HUMBLE, TEXAS — Local developer Reign Enterprise Inc. will build a 14,350-square-foot, multi-tenant retail center on Will Clayton Parkway in the northern Houston suburb of Humble. Adam McAlpine of McAlpine Interests represented Reign Enterprise in the acquisition of the 1.7 acres on which the property will be built. Tom Condon Jr. of Colliers International represented the seller. A timeline for construction was not disclosed.
MAPLE GROVE, MINN. — The Opus Group has broken ground on a 204,000-square-foot industrial building in Maple Grove. The project, known as Arbor Lakes Corporate Center, is a collaboration between Opus and Inland Development Partners. The 13-acre site will first undergo environmental remediation to fully remove existing landfill and environmental pollutants from the former disposal and waste transfer site. The building will feature a clear height of 28 feet, 32 docks and two drive-in doors. Construction is slated for completion in late 2019. Chris Hickok and Dan Larew of JLL will market the property for lease.
A shortage of more than 7.2 million affordable housing units exists nationwide for households with incomes at or below the poverty level, defined as 30 percent of area median income, according to the National Low Income Housing Coalition. But finding affordable housing is not just an issue for impoverished people. Typically, renters who earn up to 60 percent of area median income are also eligible to live in affordable housing properties. Clearly, affordable housing developers are in demand. The challenge they face is figuring out how to make their projects financially feasible amid rising construction costs and an intense regulatory process. After all, these are low-income producing properties. “In the affordable world, we know there’s a need, but how can we finance it?” asks Charlton Hamer, senior vice president of The Habitat Company’s Affordable Group in Chicago. “It takes all sorts of initiatives, policies and incentives to help fill the gap and help finance these developments.” For David Cooper, managing director of Columbus, Ohio-based Woda Cooper Cos. Inc., which exclusively develops and owns affordable housing units, the most immediate solution to today’s affordable housing crisis is more financial resources. Nearly all the new affordable housing built in the United States is …
KATY, TEXAS — Developers KBH Ventures and Houston-based KDW have unveiled plans for Katy Boardwalk District, a mixed-use project on the western outskirts of Houston. The master development calls for a full-service conference center hotel with at least 300 rooms, a 319-unit residential community, 155,000 square feet of retail and restaurant space and 60,000 square feet of Class A office space. Construction of the hotel is expected to begin in fall 2019 while construction of the residential component is slated to begin in January and wrap by spring 2020. Construction of the retail phase is scheduled to begin in late 2019.
ALLEN, TEXAS — Texas-based Thakkar Developers, in partnership with CricRealty Co., will develop a 15,000-seat cricket stadium and 80-acre mixed-use development in Allen, a northeastern suburb of Dallas. The project, which has been branded Allen Sports Village, will deliver 500,000 square feet of Class A office space, 1,000 residential units, 165,000 square feet of retail and restaurant space, an event center and two hotels. The stadium will also be used for other sporting events and concerts. Construction is expected to begin in 2019. The first phase, which includes the stadium, is slated for a 2021 completion.
CEDAR PARK, TEXAS — Retail development and management firm The Woodmont Co. has begun work on a 13,500-square-foot project for Kiddie Academy in the northern Austin metro of Cedar Park. The project will convert an existing structure into a full-time childcare center for younger children that will include summer camps. The opening is slated for March 2019.
AUSTIN, TEXAS — Local artist and designer Lauren Cunningham will open The Commune, a 3,600-square-foot creative office space in central Austin. Set to open in February 2019, the space will be housed in an abandoned building at 101 E. North Loop Blvd. Individual features will include seven private studios, 10 dedicated desks and shared workspace.
LOS ANGELES — South Bay Partners Inc., through a joint venture with LAMB Properties LLC, has acquired two parcels totaling 2.7 acres in the Woodland Hills neighborhood of Los Angeles. Plans call for an eight-story midrise seniors housing community on the property. Named The Variel, the Class A community will feature 215 independent living units, 94 assisted living units and 29 memory care units. Construction is slated to begin in early 2019. The development will be located within a mile of a variety of dining and shopping options, plus the 264-bed Kaiser Permanente Woodland Hills Medical Center. Pre-leasing will begin in fourth-quarter 2019 in advance of a planned opening in fourth-quarter 2020. Los Angeles-based West Bay Senior Living will operate the community upon opening.
ATLANTA — CT Realty, Port Logistics Realty and River Oaks Capital Partners have completed Phase I at Palmetto Logistics Park in Atlanta. The joint venture also signed Drive DeVilbiss Healthcare to a 1.1 million-square-foot lease. DeVilbiss, a global manufacturer of respiratory and ambulatory medical products, plans to move in before the end of the year. Phase II is expected to commence in January and wrap up construction by the end of 2019. Phase II will consist of a 1 million-square-foot distribution facility. The 213-acre industrial park is located about 16 miles southwest of Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. The joint venture bought the land in 2017.
LEESBURG, VA. — St. John Properties Inc. has broken ground on four buildings within Leesburg Tech Park in Leesburg. The tech park spans 17 acres, and the four speculative buildings will consist of 160,000 square feet of research & development/flex space with anticipated completion in the summer. St. John Properties purchased the land in 2016. The property is situated about 35 miles west of downtown Washington, D.C.