AUSTIN, TEXAS — Dallas-based Leon Capital has broken ground on Society, a 262-unit multifamily community located at 6001 S. Congress Ave. in Austin. The property will offer creative office space with a tech lounge, fitness center, pool and outdoor TV lounge. Preleasing is expected to begin in summer 2019, and the first units are slated a fall 2019 delivery. Austin-based Rhode Partners is serving as project architect, and LG Wade Construction is the general contractor.
ATLANTA — Brasfield & Gorrie has broken ground on a 104,100-square-foot expansion of the Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta. Dubbed Expansion 2020, the project costs will total $100 million, according to the Atlanta Business Chronicle. A 1 million-gallon “interactive and immersive” shark tank exhibit will be the focal point of the expansion. The project will also include a new entrance and exit, office spaces, retail spaces, loading dock and new ticketing services. Since the aquarium’s 2005 opening, Brasfield & Gorrie has completed multiple expansions, including the ballroom renovation, dolphin expansion, multiple marine life holding projects, sea lion exhibit and the café renovation. Birmingham, Ala.-based Brasfield & Gorrie is collaborating with Peckham, Guyton, Alberts & Viets Architects on the project, which is slated for completion in late 2020. The aquarium will remain open during construction.
BIRMINGHAM, ALA. — Marshall Hotels & Resorts has opened the 63-room Hotel Indigo Birmingham Five Points S-UAB. Located in the Five Points South area, Birmingham’s arts, entertainment and dining district, the hotel is near attractions including the Birmingham Botanical Gardens, McWane Science Center and the Birmingham Civil Rights Museum. In addition, the property is a half-mile from University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB). The building was originally designed in the 1930s for medical offices and was converted into a hotel in the 1980s. Marshall Hotels completed a $5 million renovation to convert the hotel from the Hotel Highland Downtown to a Hotel Indigo, a chain of boutique hotels under the InterContinental Hotels Group umbrella. The hotel features the Rx lounge, a themed bar and restaurant that captures the building’s medical arts origins.
SEATTLE — KeyBank Community Development Lending & Investment (CDLI) has provided $30.9 million in financing to Community House Mental Health Agency for the construction of two affordable housing properties located at the corner of 23rd and Jackson streets in Seattle. KeyBank funded a $13.6 million construction loan for the development of Judkins Junction, a 74-unit multifamily property. Additional funding was provided by the City of Seattle and King County. The tax credit investor is the National Development Council. KeyBank will also provide the borrower with a $5.6 million private placement permanent loan. Additionally, KeyBank provided a $11.7 million construction loan for the development of Patricia A. Apartments. The property will offer 52 units of permanent supportive housing for individuals with mental illnesses. The City of Seattle, King County and Washington State Housing Trust Fund provided additional funding. Victoria Quinn of KeyBank’s CDLI group arranged the financing for both properties.
CHICAGO — Blackstone’s Equity Office, a large U.S. owner of office space, has unveiled plans for “Catalog,” a five-story dining, retail and entertainment destination located at the base of Willis Tower in downtown Chicago. Food hall operator Urbanspace will anchor Catalog’s food and beverage offerings, occupying more than 14,000 square feet and making the company one of the largest retailers in the building. The name Catalog is a nod to the Sears Roebuck Co., which originally developed and opened Willis Tower in 1973. Architecture firm Gensler is designing the space, which is scheduled to open in mid-2020. Willis Tower is undergoing $500 million in renovations, plans for which include more than 300,000 square feet of new retail, dining and entertainment space. Pre-leased tenants include Shake Shack, Sweetgreen, Luke’s Lobster and Taylor Gourmet.
