOCAL | July 13, 2017 The second quarter of this year was New Jersey’s 18th consecutive quarter of positive net absorption in the North and Central Jersey industrial real estate markets, according to a recent Cushman & Wakefield report. Overall warehouse and distribution vacancy dropped to 4.2%, pulled down by all the New Jersey Turnpike corridor submarkets, which measure at or below 4%. On average, Central Jersey, which represented more than 70% of the year-to-date absorption, reports a 3.5% vacancy for warehouse facilities. LOCAL | July 13, 2017 Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen, Republican from District 11 and chair of the House Appropriations Committee, has allocated $900 million for the Gateway project in the House transportation spending plan released Tuesday. The bill, for FY2018, includes $500 million in grants for rail repair and $400 million for building a new tunnel under the Hudson plus replacing the Portal North Bridge over the Hackensack. In addition, a “significant portion” of Amtrak’s $328 million in Northeast Corridor funding would be used on the Gateway project. The bill was advanced by voice vote through an appropriations subcommittee Tuesday night. LOCAL | July 12, 2016 Due to citizen concern about severe traffic problems in the Florence and Mansfield area, the plan to rezone hundreds of acres and build a 6.5 million-square-foot industrial space has recently been cancelled. Had the plan been approved, the development could have added $500 million to the ratable base in the area as well as more than 3,000 jobs. LOCAL | July 10, 2017 The Hudson Tunnel Gateway Project is currently considered one of the most important infrastructure projects in New Jersey. However, after a steep increase in the original cost estimate and the uncertainty of support from the Trump Administration, it is unclear whether the project will continue. Latest estimates state building a new rail tunnel and fixing the existing one could reach an estimated $13 billion, $5.3 billion higher than the original plan. If the project continues, the construction of a new tunnel could begin by fall 2019 and be completed by spring 2026. John D. Porcari, the interim executive director of the Gateway Program Development Corporation, attributes the steep increase to the location of the new tunnel, which was just recently decided to be along the curve, adjacent to the current tunnel. LOCAL | July 10, 2017 Tropicana Entertainment in Atlantic City plans to connect the Chelsea Hotel to its casino by a skyway bridge, transforming it into the new Chelsea Tower, a 20-story oceanfront hotel. LOCAL | July 10, 2017 Rockefeller Group recently bought a 228 acre sight in Piscataway (Middlesex County), for $57 million. The site will be used to build 2.4 million square feet of industrial distribution and light manufacturing space. The logistics center will consist of six buildings and construction will begin on two sites later this summer. The cost is estimated to be between $225 and $250 million. NATIONAL | July 7, 2017 On July 3, OSHA announced that monorail hoists used to lift natural gas canisters, septic tanks and other similar objects will not have to comply with the agency’s 2010 construction crane rule, 29 CFR 1926 Subpart CC, as long as the hoists comply with other OSHA regulations. In the original rule release, monorail hoists were classified as cranes, a designation that also required the truck drivers operating the hoists to comply with OSHA’s crane operator testing and certification regulations. Per the announcement, monorail hoists must comply with the standards covering overhead hoists (29.CFR 1926.554) along with the corresponding training standards. The announcement is considered a notice of temporary enforcement as OSHA reviews rulemaking options for a long-term solution covering monorail hoists. Visit www.osha.gov for details and updates. LOCAL | July 7, 2017 Building 197, part of the $250 million development of Kearny Point (Hudson County), is slated to be a 200,000-square-foot “light industrial” project that will provide homes for smaller manufacturers, perhaps in the food industry. The site formerly held the Federal Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company, just off Hackensack Avenue behind the Hudson County jail. Building 197 will join Building 78, completed in 2015, which is rented to about 100 small businesses and 250 employees. Hugo Neu is the property owner and developer. LOCAL | June 28, 2017 The Cumberland County Improvement Authority can go ahead with plans for a new jail following the County’s Board of Freeholders approval this week. The proposal calls for 300 to 500 beds for Cumberland County inmates plus Gloucester County inmates as part of the continuation of the shared-service agreement between the two. One of two sites will be selected and cost determined accordingly. LOCAL | June 28, 2017 After being empty and without purpose for nearly 10 years, 135 acres that were once home to U.S. Pipe & Foundry Co. could be torn down and rebuilt into a business park with a 530,000-square-foot warehouse under the direction of Matrix Realty. The plant closed in 2008, and the site may need environmental remediation. Thursday, there will be a public hearing to determine whether the redevelopment should proceed. LOCAL | June 28, 2017 Triple Five announced last week the financing for the American Dream project is a done deal: Goldman Sachs and JP Morgan completed a $1.1 billion tax-exempt bond sale to fully fund completion of the East Rutherford megamall. NATIONAL | June 28, 2017 Construction employment increased in 243 out of 358 metro areas between May 2016 and May 2017 despite many firms’ difficulties finding qualified workers, according to AGC of America. New Jersey’s biggest construction employment increases were in Bergen-Hudson-Passaic, NJ, where there was an 8% increase with 2,400 new jobs, and in Vineland–Bridgeton, NJ where there was a 7% increase with 200 new jobs. Camden saw a 2% rise with 400 new employment opportunities, and Newark had a 1% increase with 400 new jobs. Although the majority of metro areas had increased employment nationally, 59 of the metro areas decreased, and parts of New Jersey showed discouraging losses. One of the largest losses for metro areas in the country was in Middlesex-Monmouth-Ocean, which showed a 9% decrease on 3,400 job losses. Trenton had a 6% decline while 300 jobs disappeared. Atlantic City-Hammonton had a 3% drop, losing 200 jobs. LOCAL | June 20, 2017 The NJ EDA approved tax incentives totaling $18.3 million for an eight-story, 180-room Hilton Garden Hotel on the Camden waterfront at Cooper Street and Riverside Drive, plus a $3 million low-interest loan. Project cost is estimated at $52.8 million, of which 40% will be paid for by the hotel owner, CHP Land LLC. LOCAL | June 20, 2017 New York’s Farley Building, built in 1912 and on the National Register of Historic Places, will become an annex of Penn Station under a $1.6 billion partnership deal among various groups – New York State, Amtrak, the MTA, the Port Authority, the Related Cos., Vornado Realty Trust and Skanska. The building, on eight acres fronting 8th Avenue between 31st and 33rd streets, will house Amtrak and Long Island Railroad train halls and 700,000 square feet of office and retail space, in addition to the Post Office headquarters and operations. The Related Cos., Vornado and Skanska will construct the space and pay $630 million of the cost in return for operating it and collecting income from the commercial space. New York State will ante up $550 million, with $420 million coming from Amtrak, the MTA, the Port Authority and federal grants. The 255,000-square-foot train halls and transportation facility, to be called Moynihan Station, will connect underground to the new western concourse in Penn Station. LOCAL | June 20, 2017 On June 14, the Ocean County Board of Freeholders approved a 53,000-square-foot performing arts high school on the campus of Ocean County College, a $26.7 million project that is expected to open in 2019. The school will be adjacent to the college’s 450-seat theater. A partnership of the state, the county, the Jay and Linda Grunin Foundation and the college will fund the work, with 40% financed by the state ($10.6 million) and 60% by the county and the foundation ($16 million). Another $2 million from the college will cover interest payments or other expenses during construction. NATIONAL | June 16, 2017 For the year from May 2016 to May 2017, 42 states added construction jobs, a strong showing indicating increased private-sector demand. However, for the month from April to May, half the states and DC lost jobs, attributed to a shortage of workers in some parts of the country. In the region, Rhode Island added the largest percentage of new construction jobs for the year, up 12.8% with 2,300 jobs. Rhode Island also gained 300 jobs for the month, edging up 1.5%. Pennsylvania, on the other hand, which gained 2,600 jobs for the year-over-year, a 1.1% bump, lost more jobs for the month than any other state, shedding a whopping 4,300 jobs, a 1.8% drop. New Jersey picked up 200 jobs for the year period, a 0.1% increase, and 100 jobs for the month, another 0.1% gain. Connecticut added 2,000 jobs for the year-over-year, up 3.4%, but lost 600 for the month, a 1% drop. Delaware gained 1,200 jobs for the year period, a 5.9% jump, but lost 200 for the month, down 0.9%. New York picked up 5,000 jobs for the year, a 1.3% increase, and gained 700 for the month, a 0.2% rise. LOCAL | June 15, 2017 We discussed the 116-acre site, the former Hoffman-LaRoche campus that straddles both Nutley and Clifton in Essex County, in our feature article, “Repurposing Stranded Assets to Revitalize New Jersey,” in the Fall 2016 issue of New Jersey Construction magazine (page 21). Bought by Prism Capital in October of 2016, the land is being repurposed to offer a medical school – a joint venture of Hackensack University Medical Center and Seton Hall University, other life-science firms, and a possible mixed-use collection of residential, retail, entertainment and fashion. Now, as Roche finishes water remediation on the campus, the first phase of the redevelopment will focus on the five existing buildings. Buildings 123 and 123A, each seven stories with a total of 500,000 square feet, will house the medical school, along with Seton Hall’s Applied Health Program and Graduate School of Nursing. Half of the five-story Building 102 (7,500 square feet), which is connected to the first two buildings via a sky bridge, will be the new home for an as-yet-unidentified bio-fabrication firm. Building 76, the 15-story office tower, and Building 1, a seven-story office building, which together offer another half-million square feet, will be leased. Prism also plans road improvements, including working with Essex County on a reconfiguration of Kingsland and Bloomfield avenues, and possible bus line and shelter changes with New Jersey Transit. LOCAL | June 15, 2017 A pedestrian bridge will stretch from the roof of the Statehouse parking deck over Route 29 to a revitalized riverfront park in Trenton (Mercer County), a joint $18.5 million project of NJDOT and NJDEP announced by Governor Christie yesterday. The bridge will be funded by $15 million in enhancement funds, and the 4.5-acre park – with plantings, paths and lighting – will be funded by $3.5 million of DEP’s Natural Resource Damages monies. The park will connect to Stacy Park (across Route 29 from Trenton High School West) and run south along the Delaware River, touching Mill Hill Park and Assunpink Creek. At the same time, the governor announced the first phase of a $2.4 million restoration of Cadwalader Park, on 100 acres east of Stacy Park. LOCAL | June 8, 2017 Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst gained another measure of protection against closure as it was selected to receive the first round of new refueling tankers, two years ahead of Travis Air Force Base in California. The 24 new KC-46A Pegasus planes, which measure 52 feet tall and 165 feet long with a wingspan of 157 feet, are scheduled to arrive in 2021. The $154 million in military construction will occur in advance of their arrival. LOCAL | June 6, 2017 Atlantic City Electric got approval from the NJ Board of Public Utilities to invest $79 million in a five-year capital improvement plan that will strengthen grid resiliency. Part of the company’s PowerAhead Program, the investment structure will allow AC Electric to recover revenue spent on resiliency. The program covers these projects: LOCAL | June 6, 2017 With few details, MGM Resorts, owner of the Borgata, and Caesars Entertainment, owner of Harrah’s, announced last week they planned to partner on an unnamed Atlantic City project. Both properties are close together on the Boardwalk. LOCAL | June 1, 2017 Two bond offerings issued last week ($800 million) and this ($300 million) could mean financing is now in place to complete the American Dream Meadowlands shopping and entertainment complex in East Rutherford (Bergen County) after 14 years of start-and-stop building. The $300 million bond offering claims American Dream will open “no later than March 1, 2019,” less than two years from now. Construction crews have been on the site in recent weeks. NATIONAL | May 31, 2017 Construction firms added jobs in 217 of 358 metro areas (nearly 61%) in the year from April 2016 to April 2017, responding to the demand for workers on private-sector projects. Public-sector investments, AGC of America notes, declined 8.5% during that year-over-year period. New Jersey metros reflected dismal numbers for the period, with two metros in the bottom five in the nation. Middlesex-Monmouth-Ocean lost 3,200 jobs, an 8% drop, and Trenton lost 500 jobs, a 10% decline. While not quite in the bottom five, Atlantic City-Hammonton also lost 500 jobs, a 9% drop. With more positive numbers, Camden added 500 jobs, a 2% gain; Vineland-Bridgeton picked up 200 jobs for a 7% increase; and Bergen-Hudson-Passaic fared the best with an additional 1,700 jobs, a 6% rise. Newark remained unchanged from last year. LOCAL | May 31, 2017 At a cost of $11.5 million, Trenton will demolish perhaps as many as 500 abandoned buildings within the city limits, as announced by Governor Christie yesterday. That is about one-sixth of the estimated 3,000 abandoned commercial and residential buildings in Trenton. The funding will come from the state, with another $786,000 allocated for 150 new surveillance cameras and inspection of city street lights. LOCAL | May 24, 2017 A partnership between MAS Development Group and Faros Properties will redevelop Midtown Elizabeth, building approximately 525 luxury residential units and 30,000 square feet of retail space on five acres along Union Street, across from the Elizabeth NJ Transit Train Station on West Grand Street. The two-phase project, which should break ground in the first quarter of 2018, is estimated at $100 million per phase. The developers received final approvals for the project in March. The Elizabeth train station itself is slated for a $55 million renovation. LOCAL | May 24, 2017 In the first phase of redeveloping the former Roebling Wire Works complex at 675 S. Clinton Avenue in Trenton, HHG Development Associates will create Roebling Lofts, 190 luxury apartments in 475,000 square feet of industrial space. The project will also include building a new structure and repurposing the old boiler house, plus adding 175,000 square feet of Class A office space and 30,000 square feet of retail, all at a cost of $31 million. The total cost of redeveloping the more-than-a-century-old complex comes in at approximately $150 million. The developer expects it to qualify for EDA’s Grow New Jersey tax incentives. LOCAL | May 23, 2017 Aqua New Jersey, which provides water and wastewater services to 11 New Jersey counties, announced last week it plans to invest nearly $23 million this year in upgrades to its drinking water and wastewater systems. Some projects are currently underway. The 2017 capital improvement program includes these expenditures: LOCAL | May 23, 2017 American Dream Meadowlands developer Triple Five announced late last week it has secured $1.6 billion in construction financing, which will lead to a bond issuance, hopefully in the near future, to provide the rest of the funding to complete the project. Triple Five set a new opening date of March 2019. LOCAL | May 22, 2017 Historic Smithville, the tourist attraction in Galloway Township (Atlantic County) owned by The Towne of Smithville LLC, will get a new addition on a currently empty 19-acre lot at 2 N. New York Road, across Route 9 from the Smithville Inn. The mixed-use development, just approved by the town’s planning board, will include a 62-room hotel, shops, a gas station and convenience store, and two senior living communities with an assisted living facility, 40 one-bedroom units and 48 one-bedroom townhomes. No construction date has been established. NATIONAL | May 22, 2017 Although 39 states added construction jobs for the year-over-year period from April 2016 to April 2017, more than half lost jobs between March and April this year. In the region, Rhode Island came out in the top five for highest percentages, adding 1,800 jobs for the year-over-year, reflecting a 10% hike. But Rhode Island remained flat for the month, with no jobs added. Of the 21 states that did add jobs for the month, Connecticut had the highest percentage increase in the nation, climbing 4.7% on 2,800 new jobs. Connecticut was also strong for the month, adding 2,500 jobs, a 4.2% increase. Delaware added 1,100 jobs for the year-over-year period, a 5.3% rise, but lost 200 for the month, a 0.9% dip. New Jersey fared poorly in both timeframes, losing 500 jobs for the year-over-year, a 0.3% drop, and 1,000 jobs for the month, a 0.6% decrease. While New York added 3,400 jobs for the year period, edging up 0.9%, the state lost 2,000 for the month, down 0.5%. Pennsylvania was also up for the year period, adding 4,300 jobs, a 1.8% gain, but lost 900 jobs for the month, a 0.37% drop. LOCAL | May 18, 2017 The first proposal to redesign Eatontown’s Monmouth Mall failed after residents resisted the effort to include 700 residential units. Proposal #2, presented by owner Kushner Companies, doesn’t specify the number of residential units, but features a broad glass canopy covering a “culinary marketplace,” wine bars, upscale restaurants and “tea boutiques,” along with shopping and entertainment venues and some amount of residential. Kushner Cos. expects to partner with Rouse Properties to develop the concept, which will be named The Heights at Monmouth, and begin construction in 2018. LOCAL | May 18, 2017 Bungalow Biergarten, an open-air restaurant and bar slated for a site just off the Atlantic City Boardwalk in the half-block between South California and South Belmont avenues, received approval from the Casino Reinvestment Development Authority this week. Dectrinity LLC proposed the project; its principal, Nick Dounoulis, who also owns the Bungalow Restaurant and Beach Bar on the Boardwalk at South California Avenue, expects the operation to be open around the Fourth of July. It will include seating for 322 guests, an outdoor kitchen with walk-in refrigeration, two bars, three propane fire pits, a game area and restrooms. Four distressed-wood shipping containers will serve as dry storage. Parking will be available in an adjacent lot. NATIONAL | May 18, 2017 At a hearing yesterday, USDOT Secretary Elaine Chao told the US Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, “Please be assured that Gateway is an absolute priority” for the Trump administration. LOCAL | May 16, 2017 ReThink Studio has proposed a new transit hub in Sunnyside, Queens, to reduce the congestion in Penn Station by connecting commuter trains with subways and bus lines at four regional hubs in New York and New Jersey. Called ReThinkNYC, the proposal aims to be developed as part of the Gateway Tunnel project, without additional cost. Plans include moving rail yards from Sunnyside to the Bronx and building a “trunk line” to connect various transportation methods between Secaucus in New Jersey (Hudson County) and Port Morris in the Bronx. The plan’s design aspires to connect the 26 commuter rail lines – Metro North’s Harlem and Hudson Lines, Hudson Lines and NJ Transit’s Bergen