Latest news with #CapitalRegionDevelopmentAuthority
New Indian Express
4 days ago
- Business
- New Indian Express
Land pooling for Amaravati to go beyond 217 sq km
VIJAYAWADA: The Capital Region Development Authority (CRDA) has approved the expansion of land pooling beyond the existing 217 sq. km limit, paving the way for large-scale infrastructure projects in Amaravati. Municipal Administration and Urban Development Minister Ponguru Narayana announced key decisions taken during the 48th CRDA meeting, held on Monday at the State Secretariat under the chairmanship of Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu. One of the major announcements was the finalisation of L-1 tenders for the construction of five administrative towers in Amaravati's core capital area at an estimated cost of Rs 3,673 crore. The GAD Tower, to be built at a cost of Rs 882 crore, has been awarded to NCC. HOD Towers 1 and 2, estimated at Rs 1,487 crore, will be constructed by Shapoorji & Pallonji, while L&T has been entrusted with the construction of HOD Towers 3 and 4 for Rs 1,304 crore. 'The construction works will begin soon and will be carried out as per the original designs prepared during the 2014-2019 period,' the minister said. He added that the development of these towers aims to bring all government departments under one roof, ensuring ease of access for citizens and efficient administration.
The Hindu
6 days ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
Hyderabad to adopt ‘land pooling' and Local Area Development Planning to revolutionise HMDA functioning
Transformational shifts are on the cards in the urban development approach in Telangana, with the Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority setting out to introduce Local Area Development Planning (LADP) coupled with a Comprehensive Land Pooling Policy for better urban planning. Metropolitan Commissioner Sarfaraz Ahmed in a lengthy interaction on Saturday, said both the policies are aimed at addressing chronic issues such as non-availability of land for organised open spaces, public utilities, social infrastructure and low-cost housing. LADP, which exists in several other States, was not adopted in Telangana due to availability of vast tracts of open land in Hyderabad and surroundings. It involves HMDA in micro-level planning, instead of confining to designing Master Plans. 'As part of Master Plan, the plan area is divided into one to 1.2 square kilometre grid, and roads and other facilities are planned around each of the grids. Planning each grid, consisting of 250 to 300 acres of land, is not taken care of so far, leaving several plots without access roads. LADP envisions intensive planning inside each grid, leading to more organised development,' Mr. Ahmed said. It will also help planners to earmark spaces for public utilities, parks, schools and hospitals, besides providing pedestrian infrastructure. Town planning legislations have provisions for the LADP, but it has so far been neglected in the undivided Andhra Pradesh and Telangana too. Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy has given in-principle approval for the proposal giving the urban development authority a nod for appointing a consultant for the same. Land pooling policy which is in the drafting stage, involves enforcement instead of the existing consent-based approach. It is being modelled after the policy adopted by the Capital Region Development Authority (CRDA) of Andhra Pradesh, and requires certain amendments with regard to resumption of assigned lands in lieu of developed plots. Mr. Ahmed shared that three to four tenders are lined up in the month of June respectively for LADP, mapping of the Telangana Core Urban Region, reorganisation of HMDA based on the other similarly sized UDAs in terms of structures and processes, and restructuring of all processes to fit into the new system. Mr. Ahmed also dwelt upon the reasons for delay in launching of works for various projects including the elevated corridors on National Highway 44 and on the State Highway 1, citing bureaucratic delays in land survey under different Defence wings, permissions from Director General of Civil Aviation, and Bureau of Civil Aviation Security, a simulation study to be done by IIT Hyderabad for one of the two under tunnels, and procedure to be followed in property acquisition. 'We are also applying the Relief & Rehabilitation provision of the Land Acquisition Act, in order to preclude future complications and court cases,' Mr. Ahmed said, adding that the works may be grounded in the first week of August. Speaking about the radial road connecting the Outer Ring Road with the Regional Ring Road he said the project ran into legal wrangles, and due to stay orders issued from the High Court, the price bid has not been opened, which has stalled the tendering process. Forest permissions too are still in the pipeline, he informed.
New Indian Express
26-05-2025
- Business
- New Indian Express
Tenders soon for Guntur Inner Ring Road Phase III
GUNTUR: The long-pending third phase of Guntur's Inner Ring Road (IRR) project is finally progressing after years of delay. Stalled during the previous YSRCP government, the IIR project has gained fresh momentum under the current coalition government, promising to ease Guntur's growing traffic congestion and boost regional connectivity. The Capital Region Development Authority (CRDA) is preparing to invite tenders for constructing the 4.5-kilometre stretch from Swarnabharathi Nagar to Palakaluru, at an estimated cost of around Rs 48 to Rs 50 crore. This phase will complete the 11-kilometre four-lane highway originally planned in 2005 by the Vijayawada-Guntur-Tenali-Mangalagiri Urban Development Authority (VGTM UDA). The road is designed to connect Perecherla in western Guntur to National Highway-65 near Autonagar, allowing heavy vehicles from Palnadu district to bypass the city centre. The first two phases, covering nearly 6.7 km, were completed between 2010 and 2018, but land acquisition challenges and compensation claims delayed the final phase. With the region now under CRDA's jurisdiction following Amaravati's capital status, authorities recently resolved several land disputes. Compensation amounting to Rs 6.35 crore has been disbursed to displaced families, and monthly allowances of Rs 10,000 are provided to affected landowners. Efforts to clear structural damage claims are ongoing.
