What's happening with construction on Douglas Avenue near Saint Michael and All Angels

The development at 8111 Douglas Ave. Rendering courtesy of Lincoln Property Company.

Tree removal, fence installation and demolition have occurred during the first month of construction on the new development near Saint Michael and All Angels Episcopal Church.

Builders from Manhattan Construction Group started working on the project at 8111 Douglas Ave. near Preston Center in late April, excavating a small piece of land near the west parking lot to create room for a new wall enclosure for dumpsters.

When finished, the multi-use project, which is being developed by Lincoln Property Company, will include two mid-rise towers, each around 225,000 square feet, with office space and luxury residential space, a restaurant along Douglas, other ground-floor retail spaces and more than an acre of green space. It will also provide more parking for church and school events, reducing on-street parking and traffic. Sewell Automotive Companies will occupy about 26,500 square feet in the office tower, and Lincoln Property Company will move its headquarters into almost 59,000 square feet of space there.

The zoning application for the development was approved in February 2020.

Lincoln Property Company is leasing the land from Saint Michael and All Angels. Manhattan Construction Group has been hired as the builder.

In May, fence installation began, limiting access to the north parking lot. By May 14, utility work had started. Most of the trees lining the west parking lot along Colgate Avenue were severely damaged during February’s freeze and had to be removed.

Lastly, the builders began demolition of the brick garage and dumpster enclosure near the west field.

Phase 1 of the Lomo Alto construction is expected to last until June 14, and Phase 2 is expected to be finished July 26. When Phase 2 begins, the traffic flow must change in response to reduced access on the west and north sides of the area.