On Tuesday, May 11, 2010, Lincoln voters approved the use of $25 million in general obligation bonds to help fund a $344 million redevelopment project known as the West Haymarket. WRK, LLC. was chosen in 2008 to serve as the "Developer on Record" for this project.
WRK wishes to thank the Mayor's Office, the Lincoln City Council, city departments, 2015 Vision Group, arena campaign committee and all of the community leaders and volunteers that gave their time and money to support this project.
In a statement to the press, Will Scott, principal of WRK, said, "It is great to see how involved citizens are when addressing the issues that will have a long term affect on our city. We may not always agree on the means to an end but we can agree that there is and end product out there that will improve our current situation."
Robert Scott, twin brother and co-founder of WRK, responded to the news saying, "We hope that our experience with green buildings and historic renovations will help create a development that respects the integrity of the existing Haymarket and further establishes Lincoln as an environmentally friendly city."
In a little over a week from now, WRK will be heading out to Las Vegas to attend the International Convention of Shopping Centers. At this convention, WRK will take immediate steps to recruit new businesses to be a part of the West Haymarket.
Later this year, WRK is planning to break ground on their new hotel just east of the post-office in the North Haymarket. This hotel will precede development in the West Haymarket and will begin to create new jobs and new tax revenue for Lincoln.
Click here to learn more about the West Haymarket.
The City of Lincoln has chosen Urban 38, a collaboration involving local developers Will and Robert Scott and The Woodbury Group of Utah, to develop the block bounded by 13th, 14th, Q and P streets, Mayor Chris Beutler announced Friday.
The $27.1 million plan calls for a nine-story building with 20,000 square feet of first-floor retail, five levels of city-owned parking and three floors of 48 two- and four-bedroom apartments.
It covers the entire north half of the block, including a small strip building that has several fast-food restaurants. Will Scott said the building is already under contract to be bought.
And it incorporates the city's civic plaza concept at 13th and P, where the Douglas 3 theater stood.
While the plan is a far cry from the $180 million, three-skyscraper project proposed more than two years ago, Beutler said he's pleased with it.
"We believe this proposal fits the site well and also fits into the urban design character of downtown Lincoln," Beutler said.
The city and Urban 38 will start negotiating the particulars of the development next week, he said. The plan will qualify for tax incentives, but the city did not give an estimate of what the amount will be.
The city gave a vague time frame for the likely start of construction, saying it would be sometime next year.
But Will Scott said "barring any crazy events underground -- "hopefully we don't run into Jimmy Hoffa" -- work could start as early as spring.
Zach Wiegert, a former Nebraska and NFL football player who is the lead developer with Woodbury Corp., said the project will require five to six months for design work and 14 to 15 months for construction, meaning it would likely be late 2011 or early 2012 at the earliest before the project is complete.
The Scotts and Woodbury are also part of a team selected to do private development around a proposed West Haymarket arena. And the Scotts are involved in other downtown projects.
Asked whether there is a risk they could get spread too thin on the various projects, Will Scott pointed out they are a small part of the development team -- and they're working with partners who have national reputations.
"We wouldn't ever swim out farther than we could swim back," he said.
Said Wiegert, whose firm boasts that not once in its history has it defaulted on a project: "By no means are these guys spread too thin."
The project already has committed financing from Colmena Capital, a privately held firm that often finances Woodbury projects.
Wiegert said there are no agreements with retailers yet, but he said Woodbury has already talked to potential tenants. He declined to name them, but said some would likely be new to Lincoln.
Among retailers Woodbury has worked with on other projects that don't have Lincoln locations are clothing stores Urban Outfitters, Forever 21 and Anthropologie.
While the retail element of the project may generate the most buzz, the parking element has driven the project almost from the beginning.
The five floors of city parking will have 567 stalls, which Downtown Lincoln Association President Terry Uland said will help support efforts to create a retail corridor on P and Q streets.
Uland said he also sees plenty of demand for more downtown apartments.
"The market's pretty strong," he said. "A lot of people want to live downtown, so we've got more demand than product."
