First Phase of Construction Complete for Meridian Town Center

Torrance, CA – October 23, 2012 – (RealEstateRama) — Construction has completed on the first phase of Meridian Town Center, a 970,000+-square-foot shopping center in Meridian, Idaho. Phase one consisted of building a 325,000-square-foot power center, designed by Nadel Architects, on 30 acres of land next to the city’s new, 60-acre Julius M. Kleiner Memorial Park. In phase two, the adjacent 49 acres will house a 645,000-square-foot, up-scale shopping village featuring retail, entertainment and office space.

CenterCal began the project in 2006, but was halted due to the recession. Now the entire project is expected to be completed by 2014, delivering a gathering place and one-stop shopping experience for the rapidly growing community of Meridian on what was originally 140 acres of undeveloped land.

Situated on Meridian’s busiest intersection, N. Eagle Road and E. Fairview Avenue, the Nadel Architects-designed power center includes five big-box buildings with national tenants Gordman’s, Petco, Toys-R-Us, Gap Factory and Marshalls facing the main road. With CenterCal pushing the project forward quickly, Nadel Architects worked closely with the general contractor, Russell Corporation and Anderson Construction, to create a design that was feasibly constructed in less than eight months.

“With the quick turnaround required by the project, our team really had to economize and be smart and efficient with our design,” said Nadel’s Greg Palaski, managing director. “Therefore, in addition to finding cost-effective design that satisfies each of the national tenants’ prototypes, we had to make a concerted effort to eliminate production related redundancies and focus on a design that could go from drawing board to field quickly.”

Nadel’s design blends into the greater project’s design theme and will compliment the style and first-class feel of the village, while maintaining the economical aspect of the power center. The team utilized an integral colored block to match the plans for the village and similar but more cost-effective materials. In addition, Nadel incorporated cap-stone cornices, smooth plaster finishes and iron trellises to mirror the rich, up-scale effect of the village.

“We brought Nadel on board for their ability to execute efficiently and within our cost structure,” said Jean Paul Wardy, President of CenterCal Properties. “Given our experience with projects of this scale, we knew that we needed a team that would work as seamlessly as possible. Once completed, this new center will bring so much value to the city and the people of Meridian.”

With the power center currently open to the public, CenterCal moved quickly to begin the construction on phase two, which is scheduled for opening in the Fall of 2013.

In order to efficiently manage the project and keep overall costs down, Los Angeles-based Nadel worked closely with a number of Idaho-based consultants the firm had work with on previous retail centers. The firm’s first project in Idaho, Nadel’s project team includes Brent Bland, project manager, and Norman Viray and Fernando Trinidad, design team.

Nadel Architects
Nadel Architects provides comprehensive services ranging from architectural design, master planning and feasibility studies to complete interior design, planning and programming. Nadel is ranked among the largest architectural firms in the world. The company has completed more than 30 million square feet of retail space, 600 office buildings, 80,000 residential units, numerous hotels and resorts, and a variety of public and educational institutions, which have received over 75 awards for design excellence. Headquartered in Los Angeles, the firm has designed a variety of projects located around the globe. For more information, please visit http://www.nadelarc.com.

CenterCal
In 2004, Fred Bruning and Jean Paul Wardy announced the formation of CenterCal Properties, LLC. The Company was created to continue their tradition of developing and acquiring fine retail properties throughout the western United States through CenterCal LLC, a newly created joint venture with the California State Teachers Retirement System.

The Russell Corporation
Currently celebrating 30 years of excellence in commercial building throughout the intermountain west, Russell Corp. provides construction management as well as general construction services, with professionals who offer a complete understanding of design, scheduling, materials availability, value engineering, cost control and total coordination. For more information, visit http://www.russcorp.com.

Andersen Construction
With offices in Oregon, Washington and Idaho, Andersen has evolved into a construction manager and a LEED certified general contractor who excels in technically challenging projects and is recognized for the highest levels of safety performance in the industry. Andersen’s portfolio includes experience in High Tech, Commercial Retail, Cultural, Education, Government, Health Care, Hospitality, Urban Housing, Industrial & Manufacturing, Parking Structures and the performance of Tenant Improvements, Seismic Upgrades and Remediation. For more information, visit http://www.andersen-const.com.