ST. LOUIS — St. Louis-based McCarthy Building Cos. has topped out construction of the 14-story, 200-bed SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital in St. Louis. The topping out ceremony signified completion of the building’s structural frame and advanced the hospital toward the planned opening in late 2027. The new facility will incorporate advanced technology, expanded specialty units and a “healing-focused environment.” Plans call for a larger pediatric intensive care unit, new bone marrow transplant unit, increased operating room capacity, a dedicated dialysis unit and private, light-filled NICU, PICU and CVICU spaces. The project team includes Dallas-based architecture and design firm HKS Inc. and St. Louis-based planning and design firm The Lawrence Group. SSM Health is a Catholic, nonprofit health system with care delivery sites in Illinois, Missouri, Oklahoma and Wisconsin.
Development
CHICAGO — JLL has opened its new office at O’Hare Plaza, a Class A office complex located at 8755 W. Higgins Road near the Chicago O’Hare International Airport. The brokerage giant says that the new office uses a more efficient footprint that emphasizes amenity-rich design, communal workspaces and flexibility. The 5,748-square-foot space features city views, breakout areas, upgraded conference facilities and access to shared building amenities, including a tenant lounge with a restaurant/bar and outdoor spaces. “This move is a tangible example of what we recommend to clients: create a workplace that earns the commute through experience, flexibility and thoughtful design,” says Marcellus Parker, head of corporate real estate, Americas, at JLL. Sustainability and employee well-being were core considerations throughout the design and build-out. The office features LED lighting, occupancy sensors and daylight sensors in open office areas, indoor air quality sensors and biophilic elements such as planters. The layout prioritizes access to natural light, with shared spaces such as the open office, meeting rooms and collaboration areas located along the window line. Height-adjustable desks and a range of meeting and collaboration settings support different work styles, while high-performance acoustic glass and sound-mitigating phone booths provide privacy. Open office workstations …
ARLINGTON, VA. — U.S. retail construction activity totaled 64.2 million square feet in the first quarter, down from 70 million square feet in first-quarter 2025 and well below the 10-year average (+90 million square feet), according to research from CoStar Group. Brandon Svec, national director of retail analytics at CoStar Group, points to multiple governors for new retail construction, including the popularity of e-commerce, competition from other property types and the previous cycles of broad-based expansion in the retail industry. Additionally, he says elevated costs for land, construction materials, labor and debt have made it difficult for retail developers to justify new construction. “The pullback in construction reflects a development environment that remains difficult to pencil in most markets,” says Svec. “Even in markets with strong population growth and leasing demand, achieving returns that justify ground-up construction has become increasingly challenging.” Data from the Arlington-based commercial real estate information and analytics firm shows that the nation’s retail development pipeline is sinking to levels not seen since the previous two cyclical lows: the early stages of the COVID-19 recovery and coming out of the Great Financial Crisis in 2011. Among markets tracked by CoStar, three Texas markets are leading the way …
WINDCREST, TEXAS — Cleveland-based investment and development firm Industrial Commercial Properties (ICP) is underway on a 685,000-square-foot industrial project in Windcrest, located just northeast of San Antonio. Phase I of Windcrest International Business Park, which is a redevelopment of the 1.2 million-square-foot former headquarters complex of local cloud computing firm Rackspace Technology, is nearing completion following infrastructure upgrades and structural improvements. ICP has partnered with the City of Windcrest and Bexar County on the project. Rackspace originally acquired the 66-acre property in 2007. JLL has been tapped as the leasing agent.
SAVANNAH, GA. — Walker & Dunlop has arranged a $104.5 million construction loan for Ritz-Carlton Savannah, a 168-room luxury hotel located at 2 E. Bryan St. in Savannah. The hotel is a redevelopment of two obsolete office buildings built in 1911 in Savannah’s Historic District. Aaron Appel, Jonathan Schwartz, Keith Kurland, Adam Schwartz, Dustin Stolly, Ari Hirt, Sean Reimer and Jason Schwartzberg of Walker & Dunlop arranged the loan through The LCP Group LP on behalf of the borrower, TMGOC Ventures. Jay Morrow and Carter Gradwell of the Walker & Dunlop Hospitality Advisory team assisted and advised the borrower, which is utilizing federal and state historic rehabilitation tax credit programs to help fund the redevelopment. At completion, the Ritz-Carlton Savannah will feature multiple food-and-beverage options on the lower level, ground floor, second floor and rooftop.
WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. — ACRES Capital Corp. has provided a $96 million construction loan for 70 Westchester, a new multifamily project in White Plains, located north of New York City. The number of units and floor plans was not disclosed, but residences will be furnished with quartz countertops and “high-quality” kitchen and bathroom finishes. Amenities will include a pool, private dining room, coworking lounge, rooftop terrace, fitness center and an esports lounge. Completion is slated for fall 2027. The developer was also not disclosed.
GARDNER, KAN. — Sallee Development has broken ground on Flint Trails, a $69 million build-to-rent community in Gardner, about 30 miles south of Kansas City. The project will include two- and three-bedroom townhomes with attached garage options. Amenities will include a clubhouse, pool, pickleball court and onsite management and maintenance services. The project is being developed in partnership with CommunityAmerica Credit Union, which is providing financing support. The first units are planned for delivery in late 2027.
CHARLESTOWN, MASS. — A partnership between Leggat McCall Properties, Joseph J. Corcoran Co. and the Boston Housing Authority has received $172 million in financing for a mixed-income housing redevelopment in Charlestown, located north of Boston. The financing consists of a $122 million construction loan from Los Angeles-based Cottonwood Group and a $50 million equity investment from the City of Boston’s Housing Accelerator Fund. The partnership will use the proceeds to fund the redevelopment of the 266-unit Building F of the Bunker Hill Housing Redevelopment, which rises nine stories and comprises 208 market-rate units and 58 affordable housing units. The project is part of a larger initiative that aims to redevelop the entire Bunker Hill public housing community over the next decade, creating a total of 2,699 units of housing through both repositioning of existing affordable housing units and the addition of market-rate homes.
Gateway Jax Plans Office Building at Pearl Square in Downtown Jacksonville, Taps JLL to Lead Leasing
by John Nelson
JACKSONVILLE, FLA. — Gateway Jax plans to break ground next year on 655 Pearl, a six-story trophy office building that will anchor the Pearl Square mixed-use development underway in downtown Jacksonville. Designed by Morris Adjmi Architects and BDG Architects, the property will offer 100,000 square feet of offices and amenity spaces and 25,000 square feet of ground-floor retail space. Gateway Jax has tapped Michael Loftin, Jesse Shimp and Mack Keasler of JLL to lead the leasing efforts at 655 Pearl, which is the only office component within the first collection of buildings at Pearl Square. There are currently five buildings under construction, including the redevelopment of the 110-room Ambassador Hotel. At full build-out, the 2 million-square-foot mixed-use development will span nine city blocks and include 655 Pearl, the Ambassador Hotel, 1,250 apartments, more than a dozen restaurants and shops and a Publix grocery store. Gateway Jax plans to deliver 655 Pearl in 2028.
Park7, PGIM Break Ground on 804-Bed Student Housing Project Near Florida State University
by John Nelson
TALLAHASSEE, FLA. — A joint venture between Park7 Group and PGIM has broken ground on an 804-bed student housing development located near the Florida State University campus in Tallahassee. The nine-story community will offer 230 units alongside shared amenities including a rooftop pool and terrace, fitness center and collaborative study lounges. The project is scheduled for completion in fall 2028.