TORONTO — Slate Retail REIT has reported during its second quarter earnings call that it experienced the best quarter of leasing since its founding in 2014. The Toronto-based company, which owns and operates 46 grocery-anchored shopping centers in the Southeastern United States, reports that it completed 464,326 square feet of lease renewals and 54,365 square feet of new leasing at its 70 total locations. The 518,691 square feet total is a 60 percent jump over second-quarter 2019. The REIT’s portfolio occupancy rate dropped 0.6 percent in the three months ending June 30 to 92.2 percent. Slate also reported that 62 percent of its tenant portfolio is deemed “essential” during the pandemic. These tenants include grocery stores, medical services and financial institutions. Slate was able to collect 89 percent of contractual rent for the second quarter. The company collected 91 percent of rent checks in July. The REIT expects to substantially collect outstanding billings through immediate cash collection or deferral programs. Furthermore, pending approval from the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX), the company will rebrand to Slate Grocery REIT.
SUMMERVILLE, S.C. — Frampton Construction Co. LLC has delivered a 211,000-square-foot industrial expansion for IFA Group, a German-based auto parts supplier, in Summerville. The property, situated within Charleston Trade Center, features 32-foot ceilings, a second cafeteria and 16,000 square feet of office space on the second floor. The building now totals 448,765 square feet. The Keith Corp. is the developer of Charleston Trade Center, which is situated adjacent to Interstate 26 and 27 miles northwest of the Port of Charleston. McMillan Pazdan Smith Architecture designed the project.
GALLATIN, TENN. — Penler has broken ground on a yet-to-be-named, 240-unit garden-style apartment complex in Gallatin. The property will offer one-, two- and three-bedroom floor plans averaging 1,003 square feet. Communal amenities will include a 24-hour fitness center, pool, grilling area, playground and a club lounge with package lockers. Unit interiors will feature open floor plans, stainless steel kitchen appliances, granite countertops, nine-foot ceilings and ceiling fans. Penler expects to open the property in fall 2021. The Gallatin community will be situated at 270 Douglas Bend Road, 24 miles northeast of downtown Nashville. Dynamik Design is the architect, Crosby Design Group is the interior designer and Hardaway Construction is the general contractor.
FAIRFAX, VA. — Government contractor KBR Inc. has signed a 10-year, 12,723-square-foot office lease at 2677 Prosperity Ave. in Fairfax. The seven-story, 166,266-square-foot building is situated 15 miles west of downtown Washington, D.C. Andy Klaff and Dominic Orcio of Newmark Knight Frank (NKF) represented the landlord, a joint venture between Office Properties Income Trust and Coakley Prosperity of Virginia LLC, in the transaction. Samuel Heiber and Tom Birnbach of Cresa represented the tenant, which plans to move into the space in October. The RMR Group manages the property. KBR is an engineering firm that was formerly a subsidiary of Halliburton.
TEXARKANA, TEXAS — Defense contractor and aerospace firm Lockheed Martin has signed a 220,000-square-foot industrial lease at TexAmericas Center in Texarkana, located near the Texas-Arkansas border. Lockheed Martin will utilize a portion of the floor space at Building 333, which is currently leased to Red River Army Depot (RRAD), to support the Multiple Launch Rocket System (MLRS) Fleet Expansion Program. The contract with RRAD is valued at $77 million and runs from 2020 to 2024. The building will undergo improvements requested and paid for by Lockheed Martin as part of its public/private partnership with RRAD. TexAmericas Center is one of the largest owner-operators of industrial real estate in the country, with roughly 12,000 development-ready acres and about 3 million square feet of commercial and industrial product serving four states.
HOUSTON — Gulf Coast Commercial Group is nearing completion of the initial phase of Lower Heights, a 24-acre mixed-use project located just west of downtown Houston. The project is being developed on an assemblage of former industrial sites fronting Interstate 10. The most recent addition to Lower Heights is a 35,000-square-foot office building with street-level retail space that has been preleased to Central Bank and coworking operator SheSpace. The development also features a 375-unit apartment community that is branded Alexan Lower Heights. Move-ins are underway at the five-story property, which offers studio, one- and two-bedroom units and Class A amenities. Lastly, Lower Heights includes a 37,000-square-foot retail block that houses Total Wine and Ulta Beauty. Future phases call for additional retail, office and multifamily uses.
RICHARDSON, TEXAS — Texas Excavation Safety System has signed a 29,343-square-foot office lease at 1410 E. Renner Road in the northeastern Dallas suburb of Richardson. Dave Peterson, Mark Robertson and Jimmy Freeman of NAI Robert Lynn represented the tenant in the lease negotiations. The name and representative of the landlord were not disclosed.
CYPRESS, TEXAS — NAI Partners has brokered the sale of a 6,000-square-foot industrial property located at 16643 Telge Road in the northwestern Houston suburb of Cypress. Travis Land and A.J. Williams of NAI Partners represented the seller, JDFM Telge LLC, in the transaction. Jared Clayton represented the buyer, GKCG Properties.
HOUSTON — Post Oak ER will open a 5,575-square-foot healthcare clinic at Tanglewood Shopping Center, a 48,306-square-foot property located in Houston’s Uptown neighborhood. Chadd Bolding of Colliers International represented the tenant, which expects to open in October, in the lease negotiations. Josh Friedlander of NewQuest Properties represented the landlord, RPI Management Co. LLC.
NEW YORK CITY — Locally based developer Bespoke Living has topped out 300 West, a 15-story condominium tower located at the corner of 122nd Street and Frederick Douglass Boulevard in South Harlem. Designed by Issac & Stern Architects, the property will feature 170 units in studio, one-, two-, three- and four-bedroom units. Amenities will include a pool, fitness center, a rooftop terrace with outdoor grilling stations, a children’s activity area, package lockers and bike storage space. The development team expects to begin closing sales by the end of the year. Prices start at roughly $500,000.