County Lines – with Secaucus, Penn Station, Sunnyside and Port Morris becoming the four major transit hubs. As part of the Sunnyside plan, ReThink envisions an office district with millions of square feet of new office space that is connected to the regional rail network, seven subway lines and the new light rail/bus system for Brooklyn and Queens. LOCAL | May 16, 2017 The Ellis Street Projects at Ellis Street and Higgins Drive in Glassboro were built on 76 acres in the early 1960s, but residents were relocated in 2013. Now the buildings will be demolished and the site remediated, at a cost of $1.6 million funded by state demolition funds, affordable housing trust funds and a community development block grant. Together, the Glassboro Housing Authority and developer Pennrose Properties LLC plan to build affordable, age-restricted housing on the original site, with 65 units for seniors, of which 16 will be for developmentally disabled adults. Demolition is expected to be completed by the end of the summer with construction beginning in Spring 2018. LOCAL | May 11, 2017 Paramus Crossroads will sit on a 14.5-acre site along Route 17 South that currently holds a PGA Tour Superstore and P.C. Richard & Son, plus an office building that will be demolished. In its place, a 40,000-square-foot retail space will house approximately 10 new dining options and specialty retailers, each occupying 1,500 to 20,000 square feet, along with office and medical operations that are currently in the office building. The complex is expected to be completed by Summer 2018. Developers are Advance Realty and Invesco Real Estate. LOCAL | May 10, 2017 Plans for Ironside Newark, a vacant warehouse that will become a 456,000-square-foot mixed-use project, include two stories of retail and restaurant space and six floors of office space. Located on the corner of McCarter Highway (Route 21) and Edison Place, Ironside Newark’s site borders Mulberry Commons Park, a project announced in January and posted in Hot Topics. Newark real estate developer Edison Properties, known for Edison ParkFast lots and garages, is making a $75 million equity investment in the Ironside Newark project. LOCAL | May 2, 2017 Last week, the Port Authority approved $57 million for planning and design of a two-mile extension of PATH from Newark Penn Station to Newark Liberty Airport, which could also include a new PATH transportation hub in the Dayton/Seth Boyden section of Newark’s South Ward, depending on environmental review results. The extension would create a direct link from the World Trade Center PATH to the Newark Liberty monorail. The total project is estimated at $1.7 billion, with completion in 2026. NATIONAL | May 2, 2017 Construction employment rose in 224 of 358 metro areas in the country in March 2017 compared to March 2016, approximately 63%. It declined in 92 metros and remained the same in 42. In New Jersey, Middlesex-Monmouth-Ocean lost 2,100 jobs, a 6% drop that landed it in the top five worst metros for the period. Atlantic City-Hammonton lost 600 jobs for the period, an 11% drop, and Trenton lost 300 jobs, a 6% drop. On the plus side, Bergen-Hudson-Passaic gained 900 jobs, a 3% increase; Newark added 700 jobs, a 2% hike; Vineland-Bridgeton added 200 jobs, a 7% hike; and Camden added 100 jobs, a 1% bump. Overall, the state lost 1,200 jobs for the period, a 1% decrease. NATIONAL | April 28, 2017 Last evening, in a 60-38 vote, the US Senate confirmed Alexander Acosta as Secretary of Labor. A Republican, Acosta was a member of the National Labor Relations Board, and had been the US attorney in Florida and head of the Justice Department’s civil rights division. LOCAL | April 27, 2017 After a Crain’s Business story and a new law from City Council, New York City’s Buildings Department will now count all construction fatalities in its total and post them on its website. In the past, the Buildings Department only reported those fatalities in which a city code violation occurred, regardless of OSHA findings of workplace safety violations. According to the Crain’s report, one-third of the city’s jobsite fatalities in 2015 was not reported. NATIONAL | April 27, 2017 Beginning May 1, US Citizenship and Immigration Services will issue redesigned Green Cards (Permanent Resident Cards) and EADs (Employment Authorization Documents). With enhanced graphics and security features, the new cards are part of the federal government’s efforts to deter counterfeiting and fraud. Each has the individual’s photo on both sides; the Green Card, with an appropriately green color palette, has an image of the Statue of Liberty, and the EAD has a bald eagle on a predominantly red palette. Both have embedded holographs and will no longer display the individual’s signature. The old and new versions of the Green Card and EAD are both acceptable for Form I-9 Employment Eligibility Verification and E-Verify. For more details, access the USCIS news release at https://www.uscis.gov/news/news-releases/uscis-will-issue-redesigned-green-cards-and-employment-authorization-documents?utm_source=homepagebanner&utm_campaign=gcredesign NATIONAL | April 25, 2017 Last night, President Trump ordered tariffs on Canadian exports of softwood lumber, particularly used in the US residential building market. Five Canadian lumber companies will have to pay duties of between 3% and 24%. The rest of the Canadian lumber company tariffs will be nearly 20%. NATIONAL | April 24, 2017 While 39 states added construction jobs for the year from March 2016 to March 2017, only 17 added jobs from February to March of this year. In the region, Rhode Island placed in the top five for the year-over-year period, adding 1,500 jobs for an 8.2% leap, but slid back for the month, shedding 100 jobs, a 0.5% decrease. Pennsylvania gained 6,700 jobs for the year, up 2.8%, but lost 1,700 for the month, a 0.68% drop. New York added 7,100 jobs for the year, a 1.9% gain, but lost 2,000 for the month, a 0.5% decrease. Delaware picked up 200 jobs for the year, a 0.9% rise, but lost 100 for the month, a 0.5% drop. And both Connecticut and New Jersey lost jobs for both periods. Connecticut shed 1,800 jobs for the year-over-year, down 3%, and 300 jobs for the month, down 0.5%. New Jersey dropped 1,000 jobs for the year-over-year, a 0.6% loss, and 2,800 for the month, down 1.8%. LOCAL | April 20, 2017 Somerville (Somerset County) has approved a four-story luxury apartment building at 11 South Bridge Street, to be developed by Sterling Properties of Livingston. Called SOMA, the building will hold 69 units ranging from 585 square feet to 1,290 square feet, a fitness center and tech lounge. Construction is expected to begin this spring. LOCAL | April 20, 2017 HIPRA, a veterinary pharmaceutical with locations in 27 countries, has signed an agreement to build its North American headquarters on 25 acres at the South Jersey Tech Park on Route 322 in Mantua Township (Gloucester County). Rowan University, which owns the 180-acre site, finalized the sale April 5 and expects HIPRA to apply to the township for construction approvals in the near future. LOCAL | April 18, 2017 FEMA will contribute $229.6 million to the Port Authority to repair 22 sites in the Holland Tunnel damaged by Superstorm Sandy. The funds represent 90% of the $255 million total required for repair and added resiliency. Both tubes of the tunnel, designated a National Historic Civil and Mechanical Engineering Landmark, were flooded as the water came through from the New Jersey side and the exhaust air duct system. NATIONAL | April 17, 2017 While finished project prices remained flat, construction costs rose in March. Materials prices compared to March 2016 soared for diesel fuel (up 35%), steel mill products (up 19%), copper and brass mill shapes (up 17%), aluminum mill shapes (up 8.8%), gypsum products, including wallboard and plaster (up 7.6%), and lumber and plywood (up 7.3%). In contrast, the price index for new nonresidential buildings increased only 1.4%. AGC of America, which analyzed the federal producer price data, also warned that construction costs for commercial projects could continue to rise if “Buy America” provisions are expanded or tariffs on imported steel are increased. In addition, limiting Canadian lumber could affect the cost of residential projects. LOCAL | April 11, 2017 The New York City Economic Development Corp. is releasing a report today that details $1.6 billion in public and private funding to revitalize Staten Island’s North Shore waterfront, of which $600 million is public investment, $1 billion is private funding. The report calls for 4,000 new housing units, 2,000 new jobs, transportation upgrades, and 200,000 square feet of new commercial and retail development on a 10-acre strip of land. Some specific projects the EDC hopes to advance include rehabilitation of 55 Stuyvesant Place, the 630-foot observation wheel (largest in the Western hemisphere), business incubators and co-working spaces, a new mixed-used district along Bay Street, affordable housing units on the site of the Jersey Street Sanitation Garage at 100 Brook Street (due to close in 2020), and various arts, cultural and historic venues. For a copy of the report, visit https://www.nycedc.com/system/files/files/program/downtown_staten_island_brochure.pdf. LOCAL | April 11, 2017 Last week, Rutgers Board of Governors approved building a $115 million multisport training and practice facility on the Livingston Campus, to be named the RWJBarnabas Health Athletic Performance Center after the joint Rutgers/RWJBarnabas Health sports medicine program announced last November. The building will be four stories and 125,000 square feet with practice rooms, locker rooms, strength-training and conditioning facilities, space for nutrition counseling, coaches’ offices, a Rutgers Athletics Hall of Fame, a spirit shop and an area for athletes to eat. A 555-space parking deck and bicycle storage will be integrated. Funding will come from a $26 million bond issuance for the parking deck; monies from the R Big Ten Build campaign; a multi-million naming gift from RWJBarnabas Health; and tax credits from NJEDA’s Economic Redevelopment and Growth Program. The project is one of three to be funded in part by the R Big Ten Build campaign, which has raised more than $71.1 million in donations to date. LOCAL | April 10, 2017 Last week, Dumont (Bergen County) officials had a “preliminary” look at costs for a new or rehabbed municipal complex. Either project – rehabilitation of the 26,000-square-foot former borough hall or demolition of the existing facility and new construction of a 27,600-square-foot building – would cost more than $11 million for construction. Additional costs, presented by RSC Architects of Hackensack, could include purchase of adjacent land for parking, professional fees and removal of the four conjoined trailers that currently house the borough’s police department, bringing the total cost closer to $14 million. The Feasibility Assessment dated 4/4/2017 can be found on the Dumont Borough website: LOCAL | April 6, 2017 A Forbes Exclusive online post Tuesday afternoon reports construction is back on at American Dream Meadowlands, with a targeted opening in Fall 2018. LOCAL | April 5, 2017 New Brunswick Development Corp., DEVCO, announced that the long-awaited, state-of-the-art Performing Arts Center will finally break ground this summer. The $190 million project will hold two theaters – 485-seat and 300-seat, three rehearsal stages and 240 one- and two-bedroom apartments on land owned by the city across from the Heldrich Hotel. The George Street Playhouse and Crossroads Theatre, currently on the site, will be demolished and rebuilt as part of the PAC, along with the American Repertory Ballet and Rutgers’ Mason Gross School of the Arts. An 80-foot fly space and 50-seat orchestra pit are also part of the plan, along with third-floor amenities for the apartment-dwellers, including a fitness room, yoga studio, demonstration kitchen, a massive communal living room and a co-working space. A pool will be built on the roof. Identified as a public-private partnership, funding comes from EDA’s Economic Redevelopment & Growth ($40 million); Rutgers University ($17 million); redevelopment area bonds ($15 million); County of Middlesex Cultural Arts Fund ($6 million); New Market Tax Credits ($6 million); the New Brunswick Cultural Center ($4.5 million); and air rights payments ($2 million). The rest will come from developer equity, debt raised by the private-sector partner and bond proceeds from the New Brunswick Parking Authority. Demolition on the site will begin June 5. LOCAL | April 5, 2017 Hard Rock’s CEO Jim Allen released renderings and announced plans to spend $375 million redeveloping the former Taj Mahal in Atlantic City, which Hard Rock International bought from Carl Icahn March 1. The complete redesign that will become Hard Rock Hotel & Casino features two separate 7,000-seat arenas, more than 2,400 slot machines, and a new 400-seat venue for the Hard Rock Café. It’s expected to create more than 1,000 construction jobs and 3,000 permanent jobs, with a projected opening in Summer 2018. NATIONAL | April 4, 2017 In the period from February 2016 to February 2017, 239 of 358 metro areas, nearly 67%, added construction jobs. In New Jersey, four of seven metros were included in the “gain” column. Newark came out on top in the state, adding 2,300 over last year, a 6% gain. Bergen-Hudson-Passaic added 1,700 jobs, also a 6% hike. Camden added 1,100 for the period, up 5%, and Vineland-Bridgeton added 100 jobs, up 4%. Middlesex-Monmouth-Ocean saw the biggest drop for the year-over-year, losing 1,300 jobs, down 4%. Atlantic City-Hammonton and Trenton each shed 200 jobs, a 4% drop for each. As employment in the industry climbs, AGC of America has released a new safety study to help construction firms prevent workplace injuries and fatalities. The study, for which AGC partnered with the Myers-Lawson School of Construction at Virginia Tech, analyzed every construction fatality in the US from 2010 through 2012. The study revealed some facts we already knew – falls account for a third of the fatalities in the industry – and some we didn’t. For example, most fatalities occur between 10 am and 3 pm, with a peak at noon. AGC now recommends holding safety talks and stretching exercises as workers return from the 11-to-noon lunch break. For a copy of the complete 30-page report, downloadable as a PDF, visit https://www.agc.org/industry-priorities/safety-health/construction-fatalities-study-0 LOCAL | April 3, 2017 Rutherford borough officials are in early planning stages for a new police station that will become a 15,000-square-foot or larger addition to Borough Hall at 176 Park Ave. T&M Engineering and architect Anthony Guzzo were hired to design a site plan and estimate building costs. The new facility will include updated technology and current law enforcement standards for jail cells and prisoner transport. NATIONAL | March 28, 2017 Yesterday, the President signed into law a bill repealing the “Fair Pay and Safe Workplaces” executive order imposed by President Obama. As we posted in Hot Topics on March 7, the so-called Blacklisting Regulation was struck down via the Congressional Review Act, which means future presidents can’t issue similar rules. AGC of America’s advocacy efforts contributed to the repeal. NATIONAL | March 27, 2017 Compared to February 2016, 43 states added construction jobs in February 2017, and 39 states added jobs in the month from January to February 2017. In the Mid-Atlantic region, New York and Rhode Island showed the strongest gains. New York was one of five states to reach a record for construction employment in the year-over-year with the addition of 6,800 jobs (up 1.8%); New York also added 2,100 jobs for the month, a 0.6% bump. Rhode Island added 2,200 jobs for the year-over-year, a whopping 12.2% increase, giving it the #1 spot in the nation for percentage gain. And the 700 jobs added in Rhode Island for the month, a 3.6% gain, put it in the #6 spot for percentage gains. New Jersey was up for both periods, adding 2,400 jobs for the month, a 1.5% increase, and 3,100 jobs for the year-over-year, a 2% gain. Rounding out our region: Delaware added 800 jobs for the year-over-year, up 3.8%, and 1,000 jobs for the month, up 4.7%, a percentage increase that put it in the #2 spot for the month. Pennsylvania added 9,300 jobs for the year-over-year, up 3.9%, and 1,500 for the month, up 0.61%. Connecticut lost 400 jobs for the year-over-year, sliding 0.7%, but was up 1,200 jobs for the month, a 2.1% rise. LOCAL | March 24, 2017 Liberty Science Center will now be able to build a $280 million technology center on 16 acres along Phillip Street within Liberty State Park. Last night the Jersey City Council approved a land transfer to the Jersey City Redevelopment Agency, which will then sell the 16 acres to SciTech Scity, the Liberty Science Center’s planned futuristic mini-city, for $10. The development will offer a K-12 school dedicated to STEM; the world’s first business “optimizer” for 100 science, technology and engineering startups; a small conference center; and Scholars Village, a 50,000-square-foot residential complex with short-term dorm-room accommodations for visiting scientists and entrepreneurs and longer-term apartments for STEM college students and people working at SciTech Scity. LOCAL | March 22, 2017 Helped by EDA tax credits for 30% of the project’s eligible costs up to $3,911,700 worth of state taxes, approved last week, Vineland will see a $13 million commercial development on the site of the former Kmart site on Delsea Drive across from Cumberland Mall. The project includes construction of an Olive Garden restaurant on a discrete pad on the site, plus a 30,000-square-foot Raymour & Flanigan Furniture store, a 50,000-square-foot Gabe’s discount clothing store and other businesses. LOCAL | March 22, 2017 The Gateway project, estimated at $25 billion, would generate $4 for every dollar spent, says Amtrak. The projected return-on-investment was based on a study to determine if finding funding for Gateway is feasible. If completed, the project could double service for NJ Transit and Amtrak commuters into Manhattan, foster job growth and strengthen a transit system that was severely damaged during Superstorm Sandy. According to the study, if a new Gateway tunnel is not built, the region could lose as much as $3 billion in economic activity from 2025 to 2029, particularly if the storm damage and aging force one of the two tubes of the century-old North River Tunnel to close. Such a closure would reduce capacity by 75%. LOCAL | March 22, 2017 The remaining $34.3 million from the 2012 voter-approved legislation to fund higher education capital projects has been appropriated. Projects include: LOCAL | March 17, 2017 R&R Development of Ventnor, with managing partner Ronald Young, has purchased the former Atlantic Club Casino with plans to convert it, after a $135 million investment, into a family resort, not a gambling venue. To be called Dolphin Village, the resort’s centerpiece will be a water park, along with a 300-room hotel that could open this fall. Young has partnered in the venture with Robert Reilert, former general counsel for Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. Caesars had owned the Atlantic Club, selling it to TJM Properties of Clearwater, FL, after closing it in 2014. TJM continues to hold an ownership stake in the property. NATIONAL | March 17, 2017 On the heels of the state construction employment figures, AGC of America released the metro figures, which show what AGC calls a “mixed pattern” across the country in January compared to January 2016. While 219 of 358 metro areas increased construction jobs, 61%, “many pockets of decline” appeared, even within states that had an overall increase for the same year-over-year period. In New Jersey, the up-and-down pattern was evident. Bergen-Hudson-Passaic and Newark each saw 4% increases, picking up 1,200 and 1,600 jobs respectively. Trenton added 100 jobs for a 2% gain. But Middlesex-Monmouth-Ocean lost 1,900 jobs, a tough 5% hit, and Camden, despite all the new development, dropped 200 jobs, a 1% decline. Construction employment remained unchanged in Atlantic City-Hammonton and Vineland-Bridgeton for the year-over-year period. LOCAL | March 15, 2017 The Casino