CHICAGO — General contractor Sargent Blinderman has broken ground on the ASPIRE Center for Workforce Innovation in Chicago’s Austin neighborhood. The project is located on the former site of Emmett Elementary School at 5500 W. Madison St. The school closed in 2014. The ASPIRE Center is designed to be a one-stop shop for support services and career training and will house the Jane Addams Resource Corp (JARC) and BMO. JARC will provide free training in manufacturing, welding and mechanical assembly, while BMO will provide retail banking services. The center will also feature a café, community plaza, rooftop terrace event space and a recently opened park. Both Westside Health Authority (WHA) and Austin Coming Together (ACT) plan to expand their core services at the center. The ASPIRE Center is part of the ASPIRE Initiative, which is focused on investing and developing infrastructure to support businesses and schools, revitalize housing and boost workforce development in the Austin neighborhood. WHA and ACT lead the initiative, while leveraging support from several other partners. The project team includes architect Lamar Johnson Collaborative and project manager Project Management Advisors. The budget is roughly $40 million with over half of the costs being funded through city and …
Development
PFLUGERVILLE, TEXAS — Los Angeles-based developer Banyan Residential has broken ground on Banyan Everton, a 234-unit build-to-rent project in the northern Austin suburb of Pflugerville. The site spans 34.4 acres. Homes will come in three- and four-bedroom floor plans, have an average size of 1,771 and include private garages and fenced backyards. Banyan Everton will also offer a communal pool, fitness center and open green space. Completion is scheduled for the first quarter of 2024.
HOBOKEN, N.J. — Wells Fargo has provided a $150 million permanent loan for 7 Seventy House, a market-rate apartment community in Hoboken. According to Apartments.com, the property was built in 2019 and totals 382 units that feature studio, one-, two- and three-bedroom floor plans. The community also houses 24,667 square feet of ground-floor commercial space and amenities such as a pool, fitness center, leasing office, game room, rooftop terrace, children’s play area and a dog run. Ten percent of the units are reserved for households earning 80 percent or less of the area median income. Shane Hogan and Andrew Cohen of Wells Fargo originated the loan, which was structured with a five-year term and fixed interest rate, on behalf of the borrower, Boston-based Intercontinental Real Estate Corp. Wells Fargo also provided the original construction debt for the project, which this loan retires.
QUINCY, MASS. — Locally based developer FoxRock Properties has begun leasing Ashlar Park, a four-building, 465-unit multifamily project located at the site of the former Quincy Medical Center on the southern outskirts of Boston. Ashlar Park features studio, one- and two-bedroom units with stainless steel appliances, quartz countertops and individual washers and dryers. Amenities include a pool, outdoor terrace, fitness center with outdoor yoga space, resident lounge, coworking space, library and a conference room. Citizens Bank provided $128.7 million in construction financing for the project. Rents start at $1,925 per month for a studio apartment.
BERLIN, VT. — Heidenberg Properties has completed the redevelopment of Berlin Mall, located just south of the Vermont state capital, into a mixed-use development and signed two new tenants to leases totaling roughly 60,000 square feet. The redevelopment began last year with the opening of Chestnut Place, a 98-unit seniors housing complex. Five Below opened a store at the property in February, and Hobby Lobby backfilled the former J.C. Penney anchor space in April. Heidenberg has also obtained approval for the addition of 30 residential units as well as a standalone, drive-thru Starbucks, and rebranded the property as Central Vermont Marketplace.
SAN ANTONIO — Locally based developer Koontz Corp. will build Frontera Logistics Supersite, a 188-acre industrial project that will be located on the south side of San Antonio. Plans currently call for up to 2.8 million square feet of manufacturing and warehouse space across eight buildings with parking for 3,350 cars and 812 trailers. Carl Olson of Olson Properties represented the undisclosed sellers in the disposition of the land, which is an assemblage of 11 parcels. Koontz Corp. was self-represented in that transaction. Beaty Palmer Architects is designing the project, and Partners Real Estate has been appointed as the marketing and leasing agent. A construction timeline has not yet been finalized.
MONTVALE, N.J. — New Jersey-based developer Walters has begun leasing Cornerstone at Montvale, a 25-unit affordable housing complex in Northern New Jersey. The property consists of 15 buildings that house one-, two- and three-bedroom units on a three-acre site. Residences range in size from 733 to 1,231 square feet and are reserved for residents earning up to 30, 50 or 60 percent of the area median income. Amenities include a fitness center, outdoor grilling and dining areas and a playground. Full completion is slated for August.
GARNER, N.C. — Beacon Partners has broken ground on 2000 Citation Drive, a 115,831-square-foot, Class A industrial building in the Raleigh suburb of Garner. Ann-Stewart Patterson and Austin Nagy of CBRE | Raleigh are handling leasing for Beacon. The project team also includes general contractor Choate Construction, Merriman Schmitt Architects and Advanced Civil Design. Atlantic Union Bank is providing an undisclosed amount of construction financing. Situated near the intersection of I-40 and Jones Sausage Road and two miles south of I-440, 2000 Citation Drive will feature 30-foot clear heights, full concrete truck courts and 180-foot building depths. The site is directly across I-40 from Beacon Commerce Park, a 48-acre, master-planned industrial park under development by Beacon Partners and HM Partners that features 631,000 square feet of distribution space.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The Milestone Group has delivered the second phase of Courtney Ridge Apartments, a garden-style multifamily community located in Charlotte’s LoSo (Lower South End) neighborhood. Phase II is a 13-acre expansion that comprises 180 units across seven new buildings. The project team includes Atlanta-based general contractor TuckerCraft, architect SGA|NW and engineer Design Resource Group. PNC Bank provided construction financing for Phase II, which features a mix of one-, two- and three-bedroom floor plans. Phase II also features a new clubhouse equipped with individual workstation consoles, a main conference room, 24/7 package delivery center, coffee bar, kitchen area and patio overlooking a pond. Milestone purchased the existing, 280-unit Courtney Ridge Apartments in 2018.
Affirmed Housing Breaks Ground on 96-Unit Estrella Affordable Development in San Marcos, California
by Jeff Shaw
SAN MARCOS, CALIF. — Affirmed Housing has started construction of Estrella, an affordable housing development in the northern San Diego suburb of San Marcos. Affirmed Housing’s partners on the project include the City of San Marcos, the County of San Diego, WNC, Banner Bank, DAHLIN Group Architecture Planning, Masson and Associates and form/work Landscape Architecture. A development timeline for the project was not disclosed. Estrella will feature 96 one-, two- and three-bedroom units across four buildings for households earning between 30 and 80 percent of the area median income. The community will offer shared laundry facilities; complimentary on-site services such as computer training and resume building resources; a kitchenette; computer room; barbecue area; electric vehicle charging stations; and bicycle parking. Four playgrounds and a recreation area for teenagers will also be on the property.