PLANO, TEXAS — J.C. Penney has drafted and filed an asset purchase agreement (APA), effectively moving the Plano-based retailer one step closer to concluding negotiations for its acquisition by Brookfield Asset Management and Simon Property Group, a $1.75 billion deal that was announced in September. J.C. Penney CEO Jill Soltau described this filing as “another important milestone in our restructuring plan” that should help the company shed its Chapter 11 bankruptcy status in time for the holiday shopping season. A hearing to seek court approval for the transaction is expected to be scheduled for early November 2020. If court approval is received and other closing conditions in the APA are met, the sale of J.C. Penney’s retail and operating assets should close by December, company officials said.
DALLAS — Harwood International has unveiled plans for a new 360,000-square-foot office project that will be located in the company’s 19-block Harwood District in between Uptown and downtown Dallas. The 27-story building will feature a 17,000-square-foot rooftop terrace and sky garden, as well as a fitness center with locker rooms and multi-purpose flex space for conferences, catering or other curated events. The design and architecture firms behind Harwood No. 14 are Dallas-based HDF (architect of record), Dallas-based Corgan (associate architect) and Tokyo-based architect Kengo Kuma & Associates (design architect). Construction is scheduled to begin this winter.
URBANDALE, IOWA — Stahl is underway on the construction of the Millard A. Olmsted Elementary School within the Urbandale Community School District near Des Moines. The two-story, 118,000-square-foot elementary school will feature classrooms, auxiliary spaces, a kitchen and cafeteria, gymnasium and administration area. The $28 million building, located at 7110 Prairie Ave., will replace the previous Olmsted Elementary School. Demolition of the old school began in July 2019. The new school is expected to house up to 650 students with future expansion capabilities. It is slated for completion in May 2021.
PLANO, TEXAS — Cawley Partners has broken ground on The Parkwood, a 120,000-square-foot office project that will be located at 3930 N. Dallas Tollway in Plano. Designed by global architecture firm Gensler, the Class A building will serve as the headquarters for First United Mortgage, which will occupy more than 50 percent of the leasable space and open a First United Bank branch on the main floor. Other building features include spacious floor plates, a fitness center and a 4:1000 parking ratio. Ridgemont Construction is the general contractor for the project, which is expected to be complete in November 2021. Cawley Partners also recently announced plans to develop a 150,000-square-foot office project near Dallas Love Field Airport.
ROCHESTER, MINN. — Kraus-Anderson has completed the adaptive reuse and construction of the Development Services and Infrastructure Center and the North Station for the Rochester Police Department (RPD) in southern Minnesota. The total project investment was $18.4 million. As space became limited at City Hall, the City of Rochester bought the former Think Bank building and land in 2016 in order to relocate the RPD and the city’s newly formed Development Services and Infrastructure team, which includes the Community Development Department, Building Safety and Public Works. Designed by BKV Group, the 47,000-square-foot transformation of the Think Bank building began in July 2019.
HIGHLAND, ILL. —The City of Highland has selected S.M. Wilson & Co. to build a new $6.5 million public safety building. The 27,930-square-foot facility will house the city’s police, fire and EMS departments under one roof. A committee of public safety employees worked alongside the project architect, Loyet Architects. Completion is slated for summer 2021. Highland is located about 35 miles east of St. Louis.
CASSVILLE, MO. — Westco Home Furnishings Co. has signed a 10-year, 13,325-square-foot retail lease at Cassville Plaza in Southwest Missouri’s Cassville. The furniture retailer maintains 12 locations across Missouri, Kansas and Oklahoma. Midwest Retail Properties (MRP) owns Cassville Plaza, which is a Walmart-anchored shopping center. Other tenants at the property include Tractor Supply and Dollar Tree. Westco is relocating from its current space on 8th Street. Tom Heintz of MRP is working with Westco to manage the buildout of the space. Westco anticipates opening for business at the new location in February.
ST. PETERS, MO. — Pappy’s Smokehouse is the latest business to join the tenant roster at The Shoppes at Mid Rivers in the suburban St. Louis community of St. Peters. The 2,800-square-foot restaurant is expected to open by the end of this month. This is the second location for Pappy’s, which serves signature dry-rubbed baby back ribs. GBT Realty Corp. owns The Shoppes at Mid Rivers, which opened in 2018 and is home to a mix of retailers such as Academy Sports, HomeGoods, Ulta, Marshalls and Outback Steakhouse.
MCKINNEY, TEXAS — Locally based owner-operator Conti Organization has acquired Rustic of McKinney, a 260-unit apartment community located at 2700 N. Brook Drive on the northern outskirts of Dallas. Built in 1997, the garden-style property is situated on 13 acres and offers amenities such as a newly renovated clubhouse, pool, outdoor kitchen and dog park. Taylor Hill, Michael Ware, Jay Gunn, Tom Burns and Will Jarnagin of Berkadia brokered the deal, the seller of which was not disclosed.
DALLAS — Locally based developer Todd Interests has pegged Friday, Nov. 14 for the grand opening of its 219-room Thompson Dallas hotel, the first property in the city to carry the brand. The project is a redevelopment of a historic building located at 205 N. Akard St in the city’s Downtown Historic District. The design team included Dallas-based Merriman/Anderson Architects (building), Cindy Zelazny of Interiors Limited and Todd Interests co-owner Caroline Todd (interior) and SWA Group (landscaping). Amenities include a full-service spa, fitness and wellness center, pool, ballroom and multiple dining venues. Thompson Hotels is a boutique lifestyle hospitality brand that was founded in 2001.