Reinvestment Development Authority has proposed an amendment to its Tourism Master Plan with the hope it will encourage more development in Atlantic City. Key changes: more permitted uses in zoning areas, and new zoning that would allow mixed-use development in the Southeast Inlet (plus restaurants and parks), along with art studios in other areas besides Ducktown and retail along the AC Expressway and waterfront. The 50-page amendment includes 25 objectives. The PDF and more details may be found at http://www.njcrda.com/ac-tourism-district/master-plan/ NATIONAL | March 15, 2017 From January 2016 to January 2017, 39 states added construction jobs, and 38 states and DC added jobs between December 2016 and January 2017, reports AGC of America. New Jersey posted modest growth in both periods, adding 800 for the year-over-year, a 0.5% gain, and 3,800 jobs for the month, a 2.5% hike. New York and Rhode Island showed the strongest growth in the region. Rhode Island was in the top five percentage-wise for the year-over-year, jumping 8.9% with the addition of 1,600 jobs, and for the month, gaining 4.8% with an increase of 900 jobs. New York took the #2 spot for the month with the addition of 8,200 jobs, a 2.2% increase, and was up 5,100 jobs for the year-over-year, a 1.4% gain. Connecticut lost 900 jobs in the year-over-year, a 1.5% drop, but picked up 700 for the month, a 1.2% increase. Delaware was up 200 jobs for the year-over-year, a 1% gain, and 600 jobs for the month, a 2.9% increase. Pennsylvania added 6,500 jobs for the year-over-year, up 2.7%, and 5,900 for the month, a 2.45% gain. NATIONAL | March 7, 2017 Yesterday, using the Congressional Review Act, the US Senate voted 49-48 to repeal former President Obama’s Fair Pay and Safe Workplaces executive order, known colloquially as the blacklisting rule, that required federal contractors to disclose workplace violations. The House passed the same bill last month. It now goes to President Trump for signing. AGC of America CEO Steve Sandherr issued a statement following the Senate vote: “Congress has wisely voted to preserve the integrity and fairness of the federal contracting process…To be clear, there should be no place in federal contracting for unsafe or unscrupulous firms. Yet the…measure did nothing to reform or improve the existing suspension and debarment process. Instead, it created a new layer of bureaucracy that would have given federal officials broad discretion to punish construction firms based on any number of unsubstantiated allegations without establishing a process for those firms to defend themselves. That is why the Associated General Contractors worked so aggressively…for passage of today’s repeal measure. We urge President Trump to sign this measure into law as quickly as possible.” LOCAL | March 6, 2017 Last week, Hard Rock International announced its partnership with the Morris and Jingoli families to purchase the former Trump Taj Mahal casino from Carl Icahn. Hard Rock will be the majority owner of the now-to-be-called Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Atlantic City. The group will invest more than $300 million to purchase and renovate the casino. Joseph Jingoli and Son, Inc., of Lawrenceville is an Active Member of ACCNJ, and will serve as developer on the project, which is expected to open in 2018. NATIONAL | February 28, 2017 In case you find it less-than-easy to communicate with state and federal officials, AGC of America has launched a new advocacy site to seamlessly send emails, take action on legislative/regulatory alerts and find out information on a variety of topics. For example, under “ACTION CENTER” on the nav bar, you can find your legislator, send an email to one or more legislators and research their voting records. Under “ADVOCACY” you can read about the issues and legislation that directly affect the construction industry, and even register to vote. Visit and browse: http://advocacy.agc.org/ LOCAL | February 27, 2017 On Friday, the Pinelands Commission approved, 9-5 with one abstention, the underground PennEast pipeline, which will run from Millville to the B.L. England electric plant in Upper Township (Cape May County). Approximately 15 miles of the 22-mile pipeline will travel through the Pinelands. The rest will follow Routes 49 and 50. LOCAL | February 21, 2017 Jamie Fox, who served as Commissioner of Transportation under Gov. Jim McGreevey and Gov. Chris Christie, died yesterday of kidney disease. Fox had a long history of public service in the state, serving as Chief of Staff and/or senior advisor to Governors McGreevey, Florio, Codey and Corzine, as well as Senator Bob Torricelli. Fox was also a former Executive Director of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. Born in Elizabeth and raised in Union Township, he was a lobbyist and founder of River Crossing Strategy Group in Trenton, and was well-liked and respected by Democrats and Republicans alike. LOCAL | February 21, 2017 NJ DOT’s Route 206 Bypass, an idea that’s more than four decades old and a project that’s only half-completed, might be finished by 2020. It’s supposed to run from Old Somerville Road to Mountainview Road in Hillsborough, but part of the land needed for the congestion-relieving bypass is also the site of the Van der Veer Harris House, which dates to the late 18th century and is owned by the New Jersey Historic Trust. DOT proposes a land swap of almost 13 acres it owns on Township Line Road, to be dedicated as open space, for just under two acres for the bypass – running 1,100 feet along Route 206 and 50 feet back into the Van der Veer House property. If the NJ DEP Green Acres Program approves the land swap, bids for site prep and construction could go out in the fall. The project is estimated at $50 million or more. LOCAL | February 17, 2017 Yesterday the Port Authority approved a $32.2 billion, 10-year capital plan. The 2017-2026 Capital Plan includes $11.6 billion in major redevelopment projects at regional airports; $10 billion for trans-Hudson commuting, of which $2.7 billion will pay debt service on federal loans to build the Gateway Project’s rail tunnels; the remaining funds needed to complete the $1.5 billion Goethals Bridge replacement and $1.6 billion Bayonne Bridge rebuild; and almost $2 billion to complete the GW Bridge rehab. Notably, the Capital Plan also provides $3.5 billion for a new Port Authority Bus Terminal in Manhattan. Initially, $70 million of that is set aside for planning – hiring environmental and technical consultants, identifying a site, conducting environment studies and evaluating “interim solutions for the existing terminal.” LOCAL | February 14, 2017 Virtua’s Camden campus, more than 100 years old, could be transformed into a $22 million, two-story, 34,500-square-foot Family Health Center at Mount Ephraim Avenue and Everett Street, consolidating and upgrading the services it currently offers in the complex of buildings at Mount Ephraim and Atlantic avenues. Plans include flexible space for 16 to 18 exam rooms, including two larger rooms that can encompass medical teams; a video hookup for communications with offsite experts; urgent care services; physical therapy facilities; podiatry and dental services, and other specialties. The existing family health center would be demolished to create parking and the new center would be built adjacent to that site. The site plans were supposed to be considered at the Camden Planning Board meeting last Thursday, which was cancelled due to weather conditions. NATIONAL | February 14, 2017 AGC of America reported today the cost of materials used in construction rose 3.8% in January compared to January 2016, while the price index for new nonresidential buildings increased only 1.4%. Most notable were price increases in diesel fuel, up 34.8%, copper and brass mill shapes, up 19.9%, steel mill products, up 11.4%, and lumber and plywood, up 3.7%. Across the country, the average hourly earnings for all construction workers rose 3.2% in the year-over-year timeframe. For AGC’s producer price index tables and explanation, login to www.agc.org. LOCAL | February 10, 2017 On Monday, the Cherry Hill Planning Board approved a recommendation to adopt a redevelopment plan for the nearly four-acre Baker Lanes bowling alley site on Cuthbert Blvd. between Routes 38 and 70. The proposed treatment center, under the direction of Advance Recovery Systems of Fort Lauderdale (Florida), would be three or four floors with a maximum of 90 beds, medical treatment areas, therapy offices, group meeting rooms, a cafeteria, administrative offices and other staff facilities, all within a footprint of up to 30,000 square feet accessible to off-street parking. Indoor and outdoor recreational areas could include a half-size basketball court, volleyball court, indoor running track, in-ground swimming pool, gardens and outdoor seating areas, and locker rooms. It would also be a secured facility with fencing, landscaping and both internal and external security measures. LOCAL | February 8, 2017 The property at 340 Mount Kemble Ave. in Morristown, with 400,000 square feet, will get a glass façade, full-height atrium, conference rooms, a cafeteria and an auditorium. It will also have parking spaces for 1,600 vehicles, along with shuttle service to downtown Morristown and the train station. The renovation is directed by Onyx Equities LLC. LOCAL | February 7, 2017 An auction scheduled for March 9 will offer more than 150 properties in Atlantic City, Egg Harbor Township, Galloway Township and Pleasantville. The site is an old union hall at 470 N. Albany Avenue, itself one of the parcels to be auctioned off, currently being upgraded to become a restaurant. Other parcels evoke Monopoly: the Columbus Hotel at Pacific Avenue and St. James Place; land on Pacific Avenue next to Kelsey’s Restaurant; and several beachfront properties on New York Avenue and St. James Place. Some have been packaged together, such as a six-property group in Galloway Township and 10- and 18-property groups in Pleasantville. And there’s an 11.7-acre piece zoned for commercial use on White Horse Pike in Galloway. Most of the land is owned by Ned Sakhai, including the old union hall. Robert Salvato’s AcAuctions of Ventnor is running the auction. LOCAL | February 2, 2017 New York is the most unionized state in the country, and the only state to have more than 20% of its workers organized – and that’s been true every year for the past decade, per the Bureau of Labor Statistics. In 2016, 23.6% of New York’s workers belonged to a union, compared to 10.7% of US workers overall. New Jersey saw a rise recently in the percentage of union members among employed workers, measuring 15.4% in 2015 and 16.1% in 2016. LOCAL | February 2, 2017 New York City’s construction fatalities rose sharply in the last two years, and a 21-bill Construction Safety Act was debated this week in City Council. One hotly contested piece, the apprenticeship bill, would require apprenticeship training for construction workers. It was blasted on Tuesday by the city’s Department of Buildings Commissioner, Rick Chandler, who would prefer a provision requiring OSHA’s 10-Hour Construction Health & Safety course. While the debate was going on within, reportedly thousands of union construction workers protested on Broadway outside City Hall in support of the apprenticeship bill, while another group organized by the New York City Housing Authority rallied against the bill. NATIONAL | February 1, 2017 Compared to December 2015, construction employment dropped in 110 of 358 metro areas (31%) in December 2016. It remained unchanged in 65 metros and increased in 183, only 51% -- the lowest increase since September 2012, according to AGC of America’s Chief Economist Ken Simonson. The biggest loss in our region was the Orange-Rockland-Westchester metro area in New York, which shed 5,500 jobs, a 12% drop. In New Jersey, we had a see-saw among our metro areas. Camden gained 2,100 jobs in the year from December 2015 to December 2016, a 10% jump that put the city at #15 across all metros in the US. But Trenton lost 500 jobs, a 9% drop, ranking it near the bottom at #346. Atlantic City-Hammonton lost 300 jobs, a 6% drop, and Vineland-Bridgeton lost 100 jobs, a 3% drop. Middlesex-Monmouth-Ocean picked up 1,300 jobs in the year-over-year comparison, a 3% gain; and Bergen-Hudson-Passaic and Newark each gained 400 jobs, a 1% increase for each. The see-saw resulted in a net gain for the state of 3,200 jobs, a 2% bump. LOCAL | January 31, 2017 The Atlantic City Housing Authority has proposed demolishing two existing public housing developments, Stanley Holmes and Buzby Village, and building new facilities, plus renovating the senior and disabled towers under the authority’s domain, including Jeffries Tower and Altman Terrace. Monies for these projects could come from the federal Rental Assistance Demonstration Program, and the property for the new developments could be found in vacant sites owned by the city. Rehab in the towers could include new kitchens, bathrooms, vanities, painting, roofing and other exterior work. Planning is still in the early stages, but if projects can go forward, the Housing Authority anticipates completion within four years. NATIONAL | January 30, 2017 AGC of America’s Highway Facts Bulletin last Friday reports the Transportation Construction Coalition sent a letter to the 115th Congress asking for action to fully fund an FY 2017 transportation appropriations measure. Because federal funding is approved only through the end of April, the letter notes, states are unable to put all their projects out to bid. Also, federal highway and transit programs are currently funded at FY 2016 levels, 2% below the level authorized in the FAST Act. AGC of America urges members to contact your Congressional delegation and invites you to use the message available through the Hardhats for Highways website: http://hardhatsforhighways.org/ NATIONAL | January 30, 2017 Last week, a majority of members of Iron Workers Local 17, based in Cleveland, approved pension cuts requested by trustees in order to save the pension fund from imminent insolvency (projected to be 2024). The Local was the first to take such action under the 2014 Multiemployer Pension Fund Reform Act. The Treasury Department certified the voting results; the cuts will be reflected in February 1 pension checks. LOCAL | January 26, 2017 Passaic city and county officials announced funding this week of $10 million to rehabilitate the city riverfront at Dundee Island Park. Half comes from a DEP grant, half from Passaic County. First phase of the project includes construction of a river walkway, upgrades to athletic fields in the park and sustainability designs to reduce flooding. The Trust for Public Land will coordinate the project. NATIONAL | January 26, 2017 Senate Democrats this week jumped on President Trump’s infrastructure remarks to develop a $1 trillion plan for transportation and other infrastructure projects to be built over the next decade. Calling for $210 billion to repair or replace aging roads and bridges, plus $200 billion for a fund to pay for projects of “national significance,” they estimate the plan could create 15 million jobs. The Gateway Project – new rail tunnels and bridges between New York and New Jersey – is one of the projects that could be eligible for financing from the infrastructure fund. The plan isn’t getting much support from Senate Republicans, nor did the Democrats offer ideas for funding it. NATIONAL | January 25, 2017 For the year that just ended, 32 states added construction jobs, down from 44 states that added jobs in 2015. AGC of America attributes the drop to a “dearth of workers with experience.” On the plus side, New Jersey added 900 jobs from November to December 2016, a 0.6% increase, and was up 3,200 for the year, a 2.1% gain over 2015. In the region, Pennsylvania was the only other state that fared well, adding 2,200 jobs for the month, a 0.94% gain, and 3,900 for the year, up 1.7% from 2015. New York added 300 jobs for the month, a 0.1% increase, but shed 7,800 jobs for the year, the second highest loss in the nation and a 2.1% decrease. Connecticut’s monthly total remained unchanged from November to December, but the state lost 1,900 jobs, a 3.3% drop, from 2015. Delaware picked up 200 jobs for the month, a 1% gain, but was down 1,000 jobs, a 4.6% drop, from 2015. And while Rhode Island picked up 600 jobs, a 3.4% increase for the month, it lost 200 jobs for the year, a 1.1% drop. NATIONAL | January 23, 2017 Last week, just as the I-276 bridge was shut down over the Delaware between New Jersey and Pennsylvania, the US DOT was releasing its latest report, “2015 Status of the Nation’s Highways, Bridges and Transit: Conditions and Performance.” Produced every other year, this latest report IDs a backlog of $836 billion in unmet capital investment needs for surface transportation, up 3.4% from the last report. And that figure was for 2012 improvements. The report states $142.5 billion is required – across state, federal and local governments – to cover the backlog plus other needs that could arise in the next couple of decades. To access the report, visit https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/pressroom/dot1710.cfm LOCAL | January 23, 2017 In May, the I-276 bridge over the Delaware will be 61. On Friday, the Pennsylvania Turnpike Authority abruptly closed the bridge after a fracture was discovered in an I-beam (14-inch steel truss). Owned jointly by the PA Turnpike Authority and the New Jersey Turnpike Authority, the bridge will be closed indefinitely while repairs are made. Also closed: NJ Turnpike Exit 6 and local roads under the bridge. The PA Turnpike Authority has launched a web page to track the progress of the work and provide information about detours: https://www.paturnpike.com/DRBAlert.aspx LOCAL | January 19, 2017 Redevelopment of downtown Newark continues: Mayor Baraka announced yesterday a plan to transform Triangle Park into 22 acres of park, retail and commercial space, known as Mulberry Commons. The project site, which runs along Mulberry Street by the Prudential Center, will repurpose a warehouse on McCarter Highway and connect the Ironbound district to Newark Penn Station. Edison Properties is principal owner, partnering with J&L Properties, the Newark Community Economic Development Corp. and the Newark Downtown District. More than $100 million for the project comes from private investors, with another $10 million expected in public funding. Still in the design stage, the project’s anticipated completion date is late summer 2018. LOCAL | January 17, 2017 F. Greek Development, based in East Brunswick, last week purchased 415 acres on US Rte. 322 in Bridgeport, Logan Township (Gloucester County), on which it plans a three-million-square-foot industrial park to be developed in partnership with Advance Realty. LOCAL | January 17, 2017 Last week, the Gateway Development Corp. announced it elected Richard Bagger as chairman at the corporation’s first meeting in Newark. Currently a Port Authority Commissioner, Bagger was a New Jersey State Senator (R) and then chief-of-staff to Gov. Christie. In its first funding action, the corporation approved an Emerging Projects Agreement with the US DOT, the first step in securing billions of dollars in low-cost loans to pay for the Gateway project. The cost estimate for Gateway starts at $23 billion to cover two new tunnels, replacement of the Portal Bridge, two new tracks between Secaucus and the new tunnels, repair of the existing tunnels, an annex to Penn Station, a loop in Secaucus to connect Bergen County light rail with New Jersey Transit’s Northeast Corridor lines, and a second Portal bridge. On January 5, the Port Authority committed $2.7 billion in its capital plan for Gateway. LOCAL | January 13, 2017 The second-largest employer in New Jersey and the only tri-service military base in the country, Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst has been chosen to house a new fleet of 24 Air Force KC-46 air-refueling tankers, expected to arrive beginning in 2020. With the aircraft could come new jobs and millions in military construction spending. It also helps protects the Joint Base against closing or budget cuts. LOCAL | January 12, 2017 On Monday, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo issued Executive Order