ATLANTA — Lalani Ventures, owner of the historic Underground Atlanta development in downtown Atlanta, has formed a joint venture with New York-based Exact Capital to develop a $160 million multifamily high-rise project. The 30-story tower will feature a mix of 163 affordable housing units, with incomes restricted to households earning at or below 60 percent of the area median income, as well as 242 market-rate apartments and community amenities. Lalani Ventures and Exact Capital are currently in the planning and design phases for the tower and have tapped architectural firm Niles Bolton to handle the unnamed tower’s design, engineering and permitting. The site for the tower is at Underground Atlanta’s fountain plaza, which is bordered by Peachtree Street to the west, Wall Street to the north, Pryor Street to the east and Upper Alabama Street to the south. The board at Invest Atlanta, the City of Atlanta’s economic development arm, voted yesterday to approve an inducement for a $40 million tax-exempt bond issuance to help finance the tower’s affordable housing units. The Invest Atlanta board will have an opportunity to review the project again before providing its final resolution in advance of the Lalani-Exact joint venture closing on its construction …
Development
LINTHICUM HEIGHTS, MD. — Rockefeller Group has broken ground on a 136,500-square-foot distribution center located at 1305 Furnace Road in Linthicum Heights. The New York City-based developer has dubbed the project “Rockefeller Group Logistics Center BWI” given its three-mile distance to Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI Airport). The Class A property will feature 36-foot clear heights, 54- by 50-foot column spacing, a 60-foot-wide speed bay, 147 car parking spaces and 33 dock doors with two additional drive-in doors. The development will also feature one acre of industrial outdoor storage. The project team includes Morris & Ritchie Associates (civil engineer), Morgan Gick McBeath Associates (architect) and FCL Builders (general contractor). John Boote, Jarred Testa and McLane Fisher of Cushman & Wakefield will oversee leasing of the project on behalf of Rockefeller Group, which plans to deliver the facility in fourth-quarter 2025.
Development Team Begins Demolition Process for $850M Metrocenter Mall Redevelopment in Phoenix
by John Nelson
PHOENIX — Developers Concord Wilshire Capital and TLG Investment Partners have begun the abatement and demolition of the Metrocenter Mall in Phoenix, beginning the $850 million redevelopment of the property into a mixed-use community. The Metrocenter Mall opened its doors in 1973 and closed in 2020. The two-story, 140,000-square-foot mall is situated on 312 acres on the city’s northwest side. Plans for the redevelopment include more than 2,600 apartment units, as well as 100,000 square feet of retail space. The demolition process has commenced with the destruction of the former Dillard’s and U-Haul buildings. Following a survey and analysis of the materials inside the building to ensure the protection of the public, Los Angeles-based Resource Environmental Inc. will abate and remove the asbestos from the building, then proceed with the demolition of the property. The developers formed a strategic alliance in 2021 with Hines, an investment manager based in Houston, to redevelop the property, which the investment group purchased last summer. Hines is overseeing the development site on behalf of the ownership group. According to the development team, the project has been designed as a transit-oriented, self-contained community. The property encompasses Phoenix’s new light rail station that was completed in …
FLOWER MOUND, TEXAS — A partnership between Hopewell Development and MBK Industrial Properties has broken ground on Lakeside Business Center, a 123,910-square-foot building in Flower Mound, a city located in the northern-central part of the metroplex. Lakeside Business Center will consist of two buildings with 32-foot clear heights, a 200-foot shared truck court, ESFR sprinkler systems and a total 16 dock doors and two ramped doors. Lee & Associates is marketing the development for lease and/or sale. Completion is scheduled for summer 2025.
