HOUSTON — International developer Skanska has purchased a full city block in downtown Houston for approximately $55 million with plans to develop a mixed-use project with office, multifamily and retail uses. According to The Houston Chronicle, the development timeline and additional details on the project will be determined after a master-planning process that is expected to begin by the end of the year.
HIALEAH GARDENS, FLA. — Foundry Commercial has acquired an 18-acre site in Hialeah Gardens with plans to develop a speculative 320,000-square-foot industrial building. The site is situated on NW 107th Avenue between NW 144th and NW 146th streets, about 20 miles northwest of downtown Miami. Orlando-based Foundry Commercial plans to break ground in early 2020 and expects to deliver the asset by the end of 2020. Wayne Schuchts, David Spillers and Bobby Benton of Avison Young represented the buyer in the land acquisition and have been tapped to lease the building. Two undisclosed sellers sold the land to Foundry for an undisclosed price in the off-market transaction.
SAN RAFAEL, CALIF. — CBRE has arranged $43 million in non-recourse construction financing for the development of an AC Hotels by Marriott in downtown San Rafael. John Nelson and David Kaim of CBRE’s San Francisco office arranged the financing on behalf of the sponsorship, Monahan Parker. ACORE Capital provided the floating-rate financing. Located at the corner of Fifth Avenue and B Street, the hotel will feature 140 rooms. Construction is slated to begin immediately, with completion scheduled for third-quarter 2021. CSI Construction will serve as general contractor for the project. The property will be the first major hotel to be developed in Marin County in more than two decades, according to CBRE.
CHANNAHON, ILL. — Amazon has unveiled plans to open a fulfillment center in Channahon, southwest of Joliet. The facility will create more than 500 new full-time jobs. Employees at the more than 1 million-square-foot center will pick, pack and ship large items, such as sports equipment, patio furniture, fishing rods, pet food, kayaks, bicycles and household goods. Amazon currently employs more than 11,000 full-time associates throughout the state of Illinois.
FRISCO, TEXAS — General contractor Brasfield & Gorrie has been selected to build a new 500-room Omni Hotel & Resort at the future site of the PGA of America’s headquarters in Frisco. The property will include a retail village, golf villas, a clubhouse and a variety of outdoor amenities. The PGA is relocating from South Florida to a 600-acre development that is slated for completion in 2022.
AUSTIN, TEXAS — Stonelake Capital Partners is underway on construction of Domain Tower II, a 24-story office project within The Domain mixed-use development on Austin’s north side. Designed by Beck Group, the property will ultimately span 330,000 square feet. A timeline for completion was not released. Stonelake recently completed construction of Domain Tower, which is fully leased to employment search engine Indeed.
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Community Three has broken ground on a $45 million redevelopment of the historic Grimke School in Washington, D.C., as part of the 9 1/2 Street initiative. Community Three plans for the 133,000-square-foot development to include office space, a new home for the African American Civil War Museum and residential units with ground-floor retail. The first phase, scheduled to deliver in fall 2020, includes renovating the 132-year-old Grimke School to include about 65,000 square feet of office and arts space that will house the 12,000-square-foot museum. Torti Gallas + Partners, the architect for the entire 9 1/2 Street Initiative effort, will move its international headquarters to the location. About 24,000 square feet of office space will be available for lease. The property is located on 9 1/2 Street near Vermont Avenue and U Street, a mile north of downtown D.C. Phase II, scheduled to break ground in 2021-22, will transform the Grimke School’s 1920s-era gymnasium into 40 residential units, 11 of which will be reserved for households earning less than 80 percent of median family income. The entire project is privately financed and Eagle Bank is the primary lender.
Crescent Communities to Construct 158,000 SF Office Building in Charlotte’s University Research Park
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Crescent Communities will construct Escent Research Park, a four-story, 158,000-square-foot office building within Charlotte’s University Research Park submarket. The site spans 20 acres and is located near the intersection of West Mallard Creek Church Road and David Taylor Drive, a mile from Interstate 85. BB+M Architecture is the project architect, ColeJenest & Stone is the civil engineer and Choate Construction is the general contractor. Crescent expects to deliver the property in early 2021.
HILLSIDE, N.J. — Dallas-based design-build firm ARCO/Murray has completed a 1,200-unit self-storage facility for CubeSmart in Hillside, located just west of Newark Liberty International Airport. The six-story facility spans 145,800 square feet, features climate-controlled space and includes a 1,200-square-foot office.
PHOENIX — CA Residential and Diamond Realty Investments have opened the first phase of The LINK PHX, a 30-story mixed-use development located in downtown Phoenix. Shepley Bulfinch served as architect, and Katerra served as general contractor for the project. Located at 330 E. Pierce St., the first phase of The LINK PHX features 257 apartments in a mix of studio, one- and two-bedroom layouts ranging in size from 450 square feet to 1,450 square feet, as well as 7,000 square feet of retail space. Each apartment features nine-foot ceilings; kitchen with European-style, soft-close cabinetry; quartz countertops; stainless steel appliances and designer fixtures; and full-size washers and dryers. At complete build-out, the three-phase development will bring more than 600 rental residences and 21,000 square feet of retail space to the Roosevelt Row Arts District over the next decade.