Boise-Based Developer Enthusiastic About Projects in Idaho Falls

Thomas Development is pleased to announce its plans to renovate Constitution Plaza in Idaho Falls, formerly known as the "EICAP Building", which they recently purchased from the Eastern Idaho Community Action Partnership.  Tom and Barbara Mannschreck, the owners of Thomas Development, love downtown Idaho Falls and see great potential in the 16,440 square foot building that boasts its own parking lot directly across from the city offices.  Thomas Development also owns and has renovated the nearby Earl Building at 525 Park Avenue.

Tom and Barbara have been working closely with downtown Idaho Falls experts, their development team, and their local property manager and broker Steven Frei to plan the renovations, which includes renaming the building “Constitution Plaza”.  John Hart, the director of Downtown Idaho Falls Development Corporation and Jan Blickenstaff, the City of Idaho Falls grants administrator, have been extremely helpful.  Jan is retiring but plans to remain available as a resource to the city and developers because of his commitment to Idaho Falls. Constitution Plaza will be extensively renovated, both interior and exterior. The owners will seek LEED certification and will also apply to the Idaho Falls Historic Preservation Commission for historic façade renovation grants.  

The Eastern Idaho Community Action Partnership will move all of its operations to a single location in 2011.  Constitution Plaza will then become available for lease for one large or several smaller office tenants. Steven Frei and Brent Butikofer of NAI Commerce One brokered the sale of the building and may be contacted about leasing opportunities.

Thomas Development has two other developments in Idaho Falls. Rosslare on 12th and Hoopes is an affordable 48 Unit senior apartment and opened last summer.  Summerhill is an 80 unit housing development that opened this month. 

Summerhill "follows our pattern of developing low- and moderate- income housing for families," said Tom Mannschreck.  Like the adjacent Rosslare development, Summerhill will have Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification from the U.S. Green Building Council.  

For questions, please contact Kaly Shippen at (208) 525-8088 or email kaly@nai-idaho.com

August AREVA Meetings to be held in Boise and Idaho Falls

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission will hold 2 meetings in ID next week regarding the AREVA Eagle Rock Enrichment Plant project – PLEASE ATTEND ONE OF THEM!

Monday, August 9 in Boise at the Oxford Suites Hotel, 1426 S. Entertainment Ave., in Boise, from 7-9:30 p.m.

Thursday, August 12 in Idaho Falls at the Red Lion Hotel, 475 River Parkway, from 7:30-10 p.m.

If you have questions, or wish to know pertinent issues for the EIS, you can call GIFI office 208-522-2014 or Lane Allgood, PST, at 208-313-4166. Public comments can be submitted until September 13, by email EagleRock.EIS@nrc.gov, or mailed to:

Ref: Report Number NUREG-1945 draft
Chief, Rules & Directives Branch
Division of Administrative Services
Office of Administration
U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission
Mail Stop TWB-05-B01M
Washington, DC 20555-0001

Snake River Landing"s First Residential Phase Begins

Snake River Landing is excited to announce that construction has begun on the first phase of Garbett Homes; Legacy Creek. Garbett Homes, a Salt Lake City-based builder, is thrilled to bring their modern, yet affordably priced homes to the Idaho Falls community. The first phase of homes will consist of 34 single family residences.  Idaho Falls-based HK Contractors is currently preparing the utilities for the site.

An unveiling of the home exterior designs and floor plans will take place at the site of current construction at 11 a.m. on Monday, June 14. The community is welcome at this event.

NAI Broker Steven Keim Attends World's Largest Wind Conference

NAI Commerce One broker Steven Keim is attending the American Wind Energy Association's Annual Conference: WINDPOWER 2010 in Dallas, Texas May 23rd - 26th.  With 20,000 Attendees and 1,400 exhibits, WINDPOWER 2010 is the world's largest annual wind conference and exhibition, and the fastest growing conference in the U.S. 

The WINDPOWER Conference Program offers a platform to discuss how our industry can create our energy future, strengthen our struggling economy, and lead to a sound, profitable energy market. The conference program will discuss perspectives, methods and strategies for maintaining and increasing profitability in an environment of technical, economic and political change. Attendees will learn how wind energy can Power America Forward.

