Construction Watch : Rincon Hill Dog Park Moving Right Along

× Like us and you'll find top breaking news in your Facebook newsfeed. Sign up for our daily email newsletter and get top stories and breaking news delivered to your inbox. Wednesday, June 1, 2011, by Sally Kuchar In December of 2010 Caltrans awarded a $2,600,000 highway landscape project, part of which includes a dog park for Rincon Hill residents. The project broke ground in February, and LiveSOMA stopped by the site last week to check out the progress. And progress it has! The park, which is located on the corner of Bryant and Beale streets, had "no fewer than 10 workers pouring concrete, welding and otherwise assembling what appears to be the foundation of the park's entryway, and there are all sorts of wooden beams popping out of the ground," LiveSOMA reports. Peep the gallery above for action shots.
· Going to the Dogs [Curbed SF]
· Rincon Hill Dog Park Groundbreaking [Curbed SF]
· Rincon Hill Dog Park Making Serious Progress [LiveSOMA]

View the original article here

Development Watch: Lenny Kravitz to Work His Magic on Revamped Condo High-Rise

× Like us and you'll find top breaking news in your Facebook newsfeed. Sign up for our daily email newsletter and get top stories and breaking news delivered to your inbox. Friday, May 13, 2011, by Sarah Firshein

Downtown Miami condo building Paramount Bay is being given a second chance at life thanks to new owners iStar and ST Residential, which jointly rescued the building from foreclosure and are enacting an epic new sales and marketing scheme with developer Fortune International. It's almost as if the three collectively said, "It ain't over 'til it's over" and then: "Heaven help." Sound familiar? No? Yes? Well, there's a reason to this business of tossing around Lenny Kravitz song titles on this fine Friday afternoon; specifically, the rockstar-turned-interiors guy will handle the design of the 47-story, 340-unit waterfront tower.

Of course, Kravitz (and his firm, Kravitz Design) is no stranger to the area, having designed spaces for the Setai Hotel and The Delano. We're told sales at Paramount Bay will be begin in fall (prices have not yet been confirmed). So what can future residents expect from Kravitz's interior design in their (surely) swank new digs? Per the reps: "The team will deliver a fresh take on their modern, sophisticated and sexy style to the 47-story bay front tower. Residents can expect a look that is reminiscent of Kravitz's own eclectic global lifestyle."

Will rooms have "Black Velveteen," perhaps, or "A New Door?" What about "Silver and Gold" or "Lonely Rainbows" pained on the walls? Please, someone make us stop!

· Lenny Kravitz, Lover of Louche, Decorates Like a Rock Star [Curbed National]
· Paramount Bay [official site]
· Kravitz Design [official site]
· Songs [Lenny Kravitz]

View the original article here

Kennewick: A housing market to watch in 2011 (Inman) | Seattle <b>...</b>

Three structures at 300 Area of the U.S. Department of Energy's Handford Site are demolished with explosives on Oct. 9, 2010. Handford demolition and cleanup work is helping drive the Kennewick area economy. (Handford/U.S. Department of Energy)

The Kennewick area is one of “10 real estate markets to watch in 2011,” according to Inman News.

“(H)ousing appreciation in the Kennewick area remained modest while the rest of the country was experiencing a boom,” the real estate news service wrote Friday.

The metro area has fairly low unemployment compared to the national rate and was one of three markets on the list to see household income rise between 2008 and 2009. Population and in-migration from other states also rose during that time, each up 4.2 percent. Median sales price in the Kennewick market rose 8.9 percent from fourth-quarter 2009 to fourth-quarter 2010.

And there’s economic strength in Kennewick, Don Havre, broker at The Real Estate Firm there, told Inman.

We are a transportation hub with rail, barge traffic and (a) freeway network. Our economy includes agriculture, with its growing grape/wine market, high-tech companies like Infinia, which manufactures generators powered by the sun’s energy, Pacific Northwest Laboratory, and the Hanford Project.

Speaking of federal projects, the No. 1 market to watch was Washington, D.C. No other Northwest areas made the list.

Read more real estate news. Visit seattlepi.com’s home page for more Seattle news.

View the original article here