Jaguar Land Rover rolling into Chesterfield

Chesterfield, Mo. has another new business coming to town - Jaguar Land Rover Chesterfield, which is set to open its doors in spring 2021.

New construction began last week on the 32,000-SF, seven-acre site at 1 Jaguar Land Rover Way, marked by a groundbreaking ceremony with city officials and other stakeholders in attendance.

The new dealership will mirror Jaguar Land Rover’s current brand imaging of luxury and state-of-the-art craftsmanship. It will be the first facility owned by Imperial Motors outside of the Chicago area.

Dealer/principal Jordan Aron worked with the City of Chesterfield to ensure the aesthetics of the building would blend with the surrounding community. The site was chosen for its convenient location to serve customers in several counties in the St. Louis metro area.

“This is an exciting time of growth for our family and our business. We remain highly committed to providing our customers with the highest level of care and attention. The same we have been doing since 1953,” Aron said.

The new dealership will have 18 service bays with dedicated equipment and staff for express service and maintenance. The waiting room will include complimentary Wi-Fi, several choices of seating options and quiet workspace.

“We are extremely happy to be part of the Chesterfield community. People here want to feel good about the people and the company where they do business. That’s exactly the kind of market we thrive in,” Aron said.

The company plans to hire a staff of managers, sales and service personnel.

“Brinkmann is proud to work with Imperial Motors to bring Jaguar Land Rover to the Chesterfield Valley,” said Kendrick Lathum, project director for Brinkmann Constructors, the general contractor on the project.

“The addition of this dealership to the area continues the strong economic growth in Chesterfield,” Lathum said.

Kingsway Development's $13 million project set for October kick-off

Construction will begin next month on Kingsway Development’s mixed-use project, which includes 58,000 SF of new, high-energy retail, restaurant and office space, facilitated by the restoration and modernization of two classic St Louis buildings.

Approximately $13 million will be invested in a variety of office and retail within the two brick buildings in the Fountain Park neighborhood.

The location, adjacent to the historic Central West End, will also feature a brand-new, 10,000 SF performance venue with a courtyard that will play host to the outdoor functions of the new retail businesses and some special events.

Tenants for 4731 Delmar Blvd., the former Union-Sarah Economic Development Corp. Building, include Elevation (coworking space); Kingsway Development; Conversions Global Marketing; VIP Construction; TurnGroup Technologies; Hawktime LLC; Tammie Holland Public Relations; Wand USA, Inc; Park Central Development; Dream Builders 4 Equity; BRAND Foundation; UPS Store; The Original Hot Dog Factory; and pending tenant, Jamba Juice.

Tenants planned for next door at 4709 Delmar -a former 1920s candy factory- include a business training center, vegan restaurant and radio station, according to the developer.

“Buildings in this area have great bones, they have amazing detailing. It’s wonderful to see people bringing these buildings back to life. It keeps the history of the neighborhood alive," said Carl Karlen, AIA, CDT, LEED AP, design principal with Facet Architectural Design.

Other contractors on the project include Ameresco, Ballast CRE, Kwame Construction, Simms Building Group and ABNA Engineering.

Private-equity financing partners on the development include PACE financing, New Markets Tax Credits, Team: Carl Karlen of Facet Architectural Design, Chris Mazurek of Ameresco, Trivers, Ballast CRE, Kwame Construction, Simms Building Group and ABNA Engineering.

Just across the street the area continues to develop, with a $30 million, 150- apartment complex. The apartments are in the early stages of design by Trivers (architects), who is also designing the $7 million infrastructure improvements for the area.

Forsyth Pointe construction kicks off in Clayton

Construction of Forsyth Pointe, a mixed-use development in the central business district of Clayton, Mo., is underway.

The US Capital Development project includes two Class-A office towers, street-level retail and connected parking and will add nearly 1 million SF of prime space in the heart of Clayton, Mo.

As construction manager, McCarthy Building Companies is overseeing all construction work, including the delivery of self-perform concrete services on the cast-in-place building foundations, elevator cores and parking structure. The steel-framed glass structures will rest atop a post-tensioned concrete-framed parking structure.

“Forsyth Pointe will be a wonderful addition to the Clayton skyline and community,” said Michelle Harris, Mayor of the City of Clayton.

The 10-story, 265,000-SF east tower will occupy the corner of Forsyth Blvd. and Meramec Ave. And the 8-story, 210,000-SF west tower will reside at Brentwood Blvd. and Forsyth Blvd. More than 20,000 SF of street-level retail space will enliven the development’s street presence.

“The development will add prime office space and innovative retail space, increasing street vitality and the pedestrian experience on a prominent corner across from Shaw Park—one of our city’s crown jewels," Mayor Harris said.

