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28 Jul 2017
0

TFMoran’s project “Market and Main” is featured as Project of the Month in July issue of NEREJ

July 28, 2017 | 0 Comments

In New England Real Estate Journal’s July 28 – August 3, 2017 issue in the Shopping Centers section, is one of TFM’s exciting multi-use developments under construction on South River Road in Bedford, NH. (former Macy’s site). TFM is proud to be a significant part of this team, working with the owner Encore Enterprises of Dallas, Texas, the project architect Prellwitz Chilinski Associates of Cambridge, Mass., Hutter Construction of New Ipswich, NH and Colliers International.

To learn more about this exciting project, please read below or click on this NEREJ article to open a pdf: TFMoran-Project-of-the-Month-in-NEREJ July 2017

Project of the Month
Project Team: Prellwitz Chilinski Associates, Hutter Construction and Colliers International

TFMoran works with Encore Enterprises on Market and Main – a 350,000 s/f lifestyle center

Bedford, NH – Reconstruction of the former Macy’s site is underway on South River Road in Bedford, New Hampshire, making way for a new “Lifestyle Center”, a high-end multi-use complex featuring a deluxe movie theater, office building, hotel, retail shops, and a variety of vibrant restaurants. The 350,000 sf complex was approved by the Town in late 2016. The site was originally developed by the Jordan Marsh department store chain in the 1960s. The site was taken over and operated by Macy’s in 1996 until it closed in 2015. The site was then purchased by Dallas-based Encore Enterprises with plans to create a new “lifestyle center” on the 16-acre site.

Construction at the site began in March 2017 by Hutter Construction of New Ipswich, NH and is expected to be completed by late 2018. Currently in the pre-leasing stage, Market and Main is attracting attention from national, regional, and local retailers and corporations. Bob Rohrer, Managing Director of Colliers International, said, “We have had a lot of interest in the development and are in negotiations with several companies who are excited about the mixed- use aspect of Market and Main.”

“The property is strategically positioned along South River Road at the high-traffic intersection of NH Route 101, I-293, and the Everett Turnpike,” says Nicholas Barber, President of Encore Retail. “And its proximity and direct access to the Whole Foods plaza will make it a regional destination.”

The development will create a new “Main Street”, which – unlike many other local towns – Bedford does not already have, and also a “Market Street” heading towards the Whole Foods plaza. Market and Main is therefore the logical name for the complex, representing the place in town where everyone wants to go. The lively, upscale atmosphere of the development will include fresh, new brands mixed with local favorites, including Whole Foods, which opened in the spring of 2016.

Other tenants such as Trader Joe’s, Red Heat, Friendly Toast and Athleta have also announced their commitments to the complex. Many of these shops, like Athleta, an upscale women’s athletic clothing store, are firsts for New Hampshire, and are expected to attract many new shoppers to the area. Others like Trader Joe’s, will enhance the reputation that Bedford carries among “foodies”. Ted Chryssicas, Executive Managing Director of Newmark Knight Frank, stated that, “As construction begins, we are seeing increased interest from retailers looking to sign leases and be a part of the first phase of Market and Main.”

The complex includes seven new buildings, existing Carrabba’s building and two new parking garages. TFMoran is responsible for the structural engineering of the garages, as well as civil/site and traffic engineering, permitting, land surveying and landscape architectural services for the whole development.

The architecture is being designed by Prellwitz Chilinski Associates of Cambridge, MA. Their approach reflects both past and present; incorporating brick, granite, cast stone masonry, painted wood, and metal in a palette of modern materials and historical colors throughout the complex. Eye appeal is emphasized for individual tenants and harmonized throughout the center. “Colorful awnings and canopies extend beyond the entrance, sheltering the shopper while on the sidewalk and inviting customers in,” says Laura Homich, Senior Associate of PCA. “Seated outdoor patios nicely blend the interiors and exteriors of the entire property, and architectural details reoccur throughout the site, visibly connecting the complex as a whole”, continues Laura. The new development is expected to generate approximately $1 million in new property tax revenue for the Town, and is anticipated to be a high-profile lifestyle center development within the Town.

“Bedford has grown rapidly over the last number of decades, creating a demand for more shops, entertainment, restaurants, and commercial space,” says TFMoran’s Project Manager, Chris Rice. “We believe this high-profile lifestyle center will draw in people from surrounding towns, as well. The Town of Bedford is pleased to see this new development take shape, and we are all looking forward to the grand opening of the new center.”