No. 162 requiring state contractors and subcontractors to report comprehensive payroll information on all workers employed on state contract jobs beginning on or after June 1, 2017. The information must include job title and salary in addition to the EEO information already required (gender, race, ethnicity). NATIONAL | January 12, 2017 Yesterday AGC of America released the results of its 2017 Construction Industry Hiring and Business Outlook survey. Based on results from nearly 1,300 construction firms from 49 states and DC, 73% expected to expand payrolls in 2017, with demand growing in both private and public sectors in all market segments. Among the segments, respondents were most optimistic about demand in the hospital and retail/warehouse/lodging markets. Respondents remain worried about the availability of qualified workers and rising health and regulatory costs. For complete details and the report, visit: New Jersey did not have enough respondents to warrant an individual state report. NATIONAL | January 11, 2017 With an illustrious membership, the new advisory committee on automation, announced today by the USDOT, will immediately begin work on a number of issues facing transportation, included automated vehicles. The 25-person committee is co-chaired by Mary Barra of GM and Eric Garcetti, Mayor of Los Angeles, and includes engineering and transportation experts from well-known organizations and municipalities: Gloria Boyland of FedEx; Robin Chase of Zipcar; Douglas Chey of Hyperloop One; Henry Claypool of the Community Living Policy Center; Mick Cornett, Mayor of Oklahoma City; Missy Cummings of Duke University’s Pratt School of Engineering; Dean Garfield of the Information Technology Industry Council; Mary Gustanski of Delphi Automotive; Debbie Hersman of the National Safety Council; Rachel Holt of Uber; Lisa Jackson of Apple; Tim Kentley of Klay-Zoox; John Krafcik of Waymo; Gerry Murphy of Amazon; Robert Reich of UC-Berkeley; Keller Rinaudo of Zipline; Chris Spear of the American Trucking Association; Sully Sullenberger of Safety Reliability Methods; Bryant Walker Smith of the University of South Carolina’s School of Law and School of Engineering; Jack Weekes of State Farm; Ed Wytkind of the AFL-CIO’s Transportation Trades Department; and John Zimmer of Lyft. LOCAL | January 11, 2017 Yesterday, F&S Produce Co., Inc., of Deerfield Township (Cumberland County), was awarded a 10-year, $28.1 million Grow New Jersey incentive from EDA to build a new 100,000-square-foot facility in the Rosenhayn section of Deerfield. The plant would include a USDA-approved prepared meal assembly area with space to process fruits and vegetables and cook meats and grains. LOCAL | January 5, 2017 New Jersey has already lost out to Rhode Island as a wind energy leader, and now South Jersey’s Fishermen’s Energy has lost its federal funding to build a windmill farm off Atlantic City because the company couldn’t make a deal with the state for a power offtake agreement by December 31, 2016, the feds’ deadline. The US DOE has revoked most of the $47 million it committed to the project – nearly $11 million has already been spent on preliminary work. New Jersey’s state Board of Public Utilities rejected the Fishermen’s Energy plan three times, blocking any kind of power purchase agreement. LOCAL | January 5, 2017 Yesterday, New York’s Gov. Cuomo revealed a $10 billion plan to remake JFK International Airport. The plan includes upgrading terminals, streamlining the roads and creating an enormous parking lot. However, the Port Authority, which operates the airport, was scheduled to meet today to review the 10-year capital plan, which included perhaps a tenth of that for JFK improvements. NATIONAL | December 29, 2016 AGC of America’s Chief Economist Ken Simonson analyzed US Census Bureau population data posted this month to determine change over time (July 2010-July 2016), which can indicate where demand for construction may be strongest. For example, population across the US as a whole increased more slowly from 2015 to 2016, and has been “considerably slower” than in the decade before, which could mean demand for construction nationwide may also be slowed. Demand could be stronger, on the other hand, in states where year-over-year population growth is sustained or accelerated. New Jersey’s population increased by small degrees from 2010 through July 1 of this year,for a modest six-year gain of 1.6%. However, growth in the state has decelerated in those six years, indicating demand may be less-than-robust. In the region, Connecticut, Pennsylvania and New York all lost population for the year from 2015 to 2016. Connecticut suffered from declining population over the last three years, while Pennsylvania and New York had maintained slow growth until this year. Rhode Island experienced up-and-down shifts over the six years, ending up with a small increase in mid-2016. Delaware made gradual gains although decelerated recently, but still reflected a 5.81% increase after six years, the best growth rate in the region. For the table, Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for the United States, July 1, 2010 to July 1, 2016, click here - State Population Change 2010-2016. Click here for Analysis of 2016 State Population Data. LOCAL | December 28, 2016 Following settlement of a legal dispute last week, New Milford (Bergen County) will now see a new shopping center on a currently vacant 14-acre lot. The dispute with the developer, S. Hekemian Group, led to the decision to allow a shopping center with a new ShopRite and bank, and to replace the existing New Milford ShopRite, just south of the lot, with 145 units of multifamily housing, 27 of which will be “affordable housing” (below market rate) as required by the state. As part of the settlement, the developer will donate part of the lot plus $800,000 for construction and maintenance of a borough athletic field. LOCAL | December 27, 2016 Announced last week, New Jersey Transit will provide nearly $47 million to renovate the Perth Amboy Train Station, built in 1928 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places. NJ Transit had gotten the renovation process started in 2013 with monies for design and engineering. Environmental assessment has already begun, and construction is expected to start in 2019. NATIONAL | December 22, 2016 We posted the November state construction employment data in Hot Topics earlier this week, and now bring you the metro area statistics for the year from November 2015 to November 2016. While the state numbers looked reasonably positive, drilling down finds construction employment increased in 211 metros for the year-over-year period, the lowest level in four years, according to AGC of America’s analysis. It declined in 86 metros and remained unchanged in 61. New Jersey’s numbers reflected the national pattern, with an uptick statewide for the year in the addition of 3,700 jobs, a 2% rise. But three metros lost jobs for the year: Atlantic City-Hammonton shed 200 jobs, a 4% loss; Bergen-Hudson-Passaic lost 100 jobs, a 0.3% slip; and Trenton lost 400 jobs, an 8% slide. Vineland-Bridgeton maintained status quo. On the other hand, Camden added 2,600 jobs, a 12% jump that offset the losses; Middlesex-Monmouth-Ocean picked up 900 jobs, a 2% gain; and Newark added 600 jobs, a 1% increase. LOCAL | December 20, 2016 Last Friday, the Federal Railroad Administration unveiled its vision and recommendations for a 30-year remake of the Northeast Corridor, increasing the flow to four tracks in most locations, adding access to Philadelphia Airport, adding direct and frequent access to Hartford and Springfield, MA, and increasing or even doubling the number of regional trains, with up to five times more intercity trains. The FRA says the proposals would cut travel time from Boston to New York by 45 minutes and from New York to DC by 35 minutes. Work would start with the improvement of rail conditions along the corridor. However, these are recommendations only from the FRA, suggesting solutions that require more review, environment impact studies and significant funding. LOCAL | December 20, 2016 A $13.2 million grant from the US Housing and Urban Development agency will go toward revitalizing the Mount Ephraim South neighborhood in Camden, one of five cities to receive a HUD 2016 implementation grant intended to turn old federal-subsidized housing into new mixed-use properties close to transit, schools and workplaces. The grant will come with another $280 million in private and public resources. Including Branch Village in Mount Ephraim South, the neighborhood between I-676 and Haddon Avenue currently houses 5,000 residents. The grant will fund development of 176 new townhomes and a 50-unit senior mid-rise, and the city school district plans a new high school and K-8 school, together estimated at $50 million. LOCAL | December 20, 2016 In July, we posted a Hot Topic about Lidl, the German-owned grocery store chain coming to Millville. Last week, the Lacey Township (Ocean County) Planning Board gave “conditional” approval for a 36,000-square-foot Lidl store with nearly 200 parking spaces on 6.2 acres at the intersection of Route 9 and Haines Street. The conditions included adding taller evergreen trees, fencing and sidewalks along the property line and contributing a share of the cost of a new traffic light on Haines. In addition to Millville, Lidl plans to open groceries in Burlington County, Hazlet (Monmouth County) and Philadelphia. NATIONAL | December 19, 2016 State-by-state, November saw an increase in construction jobs for both the month from October to November and for the year from November 2015 to November 2016. For the month, 29 states and DC added jobs, while 21 lost jobs. For the year-over-year period, 34 states added jobs, 14 lost jobs, and two states plus DC remained unchanged. While New Jersey lost jobs for the month – down 500, a 0.3% drop – it picked up 3,700 jobs for the year-over-year, a 2.5% increase. In the region, New York took a big hit for the month, shedding 2,400 jobs (a 0.7% drop), placing it second in the nation for jobs lost from October to November. New York also lost jobs for the year, dropping 6,400, a 1.7% decline. Connecticut lost the biggest percentage of jobs for the month, a 3.1% drop with 1,800 jobs lost, and recorded a decrease of 2,200 jobs for the year, a 3.8% drop. Delaware picked up 300 jobs for the month, a 1.5% rise, but was down 400 jobs for the year, a 1.9% decline. Pennsylvania lost 100 jobs for the month, a 0.04% slip, but added 800 for the year-over-year, a 0.3% uptick. Rhode Island gained during both periods, adding 200 jobs for the month, a 1.1% rise, and 300 for the year, a 1.7% gain. LOCAL | December 13, 2016 In action today, EDA approved a 10-year, $29.4 million Grow New Jersey award for Vitaquest International LLC, manufacturer of custom-contract nutritional supplements, which will invest more than $4.1 million in a 79,650-square-foot facility in Paterson, create 100 new jobs and retain 110 jobs that might have been lost had the company moved to Rochester, NY. EDA also approved a 10-year, $18.2 million Grow New Jersey award for Cascades Containerboard Packaging, manufacturer of containerboard and corrugated paper products, should the company construct a new 481,908-square-foot facility on Kapkowski Road in Elizabeth, create 182 new jobs and invest more than $116 million in the project. The company is considering Elizabeth and Newtown, CT, locations. Cyalume Specialty Products Inc. could receive a 10-year, $1.5 million Grow New Jersey award if it expands in Franklin Township (Somerset County) and invests $4.5 million to renovate a 44,392-square-foot facility. The company, which makes specialty chemical products for the pharmaceutical, medical products and cosmetics market, would create 10 new jobs and retain 27 if it decides not to relocate to West Springfield, MA. LOCAL | December 13, 2016 The first part of the Gateway Project includes building two new tunnels under the Hudson. But Amtrak announced yesterday that rehabilitating the existing tunnels, originally projected to take a year apiece, will now take 18 months each. After the new tunnels are built, the old tunnels will be shut down during off-peak hours for repairs, one tunnel at a time, allowing 55 hours of work time each weekend. LOCAL | December 7, 2016 Construction has apparently resumed on the American Dream project in the Meadowlands, and Monday the developer, Triple Five Worldwide, released a video of renderings depicting a chrome-and-glass exterior to replace the multi-colored existing face. Triple Five says it anticipates a Fall 2018 completion date. View the YouTube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CVwxucZzl_M LOCAL | December 7, 2016 NJ DEP reports the state has a seven-year extension on its deadline to finish dredging 131 state channels clogged with sand and silt because of Superstorm Sandy – and will receive approximately $60 million more in federal FEMA funds for “vital waterway recovery projects.” The deadline was extended from October 30, 2017, to December 31, 2024. To date, NJDOT has restored 12 channels to authorized depth and is dredging 15 more. The 131 channels represent most of the 200 that were affected by the storm and are eligible for FEMA reimbursement. LOCAL | December 7, 2016 John Palmieri, who has served as Executive Director of the Casino Reinvestment Development Authority for more than five years, will leave the position at year-end, to be replaced by Deputy Director Christopher Howard. Palmieri was appointed by Gov. Christie in 2011, after CRDA took on planning and development authority in Atlantic City’s Tourism District. LOCAL | December 7, 2016 Monday night the Greenwich Township (Gloucester County) Planning Board approved second-phase plans for redevelopment of the old DuPont Repauno Plant in Gibbstown. Phase one, approved in July, allowed construction of the first building, a cold-storage warehouse; phase two will see more warehouses and an eight-million-gallon underground storage tank for butane, repurposed from the anhydrous ammonia cavern of the original plant, which closed in 1999. NATIONAL | November 29, 2016 Construction employment rose in 223 of 358 metro areas (62%) between October 2015 and October 2016, fell in 73 (20%) and remained unchanged in 62 (17%). In New Jersey, two of seven metros lost jobs for the year-over-year: Atlantic City-Hammonton dropped 200 jobs, a 4% decrease, and Trenton lost 400 jobs, a 7% drop. On the upside, Bergen-Hudson-Passaic added 900 jobs for the year, a 3% gain; Camden added 700, also up 3%; Middlesex-Monmouth-Ocean added 2,000, a 5% hike; Newark added 2,700, up 6%; and Vineland-Bridgeton added 100 jobs, a 4% rise. NATIONAL | November 28, 2016 In the US from 2011 to 2013, the construction industry employed approximately 1.1 million undocumented workers, a 13% share of the industry’s workforce, according to a working paper released this month by the nonpartisan National Bureau of Economic Research. The report calculates if those workers were excluded from the industry, construction GDP would drop about 5%, $30.9 billion, in the short-term, and about 8%, $47.6 billion, in the long-term. On the other hand, if undocumented workers gained legal status, the industry’s GDP could increase 1.2%, $7.7 billion, in the short-term, and 1.9%, $12.1 billion, in the long-term. Two other research groups, the Migration Policy Institute and the Federation for American Immigration Reform, responded with skepticism to the report, whose authors explained their findings are based on projected short-term reduction of building activities and long-term increase in labor costs. Released November 14, “The Economic Contribution of Unauthorized Workers: An Industry Analysis” by Ryan Edwards and Francesc Ortega of Queens College (New York), can be found online at http://nber.org/papers/w22834. LOCAL | November 28, 2016 The partnership between Rowan University and Rutgers-Camden advanced plans last week for a $65 million Center for Sciences complex on Broadway in Camden, across from its $70 million health sciences center. The 100,000-square-foot center on the east side of the 200 block of Broadway, for which the partnership is soliciting “pre-design” services, represents the third phase of a joint health sciences campus. It will include a “unified health sciences library,” classrooms, labs, a research incubator, healthcare-related retail, office and research space. Construction is expected to begin in 2017 on the first two phases and demolition of existing properties on the third-phase site could start in the summer of 2017. At the same time, the Camden County Board of Freeholders is considering a mixed-use complex at the Walter Rand Transportation Center, a block north of the health sciences campus. NATIONAL | November 28, 2016 As companies prepared to comply December 1 with the federal overtime rule requiring overtime pay for salaried workers making approximately $47,500 per year or less, a federal court in Texas issued a nationwide preliminary injunction against the rule last Tuesday, November 22. The US District Court in the Eastern District of Texas, in a case filed by 21 states, declared the US DOL did not have the authority to determine overtime eligibility based on a “minimum” salary. The DOL has not indicated whether it will appeal the decision. LOCAL | November 22, 2016 Kennedy Health announced it will build a seven-story tower and 700-space parking garage on its Washington Township Campus (Gloucester County), which already includes Kennedy University Hospital, surgical, cancer, dialysis and rehab centers, and a long-term care facility. Preliminary plans show a 200,000-square-foot tower with four floors of approximately 30 private patient rooms per floor, same-day surgery services, a cafeteria, hospital support services and a large lobby. Estimated at $225 million, construction on the project could begin in late 2017. NATIONAL | November 22, 2016 Equipment World’s Better Roads released its latest bridge inventory last Friday, noting that 10% fewer state DOT chiefs are worried about finding the funding to fix the functionally obsolete (FO) or structurally deficient (SD) bridges in their states. The publication attributes that to the enactment of more state programs to fund bridge repairs, with less reliance on federal funds. According to the 2016 Bridge Inventory, New Jersey is one of 17 states with 25%-50% of its bridges classified as FO or SD. The state has 6,680 bridges, of which 1,581 are FO and 568 are SD, for a total of 2,149, or 32.2%. For details and a mouse-over map of the states, visit http://www.equipmentworld.com/2016-better-roads-bridge-inventory-2-year-decline-in-deficient-u-s-bridges-snapped/. LOCAL | November 21, 2016 On Friday, NJDOT launched NJPass, a technology installed in fleet trucks that allows them to bypass the state’s weigh stations at I-78, I-80 and I-295. Any trucking company can apply for enrollment and, once approved, pay an annual fee. For details, visit www.njpass.net. LOCAL | November 21, 2016 Last Thursday, the Port Authority approved creation of the Gateway Program Development Corporation to oversee the Gateway rail transportation project. The municipal corporation, headed by John Porcari of Parsons Brinckerhoff, will be able to apply for and accept up to $6 billion in low-cost loans and staff the corporation, which could include “borrowing” staff from the Port Authority, Amtrak and NJ Transit. NATIONAL | November 18, 2016 For the month from September to October, only 23 states and DC added construction jobs. For the year from October 2015 to October 2016, 35 states added jobs. AGC of America reports a decline in public-sector projects has led to the slowing demand for workers. New Jersey lost 200 jobs for the month, a 0.1% decrease, but gained 6,100 jobs for the year-over-year period, a 4.1% increase. In the region, Delaware lost the highest percentage of construction jobs for the month, down 2.8% with a drop of 600 jobs, and also lost 1,300 jobs year-over-year, a 6% drop. Pennsylvania was another loser, shedding 800 jobs for the month, a 0.3% drop, and 3,000 jobs for the year-over-year, a 1.3% drop. Connecticut gained 800 jobs for the month, a 1.4% increase, and 200 for the year-over-year, a 0.4% rise. New York picked up 1,100 jobs for the month, a 0.3% increase, and 2,700 jobs for the