Rare Small Unit (1,500 Sf) With Three Phase Power

We solve real estate and construction issues. Key feature of this Unit is 3 Phase Power in a small space.

This is a 1,500 Sf Unit (25x60). Unit has rear ground level overhead door (10x10).

It has (2) Offices, Closet and Handicapped Half Bath in 300 Sf leaving 1,200 Sf for Warehouse/Light Assembly. 100% A/C.

Unit address is 4486 Posterity Court Gastonia. Unit is part of a 12,000 Sf Flex Building. Location just off South New Hope Rd means quick access to I-85,  I-485,  I-77,  Charlotte Airport,  Lake Wylie and Hwy 321.

 

 

 

Wonder Why Small Business Struggles?

 

The main business of regulatory agencies is to produce more and more regulations. There is no requirement to make sure that these regulations are needed, addressing a problem, or don't cause more harm than good. The result is more and more regulations. How much more?

In the short work week because of the Veterans Day holiday, agencies added nearly 1,700 pages to the 2013 Federal Register making the yearly total 68,313 pages. That’s the equivalent of a new regulation every two hours and 33 minutes.  3,186 final rules have been published in the Federal Register this year.

Rules with costs exceeding $100 million a year are called “economically significant” the total is 35 so far in 2013. Total estimated compliance costs of this year’s economically significant regulations ranges from $6.42 billion to $11.82 billion. So far this year, 629 final rules affect small business; 86 of them are significant rules.

This is just the Federal Level and does not include any new regulations by State, County or City Government.

 

Real Estate and Construction are the subject of more than a few of these regulations. Be sure to use Real Estate and Construction Professionals. We hope you consider us.

 

No Post For October ? Busy With Gaston County Industrial Relocations

There was no post for October because ICM was busy completing two industrial relocations through Construction Management Agreements. These CMA's are the final stage of our Locate-Due Diligence Report-Up Fit Services.

Not to belabor the point but Gaston County has a treasure of old industrial buildings that simply need to be repurposed. Because I can provide Real Estate Brokerage and ICM is licensed as an unlimited General Contract with Specialty Licenses for Highway and Water/Sewer Utility Line we are uniquely positioned to help our clients explore these opportunities.

Contact us today to start a conversation about our services and your needs.

Converting Due Diligence On Real Estate Purchases To Occupancy

Gastonia and Gaston County have hidden assets. We have an abundance of old industrial buildings. These buildings can be obtained at costs lower than new construction and refitted to many new uses. Many times skilful use of the NC Remodel Code can save additional costs.

In July I discussed my personal and my companies unique perspective on providing Due Diligence Reports on potential Real Estate purchases. We can provide a Report from ICM a licensed Contractor  by Samuel J. Fleeman, Jr., a licensed Real Estate Broker.

Now I want  to highlight our services to follow through after purchase by working with you in obtaining the Certificate of Occupancy to move into the building and managing any construction required to accomodate your use of the building.

We offer three levels of Construction Management to fit your needs, Project Manager, Project Manager with Supervision or Construction Management. Cost Plus. Please contact us to discuss how we can help you.

PS - On The Flex Space Rental Front We Have Letters of Intent on Two Spaces In The Last 30 Days.

Best Value Small Unit Business Park in Gaston County

Just Click The Picture for 30 Second Overview of 2 T Park

ICM Does Heavy Maintenance In Gaston County NC

Industrial Construction and Maintenance, Inc. is over 30 years old.

Our background is Process Chemical Equipment Sales and Installation. That evolved into ICM being less about equipment sales and more about equipment and facility installations. As industry moved from Gaston County we evolved again into a full service commercial contractor. The Great Recession of 2008 found us returning to equipment and facility installations.

Above is a recently completed project for new equipment being installed in a local plant.

If we can help you with heavy maintenance issues, equipment sheds, roof penthouses and installations please contact us.

Uniquely Qualfied To Evaluate Commercial Property in Gaston County

Two disclosures are required before we start this post. First the headline says evaluate and not appraise. Evaluate means under a Broker's Opinion as defined by the North Carolina Real Estate Commission. Secondly I am not promoting our services as Engineering or Architecture but rather as an experienced Contractor.

Being licensed as an NC Real Estate Broker I have the qualifications to provide real estate services and the understanding of the transaction process. I don't have to be your Broker to aid you in navigating the process.