09 Jun 2017
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TFM’s MOB Project Featured in High Profile’s June Issue

June 9, 2017 | 0 Comments | ,

One of TFMoran’s medical office building projects that is currently under construction was featured in High Profile’s June issue, which focused on Healthcare Facilities.

To view a pdf of the article on page 19 click the following link High-Profile June 2017 or read the text below.

TFMoran Completes Work at Elliot Health System’s Medical Center

Bedford, NH  – TFMoran, Inc., of Bedford, provided site design and civil engineering, permitting, surveying, and landscape architecture services for a new 58,000sf Elliot Health System’s Medical Center located at Hillside Shops at Bedford on Leavy Drive.

The medical office building broke ground in December 2016 and is the final phase of this multi-use development designed by TFMoran and originally developed by AV Bedford, LLC.

This new state-of-the-art medical center will house three existing Elliot primary care practices, that are now at three different locations in Bedford. According to Elliot Health Systems, “The two family medical offices will be combined in the new facility, and the pediatric office will also be relocated in the new center. Services such as lab, mammography, x-ray, bone density screening, and pharmacy will also be included for better patient care.”

This two-story medical office building is located on a sloping site and will have at-grade entries on two sides at upper and lower levels. Lavallee Brensinger Architects of Manchester designed the exterior to have traditional New England forms and materials accenting the entrances and corners.

Constructed by A W Rose Construction, LLC of Manchester, this new facility will be completed in two phases, the first of which includes two levels and is expected to be completed by January 2018. The second phase consists of construction of a third level.

31 May 2017
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TFM’s President submits the May Question of the Month in New England Real Estate Journal’s “Shopping Centers” section

May 31, 2017 | 0 Comments |

New England Real Estate Journal selected TFM’s President and Chief Engineer, Robert Duval, PE to submit a civil engineering “Question of the Month” for the Shopping Centers section of the May 26 – June 1, 2017 issue. We invite you to read his article answering the question below, or link to this pdf TFMoran in NEREJ May 2017

 

NERE Journal – Shopping Centers – Question of the Month

How can a shopping center benefit from mixed-use developments? This healthy trend is here to stay.

written by Robert Duval, TFMoran, Inc.

The advantages of integrating new retail development into mixed-use centers can be substantial when compared with conventional shopping centers. Even such basic parameters as traffic volumes, parking demand, and stormwater flow can all be reduced by considering multiple uses in a single development plan.

The cost of offsite roadway improvements can be a major factor in retail projects, and accurate prediction of future traffic volumes is necessary to avoid unnecessarily burdening the project with overly-conservative improvements. In a mixed-use center, trip generation rates of individual uses can be discounted due to the expected interaction between these related uses: that is, there is some degree of sharing patrons among apartments, restaurants, offices, and retail uses, so the total traffic volume generated as a whole is less than the sum of the individual parts. In a well-integrated and balanced mixed-use center, these discounts can be on the order of 30% or more due to multi-purpose trips and enhanced pedestrian connectivity. The Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE) and the National Cooperative Highway Research Program NCHRP 684 provide more specific guidance on how these traffic volumes can be reduced.

Parking demand can also be reduced by sharing parking inventory between compatible uses. To some extent, the reasoning is the same as the traffic reductions described above; but there are subtle differences: for example, an office employee who shops in an on-site retail store after work doesn’t really reduce parking demand, since their occupied parking space would otherwise be available to other store patrons during this peak retail period. However, since the peak period for apartments occurs after the office demand subsides, credit can be taken for sharing between these uses, and fewer total spaces can be provided than for two similar buildings as individual developments.

Reducing parking inventory can have many benefits. First, of course, is avoiding thousands of construction dollars for each unnecessary parking space – tens of thousands in a parking garage. Then there is the reduction in footprint required per square foot of leasable space; if the parking supply can be reduced by say, 150 spaces, at typical parking ratios that means the same amount of land can support another 30,000sf of leasable area, or conversely, the same amount of leasable area would need about one less acre of buildable land.

These are substantial benefits, but there are others too – as pavement area decreases, so too does the amount of stormwater infrastructure needed to capture, detain, and treat all that unnecessary pavement runoff. Recent projects have shown that the savings in stormwater management infrastructure in the range of 15% can be achieved. In redevelopment scenarios, these benefits can also be helpful in securing environmental permits.