year-over-year, a 0.7% rise. And Rhode Island added 100 jobs for the month, up 0.6%, and 100 for the year-over-year, also a 0.6% increase. LOCAL | November 10, 2016 The Camden County Board of Social Services is planning a new $60 million, 195,000-square-foot facility that will eventually mean the demolition of its current home, the Aletha R. Wright Administration Building on Market Street, which will become a park next to City Hall. The new building on the 2600 block of Mount Ephraim in Camden’s Fairview section, expected to be completed in late 2018 or later, will consolidate Social Services and the job-training and resource center, with 700 employees serving 2,500 clients a day. It is accessible by NJ Transit buses. LOCAL | November 10, 2016 Yesterday the Local Finance Board unanimously voted to allow the state to take control of Atlantic City’s government and finances. The move gives the state power to renegotiate union contracts, hire and fire employees, sell city assets such as Bader Field and the Municipal Utilities Authority, and overrule or reverse city council actions. The Local Finance Board’s decision followed last week’s rejection by the Department of Community Affairs of AC’s proposed five-year plan to rescue the city. NATIONAL | November 2, 2016 In 226 of 358 US metro areas, 63%, construction employment rose. It declined in 74 metros and remained steady in 58. Like the rest of the nation, metro areas in New Jersey were a mixed bag, with two metro areas losing construction jobs, one making a modest gain and four showing healthy increases. Atlantic City-Hammonton lost 100 jobs, a 2% decrease, and Trenton lost 400 jobs, an 8% drop. Bergen-Hudson-Passaic added 200 jobs, a 1% bump; Vineland-Bridgeton also added 200 jobs, a 7% jump; Camden added 1,400 jobs, a 6% increase; Middlesex-Monmouth-Ocean added 2,200 jobs, a 6% rise; and Newark added 2,900 jobs, a 7% rise. LOCAL | November 2, 2016 CarePoint Health announced it will build nine new satellite emergency room facilities in Hudson, Bergen and Passaic counties. In partnership with Adeptus Health, and following approval by the Department of Health, CarePoint will locate the centers in Greenville and downtown Jersey City, Union City, Edgewater and North Bergen (all Hudson County); Palisades Park, Carlstadt and Lodi (all in Bergen); and Clifton in Passaic County. Plans are to build them in three phases, at a cost of approximately $8 million per center. LOCAL | November 1, 2016 Changes are in place that would help Florence and Mansfield in Burlington County add approximately 6.5 million square feet of industrial space between the NJ Turnpike and Route 130, with the goal of building more e-commerce fulfillment facilities. County freeholders voted to endorse changing state planning areas in Florence to allow for the industrial node, a move that must now be ruled upon by the State Planning Commission. If the state approves, next steps would include changing the zoning to industrial and getting DEP approval on a wastewater management plan to permit sewer and water service. In the end, if all the government regulations are aligned, private developers could bid to purchase the zoned land, which includes farms and residential properties. One possible developer is NFI of Cherry Hill, known for the Subaru and Quality Packages warehouses in Florence. LOCAL | November 1, 2016 As we continue to follow New Jersey wind farm developments in Hot Topics, the latest news is the next federal government lease auction, scheduled for December 15, of 80,000 acres of the Atlantic Ocean seafloor approximately 18 miles southeast of Sandy Hook. The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management oversees commercial offshore wind leases and identified 14 companies qualified to participate in the auction, including a Deepwater Wind subsidiary, which just finished building the first US wind farm off Rhode Island, and New Jersey’s Fishermen’s Energy. Last November, two other companies were awarded leases to build wind farms on 344,000 acres across a 60-mile stretch from Cape May Court House to Barnegat. LOCAL | October 27, 2016 Mack-Cali Realty Corp. has purchased 47 acres of undeveloped land in Wall Township (Monmouth County) from Sheldon Gross Realty. The land has been approved for office and industrial use with a maximum facility size of 275,000 square feet. LOCAL | October 27, 2016 After the February crane collapse in lower Manhattan that killed a resident, the city updated its crane rules to require a shutdown of operations when wind speeds reach 30 mph. On Tuesday, two construction management associations filed a lawsuit to nullify the new regulations, stating no existing laws or standards in the US or internationally mandate or “even suggest that 30 mph winds necessitate special safety placement or maneuvers for crawler cranes.” The Building Trades Employers’ Association of New York and the General Contractors Association of New York claim the 30 mph clause comes from the 1968 building code and the Buildings Department used it in the new rules before the cause of the fatal accident was determined. The associations also take exception to the new lift director position, designated in the rules as a person who must be onsite along with a previously mandated crane safety director. Overall, the associations claim the rules ignore input from industry experts and want to prevent the city from enforcing similar rules in the future. NATIONAL | October 24, 2016 Previously delayed until November 10, OSHA again has delayed enforcement of the anti-retaliation provisions of its injury and illness tracking rule until December 1 at the request of a federal court. As we reported in the July Monthly Update (available online at www.accnj.org), AGC of America has serious concerns about OSHA’s interpretation of the provisions, which could result in prohibiting mandatory post-incident drug-testing and restricting certain safety incentive programs. To explain its position, AGC is hosting a free webinar for members, "Making Sense of OSHA’s Controversial Drug Testing Position in the Context of Injury and Illness Reporting," next Monday, October 31, 2-3 pm Eastern time. To register, visit https://www.agc.org/learn/education-training/events/webedmaking-sense-osha%E2%80%99s-controversial-drug-testing-position-context. NATIONAL | October 24, 2016 As part of OSHA’s initiative to update standards, the agency has proposed 18 changes to various standards, including 10 that are pertinent to construction: Permissible Exposure Limits (PELs), Process Safety Management of Highly Hazardous Chemicals, Personal Protective Equipment, Lanyard/lifeline Break Strength, Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices, Excavation Hazards, Underground Construction, Rollover Protective Structures, Regulation of Coke Oven Emissions in Construction and Collection of Social Security Numbers. For the Hazardous Chemicals Standard for construction, OSHA proposes “to replace the entire 31 pages of regulatory text” with a cross-reference to the general industry standard, which is identical. For all the details, access the summary at https://www.osha.gov/sip-iv/summary.html and the news release at https://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_document?p_table=NEWS_RELEASES&p_id=33234. NATIONAL | October 21, 2016 While 35 states added jobs in September compared to a year ago, only 21 added jobs in the month from August to September. Construction employment in the region was uneven, with New York adding the most jobs for the month (5,100, a 1.4% increase) and Pennsylvania losing the most (down 3,400 jobs, a 1.4% drop). New York also gained 5,200 jobs in the year-over-year, another 1.4% gain, while Pennsylvania lost 2,600 for the year, a 1.1% drop. New Jersey lost 600 jobs for the month, down 0.4%, but over the year picked up 5,700 jobs, a 3.9% increase. Connecticut added 500 jobs for the month, a 0.9% increase, but lost 700 compared to last year, a 1.2% drop. Delaware’s construction employment did not change month-to-month, but the state lost 200 jobs over the year, a 0.9% drop. Rhode Island also maintained the status quo from August to September, but picked up 100 jobs in the year-over-year, a 0.6% gain. LOCAL | October 21, 2016 Yesterday the Port Authority Board of Commissioners authorized more than $300 million to replace the Portal North Bridge, part of the Gateway project that includes a new trans-Hudson rail network. The Authority will fund debt service on a $284 million low-cost, long-term federal loan and $18 million in loan expenses. With permits already in place for the bridge, which crosses the Hackensack River near Secaucus Junction, construction could start as early as 2018. LOCAL | October 17, 2016 ResinTech, currently based in West Berlin, was approved for a 10-year, $138 million EDA Grow New Jersey incentive package to relocate to Camden, rather than move to Roanoke, VA. If ResinTech, which manufactures ion exchange resin, decides to stay in New Jersey, it might build a 385,000-square-foot facility on Federal Street in Camden that would house both its manufacturing plant and corporate headquarters. The Camden move would retain 92 full-time positions and create 173 new full-time jobs. NATIONAL | October 13, 2016 When the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released a report in July that revealed construction workers commit suicide at an alarming rate – 53.3 per 100,000 workers in 2012, second only to farming, fishing and forestry industry workers – the Construction Financial Management Association formed an industry alliance to work on the problem. AGC of America has joined the efforts of the Construction Industry Alliance for Suicide Prevention to promote mental health awareness and help prevent worker suicides. Visit www.cfma.org for the CFMA’s web page on the Alliance or look for #SuicidePreventionCFMA on social media. LOCAL | October 6, 2016 In September, AGC issued the latest analysis of construction’s impact on New Jersey’s economy, based on statistics from 2014-2016. Last year, construction contributed $22 billion, or 3.8%, of the state’s GDP of $568 billion, slightly less than the industry as a whole contributed to the country’s GDP (4%). Private nonresidential construction spending in the state totaled $4.1 billion, based on 2014 figures. Construction employment in New Jersey hit 152,400 in July 2016 for both residential and nonresidential segments, an increase of 2.6% over July 2015 and a 14% decrease from April 2006, the state’s peak employment in the industry. In 2014, 94% of New Jersey’s 20,900 construction firms were considered “small,” with less than 20 employees. In 2015, construction worker pay in the state averaged $67,700, 9% more than all private-sector employees in the state. For the one-page PDF with complete details, download the NJ-Fact-Sheet-Economic-Impact-of-Construction. NATIONAL | October 6, 2016 In a letter to the Trump and Clinton campaigns, AGC of America and many other business and labor groups told the Presidential candidates to include “sustainable revenue” sources to fund their infrastructure plans. Pointing out the surface transportation law enacted in late 2015 contained no measures for long-term solvency of the federal Highway Trust Fund, the letter stated the revenue “must be long-term, reliable, dedicated and focused on the users and beneficiaries of our transportation network.” The groups assured the candidates they “stand ready to assist the next presidential administration in formulating and implementing” an infrastructure agenda. In addition to AGC of America, the letter was signed by 33 groups, including the International Union of Operating Engineers, Laborers’ International Union of North America, the US Chamber of Commerce, the National Asphalt Pavement Association and the National Electrical Contractors Association. To read the letters and view the signatures, visit https://www.agc.org/sites/default/files/Files/Communications/Clinton_Letter.pdf LOCAL | October 5, 2016 With construction expected to begin next June, Vineland is building a new 59,000-square-foot police department facility, with a 6,150-square-foot out-building for car, bike and kennel storage. It will be located across Plum Street from the old one, which will be demolished for a new parking lot. Construction will be financed with a $25 million bond. LOCAL | September 29, 2016 Legislation passed this week by the New Jersey Assembly’s Transportation and Independent Authorities Committee, A-4114, would permit counties and municipalities to fund TTF projects shut down by Governor Christie and “require (New Jersey) DOT to compensate government entities for contractual delay damages resulting from shutdown” of TTF projects. NATIONAL | September 28, 2016 Of the 358 metro areas in the US, 220 (61%) added construction jobs in August compared to August 2015. Another 76 metros lost jobs, and construction employment remained unchanged in 62. AGC of America notes the number of metros reporting gains is the smallest since April 2013, while the number of job openings is “at a 10-year high,” indicating shortages of qualified workers in parts of the country. In New Jersey, five of the seven metro areas gained jobs for the year-over-year: Bergen-Hudson-Passaic picked up 300 jobs, a 1% increase; Camden added 1,100 jobs, a 5% lift; Middlesex-Monmouth-Ocean added 1,600 jobs, a 4% rise; Newark added 1,900 jobs, a 4% increase; and Vineland-Bridgeton added 100 jobs, a 3% increase. Atlantic City-Hammonton and Trenton both lost jobs for the period, down 300 (a 5% drop) and 400 (a 7% drop) respectively. NATIONAL | September 21, 2016 Compared to August 2015, construction employment rose in 36 states in August 2016. But the growth from July to August of this year was sluggish, with less than half the states – 24 – adding jobs. AGC notes public-sector demand slowed for the month, contributing to the mediocre growth. New Jersey’s construction employment figures indicated a bump of 5,100 jobs in August compared to last year, a 3.4% increase. But the state added only 200 jobs for the month, continuing to reflect the shutdown of TTF projects. In the region, New York was the biggest loser for the month, dropping 4,600 jobs, more than any other state, and measuring a 1.3% drop. Over the year, New York showed a modest gain of 0.3% with 1,200 new jobs. Connecticut lost 1,600 jobs for the month, a 2.8% drop, and another 1,600 jobs compared to a year ago, again a 2.8% drop. Pennsylvania lost 2,000 jobs for the month, down 0.8%, but picked up 600 jobs year-over-year, a 0.3% rise. Delaware had modest gains, up 200 jobs for the month, a 1% increase, and 100 jobs year-over-year, a 0.5% increase. Rhode Island also showed small gains, up 100 jobs for the month, a 0.6% rise, and 300 jobs for the year-over-year, a 1.8% increase. LOCAL | September 20, 2016
2021
Moorestown Mall Redevelopment Advances
June Metro Construction Employment Improved
Port Newark Road Infrastructure Gets Fed Funds
Clifton Approves Marriott AC/Element Hotel Plan
Steel Prices Rise, Lumber Falls in July
June Construction Jobs Still Below February 2020 Numbers
AtlantiCare Announces Major Expansion in Pomona
June-to-June Materials Costs Jump 26%
Sayreville to Review Warehouse Proposal
Paulsboro Lands USDA Water Grant and Loan
More Seesaw Pricing for Some Materials
Edgewater Approves Mixed-Use with Hotel
Virtua Health Announces Multi-year Renovations
Newark’s Museum Parc Hearing TONIGHT
Hoboken Mixed-Use Under Review
Across the US, May Construction Spending Drops
USDOT Announces INFRA Grants – Two in NJ
Kawaida Towers Project Proposed in Newark
Hoboken Reviews Luxury Urby Project Today
PennEast Eminent Domain Upheld
Metros Struggle to Boost May Construction Jobs
North Jersey Industrial Market Hits #1
NJPAC Plans Next Arts District Phase
Brick Township Combats Flooding
AGC Reports Architectural Billings Index Up, Along with Steel Prices
40 States Lose Construction Jobs in May
Cape May Moves Toward Historic Library Remake
Jersey City Considers New Branch Library
Construction Materials Prices Jump 24% Over 12 Months
Next Phase of Logan Industrial Park Gets Construction Loan
Cape May County Approves $24 Million Bond for Capital Projects
Vineland OKs New Office Building
Cherry Hill Towne Center Eyes New Hotel
Galloway Township Advances Mixed-Use Development
Mount Laurel Warehouse Reviewed Last Week
$115 Million Loan for Rutherford Industrial Facility
Ballantine Brewery Could Become Mixed-Use
April's Metro Construction Jobs Still Lagging
ACIT Could Get Large Bond Act Grant
UPDATE: AC Armory Plan Advances
Burlington City Seeks Redevelopment of Armory
Brick’s Route 88 Bridge to be Replaced
Jack & Jill HQ to Move to Logan
Stone Harbor Plans “Trimmed” Police Facility
April Construction Employment Remains Down
UPDATE: Fort Monmouth Redevelopment
Five NJ Airports Get FAA Funds
Lockheed Martin Plans Moorestown Expansion
Formal Groundbreaking for Hoboken Flood Mitigation Project
Another Mixed-Use Proposed for Paterson’s Great Falls
Camden County Receives Foot/Bike Bridge Funds
No Pickup in April Construction Jobs Nationwide
NJ DOT Announces Local Bridge Grants
Hard Rock AC Plans $20 Million in Capital Improvements
TONIGHT:
Princeton Seeks Approval on West Windsor Campus Phase II
March Nonresidential Construction Spending at Two-Year Low
March Metro Construction Jobs Still Below March 2020 Levels
NJ Transit Picks New Construction Management Chief
$26 Million Loan for Hackensack Industrial Site Purchase
Caesars AC Announces $400 Million in Renovations
TODAY:
Newark Does Final Review of University Heights Mixed-Use
UPDATE: Gateway Environmental Review Gets Early Completion Date
Wildwood to Redo Boardwalk in $25 Million, 5-Year Plan
Pemberton Anticipates New Warehouse in Early 2022
UPDATE: EPA Releases New Plan to Clean Up Passaic River
In March, Construction Jobs Lag for Year, Pick Up for Month
US DOT Opens $1 Billion in Grants for Roads, Rails, Ports
Proposal for Hoboken Mixed-Use and DPW Considered
Princeton’s West Windsor Campus Proposal Reviewed
More Spikes in Construction Materials Costs for March
Developer Seeks CRDA Approvals for Morris Armory Mixed-Use
EPA Moves Ahead on Gibbsboro Superfund Site Cleanup
February Year-Over-Year Construction Jobs Show Big Drop in Metros
Construction Jobs Rebound in March
Plainfield YMCA Site Proposed for Mixed-Use Redevelopment
Deborah Hospital Gets $88.2 Million Federal Loan
Medical Arts Center Breaks Ground, Plans Emerge for Birthing Center in AC
Construction Jobs in February Still Below Pre-COVID Levels
US DOT’s Buttigieg Promises Movement on Gateway Project
AC Approves Exploring Car Racing and Mixed-Use for Bader Field
Hamilton Township Considers New Warehouse Proposal
Construction Jobs Drop in Two-Thirds of Metro Areas for Year
Second Round of Library Funding Announced
UPDATE: Stockton AC Phase II Funding Approved
Residential-Medical Mixed-Use Planned for Newark
Jersey City Police Station Gets New Design
Most States Still Haven’t Recovered Construction Jobs
Construction Materials Prices Up Again in February
Adventure Crossing Expands Into Warehouses
Millville Approves Expansion of Food Processing Plant
US Sheds 61,000 Construction Jobs in February
Weehawken’s Mixed-Use Developer Releases Renderings
Kearny Site Sold for Distribution Center
North Wildwood Plans Bulkhead and Sea Wall Changes
January Nonres Spending Rises After Months of Decline
Funding Approved for Hinchliffe Stadium Redevelopment in Paterson
UPDATE: Lake Lenape Dam Repair Recommended for DEP Approval
Woolwich to Get Three New Warehouses
Bayonne Approves UPS Distribution Center
Jersey City’s Loew’s Theater Set to Become PAC
Elizabeth Cold Storage Facility Gets Construction Loan
Brick Superdome and Retail Projects Progress
More January Price Hikes on Construction Materials
Vineland Transfers Land Industrial Commission for Sale
Hamilton Project Receives Construction Financing
AGC Pens Letter to Biden on Lumber Tariffs
UPDATE: Walter Rand Transpo Center Overhaul Announced
Gateway Project Funding Opens Up After Rule Rescinded
Materials Price Hikes in January, AGC Asks for Tariff Halt
Wildwood Crest Approves Old Library Rehab
REMINDER: Compliance with NYC Local Law 196
Hamilton Township Takes Up Vote on Lake Lenape Dam Repairs
Wildwood Hopes for Back Bay Redevelopment
Millville Library to Double in Size and Update Infrastructure
Union Workforce Grows in New Jersey
US Construction Unemployment Stagnates in January
