WENTZVILLE, MO. — A Block & Co. Inc. Realtors-headed investment group comprised of investors from Kansas City and St. Louis has purchased 18 acres of land at Wentzville Parkway and Will Ron Drive in Wentzville, a suburb of St. Louis. Wentzville Parkway serves as a major commercial corridor and is located near General Motors’ $2 billion manufacturing campus and Mercy’s new $650 million hospital. The development plan calls for a retail project, with over 10 acres available for ground lease or build-to-suit opportunities. Zach Albrecht and David Block of Block & Co., along with Eddie Cherry of Manor Real Estate will co-list the development. The trio also negotiated the sale on behalf of the buyer, while Danny Wappelhorst of Cissell Mueller represented the undisclosed seller.
Development
IRVING, TEXAS — Locally based developer Rosewood Property Co. has broken ground on The Gilman, a 370-unit multifamily project in Irving. The Gilman will be situated on a 6.8-acre site in the Las Colinas district, and the development will feature studio, one-, two- and three-bedroom units that will range in size from 615 to 1,460 square feet. Amenities will include a pool, fitness center, dog park, clubroom, coworking lounge, courtyards and a sky lounge. Hensley, Lamkin, Rachel Inc. is designing the project, and Blackland Partners is serving as the general contractor. Completion is slated for early 2027.
HOUSTON — Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) will open a 250,000-square-foot manufacturing facility in Houston. Apple plans to use its new Houston facility, which is expected to come on line in 2026, to manufacture servers that support the company’s artificial intelligence projects and programs. The development of the facility represents part of a larger initiative in which the Silicon Valley-based tech giant has pledged to invest $500 billion in U.S. innovation and technological infrastructure, creating about 20,000 new jobs in the process. That initiative also calls for the creation of a training academy in Michigan.
C.W. Driver Cos. Completes $35M Irvine High School Performing Arts Center in California
by Amy Works
IRVINE, CALIF. — C.W. Driver Cos. has completed Irvine High School Performing Arts Center, a facility designed to inspire creativity and support the performing arts. The $35 million, 25,000-square-foot complex opened to the community in early February. The state-of-the-art venue features a 650-seat main theater equipped with advanced sound, lighting and rigging systems, providing students and the community with a professional-grade performance experience. Additionally, the center includes a Black Box theater, scene shop, dressing rooms and a modern lobby. The single-story complex consists of a steel and metal frame diaphragm building featuring a combination of metal panels, plaster and curtain wall system finishes. The ground-up construction began in January 2023. Ruhnau Clarke Architects served as architect for the project.
C&C Development Breaks Ground on 54-Unit Affordable Housing Complex in Buena Park, California
by Amy Works
BUENA PARK, CALIF. — C&C Development and Riverside Charitable Corp. have broken ground on Lincoln Avenue Apartments, an affordable housing community in Buena Park. Consisting of four three-story buildings, Lincoln Avenue Apartments will offer 54 apartments for families and veterans in need. The project will include five units for student families, 11 units for veterans and 13 permanent supportive housing units for families and individuals with special needs. Units will range in size from approximately 500 square feet to 900 square feet and will be both ADA-accessible and adaptable. Additionally, units will incorporate sustainable design elements and practices, such as drought-tolerant landscaping and the installation of energy-efficient HVAC systems, water heaters and appliances. Onsite amenities will include a community room, laundry room, children’s tot lot, teen outdoor fitness area and a barbecue pavilion. Additionally, LifeSTEPS will offer onsite programming for adult education and after-school activities for children. Funding for the project was provided by several entities, including the City of Buena Park and CalOptima Health, which is providing an $8 million grant to support housing for Medi-Cal members.
CBRE Arranges $42.7M Construction Loan for Jax Apartment Development in Monroe, Georgia
by John Nelson
MONROE, GA. — CBRE has arranged a $42.7 million construction loan for The Jax, a 282-unit, garden-style apartment development located at 200 Aycock Ave. in Monroe, about 40 miles east of downtown Atlanta. Blake Cohen and Charlie Clark of CBRE’s Debt & Structured Finance team in Atlanta arranged the financing on behalf of the borrower, a joint venture between Green River Builders and ARC Multifamily Group. Atlanta-based Peachtree Group provided the 2.5-year, interest-only loan at approximately 74 percent loan-to-cost. The Jax will comprise seven three-story residential buildings housing one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments averaging 1,117 square feet in size. Amenities will include a business center, clubhouse, pool, fitness center, volleyball court, picnic area, EV charging stations and a breakfast/coffee concierge. The construction timeline was not released.
DURHAM, N.C. — Welcome Group has signed four tenants to join the roster of the first phase at Welcome Venture Park, an industrial park underway in Durham. Phase I will total nearly 400,000 square feet upon completion, which is slated for the first quarter of this year. The new users include Mitsubishi Logistics, doing business as Cavalier Logistics (128,000 square feet); Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina (64,000 square feet); and Great Day Improvements and Pep Move (20,400 square feet combined). Larry Lakins, Hunter Willard, Andrew Young and Shields Bennett of Colliers’ Raleigh office are handling the leasing for Welcome Venture Park. Randy Warren of RW2 Development Co. is steering the project’s development and management.
UXBRIDGE, MASS. — Boston-based investment firm Rockpoint has purchased a 607,000-square-foot industrial property in Uxbridge, located in southern-central Massachusetts, for $120 million. Completed in 2023, Uxbridge Distribution Center sits on 70 acres and features a clear height of 40 feet, 125 loading docks and four drive-in doors. The property was 73 percent leased at the time of sale, with an undisclosed medical equipment wholesaler serving as the anchor tenant via a 443,413-square-foot lease. Michael Restivo and David Coffman led a JLL team that represented the seller, a partnership between Scannell Properties and a fund advised by Crow Holdings Capital, in the transaction. Riaz Cassum and Andrew Gray, also with JLL, arranged a five-year, fixed-rate acquisition loan for the deal on behalf of Rockpoint. Affiliates of global private equity firm KKR provided the debt.
PEABODY, MASS. — A partnership between Utah-based developer PEG Cos., Houston-based McNair Interests and Simon Property Group has broken ground on a 142-room hotel in Peabody, located northeast of Boston. The hotel will be situated on a 2.7-acre site within Northshore Mall, which Simon owns, and will be operated under the Residence Inn by Marriott brand. Amenities will include a fitness center, indoor pool and a conference room. The project team also includes DesignCell Architecture, civil engineer R.J. O’Connell & Associates and general contractor Callahan Construction. Completion is slated for fall 2026.
ST. LOUIS — St. Louis-based nonprofit Gateway Arch Park Foundation has selected The Cordish Companies to redevelop the Millennium Hotel property, located at 200 S. 4th St. adjacent to the St. Louis Gateway Arch. The downtown site has stood vacant since 2014. In November 2024, the foundation issued a request for development proposals, just months after it announced that it was under contract to purchase the Millennium Hotel site. The request for proposals (RFP) allowed for either adaptive reuse of the structures on the property or demolition of the existing buildings. The three qualified responses to the RFP all called for demolition. Cordish’s nearly $670 million preliminary plan integrates 1.3 million square feet of residential, office, commercial, cultural and public spaces. Key proposed elements include upscale residential, Class A office space, public spaces, an amphitheater, food hall, event space, a potential home for Gateway Arch National Park’s archives, enhanced streetscapes, pedestrian-friendly spaces, landscaping and art installations. The redevelopment plan is scheduled for review during the Land Clearance for Redevelopment Authority board meeting on Tuesday, Feb. 25.