Locally based CSO Architects Inc. is working on plans to remodel a former Bally Total Fitness
location behind the Fashion Mall at Keystone into its new headquarters. The 24,000-square-foot former fitness facility at
8831 Keystone Crossing is vacant and falling into disrepair, according to CSO's application for a tax abatement on the
$1.8 million project. CSO bought the building and is working on plans for a sustainable renovation with LEED certification.
If approved, the 10-year abatement would save the company about $56,000 in property taxes, roughly the same amount in additional
taxes the company would pay for its planned improvements to the property. As part of the application, the firm pledged to
create 10 new jobs and retain 70. The company's current headquarters is in the Parkwood Crossing office complex at Interstate
465 and Meridian Street. CSO, which was founded in 1961, previously occupied space at Keystone at the Crossing for about 25
years before moving to Parkwood Crossing in 1999, managing partner James Schellinger said. “Given these economic times
and the cost of real estate, we thought we could find an existing building where the cost could be very advantageous right
now,” he said. The firm expects to have the renovation completed by February, when its lease expires at Parkwood Crossing.
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Welcome to Property Lines, Indy's source for neighborhood real estate news. Your host is Scott Olson, IBJ's real estate beat
reporter. Edited by Cory Schouten.
CSO Architects plans new HQ in former Bally Total Fitness
July 7, 2010
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liek the rest of America
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These quaint,obsessed musings by the stalkers are certainly entertaining, but I'm trying to figure out what, if anything, all the yelping below has to do with Zak Brown.
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It's evident that Moffett was pushing the right buttons and corporate America is now trying to squash him. He just wanted to withdraw the free pilot services provided to the company by the pilots to try and put some pressure on a company that has not been interested in negotiating a contract in over 5 years. The company does not provide a contract because not having one has saved them a bundle of money. Shame on any Republic pilots not standing behind their union leader just because things are getting tough, can you not see such strategic moves by the company as putting the last union president in a corporate position and into THEIR pocket. Do you really believe the last union president is so appalled at the attempts by Moffett, do you not remember his oppositions to the company? We stood behind him. It has been proven over and over again for thousands of years without fail, a man cannot serve two masters. Anyone that believes people vote contrary to their paycheck and livelihood deserve to be taken advantage of, the recent statements by the former union president are laughable as he denounces the current union president from his new corporate position. Have you ever seen a drafted sports player score points for his previous team, it cannot be done, he is not on the pilots side anymore, he gets his money a different way now than you and I do, and he should not be allowed to remain on the seniority list. A drafted player brings strength, credibility, tactical knowledge, and a strategic advantage to his NEW team, he would not be drafted or paid were it otherwise. We are all forced to choose only one side to play for and support, not doing so has many references in life such as insider trading and shaving points, all illegal for good reason. This basic fact is why corporate moguls, scientist, and engineers all sign non-discloser agreements and non-compete clauses, as protection in case they are lured into switching sides as our former union president has done. No NFL coach ever drafted a player so that both teams could benefit and better understand each other, they are recruited to win the game against that former team, period. Likewise the company does not recruit the former union president by accident or mutual understanding, its strategy. Don't confuse playing the game with good sportsman-like conduct in support of common business and prosperity goals, with the requirement to only play for one side. Good men we all love and favor fall subject to this manipulation, often without their knowledge, and it is not a betrayal of their friendship to oppose them when they switch sides. If we did not love and trust them, they would not have been chosen and lured to the other side in the first place. The deception by the drafted player is not made at a conscious level, it's just human nature and it's all about money and power which corrupts our ability to be objective and loyal to two masters. This is why our court system created the defense attorney, and why our military created counter intelligence. Its strategy and its propaganda, and it works, and that's why the "powers to be" manipulate the chess pieces by sometimes changing their colors. Some players know they are being manipulated when their color is changed, but it brings them more money and power so they do not care. The rest have good intentions but do not even realize they are being manipulated. This tactic is also known by another name, Divide and Conquer. In battle sending an imperfect message with an imperfect team is obviously not ideal, but it's still being sent by YOUR team, your union leader, a leader that has common goals and common rewards with you, they are the best, because we have elected them to do a job for us. If you are not backing Moffett but believing the spin by those that have recently switched sides, you are taking food out of your own mouth. Showing unity and backing an imperfect situation still results in taking just as much ground, it's about unity and bargaining power. It's not necessary to wait around for that perfect attack because it will never come, the company will spin and attempt to destroy anyone that gets in their way. Ultimately it's not about any specific attack anyway, ASAP or whatever it makes no difference, it is and always has been only about power. If this company cared about safety it would not build pairings with 8 hour overnights, come on, are you that naive? Besides, do you really think Hoffa cares, no, he got a call from corporate America and was squeezed into denouncing Moffett. If he didn't they would spin the safety card against him and the Teamsters National with implication for truckers, future contracts, insurance rates etc...saying something like the Teamsters use safety as a bargaining chip, blah blah blah... Do you really think any pilot is going to do something unsafe for the contract, absolutely not, the only ones threatening safety here is the company with reduced rest, fatigue, and poverty. Do you not find it odd that Hoffa and the Teamsters are opposing a Teamster president publicly? Would the Teamsters National not normally support and work with one of their own? Why did they not sit down and help him strategize, correct any mistakes, and charge ahead? Would the Teamsters National not normally support and leverage a contract for all those pilots that have been paying Teamster dues, isn't that why we have all been paying Teamster dues in the first place? I sure haven't been paying dues so that the Teamsters National could come along and write this kind of an article undercutting our union leader and our unity. Whose side is the Teamsters National really on, it's obviously not the Republic pilots side.
