LOS ANGELES— The Star LLC has submitted revised design plans for The Star, a proposed $1 billion office campus at 6061 W. Sunset Blvd. in the Hollywood neighborhood of Los Angeles. The development firm, led by local investor and developer Maggie Miracle, first submitted a proposal for the project in 2021 with renderings designed by Chinese architecture firm MAD Architects. The initial concept held a $500 million price tag. The original design was ultimately scrapped by Miracle to incorporate garden-like outdoor spaces, which she believes have become increasingly attractive to office tenants following the COVID-19 pandemic, according to reports by the Los Angeles Times. Updated plans for the project, which doubles down on the initial investment price, were designed by Foster + Partners and include a 22-story, cylindrical tower with a spiral of external gardens rising from the street level. The development will offer spacious floor plates and floor-to-ceiling windows offering unobstructed views of downtown Los Angeles, the Hollywood Sign and Pacific Ocean. Each floor will feature a series of external shaded and landscaped social garden terraces designed by SALT Landscape Architects. Plans for the project — which will target WELL and LEED certifications — also include a rooftop restaurant …
Development
Ware Malcomb, Metcon Complete 120,000 SF Unchained Labs Headquarters in Pleasanton, California
by Amy Works
PLEASANTON, CALIF. — Ware Malcomb, serving as civil engineering, interior architecture and design-and-build measurement services, and Metcon, as general contractor, have completed a 120,000-square-foot tenant improvement project for Unchained Labs. Located at 4747 Willow Road in the Bay Area city of Pleasanton, the two-story building features 53,887 square feet of office space, 20,379 square feet of manufacturing space and 14,779 square feet of lab and warehouse space. The newly designed facility also includes an “all hands room;” a gym and locker area with specialty private shower areas; wet labs for life sciences research and development designed with a plug-and-play approach; a lab area with a clean room and humidity-controlled room facilities; electric vehicle charging stations; and loading docks. Unchained Labs develops new tools for biologics and gene therapy researchers.
OAKLAND, CALIF. — Cityview has completed Portico, an apartment property located at 37 8th Ave. in Oakland’s Brooklyn Basin master-planned community. Portico features 378 studio, one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments, as well as townhomes. The units offer a Latch smart-home system that includes keyless entry and smart thermostats; stainless steel appliances; large closets; in-unit, full-size washers/dryers; luxury vinyl plank flooring; and kitchens with fully tiled backsplashes and quartz countertops. Community amenities include a rooftop sky lounge; resort-style pool and spa deck; and an outdoor courtyard featuring fireplaces, outdoor games and a community garden. The community’s indoor/outdoor fitness space features state-of-the-art equipment and a movement studio, while the clubhouse offers a community wine room, game room and leasing lobby lounge, as well as an outdoor pet spa and pet park. The community also offers managed Wi-Fi throughout the community, technology-enabled workspaces and 331 parking spaces for residents and guests. The project team includes James E. Roberts Obayashi, Webcor, AC Martin and Nadia Geller Designs.
WILMINGTON, MASS. — Locally based developer The Procopio Cos. is nearing completion of The Alice, a 50-unit multifamily project located north of Boston in Wilmington. The Alice is one of three buildings within a larger mixed-use development, with the others being an 8,050-square-foot retail and office building and a 2,488-square-foot retail building that is now leased to Starbucks. Procopio Cos. expects to open The Alice this fall and to complete the office/retail building in early 2025. Vertical construction on the Starbucks building, which also features a drive-thru, will begin in April.
