JOLIET, ILL. — Chipotle Mexican Grill has opened at Rock Run Collection in Joliet. The new restaurant features a Chipotlane drive-thru pickup lane for digital orders. The location is expected to bring approximately 30 new jobs to the Joliet area. Chipotle joins the now-open Hollywood Casino Joliet and The View at Rock Run Collection, upscale apartments that are currently leasing. Future tenants will include Drury Hotel, Chick-fil-A and Ricky Rockets. Cullinan Properties is the developer of Rock Run Collection, a mixed-use project spanning more than 300 acres at the intersection of I-55 and I-80.
By David Hodge and Tom Nickols, NAI Pfefferle While the national headlines often focus on trends such as rising vacancies and cooling rent growth, Milwaukee and its surrounding metros are telling a different story. Here resilience defines the market, and in some cases, opportunities are emerging due to our strategic location, balanced development and supportive business climate. Rate cuts change landscape The Federal Reserve’s recent rate cuts have altered the investment landscape. For the first time in years, capital markets are starting to unlock. Lower borrowing costs are already sparking new conversations with investors who had been sitting and waiting on the sidelines. This adjustment matters. Refinancing options are improving for property owners, development projects are resurfacing after being shelved for high financing costs and capital is beginning to flow again. For occupiers, rate cuts also open doors. Lower borrowing costs for developers encourage new construction and tailored build-to-suit options. This ultimately expands the range of available facilities and results in a healthier environment where tenants can negotiate from a position of choice rather than constraint. While many national markets remain hampered by an oversupply of speculative space, Milwaukee’s pipeline positions it for long-term strength compared to its peers. Local …
By Taylor Williams DALLAS — Technological innovation has long been a cornerstone of managing and leasing multifamily properties, and that feature of the business has only been augmented in the era of artificial intelligence (AI). But for all the operational conveniences and efficiencies that AI potentially brings to the table, multifamily management has not yet reached the point of phasing out the human element. Almost immediately after the members of the leasing and management panel at the annual InterFace Multifamily Texas conference had introduced themselves, this fundamental premise of multifamily management was put forth to a crowd of several hundred real estate professionals — men and women who have built careers based on human relationships. The message to those at the conference, which took place in late September at the Westin Galleria Hotel in Dallas, seemed to be one of reassurance, that even as AI seemingly infiltrates every aspect of human life and threatens to void millions of jobs, the human principles that have long governed real estate transactions remain intact. At least for now. Editor’s note: InterFace Conference Group, a division of France Media Inc., produces networking and educational conferences for commercial real estate executives. To sign up for email announcements …
ELMSFORD AND NEW YORK CITY, N.Y. — DLC, in partnership with a fund managed by DRA Advisors, has acquired a multi-state shopping center portfolio in an off-market transaction for $429 million. Totaling 2.1 million square feet, the portfolio comprises eight shopping centers across five states. The seller was not disclosed. The properties include Central Texas Marketplace in Waco, Texas; Portofino Shopping Center in the Houston suburb of Shenandoah; Watauga Pavilion in the Dallas suburb of Watauga; Shops at Park Place in Plano, Texas; Pavilion at King’s Grant in the northeast Charlotte suburb of Concord, N.C.; International Speedway Square in Daytona Beach, Fla.; Peoria Square in Glendale, Ariz.; and Belle Isle Station in Oklahoma City, Okla. The portfolio was 91.3 percent leased at the time of sale. Long-term tenants across the portfolio include Nordstrom Rack, REI, T.J. Maxx, Ross Dress for Less, Dick’s Sporting Goods, HomeGoods, Marshalls, Total Wine & More and Ulta Beauty. This portfolio marks DLC’s first retail acquisitions in Phoenix and Oklahoma and expands the company’s existing presence in Texas and Florida. In October, DLC and DRA Advisors purchased a $625 million retail portfolio on the West Coast. The two organizations have now completed more than $1.7 billion of …
FORT WORTH, TEXAS — Cushman & Wakefield has arranged the sale of Lone Star Commerce Center, a three-building, 380,020-square-foot industrial facility in northwest Fort Worth. Completed in 2021, the shallow-bay, multi-tenant property features 32-foot clear heights, 135- to 185-foot truck courts depths and LED lighting. Jim Carpenter, Jud Clements, Robby Rieke, Emily Brandt and Trevor Berry of Cushman & Wakefield represented the seller, a fund backed by Brookfield Asset Management, in the transaction. The buyer was Transwestern Investment Group. Lone Star Commerce Center was fully leased at the time of sale.
HOUSTON — SLS Properties has purchased TwentyFour25, a 284,889-square-foot vacant office building in Houston’s Galleria district. The 11-story building offers roughly 150,000 rentable square feet across floors two through seven and about 77,000 rentable square feet across floors nine through 11, plus additional space on the first floor. Amenities include a fitness center, conference facilities, tenant lounge and a newly upgraded lobby and other common areas. SLS Properties has also completed numerous upgrades to the building’s systems and plans additional enhancements to the walkway connecting the building to its parking garage. Ownership has tapped Transwestern as the new leasing agent.
DALLAS — Unbridled Living has acquired The Reserve at North Dallas, a 273-unit seniors housing community in Dallas. Built in 2000, the property features 247 independent living apartments and 26 assisted living units. Amenities include a bistro, game room, wellness center, hair salon, library, media room, resident lounge and a putting green. Jay Wagner, Rick Swartz, Aaron Rosenzweig, Jim Dooley and Dan Baker of JLL represented the undisclosed seller in the transaction. Allison Holland, also with JLL, arranged acquisition financing through Arrowmark Partners on behalf of Unbridled Living. The loan carries a three-year term with two 12-month extension options.
DENTON, TEXAS — Helios Healthcare Advisors has brokered the sale of a restored assisted living facility in Denton. Fairhaven Denton Assisted Living was originally developed in the mid-1950s and closed in 2007. In 2019, Austin-based developer Investcor acquired Fairhaven and executed an $8 million renovation of the property, which is now featured on the National Register of Historic Places. Fairhaven reopened in fall 2020 and is now operated by Enriched Senior Living. Helios represented Investcor in the transaction. The buyer was a California-based owner-operator. Fairhaven Denton more than 95 percent occupied at the time of sale.
BOISE, IDAHO — Intercontinental Real Estate Corp., in partnership with Interwest Capital Group, has acquired River Edge, a 175-unit student housing community in Boise. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Located adjacent to Boise State University, River Edge offers 622 beds in a mix of two- and four-bedroom residences, averaging 1,197 square feet. Community amenities include a fitness center, study rooms, a business center, residential lounge/theater, coffee bar and parking for 277 vehicles. The joint venture plans to implement a light renovation program to all of the units, which have remained in their original condition since the property’s construction in 2015. Planned upgrades include stainless steel appliances, modern lighting, new living room furniture, smart TVs in every unit and keyless entry systems to align with market standards. Situated on 3.2 acres at 1004 W. Royal Blvd., River Edge is currently 99 percent leased for the 2025/25 academic year.
FORT WORTH, TEXAS — Atlanta-based Smalls Sliders has signed a franchise agreement to open five new units, dubbed “cans,” in North Fort Worth. Local development group Slidin Thru LLC will operate the new locations. Smalls Sliders has recently opened additional units in Texas, including El Paso, Tomball, Willis and Arlington. Founded in 2019, Smalls Sliders currently has 375 cans open or under development across 30 states.