The conference has over 60 educational sessions organized into 6 tracks, covering policy, business and technical issues.  Conference Speakers include former U.S. President George W. Bush, North Dakota Senator Byron Dorgan, Department of Energy EERE Assistant Secretary Cathy Zoi, Colorado Governor Bill Ritter, Jr., Iowa Governor Chet Culver, Ohio Governor Ted Strickland, and Siemens Wind Power CEO Jens-Peter Sauls.  Entertainment includes Elvis Costello and Seinfeld's Jason Alexander.

For more information, visit: http://2010.windpowerexpo.org/ or check out this conference YouTube video from the AWEA CEO Denise Bode:

Areva Secures $2 Billion Loan Guarantee from the DOE

Washington, DC – As part of a broad effort to expand the use of nuclear power in the United States and reduce carbon pollution, U.S. Secretary of Energy Steven Chu announced today the Department’s first conditional commitment for a front-end nuclear facility. The $2 billion loan guarantee will support AREVA’s Eagle Rock Enrichment Facility near Idaho Falls, Idaho, which will supply uranium enrichment services for the U.S. nuclear power industry.

“Increasing uranium enrichment in the United States is critical to the nation’s energy and national security,” said Secretary Chu. “Existing reactors will need additional sources of enriched uranium soon. New nuclear plants that could start to come on line as early as 2016 will also need a steady, reliable source of uranium enrichment services. AREVA’s project will help to meet that demand.”

The Idaho Falls facility will use advanced centrifuge technology instead of the more energy-intensive gaseous diffusion process. Although Eagle Rock will be only the second plant to use this technology in the US, it has been employed in Europe for about 30 years to enrich uranium for the commercial power market. The project’s technology uses 95 percent less electricity than the gaseous diffusion technology it replaces, reducing both energy use and environmental effects.

Areva estimates construction of the Eagle Rock facility will create 1,000 jobs. The total project is expected to cost approximately $3.3 billion.

The light-water reactors that comprise the US fleet are fueled by low-enriched uranium, in which the concentration of the easily-split U-235 isotope is raised from less than one percent found in natural uranium to between three and five percent by weight. (Natural uranium is largely comprised of the U-238 isotope.)

Currently, the United States obtains half of its enriched uranium from Russia under the Megatons-to-Megawatts program, in which nuclear materials that were once pointed at the United States are converted to civilian nuclear fuel to power America’s economy. The program expires in 2013, after which alternate sources of enrichment services will be required to support the continued and expanded use of nuclear power in the United States

The project must obtain a Combined Construction and Operating License (COL) from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission before the loan guarantee can be finalized. In addition to the $2 billion in loan guarantee authority under the 2009 Omnibus Bill, the Department has made available an additional $2 billion to support uranium enrichment technology from loan authority provided in 2007.

This is the ninth project to be offered a conditional commitment by the Department of Energy since March, 2009. For more information on the loan guarantee program, please visit http://www.lgprogram.energy.gov/

The Annual Southeast Idaho Business & Economic Forum

The annual Southeast Idaho Business and Economic Forum will be held on May 12 from 1-5 p.m. at the Art Museum of Eastern Idaho located at 300 S. Capital Avenue in Idaho Falls.  The event is free to all, but space is limited.  Please RSVP to Jaimi at 208-528-7922 or email jwalker@sammonsrep.com

FEATURED SPEAKERS:

-Dean Mortimer, Idaho State Senator, "Legislative Session Update"
-Mike Ferguson, Idaho State Chief Economist, "State of the Idaho Economy"
-Dan John, Idaho State Tax Commission, "Tax Incentives for Small Businesses"
-Winston Beard, Partner - Beard St. Clair Law Firm, "Healthcare Reform: The Affects on Business Owners"
-Russell Slack, Asst. Vice President, Zion's Bank, "Business Financing: How to Get it & Keep it"
-Steve Fuhriman, Mayor of Ammon

EIAA April Meeting Report: Idaho Falls Mayor Jared Fuhriman

By NAI Commerce One Multi-Family Specialist Doug Powell

Mayor Jared Fuhriman spoke to the Eastern Idaho Apartment Association this month about current events in Idaho Falls. Topics included AREVA, downtown redevelopment, the “North Loop” power line project and growth of the city. Renee McGee, director of planning and zoning for the city, ably assisted him. During his presentation he answered numerous questions. Specifically the Mayor noted:

• The Mayor strongly supports an open door policy and relishes feedback from the constituents of Idaho Falls. He was very clear that the city works for the citizens of the town. City government is fiscally conservative and currently has no debt. The model “pay as you go” is the operative business plan.