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
7 CT office-to-apartment conversions that made a difference. A big challenge looms on the horizon.
The recent launch of the conversion of two historic — but difficult to redevelop — office buildings in downtown was hailed by city and state leaders as making way for apartments that are very much in demand in a city where there is a glut of office space. In marking the $52 million conversion of former state office buildings on Hartford's Trinity Street into more than 100 residential rentals, Hartford Mayor Arunan Arulampalam struck an upbeat vision for the city in the coming years. 'Brick by brick, development by development, this city is becoming one larger city in which every neighborhood feels a part of where we are going and this is an incredible centerpiece for that,' Arulampalam said, at last week's event. 'We are so proud of where the city is going. I hope you are so proud of what you see today and what the future looks like.' Indeed, the conversion of older office buildings in and around downtown in the last decade have helped absorb obsolete office space. The projects, many of them supported with public financing, have added thousands of rentals to strike a better — but still emerging — balance with the historical dominance of the office towers. But a big worry looms on the horizon: what to do with space in modern office towers downtown that were battered by corporate downsizings in the aftermath of the pandemic? 'The challenge now is do we take on the 'A' buildings and/or some of the corporate campuses (Aetna)?' Michael W. Freimuth, executive director of the Capital Region Development Authority, said in an email. How the low occupancies in some of the city's most recognizable office towers are dealt with will have far-reaching consequences. For the downtown economic ecosystem, there are far fewer office workers to regularly help support shops, restaurants and bars. And declining office building values will mean a hit to property taxes collected by the city that pay for municipal services and running its school system. Class A space is considered the most prime, marquee space. In downtown Hartford, there are five major office towers — two on Constitution Plaza — either in foreclosure or receivership, some the casualty of lenders unwilling to refinance mortgages in a shaky office leasing market both in Hartford and nationally. Receivership means building owners have lost day-to-day control of their buildings because they haven't been able to make loan payments or refinance. CityPlace I — the tallest office building in Hartford — fell into receivership after its main tenant, UnitedHealthcare, slashed its leased space as more of its employees in the city worked from home after COVID-19. Of the roughly 885,000 square feet in the 38-story tower, just 45%, or about 400,000 square feet is occupied, according to CoStar, the commercial real estate analytics firm. A new analysis by Cushman & Wakefield of the 14 Class A, or prime, office buildings in Hartford's business district showed that overall availabilities were 35.5% as of Mar. 31. That up a full percentage point from 34.5% compared to a year earlier, the analysis by the commercial real estate services firm found. By the numbers, that's 2 million square feet available out of about 5.7 million. Nationally, the move to convert idle office space into residential rentals has gained considerable momentum in the past several years, according to a recent report from which tracks trends involving apartments. The report found that the number of apartments set to be converted from office space has skyrocketed from 23,100 in 2022 to a record-breaking 70,700 expected in 2025. CityPlace and other office towers in the downtown Hartford area may not be necessarily be suitable for apartment conversions. But older, smaller buildings may well be, with their tenants potentially moving into Class A space where lower, attractive rents could be negotiated and owners are hungry for tenants. For developers, rising construction costs — potentially affected by new tariffs — remain a concern when assessing the viability of projects and whether public funding needs to be increased. In the legislature, a half-dozen bills — some proposing tax credits — sought at the beginning of the session to encourage office-to-residential conversions. And Gov. Ned Lamont proposed $50 million in his capital budget to support such projects. In the last decade, Hartford got a jump on converting office space, well before anyone had heard of COVID-19. But the stakes still remain high because the city has more office space than New Haven, Waterbury and Bridgeport combined. Original use: Office tower Built: 1967 Conversion cost: $84.5 million, with public funding # of apartments: 285 Market-rate/Affordable: 80%/20% Developer: Bruce Becker, Westport Conversion completed: 2015 Current Occupancy: 98% Why it Matters: The 26-story office tower once stood out in the city's nighttime skyline, dark and empty — a highly visible reminder of the city's struggle with revitalization. The project was one of the earliest and largest office-to-apartment conversions in the last decade, and provided a crucial test for housing demand in downtown Hartford. Original use: Masonic Hall Built: 1894 Conversion cost: $4.5 million, with public funding # of apartments: 26 Market-rate/Affordable: 100% Market-rate Developer: Yisroel Rabinowitz, Brooklyn, NY Conversion completed: 2014 Current Occupancy: 86% Why it Matters: The former Masonic Hall