New Owner, New Plans for Montclair’s Lackawanna Plaza
Mixed-Use Development Proposed for East Orange
Mahwah Considers Senior Housing Mixed-Use
December Construction Jobs Drop in More Than Half US Metros
Vineland Approves Another Plant Expansion
Hamilton Brownfield Could Become Redevelopment Area
December Construction Spending A Mixed Bag
Boraie Development Proposes Jersey City Mixed-Use
Vermella Union Eyes Third Phase
States Add Construction Jobs in December But Most Still Down from Pre-Pandemic Totals
NJ College Gets $1 Million Gift for Arts Center
Steel Prices Again Rising in January
Vineland Packaging Expansion Approved
Construction Unions See Uptick in Membership in 2020
Flemington Pursues Downtown Revival – Again
Multi-Employer Pension Legislation Introduced in House
Atlantic County Approves Bond for ACIT Expansion
UPDATE: Jersey City Set to Select Contractor for First Phase of Bayfront Development
Materials Cost on the Rise in December
December Saw 51,000 New Construction Jobs in US
Governor Signs New EDA Business Incentive Legislation
OSHA Reminder: Form 300A Submission Deadline March 2
Avalon Considers New Beachfront Restaurant
UPDATE: November Construction Spending Bleak
2020
Woodbridge Planned Mixed-Use Site Purchased
RFP Out for Rowan Student Center Expansion
Steel Prices Up Sharply, Lumber Prices Rise Again
Linden Seeks Proposals for Industrial Site Redevelopment
New Plans for Newark’s Metropolitan Building
New Jersey to Build $250 Million Wind Column Facility
New Jersey’s Population Grew Slightly Over the Decade
Denville Medical Office Development Gains Financing
Construction Jobs Rise in 31 States and DC in November
NJ Senate Confirms Two to Gateway Development Commission
US DOT Issues Notice of Opp for Regional Infrasctructure Accelerators
BLS Reports Construction Fatalities Rise in 2019
UPDATE: Luxury Waterpark Gets CRDA Approval in AC
State Revenue Up 6% Over Last November
Wildwood Crest Proposes $5.3 Million Bond Issue
FHWA to Propose Updates to MUTCD
Newark Mansion Could Be Restored for Municipal Use
Ørsted Proposes Second Wind Energy Project Off AC
Non-Res Construction Bid Prices and Costs Edge Up
Somerville Transit Village Advances with Land Sale
NJ Transit Approves FTA Agreement for Portal North Bridge
Warehouse Considered for East Camden Site
NJ Bridges Rank in the Lower Half of the 50 States & DC
Renovations in the Works for Newark Penn Station
Construction Employment Shows Little Growth in November
Federal Reserve Reports Reveal Expected Slow Growth
Morristown Eyes Mixed-Use Development
Nearly Two-Thirds of Metro Areas Shed Jobs for Year
State Construction Jobs Down Despite Some Gains
New Moorestown Mall Redevelopment Reviewed
Stone Harbor Views Design Concepts for Marina Park
State Announces Port Authority Infrastructure Projects
$161 Million in Municipal Aid Grants for 543 NJ Towns
Developer Envisions Repurposing of Paterson Silk Mills
Roselle Park Considers Mixed-Use Complex
Fort Monmouth Looks Forward to More Redevelopment
Medical-Retail Mixed-Use Coming to Mantua
New Bally’s AC Owners Plan $90 Million Investment
Small Mixed-Use Proposed in Newark’s Lower Clinton Hill
Plainfield Approves Mixed-Use for Transit Zone
Governor Presents Library Projects for Bond Act Awards
Construction Jobs Tick Up in October
Millburn Bank Site Could Transform to Mixed-Use
Gloucester County VoTech Advances Plans for New School
Burlington Land Sold for Prospective Warehouse
Seaside Park Wins USDA Water Grant
NJ Transit Natural Gas Plant Out, Alternative Energy Microgrid In
Newark-Owned Land Could Become Private Mixed-Use
Construction Projects Cancel at Higher Rates, Costs Drop
Plans Out for New Student Housing at William Paterson U
Multifamily Construction Rebounded in Third Quarter
NJ Receives Fed Grant for Trenton Transit Center
Del Haven Water Project Moves Forward
Wharton Considers 75-Unit Mixed-Use Project
Federal Reserve Reports Predictable for NJ
Only Eight States Recover Pre-Pandemic Construction Jobs
Construction Optimism Up Slightly, Costs Up Sharply
Rezoning Considered for Film Studio in Bayonne
AGC Calls for Nationwide Vaccine Distribution Plan
University Hospital Newark Envisions Health Village
Old Parkway Motel Could Become New Avid Hotel
Rider Gets $2.5 Million Anonymous Donation for Arena
Massive Mixed-Use Proposed for Main Street in Orange
Newark’s Weequahic Property to Become Mixed-Use
Nonresidential Construction Stalls, Spending Drops
Metro Area Construction Jobs Down Again in August
Deborah Heart & Lung Announces $100 Million Capital Plan
Avalon Plans Addition to Fire Station
Jersey City Advances Fire Station Plan for Bergen-Lafayette
Monmouth Medical Center Gets $50 Million Donation
State-by-State, Construction Jobs Picked Up in August
Tariffs Dropped on Canada Aluminum Imports
NJ DOT Receives Additional $150 Million in Federal Funds
Construction Gains Jobs in Residential, Loses in Other Sectors
NFIB Expects Good Construction Industry Recovery
Suez Water Announces $640 Million in Upgrades
Two-Thirds of US Metro Areas Shed Construction Jobs in July
Cape May County Approves Long-Term Bridge Repair Projects
Hudson Tunnel Replacement Project Delayed Until 2022
AC Electric Proposes $220 Million Smart Grid
State Budget Would Restore Stockton Expansion Funds
UPDATE: Feds Send $280 Million for Portal Bridge Project
FAA Gives Initial Approval for LaGuardia Rail Link
Prospective Bally’s Owner Plans Capital Improvement
Assisted Living Development Coming to Smithville
Former Wildwood Landfill Site Could Open for Development
States See Construction Jobs Drop in July
July Construction Starts Fall Sharply
NJ Rail Infrastructure Rated Worst in Country
Bloomfield Middle School Could Be Repurposed Mixed-Use
Guttenberg Considers Arts District Mixed-Use
Ironbound Mixed-Use Could Be Approved in Newark
July Sees Construction Jobs Up Due to Residential Growth
Massive Mixed-Use Proposed for West Windsor
NJ DOT Releases $161 Million for County Infrastructure
New AC Casino Group Commits $400 Million to Capital Improvements
Construction Spending Drops in June
Paterson Approves Tax Break for Rebuilding Hinchliffe Stadium
Fourth Largest Airport Grant Goes to AC
$95 Million I-80/Route 15 Improvement Project Proposed
Construction Jobs Up for Month, Down for Year in US Metros
I-9 Form Document Flexibility Extended 30 Days
June Sees Rise Over May in State Construction Jobs
Another Plainfield Mixed-Use Approved
Plainfield Approves Mixed-Use in New Development Zone
US Construction Jobs Pick Up in June But Way Down from 2019
Construction Spending Nationwide Drops in May
Paterson Approves Great Falls Visitors Center Project
Construction Jobs Rise Again in Most Metro Areas in May
AGC Survey Reports Highway Work Zone Dangers
UPDATE: Ocean County Approves New Social Services Complex
NJ Governor Announces Offshore Wind Port
Construction Jobs Bounce Back in May
Amazon Proposes Facilities in Kearny, Teterboro
Most Metro Areas Lose Construction Jobs in April
Edgewater Mixed-Use Could Be Back in the Plans
Lavish Water Park Planned at the Showboat
Portal Bridge Project Gets $55 Million Federal Grant
Only South Dakota Sees Uptick in April Construction Jobs
Capital Improvement Budget Approved in AC
Evesham Approves Assisted Living for Marlton Executive Redevelopment
Feds Grant $800,000 for Camden Brownfields Cleanup
More than One-Quarter of Metro Areas Shed Construction Jobs in March
US Senators Propose $19.5 Billion Water Infrastructure Bill
Stockton Puts a Hold on Dorm Expansion Project
Seton Hall Plots Future Student Housing Complex
NJ DOT Gets $47.3 Million for Bridge Maintenance
March Construction Employment Indicates Start of Down Trend
Woodbridge Mixed-Use Project Planned
Pennsylvania Opens Some Construction Sites
Rowan Guide: How to 3D-Print Face Masks
AI App Measures Social Distancing on Jobsites
Vineland Approves New Industrial Construction
States Add Construction Jobs Before Coronavirus Hits
Construction Loan for Elizabeth Apartments
Newark Approves Transit Village Designation Request
New Rule Would Bypass Oversight for Wastewater Projects
Annex at Kearny Point Gets Financing
Jersey City to Expand Light Rail and Mixed-Use Development
City Advances Hoboken Yard Redevelopment
Coronavirus Impact Lowering Costs of Construction Materials
Newark to Consider 40-Story Mixed-Use in Lower Broadway
NJDOL Issues Stop-Work Order to Subcontractor
US DOT Announces $1 Billion in BUILD Grants
Burlington Township Approves Elbow Lane Warehouse
Hudson County Courthouse Plans Progress
$30 Million Project Proposed for Pleasantville’s Lakes Bay Marina
Possible Warehouses Coming to Mansfield
New Social Services Complex for Ocean County
More Jersey Voices Seek US Army HQ at Joint Base-MDL
Jersey City Block Moves Toward Redevelopment
Union Membership Grows in Jersey
UPDATE: Portal Bridge Eligible for Fed Funding
UPDATE: Plans Revealed for East Brunswick Rte. 18 Corridor
Year-End Metro Construction Jobs Still Swing Up
Redevelopment and Possible Train Station in Paterson
PennEast Petition for Eminent Domain Decision Approved by FERC
Hoboken Council Reviews Redevelopment Plans
UPDATE: East Orange Brick Church Plaza Slated for Replacement
State Construction Employment Up for Year in 34 States
Infrastructure Grants Available from Federal DOT
OSHA Penalties Adjusted for New Year
UPDATE: Stockton Phase II Funds Released
Four NJ Transit Board Members Approved
Materials Prices Up Slightly at Year-End
Costco Going Up at Old Cherry Hill Racetrack
Brick Pursues Flooding Mitigation Solutions
Redevelopment in Hainesport Could Include New Warehouse
Applications Open for Library Bond Act Monies
Metro Construction Jobs Increase in November
$13 Million Upgrades for Long Hill Sewers
NY Trustee to Chair Gateway for 2020
November Construction Employment Uneven
BLS: Construction Fatalities Up But Rate Unchanged
OSHA Reminder: Form 300A and Employer ID Number
OSHA reminds employers who electronically submit OSHA Form 300A they must provide an Employer Identification Number as of January 2, 2020. For details, visit https://www.osha.gov/laws-regs/regulations/standardnumber/1904/1904.41.
OSHA Posts Winter Weather Safety Tips
OSHA has posted its annual winter weather safety page at https://www.osha.gov/dts/weather/winter_weather/beprepared.html. The emphasis is on preparedness and covers employer responsibilities to keep workers safe when the weather gets “frightful.”
Newark’s NJ Med School Slated for $14 Million Upgrade
Construction Materials Prices Continue Slide
$50 Million Expansion for Ocean County Justice Complex
Essex County Looks to Replace Field House
UPDATE: Sayreville’s Riverton Development Advances
UPDATE: More Funding for Elizabeth’s Vinty Project
OSHA Allows Limited OK of CIC Crane Operator Certs
Paterson Joins Community Collaborative Initiative
New Site Owner Submits Mixed-Use Plans for Jersey City
Stratford Bradlees Will Become County Social Services
New York College Bringing Dorms to Jersey City
NJ DOT Awards $161 Million in Transportation Grants
Elizabeth Mixed-Use Lands $55 Million Construction Loan
Delco Rail Storage Gets Environmental Permits
NJ Airports Land Nearly $40 Million In Infrastructure Grants
Metro Construction Employment Steady in October, Up in NJ
Franklin Square PATCO Station Gets Fed Funding
Carbon Reduction Facility Coming to Linden
Governor’s EO Doubles Wind Farm Production
Cape May Theatre Site to Become Luxury Resort
Year-Over-Year, October Construction Jobs Rise Nationwide
Custom-Fitting Safety Harnesses for Women in Construction
OSHA reports falls to be the leading cause of private-sector worker fatalities in the construction industry. Women represent approximately 10% of the overall construction labor force, but not all contractors have the supply of properly fitting safety harnesses needed to better protect women in construction. In a step toward finding a solution, Autodesk and AGC of America are funding a grant program to supply select, in-need member contractors with fall protection harnesses sized for women who work at heights. AGC members can apply for the grants, which will supply approximately 300 harnesses for women, until the application window closes on January 10, 2020. Members can apply for the grant here: https://www.agc.org/industry-priorities/safety-health/agc-autodesk-safety-harness-grant-program
More Pressure for School Construction Funding
The Education Law Center (ELC), has filed a motion in the landmark Abbott v. Burke lawsuit requesting the state Supreme Court direct the NJ Commissioner of Education and the Schools Development Authority to update the SDA’s project portfolio and seek additional funding for k-12 projects. The ELC represents urban school districts receiving state construction funding.
Economists Predict Construction Spending for 2020
In their latest economic forecast webinar last week, the chief economists for AGC of America, ConstructConnect and AIA gave their predictions for 2020:
Natural Gas Facility Coming to Mantoloking Road
A 4,758 square foot natural gas regulator station has been approved by Brick Township’s planning board. The facility, located on Mantoloking Road in Brick, will contain a natural gas regulator station consisting of a gas pressure reduction facility, which will include a filter, piping, valves, regulators and related equipment. The entire facility will be surrounded by a fence with security features.
RWJBarnabas Joins Hospitals for Place-Based Investing
14 hospitals and health systems, including RWJBarnabas Health, have joined together to commit more than $700 million for place-based investing to create healthy communities. Place-based investing creates thriving communities by increasing available capital for positive social, economic or environmental impact. The projects to be built will include affordable housing developments, grocery stores for food deserts, childcare centers and federally qualified health centers.
NJ Transit Seeking Public Private Partnership
With the guaranteed influx of crowds and traffic that will accompany the new American Dream Megamall in in East Rutherford, NJ, and the already crowded Meadowlands Sports and Entertainment Complex, New Jersey Transit is seeking private partners to help transport visitors to and from the area. On November 7, NJ Transit held a forum to discuss innovative solutions and systems to move people from the stadium, the megamall and Manhattan as efficiently as possible. NJ Transit Meadowlands rail station features an unfinished track loop for trains to reverse direction. NJ Transit is looking to partner with a firm on the design, build, operating, maintenance and finance of the solution. Ideas being considered include electric light rail, magnetic-levitation monorail and bus rapid transit.
Senators Ask for Explanation for Gateway Inaction
New Jersey Senators Cory Booker and Bob Menendez called on U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao to give reason for the inaction on the critical Gateway project. Chao visited the Hudson River tunnels and the Portal Bridge in April 2018, without members of the Congressional Delegation after multiple formal and informal invitations. The Senators asked for updates and information on the steps the U.S. DOT has taken to advance the Gateway Project.
Flood Hazard Mitigation Coming to North Wildwood
The City of North Wildwood and the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) are working together to alleviate flooding along the city’s emergency access route. The flood hazard mitigation project will include the construction of a pump station, upgrades to a large portion of the storm damage drainage system and the replacement of several stormwater outfall lines. The NJDEP recently awarded North Wildwood with a $10 million flood resiliency grant, which will help pay for the construction.
Westhampton Warehouse Closer to Reality
A proposed 634,000 square-foot warehouse could be coming to Westhampton. In a step toward construction, MRP Industrial LLC is scheduled to present a preliminary and final major site plan to the land development board for consideration and possible approval on Wednesday. The facility would be built along Hancock Lane at the end of Western Drive. It would be used as a warehouse, distribution and office facility with 288 car parking spaces, 171 tractor-trailer spaces, 114 loading berths and guard houses.
NJ Transit Adds a New Station to Middlesex County
NJ Transit and Middlesex County Improvement Authority (MCIA) have reached a memorandum of understanding and will enter a public-private partnership with Millburn-based Garden Homes Development for the for the 200-acre complex dubbed Main Street North Brunswick. A new NJ Transit train station will be built in New Brunswick in a mixed-use, transit-friendly community. The $50 million project will be funded through the New Jersey Transportation Trust Fund.
Metro Construction Jobs Slide Going into Fall
Atlantic City Saying Hello to Demolition and Goodbye to Eyesores
The Casino Reinvestment Development Authority has allocated another $1 million toward demolition of rundown properties. Atlantic City has now received $6.15 million toward city demolition. Currently, $4 million of the funded demolition has been used in the tourism district.
UPDATE: Ørsted, PSEG to Become a Team
As previously reported, BPU granted an award to Ørsted and PSEG for their proposed 1,100-megawatt Ocean Wind project, an offshore wind farm to be built 15 miles offshore from Atlantic City and expected to generate enough electric power for about half-a-million homes. The two companies have entered negotiations under which PSEG would acquire 25 percent of Ocean Wind. The pending deal is subject to negotiations and any required regulatory approvals.
International Company to Find New Home in Vineland
Italy-based company Rovagnati is setting up shop in the United States with a new meat processing facility in Vineland. The company plans to expand their facility space over the next five years for a total of 500,000 square feet. The site is just less than 26 acres and near the Vineland Industrial Park.
Atlantic City Proposed Design Competition for Bader Field
As part of Atlantic City’s long-term revitalization, state and local officials are looking at the development potential for Bader Field. After several offers and bids for the land have been turned down, the Atlantic City Executive Council has proposed the creation of a design competition for the 142.55-acre lot.
Another High Rise Coming to Jersey City’s Skyline
Adding to Jersey City’s vertical building boom is a proposed 68-story sky-high development, that if approved would be one of the tallest in the state. The mixed-use project would feature 680 residential units along with 18,662 square feet of commercial space. The developers, VIII & IX Associated LLC, a subsidiary of Mack-Cali’s Roseland Residential Trust, plans to develop a current 169,000 square-foot surface parking lot located at 242 Hudson Street and 3 Second Street.
Updates Coming to Middlesex Water Treatment Plant
Middlesex Water Company is investing $70 million to upgrade the Carl J. Olsen Treatment Plant in Edison. The changes will help guarantee compliance with drinking water quality regulations.
Out with the Old in with the Five-Story Development in Newark
The Newark Central Planning Board has approved the demolition of a Downtown Newark building with plans to replace it with a five-story development. The structure at 1010-1014 Broad Street will now be host to 111 apartments, a 1,000 square-foot art gallery, 3,500 square feet of retail space and amenity space on the ground floor.
UPDATE: New AirTrain and Path Construction Approved by Port Authority
We reported in January that Governor Murphy asked the Port Authority to pay for a new AirTrain – the monorail at Newark Liberty Airport – at a cost of $2.1 billion, rather than continue to pay for repairs and maintenance. In an update to the request, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey Board of Commissioners authorized the request and then some. Last month, PANYNJ approved toll and fare hikes to pay for some of the costs.
$42M Jail Coming to Cumberland County
Cumberland County officials have broken ground on the new Cumberland County Jail in Bridgeton. The $42 million project will take over for the current jail with plans for it to be more cost and energy efficient. The project will be located on Burlington Road next to South Woods State Prison and will replace the downtown facility.