DULUTH, GA. — Gwinnett County’s Urban Redevelopment Agency has acquired a Macy’s department store and furniture store at Gwinnett Place Mall, a beleaguered regional shopping mall in the northeast Atlanta suburb of Duluth. In 2021, the county initially purchased a 39-acre portion of the Gwinnett Place Mall site, and with this 23-acre acquisition, will own a total 76 acres. The mall originally opened in 1984. Gwinnett County’s Urban Redevelopment Agency purchased the two Macy’s stores, which span 293,059 square feet, in a sale-leaseback with the New York-based retail giant. Macy’s will continue to operate the two stores through early 2025. The county purchased the stores for $16.5 million and will issue bonds to finance the transaction, which is expected to close in November. “The acquisition of the Macy’s site marks a pivotal step forward in the redevelopment of Gwinnett Place Mall, setting the stage for Gwinnett County to establish a national — and possibly international — model for equitable and impactful transformation,” says Nicole Love Hendrickson, Gwinnett County chairwoman. “This redevelopment will be a catalyst for change, creating transformative opportunities that enhance property values, align with neighboring investments and drive growth for a new generation of entrepreneurs, residents and local …
BAYONNE, N.J. — Locally based developer Lincoln Equities Group has completed a 332,640-square-foot speculative industrial project in Northern New Jersey. Lincoln Logistics Bayonne sits within a 153-acre waterfront site that also houses an 886,256-square-foot UPS shipping hub. In addition to a clear height of 40 feet and 66 dock doors, the property features five acres of parking space that can support 195 trailers and 225 cars, or 45 trailers and 800 cars. Construction began in May 2022. Cushman & Wakefield is marketing the project for lease.
Flagship Acquires Former Verizon Office Building in Wilmington, Plans Conversion to Healthcare Campus
by John Nelson
WILMINGTON, N.C. — Flagship Healthcare Properties has purchased a 153,526-square-foot office building located at 3601 Converse Road in Wilmington. The Charlotte-based company acquired the property through Flagship Healthcare Trust for an undisclosed price. The seller was also not disclosed. The three-story office building was built as a single-tenant property and was formerly home to Verizon Wireless. Flagship is underway on the conversion of the office building into an outpatient healthcare campus dubbed Flagship Medical Plaza. Novant Health has signed a lease to occupy two floors at the project beginning in 2025. The tenant’s planned services at the clinic will include specialized physicians, lab services, imaging and infusion therapy, according to Ernie Bovio, president of Novant’s coastal region. Novant operates the Novant Health New Hanover Regional Medical Center hospital, which is located two miles from Flagship Medical Plaza.
SPRINGDALE, OHIO — A group of investors operating as AV Cincinnati Acquisition LLC is set to transform the former Tri-County Mall site in Springdale, a northern suburb of Cincinnati, into a mixed-use destination named City Center Springdale. Plans call for roughly 600,000 square feet of retail, entertainment and restaurant space, 750,000 square feet of office space, 2,600 multifamily units, 200,000 square feet of fitness facilities and 400 hotel rooms. The new ownership group, which is led by MarketSpace Capital, purchased the property earlier this year. Lee & Associates is handling leasing and management for the project. The mall closed in 2022.
CHICAGO — Chicago office tower 161 North Clark has emerged from receivership with a new ownership group that has inked 75,000 square feet of leases so far this year. The 50-story property features a refreshed lobby and a soon-to-open Veteran Roasters coffee shop. The new ownership group is an entity doing business as 161 North Clark Newco LLC. Telos Group is overseeing leasing, CBRE is the property manager and Xroads Real Estate Advisors is the asset manager. The 1 million-square-foot property is situated directly across from Google’s new Chicago headquarters, which are slated to open in 2026. Established in 2017, the veteran-owned Veteran Roasters is opening in the retail space formerly occupied by Freshii. Visitors will also enjoy a multimedia art exhibit from local artist Tom Rossiter. Tenant amenities include a conference center, 12th-floor outdoor roof terrace, fitness center and lounge. The new ownership is working on plans to expand and update the amenity and conference center floor.
LOS ANGELES — Thrive Living, along with Los Angeles city and community leaders, has broken ground on 5035 Coliseum Plaza, a mixed-use project in South Los Angeles. The community will feature a Costco Wholesale anchoring the street-level retail space and 800 units of rental housing above. The project is the first mixed-use development in the nation to have Costco as the anchor retail tenant. A total of 184 apartments, or 23 percent of the total units, will be dedicated to low-income households, and the balance of the units will be non-subsidized affordable and workforce housing. The site is designed to support families, seniors and other residents to move laterally from within the community. Community amenities will include an advanced full-service fitness center, high-tech shared workspaces for residents, study space for students, community rooms connected to landscaped courtyards and a rooftop pool. Construction of the 5035 Coliseum project will support thousands of jobs and is expected to take approximately 30 months from the start date. Additionally, the Costco location will creation an estimated up to 400 jobs once fully operational.