Thursday, April 23, 2026
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DevelopmentMichiganMidwestMultifamilyStudent Housing

Subtext Opens 741-Bed VERVE Ann Arbor Student Housing Community at University of Michigan

by Kristin Harlow

ANN ARBOR, MICH. — Subtext has opened VERVE Ann Arbor, a 12-story, 741-bed student housing development near the University of Michigan. Located at 721 S. Forest St., the 328,264-square-foot project includes 217 units ranging from studios to six-bedroom layouts. The property also features a ground-level, full-service lobby coffee shop operated by local favorite, Misfit Society Coffee Club. Additional amenities include a rooftop with a pool deck, hot tub, outdoor kitchen, grilling stations, jumbotron and yard games. Residents have access to a penthouse clubroom, two-story fitness center, yoga studio, private conference rooms, a dog park, electric package locker, bike storage and electric vehicle charging stations. Subtext developed the property in partnership with FrontRange Capital and Kayne Anderson Real Estate. A syndicate of lenders led by Webster Bank structured the financing. WDG Architecture led the design, and ESG Architecture & Design handled the interiors. Brinkmann Constructors was the general contractor.

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IllinoisLeasing ActivityLife SciencesMidwest

University of Chicago Expands Lease to 155,000 SF at Hyde Park Labs on City’s South Side

by Kristin Harlow

CHICAGO — Beacon Capital Partners and Trammell Crow Co. (TCC) have inked a new lease expansion with the University of Chicago at Hyde Park Labs in Chicago. The private research university will occupy more than 155,000 square feet and is expected to move into its new space by the second quarter of 2026. The announcement was made at the grand opening of Hyde Park Labs and UChicago’s Science Incubator on Tuesday, Sept. 16. The university’s new space, including 101,199 square feet across the building’s top three floors, will support research initiatives in areas such as cancer, metastasis, biochemistry and molecular biology. UChicago’s original lease included space for faculty research and the new incubator, which is a partnership between the Polsky Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation and Portal Innovations. Six UChicago-affiliated companies are among the incubator’s first tenants: memQ, Exactics, Signl, Cell Therapy, ZipBionexus Tech and Neuro Innovations. In partnership with the university, the ground floor of the building will also initially host IBM’s next-generation modular quantum computer, called IBM Quantum System Two. Located at 5207 S. Harper Ave., Hyde Park Labs is the South Side of Chicago’s first commercial, purpose-built advanced R&D lab building, according to TCC. Delivered earlier this …

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AcquisitionsIllinoisMidwestRetail

Continuum Development Buys Church Street Plaza Retail Complex in Evanston, Illinois for $31.2M

by Kristin Harlow

EVANSTON, ILL. — Continuum Development has acquired Church Street Plaza, a 144,833-square-foot retail complex in Evanston, for $31.2 million. Located at 900-950 N. Church St., the property spans a full city block with immediate access to CTA and Metra rail lines and is situated approximately a half mile from Northwestern University. Built in 2000 and redeveloped in 2023, the asset is 98 percent leased with tenants including a 12-screen AMC movie theater, Sky Zone indoor entertainment park and other stores and restaurants. Earlier this year, Continuum proposed the addition of a 27-story, 358-unit multifamily tower on the northwest corner of Church Street Plaza.

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AcquisitionsIllinoisMidwestRetail

JLL Arranges $21.1M Sale of Levee District Shopping Center in East Peoria, Illinois

by Kristin Harlow

EAST PEORIA, ILL. — JLL Capital Markets has arranged the $21.1 million sale of The Levee District, a 137,304-square-foot open-air shopping center in East Peoria. Michael Nieder and Brian Page of JLL represented the seller, Cullinan Properties Ltd., and procured the buyer, Chase Properties. Developed in 2013, the retail power center consists of three buildings that are 94 percent leased. Anchor tenants include Ulta, Best Buy, Ross Dress for Less and Boot Barn. The Levee District is the most trafficked shopping center in a 50-mile radius with more than 4 million annual visitors, according to JLL.

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DevelopmentIndustrialMidwestMinnesota

Zenith IOS Completes 40,000 SF Cold Storage Build-to-Suit for Kemps in Minneapolis

by Kristin Harlow

MINNEAPOLIS — Zenith Industrial Outdoor Storage (IOS) has completed a cold storage build-to-suit for Kemps, a farmer-owned brand of Dairy Farmers of America. Kemps signed a 15-year lease for the property in Minneapolis. Zenith acquired the 11-acre site, formerly home to a heavy industrial metal recycling business, in June 2022. In conjunction with Bainey & Co. as general contractor, Zenith converted the property into a 40,000-square-foot cold storage and dairy distribution hub. Kemps traces its Minneapolis roots back to 1914, when William Kemps and Walter Lathrop founded the Lathrop-Kemps Ice Cream Co. at 222 Fifth St. Now based in St. Paul, Kemps maintains approximately 1,000 employees and is a producer of milk and other dairy products. The company currently operates seven manufacturing facilities in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, Illinois and Indiana. The new cold storage distribution site will also support the company’s bottling facility, located roughly one mile away. CBRE is currently marketing the southern parcel of the site for sale. It includes a 22,000-square-foot warehouse on the remaining 3 acres of land.

