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.
LIMERICK, PA. — King of Prussia, Pa.-based O’Neill Properties Group has announced plans for Sanatoga Springs, a 66-acre mixed-use project located in Limerick. Phase I of the project will total 477,500 square feet and comprises one entertainment element, one anchor tenant and more than 200,000 square feet of restaurant, retail and hospitality space. Construction plans also include the extension of Lightcap Road, which serves as the access point for the project and Philadelphia Premium Outlets, a 555,000-square-foot outlet center located adjacent to Sanatoga Springs. Phase I is scheduled to open in the first quarter of 2010.
COLUMBIA, MO. — Forum Development Group has announced plans for Discovery, a 220-acre mixed-use community, which will be located on the west side of the new Highway 63 interchange at Discovery Parkway in Columbia. The property is situated near Columbia’s new A. Perry Phillips regional park and lake, the new Columbia Catholic high school, the Bristol Lake residential community and a multi-phase life science research park developed by the University of Missouri. Current plans for the development include a lifestyle center with retail and restaurant pad sites, two office districts, as well as upscale apartments and condominiums. Additionally, a hotel and convention center will be located at Discovery. Crawford Architects is providing architectural services for the project.
DALLAS — Dallas-based Harvest Partners has signed a tenant for 50,000 square feet of office space at Park Lane, a 33.5-acre mixed-use development located in Dallas. The space will be occupied by Kosmos Energy, which is the first tenant to sign with the office component of the project. Upon completion in spring 2009, Park Lane will contain 750,000 square feet of office space.
LOWER MERION, PA. — The state of Pennsylvania has awarded $6 million in grant funding to Lower Merion Township to assist in the development of the Ardmore Station mixed-use redevelopment project. The township is working with Dranoff Properties to master plan the redevelopment and revitalization of the Ardmore Transit Center and central business district. Initial plans for the $180 million, transit-oriented development call for a new train station, 335 residences, 30,000 square feet of retail and restaurant space, 8,500 square feet of office space, and approximately 750 parking spaces. The project is expected to take 5 years to complete.