• Tax Increment Financing (TIF) has been extended from the west side of the Snake River to the east to cover downtown redevelopment. This will support additional redevelopment, which includes the Memorial Drive green belt, additional parking and upgrading existing buildings.

• The AREVA project is moving forward and approval appears eminent with groundbreaking projected for next spring. This project will ultimately bring approximately 1,200 construction and 300+ permanent jobs to Idaho Falls. The project may be expanded, which is more good news for the area.

• Location of the “North Loop” power transmission lines remain under study, but according to the Mayor, this development is essential to the continued growth on the west side and for redundancy in supply the east side of town.

• INL is proposing an expansion of four more buildings located in the technology park adjacent to the CAES building. This will bring additional jobs and further enhance the area’s reputation for research on energy efficiency and nuclear development. This project is projected for completion over the next five years.

Renee Magee, Director of the Idaho Falls Planning Department indicated that while Idaho Falls is caught up in the national recession, growth continues at a steady rate of 1% to 1.5% per year. A rate to bodes well for continued, effective management of infrastructure development within the city.

While permits are down 35% year over year, it appears that demand is slowly returning as evidenced by an 80 unit multi-family development under construction at 12th and Hoopes and a $5 million expansion by ERMAC.

In concluding his remarks the Mayor indicated his optimism for the bright future of Idaho Falls and the city’s ability to sustain the quality of life that is the joy of the folks lucky enough to live in this part of the country.
Doug Powell can be reached at (208) 525-8088 or by email.

Three Airlines To Add New Idaho Falls Flights

- The Associated Press

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho — Allegiant Air, Delta Air Lines and United Airlines have announced additional service to Idaho Falls International Airport.

Allegiant announced Wednesday that it will be offering two nonstop flights per week from Idaho Falls to Los Angeles International Airport, beginning June 3. The flights will operate Thursdays and Sundays.

On Tuesday, Delta Air Lines added a fifth flight from Idaho Falls to Salt Lake City. The flight is scheduled to depart from Idaho Falls Regional Airport at 6:10 p.m. every day but Tuesday and Saturday. Delta plans a sixth, seasonal evening flight from Idaho Falls to Salt Lake City, beginning on June 10.

United Airlines plans to add a third flight to Denver on May 2. The flight is scheduled to depart at 4:56 p.m. and will operate every day except Saturday.

1200 SF Professional Office Space For Lease in Ammon

1552 S. Midway Ave | NAI Commerce One | 208.525.8088 1552 Midway Ave, Idaho Falls, ID Professional Office Space For Lease for $10.80/SF/YR NNN Office Year Built 2008 Sq Footage 1,200 Floors 1 Parking Unspecified Lot Size Unspecified Maint $0 per month DESCRIPTION Well located professional office space just off 17th Street and Midway, with 5 hardwalled offices, a private restroom, and a front reception area. There is a crawl space for convenient wiring. Rental rate is $10.80/SF/YR NNN. see additional photos below ADDITIONAL PHOTOS Photo 1 Location Contact info: 1552 S. Midway Ave NAI Commerce One 208.525.8088 For sale by agent/broker Equal Opportunity Housing Posted: Mar 23, 2010, 12:12pm PDT

Flyer: http://www.tinyurl.com/1552midway
Contact Brent Butikofer or Steven Frei at 208.525.8088 for more information or to schedule a tour.

Thoughts on Property Taxes from the President of the Eastern Idaho Apartment Association

At the EIAA meeting last week we learned two important things. First, we learned the process on how to challenge a property’s valuation. Second, we learned the key to reducing overall property taxes. I want to focus on the later.

I was totally surprised to find out how our property taxes are calculated. It is totally backwards from how individuals or companies manage their money.

1) The government body (city, county, etc…) creates a budget.
2) The Assessor calculates the total value of the real estate in the geographical area covered by the government body.
3) The budget is divided by the total value. This created the Levy amount.

If the overall value of housing goes down in the area, the levy amount actually goes up! So, it doesn’t matter if housing values go down significantly, your taxes will remain the same or even go up!!!

The key to getting the overall tax rate to go down is to lower the government body’s budget. In the past Blake Mueller said that hardly anyone shows up to challenge the budgets. We need to go to these meetings to make our voices heard. I have info on a few of the upcoming meetings:

City of Idaho Falls
July 21st, 28th and Aug 4th. All are at 8:30 AM, upstairs in the Municipal services building of City Hall.

Bonneville County
September 8th upstairs in the Centennial Court room at the old County Court house.

