Upper Arlington explosion ‘never likely to be repeated,’ Columbia Gas president says

The investigation surrounding the big blast that shook Upper Arlington last month is ongoing, but the president of the state’s largest natural gas utility is confident that the explosion was a rarity.

Columbia Gas of Ohio President Dan Creekmur said the company is vigilant and confident about its pipeline system.

“So while an unfortunate incident, I think it’s probably one that is never likely to be repeated, regardless of what the cause is,” Creekmur told me.

Creekmur said there still…

Dividend Capital buys $68 million portfolio

Dividend Capital Diversified Property Fund, a Denver-based real-estate investment trust, has purchased a $68 million portfolio of four office buildings in Austin, Texas.

The fund (Nasdaq: ZDPFEX) bought the City View portfolio, which consists of 274,000 square feet of space that its 99 percent leased to 22 tenants.

“The acquisition of City View supports our stated investment strategy by adding a high-quality asset with a diverse tenant roster in a market that we believe has strong long-term fundamentals,”…

Lake Nona senior living community to open this year

Lake Nona is getting ready to introduce a new 80-unit senior living community later this year in the 7,000-acre southeast Orlando development.

The Watercrest of Lake Nona assisted living and memory care community — a 76,000-square-foot Class A senior living community — plans to open its doors this fall, said a news release. The project, operated by Vero Beach-based Watercrest Senior Living Group, on April 27 announced Jenny Phillips as executive director of the complex.

The pet-friendly community,…

"Tremendous" interest in Wolf Road property, developer says

Developer Tom Burke’s phone has been ringing a lot since he bought the former Lincoln Lazare dealership on Wolf Road in Colonie, New York.

“There’s a tremendous amount of interest in the property,” Burke said. “Brokers, direct users, tenants…I’ve not experienced anything like it.”

Burke, principal of Burke Cos. in Malta, hasn’t decided what he will do with the 6.4-acre parcel on the busy road but he’s preparing the site for redevelopment. With more than 460 feet of frontage, there are many possibilities.

Crews…

Final work on downtown Buffalo canals to be finished this year

With only a few items left to be completed and a smattering of punch-list issues to be corrected, work on the Erie Canal waterways in downtown Buffalo will be completed later this year.

That word Monday from representatives of the Erie Canal Harbor Development Corp.

“We’re at the end of the road,” said Tom Dee, Erie Canal Harbor Development Corp. president.

Several years in the making, the canals which stretch from portions of the former Memorial Auditorium site east towards Main Street…