HOUSTON — Clay Development has completed Kennedy Greens Distribution Center III, a 110,250-square-foot industrial project in Houston. The 7.7-acre site is located at 13520 JFK Boulevard on the city’s north side and is part of a larger, 145-acre development. Building features include 32-foot clear heights, 2,600 square feet of office space and parking for 186 cars. The site can also support parking for up to 32 trailers.
ORLANDO, FLA. — Target plans to open a 150,000-square-foot store at Lake Nona West, marking the first anchor tenant at the 405,000-square-foot open-air shopping center project in Orlando’s Lake Nona district. Tavistock Development is Lake Nona West’s developer and landlord. Situated on 54 acres near the Brightline Station and Orlando International Airport, the development is scheduled for completion in fall 2025. Tavistock is currently in advanced discussions with a variety of tenants, aiming to feature a mix of national brands alongside local shops, restaurants and service operators.
WHITE MARSH, MD. — Merritt Properties has signed three new tenants to join Phase I of White Marsh Interchange Park, an industrial park underway in the Baltimore suburb of White Marsh. Phase I, which totals 235,900 square feet across three buildings, was delivered in late May. Restaurant Depot, a national wholesale foodservice supplier, has signed a 60,000-square-foot lease; Dill Dinkers, a pickleball operator, has signed a 24,400-square-foot lease; and Sensi Auto, an automotive solutions provider, has secured a 6,560-square-foot lease. Situated on 56 acres near I-95, Phase I of White Marsh Interchange Park features buildings with clear heights ranging from 20 to 32 feet, truck courts, rear-loaded docks and drive-in capabilities. Merritt Construction Services, Merritt’s construction division, will be responsible for the build-out of all three tenants’ spaces. At completion, White Marsh Interchange Park will span 750,000 square feet across nine buildings.
LAKEVILLE, MINN. — Davis Healthcare Real Estate has opened Lakeville Specialty Center, a 100,500-square-foot medical office building in the Minneapolis suburb of Lakeville. Located at 18645 Orchard Trail, the property is fully occupied by Allina Health and MNGI Digestive Health. The project was originally conceptualized in 2019 as a 50,000-square-foot building, however, based on strong leasing demand and commitments from the two tenants, the Davis team doubled the project size and scope. The project team included Davis Synergy Architecture Studio, Timco Construction, KOMA (structural engineer), Loucks (civil engineer and landscape design), Gilbert Mechanical (electrical engineer), BDH (interior design), Commercial Partners Title and Bridgewater Bank. Brian Bruggeman of Colliers represented Allina.
LOS ANGELES — The Los Angeles Colliers Mortgage Structured Finance Group has arranged $24.4 million in construction financing for Kingsley Apartments, an affordable housing development in Los Angeles’ Koreatown submarket. Jonathan Lee, Shahin Yazdi, William Hyatt and Tommy Adelson of Colliers arranged the financing, which features a term of 30 months plus optional extensions. Upon completion, the 72,800-square-foot Kingsley Apartments will offer 136 studio and one-bedroom units restricted to residents earning up to 80 percent of the area median income. The undisclosed borrower plans to break ground on the project in June 2024.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The NFL’s Carolina Panthers have unveiled plans for a renovation of its Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte totaling $1.3 billion. Highlights of the renovation include a park-like setting and exterior video boards for watch parties at the stadium’s entrance. Once inside, fans would experience a new sound system, scoreboard and video boards. Plans call for social areas with skyline views, improved concessions with regional offerings and an expanded team store. Additional improvements include new seats installed throughout the bowl; improved accessibility throughout the facility; stadium safety and security enhancements; a reimagined South Lawn Pavilion area; upgraded restrooms; enhancements to the stadium exterior; and modernization of the building systems. The renovation would be an ongoing partnership between the City of Charlotte and Tepper Sports & Entertainment (TSE), which owns and operates the Carolina Panthers, Bank of America Stadium and Major League Soccer’s Charlotte Football Club. Details of the proposed partnership include a fixed investment of $650 million from the City of Charlotte and a total investment of $688 million by TSE, including $117 million that was invested prior to June 2024. The city’s investment does not require any new or increased taxes, according to a release …
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How Developers Use Mix of Technology, Amenities to Attract Residents
The multifamily industry faces a major challenge. Final construction costs have grown 33 percent since 2019 interest rates and operational expenses are sky high; and rents may need to increase, where possible, to make deals feasible — an off-putting reality for residents. One developer solution is smaller apartments, which make units cheaper. There is also a push to add more common-space amenities that are both valuable and less costly to include. These features include rooftop spaces, green areas and decks. However, to make these spaces truly usable for today’s multifamily residents, it is important to make them technologically flexible and to offer easy internet connection. “The floor plans of most new-construction multi-dwelling units (MDUs) today are shrinking, and their amenities are expanding,” says Bryan Rader, president of MDU at networking and internet service company Pavlov Media. According to RentCafe, the average size of newly constructed apartment units fell by almost 6 percent in a decade, with half of that change occurring in the last year. Rader likens it to the “resort-style community” approach, where hotel rooms are small, and guests are encouraged to spend time everywhere else on the property. Similarly, multifamily developers create shared amenities such as comprehensive fitness …
CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA. — Dominion Realty Partners (DRP), in partnership with Stony Point Development Group (SPDG), has announced plans to break ground on Rio Point Apartments, a multifamily development in Charlottesville. United Bank will provide construction financing and Quad Capital Partners is providing equity for the project, which is scheduled to begin construction in the coming days. Upon completion, the property will total 328 units, with 15 percent of residences designated as affordable housing for residents earning 80 percent of the area median income (AMI). Apartments will feature one-, two- and three-bedroom layouts. Amenities will include a pool with grilling stations, fitness center and an interior park with a separate dog park. The first units of Rio Point are scheduled for completion in summer 2025.
SAN ANTONIO — A partnership between San Antonio-based Bakke Development Corp. and Atlanta-based Batson-Cook Development Co. (BCDC) has broken ground on a 751-unit self-storage facility at the corner of SW Loop 410 and Palo Alto Road in San Antonio. The facility will span 86,475 net rentable square feet of space. Project partners include Alamo Architects, civil engineer INK Civil, general contractor Independent Contractors and construction lender Security State Bank. Completion is slated for the second quarter of 2025. The project marks the seventh self-storage collaboration between Bakke and BCDC, with construction on the most recent project, a 773-unit facility in Weslaco, beginning earlier in March.
BROOKFIELD, WIS. — McShane Construction Co. will serve as the general contractor for Bishops Woods, a 203-unit affordable housing community in the Milwaukee suburb of Brookfield. Located on nearly four acres at 350 Bishops Way, the development will feature a podium-style building rising four stories atop a two-story, underground parking garage. Units will come in one- to three-bedroom floor plans and will be reserved for residents who earn 40 to 80 percent of the area median income. Eight live-work units will be available for renters who wish to have an office suite or studio with a separate exterior entrance. Amenities will include a clubroom, fitness center, outdoor grill area and playground. The project was designed to meet Wisconsin Green Built Home Standards and will feature a solar array on the rooftop along with high-efficiency electric heat pump systems. Completion is slated for December 2025. Knothe & Bruce Architects is the project architect.