Industry News

Lawrence Livermore Laboratory has received approval from the federal government to build a laboratory for the study of potential biological weapons in Livermore, Calif. Rated Biosafety Level 3 (BSL-3), the lab will enable research in the detection of potential threats including anthrax, botulism, and other diseases. In planning the facility, the National Nuclear Security Administration reviewed 92 public comments and, as a result, incorporated 33 changes to the planned facility.

The City of Poway broke ground on a 5,900-sf council chamber building and a two-story 50,400-sf City Hall office building in October 2002. The $14.6-million project was designed by McGraw/Baldwin Architects. Douglas E. Barnhart Inc. is providing construction management services.

Sysco Food Services of San Antonio LP, a subsidiary of Sysco Corp. of Houston, broke ground in December 2002 on a 110,000-sf expansion of its 310,000-sf San Antonio warehouse and distribution center. The addition, which will add storage for dry, refrigerated and frozen foods, is slated for completion by October 2003.

The Securities and Exchange Commission will occupy a second building at Station Place in Washington. The lease of up to 360,000 sf, to deliver in 2005, will bring the government agency's facilities to over 1 million sf. Developed by Louis Dreyfus Properties Group, the headquarters project includes the previous lease of 650,000 sf slated for occupancy in mid-2004. SEC's total occupancy at the Station Place site will comprise 1.5-million-sf in three buildings.

Loudon Hospital in Leesburg, Va., is engaged in a 9,400-sf renovation of its Cornwall campus that will add a 16-bed emergency department. The $2.1-million project, slated for completion in mid-January 2003, is designed to give the hospital the flexibility to convert at least an additional 20 beds for emergency care in the event of a terrorist attack. The two-building Cornwall campus, originally constructed in 1912, may be renamed the Western Loudoun Medical Center.