More efficient parking layouts that combine multiple uses on a single parcel can also be achieved by avoiding the need for internal lot line setbacks. The same approach can apply to a combination of existing and proposed developments on contiguous parcels. By careful planning of pedestrian walkways and other measures to enhance connectivity (possibly with some relief from local zoning ordinances) multiple properties can be combined into a single development, resulting in greater land use density, and thus achieving the other benefits of less traffic, parking, pavement, construction costs, and excess stormwater infrastructure.

Ultimately, all these savings rely on good pedestrian connectivity. In a mixed-use setting, each building component must be connected by convenient, safe, and attractive pedestrian pathways to all other uses within a reasonable “walking distance”. In New England, this is often considered to be about a quarter-mile, but this can vary up or down depending on the quality of the walking environment. Therefore, it is important to integrate pleasant and easily traversable pedestrian routes into the development to achieve all these benefits.

Today, more and more community planners understand and support mixed-use development not only for a tool for the economic advantages outlined above, but also for a number of societal benefits too. Revitalizing city centers, particularly former manufacturing areas, making more efficient use of existing road and utility infrastructure, providing more employment opportunities, reducing the need for highway expansions, and reducing development pressure on alternative “greenfield” sites, to name a few.

Mixed-use development is here to stay, and we can expect this healthy trend to facilitate new retail and commercial development, but also to create a new sense of prosperity and vibrancy in our New England city and town centers.

02 May 2017
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High-Profile May Issue Focus on Landscape Architecture & Civil Engineering

May 2, 2017 | 0 Comments | ,

TFM’s president and chief engineer, Robert Duval, PE contributed to the annual High-Profile Landscape Architecture & Civil Engineering Focus issue this month.

We invite you to view the published article HP May 2017 Landscape Architecture & Civil Engineering

Or, you can read the text below:

Landscape Architecture & Civil Engineering

Integrated Development: Not Just a Trend, A Solution

by Robert E. Duval

One significant trend in land development projects these days is towards “mixed-use development”, that is, an integrated mixture of residential, commercial, cultural, institutional, or industrial uses in close proximity. Recently seen primarily in large urban centers, the concept of mixed-use development is now moving into smaller cities and towns across New England.

The advantages of integrated development can be substantial. Among other benefits, traffic volumes, parking needs, and stormwater flows can all be reduced by taking advantage of the interaction between related uses. For example, apartments and offices located in close proximity will tend to reduce vehicle trips because some tenants will be employees of the office; thus, some of the vehicle trips usually expected become pedestrian trips. Likewise, parking inventory can also be reduced through shared parking. Using the same example, peak apartment parking demand falls outside of regular business hours, thus fewer total spaces can be provided for the same amount of development.

Studies have shown that mixed-use centers can reduce traffic volumes by a third or more, significantly reducing offsite traffic impacts and the high associated costs of mitigation. And onsite parking supplies can also be reduced by 10% or more. This reduces not only construction costs, but helps reduce other negative impacts as well; as pavement area decreases, less land can support more development, and the cost and extent of stormwater infrastructure to capture, detain, and treat all that unnecessary pavement goes away as well.

Also, where multiple properties can be combined into a single development, greater land use density can be achieved by avoiding internal lot line setbacks. This results in more efficient parking layouts and elimination of unnecessary pavement, further reducing needed land area, construction costs, and the burden of excess runoff on stormwater infrastructure.

Landscape Architecture plays a significant role in making mixed-use development work. First of all, each building must be placed so that it allows convenient, safe, and attractive pedestrian connections between all other major uses. It is generally taken that “walking distance” in New England is approximately 1400 feet or about a 7 minute walk. Obviously, this figure is dependent on age, health, purpose of walk, weather, and other imponderables, but it is also largely dependent on establishing a clear, direct path and an attractive walking environment. Therefore, it is important for the Landscape Architect to make pleasant and easily traversable pedestrian routes part of the earliest site planning exercises.

Of course, the concept of mixed-use development is not new – many of us remember when they were simply called “downtown”. However, as exclusionary zoning became common in the post-WWII years, it became more and more necessary for city and suburban residents alike to have to drive to the store, to school, to work, and so on. It did not take long for the congestion and inefficiencies of this type of travel to manifest. Up to the present day, the primary solution to these problems has been to “build your way out of it”; that is, by building ever-larger highways and parking lots.