Yet Another Highrise Coming to Jersey City
Over the summer the Jersey City urban development company Ironstate submitted plans for a 25-story, 19,000 square-foot high rise. The 341 units would also include 2,607 square feet of café space on the ground floor. The plans encompass five current parking lots at 532 Summit Avenue and 571-577 Pavonia Avenue. A date has not been set yet to hear the proposal.
Updated Plans Submitted for Jersey City Redevelopment Project
A currently unused Jersey City warehouse could soon become office and retail space. The Warren at Bay project was approved nearly five years ago, with plans to rehabilitate the structure in the Powerhouse Arts District. KABR Group purchased the property in 2016 and submitted plans for renovation, which they recently resubmitted with hopes of adding two extra stories for a total of six floors. If approved, the property will be host to 11,900 square feet of restaurant space, along with 10,700 square feet of retail. The additional five floors will be home to 85,000 square feet of office space.
Second Phase of $40M NJ Transit Project to be Awarded in 2021
NJ Transit plans to award Phase Two of the Hoboken Rail Yard project in 2021. The $40 million construction project aims to make improvements to the railyard damaged by Hurricane Sandy. The second phase will install six new tracks over the filled canal to service three Americans with Disabilities act-accessible, high-level boarding platforms above expected flood levels.
Fall Construction Work for NJ Train Stations
Potential Rehabilitation Project for Former Vineland ShopRite
$10M Intersection Project in the Works for Passaic County
Brick's Bayside Park to be Reconstructed
UPDATE: Coast Guard Makes Portal Bridge Restrictions Permanent
Gateway Development Commissioners Announced
NJ Transit Eyes Development of More Real Estate Assets
Metro Construction Jobs Continue Summer Growth
UPDATE: Brick Reviews Possible VA Medical Clinic
Apartments Proposed for Bordentown Mixed-Use
FHWA Awards $100 Million in Extra Funding to NJDOT
Scalia Confirmed as US Labor Secretary
Ørsted Chooses Next-Gen Turbines for AC Wind Farm
August Construction Jobs Hold Steady
New OSHA Construction Director Appointed
Prevailing Wage Violator: Stop Work Orders Issued
New EMS Building Scheduled for Mount Laurel
After Big Increases Last Year, Construction Materials Prices Drop in August
Jersey City Building State’s Largest Movie Studio
Misclassification Enforcement:
Violator to Pay Back $1.25 Million
Springfield Eyes Old Saks Fifth Ave Store for Mixed-Use
Pemberton Approves Construction of Large Warehouse
Palisades Park Proposes $63 Million Schools Upgrade
Stratford to Replace Laurel Mills Shopping Center
Schiff Foods Plans Expansion with New Acquisition
Stevens Institute Lands $270 Million for Student Structures
Metro Construction Employment Holds Steady in July
Fort Monmouth Could House $31.5 Million Research Park
ShopRite May Bring Oasis to AC’s Food Desert
Trenton Seeks Developer for Roebling Block II
Weehawken Ponders Hartz Mountain Proposal
East Orange Reviews Brick Church Station Complex
USDOT Awards $18.4 Million to Newark Penn Station
Alleviating Border Traffic – Brick and Toms River
UPDATE: Vineland Approves Cold Storage Facility
USDA Gives Woodbine More Water Project Funding
Construction Employment Up in 40 States in July
Ocean County Looking for Redesign of Brick Township Road
Bid Prices Rise, Materials Prices Slow in June
Jersey City Plans New Police Station in The Heights
UPDATE: Florence Mixed-Use Progresses
Library Funding Creeps Closer
DOT Releases $161 Million in County Aid
OSHA Considers Revising Silica Standard
Middlesex County Towns Discuss Shared Sewage Pumping Station
Hoboken Eyes Large Mixed-Use for Madison Street Site
Federal SBA Raises “Small Business” Size
$8 Million Buys an Asbury Park Boardwalk
AC Could Build $4.5 Million Hangar for Charter Plane Operation
New York Announces Offshore Wind Projects
42 States See Rise in Construction Employment for Year
Three State DOLs Sign Alliance to Protect Workers
Future DOT Work Announced for Route 9 in Ocean County
Local Freight Impact Fund Grants to Improve Truck-Traffic Safety
AC School Board Offices Could Move to Boardwalk Hall
UPDATE: Camden Transit Hub Receives NJ Transit Grant
UPDATE: Banquets Permitted for Proposed Mantoloking Restaurant
Vineland Hospital Redevelopment Back in Play
Westampton Warehouse Project Slated to Replace Proposed Residential
US DOL Secretary Acosta Resigns
DEP Preps Communities on Two-River Flood Resiliency
Port Authority Releases 30-Year Plan
US Again Slaps Mexico with Steel Tariffs
Nearly 70% of Metros Gain Construction Jobs for Year
NJ Transit Asset to Become Somerville Station
Mercedes Montvale Redevelopment Advances
Saint Peter’s University Plans Dorms in Jersey City
NJ Treasury Adopts Changes for DVOB Certification
AC Marina District Redevelopment Plan Approved
BPU Award Goes to Ørsted for Offshore Wind Farm
US DOT Announces $292.7 Million Funding Program for Ports
More than Three-Quarters of States Add Construction Jobs in May
UPDATE: Stockton Slated for Extra $4 Million
Jersey City Considers Four-Tower Mixed-Use Community
Bloomfield Eyes New Mixed-Use Complex
AC Electric Plans Upgrades in 2020
NJ Transit Proposes Natural Gas Power Plant in Kearny
Meadowlands Landfill Site Sold to Developers
Cape May County Redevelopment Initiative to Aid Towns
Elizabethtown Gas Announces $300 Million Infrastructure Upgrade
New Patient Tower Planned for South Jersey
Voorhees Golf Land Site Could Offer Upscale Mixed-Use
RWJBarnabas and Rutgers Cancer Institute Announce More Plans
Florence Mixed-Use Approved But Awaits Other OKs
Princeton Gift Will Consolidate Computer Science Studies
More Airport Money – $7.4 Million To Morristown and AC
Metro Construction Jobs Up in US, Uneven in NJ
MTA Wants Engineers, Contractors to Cut Fees 10%
Stockton Approves Phase II of AC Campus
Mixed-Use Plan for Newark Broad Street Station Area
UPDATE: Developer Has MOU to Redevelop US Pipe Site
AGC Releases Highway Work Zone Survey Results
Update: Details on Plan for Bayonne Military Terminal Redevelopment
Kearny Point Nabs First Jersey Opportunity Zone Grant
US to Lift Canada’s Tariffs
NJDOT Releases Flood Mitigation Plan for Route 40
Most States Add Construction Jobs in April Year-over-Year
South Jersey Airports Win $8.4 Million to Fund Upgrades
$31 Million Going to Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor Projects
Luxury Condos Announced for AC’s Marina District
Local Law 196 Safety Training Deadline Pushed Back
AC Approves Ducktown Revitalization Plan
Vineland to Get New Cold Storage Warehouse
ResinTech Building New HQ in Camden
Medford Lakes to Improve Sewer System
Mantoloking Ponders Waterfront Restaurant
Paramus Mall to Become Major Mixed-Use
Metro Area Construction Jobs Healthy in March
Possible Funding for Joint Base Route 539 Overpass
Construction Materials Prices Rise, Month and Year
More Than a Third of States Add Construction Jobs for the Year
Port Authority Outreach to MWDBEs for Newark Terminal One
CRDA Donates Land, Funding for Medical Building
Carpenters Rally Against Tax Fraud on Tax Day
Burlington City Industrial Site May Get Makeover
Walmart Plans Renovations for 13 NJ Stores
AGC Seeks Response on Highway Work Zone Safety Survey
New Brownfields Loan Program Launched
NJ EDA Creates Business Network for Offshore Wind
Carney’s Point Looks Forward to Huge Warehouse
Governor Announces $161 Million NJDOT Grants
More Details Uncovered on Rutgers-Newark Development
Phase 2 of Stockton University’s AC Campus Up for Approval
Matawan Looks for Transit Hub Development
Industrial Demand Continues Strong in NJ
UPDATE: Toms River Downtown Remake
New FHWA Administrator Approved
Kentucky Bans Government-Mandated PLAs
Route 22 in Union Could See New Hotel, Wawa and More
State Construction Jobs Strong for Year, Weaker for Month
Valley Hospital Plans Under Review
Coast Guard Agrees to Marine Traffic Restrictions for Portal Bridge
Route 40 Elevation to Reduce Flooding
Metro Construction Jobs Up for Year
AGC First Signature Sponsor of National Construction Safety Week
Pool Club and Beach Bar Coming to Seaside Heights
If AC Becomes Center for Climate Change Research…
Multi-Family Housing Proposed for Secaucus Industrial Site
Construction Employment Up in January
Construction Materials Prices Rising and Unpredictable
NJ Natural Gas Proposes $507 Million Investment
Woodbridge P&G Plant Sold
South Jersey Labor Unions Poised to Build Offshore Wind Farm
Special School Construction Vote Scheduled for March in Florence
UPDATE: Rio Grande Kmart Conversion Moves Ahead
NJCU Arts Center Plans Revised Upward
Gateway Gets Some Fed Funding
New OceanFirst HQ Approved in Toms River
Metro Construction Up in December in New Jersey
FAA Proposes Relaxed Drone Rules
President’s EO Expands “Buy American” to Federal Infrastructure Work
$2 Billion Could Get Us a New AirTrain at Newark Liberty
New Acting Construction Chief at OSHA
$7.7 Million Replacement Coming for Route 47 Bridge
AtlantiCare Announces $38 Million Medical Services Facility in AC
Rutgers Study Shows Smooth Pavement Helps Environment
Willingboro Hospital Could Become Drug Treatment Center
Letter to US DOT Seeks Enviro Review Completion for Gateway Tunnel
Construction Employment Ends 2018 on the Upside
EPA Plan for More Local Water Autonomy Signed into Law
December Materials Prices Drop But Are Up Overall in 2018
Redeveloper Purchases Closed PSE&G Coal Sites
Downtown Camden Roads to Get $10 Million Makeover
UPDATE: Newark’s Riverfront Square to Have Seven-Phase Development
New Chair at Gateway Development Corp.
Ørsted Wind Applies for Wind Farm Off AC
Construction Jobs Increase in Three-Quarters of US Metros
Preliminary Plans Emerge for AtlantiCare HealthPark in AC
Evesham Ponders “Vision Plan” for Downtown Redevelopment
State Construction Jobs Up for Year – Except in NJ
AC Plans First New Supermarket in 14 Years
NJIT Plans Major Expansion in the Heights
Delaware Bridge Receives Federal BUILD Grant
Brick Approves Land Split for Superdome Sports Complex Project
Cape May County Bond Would Lead to New Dept. of Social Services
Judge Says PennEast Pipeline May Take Property Along Route
Paterson Granted Tax Credit for Development Near Train Station
Federal BUILD Grant Goes to Toms River Road Project
Fed Report Calls for Major Interstate Upgrade
UPDATE: Voorhees Mall Sold, Redevelopment Plans May Progress
In $82 Million Project, Wildwood to Overhaul Water and Sewer Lines
NJ Metros Still Shedding Construction Jobs in October
Inspira Launches Capital Campaign for Mullica Hill Medical Center
DRPA Approves $178 Million Capital Budget
In NJ, Construction Jobs Way Down for Year, Way Up for Month
GoBrands Lands $39.1 Million Tax Credit
Harrah’s Gets Facelift in $56 Million Upgrade
NJ Eyes Sale of Salem County’s Memorial Hospital
Materials Costs Still Rising Faster than Bid Prices
OSHA Publications Available as eBooks
NJ Asks Coast Guard to Eliminate Rush-Hour Portal Bridge Openings
Red Bank Redevelopment Approved
Bowling Alley Site to Become Cherry Hill Drug Rehab
Year-Over-Year, Construction Employment Falls in NJ Metros
Studies Show How to Reduce Silica Dust
UPDATE: Ocean County Mall Redevelopment Plan Approved
New Jersey Construction Job Numbers Plummet
Mixed-Use May Rise at Hoboken/Jersey City Border
UPDATE: Jersey City Approves Bond for Bayfront Land Purchase
Construction Materials Prices Jump in September
EPA Announces $332 Million Clean-Up of Berry’s Creek
Freight Bridge Between Newark and Kearny May Be Replaced
Rutgers Camden Plans New Business School Building
FAA Reauthorization Approved for Five Years
Governor’s EO Forms Partnership for Revitalizing Trenton
AC’s CRDA Zoning Office to Reside at City Hall
Hearings for New PBGC Head Canceled Yesterday
New Jersey Metro Areas Shed Most Construction Jobs in August
PATCO’s Franklin Square Station in Philly Gets Redesign
NJ Again Loses Construction Jobs While Most States Gain
UPDATE: Redeveloper Selected for Voorhees Mall
Mixed-Use Coming to 440 in Jersey City
Merchantville Downtown Eyes New Housing and Retail
Stockton Considers $41 Million Science Center
Trenton Receives Grant for Innovation Campus
Construction Materials Rise Again in August
UPDATE: Jersey City Mixed-Use to Include Synagogue
UPDATE: Jersey City Industrial Site Sold for Mixed-Use
Developer Proposes Mixed-Use Buildings for Ironbound
Only Five States Lost Construction Jobs in July – One Was NJ
Bidding Open for Route 18 Corridor Redevelopment
New Ownership in Store for Downtown Newark Properties
New 8-Story Building Coming to Jersey City’s Five Corners
July Prices for Construction Materials Soar Over Last July
Stockton’s Intent to Purchase Atlantic Club Approved
Woodbridge Power Plant Owner Seeks Second Woodbridge Plant
Second Shaq Tower Approved in Newark
Five New Towers Proposed for Newark’s West Side
Ocean County Mall Proposes Re-Make
June Construction Employment Up in Three-Quarters of US Metros
Credits Could Fund Offshore Wind Projects
Plans Emerge for Mixed-Use on Jersey City’s Erie Street
Cumberland County Jail Project Expected to Get Financing
Mixed-Use Complex Proposed for Jersey City’s Emerson Radio Site
RWJBarnabas to Invest $1 Billion in P3 with Rutgers
Possible Manufacturing Plant on Old Roebling Steel Site
Construction Employment Up in Most States for Year – Falls Hard in NJ
New Jersey’s Prime Warehouse Rents Rise
Three-Building Mixed-Use Proposed for Elizabeth
UPDATE: Monmouth Mall Redesign Approved
Mixed-Use Proposed for Jersey City’s McGinley Square
JCP&L Seeks Approval for Rate Increase to Fund Upgrades
NJ Transit Gets Extension on Portal Bridge Funding Application
Construction Costs Continue to Rise in June
RWJBarnabas Plans Campus at Fort Monmouth
Towns in Atlantic County with Redevelopment Plans
Jersey City Approves Resolution to Buy Honeywell Site for Redevelopment
Formula 1 Track Proposed Near Liberty State Park
Wastewater Treatment Plant Gets Funding from Feds and State
Gateway Project Revised with an Eye Toward Federal Funding
May Construction Spending Hits Record on Uneven Investment
Route 130 Roadwork in Burlington County Aims to Ease Traffic
UPDATE 2: Four Developers Offer Options for Voorhees Mall
UPDATE: 12-Story Mixed-Use Approved for Ironbound
Supreme Court Strikes Down Public Union Dues Requirement
Tech Village Planned for Cape May County Airport
May Construction Employment Rose in Three-Quarters of Metro Areas
Renderings Released for Redevelopment of Newark Bears Stadium
Logan Township to Get New Logistics Space
Growth Zone for AC Airport Moves Through Committees
Possible Boraie Development Coming to Newark’s Waterfront
While Most States Gained Construction Jobs, NJ Lost the Most
UPDATE: Newark’s Maple Street School Project Expands
Amazon’s Ninth NJ Warehouse to Land in Burlington
Downtown Sea Isle City Slated for Development
Construction Costs Jump Again in May
NJ Proposes $600 Million Bond Issue to Replace Portal Bridge
Plans Underway for Mixed-Use with Hotel in Ocean Grove
Elizabeth Mixed-Use Gets Tax Credit and Phase II
Busy Ports Mean Warehouse Demand – and Central Jersey Can Take It
Flashing Blue Lights Make Work Zones Safer
Newark’s Springfield Ave Could Get Three-Story Mixed-Use
New Health Science Building for Cumberland County Tech Ed Center
OSHA Crane Regs Eliminate Crane Lifting Capacity Requirement
Deal Between Newark and Developer Could Mean New Mixed-Use
Developer Receives Site Assessment Funding for Atlantic City Property
Fishermen’s Energy Up Again for Offshore Wind Pilot
Construction Employment Remains High in Most Metros
AGC Releases Results of Work Zone Safety Study
12-Story Mixed-Use Proposed for Ironbound
EarthCam at American Dream Project
Tariffs on Steel Halted for China
Utility Relocation Project Moves Gateway Program Forward
Sports Arena Slated for Brick
New Engineering and Manufacturing Center at County College of Morris
States Add Construction Jobs for Month and Year
Mixed-Use Coming to Hoboken Residential Street
UPDATE: Voorhees to Use Eminent Domain for Mall Property
UPDATE: More on Newark’s Amazon Bid
Approved Jersey City Project Never Built, Now for Sale
Former Cherry Hill Racetrack Could Become OTB Parlor
Construction Financing for East Orange Five-Story Residential
New Brunswick Hub Development Gets OK from NJ EDA
Another Mixed-Used Proposed for Jersey City Neighborhood
Groundbreaking Held for Five-Story Mixed-Use in Hackensack
Camden County College Could Build New Arena on Blackwood Campus
Camden’s Kroc Center Plans Expansion
April Construction Costs Jump
Hoboken to Get Five-Story Mixed-Use
Mixed-Use in Two Million Square Feet Coming to Newark’s Broad Street
Cherry Hill Approves Apartments Overlooking Cooper River Park
Lower Township Ponders $14 Million Aquatic Center
Turnersville Hospital Gaining $205 Million Expansion
Colgate-Palmolive Site to Become Mixed-Use Redevelopment
Mahwah Site Approved for Redevelopment
Feds Award $9.9 Million Grant to Port Authority
Renovation Planned for Bergenfield Borough Hall
President Postpones Steel and Aluminum Tariffs
Construction Employment Up in 68% of Metros for March
Lidl #2 Proposed for Gloucester Township
Apartment Complex Approved in Toms River