Licensed as an Unlimited NC General Contractor with the specialty designations for Building, Highway and Water/Sewer Utility Lines I can evaluation the condition of a property based on over 30 years of experience in industrial and commercial construction.

We can combine these two disciplines into an evaluation of a property during your due diligence period. Providing you with a review and report before comitting funds and proceeding toward a closing.

Let us work with you to insure you have the information you require to make knowledgeable real estate investments and decisions.

Rising Commercial Rent Rates in Gaston County

Seems inevitable commercial rent rates will rise in 2013. What the reevaluation of 2014 brings is anybody's guess but I would bet on higher valuations from 2007 base even with the 2008 meltdown.

Why you ask will rates rise in 2013 before the Reevaluation of 2014? The first factor is the over 3 cent increase in the County Tax Rate passed in June.

Just this week the City of Gastonia Utility Committee voted to raise the City Storm Water Fee from $2.75 per unit to $3.25 per unit or about 18%. The County Tax Rate vote has been held but the full Council has not yet approved the Storm Water Increase.

I would like to raise the following points on the Storm Water Fee increase.

First this action is being taken just after adopting the Budget. Where was this item at Budget time? Other utility fees were increased during the Budget why was this one left out?

Second in January of this year a Federal Judge ruled the EPA cannot regulate storm water. The full effect of that ruling has yet to be felt and yet here in Gastonia we are raising the fee for what may be regulations that have been struck down.

Article 1 on Ruling

Article 2 on Ruling

It is the EPA Phase II mandates that created the need for the Storm Water Department and so the fees. If the EPA cannot mandate Phase II then we have no need of higher fees and perhaps not a separate Storm Water Department. Roll this back to Engineering Staff. The County already does the Plan reviews and approvals at Natural Resources in Dallas.

Whether a fee or a tax increase right now just as things seem to be coming off the bottom is not good economics. Business needs time to get the wheels going at acceptable levels again and any increase in burden is working against that.

Does Tax Rate Effect Commercial Real Estate Investment in Gastonia?

A complex issue for sure but the following chart would seem to provide an overwhelming idea of THE PRIME FACTOR

The Rates Themselves

Charlotte	0.4687		1.28
Concord	0.48		1.18
Cornelius	0.24		1.06
Davidson	0.35		1.17
Gastonia	0.53		1.42
Hickory	0.5		1.03
Huntersville	0.2825		1.1
Matthews	0.3225		1.38
Mint Hill	0.27		1.09
Monroe	0.555		1.22
Raleigh	0.38		0.92
Cabarrus		0.7
Catawba		0.53
Iredell		0.485
Lincoln		0.598
Mecklenburg		0.8157
Gaston		0.889
Union		0.66
Wake		0.534
Asheville			0.95
Wilmington			1
Winston Salem			1.25

Being NUMBER ONE on this list is a problem not an acheivement.Our Commissioners have a choice tonight with their Budget votes between the vicious cycle of raising the tax rate on ever fewer payors or taking a long hard look at how other counties are making do with a lessor rate with the idea of expanding the number of tax payors.

Still Doing Commercial Construction in Gaston County

Dad and I started started Industrial Construction & Maintenance Inc. way back in the early 80's. Our clients were industrial based and we specialized in the unique requirements of our textile chemical clients. Complete Buildings, expansions, special purpose areas, mezzanines and equipment installations. The Maintenance was for the heavy repurposing of areas and equipment we did.Clients were large and small business.

Textiles began to leave the area and the textile chemicals naturally followed. Adapting we began to seek out and do commercial work for medical clients, wholesalers and retailers. The small businesses of Gaston County. We brought that same attention to detail and understanding of value to opur projects to aid our clients succeed economically.

The crash of 2008 brought another evolution to our business as we leaned heavily on our roots in heavy maintenance projects and starting offering construction management services vs traditional lump sum or cost plus design build. Management leverages our experience for our clients in a new way.

To find out more click here for the ICM Web Site or here for a brief video.

Supply of Commercial Space in Gastonia Dwindling

My supply of smaller units in 2T Park, commercial flex-space in Gastonia, is about to be exhausted. I am currently negotiating an Letter of Intent for the last two 1,500 SF Units. This will leave only 3,000 SF, 3,500 SF or a Combination of two 3,500 SF Units to 7,000 SF in the Park.

At the moment I am not at liberty to announce who is coming to the Park but I can say I think they will enhance the Park and be great neighbors.