A 7-level parking structure will connect both buildings and extend 2.5 levels underground. At the top level of the parking structure, a 45,000-SF open-air garden terrace will serve as a signature amenity and be available for public events.

Other planned amenities include a 10,000-SF fitness center and a ground-floor arts and entertainment venue.

“We’re honored to partner with US Capital Development and the design team to bring this incredible new development to life in one of the most desirable locations in St. Louis County,” said Jared Hites, vice president of operations at McCarthy.

From the project’s early design phase, McCarthy initiated an integrated virtual design and construction (VDC) process with the owner, designer and trade partners to drive efficiencies throughout the project. This includes the use of cloud-based building information modeling (BIM) collaboration platforms accessible by all team members.

Specific VDC applications include model-based design review, model-based field layout, 3D building systems coordination, laser scanning of as-built conditions and aerial drone photogrammetry to monitor and survey construction progress.

Forsythe Pointe is designed by Christner Architects (design architect, architect of record and landscape architect) and CEDERGREEN, LLC (design architect).

Other team members include Alper Audi (structural engineering), Stock & Associates (civil engineering), G&W Engineering (mechanical, electrical and plumbing engineering) and Randy Burkett Lighting Design (lighting design).

The project is expected to be complete in summer 2022.  

The Barclay condos 'top out' in Kirkwood

Kadean Construction Company recently celebrated the topping out of The Barclay, a $12 million luxury condominium project currently under construction at 204 N. Clay Street in downtown Kirkwood, Mo.

The final roof truss of the four-story structure, developed by Savoy Investments, LLC., was hoisted into place by Cheltenham Construction Services, one of Kadean’s subcontractors, signifying that the structure has reached its maximum height.

“The entire project team has done a great job of keeping this job site safe for workers while responding to the site’s logistical limitations. I credit the collaboration of everyone involved for keeping this moving towards a successful outcome," said Mike Eveler, president of Kadean Construction.

The 40,000 SF building will feature fourteen luxury condominiums with underground parking and other luxury amenities.

“We are so gratified that this project has remained on schedule during the COVID-19 public health pandemic, which has adversely affected the progress of many other construction projects across the St. Louis region,” said John Pennington, partner and co-owner at Savoy Investments.

Construction began in November 2019 and is scheduled for completion in early 2021. Other partners on the project include Core 10 Architecture and KPFF Consulting Engineers.

This is the second new condominium construction project for the Savoy Investments and Kadean duo to build on the same block in downtown Kirkwood. In 2018, Kadean completed construction of The Madison Condominiums at 110 W. Madison Avenue.

Brinkmann completes Promise Christian Academy, Leonardo DRS

Brinkmann Constructors recently completed construction on a new school for Promise Christian Academy in Town and Country, Mo.

The 16,000 SF, special needs school includes eight classrooms, an occupational therapy room, speech therapy room, gym, teacher workspace and offices and a commercial kitchen. The space can accommodate up to 64 students.

Brinkmann worked closely with Promise to help design and manage the project to stay within the fundraising budget. Through constant communication and collaboration, the design-build team delivered a quality, alluring building, on schedule and within budget.

“The Brinkmann team used creative thinking to get this project under budget so the build could move forward. One of the biggest tactics implemented was the use of tilt-up construction. This eliminated exterior steel, metal stud framing and sheathing and a high dollar exterior façade, saving the client time and money. Working with ACI (Boland Architects), the new design provided a low-maintenance final product while keeping the desired curb appeal and exterior finishes,” said Wes French, Brinkmann project manager.

"Brinkmann Constructors not only employs the best of the best, but they also employ personnel who took the time to understand the special needs community and embrace our mission. This created top-notch teamwork that made the project flow seamlessly. Brinkmann Constructors has left a lasting impression on the hearts and minds of the Promise community. We will forever embrace them as a part of our family and a part of our story," said Meredith Heintz, head of school.

Promise Christian Academy is a private, faith-based school that takes a therapeutic approach to special education with specific programs designed to meet all of its students’ individual needs.

Brinkmann Constructors also recently wrapped up construction on a new 170,000 SF engineering development and light manufacturing facility in Bridgeton, Mo. for Leonardo DRS, a U.S.-based defense contractor.

This Leonardo DRS facility will be home to the business unit headquarters; housing leadership, management and a centralized back office functionality. The space will give the organization the flexibility to expand with minimal impact to the current workforce.

Brinkmann served as the GC and also provided interior build-out for the warehouse, including a best-in-class engineering, research and development laboratory and office space. Construction finished two weeks ahead of schedule and included a phased schedule to allow for DRS to begin installing furniture before the building was completed. The architect on the project was TR,i Architects.