SOUTHLAKE, TEXAS — RREAF Holdings LLC has broken ground on Phase I of a 16-acre mixed-use project in Southlake, a northern suburb of Fort Worth. A 239-room hotel will anchor the property, which could ultimately feature as much as 240,000 square feet of office, retail and restaurant space. Completion of the hotel is scheduled for fall 2020. The project team includes general contractor Hill & Wilkinson, architect Merriman Anderson Architects, civil engineer Cole Engineering, mortgage banker Staghorn Capital Partners and construction lenders Bancorp South and Mosaic Real Estate Investors.
KNOXVILLE, TENN. — Mallory & Evans Partners LLC has acquired the Kern’s Bakery site, an opportunity zone near downtown Knoxville and the University of Tennessee. The Atlanta-based developers plan to transform the area as a mixed-use development that will preserve the historic building to include retail, restaurant, entertainment and office space. A 160-unit multifamily complex and a hotel will also be included in the 16-acre development area. The development will occur in three phases beginning in July and culminating in August 2020. The first phase will be the multifamily component, which will be designed to appeal to young professionals. Phase II will include the restaurants, retail and office space. Kern’s Bakery will comprise 75,000 square feet of space. The third phase will include the hotel. The design team includes Jimmy Ryan of Knoxville’s Johnson as the architect and Fulghum, MacIndoe, and Associates Inc. will provide civil engineering services.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Ready Capital has provided a $22.6 million loan for General Assembly, a redevelopment of the longtime home of City North Business Center in Charlotte. The non-recourse, floating rate loan features a 48-month term, one extension option, 36-months of interest only and flexible pre-payment. The site is situated on 8.1 acres in the NoDa-North End submarket of Charlotte and was the longtime home of City North Business Center which was originally built in the 1930s. The borrower, Artesia Real Estate, plans to redevelop the site to include 100,000 square feet of office space and 24,000 square feet of retail and brewery space. The project is slated for completion in late 2020. In addition to the redevelopment, loan proceeds are being used to refinance the acquisition loan. Doug Opalka, Robert Wooten and Cory Fowler of HFF arranged the loan on behalf of the borrower.
POWAY, CALIF. — Parkview Financial has funded a $31.8 million construction loan to San Diego-based Poway Property LP for the development of Outpost, a mixed-use project located at 13247 Poway Road in Poway. Upon completion, the three-building property will feature 53 apartment units and ground-floor retail space, which is fully pre-leased to Crunch Fitness and Three Local Brothers. Additionally, the asset will include two levels of underground parking offering a total of 337 parking spaces. The residential portion of the property will feature 16 one-bedroom, 22 two-bedroom and 15 three-bedroom units with stainless steel appliances, stone countertops and engineered hardwood/vinyl flooring. On-site community amenities will include patios, a courtyard, rooftop deck and leasing office. Construction began last summer, with completion slated for 2020.
STUART, FLA. — Confluent Senior Living and Harbor Retirement Associates (HRA) have broken ground on HarborChase of Stuart, a 128,000-square-foot assisted living and memory care facility located at 786 N.W. Federal Highway in Stuart. HarborChase of Stuart will offer 96 assisted living and 38 memory care apartments available in one- and two-bedroom units. Confluent Senior Living, a subsidiary of the Denver-based real estate investment and development firm Confluent Development, serves as the project owner. HRA will manage HarborChase of Stuart. The project is anticipated to open in summer 2020. Confluent Senior Living and HRA previously co-developed and opened their first Florida seniors housing community in Wildwood in 2018.