I also have another big announcement coming in a few days. Until I am given permission to make an announcement just think "Shark Tank".

LEASING RATES	AVAILABLE UNITS
Sucellus
4465-110/120	3500	$    2,190.00	Available
4465-130/140	3500	$    2,190.00	Available
4471	3000	$    1,875.00	Available
Taranis
4474-4476	3000	$    1,800.00	Available
4475	1500	$    1,200.00	LOI Negotiation
4477	1500	$    1,000.00	LOI Negotiation
4479-4481	3000	$    1,900.00	Available
Note Combinations
4465-110/120 + 4465-130/140 = 7,000 Sf
include water/sewer/storm water/common area maintenance&Prop Tx

Value Drives Us In Commercial Construction, Development and Leasing Within Gaston County

Value is the satisfaction of requirements at the best  combined cost of acquisition, ownership, and use.

 “Requirements” are need and for some kinds of transactions even wants or desires. The importance of properly identifying requirements is they provide the basis for being satisfied or not satisfied.

Next is “best  total cost of acquisition, ownership, and use”.  Price is the cost of acquisition. What complicates consideration of total cost in assessing Value is the fact that cost is largely incurred after acquisition. With the exception of price, most costs associated with owning and using what is acquired, are incurred after it is acquired.

Costs of ownership are insuring, protecting, repairing, maintaining, replacing or disposing of what was acquired. For example when we purchase a home we invariably consider the costs of mortgage payments because it is directly related to the price; but was the cost of fire, burglary, or flood insurance, costs for lawn, electrical and mechanical maintenance considered? Can we anticipate a cost when the furnace breaks down, or the house needs repainting? And at the time of purchase, do we consider resale price? These are all costs of home ownership, but rarely do they influence our notions of our home value.

Costs of use are costs of operating whatever we acquired, as well as the costs of maintaining it to operate as we intended. When it proves defective or resources are being used in excess, there are costs for repair or replacement. We pay a price for what we acquire, but do we get Value when the cost of  its use exceeds what we expected? Or unfortunately more likely do we really consider those costs when we pay the price initially? And remember, the concept of Value entails best total cost.

 Let us show you how we provide Value

Will Regional Planning Raise Commercial Real Estate Rents and Prices In Gastonia?

I want to share with you below info on a lawsuit going on in California because of a "regional plan" in the San Francisco area like CONNECT for us here in Gastonia.

     PLAN BAY AREA violates the 5th Amendment of the US Constitution by taking property rights without just compensation.  By the creation of Priority Development Areas, this Plan restricts 80% of residential development and 66% of commercial development to just a few small areas of your city--until the year 2040.  If your property is outside of the PDA (96% of property is outside) you will likely not be able to build or expand your building--and you won't be paid for this loss.

   PLAN BAY AREA violates the 14th Amendment of the US Constitution--the Equal Protection Clause.  Owners of properties in the Priority Development Areas will receive development permits at a rate of approximately 80 times more than owners of property outside of the Priority Development Areas.

   PLAN BAY AREA permanently strips all development rights from rural properties in the nine county Bay Area.  Plan Bay Area is effectively taking conservation easements on all rural lands without paying for them. 

    PLAN BAY AREA restricts development rights of property within the Priority Development Areas, too.  Construction will be limited to mixed-use high density Smart Growth development.  Existing buildings are likely to be out of compliance with your city's General Plan (legal non-conforming) and permits to make additions or changes will likely not be granted.

     PLAN BAY AREA says that cities don't have to comply with it but that is a lie.  If your city wants state or federal transportation dollars over the next 28 years, it will have to comply with PLAN BAY AREA.  Cities have already created Priority Development Areas in compliance with PLAN BAY AREA.
   

    PLAN BAY AREA affects every property owner in the entire nine county 101 city Bay Area.  Only the 1% big developers with their connections to elected and appointed officials will take advantage of tax credits and subsidies.

Evidence seems to show CONNECT will cause rent rises and sale price increases for homes, apartments and businesses by constricting supply and locations. Cost ultimately borne by individuals in the end.