Engineering Technologies, Inc. announces the opening of their new Lincoln headquarters in the LEED Platinum designed Color Court Building. Specializing in mechanical and electrical engineering, ETI is not only a tenant of the building but was also the engineering firm that helped design and develop this highly specialized commercial building.
Join us as we celebrate the completion of 48Rock, Lincoln's first LEED Gold Certified development project. Friday, November 6th from 12:00 pm to 6:00 pm. Ribbon cutting at 2:00 pm. 2436 North 48th (48th & Huntington).
Friday, August 7th, WRK and Lincoln Green by Design are offering the public the chance for a behind-the-scenes look at a LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certified renovation in progress. The Paint and Color Court Building, at 8th & M in the historic Haymarket, is designed to be the first Platinum LEED Certified Historic Renovation in the State of Nebraska. Platinum is the highest possible certification level of LEED. Admission is free and refreshments will be provided. A limited amount of free parking is also available.
Patrons are welcome to stop by while at First Fridays to learn about the building's LEED certification process and see first-hand a LEED renovation in progress. Members of the design and build team for the Color Court will be on-hand to give tours and answer questions. This event is the third in a series of tours organized by the Building and Design Task Group of Lincoln Green by Design, and has been made possible by these sponsors: WRK LLC, A to Z printing and the Nebraska Flatwater chapter of USGBC.
The Paint and Color Court Building, once completed, will house retail and office spaces in the Haymarket area. It will feature a 2,100 sq ft common space, a rainwater capture cistern, reduced building water usage, a green roof, a recycling center, shower facilities, bicycle storage, gray-water re-use, geothermal heating and cooling system, use of recycled content building materials and more. The Color Court renovation design team includes WRK LLC, BVH Architects and The Weitz Company.
This event is organized by Lincoln Green by Design, a grassroots group of Linconites whose mission is to bring together individuals, businesses, non-profits and government agencies to promote a sustainable Lincoln and Lancaster County. The group works to promote smart growth and environmental stewardship in a public and private partnership. This and other Lincoln Green by Design events can be found at www.lincolngreenbydesign.org/.
If you're looking to find a job or relocate a business, Lincoln should be high on your list.
That's the conclusion of Forbes magazine, which named Lincoln the top metropolitan area in the Midwest for business and careers and the fifth-best in the country.
Lincoln, which ranked 18th overall last year among the 200 largest U.S. metropolitan areas, got high marks for its lack of subprime mortgages, its low cost of living, a low cost of doing business, its residents' level of educational attainment and its projected job growth.
Raleigh, N.C., took home the top spot in the magazine's rankings, followed by Fort Collins, Colo., Durham, N.C., and Fayetteville, Ark.
Des Moines, Iowa, was the only other Midwestern City to make the top 20, coming in at No. 7.
Omaha ranked 35th on Forbes' list, down one place from last year.
For us, going green means the design and construction of buildings that help our clients save money, increase their productivity, and even sleep a little better at night. Send us what green means to you and the best idea will win a free years subscription to Dwell magazine. Send your ideas to info@wrkllc.com or click here to use our emailer form.
ABC News reports on a new study by mainstreet.com which finds Nebraska as "The Happiest State in U.S." Using unemployment, foreclosure and non-mortgage debt as the main factors, running up states included Iowa, Kansas, Hawaii and Louisiana. To view the video click here.
Lincoln Green By Design and WRK are offering Lincolnites the chance to tour a LEED certified Silver green building in the Historic Haymarket. The Sawmill Building will showcase its environmentally friendly nature for those who want to see first hand how green can look good and save money. Friday April 3 from 6 to 8 pm.
The Paint and Color Court Building located at 9th & M Street in Lincoln, NE is designed and scheduled to be the first Platinum LEED Certified Renovation Project in the State of NE. To learn more about LEED Certification or the Building, click here.
Visit the West Haymarket Public Engagement Website to learn more about what is going on with the proposed arena, hotels and other ammenities: www.westhaymarketarena.org