If you have information on when and where other meetings are going to be held, please contact me so I can send it out to the EIAA members.  As citizens and property owners, we need to go to these meeting and make our voices heard.

Bart Weaver, President
Eastern Idaho Apartment Association (EIAA)
http://www.eiaa.info/
(208) 535-8888

The next meeting of the EIAA will be held on April 14th and the guest speaker with be Idaho Falls Mayor Jared Fuhriman.  Location TBA.   For questions about the EIAA, contact Bart Weaver.

Prime Restaurant Location Anchored by Edwards Theatres

The Teton Spectrum Shopping Center is the dominant entertainment and dining destination within the Idaho Falls / Ammon, Idaho market. Anchored by a 14-screen Edwards Theaters movie theater, the center draws from a large trade area which includes 14 counties within portions of Idaho, Montana and Wyoming. Current tenants include Carino's Italian Grill, Texas Roadhouse, Five Guys Burgers & Fries, Café Rio and IHOP. Adjacent anchor tenants include Target, Best Buy, Ross, Sportsman's Warehouse, TJ Maxx, Bed, Bath & Beyond and Kohl's. General Growth Properties' Grand Teton Mall (540,000 s.f.) is located immediately north of the center.
The subject property is an approx. 5,000 s.f. restaurant leasehold opportunity located directly in front of the movie theater along Hitt Road/S. 25th East. The building, currently occupied by TGI Friday's, enjoys tremendous exposure along S. 25th East, with monument signage and a significant amount of street frontage.

For more information, please click here, or contact Brent Wilson, CLS, at (208) 525-8088.

Snake River Landing Chosen as Location for Idaho Falls Event Center

IDAHO FALLS - After listening to public input and receiving eight possible proposal's for the site, the Idaho Falls Convention and Visitors Bureau has been busy thoroughly studying locations over the past nine months.

The committee shortened that list to three possible sites and submitted the properties to a consulting firm to make a final decision. Their final recommendation; Snake River Landing.

"Any one of the three would have been viable candidates for this project. However, that is farther along in it's development. There are plans for complimentary businesses that would work with the event center there and that edged out the other two," explains Convention and Visitors Bureau Executive Director, Bob Everhart.

The other two site locations would have forced construction to start basically from nothing. Snake River Landing already has immediate name recognition, plans in place to build, roads and infrastructure, parking availability, and a close proximity to hotels, restaurants and the interstate. The site selection committee also took in factors such as access to utilities and possibilities of sustainable energy sources.

Snake River Landing plans to hold the facility on the southwest corner of their property. They're also very excited about all the possibilities the event center brings for them.

"We have been excited that they're working on this process for a long time and have always supported the idea of having an event center and thought it would be a great thing for this community. We were just extremely excited when we found out that we'd been selected for the site," says Snake River Landing Chief Development Officer, Eric Isom.

Click here to read the full article from KIDK Channel 3.

AARP Tax-Aide to Locate in Sandcreek Plaza in Ammon

AARP Tax-Aide will be again be locating in Suite 107 at Sandcreek Plaza in Ammon, adjacent to Wal*mart Supercenter. AARP Tax-Aide is the nation's largest free, volunteer-run tax assistance and preparation service available to taxpayers with low- and moderate-income, with special attention to those age 60 and older.

According to Norm Kramer, AARP Tax-Aide District Coordinator, "All of the 40 tax counselors are IRS certified. Last year we prepared over 3500 tax returns, and the value of our service to the community was over $400,000." The local group has been serving the Idaho Falls area for 36 years. AARP membership is not required and they serve people of all ages.

Randy Waters and Brent Wilson with NAI Commerce One represented the landlord and AARP in the lease transaction. "These men and women go through training on their own time and its a great service that they provide to the community", said Waters.

AARP Tax-Aide will open their doors for walk-ins from February 1st through April 15th, and can be reached at 528-8887.

Downtown Idaho Falls Ribbon Cutting

Event video featuring the 12/10 Ribbon Cutting with Thomas Development, The Greater Idaho Falls Chamber of Commerce Ambassadors, & Idaho Falls Mayor Jared Fuhriman at the newly renovated Earl Building in downtown Idaho Falls:



YouTube URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T5Gcxp6no9o

Historic Earl Building Ribbon Cutting & Open House, December 10th

NAI Commerce One invites you to join the Greater Idaho Falls Chamber of Commerce Ambassadors for a Ribbon Cutting and Open House on Thursday, December 10th from 5-7 p.m. at the Historic Earl Building in Downtown Idaho Falls at 525 Park Avenue. Come meet the building lessees and see the beautiful renovations that have been completed by Thomas Development.

