CHICAGO AND FORT WASHINGTON, PA. — Sam Zell’s Equity Residential (NYSE: EQR) and luxury homebuilder Toll Brothers (NYSE: TOL) have formed a partnership to acquire and develop sites for new rental apartment communities in metro Boston; Atlanta; Austin, Texas; Denver; Orange County/San Diego; Seattle; and Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas. The two companies are looking to deploy $1.9 billion to take advantage of the surging demand for rentals, according to Crain’s Chicago Business. The partnership will invest about $750 million in equity, plus additional debt. Chicago-based Equity invests in apartments with a portfolio of more than 300 properties across California, Washington, D.C., New York City, Boston, Seattle and Denver. Fort Washington-based Toll Brothers builds homes in 24 states.
DETROIT — Bedrock’s Book Tower project in Detroit will be home to Roost Apartment Hotel. The project will include 118 studios, one- and two-bedroom extended-stay apartments across four floors. The Book Tower is currently undergoing an extensive restoration and is set to reopen in late 2022 with a mix of retail, office and residential space. The Roost brand is known for bridging a boutique hotel concept with apartment-style living, according to Bedrock. Amenities include a coffee program with La Colombe, bike share program, 24-hour concierge, fitness center, coworking space and onsite housekeeping and maintenance services. Philadelphia-based hospitality company Method Co. will operate the Roost at Book Tower. Method operates several Roost locations across the country, including an upcoming outpost in Cleveland. Method will also operate several dining options at Book Tower, including two restaurants, a lobby bar/lounge and a bakery. One-night rates for the units will start at $195, according to Crain’s Detroit Business. Bedrock acquired the 486,760-square-foot Book Tower property in 2015. Designed by Louis Kamper and completed in 1926, the 38-story office tower is currently vacant. Architecture firm ODA is leading the historic renovation and interior design. Morris Adjmi Architects, which has designed all prior Roost properties, is …
COLORADO SPRINGS, COLO. — Dallas-based Hall Structured Finance (HSF) has closed a new first lien construction loan totaling $55.6 million to finance the development of a dual-flagged Marriott hotel property in downtown Colorado Springs. Construction is currently underway for the Springhill Suites/Element Hotel, which will offer a total of 261 guest rooms. The project is a joint venture between Olive Real Estate Group, Hotel Equities, Hotel Operations Services and Colarelli Construction. Completion is slated for spring 2022. Hotel Equities will manage the hotels upon opening. The 136-key Springhill Suites will feature all-suite guest rooms with office desks and kitchenettes. The 125-key, extended-stay Element Hotel will offer rooms with fully equipped kitchens, stainless steel appliances and eight- to 10-foot ceiling heights. Shared hotel amenities will include an open-air courtyard with lounge seating, business center, indoor pool with a whirlpool, complimentary breakfast and a fitness center. Additional amenities will include meeting and event space, a ground-floor restaurant with outdoor seating and a 6,700-square-foot rooftop bar, restaurant and lounge. John Pascal of Paramount Capital Advisors brokered the loan.
WATERTOWN, MASS. — Two locally based firms, The Davis Cos. and Boston Development Group, have broken ground on a 224,000-square-foot life sciences project in the western Boston suburb of Watertown. Designed by Elkus Manfredi Architects, the project marks Phase I of a larger campus that will ultimately include 450,000 square feet of space across two buildings. The first building will offer six private tenant spaces and amenities such as a fitness center, bike storage room and retail/café space. Completion is slated for mid-2023.
