OVERLAND PARK, KAN. — Block & Co. Inc. Realtors has brokered the sale of 12.8 acres of vacant land located on the southwest corner of 135th Street and Antioch Road in Overland Park. The sales price was undisclosed. Formerly a landscape nursery and greenhouse for over 40 years, the site is positioned at a heavily trafficked intersection and features convenient access to Highway 69. David Block and Mark McConahay of Block & Co. represented the undisclosed seller. The new ownership group has outlined plans to develop an apartment complex on the site. Construction is expected to begin immediately, with completion slated for next year. Block & Co. anticipates marketing the remaining 4.2 acres of ground that runs along the north edge of the property along 135th Street. Four pad sites have been proposed with ground lease or build-to-suit options available.
WILMINGTON, DEL. — Pennsylvania-based developer MRA Group has received $63 million for the redevelopment of Chestnut Run Innovation & Science Park, a 164-acre, 14-building development in Wilmington. MRA Group will use the funds to continue renovations of the campus’ 14 buildings to support lab, R&D and advanced manufacturing uses. Additional plans for the campus include a hotel, fitness center, conference facilities, an outdoor amphitheater and accommodations for food services. Fulton Bank, in conjunction with Nuveen Green Capital through C-PACE, financed $50 million of the funds, while WSFS Bank provided the remaining $13 million.
AUSTIN, TEXAS — The University of Texas at Austin (UT) and MD Anderson will open a new medical complex at the site of the Erwin Center, the former arena of the university’s basketball teams. The complex will consist of a traditional hospital and cancer care/treatment facility. Demolitions are expected to begin in 2024, and the groundbreaking for the new medical facilities is scheduled for 2026. The total investment for these projects is estimated at $2.5 billion.
BRENHAM, TEXAS — Architecture firm HDA has completed a 28,000-square-foot industrial renovation and expansion project in Brenham, about 75 miles northwest of Houston. The project was a build-to-suit for Mike Hopkins Distributing, which serves the alcoholic beverage industry. The expansion consisted of a new controlled-temperature warehouse with offices and a customer pick-up area. The existing warehouse and coolers were also renovated with updated ancillary and storage areas and a new, enlarged keg cooler. Lastly, HDA designed a connector to link the new and existing facilities.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Alliance Residential Co. has purchased 3.4 acres at 2130 Wilkinson Blvd. in Charlotte’s FreeMoreWest neighborhood for the development of Broadstone West End. The 332-unit luxury apartment community will span five stories and feature studio, one-, two- and three-bedroom residences ranging in size from 590 to 1,240 square feet. Amenities will include a resort-style pool and adjoining pool deck featuring an outdoor kitchen, 24-hour fitness center, private coworking offices, resident clubroom featuring a kitchen and card room and a fenced pet park. Alliance Residential plans to welcome Broadstone West End’s first residents in 2025. The property represents the 10th community in Charlotte for the Scottsdale, Ariz.-based developer.
KANSAS CITY, MO. — Kansas City-based Chicken N Pickle, an entertainment concept that features a restaurant, sports bar, pickleball courts and a variety of yard games, is expanding nationwide and plans to nearly double its footprint by the first quarter of 2025. Chicken N Pickle has opened eight locations since 2017, with seven more slated for completion by early 2025. The company says this is its fastest period of growth to date. The first Chicken N Pickle opened in Kansas City in 2017. The other currently operating locations are in Wichita, Kan.; San Antonio, Texas; Oklahoma City, Okla.; Overland Park, Kan.; Grand Prairie, Texas; Grapevine, Texas; and Glendale, Ariz. This year, Chicken N Pickle will open a new location in St. Charles, Mo. Then in 2024, the company will debut its locations in Allen, Texas; Fishers, Ind.; Henderson, Nev.; and Webster, Texas. The remaining two planned locations are slated to open in early 2025 in Thornton, Colo.; and Parker, Colo. The average Chicken N Pickle facility is situated on 1.5 acres and totals 32,000 square feet. Menu offerings include rotisserie chicken dishes in four different seasonings, pork and beef sandwiches, hand-cut fries and tater tots.
DETROIT — As part of its Development at Cadillac Square, Bedrock plans to restore and re-introduce the National Theatre as a music and performance venue. Plans call for the preservation and relocation of the Theatre’s historic façade. The venue originally opened in 1911, but has fallen into disrepair since its closure in 1975. Bedrock is working to restore the National Theatre in consultation with tvg Hospitality, a venue operator based in both the U.S. and U.K. In partnership with locally based promoters, tvg will operate the venue. Development at Cadillac Square is a 1.5 million-square-foot mixed-use project adjacent to Campus Martius Park and Cadillac Square. Construction of Phase I is slated to begin following the 2024 NFL Draft.
ZANESVILLE, OHIO — The Downtown Exchange, a revitalization project designed to foster small business growth and economic development, has opened in downtown Zanesville, about 55 miles east of Columbus. The Downtown Exchange business owners, in partnership with JobsOhio, Ohio Southeast Economic Development, the Zanesville-Muskingum County Port Authority and the Zanesville-Muskingum County Chamber of Commerce, hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony Monday, Aug. 14. Over $1.1 million was invested to redevelop the historic building into a mixed-use marketplace and coworking space. A first-floor food hall features a variety of local eating, drinking and social gathering space, along with a bar and patio at the rear of the building. The second and third floors are coworking spaces featuring small and large conference rooms along with collaborative areas and open desk coworking. Formerly known as The Black-Elliot Block, The Downtown Exchange is a historic commercial building consisting of three contiguous structures on Main Street. The building dates back to 1876. The project was supported by a JobsOhio Vibrant Community grant of over $400,000.
MASHPEE, MASS. — A partnership between Housing Assistance Corp. and the Preservation of Affordable Housing (POAH) will develop LeClair Village Apartments, a 39-unit affordable housing project in Mashpee, located in southern Massachusetts at the base of Cape Cod. LeClair Village will offer 14 one-bedroom apartments, 21 two-bedroom units and four three-bedroom apartments that will be rented to households meeting a range of income restrictions. Eastern Bank provided construction and permanent financing for LeClair Village and purchased $10 million in federal Low-Income Housing Tax Credits that will also be used to finance the project. Delivery is slated for 2025.
CROFTON, MD. — Jersey Mike’s Subs and Bruster’s Ice Cream have signed leases to join the tenant roster at Seven Oaks Shopping Center, a Weis Markets-anchored retail center in Crofton. The two brands are dividing a 3,046-square-foot retail pad site at 2288 Blue Water Blvd. Brandon Howard of Divaris Real Estate represented the undisclosed landlord in the lease negotiations. He has also negotiated all the inline retail vacancies at Seven Oaks and is marketing a build-to-suit opportunity for a 5,000-square-foot pad site next to the Jersey Mike’s and Bruster’s. Seven Oaks is situated one block from the Fort Meade campus and about 20 miles south of Baltimore.