FRANKLIN, TENN. — McShane Construction Co. will build Ellison Cool Springs, a 34-acre mixed-use project in Franklin, approximately 20 miles south of Nashville. Upon completion, the property will comprise 332 apartments and 15 commercial units across three four-story buildings. McShane will construct the project on behalf of the developer, Fluornoy Development Group. Designed by Dynamik Design, amenities at the development will include an outdoor pool, clubroom, fitness center, recording studio, hospitality bar, focus room, pet spa and a car wash. Additionally, the property will feature two two-story parking garages and five standalone six-bay garages. Residences will include apartments in one-, two- and three-bedroom layouts, with select two-story, live-work units. The project team expects to deliver Ellison Cool Springs in August 2026.
Development
ATLANTA — Walmart will open a 75,000-square-foot Walmart Neighborhood Market store at 835 MLK Jr. Drive in the Vine City neighborhood of Atlanta. Previously, the brand operated a Supercenter store at the property, which closed in December 2022 due to fire damage. The new store will feature a full-service deli, money center, expanded bakery, online pickup and delivery service and a health service room. Scheduled to open on Wednesday, May 22, this marks Walmart’s first conversion of a Supercenter store into a Neighborhood Market store.
Belmont Village, Greystar Plan 185-Unit Active Adult Community in Rancho Santa Fe, California
by Amy Works
RANCHO SANTA FE, CALIF. — Belmont Village Senior Living and Greystar Real Estate Partners have unveiled plans for Belmont Village Rancho Santa Fe, a luxury active adult community in Rancho Santa Fe, approximately 25 miles north of San Diego. Groundbreaking is scheduled to occur before the end of the year. The project will feature over 185 apartments including 15 freestanding cottages. The leaders of both Greystar and Belmont Village, Jerry Brand and Patricia Will, are long-term residents of Rancho Santa Fe. Belmont Village Rancho Santa Fe will be Belmont Village’s fourth community in the San Diego area and 17th in California since 2002. The company enjoys a relationship for program development with the University of California San Diego’s Stein Center for Research on Aging. HPI Architecture designed the development.
CREVE COEUR, MO. — Brinkmann Constructors has completed an 87,000-square-foot headquarters for First Bank in Creve Coeur, a suburb of St. Louis. The four-story building features multiple outdoor workspaces and a multipurpose “innovation hub” for team collaboration and social events. In addition to the headquarters building, the project includes a two-story, 82,000-square-foot parking garage for employee and visitor use.
Meristem Communities Breaks Ground on 235-Acre Indigo Mixed-Use Project in Richmond, Texas
by Jeff Shaw
RICHMOND, TEXAS — Meristem Communities has broken ground on The Filling Station, the first building at the Indigo Commons mixed-use development in Richmond, approximately 35 miles southwest of Houston. The 3,000-square-foot Filling Station property will serve as a welcome center and general store, selling fresh produce from Indigo Farm. Indigo Commons is the 12-acre, mixed-use portion of the larger project, Indigo. Upon completion, the 235-acre property will feature approximately 800 residential units, 42 acres devoted to agriculture, and a 12-acre, mixed-use town center. Borrowing inspiration from classic gas stations of the 1930s, Meristem plans for The Filling Station to be a vibrant social hub in Indigo Commons. DAHLIN Architecture | Planning | Interiors designed the building, which is scheduled for completion before the end of the year. “The start of construction at The Filling Station signifies a major milestone in Indigo’s narrative,” says Clayton Garrett, partner at Meristem Communities. “The neighborhood we originally envisioned is taking shape and the small businesses we’re looking to come to Indigo Commons will play a pivotal role in the development of Indigo’s identity, creating new energy and engagement. There is much more to come too, as Indigo is expected to be a home for …
Public-Private Partnerships: A Creative Approach to Increasing Affordable Housing Supply
by Jeff Shaw
— By John Williams, president, CIO and COO of Avanath Capital Management — It’s no secret that the dire shortage of affordable housing is an ongoing issue throughout the nation. The National Multifamily Housing Council reported in 2022 that the United States would need to build 4.3 million new apartments by 2035 to meet demand. The report also stated that the nation’s number of affordable housing units declined by 4.7 million from 2015 to 2020. Unfortunately, there is no one-size-fits-all solution to the problem. Both local and federal governments are taking steps to address the lack of supply in the market. President Biden’s 2024 Economic Report to Congress, for instance, prominently featured plans to increase the supply of and access to affordable housing. In the meantime, however, stakeholders must think outside the box to identify innovative ways to provide attainable housing. One effective way to do this, beyond the standard avenues, is through public-private partnerships. Public-private partnerships are a strategy that can benefit a wide range of stakeholders — including investors, developers, institutional owners, operators, property managers, service providers and leaders in nonprofit and government entities. In addition to serving renters with lower incomes and other specialized needs, actively pursuing these partnerships …
ROUND ROCK, TEXAS — Texas-based general contractor Bartlett Cocke has broken ground on a $31 million academic building in metro Austin that will be part of the Round Rock Independent School District’s Early College High School campus. The 46,500-square-foot building will house classrooms and science labs, student breakout spaces, a cafeteria, central common area that can accommodate 150 students, a fitness center, an administration suite and outdoor dining and study spaces. O’Connell Robertson is providing architecture and engineering services, and Birmingham-based HPM is the program manager for the project. Completion is slated for fall 2025.
MIDDLETOWN, DEL. — Blenheim Group has broken ground on Bayberry Town Center, a 280,000-square-foot mixed-use project in Middletown. A 64,000-square-foot Weis Markets with a fuel facility will anchor the property. Other tenants at the development will include a bank, pet store, spa and nail salon. Construction on Weis Markets is scheduled to begin this fall, with the opening of Weis and several other tenants planned for 2025. Upon completion, the project will also feature office space, two green spaces, 145 townhomes and internal street and trail connectivity. Jim Tancredi of LMT Commercial is leasing the retail space.
NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y. — Cleveland-based multifamily developer The NRP Group has completed Renaissance at Lincoln Park, a 179-unit workforce housing project in New Rochelle, located north of New York City. Residences feature a range of income restrictions. The project included the construction of a 22,000-square-foot Boys & Girls Club facility with a gym, basketball court, recording studio, demonstration kitchen, administrative offices and other rooms for work and play. The NRP Group developed the project in partnership with Guion Renaissance Housing Development Finance Corp. (HDFC), Kensworth Consulting, The Boys & Girls Club of New Rochelle and The City of New Rochelle. Construction began in January 2021.
TAMPA, FLA. — Suffolk plans to construct Gasworx, a mixed-use development in Tampa’s Ybor City, on behalf of the co-developers, Darryl Shaw and Kettler. The project will feature up to 5,000 residences, 500,000 square feet of office space and 140,000 square feet of shops, restaurants and service retailers. Suffolk will deliver multiple projects within the Gasworx development, including a 100-000-square-foot office building and a more than 500-space parking structure wrapped with a five-story residential building. Suffolk and the development team plan to break ground this summer.