RICHMOND, VA. — Dallas-based Archon Group has broken ground on its 238,000-square-foot mixed-use development The Corner at Short Pump, located across the street from the Short Pump Town Center in Richmond. The 41-acre project will be anchored by an 86,000-square-foot Kroger Market Store and will feature 79 townhomes. Kroger will open late next year, and the rest of the center will deliver during the first quarter of 2010.
TALLAHASSEE, FLA. — Parrish Group will break ground next January on Persimmon Hill, a development on Thomasville Road in Tallahassee that features 100,000 square feet of retail and office space mixed with 20 boutique home sites. The phased project features 1,000 linear feet of frontage on Thomasville Road and is located adjacent to a 430,000-square-foot retail development. The first phase is expected to deliver in fall 2009.
ENCINITAS, CALIF. — Cardiff, Calif.-based John DeWald & Associates, along with Phase 3 Properties Inc., has broken ground for the development of Pacific Station, a $40 million mixed-use redevelopment project in downtown Encinitas. Located at 687 S. Coast Highway, the transit-oriented project will offer 40,000 square feet of retail space, including a 25,000-square-foot Whole Foods Market, restaurants, public plazas and small shops; 9,000 square feet of office space; and 47 upscale residential townhomes. The design team includes John Maple/Maple Dell + McClellan Architects, Allard Jansen Architects Inc. and Architects Illustrated. The residential portion will feature two-story townhomes, two-story lofts and single-story flats ranging in size from 600 to 2,400 square feet. Additionally, the project is seeking LEED certification. Completion is slated for late 2009 or early 2010.
LEAGUE CITY, TEXAS — Englewood, Colo.-based Deerwood Development Group has received approval for the development of RiverBend on Clear Creek, a 68-acre mixed-use development located near the intersection of Interstate 45 and FM 518 in the Houston suburb of League City. The waterfront project, which is located near a wetland on the south shore of Clear Creek, has been approved for the construction of 320,000 square feet of commercial office and medical space; 50,000 square feet of retail space; a 142-room hotel and convention center; 16,000 square feet of restaurant space; and 750 multifamily residential units that include apartments, townhomes, condominiums, and lofts above the retail and office space. RiverBend on Clear Creek will also feature an 80-slip, public/private marina, as well as nature trails that pass through the undisturbed wetlands on the property. Deerwood has selected Texcor Construction Services to perform mass grading on the site, which the company began in July.
ATLANTA — The New York City office of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP has begun the design phase of the 1 million-square-foot 1400 Peachtree, a mixed-use project being developed by the Atlanta-based companies Shailendra Group and Jamestown. Located at the intersection of Peachtree Street and 17th Street in Atlanta, the property will feature retail and office space, residences and an InterContinental Hotel. The design phase is expected to last 14 to 16 months.
PLANO, TEXAS — Dallas-based Trammell Crow Co. has been selected to develop a new national corporate headquarters for Diodes Inc. within the Legacy mixed-use development in Plano. Diodes will be relocating from its old headquarters at 15660 N. Dallas Pkwy. in Dallas to a 16-acre site at the corner of Legacy Drive and Communications Parkway. The building is expected to range between 70,000 and 75,000 square feet; construction will begin in late 2008 or early 2009. Corgan Associates will design the project. Diodes acquired the 16-acre parcel in June from Trammell Crow, which acquired 404 acres within Legacy in 2006; 264 acres currently remain for sale or development.
THOUSAND OAKS, CALIF. — NewMark Merrill Cos. has broken ground for the development of Thousand Oaks Marketplace, a 155,000-square-foot project in Thousand Oaks. The $40 million project will feature a 125-room Hampton Inn Suites Hotel, a 13,000-square-foot Walgreens Pharmacy and 74,477 square feet of retail space with 10 to 15 stores. The development is situated on a 12-acre site at the corner of Ventu Parkway and Hillcrest Road. Wells Fargo Merchant Bank is providing financing for the project, while McKentley-Malak Architects is providing architectural services. HMH Contractors is serving as general contractor.
LA CANADA FLINTRIDGE, CALIF. — La Canada Properties and Mattix Development Partners are redeveloping La Cañada-Flintridge Town Center in La Canada Flintridge. A 45,000-square-foot Sports Chalet is the first store to open for business at the property, which is located at Foothill Boulevard and Angelus Crest Highway. The 11-acre site features 144,000 square feet of development, including two major retail tenants, five shop buildings, a freestanding parking structure and the existing Sports Chalet corporate office building. A collaborative effort between Long Beach, Calif.-based Perkowitz+Ruth Architects and Studio One Eleven, the revitalized center will also feature a new infrastructure and a public park. Other tenants will open as respective tenant improvements are completed.
DAVIDSON, N.C. — Martin Kerr & Associates is in the final stages of approval for the two-building, 40,000-square-foot Davidson Commons East, located at Exit 30 off Interstate 77 in Davidson. Both buildings will feature office or retail space, with condominiums on the top floors. The development team, which includes Flat Creek Construction, the land planners Cole, Jenest and Stone and The Wilson Group Architects, will commence site work within the next few months. The project is expected to deliver first quarter 2010.
PHILADELPHIA — Footbridge Capital will proceed with the foreclosure sale of two development sites totaling 2.2 acres that are located at the northwest corner of North Delaware Avenue and Poplar Street in the River District neighborhood of Philadelphia. The properties were zoned and approved for the development of a 2.1 million-square-foot, high-rise, mixed-use project. They were acquired by 2945 Poplar Development LLC in January 2007, but the company defaulted on its mortgage loan with Footbridge Capital. The development parcel is located adjacent to SugarHouse, a 1.3 million-square-foot casino project currently under development, and is located less than 2 miles from Foxwoods Casino, a 3.7 million-square-foot casino project that is also under development. Foreclosure proceedings for the land parcel will be conducted by the U.S. Marshal in Philadelphia’s Federal Courthouse.