TEMPLE, TEXAS — Battery supplier East Penn Manufacturing has opened a new production and distribution facility in the Central Texas city of Temple that spans 393,000 square feet, according to The Center Square, a state and local government and economic news agency. The project, which represents a total capital investment of $106 million, will ultimately add more than 260 jobs to the local economy.
Development
FRISCO, TEXAS — General contractor Adolfson & Peterson Construction has completed the 106,622-square-foot headquarters facility for the PGA of America in Frisco. The facility features enclosed offices, an executive boardroom, outdoor terraces, seminar rooms, indoor training facilities, a driving range simulator and a professional development center. Page designed the facility, with Cushman & Wakefield serving as the construction manager.
Landmark Properties Announces $2B Partnership with ADIA to Target Student Housing Development
by John Nelson
ATHENS, GA. AND ABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES — Landmark Properties has announced a $2 billion joint venture with a wholly owned subsidiary of the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA). The partnership will be focused on developing and operating student housing properties in targeted markets throughout the United States. The new build-to-core joint venture follows the $1 billion value-add student housing platform formed by Landmark and ADIA announced in March 2022. “We remain disciplined in our strategy of growing the highest quality student housing portfolio in the country,” says Wes Rogers, president and CEO of Athens, Ga.-based Landmark. “Student housing continues to demonstrate, in all market cycles, a resilient asset class with strong fundamentals, and we continue to see compelling opportunities for development throughout the U.S.,” adds Rogers. “This latest joint venture offers the opportunity to expand our relationship with ADIA, one of the world’s leading institutional real estate investors.”
PHILADELPHIA — An affiliate of the Teachers Insurance & Annuity Association (TIAA) has provided a $265.2 million loan for a life sciences expansion project in Philadelphia. The Curtis is a 12-story, 912,245-square-foot building in the Center City District that originally housed a publishing operation and now features lab, office and research and development space. The borrower, Keystone Development + Investment, purchased the historic building in 2014 and has subsequently converted portions of the leasable space to support life sciences usage. Proceeds from this loan will enable Keystone to continue that initiative with the conversion of 200,000 square feet of additional space within The Curtis. A portion of the proceeds will also be used to fund infrastructure upgrades and leasing costs. Current tenants at The Curtis include BioLabs, IMVAXM Vivodyne and Aro Biotherapeutics.
NORTH MIAMI, FLA. — Coral Rock Development Group, a real estate developer based in Coral Gables, Fla., plans to build Kayla at Library Place, a mixed-use affordable housing project located at 13100 W. Dixie Highway in North Miami. The 10-story property will comprise 138 affordable and workforce housing units ranging between 660 to 930 square feet, as well as amenities including a fitness center, rooftop patio, business center and a conference room. Fifty-five apartments will be reserved for households earning 60 percent of area median income (AMI) while 83 units will be designated affordable at 100 percent of AMI. Additionally, Kayla at Library Place will feature 10,000 square feet of retail space on the ground level, an adjacent parking garage and 8,000 square feet of office and conference space preleased to the Greater North Miami Chamber of Commerce. Behar Font designed Kayla at Library Place to achieve LEED Silver certification. Coral Rock expects to break ground in the second quarter of 2023 and deliver the project by the end of 2024.
WEST CONSHOHOCKEN, PA. — High Street Residential and MetLife Investment Management have completed a 280-unit multifamily project located on the northern outskirts of Philadelphia. Matson Mill is a transit-served property located along the banks of the Schuylkill River in West Conshohocken that offers one-, two and three-bedroom units. Amenities include a pool, outdoor kitchen with seating areas, fitness center, package handling room, game room and a dog wash station. Hord, Coplan & Macht Inc. designed the project, and IMC Construction served as the general contractor. Rents start at approximately $2,000 per month for a one-bedroom unit.
Sudberry Properties Starts Construction of 268-Unit Luma at El Corazon Apartments in Oceanside, California
by Amy Works
OCEANSIDE, CALIF. — Sudberry Properties has started construction of Luma at El Corazon, a mixed-use apartment community in Oceanside. Located at 3546 Village Commercial Drive, Luma is situated within El Corazon, a 465-acre multi-phase development on a former crystal silica mine. Luma at El Corazon will feature 23 three-story residential buildings with a mix of 113 one-bedroom, 120 two-bedroom and 35 three-bedroom apartments. Ranging in size from 691 square feet to 1,440 square feet, the units come in 11 floor plan configurations, all featuring an outdoor deck, balcony or patio, stainless steel appliances, quartz countertops, wood-style flooring and in-unit washers/dryers. Community amenities will include a furnished club room with demonstration kitchen and covered patio; conference room; indoor/outdoor fitness center; and a pool and spa area with lounges and barbecue facilities. Luma will also feature two 2,350-square-foot retail suites on either side of the main entrance. The community will be built in phases, with the leasing center and first apartments slated to open in fall 2023. The development team includes Bassenian Lagonia, architect; Hunsaker & Associates, civil engineer; Wermers Construction, general contractor; Schmidt Design Group, landscape architect; and Design Tec, interior design.
LPC Southeast, Innovatus Capital Near Completion of Office Building Renovation in Orlando
by John Nelson
ORLANDO, FLA. — Lincoln Property Co. Southeast (LPC Southeast) and Innovatus Capital Partners are putting the finishing touches on the $2.5 million overhaul of Westwood Corporate Center in Orlando. LPC Southeast manages the five-story, 125,000-square-foot office building on behalf of Innovatus Capital, which owns the property. Located at 6649 Westwood Blvd., Westwood Corporate Center now includes a two-story, all-glass lobby that features a coffee bar with an adjacent, tech-enabled training/conference center that is available to all tenants. Other upgrades include new touchless entry and purified HVAC system by Wynd Technologies, as well as new outdoor seating that surrounds a landscaped corridor to the neighboring tower that features ping pong tables and a life-size chess board. Additionally, a new private fitness center will offer exercise pods for those who don’t want to work out in groups, as well as instructors offering group classes for fitness programs including yoga and Zumba. The upgrades come on the heels of Marriott Vacation Club vacating its headquarters at Westwood Corporate Center after 20 years of tenancy.
LONGVIEW, TEXAS — Gap Inc. (NYSE: GPS) has opened an 850,000-square-foot distribution center in Longview, about 120 miles east of Dallas. The facility is the San Francisco-based apparel retailer’s seventh in North America and first in Texas. With the opening of this center, Gap expects to hire roughly 500 full-time employees by the end of 2023 and 1,000 part-time and seasonal workers by 2026. Construction began in early 2021, at which time the company valued the total capital investment at $140 million.
SAN ANTONIO — Texas-based developer Presidium has completed Presidium Chase Hill, a 370-unit multifamily project located near La Cantera Resort on the north side of San Antonio. Designed by REES Associates, the property offers one-, two- and three-bedroom units that are furnished with stainless steel appliances, granite countertops, walk-in closets and smart technology features. Amenities include a pool with a lounge and outdoor kitchen, a two-story fitness center with a yoga studio, clubhouse with a leasing office, multiple Wi-Fi lounges, dog park with a grooming station, media room and a rooftop terrace. Rents start at approximately $1,400 per month for a one-bedroom unit.