LAS VEGAS — Besides rampant store closures, one of the biggest challenges retail developers currently face is high construction costs. An ongoing labor shortage, higher prices on certain materials that have been tariffed, and the general impact of inflation have all driven costs of new development to historically high levels. That said, developers that play the long game and have the vision and resources to execute multiple uses are up for the challenge. Structured Development, a Chicago-based real estate firm that builds a variety of project types, but tends to specialize in retail and mixed-use, is an example of such a company. Jeff Berta, the company’s senior director of real estate, met with REBusinessOnline at this year’s ICSC RECon show in Las Vegas to discuss current trends within the retail sector and the challenges of executing mixed-use developments. Berta has held a number of positions in the real estate development, construction management and architecture fields. What follows is an edited transcript of the conversation. REBusinessOnline.com: Construction costs are very high right now and are making projects more difficult to pencil out. What’s the real story behind these rising costs as it pertains to developing a mixed-use project? Jeff Berta: There …
Like many U.S. cities, Wichita’s downtown has experienced an unprecedented revitalization in recent years, with new development and the reimagining of older structures. Growth in the core is not slowing anytime soon if current projects under construction or on the drawing board are any indication. A number of projects, revolving around a new baseball stadium, are poised to inject new life into the historic Delano District. Plans for a new performing arts center are under discussion, and major mixed-use developments and public improvement projects along East Douglas Avenue are positioned to enhance the link between Delano and the city’s Old Town district. According to the organization Downtown Wichita, more than $1 billion has been invested in the urban core in the last 10 years, $631 million of which was private investment. The city center has retained a number of high-profile businesses after a decade of notable companies relocating to northeast suburban office locations. Project pipeline Following the recent addition of more than 800 apartment units in and around the central business district, commercial activity is on the upswing. The Spaghetti Works District, expected to be completed this fall, is a $23 million mixed-use development led by TGC Development Group and …
NEW YORK CITY — Madison Realty Capital (MRC) has provided a $50 million first mortgage loan for the development of a mixed-use project in Brooklyn that will include 41 residential units and 12,625 square feet of ground-floor retail space. An office building and additional development site located in the borough’s Broadway Triangle neighborhood partially collateralize the loan. According to local media sources, the borrowers were Abraham Brach and Parkview Management, which will use the proceeds to retire existing debt and fund construction of the mixed-use property. Construction is expected to be complete by the fourth quarter.
WILMINGTON, DEL. — Capital One has provided a $68 million loan for the redevelopment of a portion of the former office campus of pharmaceutical firm AstraZeneca in Wilmington, Delaware. The borrower, Brandywine Investment Group II, acquired the site in 2017 in a sale-leaseback deal and will use the new proceeds to fund construction of a 1,373-space parking garage, as well as to fund tenant improvements and leasing commissions. The loan, which features a five-year term and an adjustable interest rate, also provides working capital for pre-development costs for the remainder of the project. Current plans for the new project, known as Avenue North, call for about 350 apartments, 150,000 square feet of retail space, 100,000 square feet of office space and a 200-room hotel. Jeff Wallace of Capital One originated the transaction on behalf of Brandywine Investment Group II, an affiliate of local developer Delle Donne & Associates.
A renaissance is underway in Topeka, Kansas, with undeniable momentum as new commercial, industrial and residential developments emerge citywide. The year 2015 was pivotal with a $9.4 million public-private investment in infrastructure and amenities along Kansas Avenue downtown. Local investors have purchased more than 25 buildings on the avenue for gradual restoration into thriving businesses like Iron Rail Brewing, The Pennant, Cyrus Hotel and Kansas Avenue Lofts. The 45,000-square-foot Evergy Plaza is slated to open in March 2020 in the shadow of the Kansas Statehouse. A crowning jewel of downtown development, the plaza will feature a 50-foot performance stage, digital screen, programmable fountains, fireplaces and an ice skating rink during the winter. According to a recent market study, growth in the Capital City shows no signs of slowing down. St. Louis-based Development Strategies says downtown could support expansion over the next decade to include 900 new or rehabilitated housing units, 300,000 square feet of new or rehabilitated office space, 690,000 square feet of retail space and at least 200 more hotel rooms. “Investments downtown enhance quality of life and quality of place to help attract and retain a workforce that will take us into the next 15 to 20 years,” …