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No matter what Moffatt does the company is going to spin it like he is the terrorist and brainwash people like you into believing it, wake up, back your players that are trying to change things for you and your livelihood. Where has Hoffa been for the last 6 years, except collecting our dues. Seriously, do you really think an FO going for upgrade, signed off by a checkairman ready for the upgrade, who then fails, is not even capable of returning as a First Officer.
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whoa!
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I am happy to see they are pledging to create 10 more jobs...I just wonder how the current economic climate will support their intentions...
Furthermore, it's not like there's too much going on in the city. Besides the JW Marriott (CSO Project) and the Convention Center (Ratio), what else is there? Sure, there's LOTS of stimulus-funded infrastructure work out there...but architects rarely do roads and bridges...
New Wishard Hospital
Riley Hospital Expansion
Glick Eye Institute
IU-Clarian Neurosciences Hub
Methodist Hospital Bed Tower
NCAA Headquarters Expansion
Buckingham: Delaware/South/Virginia mixed-use
Buckingham: 10th/Indiana apartments
And several smaller projects. It's been a while since this much development has been proposed or under construction in the city.
Also, "proposed" doesn't always (or often) equate to actual projects. There have been HUNDREDS of viable proposed projects in the city over the last few years...few of them have actually been realized.
Regardless, the climate is still very difficult in Indy and environ. You can argue that there are proposals out there, but if you really want to argue that the architectural market is perfectly fine, there's lots of work, and that jobs shouldn't have been lost in architecture and the construction trades, you are SORELY mistaken.
Unless most of the current proposals have mostly private funding, they will likely not happen. The currently mayor has shown very little interest in spending money on development beyond infrastructure. Furthermore, healthcare projects aren't exactly what this city needs...
But I could also go on and on with my list of projects (the ones I listed include 5/8 healthcare/research because those projects tend to be very large and I was looking to impress):
Waverley Expansion
The Marmon (Washington/East St)
Trailside
The Di Rimini
iMOCA/Aparments in Fletcher Place
Apartments at Indiana/Milburn
A large portion of these are already under construction or are very likely to be built.
It's not just a whim that most firms have laid off a big chunk of their staff. A friend of my who just graduated is the only student out of 24 who has a job.
That's not trashing the city. I think its obvious that development is slow right now.
But what, specifically, is different about right now than say, 2006? Given what appears to be a decent rate of mid-to-large scale proposals compared to pre-recession times, are too many projects not moving beyond concept + initial rendering? As you say, larger scale proposals are always coming and going, regardless of the times.
Or is the problem more with smaller, less publicized projects (the meat and potatoes of architecture firms?) and those have really disappeared?
For instance, the trend of "referendums" in this state has really done the architectural community a great disservice. Several MAJOR school projects have gone to referendums. When these mega-$million projects do not pass (by slim margines, usually), it shelves these projects and people lose work/jobs. I know for a fact that the vote against the Perry-Meridian project last year was a large determining factor in CSO's decision to let a large number of workers go.
Another issue is that many developers are looking for tax abatements and/or stimulus funding to get their projects moving. Many of these projects are stalled because this funding is not available, is deemed inappropriate, or is under consideration by the state.
Many projects are stalled at the moment because private donations are down due to the economy. Most University work, esp. private schools are driven by private giving. When private giving tanks, so does new construction/renovation.
However, the largest problem is that there just isn't enough work out there to insure the success of all the firms in the area. Whereas you may see a lot of developments going on, there just simply isn't enough to go around. And even so, with the economy being what it is, architects are being paid less per contract and often doing preliminary work gratis in the hopes that the project will take off.
It is a VERY tough time for architects right now. Those of us who are still employed are lucky to have kept our jobs. We're not out of the woods yet, but there have been some signs of improvements, though it is still very fragile...