HUNTSVILLE, ALA. — Nicol Investment Co. has started construction of Upland Park, a $200 million mixed-use project in Huntsville. The 60-acre project will include multifamily and senior living residences, restaurants, retail, office, entertainment and green space. Located on Enterprise Way at Cummings Research Park, Upland Park will be anchored by HQ, a creative office and retail project being co-developed with Nashville-based Vintage South. The master plan includes The Kelvin, a 301-unit apartment community; Vitality at Upland Park, a 189-unit senior living property; and The Collins, a 334-unit multifamily project featuring 150 Big House units designed by Humphreys & Partners. Big House units offer private garages and entrances. “Huntsville is a dynamic, growing city driven by the defense and aerospace industries, research and education,” says Mark Nicol, president of Nicol Investment. “The migration of national corporations and agencies flocking to this vibrant city as well as the organic growth of local businesses is remarkable, and we are eager to help facilitate Huntsville’s continued success,” adds Nathan Lyons, founder and CEO of Vintage South. Nicol is partnering with independent living, assisted living and memory care provider Vitality Living for the development and management of Vitality at Upland Park. Nashville-based Centric Architecture is …
FRISCO, TEXAS — A partnership between Blue Star Land Co. and Dallas-based Lincoln Property Co. will develop a 313,000-square-foot office building at The Star, the Dallas Cowboys’ headquarters facility in Frisco. Designed by HKS Partners, the 11-story building will feature an 8,000-square-foot amenity deck and a 100-seat conference room. Construction is scheduled to begin before the end of the month and to be complete in the first quarter of 2023. Accounting firm Cain Watters & Associates has signed a lease as the building’s first tenant. Lincoln Property Co. is also handling leasing of the building.
MANOR, TEXAS — Barings has provided a $43.5 million permanent loan for Yager Flats, a 300-unit affordable housing community in Manor, an eastern suburb of Austin. The $73 million development will offer one-, two-, three- and four-bedroom units that will be reserved for renters earning between 30 and 60 percent of the area median income. Amenities will include a clubhouse, community room, fitness center, pool and a playground, and residents will also have access to adult education, workforce training, afterschool programming and health and wellness services. The borrower, Elmington Capital Group, is developing the property in partnership with Red Stone Equity Partners, which contributed $29.3 million in tax credit equity. Dallas-based Humphreys & Partners Architects is designing the project. Bank of America provided the original $40 million construction loan. A tentative completion date was not disclosed.
BUCKEYE, ARIZ. — Link Senior Development and MedCore Partners have unveiled plans for Ativo of Sundance, a 202-unit senior living community inside the Sundance Active Adult master-planned community in the Phoenix suburb of Buckeye. The campus will offer 103 independent living, 75 assisted living and 24 memory care units on a 10-acre tract. Construction of the 211,000-square-foot, three story project is scheduled to begin in late 2021 for an anticipated opening in summer 2023. Insight Senior Living will manage the community, including oversight of all programs and resident services. This will be Insight’s third senior living project in Arizona. Ankrom Moison Architects designed the facility. Link and MedCore are collaborating on two other developments in Albuquerque, New Mexico and Tracy, California. The two firms previously worked together on the 2019 sale and acquisition of five senior living communities in Arizona and Utah.
CHICAGO — ARCO/Murray and GMA Construction Group have broken ground on a $31 million sports campus in Chicago’s North Austin community. Project partners include By the Hand Club for Kids, Grace and Peace Revive Center, Intentional Sports, the Chicago Fire Foundation and Jason and Vedrana Heyward. The facility will offer education, leadership development and sports training for Chicago youths, including soccer and baseball programming from the Chicago Fire FC and the Jason Heyward Baseball Academy. The project will include 150,000 square feet of indoor space, outdoor turf fields and an indoor turf arena. The campus will offer after-school programming for more than 400 youths. Completion is slated for fall 2022. The State of Illinois provided a $1.5 million capital grant, which will assist with brownfield redevelopment of the former Glidden paint factory. The campus will be developed in partnership with Chicago Neighborhood Initiatives. By the Hand Club for Kids, which is an after-school program, will operate its sixth Chicago-area club at the campus. By the Hand will occupy 30,000 square feet. Grace and Peace Revive Center will offer a food bank, domestic violence counseling, transitional housing and advocacy workshops onsite. Nonprofit organization Intentional Sports will anchor the development. Adult leagues, …
HALTOM CITY, TEXAS — Phoenix-based developer Creation has completed 820 Exchange, a 1 million-square-foot industrial project in the northern Fort Worth suburb of Haltom City. The site is located between Beach Street and Haltom Road, just south of Interstate 820, and houses four buildings that range in size from approximately 139,000 to 426,000 square feet. Building features include 30- to 36-foot clear heights, 180- to 210-foot truck court depths and a total of 140 trailer parking spaces across all four structures. LGE Design Build served as both the project architect and general contractor.