had struggled to accommodate offices, but was successfully converted into The Grand on Ann apartments. The project, the first to be completed using low-cost financing through the Capital Region Development Authority, established housing on the eastern end of downtown's Allyn Street corridor. CRDA sought to strengthen the residential presence between the XL Center and Union Station. It is uncertain how that vision will unfold now that the federal government has all but chosen an Allyn Street parking lot for a new federal courthouse. Original use: Offices for wool merchants Built: 1883 Conversion cost: $14.9 million, with public financing # of apartments: 63 Market-rate/Affordable: 80%/20% Developer: Dakota Partners, Waltham, MA Conversion completed: 2015 Current Occupancy: 84% Why it Matters: The renovation revived the use of an office building considered an architectural gem, but was in decline with few tenants. The conversion to rental housing added more apartments around Union Station on the west end of Allyn Street. Leasing helped build a track record for downtown rental demand. Original use: office tower Built: 1965 Conversion cost: $28.4 million, with public funding # of apartments: 157 Market-rate/Affordable: 100% Market-rate Developers: Wonder Works Construction Corp. and Girona Ventures, both of New York Conversion completed: 2020 Current Occupancy: 97% Why it Matters: The 12-story office tower at the corner of Pearl and Lewis streets was once a bank headquarters and later, a police substation. Until converted to apartments in 2020, a string of attempts to redevelop the structure into office space, apartments and condominiums failed, leaving the building largely vacant and decaying for years. Original use: office building Built: 1950 Conversion cost: $21.5 million, with public funding # of apartments: 101 Market-rate/Affordable: 100% Market-rate Developers: Wonder Works Construction Corp. and Girona Ventures, both of New York Conversion completed: 2019 Current Occupancy: 96% Why it Matters: The 7-story building was vacant for more than a decade and like the neighboring 101 Pearl occupied a prominent corner in downtown, diagonally across from the XL Center arena, The two structures are now joined internally to create one apartment building. Original use: department store Built: 1928 Conversion cost: $30 million, with public funding # of apartments: 97 Market-rate/Affordable: 100% Market-rate Developer: Brooklyn, N.Y.-based Shelbourne Global Solutions LLC, of Brooklyn, N.Y.; and Lexington Partners and LAZ Investments, both of Hartford. Conversion completed: 2023 Current Occupancy: 100% Why it Matters: The L-shaped building that anchors the southern side of the corner of Pratt and Trumbull streets was long past its heyday. After the Steiger's Department Store closed in 1962, the upper floors became office space. The new apartments formed a cornerstone for the Pratt Street corridor which aspires to be both a place to live and a visitor destination. Original use: office building Built: 1981 Conversion cost: $20 million, with public funding Apartments: 60 Market-rate/Affordable: 70%/30% Developer: RBH Group, Newark, N.J Conversion completed: 2019 Current Occupancy: 98% Why it Matters: Teacher's Village Hartford converted office space facing Bushnell Park that had been vacant for two decades. The vision was to create a residential community for teachers and other educators who can collaborate and support each other in their professional endeavors. While an estimated 40% of the units are occupied by educators, below the initial leasing of 60-70%, the apartments remain nearly fully leased. SOURCES: Capital Region Development Authority; Courant reporting
Hans India
08-05-2025
- Politics
- Hans India
AP Cabinet confirms Amaravati as Capital, Commends Operation Sindoor
The Andhra Pradesh Cabinet meeting concluded today with several significant decisions under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu. A major highlight was the Cabinet's official endorsement of Amaravati as the state's capital, with plans to send a resolution to the central government seeking an amendment to the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act of 2014. The Cabinet underscored the importance of amending the Act to legally designate Amaravati as the capital, as farmers and legal experts had previously noted that the city was not mentioned in the 2014 legislation. Minister Nadendla Manohar advocated for the establishment of Amaravati as a free zone to bolster its status further. To facilitate this change, the Cabinet resolved to engage with Members of Parliament in Delhi, aiming to ensure the amendment is addressed in the upcoming parliamentary sessions. The reorganisation legislation, passed by both houses, necessitates this amendment to formally recognise Amaravati. In addition to the capital discussion, the Cabinet also reviewed land allocations for various institutions within the state and addressed recent land designations made by the Capital Region Development Authority (CRDA) in Amaravati. The Chief Minister urged ministers to expedite progress on the Godavari Banakacharla project, highlighting its potential benefits. Furthermore, the Cabinet expressed its support for the Indian Army's Operation Sindoor, launched in retaliation to the recent Pahalgam terror attack, with Chief Minister Naidu noting that the operation's name resonated deeply with the public. He encouraged that future state government schemes be named in a manner that reflects the sentiments of the people
