LAS VEGAS — Volunteers of America National Services (VOANS) has broken ground on Phase II of Desert Oasis, an affordable seniors housing property in Las Vegas. Phase II will add 43 new units to the existing 75 units in the Desert Oasis community. The building will include a recreational clubhouse facility with a computer room, exercise room, laundry facilities and a community garden. Desert Oasis will be built with energy-efficient systems using green building techniques and including solar panels and photovoltaics. The entire development will be Energy Star rated. Funding partners include Nevada Housing Division’s Low Income Tax Credit program, City of Las Vegas- and Clark County-provided HOME funds and United Health Care. The building is scheduled for completion in fall 2022. VOANS is the wholly controlled nonprofit subsidiary of Volunteers of America created as the sponsor and parent entity for new Volunteers of America housing development projects.
MIAMI — CIM Group and Miami Worldcenter Associates have broken ground on the 78,000-square-foot “Jewel Box” building, one of the last retail components within the $4 billion Miami Worldcenter project. Slated for completion in the second quarter of 2022, the Jewel Box building will feature two levels of retail space. The property will also include a rooftop overlooking the development’s World Square, a 20,000-square-foot public plaza and park. Located at 150 NE Eighth Street, the Jewel Box is situated directly west of the upcoming citizenM boutique hotel and north of apartment tower known as Bezel at Miami Worldcenter. Miami Worldcenter is a 27-acre, master-planned mixed-use project in downtown Miami. More than 150,000 square feet of retail space at Miami Worldcenter has already been completed, with another 130,000 square feet currently under construction and nearing delivery.
CHICAGO — Illuminarium Experiences, an experiential entertainment company, has unveiled plans to open an Illuminarium at Chicago’s Navy Pier. The 32,000-square-foot entertainment venue, which combines projections and soundscapes to create virtual reality-like exhibits, will be situated inside the former Crystal Gardens venue. This is the fourth Illuminarium location announced in the U.S., following Atlanta, Miami and Las Vegas. The company plans to add dozens of its immersive experience venues in major cities across the globe over the next five years. In Chicago, architecture firms Rockwell Group and Perkins & Will have begun the design of the new location. Illuminarium plans to invest more than $30 million in the redevelopment of Navy Pier. Construction is expected to begin in early to mid-2022, with completion slated for one year after. At Navy Pier, Illuminarium’s inaugural spectacle will be “Wild: a Safari Experience.” The concept showcases Africa’s most exotic animals in their natural habitats via cinematic content shot by RadicalMedia. Following “Wild” will be “Spacewalk,” a journey through the solar system. Viewers will experience what it’s like to walk on the surface of the moon and Mars. Additionally, guests will enjoy The Bar at Illuminarium, designed and developed by the LAB at Rockwell …
HOUSTON — Houston-based developer Midway has broken ground on East River, a 150-acre mixed-use project that is located on the Buffalo Bayou in the city’s Historic Fifth Ward. Phase I will center around development of The Laura, a 360-unit apartment community, as well as 250,000 square feet of office space and 110,000 square feet of retail and restaurant space. In addition, the first phase, completion of which is slated for 2023, will include 13,000 square feet of open green space for public events and live music. Lastly, a nine-hole, par-three public golf course that includes a restaurant and patio bar will open at East River next year. Project partners include global design firm Page, OJB Landscape Architecture, civil engineer BGE Inc. and general contractor Burton Construction, among others. At full buildout, East River will span 60 city blocks and more than 1 million square feet of commercial and residential space that connects to the rest of the city via a network of hiking and biking trails.
COLORADO SPRINGS, COLO. — PointOne Holdings has partnered with Stillwater Capital to develop Spring Ranch Apartments, a multifamily community located in Colorado Springs. Totaling 330 units, Spring Ranch will feature a three-acre quad located between the main two buildings that will feature a pool, outdoor kitchens and fire pits, walking gardens and views of the Rocky Mountains. The property will also offer a fitness center and co-working facilities for residents. The joint venture recently closed on the site acquisition and financing for the project. Construction is slated to begin in the near future, with the first units scheduled for delivery in spring 2023.
YORK, PA. — New Jersey-based Larken Associates has begun renovations of The View at Mackenzi, a 224-unit apartment community in York. As part of the project, the company will add a community pool, an outdoor grilling area and a new clubhouse, with completion slated for early 2022. Units at the property feature two-bedroom floor plans and individual washers and dryers. Select units also offer stainless steel appliances, island breakfast bars and private balconies/patios. Existing amenities include a fitness center, walking trails, a dog park and package concierge services. Larken Associates acquired The View at Mackenzi in 2020.
INDIANAPOLIS — Standard Real Estate Investments LP, a minority-owned real estate private equity firm focused on providing joint venture equity to developers, formally launched its business on Wednesday, Aug. 25. The company closed a majority equity investment in a 244-unit multifamily project located at 75 W. 18th St. in downtown Indianapolis. Construction recently began on the development, but a timeline for completion was not disclosed. Standard, and its Indianapolis-based joint venture partner Arrow Street Development, will build Wesley Place Apartments on the two-acre site, which is located within walking distance of the Indiana University Health Methodist Hospital. Plans call for four stories of apartments above a single-level retail and parking podium. Robert Jue and Jerome Nichols, formerly with CBRE Global Investors, are leading the new company. Standard aims to have $200 million of assets under management within 12 months through investments in four development projects.
ROSLYN HEIGHTS, N.Y. — A joint venture between New Jersey-based developer The Hampshire Cos. and Blumenfeld Development Group has begun construction on a 691-unit self-storage facility in Roslyn Heights, located on Long Island. Extra Space Storage will manage the property, the site of which formerly housed a manufacturing plant. The facility, which will be the 44th property developed by Hampshire Cos. for Extra Space Storage in the eastern part of the country, is scheduled for completion in the second quarter of 2022.
AUSTIN, TEXAS — Locally based developer Cumby Group will redevelop a site on Manor Road in East Austin with three adjacent projects that will collectively add more than 800 multifamily units, including 80 affordable housing residences, and 150,000 square feet of commercial space to the local supply. Cumby Group purchased the sites, which span nine acres and more than a full city block, in 2019 and 2020. Construction is underway on The Emma, a 146-unit project at 3219 Manor Road, and two buildings housing between 450 and 500 units, along with commercial space, are planned next door at 3115 Manor Road. Lastly, Cumby expects to build about 200 units at 3033 Manor Road. The projects will include space for neighborhood gatherings that could feature food trucks or farmers markets. The development’s affordable housing units will be reserved for renters earning 60 percent or less of the area median income.
HOUSTON — New York City-based Square Mile Capital has provided a permanent loan of an undisclosed amount for Standard in the Heights, a 301-unit multifamily project in Houston. The property features studio, one-, two- and three-bedroom units and amenities such as a pool, fitness center, dog park, outdoor grilling areas and a lounge. The loan takes out the construction debt held by the borrower and developer, Texas-based Ojala Partners. Construction began in 2018 and was completed in November 2020. Cameron Cureton and Steve Heldenfels of JLL arranged the financing.