HAVERHILL, MASS. — Locally based design-build firm Dacon Corp. has completed a 135,000-square-foot headquarters facility in Haverhill, located north of Boston. The project is a build-to-suit for Edwards Vacuum, which designs and produces advanced technology parts for a variety of industries. The two-story facility, which will be used for cryopump manufacturing, houses spaces for manufacturing, lab work, offices and warehousing and is LEED certified.
MILWAUKEE — Northwestern Mutual, an American financial services and insurance organization, has announced plans to invest $500 million to improve its downtown Milwaukee headquarters. The principal part of the investment will go to the overhaul of its North Office Building, a 540,000-square-foot building located at 818 E. Mason St. overlooking Milwaukee Bay. As part of the company’s plans, employees will be relocated from Northwestern Mutual’s suburban campus in nearby Franklin over the next three to five years. Nearly 2,000 employees will transition to the reimagined downtown campus, which is designed to accommodate planned company growth. “We are doubling down on our Milwaukee campus by investing in the future of the workplace for Northwestern Mutual and a thriving downtown community,” says John Schlifske, chairman, president and CEO of Northwestern Mutual. “Our strategic investment will further our goal of creating an unparalleled campus experience, fostering connection and collaboration across employees, financial representatives and the community while attracting and retaining the next generation of talent right here in southeast Wisconsin.” Northwestern Mutual’s improvements include full interior and exterior renovations to mirror the company’s adjacent Tower and Commons building. The North Office Building was delivered in 1990 whereas Tower and Commons debuted in 2017. …
CONROE, TEXAS — Grace Management has broken ground on The Lakes at Woodhaven Village, a 115-unit active adult complex in Conroe, located about 40 miles north of Houston. The project, which is being developed on a five-acre plot adjacent to the 2,000-acre Grand Central Park master-planned community, is slated for a spring 2024 completion. Project partners include developer Padua Realty Co. and affiliated construction company Dorado Builders, Investwell Architects, Lizabeth Jones Interior Design and Jordan & Skala Engineers.
FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA. — Tavistock Development Co. has topped off a new hotel and resort residential tower as part of the redevelopment of Pier Sixty-Six, a mixed-use waterfront destination in Fort Lauderdale. The reimagined Pier Sixty-Six Resort and The Residences at Pier Sixty-Six are set to debut next year. Situated on 32 acres along the Intracoastal Waterway, the overall development will ultimately include the resort and 62 luxury condominiums, as well as the property’s 164-slip marina, restaurants, shops and offices. The project team includes general contractors Americaribe and Moriarty, which are employing 1,000 construction workers for the redevelopment project.
KISSIMMEE, FLA. — Prospect Real Estate Group II LLC and American Landmark Communities plan to develop a 355-unit apartment community in Kissimmee, a suburb of Orlando. Prospect recently purchased the 10.7-acre development site, located at North Rose Avenue and Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, for $10.4 million. David Calcanis of Colliers represented the seller, Boston-based Saxon Partners LLC, in the land transaction. Moushimi Chinni Ganguli of CityLights RE represented the buyer. Scott+Cormia and WGI designed the four-story, Advantis-branded apartment community to feature 16 live-work units atop nearly 900 square feet of commercial space that is ideally suited for medical office space due to its proximity to two prominent hospitals, Osceola Medical Center and AdventHealth Kissimmee. Most apartments will come in studio, one-, two- or three-bedroom layouts. Prospect and American Landmark expect to break ground on the project in the second quarter and to complete construction in second-quarter 2025.
OPA-LOCKA, FLA. — The Kroger Co. has opened a 60,000-square-foot industrial facility in the South Florida city of Opa-Locka. Ocado Group, an e-commerce grocery delivery firm based in the United Kingdom, operates the automated facility. Situated on the north side of Miami-Dade County, the facility serves as a last-mile “spoke” facility that works in conjunction with Kroger’s 375,000-square-foot customer fulfillment center in Groveland, Fla. The new facility extends Kroger’s delivery capabilities to South Florida, with Homestead, Fla., serving as the farthest south the grocer can make deliveries. Kroger expects to employ 90 associates at the Opa-Locka facility. In addition to the Groveland facility, the Cincinnati-based grocer currently operates customer fulfillment centers in Monroe, Ohio; Forest Park, Ga.; Pleasant Prairie, Wis.; Dallas; Romulus, Mich.; and Aurora, Colo. Additional customer fulfillment centers are slated for California; Frederick, Md.; Phoenix; Cleveland; Charlotte; South Florida and the Northeast.
GLEN BURNIE, MD. — Brennan Investment Group has purchased 15.8 acres along Solley Road in Glen Burnie, a suburb of Baltimore. The Chicago-based firm plans to develop an 80,275-square-foot industrial facility on the site. The building is slated for completion later this year and is intended to be the first of several investments for Brennan in the Washington-Baltimore corridor. The property, which will offer tenants interstate access via I-695, is situated 12 miles from Baltimore-Washington International Airport. The building is designed to accommodate one or two tenants, according to Brennan.
NEW YORK CITY — Pacific Western Bank has provided a $107 million construction loan for a 224-unit multifamily project that will be located at 585 Union St. in the Gowanus area of Brooklyn. The site is situated within a Qualified Opportunity Zone. Units will come in one-, two- and three-bedroom formats, with 25 percent of the residences being reserved as affordable housing, and amenities will include a pool and fitness center. The borrower is a joint venture between Canyon Partners Real Estate, Tavros Holdings and Charney Cos. A tentative completion date was not disclosed.
MINNEAPOLIS — Student housing developer Landmark Properties is undertaking its first development project in Minnesota, a 1,021-bed student housing community located within walking distance of the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis. Named The Standard at Dinkytown, the project will offer several floor plans ranging from studios to five-bedroom units with 30 affordable housing units. Rental rates at the property will include cable, internet, trash and all furniture. Amenities will include an outdoor pool area with a jumbotron, sun deck, cabanas, outdoor grilling stations and rooftop hot tub as well as a fitness center, clubhouse, gaming lounge, study lounge and Amazon package lockers. Construction is expected to begin this year and be completed in fall 2025. The University of Minnesota enrolls more than 50,000 students each fall.
FARGO, N.D. — Hyde Development has acquired 111 acres in Fargo with plans to build Dakota Commerce Center North, a 1.4 million-square-foot speculative industrial project. Hyde will offer users the flexibility of build-to-suit footprints ranging from 20,000 to 500,000 square feet. The development will feature convenient access to I-29 and Hector International Airport. Chance Lindsey and Kyle Ferderer of CBRE represented Hyde in the land purchase. The brokers have also been retained as the leasing agents for the project. Hyde is also the developer behind Dakota Commerce Center, a four-building project totaling 633,200 square feet. To date, two buildings have been completed and fully leased. Building 3 is slated for completion this August.