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Market ReportsMidwestMidwest Market ReportsMultifamily

How to Design for Multifamily Growth in the Midwest

by Kristin Harlow

By Yanitza Brongers-Marrero, Moody Nolan Rent growth in cities across the Midwest is booming, encouraging developers and municipalities alike to ramp up investment in the region. As interest shifts away from coastal markets that became overbuilt during the pandemic, the Midwest’s stability and growth potential are coming into sharper focus.  Columbus, Ohio, is leading the charge with adding 30,348 new residents in the past year, a 1.4 percent growth rate that outpaces both the national (1 percent) and Midwest (0.6 percent) averages, according to the latest U.S. Census estimates. Projections suggest the region could gain another million residents by 2050, underscoring its long-term demand for housing.  Chicago, meanwhile, remains the Midwest’s economic engine. The metro area ranks third in the U.S. by GDP at $860 billion and saw a 4.6 percent year-over-year rent growth in June, according to CoStar. The city also added 22,164 residents from mid-2023 to mid-2024, marking the seventh-largest population gain in the U.S.  Together, these cities, along with Minneapolis, are shaping the next chapter of multifamily investment and housing innovation in the Midwest.  What are the major influences you’re seeing fuel the growth in demand for multifamily projects in the Midwest?  Being five years out from …

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DevelopmentIllinoisLoansMidwestMultifamilyOffice

Mavrek, ACRES Receive Financing for Conversion of Chicago Office Building into 252 Apartment Units

by Kristin Harlow

CHICAGO — Mavrek and ACRES Commercial Realty Corp. have received financing for the conversion of 65 E Wacker Place, an historic office building in Chicago, into apartments. The development will be named Wacker Place. With the issuance of the full building permit, interior construction is poised to begin. The property will be redeveloped into a 252-unit luxury apartment complex. The project team includes McHugh Construction and architect Pappageorge Haymes Partners. Chris Knight of JLL represented the development team in the placement of debt. The financing includes a $62.4 million senior loan from Derby Lane Partners and an $11 million loan from Hoyne Savings Bank. The project’s capital stack includes more than $17 million in federal and Illinois state historic tax credits, which were monetized through PNC Bank. Wacker Place will offer a mix of studios, one- and two-bedroom units. Amenities will include a coworking lounge, fitness center and rooftop deck. Morton’s The Steakhouse will continue its tenancy on the ground floor. The property was originally constructed as the Millinery Mart Building and later served as the home of the Esquire offices.

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DevelopmentIndianaMidwestMultifamily

Flaherty & Collins Underway on Development of $38M Apartment Complex in Richmond, Indiana

by Kristin Harlow

RICHMOND, IND. — Flaherty & Collins is underway on the development of 6Main, a $38 million luxury apartment complex in Richmond, a city in eastern Indiana. The 150-unit project is being built on the site of the former Elder-Beerman department store and will include 3,000 square feet of first-floor retail space. Amenities will include a fitness center, pool, outdoor and indoor lounges, a pet spa and dog park. Leasing is anticipated to begin in late 2026 ahead of the grand opening in spring 2027.

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AcquisitionsIllinoisIndustrialMidwestMissouri

MAG Capital Partners Buys 165,000 SF Food-Grade Production Portfolio in Metro Chicago, Kansas City

by Kristin Harlow

CHICAGO AND KANSAS CITY, MO. — MAG Capital Partners has purchased two food-grade production facilities via a sale-leaseback in metro Chicago and Kansas City. The seller was a provider of ingredients for food, pet and personal care segments. The portfolio comprises 165,000 square feet of manufacturing, warehousing and R&D space on 33 acres.

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IllinoisIndustrialLeasing ActivityMidwest

ML Realty Partners Secures 132,892 SF Lease for Industrial Property in Woodridge, Illinois

by Kristin Harlow

WOODRIDGE, ILL. — ML Realty Partners has secured a lease agreement with Rowan Electric Appliance LLC for a newly constructed industrial building totaling 132,892 square feet in Woodridge. The tenant will utilize the facility for warehousing and distribution of household refrigeration and heating appliances. The property features a clear height of 32 feet, 38 exterior truck docks and two drive-in doors. Alex Zhang of Topsky Realty Inc. and Pengfei Zhang of Cloudup Realty LLC represented the tenant, while Mark Moran, Dan Leahy and John Whitehad of NAI Hiffman represented the landlord.

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