Developers around the world who were first movers on buildings that use mass timber for both structural and design elements are seeing a growing wave of projects lining up before them. The regulatory environment is adapting while the business model for use of mass timber is expanding across property types. In the United States, modern…
Many development projects are stalled by unforeseen obstacles, and in this case, several years ago a three-alarm fire destroyed a former ice company warehouse that was slated for restoration. In its place, the developer wanted to honor the original structure’s ambiance and history, while creating a modern hub that would enrich the neighborhood, a thriving…
It is, by all appearances, and urban utopia. Come this spring, more than 500 people will work there, more than 200 will live there, and thousands more will dine and shop there. Its innovative tenant mix ranges from an insanely popular “doughnuterie” to a gourmet dog food shop and an internet-based boutique where you don’t…
R Street has come a long way. Back when its remaking was merely a twinkle in the eye of developers and city planners, there were competing visions for what this urban corridor, which straddles downtown and midtown from Ninth to 19th streets, ought to be: a succession of traditional office buildings with virtually no signs…
ICE Blocks, ICE Shops, News, Press
Midtown’s fast-growing Ice Blocks is getting another trendy new tenant: West Elm, the international home decor store, is opening Thursday. The company features pieces with a clean, sharp, modern aesthetic. Near the middle of the store, there is a coffee table that embodies the store’s design credo – it’s a simple, rectangular pieces made of…
ICE Blocks, ICE Sheds, Projects
San Francisco’s famous Philz Coffee is opening their first Sacramento area shop in the R Street Corridor. “It’s a great fit. The space is great. The environment is inspiring and uplifting and comfortable and welcome. And that’s what Philz is all about,” said Philz Coffee CEO Jacob Jaber. It’s the first retail shop to open…
BY CATHIE ANDERSON canderson@sacbee.com Developer Mike Heller will announce Monday that his Ice Blocks project in midtown Sacramento has signed on a signature retail tenant: West Elm, the contemporary home furnishings store owned by Williams-Sonoma, is set to open in mid-2018. “Not only is West Elm a great fit for Ice Blocks and all the…
By Ryan Lillis and Tony Bizjak rlillis@sacbee.com It is one of midtown Sacramento’s quietest corners, a world away from the hopping nightclubs, restaurants and stores of J and K streets. The industries that once occupied the blocks along Q, R and S streets east of 15th Street mostly departed long ago, leaving a legacy of…
After plans for a massive upgrade to the historic Crystal Ice and Cold Storage building went up in smoke, Mike Heller and his team were forced back to the drawing board – here’s how they forged ahead By Russell Nichols Nov. 7, 2015 The morning air smells like burning wood. It’s just after 5 a.m.…
ICE Blocks, ICE Shops, Projects
By Ryan Lillis and Bob Shallit – Sacramento Bee A November fire destroyed a developer’s dream of converting a cavernous old warehouse into a hip new commercial center on Sacramento’s R Street corridor. Now developer Mike Heller is moving forward with plans for two modern glass-and-metal structures on the ground formerly occupied by the Crystal…