Today, more community planners understand the benefits of mixed-use development and revitalizing city centers, particularly older, under-utilized manufacturing or commercial areas. This trend provides more employment opportunities within a city, makes more efficient use of existing road and utility infrastructure, reduces the need for constant expansion of highways, and reduces development pressure on nearby “greenfield” sites.

As more communities embrace mixed-use development in their zoning codes, we can expect this healthy trend to accelerate, returning a large measure of prosperity and vibrancy to New England cities and towns.

18 Apr 2017
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Glen House Hotel at base of Mount Washington, Starts Construction

April 18, 2017 | 0 Comments

In the News…..Construction on the site of the new Glen House Hotel in Pinkham Notch has begun! The hotel will be built on the west side of Route 16 in Green’s Grant. Drilling rigs have started the installation of 30 geothermal wells, according to a WMUR news report on April 17th.  The Union Leader also had a story about this exciting news, click here to read. 

TFM Structural Engineers provided structural design services for the new 3-story, 68-room hotel sited at the base of Mount Washington. This will be the fifth Glen House Hotel in 150 years on the Mount Washington Auto Road, the previous four were destroyed by fire. The hotel, designed by BMA Architectural Group of Amherst, NH will have a full-service restaurant, an indoor pool and expansive views of the northern Presidential mountain range. The exterior architectural design will be traditional New England-style with clapboards, painted trim and signature chimneys,
keeping with the style of the previous Glen Houses. Martini Northern of Portsmouth, NH is the contractor.

Olympia Hotel Management of Portland, ME was selected by the family-owned Mt. Washington Summit Road Company, which has operated the Mt. Washington Auto Road since 1906, to operate The Glen House. The $14 million hotel is expected to open by Memorial Day 2018, according to their website.

05 Apr 2017
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TFMoran Senior Living Project featured in April’s High-Profile Focus

April 5, 2017 | 0 Comments | , ,

One of TFMoran’s senior living projects in Bedford, NH, Maple Ridge Estates at Bedford,  was recently published in High-Profile. We invite you to view the article by clicking this link High-Profile April 2017 Senior-Assisted Living Focus – TFM Project  or read the text below.

TFMoran Completes Work for Maple Ridge Estates at Bedford

Bedford, NH – TFMoran, Inc. of Bedford, provided survey and civil engineering services, landscape architecture, and permitting for the design of Maple Ridge Estates, a 62+ independent senior living community in Bedford. This new community is part of a multiphase, mixed-use development located on 11 acres in the town’s performance zone between South River Road (NH-Route 3) and Technology Drive.

Construction for the residential phase of the development is slated for completion in April 2017; the commercial/retail phase will follow. Calamar Enterprises, Inc., the project’s developer, has overseen construction of the three-story, 163,000sf, 116-unit residential building and 73 detached-garage units designed by Silvestri Architects, PC of Amherst, N.Y. Site construction was performed by Jennings Excavation, Inc. of Hollis, N.H.

Construction of this new independent senior living community provides a mix of one- and two-bedroom units while offering numerous onsite amenities. These include a putting green and chipping area for golf enthusiasts, a bocce court, and outdoor function area featuring a large covered patio with pergola. Inside the building, a dining hall, lounge, 40-seat theater, fitness center, and hair salon provide convenience and comfort for its residents. Collection and treatment of stormwater runoff generated from the new development was addressed with a series of bioretention areas. Wetland areas, steep slopes, and ledge found around the site required careful consideration of grading.

13 Mar 2017
0

TFM’s President writes for “Trends and Hot Topics” in High Profile’s March Issue

March 13, 2017 | 0 Comments | ,

An article written by TFMoran’s president Robert Duval was published in the March issue of High Profile in the “Trends an Hot Topics” section. To view the pdf of the article click here HP Trends and Hot Topics March 2017 or you can read the text below.

 

HIGH PROFILE Trends and Hot Topics

New Trends in Commercial Land Development

by Robert Duval

Over the past few years, TFMoran has been tasked to design several large development projects with major retail and other commercial components based on the “mixed-use development” (MUD) model, rather than the more traditional “shopping center” or “office park” formats. The difference is significant. Mixed-use developments feature a blend of distinct functions, often including — besides office or retail — residential, institutional, cultural, and industrial components, that are physically and functionally integrated, along with effective pedestrian connections.