GLENDALE, SOUTH LOS ANGELES AND SANTA FE SPRINGS, CALIF. — Ross Dress for Less will open three stores in downtown Glendale, South Los Angeles and Santa Fe Springs on Oct. 13. The 27,000-square-foot Glendale store is located in the Glendale Marketplace at the corner of North Brand Boulevard and East Broadway; the 30,000-square-foot South Los Angeles location is in the Vermont-Slauson shopping center at the corner of South Vermont Avenue and West Slauson Avenue; and the 23,000-square-foot Santa Fe Springs store is located in Gateway Plaza at the corner of Telegraph Road and Carmenita Road. With these new openings, Ross will operate 300 stores in California for a total of 1,459 locations. Together, Ross Dress for Less and dd’s Discounts currently operate nearly 1,700 off-price apparel and home fashion stores is 38 states, the District of Columbia and Guam. In late August, Ross Stores, the parent company of Ross Dress for Less, signed a lease for 1 million square feet of industrial space at 4100 Express Ave. in Shafter, Calif., within Wonderful Industrial Park, which is owned by Wonderful Real Estate Development. Additionally, the company owns a 1.7 million-square-foot distribution center located near the newly leased facility in Shafter.
WELLINGTON, FLA. — ZOM Senior Living, in a joint venture with Liberty Senior Living, has acquired a 46-acre lakefront site in Wellington, a village in Palm Beach County. The companies plan to build a $180 million, multi-phase, mixed-use seniors housing community on the plot. The site is located adjacent to 400,000 square feet of retail and restaurants, including The Mall at Wellington Green. When completed, the first phase of the community will offer 267 units of independent living, assisted living and memory care. Construction is scheduled to begin in first-quarter 2019. The centerpiece of the community will be a two-story, 65,000-square-foot clubhouse and amenity building. Units will be offered in a variety of formats, including single-story villas (with attached garages), three-story garden flats and residences within a six-story building attached directly to the main amenity building. At full build-out, the project is anticipated to include over 424 units. This will be the first project for ZOM Senior Living, which was recently formed by Orlando-based multifamily developer ZOM Living. It’s the first project in Florida for North Carolina-based operator Liberty Senior Living, a subsidiary of Liberty Healthcare. LS3P Architects and MSA Architects are providing design and architectural services, while Balfour Beatty …
CONCORD, N.C. — Griffin Industrial Realty Inc. has unveiled plans to expand its Carolina Tradeport industrial park in Concord, a city roughly 25 miles northeast of Charlotte. Griffin acquired 22 acres of land at the site in July for the development of a 147,000-square-foot speculative building — the second within the development. The building will be located directly across from the first building, a 277,252-square-foot warehouse. Site work is scheduled to begin on the second building this month, with completion slated for May 2019. The building will feature 210-foot depth, a 60-foot speed bay, 32-foot clear heights, an ESFR sprinkler system, 42 loading docks, two drive-in doors, trailer parking and 172 auto parking spaces. The third building, which will total 136,000 square feet, is available for prelease. William Maxwell and Terry Brennan of Trinity Partners are handling Carolina Tradeport’s leasing assignment and managing the park.
CHICAGO — Riverside Investment & Development, with its development partner Convexity Properties, has unveiled a revised plan for the Union Station redevelopment project in Chicago. The biggest change is the elimination of a 404-unit apartment structure that the developers had initially proposed to place atop the historic Union Station building, according to local media reports. Instead, Riverside plans to develop a one-story addition with hotel rooms. The other change is a 1.5-acre plaza and park along Jackson Boulevard and Clinton Street at the base of a proposed 50-story office tower. BMO Harris Bank is in talks to anchor the office property, according to local media sources. The new proposal will still have to clear many hurdles, including approval from city officials. In June, the developer faced criticism for its initial proposal largely because of the glass apartment building. Last year, Amtrak, which owns the station, selected the development team for the $1 billion project. The train station originally opened in 1925. Today, it handles about 140,000 passengers on an average weekday.
KANSAS CITY, MO. — City Club Apartments (CCA) has broken ground on a project in Kansas City’s Crossroads district, which is located directly south of the downtown loop and known for its art galleries, shops and restaurants. Located at the corner of Main and 20th streets, the seven-story apartment property will include 283 units with 50 different floor plans. Among the amenities will be a rooftop pool, outdoor theater, fitness center, zen garden, bark park and nearly 300 underground parking spaces. CCA has lease commitments with a local restaurant and wine bar, a specialty market and other local retailers. Those tenants will be announced at a later date. The hotel-style lobby will include a lounge, business center and concierge service. Residents are expected to begin moving into the property in the fall of 2019.
