HOUSTON — Locally based development and management firm Finial Group has begun construction on a 90,328-square-foot industrial project in Houston that represents Phase III of Independence Business Park. The third phase will consist of three freestanding, crane-served buildings with 10 percent office finishes. Completion is slated for the third quarter of 2023. Construction of Phase II of Independence Business Park, which comprised two buildings totaling 145,185 square feet, began in late 2020.
BOUND BROOK, N.J. — Citizens Bank has provided a $32.4 million construction loan for The Rail at Bound Brook, a 143-unit multifamily project in Northern New Jersey. The property will house studio, one- and two-bedroom units with an average size of 811 square feet, as well as 650 square feet of ground-floor retail space. Amenities will include a clubhouse, game room, yoga studio, courtyard and coworking space. Michael Klein, Jon Mikula and Michael Lachs of JLL arranged the three-year, floating-rate loan on behalf of the borrower, a joint venture between Denholtz Properties and Redwood Real Estate Group.
ATLANTA — Barings plans to convert approximately 45,000 square feet of vacant office space at 3445 Peachtree in Atlanta’s Buckhead district to speculative suites. Spread across five spaces within the 14-story, 287,000-square-foot office building, these suites will range in size from 3,000 square feet to a full 23,000-square-foot floor. Furniture will be provided within some of these spaces and each spec suite will include exposed ceiling duct work and floor plans that invite collaboration. New tenants will also have access to several Class A amenities available to all 3445 Peachtree tenants. No construction timeline was disclosed. According to research from CBRE, metro Atlanta currently has 500,000 square feet of spec suites under construction, which represents about 28 percent of the market’s existing inventory of spec suite space (1.8 million square feet).
TIFFIN, IOWA — The Ders Group LLC has broken ground on a two-story PinSeekers golf venue at the Park Place mixed-use development in Tiffin, about 20 miles south of Cedar Rapids. The 49,022-square-foot venue will feature 56 heated bays and Toptracer ball tracking technology, which uses high-speed cameras and computer algorithms to provide instant feedback on golf swings. The facility, which will be open year-round, also features 18 holes of mini golf, a full-service restaurant and two bars. Completion is slated for summer 2023. Innovative Construction Solutions is serving as the general contractor for the $29 million project. Park Place is a 450-acre development consisting of residential, retail, entertainment and dining space.
SOUTH ELGIN, ILL. — Principle Construction has completed an expansion and renovation project totaling 78,000 square feet for food packaging manufacturer CV-Tek in South Elgin. Middleby Cos. owns the building, which now features 56,000 square feet of warehouse space and 22,000 square feet of office space. The project also included new electrical distribution system for computerized manufacturing equipment, enhanced lighting, new flooring and roof upgrades. Cornerstone Architects provided architectural services. Principle completed the project in 16 weeks.
By Taylor Williams Though very much in its infancy, the Philadelphia 76ers’ recent decision to assemble a development team and file a formal proposal for a new arena at the current site of Fashion District Philadelphia has drawn the city’s retail market into speculation on how buildings, operators and streetscapes will be impacted. Known as 76 Place, the $1.3 billion venue would theoretically anchor the Market East corridor that connects Center City to Chinatown and Old City via its location atop the city’s largest public transit hub. The ability to centralize the arrival of fans, shoppers and diners from all cardinal directions, as well as multiple states, automatically sparks excitement for growth opportunities in the world of retail real estate. This project would immediately check that box. “The announcement of the new 76ers arena has generated a lot of discussion in the retail world,” says Steve Gartner, executive vice president at CBRE. “Bringing an arena to downtown Center City, especially one that’s adjacent to a convention center, will allow Philadelphia to hold more concerts and global events, like political conventions, that impact retailers and restaurants. These positive impacts will permeate the fabric of all of downtown.” “The retail community is …
INDIAN LAND, S.C. — The Lancaster County Council has approved developer MPV Properties’ plans for the second phase of RedStone, a mixed-use development in the Charlotte suburb of Indian Land. Phase II will comprise 350 apartments, 20 townhomes and 24,000 square feet of retail space. Located at the intersection of U.S. Highways 521 and 160, the second phase will be situated adjacent to Phase I, a shopping center that opened in 2016 and includes 80,000 square feet of existing retail and restaurant space, as well as the RedStone 14 Cinemas. Between the two phases will be an event lawn that MPV plans to activate with live music, farmers markets and other public events. The developer has begun leasing the retail space at Phase II, which will break ground in fall 2023. Michael Bilodeau and Steve Vermillion of MPV Properties, along with Jason McArthur of Mission Properties, are leading the development of RedStone Phase II. Robbie Adams and Joey Morganthall of MPV Properties are responsible for retail leasing.
FREEPORT, TEXAS — Volkswagen Group of America will open a $114 million importation facility in Freeport, located south of Houston on the Texas coastline. The site spans 120 acres and represents a consolidation of the German automaker’s port operations in Houston and Midlothian. Volkswagen has entered into a 20-year ground lease with a partnership between the two developers leading the project, Washington, D.C.-based PRP and Dallas-based KDC. Construction is scheduled to begin before the end of the year, and the facility is expected to be operational in early 2024. JLL represented Volkswagen in its site selection process. Volkswagen anticipates that at full capacity, the facility will be able to handle as many as 140,000 vehicle imports per year, primarily from its production hubs in Mexico and Europe.
ELIZABETHTOWN, PA. — Chicago-based First Industrial Realty Trust has inked a 1.1 million-square-foot lease with boohoo, an online fashion retailer based in the United Kingdom, at First Logistics Center @ 283 in Elizabethtown, a southeastern suburb of Harrisburg. Jeff Lockard, Paul Torosian, Ryan Barros and Kyle Lockard of JLL represented the landlord in the lease negotiations. First Industrial has also broken ground on a 700,000-square-foot building at the site that will feature a clear height of 40 feet, 143 loading doors, 194 trailer parking stalls and 318 car parking spaces. Completion of that building is scheduled for the second quarter of 2023.
CONSHOHOCKEN, PA. — A partnership between locally based firm Keystone Development + Investment and Concord Hospitality has completed Hotel West & Main, a 127-room project in Conshohocken, a northern suburb of Philadelphia. The hotel, which will be operated under the Tapestry Collection by Hilton brand, is located within the $340 million SORA West mixed-use development. The property houses two food and beverage options and is the first new hotel to open in Conshohocken in 22 years, according to the development team. SORA West is also home to AmerisourceBergen’s corporate headquarters campus.