The key concept here is the combination of multiple functions that complement each other and are linked with effective pedestrian connections. From an engineering perspective, if the various functions are truly complementary and have effective pedestrian connections, you can expect to see substantial benefits for a MUD over conventional developments.

For example, traffic volumes developed by shopping centers or office parks are fairly well understood, and can be easily determined by calculations based on the total square footage of floor space. On the other hand, calculating traffic for mixed-use centers involves a second step that considers interaction between pairs of related uses — for example restaurants and cinemas, cinemas and apartments, apartments and offices, offices and restaurants, and so on, based on the concept that one vehicle trip may have multiple purposes, and these trips are shared among the various uses, rather than totaled up.

These multipurpose trips can often reduce total trip generation by a third or more, thus significantly reducing offsite traffic impacts and costs of mitigation. Similar analyses of parking demand will also show reductions in parking demand, often in the range of 5% to 10%. These parking reductions can reduce costs and increase efficiency beyond just the pavement savings; as impervious surface area decreases, so too does the cost and extent of stormwater infrastructure to capture, detain, and treat all that unnecessary pavement.

Also, by integrating multiple uses into a single property or adjacent properties, sites can be master-planned in a way that can ignore lot lines, thus greater land use density, by avoiding internal lot line setbacks, inefficient parking layouts, as well as unnecessary driveways and utility connections.

At the former Macy’s site in Bedford, TFMoran has designed a large mixed-use development that is preparing to start construction of a 350,000sf mixed-use retail, office, and entertainment development named “Market and Main.” Market and Main is designed to be a walkable, pedestrian-friendly place with a village green and pocket parks throughout. Proposed plans include a 600-seat deluxe cinema, an office building, a hotel, a premium entertainment venue, a variety of higher-end restaurants and retail, and a three-story parking garage.

The Market and Main development is located just south of the new Goffe Mill Plaza (former Wayfarer hotel), which contains a 40,000sf Whole Foods Market, two restaurants, and a bank, and is planning to develop additional retail space and up to 150 apartment units. The proximity of these two sites enabled TFMoran to design a more dense and efficient layout for both sites by taking advantage of the traffic, parking, and drainage benefits of mixed-use developments, providing safe pedestrian connections between the major uses.

Although in some communities, mixed-use developments may be prohibited by conventional, exclusionary zoning ordinances, the reception of mixed-use projects from planners and regulators is generally positive, as mixed-use development can provide increased tax revenue and employment opportunities with few negative impacts, and more efficient use of existing infrastructure.

As a result, many communities already allow for this type of development in their zoning codes, and others are working on it. As a result, we can expect mixed-use developments to become an important part of the revitalization of cities and towns throughout New Hampshire.

Robert E. Duval, PE, LEED AP, is president and chief engineer, TFMoran, Inc., Bedford, N.H. 

20 Feb 2017
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New Hampshire Union Leader features TFMoran Projects in “Engineers Week 2017”

February 20, 2017 | 0 Comments | ,

On Monday, February 20, 2017 in the New Hampshire Union Leader’s “Monday’s Business” section, is a special section “Engineers Week 2017” which features an article by TFMoran’s president Robert Duval, PE.  The article entitled ‘Market and Main’ shows new trend in commercial land development appears on Page C6. ‘Market and Main’ is the large mixed-use development that will be constructed at the former Macy’s site on South River Road (US Route 3) in Bedford, NH.  To view the article click New_Hampshire_Union_Leader_02-20-2017_PgC6  or read text below.

‘Market and Main’ shows new trend in commercial land development

By ROBERT E. DUVAL
TFMoran, Inc.

Over the past few years, TFMoran has been tasked to design several large development projects with major retail and other commercial components based on the “mixed-use development” (MUD) model, rather than the more traditional “shopping center” or “office park” formats. The difference is significant. Mixed-use developments feature a blend of distinct functions, often including — besides office or retail — residential, institutional, cultural, and industrial components, that are physically and functionally integrated, along with effective pedestrian connections.

The key concept here is the combination of multiple functions that complement each other and are linked with effective pedestrian connections. From an engineering perspective, if the various functions are truly complementary and have effective pedestrian connections, you can expect to see substantial benefits for a MUD over conventional developments.