ARIZONA, NEW MEXICO, OHIO AND OREGON — Intel Corp. and the U.S. Department of Commerce have signed a non-binding preliminary memorandum of terms (PMT) for up to $8.5 billion in direct funding to Intel for commercial semiconductor projects under the CHIPS and Science Act. The proposed funding would help advance Intel’s critical semiconductor manufacturing and research-and-development (R&D) projects at its sites in Arizona, New Mexico, Ohio and Oregon. CHIPS Act funding aims to increase U.S. semiconductor manufacturing and research and development (R&D) capabilities. According to a release, Intel is the only American company that both designs and manufactures leading-edge logic chips. “Today is a defining moment for the U.S. and Intel as we work to power the next great chapter of American semiconductor innovation,” says Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger. “Artificial intelligence is supercharging the digital revolution, and everything digital needs semiconductors.” Santa Clara, Calif.-based Intel is building two new fabrication plants in Chandler, Ariz. The new factories on the company’s Ocotillo campus are part of Intel’s multibillion-dollar global manufacturing build-out, which includes new or expanded facilities in Oregon, New Mexico, Ohio, Malaysia, Ireland, Poland, Israel and Germany. Construction is underway on Intel’s Fab 9 factory in Rio Rancho, N.M. Fab …
Songy Highroads, Matthews Southwest to Develop 400-Room Savannah Convention Center Hotel
by John Nelson
SAVANNAH, GA. — The Savannah Georgia Convention Center Authority has selected a joint venture between Songy Highroads and Matthews Southwest Hospitality to develop a 400-room hotel at The Savannah Convention Center. The authority also named Atlanta-based Cooper Carry as the lead architect for the project. Songy Highroads is starting a one-year design, engineering and pricing period for the hotel’s development, and will assist the Savannah Georgia Convention Center Authority with the financing for the hotel. The Savannah Convention Center is undergoing a $271 million expansion that will double the current exhibit hall space to 200,000 square feet, add a 40,000-square-foot ballroom and create 15 new meeting rooms. The new hotel is a direct result of the expansion and will double the number of hotel rooms at the Savannah Convention Center.
Concord Hospitality to Open 348-Room Westin Atlanta Gwinnett Hotel at Gas South District
by John Nelson
DULUTH, GA. — Concord Hospitality plans to open The Westin Atlanta Gwinnett, a 348-room hotel in the Atlanta suburb of Duluth, on Thursday, March 21. The hotel will serve as the flagship lodging option for Gas South District, a 118-acre multipurpose campus off Sugarloaf Parkway that is anchored by the Gas South Convention Center and Arena (formerly known as Infinite Energy Center). The Westin Atlanta Gwinnett features 27,000 square feet of meeting space with 16 event facilities, as well as a signature restaurant, SweetSong Kitchen & Bar, and a rooftop bar known as Overstory. The hotel also offers a presidential suite featuring a private terrace, two hospitality suites with outdoor terraces and four executive level and six standard suites. In July 2022, ACRES Capital Corp. originated a $74.8 million construction loan for Raleigh-based Concord Hospitality.
MCKINNEY, TEXAS — Notes Live, a Colorado-based hospitality and entertainment operator, will open Sunset Amphitheater, a $220 million live music and entertainment venue that will be located in the northern Dallas suburb of McKinney. The 46-acre site is located just northeast of U.S. Highway 75 and State Highway 121. The venue will have the capacity to house about 20,000 people and will feature more than 250 luxury firepit suites, owners club seats and traditional reserved seats in the middle and lower levels of the bowl. Construction is set to begin before the end of the year and to be complete in 2026.
NEW YORK CITY — Dwight Mortgage Trust, the affiliate REIT of locally based lender Dwight Capital, has provided a $108.1 million bridge loan for The Shoreline, a 248-unit multifamily project located near Brooklyn’s Bath Beach neighborhood. Designed by Hill West Architects and developed by NY Developers & Management, the 31-story building houses studio, one- and two-bedroom units and 28,610 square feet of commercial space. Amenities include a pool, fitness center, business center and an outdoor lounge. The borrowers will use the proceeds to retire existing debt and fund additional construction and lease-up costs. Construction is slated for completion by the end of April.
LAS VEGAS — PSRS has arranged $12.5 million in construction financing for a self-storage facility in Las Vegas. The property will be a 926-unit mini-self-storage facility that consists of two three-story buildings totaling 103,803 rentable square feet. The property will also feature covered stalls for RV, boat or trailer storage. Ricky Giancola of PSRS secured the financing for the undisclosed borrower through a regional bank at a 75 percent loan-to-cost ratio.