AUSTIN, TEXAS — Locally based developer Industry ATX has broken ground on Industry SOMA, a 23-unit affordable housing project in Austin’s South Menchaca neighborhood. The townhome-style residences will be reserved for households earning 80 percent or less of the area median income. Mark Odom Studio designed the project, which is slated for a fall 2025 completion.
WEBSTER, TEXAS — Great Wolf Resorts Inc., a hospitality owner-operator known for indoor water park-themed lodging properties, has broken ground on a 27-acre project in Webster, a southeastern suburb of Houston. The resort will house 532 hotel rooms, a 95,000-square-foot indoor water park, a 58,000-square-foot family entertainment center and multiple food-and-beverage outlets. Great Wolf is financing the project in part through a $200 million investment from shareholders Blackstone and Centerbridge Partners. Construction of the resort, which is slated for a mid- to late-2024 completion, is expected to create about 600 full- and part-time jobs.
SARASOTA, FLA. — A trio of entrepreneurs — Brian and Valerie McCarthy and Matthew Gordon — plans to invest $180 million to build at least 15 indoor pickleball courts in Florida. All locations, which will be branded The Pickleball Club, will be members-only and privately owned, for-profit sports clubs. The first venture is The Pickleball Club at Lakewood Ranch in Sarasota, which has broken ground and is set to open in December. The 33,000-square-foot Sarasota location will feature 12 indoor courts, two outdoor courts, Dink’s Pro Shop, Pickles Café and an outdoor activity center dubbed Food Truck Alley. The entrepreneurs have purchased land in Bonita Springs and Port St. Lucie for two more locations, and are in negotiations for four more, including in Fort Myers. Each The Pickleball Club location will utilize high-definition PlaySight technology to integrate real-time video into lessons and clinics. The Pickleball Club currently has 47 shareholders and has raised nearly $5 million in equity over the past 18 months.
PLANO, TEXAS — Dallas-based developer Cawley Partners will break ground in December on Phase II of The Parkwood, a project in Plano that will add 120,000 square feet of office space to the local supply. Phase I of The Parkwood, which also comprises 120,000 square feet, is nearing completion and is fully leased to First United Bank. SFMG Wealth Advisors has also leased 22,000 square feet of the second building. Amenities at The Parkwood include a fitness center, pickleball court, conference centers and rooftop terraces.
ADAIRSVILLE, GA. — Seefried Properties has broken ground on a 447,753-square-foot industrial facility in Adairsville, a city in North Georgia equidistant between Atlanta and Chattanooga. The project, dubbed Adairsville 75, is located near I-75 on a 36-acre site at 2334 Trimble Hollow Road, about 36 miles from the newly completed Appalachian Regional Port. Upon completion in June 2023, the new speculative distribution center will feature 36-foot clear heights, 50- by 53.4-foot column spacing, 94 dock doors (four drive-in), parking for 185 vehicles and an additional 71 spaces for trailers. Joseph Kriss and Tripp Ausband of Seefried, along with Austin Kriz and Tom Cromartie of JLL, will handle the marketing and leasing for the project. The design-build team includes general contractor The Conlan Co., civil engineer Eberly & Associates and architect of record Atlas Collaborative.
GLEN ALLEN, VA. — Northland has purchased a 22-acre mixed-use development site in the Innsbrook neighborhood of Glen Allen, a suburb of Richmond. The New England-based private equity investment firm is planning to build a live-work-play development with main street-style retail space at the site, which is dubbed North End. The site is currently zoned for up to 700 multifamily units, 55,000 square feet of retail space and a 150-room hotel. Northland will begin early stages of design and master planning efforts this year. Additionally, Highwoods Properties is planning to develop a Class A, 315,000 square-foot office building adjacent to the site. North End marks Northland’s entry to the metro Richmond market.
GLENDALE, ARIZ. — Echo Real Estate Capital and LGE Design Build, as design-build contractor, have broken ground on Echo Park 303, a two-building industrial facility situated on nearly 40 acres in Glendale. Located near the intersection of Northern Parkway and Reems Road, Echo Park 303 will feature a 455,936-square-foot facility, a 220,240-square-foot building, 743 parking spaces and gated yards for nearly 250 trailer spaces. The buildings will feature two stories of storefront window systems to allow for natural lighting in the lobbies and offices situated on the corners of the buildings. Completion of the 676,176-square-foot park is slated for third-quarter 2023.
YUMA, ARIZ. — McCarthy Building Cos. has broken ground for development of the $17.5 million Student Experience Center at Arizona Western College in Yuma. Serving more than 11,000 students, the two-story, 45,000-square-foot center will be situated on 3.5 acres. Slated to open in fall 2023, the center will feature a lecture hall, multiple instructional modalities, shared common areas, conference rooms, maker space, an eatery, game areas and a multimedia center and esports arena. The multimedia center will house the KAWC radio station and broadcast television studio with an emphasis on modern technology. Students and the public will be able to observe behind-the-scenes production through glass walls and TV monitors. The Student Experience Center will also offer a space for honors students to study and collaborate on group projects; a food pantry and clothing program for disadvantaged students; and 13,000 square feet of administrative space on the second floor. EMC2 is serving as the design architect on the project. The project team also includes Haxton Masonry, Delta Diversified Enterprises, Yuma Valley Contractors, Pacific Steel Inc. and Progressive Roofing.
HUNTLEY, ILL. — Huntley Investment Partners (HIP), a partnership between The Prime Group Inc., Craig Realty Group Inc. and Capital Cos., has broken ground on Huntley Commercial Center in suburban Chicago. Development Solutions Inc. is the general contractor. The first, speculative building will span 540,960 square feet. Future plans call for an additional 177,320-square-foot, build-to-suit property. Both buildings will feature a clear height of 36 feet. Adam Marshall and Mark Deady of Newmark will serve as the leasing agents. A timeline for completion was not provided.
DAYTON, MINN. — GRACO Inc. (NYSE: GGG), a manufacturer of fluid handling equipment, has opened its new 538,000-square-foot facility in Dayton, a northern suburb of Minneapolis. The building, which houses office and factory space, marks Graco’s fourth campus in Minnesota. Graco, working with Impact Power Solutions, is investing in solar energy with the new building. The company added a 1.4-megawatt solar array, consisting of more than 3,100 solar panels on the roof of the building. Over the next 30 years, the solar array is expected to offset more than 23,000 tons of carbon dioxide. The project team included McGough as general contractor, HGA as architect and Tegra Group as project manager.