For example, traffic volumes developed by shopping centers or office parks are fairly well understood, and can be easily determined by calculations based on the total square footage of floor space. On the other hand, calculating traffi c for mixed-use centers involves a second step that considers interaction between pairs of related uses — for example restaurants and cinemas, cinemas and apartments, apartments and offices, offices and restaurants, and so on, based on the concept that one vehicle trip may have multiple purposes, and these trips are shared among the various uses, rather than totaled up.

These multi-purpose trips can often reduce total trip generation by a third or more, thus significantly reducing offsite traffic impacts and costs of mitigation. Similar analyses of parking demand will also show reductions in parking demand, often in the range of 5% to 10%. These parking reductions can reduce costs and increase efficiency beyond just the pavement savings; as impervious surface area decreases, so too does the cost and extent of stormwater infrastructure to capture, detain, and treat all that unnecessary pavement.

Also, by integrating multiple uses into a single property or adjacent properties, sites can be masterplanned in a way that can ignore lot lines, thus greater land use density by avoiding internal lot line setbacks, inefficient parking layouts, as well as unnecessary driveways and utility connections.

At the former Macy’s site in Bedford, TFMoran has designed a large mixed-use development that is preparing to start construction of a 350,000sf mixed-use retail, office and entertainment development named “Market and Main.” Market and Main is designed to be a walkable, pedestrian-friendly place with a village green and pocket parks throughout. Proposed plans include a 600-seat deluxe cinema, an office building, a hotel, a premium entertainment venue, a variety of higherend restaurants and retail, and a 3-story parking garage.

The Market and Main development is located just south of the new Goffe Mill Plaza (former Wayfarer hotel), which contains a 40,000 sf Whole Foods Market, two restaurants, a bank, and is planning to develop additional retail space and up 150 apartment units. The proximity of these two sites enabled TFMoran to design a more dense and efficient layout for both sites by taking advantage of the traffic, parking, and drainage benefits of mixed-use developments, providing safe pedestrian connections between the major uses.

Although in some communities, mixed-use developments may be prohibited by conventional, exclusionary zoning ordinances, the reception of mixed-use projects from planners and regulators is generally positive, as mixed-use development can provide increased tax revenue and employment opportunities with few negative impacts, and more efficient use of existing infrastructure.

As a result, many communities already allow for this type of development in their zoning codes, and others are working on it. As a result, we can expect mixed-use developments to become an important part of the revitalization of cities and towns throughout New Hampshire.

Robert E. Duval, PE, LEED AP, is president and chief engineer at TFMoran, Inc. in Bedford. Founded in 1968, TFMoran is a regionally recognized survey, civil, structural, traffic and landscape architecture firm serving private and public clients inside and outside of New Hampshire.

03 Feb 2017
0

TFMoran Project Featured in February’s High-Profile Focus: Restoration and Renovation

February 3, 2017 | 0 Comments | , , ,

TFMoran’s Chief Structural Engineer, Paul Sbacchi, PE provided structural design for the restoration and renovation of the former Charlestown Battalion Armory, originally built in 1907. This very interesting project located on Bunker Hill Street is featured in this month’s issue of High-Profile in the section “Focus: Restoration and Renovation” page 23. Read the full story below, or link to a pdf of the article here: High-Profile February 2017 features The Armory    To view the entire February issue of High-Profile click here.

Neshamkin French Architects and TFMoran Complete The Armory

Charlestown, MA  –  Neshamkin French Architects and TFMoran Structural Engineers of Bedford, N.H., provided architectural and structural engineering services for the renovation of the former Armory building in Charlestown, Mass. into 42 luxury condominiums with underground parking.

Construction was completed by Eastridge Construction Management of North Reading, and the project was developed by Pat Keohane of C-Town Ventures LLC.

Previously underutilized, the Charlestown Battalion Armory has been revitalized through a sensitive program of historic restoration and innovative interior design. The architectural design, completed by Neshamkin French Architects Inc., preserved the exterior building envelope while the interior, including the structural system, was gutted and four new floors sensitively inserted to create 42 residential units.

The design provides a variety of unit types, including traditional one-, two-, and three-bedroom flats; live/work units; and duplex penthouses featuring tremendous downtown Boston and Mystic River views. A central, two-story, interior atrium allowed the design to take full advantage of the building’s depth and provides natural light to the building interior.

The original building, built in 1907, consisted of an A-frame style main structure surrounded on three sides by conventional two-story wood-framed structures supported on masonry walls. The steel truss structure in the main area provided large clear storage areas which were ideal for the original use of the building, but the depth and spacing of the trusses did not work with the proposed architectural layout.