Newark Gives Us a Peek at Amazon Bid
Mixed-Use Proposed for Newark’s University Heights
States Add Construction Jobs for Year, but Month Gains Weaker
Bridge and Road Upgrades Planned for Cape May Towns
Five-Story Apartment Building Proposed for Jersey City Street
UPDATE: Monmouth Mall Redesign Hearing Reviews Architectural Designs
Update: American Dream “On Target” to Open Next Year
AC to be Free of Some State Supervision
New Office and Retail Space Planned in Lakewood
Possible Power Plant in North Bergen
Union Packaging Lands $10.6 Million in EDA Tax Breaks
Walmart to Invest $68 Million In New NJ Store, Upgrades for 12
Brick Developments: Proposed and Re-proposed
AC Casino Profits Jumped in 2017
Voorhees Could Use Eminent Domain to Redevelop Mall
Nearly Three-Quarters of US Metros Add Construction Jobs in February
Newark’s Paramount Theater Slated for Mixed-Use Redevelopment
Revised Hoboken Hilton Proposed
Jersey City Landfill Site Could Become Commercial Development
West New York Warehouse Part of Redevelopment Plan
Early Plans for Morristown Children’s Museum
Amazon Plans West Deptford Fulfillment Center
Middle Township Moves Ahead on Redevelopment Plans
Linden Land Could House Class A Warehouse
Six-Story Residential Could Replace Jersey City Gas Station
Five-Story Multifamily Proposed for West New York
State Construction Employment Rises for the Month and Year
Governor Calls for Innovation Hub in New Brunswick
Metro Construction Employment Up in January – Except in Some NJ Metros
OFCCP Standardizes Notices of Employment Discrimination
Judge Determines 155,000 Affordable Housing Units in Two Towns
Six-Story Mixed-Use Proposed for Jersey City’s Newark Avenue
Construction Materials Prices Rise in February
New Plans for Montclair’s Lackawanna Terminal Reviewed Tonight
Recent OSHA Updates: Silica and Beryllium
Small Mixed-Use Proposal for Newark’s Ferry Street
Construction Employment Rises in 35 States for the Year
Hotel Proposed for Jersey City’s Bergen-Lafayette Neighborhood
Newark Could Get Its Tallest Building
Pompton Lakes Commercial Building Could Become Mixed-Use
Adaptive Reuse Proposed for Summit Theater in Union City
Eight Miles of West Milford Roadwork in Eight Years
Costco to Build New Store in Bayonne
PSE&G Halts Funding for Salem Nuclear Capital Projects
Mount Laurel Plans School Expansions
Vineland Industrial Park Started with Land Sale
Cooper University Hospital Seeks Conference Center
Florham Park Proposal Gets New Design
Muhlenberg Hospital to Become Residential and Medical Arts
Feds Give $2 Million to Camden Transit Hub
Multifamily High-Rise Planned for East Orange
Newark Elementary School Slated for Residential Development
More Jersey City High-Rises Proposed
JCP&L to Invest $357 Million in Reliability Work
Trenton Looks to Spur Development with Two Entertainment Districts
Governor Announces $161 Million in Municipal Aid Grants
Toms River Development: Two Projects
High-Tech Planned for Newark’s New “Vibe” Tower
Morristown Condo Development Secures Financing
Jersey City Public Parking Lot Faces Redevelopment
Cost of Construction Materials and Services Expected to Rise This Year
Proposal Seeks to Reinvent Downtown Toms River
Holmdel Approves Rooftop Hotel for Bell Works Redevelopment
Old A&P in Clark Could Be Condemned
NJDOT Wins ENR New York’s Owner of the Year
Construction Employment Rises in 75% of Metros in December
AG Nixes PennEast Land Proposal
Tallest Buildings Coming to Bayonne
New Construction on Jersey City’s Journal Square
With New Metrics, BLS Reports Productivity Gains in Construction
https://www.bls.gov/opub/mlr/2018/article/measuring-productivity-growth-in-construction.htm
Murphy EO Releases Wind Energy Act
Waters of the US Rule Delayed Two Years
Somerdale Church to Transform into Housing and Restaurant
US EPA Claims Roebling Steel Superfund Site is Cleaned Up
Private-Sector Demand Bumps Up State Construction Employment
Andover Township to Get Glass Recycling Plant
Proposed $12 Million Rehab for Paterson Art Factory
AC Grants Available to Cut Development Costs
UPDATE: PennEast Pipeline Approved by Feds
Latest Federal Reserve Reports for Price Inputs, Office Availability
Press of Atlantic City’s Former Building Sold for Development
More Development Plans in Jersey City
UPDATE: Kushner Cos. Submits New Site Plans for Monmouth Mall Redevelopment
Apartments and Retail Space Coming to Paterson
Proposal Addresses Flooding in Bergen County
High-End Loft Apartments Coming to Passaic
Camden Mixed-Use Parking Garage Plans Changed
Adaptive Reuse in Jersey City: From Old Church to New Residences
Six-Story Residential Building Proposed for Jersey City’s Ward B
Pero Family Farms Expanding in Vineland
NJ Transit Director Stepping Down
Redevelopment Planned for Route 18 Retail Site in East Brunswick
Economic Expansion Boosts Construction Jobs Across the Nation
BLS Releases Latest Occupational Fatalities Report
Update: Flemington’s Union Hotel Redevelopment Approved
Proton Therapy Facility Planned for Virtua Voorhees
Rowan University Plans 300-Acre Sports Complex
Update: Cherry Hill’s Hampton Road Redevelopment
More Mixed-Use Development Planned for Hackensack
Palisades Park Approves 14-Story Residential Building
Rutgers Gives Go-Ahead on $15 Million Campbell’s Field Redevelopment
Boraie Development Bringing Union Apprentice Program to AC
Long Branch Reaches Deal for Development of Lower Broadway
Woolwich Retail Center Plans Summer Sewer Construction
Nearly $500 Million More to be Spent on Newark Terminal A Redevelopment
Approval Pending for $5 Million Addition to Hudson-Bergen Light Rail Project
Connecticut Raises Project Threshold for Prevailing Wage Rates
Tax Incentive Bill for Garden State Growth Zones Proceeds to Full Legislature
Jersey City Ponders Development in Non-Waterfront Areas
Mars Wrigley to Build New HQ in Newark, Renovate Hackettstown Facility
Georgian Court University Plans New Building in Flemington
AGC Expresses Support for FHWA Environmental Streamlining Proposals
OSHA Extends Compliance Date of Record-Keeping Rule
Metro Construction Employment and Spending Rise for the Year
Redevelopment of National Lead Site in Sayreville Estimated at $2.5 Billion
Stockton Students Could Get Bayfront Housing in AC
States Add Construction Jobs But Numbers Likely Affected by Hurricanes
Paterson Pita Plant Offered $30 Million in Tax Credits
PSE&G Announces Three New Transmission Projects for Three Counties
Cape May Bridge Work Could Include Big Projects
Gloucester County to Replace Almonesson Lake Bridge and Dam
Middle Township Plans Economic Rehab and Redevelopment
AC Property Auction Brings In More Than $1.1 Million
Federal DOT Ends Local Hire Rule
More Mixed-Use Planned for Aetna Street in Jersey City
AGC of America Partners with EPA on Rules Review
Upgrades Planned for Bergen Regional Medical Center
Funding Secured for Newark Public Schools Headquarters
Affordable and Senior Housing Proposed for Jersey City
Metro Construction Employment Better Than State Numbers
State Construction Employment Not Growing as Fast as Demand
Hackensack Approves Redevelopment of Route 4 Office Complex
State Grants $7.1 Million to Turn Perth Amboy Brownfield into Park
Construction’s Multiemployer Pension Plans Mostly in Green Zone
Hurricane Harvey Could Boost Steel Prices and Other Construction Materials
OSHA Posts Extension of Compliance Date for Crane Operator Certification
AC’s Gardner’s Basin Redevelopment Agreement Approved
$250 Million in Improvements to NJ Highway Rest Areas
AC’s Bader Field Proposals Go from Two to Four
Update on Virtua’s Now-Approved Westampton Hospital
More Plans for Mixed-Use Development in Jersey City
Construction Jobs Grow State-by-State for Year, Slow for Month
President Issues EO to Streamline Federal Construction Permitting
Wildwood Boardwalk Replacement Plans Underway
Skyway in Atlantic City Approved
College Construction Majors Leap 26.4%
Route 206 Bypass Through Hillsborough Soon to Go Out for Bid
Morristown to Expand Even More with New Proposal
More Construction Could Be Coming to the Meadowlands
Government Infrastructure Spending at Lowest Level Ever
Three Pharmas May Receive NJ EDA Incentives
NJ EDA Headquarters Renamed to Honor Caren Franzini
Montclair to Undergo Large Redevelopment Project
Downtown Jersey City Will Gain Another New Development
Final Approvals Received to Demolish Centerton Road Bridge
Cascades Inc. Announces Plant Investment in Piscataway
Portal Bridge Project Passes Environmental Impact Test
AC's Bader Field Up for Sale—Again
Metro Construction Employment Increases for the Year Despite Hiring Difficulties
New Chair and ED at Port Authority
Mixed-Use Projects Define Hackensack Redevelopment Plans
New Apartment Building with Parking Garage Coming to Bloomfield
Newark to Get Apartments at Site of Defunct Baseball Stadium
PSE&G to Hire 3,000 Workers for Gas Pipeline Project
PSE&G to Build $275 Million Substation
Construction Among States Up for Year; New Jersey Strong in June
Port Authority Approves New Delta Terminal at LaGuardia
US DOL Orders East Orange Contractors to Pay Back Wages
Payment for Small Business Bill Passed in House Committee
Cushman & Wakefield Report Strong NJ Industrial Real Estate Markets
NJ Representative Proposes $900 Million for Gateway Project
Update: Burlington County, Towns Pull Support of Huge Warehouse Zone Plan in Florence, Mansfield
Cost of Hudson Tunnel Project Could Hit Nearly $13 Billion
Tropicana Acquires the Chelsea Hotel
Rockefeller Completes $57M Deal in Piscataway
Monorail Hoists Removed from Crane Rule Compliance
Kearny Point’s Building 197 Breaks Ground
Cumberland County Jail Approved
Matrix Proposes 530,000-Square-Foot Warehouse in Burlington Township
UPDATE: American Dream Financing a Done Deal
Metro Construction Employment Increases for the Year Despite Hiring Difficulties
Camden Hotel Gains $18.3 Million EDA Tax Break
Penn Station Expansion Includes Farley Building Mixed-Use
$26.7 Million Performing Arts High School Planned for Ocean County
Construction Among States Up for Year But Weaker for Month
UPDATE: Stranded Asset Hoffman-LaRoche Campus to be Redeveloped
$18.5 Million Riverfront Project Coming to Trenton
Joint Base First to Get New Tankers – and $154 Million in Construction
AC Electric to Proceed with $79 Million Capital Investment
MGM and Caesars to Partner in Atlantic City
UPDATE: American Dream Bonds Issued
Metro Construction Grows for the Year on Private-Sector Projects
Trenton to Demolish 500 Abandoned Buildings
Midtown Elizabeth to Get $200 Million Redevelopment
Roebling Wire Works Redevelopment to Include Loft Apartments
Aqua NJ Announces $23 Million in Water Infrastructure Upgrades
UPDATE: American Dream Financing Secured
Smithville to Add Mixed-Use Development
State Construction Employment Still Uneven Month-by-Month
Monmouth Mall Redesign Proposal #2
CRDA Approves AC Beer Garden
USDOT Secretary Chao Calls Gateway Project “Absolute Priority”
Transit Hub in Queens Proposed to Ease Penn Station Congestion
Glassboro Public Housing: Demolition and Rebuild
New Shopping Complex Coming to Paramus
Newark Warehouse to be Transformed into Mixed-Use
Newark PATH Extension Estimated at $1.7 Billion
March Metro Construction Jobs Increase in Two-Thirds of Markets
US Senate Confirms Alexander Acosta as Labor Secretary
New York City to Count All Construction Fatalities in Total
USCIS Issues New Green Cards and EADs
Trump Orders Tariffs on Canadian Softwood Lumber
Construction Employment Strong for Year, Weak for Month
Luxury Apartments Slated for Somerville
South Jersey Tech Park Lands Animal Health Company Headquarters
FEMA to Fund 90% of Repair in Sandy-Damaged Holland Tunnel
March Construction Materials Prices Leap
$1.6 Billion Staten Island Revitalization Report Released Today
Rutgers Approves $115 Million Athletic Practice Facility
Dumont Considers New or Renovated Municipal Complex
http://www.dumontnj.gov/dumont-news/notices-announcements
American Dream Update: Under Construction Again
New Brunswick Finally Getting Performing Arts Center
Hard Rock Plans $375 Million Makeover of Taj Mahal
As Metros Add Construction Jobs, AGC Focuses on Worker Safety
Rutherford Adding New Police Station to Borough Hall
Repeal of Federal Blacklisting Rule Signed Into Law
State Construction Jobs Up in 43 States in February Year-Over-Year
Jersey City Approves Land Transfer for Liberty Science Center Expansion
$13 Million Development Approved for Vineland
Gateway ROI Could be 4-to-1
Last of “Building Our Future” Bond Act Monies Appropriated
$135 Million Investment Planned for Former Atlantic Club Casino
Metro Areas Show “Mixed Pattern” of Construction Employment in January
AC’s CRDA Amends Master Plan to Spur Economic Development
State-by-State, Construction Employment is Up for the Month and Year
Congressional Review Act Repeals “Blacklisting” Rule
Hard Rock Buys AC’s Taj Mahal
AGC of America Launches New Advocacy Site
Pinelands Commission Approves PennEast Pipeline
Jamie Fox, Twice Transportation Commissioner, Dies at 62
Route 206 Bypass Moves Closer to Completion
Port Authority Capital Plan Includes Some Bus Terminal Funding
Virtua Health Announces $22 Million Expansion in Camden
Materials and Labor Costs Rising Faster Than Project Prices
Cherry Hill Advances Plans for Addiction Rehab Center
Morristown Office Building to Get Major Renovation
AC Land Auction Expands to Include Other Towns’ Land
New York’s Labor Unions Maintain Highest Membership in US
NYC Buildings Department Comes Out Against Union Apprenticeship Bill
Metro Construction Employment Sluggish in December Year-Over-Year
AC Plans New Public Housing
AGC of America Asks for Action on Congressional DOT Funding
Cleveland Ironworkers First to Approve Pension Cuts Under 2014 Law
$10 Million in Funding for Rehab of Passaic Riverfront
Senate Democrats: $1 Trillion, 10-Year Infrastructure Proposal
Two-Thirds of States Add Construction Jobs in 2016
US DOT Issues New Report on Bridge and Highway Status
PA Turnpike Bridge Closes with Fracture in Steel Truss
Newark’s Triangle Park to Become Mulberry Commons
Industrial Park Proposed for Logan Township
UPDATE: Tunnel Project’s Gateway Development Corp. Elects Chair
Joint Base Chosen as Home for New Tankers
New York’s Gov. Cuomo Issues EO for State Contractors on Pay Equity
AGC Releases Hiring and Business Outlook Survey Results
USDOT Creates Committee on Automation
Produce & Prepared Foods Provider Gets $28.1 Million EDA Incentive
Fishermen’s Energy Loses Fed Funding for Windmill Farm
$10 Billion Plan to Remake JFK Airport
AGC Analysis of Population Data as Predictor of Construction Demand
New Milford Looks Ahead to Shopping Center Development
NJ Transit to Fund Perth Amboy Train Station Renovation
Metros Add Construction Jobs at Lowest Level in Four Years
Feds Want to Remake Northeast Corridor
Camden Gets $13.2 Million HUD Grant
Update: More German Groceries in Jersey
Uptick in Construction Jobs Across the Country for Month and Year
EDA Approves Incentives for Three Manufacturing Projects
UPDATE: Amtrak Adds Six Months to Each Gateway Tunnel Fix
Dream Sequence: Triple Five Presents American Dream Design Video
NJ Post-Sandy Dredging Gets Extension and Budget
Palmieri to Leave CRDA
Gibbstown DuPont Factory Moves to Phase Two in Redevelopment
October’s Construction Employment Up in Two-Thirds of Metro Areas
Report Studies Effect of Undocumented Construction Workers on GDP
Camden to See More University Development on Broadway
Federal Court Blocks Overtime Rule
Kennedy Health to Build $225 Million Tower and Parking Deck on Washington Township Campus
Better Roads Releases 2016 Bridge Inventory
NJDOT Launches NJPass for Trucks to Bypass Weigh Stations
Port Authority Approves Gateway Oversight Entity
Less Than Half the States Add Construction Jobs in October
Camden County to Build New Social Services Center
State Approves Five-Year Takeover of AC
September Year-Over-Year, Construction Employment Rises in Two-Thirds of Metro Areas
CarePoint Health Plans Nine Satellite ER Centers in Three Counties
Florence & Mansfield Share e-Commerce Development Goal
Wind Farm Auction Off New Jersey Coast in December
Mack-Cali Buys 47 Undeveloped Acres in Wall Township
Construction Management Groups Sue NYC Over Crane Laws
OSHA Delays Enforcement of Anti-Retaliation Provisions - Again
OSHA Proposes Revisions to Standards, Including Construction
State Construction Employment Gains for Year, Slows for Month
Port Authority Commits $300 Million for Replacing Portal Bridge
ResinTech Gets $138 Million in EDA Incentives to Relocate to Camden
AGC of America Joins Alliance to Prevent Construction Worker Suicides
AGC of America Analyzes Economic Impact of Construction in New Jersey
AGC of America and Other Groups Ask for Long-Term Funding in Presidential Candidates’ Infrastructure Plans
https://www.agc.org/sites/default/files/Files/Communications/Trump_Letter_0.pdf
Vineland to Build New Police Department Facility
Bill Could Allow Municipalities To Restart and Receive Compensation for TTF Projects
August Construction Employment Up in 61% of Metros Over Last Year
States Add Construction Jobs for the Year, But Monthly Growth Slows
LOCAL | December 27, 2017
October 2017