CONNECT Links  RealityCheck2050.org and ConnectOurFuture.org

Inventory of Business Units 2T Park Gastonia NC

As of April 17th , 2013 2T Park Available Units
Address	SF	Rent/Month
4465-110/120	3500	$ 2,190.00 Can be Combined 7,000 SF
4465-130/140	3500	$ 2,190.00 Can be Combined 7,000 Sf
4471	3000	$ 1,875.00
4474-4476	3000	$ 1,800.00
4475	1500	$ 1,200.00 Can Be Combined 3,000 Sf
4477	1500	$ 1,000.00 Can be Combined 4,500 Sf
4479-4481	3000	$ 1,900.00 Can be Combined 6,000 Sf

Refreshing Select Units At 2T Commercial Park

 Call About Availability and Rent Rates

 Jerry 704-363-3247

Executive Order - Sustainable Growth - Over Regulation

President Obama mentioned recently that he is preparing to tell all federal agencies for the first time that they should consider the impact on climate change before approving major projects, from pipelines to highways. He will not implement his plan via a bill that congress must approve but through an executive order.

President Obama gave an address at Argonne National Laboratory, where he proposed to spend $2 billion on an energy-security trust fund for renewable fuel research. Obama boldly pledged “to shift our cars entirely . . . off oil.” 

…on the day of Obama’s Argonne speech, the Department of Energy released a series of coordinated reports called “Transportation Energy Futures” (developed in cooperation with Argonne). This DOE project explores a variety of strategies designed to curb America’s greenhouse gas emissions up to 80 percent by about 2050. I don’t know about you, but I didn’t hear about these DOE reports

Arguably the most controversial of those reports covers the “effects of the built environment on transportation.” To put it plainly, the “built environment” report lays out strategies the federal government can use to force development away from suburbs and into cities, supposedly for the sake of reducing carbon dioxide emissions given off by all those suburban commuters. The Obama administration wants to force so-called smart growth policies on the country: get out of your car, stay out of the suburbs, move into small, tightly-packed urban apartment complexes, and walk or take public transportation instead of driving. A close look at the “reduce car use” section suggests “full cost pricing” that would entail a tax on gasoline “to cover the estimated harmful environmental and health costs of driving.”  It goes on to say that this would amount to $12 per gallon and should be gradually phased in like Europe!

 So what else is Smart Growth Tools ?

Limits and Regulations:

Limit building permits
Draw urban growth boundaries
Create greenbelts around cities

Zoning:

Promote mixed use of housing and small business
Concentrate development along mass transportation routes

Planning:

Ecological land use planning
Environmental impact analysis
Integrated regional planning

Protection:

Protect open space
Buy new open space
Prohibit certain types of development

Taxes:

Tax land not buildings

Tax Breaks:

For owners agreeing not to allow certain types of development

Revitalization and New Growth:

Build well-planned towns and villages within cities

You can see what is coming. The only projects that will get approval will be those in the cities. A developer wants to build a new subdivision in a suburb will find the permits denied or delayed indefinitely while the impact on climate change is reviewed and reviewed again. Need to add roads or schools to a suburb? Sorry! It would produce too much green house gases. The idea will be to make too expensive to live in the suburbs.

And, of course, there are all those federal grants that local politicians can’t turn down funding it all. A review of the prior blog post shows the type of studies Connect is doing here locally with a HUD Grant.  Connect seems to be the data collection phase to justify imposing all these new growth and job killing regulations.

Unelected Regional Government and Commercial Real Estate

A lot of people have never heard of Centralina Council of Government an unelected  regional governmental organization funded by Federal, State and Member Local Governments. Originally the concept was for CCOG to provide local member governments with access to qualified and trained people for special projects. A City updating a Zoning Code would require additional staff above the normal levels. Belonging to CCOG meant those people were available on a temporary or project by project basis.

That was then and this is now as CCOG has hired contractors with a HUD grant of $4.9 million to inspect private vehicle fleets and to use thermal imaging in "selected neighborhoods" to assess greenhouse gas emissions and carbon emissions.  CCOG has hired staff devoted to tracking VMT (Vehicle Miles Traveled) by private citizens.  There exists the potential for this data to be used for the purpose of forcing people to retrofit and or replace their private property  and vehicles under carbon emission rules justified by "Global Warming" claims. Bottom line is data could be misused for creation of more and more regulations about more and more of our daily lives.

