HOUSTON — Fort Worth-based Trademark Property Co. and owner-operator MetroNational have begun the redevelopment of the 1.7 million-square-foot Memorial City Mall in Houston into a mixed-use destination. The project began on Tuesday with the demolition of the building formerly occupied by Sears, which was the mall’s original anchor tenant beginning in 1966. Gensler and Stantec are leading the project’s design efforts. Specific uses for the completed redevelopment have not yet been disclosed.
SAN ANTONIO — Locally based developer Koontz Corp. has sold Foster Ridge Distribution Center, a 327,000-square-foot industrial facility located at the junction of Foster Road and Interstate 10 in San Antonio. Koontz completed the Class A facility in October 2019. The buyer is metro Philadelphia-based industrial owner and developer Exeter Property Group. Building features at Foster Ridge Distribution Center include 32-foot clear heights, 75 dock-high overhead doors, 130-foot truck courts and an ESFR sprinkler system. Trent Agnew of JLL represented Koontz Corp. in the sale, and Exeter Property Group was self-represented.
HOUSTON — Mill Creek Residential has broken ground on Modera Washington, a 341-unit multifamily project that will be located at 2520 Washington Ave. adjacent to Houston’s Old Sixth Ward Historic District. Modera Washington will feature studio, one- and two-bedroom units with 10-foot ceilings, stainless steel appliances and quartz countertops. Amenities will include a rooftop deck, pool, outdoor grilling areas, a game room, fitness center, private office space and a golf simulator. The first units are expected to be available for occupancy in late 2021.
CLEAR LAKE, TEXAS — Vista Cos., a Houston-based development and management firm, has acquired two office and retail properties totaling 30,061 square feet in the Clear Lake area, located on the city’s southeast side. The assets had a combined occupancy rate of 95 percent at the time of sale. James Bell of Marcus & Millichap represented the seller, Visionary Investors Ltd., in the transaction. Frost Bank provided acquisition financing.
INDIANAPOLIS — During its second-quarter earnings call on Monday, Simon Property Group (NYSE: SPG) said it is “capitalizing on various value-creating opportunities.” Sparc Group, a joint venture between Simon and Authentic Brands Group, made bids to acquire bankrupt retailers Brooks Brothers and Lucky Brand. Brooks Brothers has selected Sparc as the winning bidder with a $325 million offer. Since Sparc is buying the brands out of bankruptcy, it is acquiring the inventory at or below cost, according to David Simon, CEO and president. In its second quarter that ended June 30, the Indianapolis-based mall giant reported that net income fell to $254.2 million compared with $495.3 million in 2019. As of June 30, occupancy at Simon’s U.S. malls and outlet centers was 92.9 percent. Base minimum rent per square foot was $56.02, an increase of 2.8 percent year over year. Due to COVID-19, Simon closed all of its properties on March 18 and began reopening them on May 1. As of Aug. 7, some 91 percent of the tenants across Simon’s portfolio were open and operating. Simon collected approximately 51 percent of its contractual rent billed for April and May combined, 69 percent for June and 73 percent for July. …
BERKELEY, MO. — Provender Partners has sold a 232,556-square-foot distribution center leased to Dollar General in Berkeley near St. Louis. Provender also sold a separate Dollar General-occupied distribution center in San Antonio along with the Berkeley facility for a total of nearly $64 million. Provender acquired both facilities in 2019 and invested more than $6 million in improvements and renovations before securing 10-year leases with Dollar General for both properties. With freezer, cooler and dry storage space, the properties are part of Dollar General’s new DG Fresh initiative to bring logistics capabilities in-house. Guy Ponticello and Robert Gibson of CBRE and Scott Delphey of Food Properties Group represented Provender in the sale. The buyer was undisclosed.
SHAKOPEE, MINN. — The Opus Group has broken ground on a 131,000-square-foot industrial build-to-suit for Cherne Industries in Shakopee, a southwestern suburb of the Twin Cities. Cherne, which produces pneumatic plugs, mechanical plugs, gauges and testing equipment, will use the building as its new headquarters and manufacturing facility. The project will feature a clear height of 32 feet, eight dock doors, three drive-in doors and 177 car parking stalls. The company’s 115-person workforce will have access to amenities such as a fitness center, locker room and prayer room. Opus is the developer, design-builder, interior designer, architect and engineer. Cabot Properties will own the building. Colliers International represented Opus, while AREA Commercial Real Estate Advisors represented Cherne. CBRE facilitated financing for the project. Completion is slated for early 2021.
BLOOMINGTON, MINN. — Avtex, a full-service customer experience consulting firm, has renewed its 26,000-square-foot office lease at Northland Center in Bloomington within metro Minneapolis. Northland Center is a two-building, 492,514-square-foot office property. Amenities include a fitness center, hair salon, farmer’s market, café, outdoor lounge area, laundry service, covered parking, bike storage and conference rooms. Bill Rothstein of Cushman & Wakefield provides leasing services for the property. KBS is the landlord. “There has been a lot of discussion as to whether or not companies will continue to lease space as a result of COVID-19 and the shift to remote working models,” says Rod Richerson, regional president with KBS. “This is not something we are seeing across our portfolio. In fact, we are continuing to see companies renew and sign new leases at several of our assets across our portfolio of more than 23 million square feet.”
VINELAND, N.J. — Boston-based investment firm High Street Logistics Properties has acquired a 432,000-square-foot industrial facility located within the 2.7 million-square-foot Vineland Industrial Park, about 40 miles south of Philadelphia. The sales price was $23.2 million. Built in 1989 and expanded in 1997, the cross-dock property is fully leased to Ardagh Glass Inc., a provider of sustainable packing solutions. Building features include 28- to 34-foot clear heights, 24 dock doors, 18 trailer parking spaces, 54 automobile parking spaces and 110- to 120-foot truck court depths. Michael Hines, Brad Ruppel, Brian Fiumara and Lauren Dawicki of CBRE represented the seller, Vineland Construction, in the transaction. CBRE local market advisors Ken Zirk, Robert Zwengler, Dan McGovern, Paul Touhey and Andrew Green also assisted on the sale.
PHILADELPHIA — Rittenhouse Realty Advisors has brokered the sale of LVL 4125, a 141-unit apartment community located at 4125 Chestnut St. in the University City neighborhood of Philadelphia. Alterra Property Group developed the community, which features proximity to the University of Pennsylvania and Drexel University, in 2019. Units offer stainless steel appliances and individual washers and dryers, and amenities include a roof deck, fitness center, clubroom and a dog run. The buyer was not disclosed.