CHARLOTTE, N.C. — North Carolina-based Grubb Properties has broken ground on a mixed-use complex, located at 1515 Elizabeth Ave. in Charlotte, featuring a 78,000-square-foot medical office building, 20,000-square feet of retail space and the 282-unit Sterling Elizabeth Apartment Homes. The site is located near the entrance to Presbyterian Hospital and is part of the overall Elizabeth Avenue development plan that calls for 250,000 square feet of retail, 340,000 square feet of office space and 850 residences. Grubb Properties’ project is expected to cost $75 million and will deliver in early 2010.
NAPLES, FLA. — A 53,000-square-foot Whole Foods has opened its doors at The Mercato, a mixed-use project spanning 53 acres at the intersection of U.S. 41 North and Vanderbilt Beach Road in Naples. The center, a joint venture between The Lutgert Companies and Barron Collier Cos., will welcome more tenant openings in the coming months, with a grand opening slated for next year.
TEMPE, ARIZ. — Opus West Corp. has partnered with US Airways to develop Tempe Gateway, a mixed-use project at the corner of Mill Avenue and Third Street in Tempe. The eight-story, 260,000-square-foot development will feature retail, entertainment and office space. The ground level will offer 25,000 square feet of retail and restaurant space, while the remaining floors will offer 235,000 square feet of office space. Additionally, the project features a 1,000-plus-space above-ground parking garage. The project, which offers light rail access, is employing green design elements to create a sustainable project.
TAMPA, FLA. — Taylor & Mathis of Florida and MetLife Insurance Co. have tapped Florida-based api(+) to help design the more than 1 million square-foot MetWest, a mixed-use project spanning 31 acres across from the International Plaza shopping center in Tampa. The property will feature 77,000 square feet of retail space mixed with office, hotel and residential components. api(+) will provide design services for the retail and restaurant spaces as well as developing the graphic identity, wayfinding and environmental graphics programs.
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.