CCOG hired contractors to assess land use, water use, and energy use throughout 14 counties, four of which are in South Carolina, the rest in North Carolina. These actions seem to be for the purpose of collecting data on private citizens for the Federal government to use to control those resources and citizens lives through unelected regional councils like CCOG. Here is where the potential exists for the creation of whole new layers of regulation and permitting on top of what already exists. Unavoidably this would add to the costs of development and construction of all types, homes, schools, roads, churches, shopping centers, offices and factories. Rising costs will prevent families from buying a home, remodeling a home or getting a larger home for a growing family. At a time when it can least be afforded these same rising costs will hurt job growth as offices and factories go to areas with less regulation ie..less cost.

This is not to say I see Black Helicopters everywhere with UN troops sending us all to Camps. What I do see is potential abuse from something well intended. Abuse formulated by people or groups who fail the follow the Value Formula, Value=Price/Quality. Sometime the price, intended or unintended, for a small incremental increase in quality is too high to provide a reasonable and justified value.

 Is this one of those instances?  

 DETAILED INFORMATION ABOUT DATA COLLECTION

The Neighborhood Energy Profile Database and Energy Enhancement Recommendations Project team will be led by Jim Kirby, GREENTHINC., PLLC and Hamilton Cort, Cort Architectural Group, PA. Both will share the two-state/multi-county management/database development responsibilities for residential building energy performance assessment, corresponding database development, and publication of proven/affordable energy enhancement strategies. Members of the US Green Building Council-Charlotte Region Chapter (USGBC-CRC) will serve in the outreach messaging efforts and home

sampling selection efforts for the 14 county CCOG region. Matthew Ryan, Efficiency 1st, LLC will

provide on-site residential building diagnostics, assessment and reporting responsibilities for the twostate/multi-county residential buildings through blower-door/pressurization testing, HVAC systems

review and envelope thermal imaging. All four consultants will provide in-kind staff matches to lower grant costs. CCOG will provide meeting space for six (6) meetings valued at $1200 (these costs are shown in Section 9, “Other Direct Costs” of the grant narrative.) Costs for each are as follows:

CONSULTANT TOTAL COST GRANT $$ CONSULTANT MATCH $$ Efficiency First $10,314 $8,247 $2,067 USGBC $23,192 $18,575 $4617Greenthinc $52,825 $42,925 $9900 CORT Architectural $50,400 $40,320 $10,080

c. Climate Change

This project strengthens the link between climate change, development, health impacts and during the

creation of the Regional Preferred Development Scenario by providing tangible data for policy

development. The focus of the study is to (1) analyze road construction and building projects planned

in the region over the next five years; (2) analyze emission levels of construction equipment being used

in the region, with an emphasis on equipment using older diesel engines; (3) determining the effects

that voluntary public and private climate action plans have had in the region; (4) assess the feasibility ofexpanding grant programs designed to replace aging diesel engines with more modern, and less polluting engines; and, (5) assess job creation opportunities in the diesel engine retrofit sector. ATC Associates will conduct an inventory of construction equipment used in the region to determine the model year, estimated usage hours and engine upgrade retrofits. This inventory will be conducted on both municipally-owned fleets and privately owned fleets (general contractors, grading, construction, and equipment rental companies) and entered into a database.  The purpose will be to assess the age

problem that aging diesel fleets represents. The cost for their work, all of which is to be paid for using

grant funds, is $85,760. Mecklenburg County will assess the feasibility of expanding their highly successful GRADE (Grants to Reduce Aging Diesel Engines) Program. Currently the program targets older construction equipment in the region for engine repowers or replacement to reduce the emission of nitrogen oxide, a major component of ozone pollution. Expanding the program or creating a similar model to provide grant funding for diesel particulate filter retrofits will address the emissions of black carbon. Potential sources of funding for this program will also be explored. All of Mecklenburg County’s staff time (valued at $23,940) is being provided through an in-kind match.UNCC will assess the job creation opportunities within the diesel retrofit sector (manufacturing, installation and maintenance) that would result from increasing the installation of diesel particulate filters on pre-2008 construction equipment and vehicles in the region. UNCC will also identify workforce retraining options for manufacturing and diesel mechanics. All funds attributed to UNC Charlotte, $31,705, are to be paid for by the grant. Supporting work will also be provided by Clean Air Carolinas (CAC), a clean air advocacy group in the Charlotte region and by Jason Wager (CCOG Sustainability Program Manager). CAC is providing $2000 in in-kind staff assistance. Approximately 23.3% of Wager’s time is being provided by an in-kind match through CCOG. (NOTE: Wager’s time is accounted for in Section 1, Personnel Labor Costs, of the Budget Narrative.)