Right now (mid-September 2015), from an office window at the Volume One World Headquarters, we can see five major construction projects underway in downtown Eau Claire. From left to right: the newly started Huebsch building renovation, the Lismore Hotel, Haymarket Landing (part of the Confluence Project), the North Barstow Parking Ramp, and the rehab of the Green Tree Inn.

This means at least three new restaurants and bars, more than half a dozen new retail spaces, a new coffee shop, nearly 150 new hotel rooms, more than 125 new apartments, and 770 new parking spaces are on their way. Not to mention new jobs, increased tax revenue, and a lot of "spin-off" economic development. For downtown Eau Claire, this is a darn near historic tidal wave of development and construction.