Eastern Idaho Home Builders Association in conjunction with the Greater Idaho Falls Chamber of Commerce is pleased to provide a "facts & figures" perspective on growth in our community at a luncheon on Thursday, December 10th from 12-1:30 at the Red Lion in Idaho Falls.  Dr. Elliot Eisenberg, Ph.D., will present amazing facts and answer questions about the economic benefits of home building in the Greater Idaho Falls Area. 

• What is the economic impact of single family home construction?
• What is the total impact and ongoing impact?
• What are the costs vs. benefits?
• How long does it take before new construction pays for itself?
• How many jobs does new construction create?
• What revenues does home building create?

Dr. Elliot Eisenberg is the Senior Economist of the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) in Washington, D.C. He holds a Bachelors of Arts degree in economics with First Class Honors from McGill University as well as a Master of Public Administration degree and Ph.D. in Public Administration from Syracuse University.

He is the creator of the multifamily stock index and is the author of more than 50 homebuilding industry articles. Dr. Eisenberg is frequently seen on televsion and heard on radio, and his research and opinions have been featured in Business Week, Forbes, Fortune, most national and local newspapers, and in many other publications.

NAI Commerce One Brokers Hastings Relocation

Steven Keim of NAI Commerce One represented the landlord and secured the new Hastings lease in the center located on the Southeast corner of Holmes and 17th Street in Idaho Falls. Consummating the lease involved negotiations with current tenants which resulted in the relocation of both Ace Hardware and the UPS Store. Once the space was secured, delivery of the space entailed major renovations to the existing building. The building upgrades resulted a completely remodeled building that will serve the Landlord, the Tenant and the community for many years. In addition, Brent Butikofer and Steven Frei brokered the relocation of Ace Hardware which created yet another major building deal.


Related Story From KIDK--Hastings Employees Move to New Location

IDAHO FALLS - Most customers know the employees behind the counter at Hastings and those employees are taking on a new agenda for the week- moving.

"I've come in everyday, and everybody is just like, let's get it done let's go and everybody has just been working together, teamwork has just been exceptional and everybody has just been very upbeat ad excited to get into the new store,"

4-weeks into his new job at Hastings, Justin Christansen isn't behind a register, he's behind a dolly.

"I have learned a lot of new skills, I did not know how to use a pallet-jack and move things onto trucks, and take trucks over, but I'm learning a lot of new skills that I think are going to be very helpful in the future sometime. We're using all of our local employees, we're using temporary help, we're using some people from other stores that are coming out to help out and train,"

Hasting's shut its doors last Saturday and the new Hastings is just a few blocks down the road. it went from 13,000 square feet to 22, 000...Read the full article from KIDK here.

NAI Commerce One broker Brent Wilson represents the owner of the former Hastings space.  To learn more, download the flyer.

Energy corridor location key to economic development

Realtors sell by using an old adage – location, location, location.

Idaho National Laboratory's Steven Aumeier emphasized the same principle at the Bannock Development Corporation's recent Eighteenth Annual Economic Symposium.

"Bannock County, Idaho, is nestled within one of the richest energy corridors in the world and near the nation's premier nuclear energy research laboratory," he told the group, which gathered Aug. 17 at Idaho State University.

Idaho's U.S. Sen. Jim Risch, state Department of Commerce Director Don Dietrich and several others also delivered updates on the region's economic development and its many partners. INL, along with Bannock County and the city of Pocatello, is a legacy investor in BDC and joined several others in sponsoring the annual event.

Aumeier, INL's director of Energy Systems and Technologies, showed a map of the energy-rich Western corridor, which stretches from the Canadian provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan down through Montana, Wyoming, Idaho, Utah and Colorado.

"Fortunately, Bannock and Idaho are situated within an area with a strong entrepreneurial culture and among key energy transmission lines for electricity and gas," he said. "This is a great opportunity and challenge."

He also outlined the need for pursuing the "Smart Energy Approach" and solving the "grand challenge of our generation" in responsibly producing and using energy.

Read the full article by by Keith Arterburn, INL Communications & Public Affairs by clicking here.

The Idaho National Lab...on YouTube!

JDRF Walk To Cure Diabetes at Snake River Landing in Idaho Falls

Another great event at Snake River Landing...