COVINGTON, GA. — German discount grocer Lidl plans to develop its fourth U.S. distribution center in metro Atlanta. The project will span 925,000 square feet and cost $100 million to build. The center will be located in Covington and will also serve as the company’s regional headquarters. Covington is situated along Interstate 20 and 35 miles southeast of downtown Atlanta. The new facility will house 270 full-time employees over the next five years. A timeline for construction as well as details about the design team were not disclosed. Lidl has opened four stores in Georgia and has hired more than 150 employees in Augusta, Mableton, Marietta and Snellville. Lidl first established its U.S. headquarters in Virginia in June 2015. Today the grocer operates more than 85 stores across nine East Coast states. Lidl’s other three distribution centers are in Fredericksburg, Va.; Graham, N.C.; and Perryville, Md.
MIAMI — Berkadia has secured a $76 million bridge loan for the construction of Gateway at Wynwood, an approximately 230,000-square-foot office and retail complex at 2916 N. Miami Ave. in Miami’s Wynwood district. Charles Foschini of Berkadia arranged the financing through Miami-based 3650 REIT on behalf of the borrower and developer, New York-based Rose & Berg Realty Group LLC. Designed by architect Kobi Karp, Gateway at Wynwood will be situated near Miami’s central business district (CBD), Midtown, the Arts and Entertainment District, Miami Beach and mass transit options including the Miami Metrorail and new Virgin Trains commuter rail line. The project will feature approximately 220,000 square feet of office space, with roughly 27,700 square feet of space on each floor, as well as 25,900 square feet of retail space. The site is ready for the foundation work and vertical construction to commence. Gateway at Wynwood is projected to open in the second half of 2021. Colliers International is handling Gateway at Wynwood’s office leasing assignment, and CBRE is marketing the property’s retail space.
BELTON, MO. — An 82-room Fairfield Inn & Suites hotel has opened in Belton, about 20 miles south of Kansas City. Located just north of Highway 58 between Mullen Road and I-49, the four-story property features complimentary Wi-Fi, meeting rooms, free parking and electric car charging stations. Other amenities include a fitness center, indoor swimming pool and valet laundry. The hotel will operate as a Marriott franchise, owned and managed by Kansas Hospitality Management Services.
SPRING, TEXAS — Frontier Management has broken ground on The Landing at Augusta Woods, a 120-unit seniors housing community located at 7727 August Pines Drive in Spring, a northern suburb of Houston. The property, which will include 75 units for active adults and 45 assisted living units, is set to open in early 2021. The project team includes general contractor Regent Construction, architect Jeffrey DeMure & Associates and construction lender UCB. Frontier Management will operate Landing at Augusta Woods, joining the more than 100 seniors housing communities in its management portfolio.
CONROE, TEXAS — American Furniture Warehouse (AFW) has purchased 30 acres of land at Interstate 45 and River Plantation Drive in Conroe, about 40 miles north of Houston. AFW plans to build a mega store at the site spanning 443,375 square feet. The store will include 150,000 square feet of showroom space and 293,375 square feet of warehouse/storage for merchandise. This will be the third AFW location in the metro Houston area, joining a recently opened store in Webster spanning 355,000 square feet and a 500,000-square-foot store coming to Katy in April. Ben Brown of Baker Katz, a partner firm of X Team International, represented AFW in the land acquisition. Mark Terpstra of Caldwell Cos. represented the seller, Gross Land Fund I LP.
AUSTIN, TEXAS — Barings and B&Z Development LLC plan to break ground on 701 Rio in west downtown Austin next Wednesday, Jan. 8. Situated in the Original Austin Neighborhood at Rio Grande and 7th streets, 701 Rio will span 120,983 square feet of office space across five floors. JLL is leasing the property on behalf of the ownership group. The design team includes architect BGK and Colorado-based general contractor Hensel Phelps. Barings, a subsidiary of MassMutual, is a $335 billion global asset management firm.
DALLAS — Metropolitan Capital Advisors (MCA) has arranged two loans to finance RedBird Development Group’s redevelopment of RedBird Mall, an enclosed regional mall in southwest Dallas formerly known as Southwest Center Mall. MCA arranged a $7.1 million acquisition loan through Dallas-based Graham Mortgage for the mall’s former Sears department store. The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (UT Southwestern) has agreed to lease the entire 150,000-square-foot wing of the mall. The new RedBird Medical Center is slated to open in 2021. MCA also arranged a $12.7 million construction loan to finance the redevelopment of the former Dillard’s department store that will be occupied by medical office and job training users including Parkland Hospital, Work Ready U and Work Force Solutions. Origin Bank provided the construction loan. The Growth South Fund, a private equity fund that targets south Dallas, also provided financing for RedBird’s Mall redevelopment. RedBird Development Group is an entity headed by Peter Brodsky, Terrence Maiden and Jon Cochran. The new RedBird Mall will feature 300,000 square feet of office space, 400,000 square feet of retail and restaurants, apartments and a Courtyard by Marriott. Palladium USA is building the multifamily component, according to The Dallas Morning News.
ORLANDO, FLA. — Dalfen Industrial has acquired a 243-acre undeveloped parcel in Orlando, where the company plans to build a 2.8 million-square-foot speculative industrial project. The Class A asset will be situated along State Road 417 near the interchange with Lee Vista Boulevard and Orlando International Airport. Dalfen plans to construct multiple facilities on the site, ranging from 100,000 to 1.5 million square feet. Total construction could exceed 3 million square feet when all phases are complete, according to the developer. The first building is scheduled for completion in the fourth quarter of 2021. The seller and price of the vacant property were undisclosed. “With this project, Dalfen Industrial is satisfying a strong need in Orlando, as there are a limited number of development projects in our market geared toward bulk users,” says Jared Bonshire of Cushman & Wakefield, who represented Dalfen in the land sale transaction. “While there are projects of this scale along the I-4 Corridor in Davenport, Apopka and Lakeland, this development is the first of its kind for Orlando.” Dalfen Industrial is a Dallas-based buyer of industrial real estate, primarily focused on strategically located urban infill warehouses and distribution buildings. The developer recently acquired a 1.9 …
NEW YORK CITY — JLL has brokered the $150 million sale of River Street Assemblage, a 3.2-acre waterfront development site in the North Williamsburg neighborhood of Brooklyn, to Two Trees Management Co. LLC. Located at One River Street, the property includes 285,020 square feet of buildable space and is zoned M3-1 for a variety of retail, office, manufacturing and mixed-use projects. The site also includes a portion of water, piers and platforms along the East River and River Street. Brendan Maddigan and Stephen Palmese led a JLL team that represented the seller, Con Edison, in the transaction.
EWING, N.J. — Portuguese-inspired barbecue concept Pork Chop’s BBQ has opened a 2,700-square-foot restaurant at Capitol Plaza, a 355,000-square-foot retail center in Ewing, a northern suburb of Trenton. The restaurant will serve barbecue meats and seafood as well as a variety of sides and will also offer catering services. Capitol Plaza’s office segment, 1001 Spruce Office Center, anchors the retail center with hundreds of employees and visitors. Other tenants include Planet Fitness, Foot Locker, Marshalls and numerous retail and dining options. Levin Management Corp. handles leasing and management of the retail center.