The new design required infilling the space with four new residential levels and new inset exterior balconies. To maintain the structure and allow the new levels to be installed without replacing the roof, the new residential levels were designed to support the roof and when completed allowed the steel trusses to be cut out and removed. This method of integrated construction, shoring, and demolition required close coordination between the design team, contractor, and developer.

27 Jan 2017
0

Robert Duval featured in New England Real Estate Journal’s 2017 Retail Forecast Spotlight

January 27, 2017 | 0 Comments | , , ,

The January 27 – February 2, 2017 issue of the New England Real Estate Journal, features an article written by TFMoran’s president and chief engineer Robert Duval, PE, LEED AP. TFMoran is the exclusive civil engineer for the 2017 Retail Forecast Spotlight. The article, Mixed-use developments are becoming more popular than the traditional shopping center, appears in the Shopping Centers section of the publication, which can be viewed by linking here, or reading the text below.

Mixed-use developments are becoming more popular than the traditional shopping center
Robert Duval – TFMoran, Inc.

Many, if not most, recent large retail projects have been moving into “mixed-use development” centers rather than traditional shopping centers. A mixed-use development is, according to Wikipedia – “a type of urban development that blends residential, commercial, cultural, institutional, or industrial uses, where those functions are physically and functionally integrated, and that provides pedestrian connections.”

There are three key concepts here – the blending of multiple uses, integration, and pedestrian connections. All three are required for a true MUD. Without multiple uses you have… well, a shopping center. Without integration, you have just a collection of different uses with no interaction; and without pedestrian connections (which is really a form of integration) there is no advantage over driving down the street from one place to another.

From an engineering perspective, the advantages of integrated development over conventional shopping centers are substantial. For example, traffic volumes developed by shopping centers is fairly well understood, and is usually determined by plugging your total retail space into the appropriate formula for shopping centers and voila – you have your result.

On the other hand, for mixed-use centers there is a second step that involves looking at interaction between pairs of related uses – for example restaurants and cinemas, cinemas and apartments, apartments and offices, offices and restaurants, and so on, based on the concept that one vehicle trip may have multiple purposes, and these trips are shared among the various uses, rather than totaled up.

These multi-purpose trips can often reduce total trip generation by a third or more, thus significantly reducing off-site traffic impacts and costs of mitigation. Similar analyses of parking demand will also show reductions in parking demand, often in the range of 5% to 10%. These parking reductions can reduce costs and increase efficiency beyond just the pavement savings; as impervious surface area decreases, so too does the cost and extent of stormwater infrastructure to capture, detain, and treat all that unnecessary pavement.

Also, by integrating multiple uses into a single property, whether by consolidating parcels or simply by master-planning in a way that can ignore lot lines, greater land use density can be achieved by avoiding internal lot line setbacks, inefficient parking layouts, as well as unnecessary driveways and utility connections.

All the foregoing advantages of traffic, parking, and drainage are irrelevant if easy, convenient, and safe pedestrian connections are not provided between the major uses. New England weather being what it is, it is not realistic to expect that pedestrians will willingly park thousands of feet from their destination year-round. Therefore, direct, easily traversable pedestrian routes should be part of the earliest site planning exercises.

From a permitting point of view, as in so many other aspects of land development, the market is ahead of the regulation. In many communities, mixed-use developments will find they are prohibited by conventional “exclusionary” zoning ordinances and may require variances or zoning amendments to get off the ground.

However, the reception of mixed-use projects from planners and regulators is generally positive. Most communities understand the benefits of mixed-use development – in terms of increased tax revenue and employment opportunities with fewer negative impacts. Mixed-use centers, by their very nature, tend to locate in city centers within or adjacent to older, under-utilized manufacturing or commercial areas. This development thus provides the twin benefits of revitalizing city centers and reducing the need for new “greenfield” development. As a result, many communities already allow for this type of development in their zoning codes, and others are working on it.

As community planners catch up, we can expect more mixed-use developments to appear in our city centers (which, by the way, was the original purpose of a “city center”). The resulting increase in commer­cial activity will in turn create the positive employment and residential opportunities and more efficient use of infrastructure so important to the future health of our cities and towns.

Robert Duval, PE, LEED AP, is president and chief engineer for TFMoran, Inc., Bedford, N.H.