SAN ANTONIO — JLL has arranged the sale of Courtyard San Antonio Airport and Courtyard San Antonio Medical Center. The properties were sold as part of a portfolio of five Marriott hotels, the other three of which are located in Baltimore and Washington, D.C. JLL marketed the properties on behalf of the seller, Colony Capital. A partnership between Flynn Properties Inc. and EMA Lodging Group Inc. purchased the assets.
HOUSTON — ENGIE North America Inc., which provides operating solutions for the energy industry, has signed a 110,000-square-foot office lease at 1360 Post Oak Blvd. in Houston. The company will relocate its North American headquarters from nearby 1990 Post Oak Blvd. and occupy floors four through nine beginning in December 2019. Louis Rosenthal and Bruce Rutherford of JLL represented ENGIE North America in the lease negotiations. Eric Anderson, David Baker and Tyler Garrett of Transwestern represented the landlord, a joint venture between Nuveen Real Estate and Allianz. Morgan Relyea and Tim Relyea of Cushman & Wakefield represented an undisclosed lessee that surrendered some of it excess space to enable ENGIE to meet its space requirements.
HOUSTON — NAI Partners has negotiated a 43,869-square-foot industrial lease at 4000 Greenbriar Drive in Houston for Puffer-Sweiven, a provider of automation, valves, measurement and process control solutions in southeastern Texas. Ryan Searle, Nick Peterson and John Ferruzzo of NAI Partners represented the tenant in the lease negotiations. The name and representative of the landlord were not disclosed.
MEDLEY AND DORAL, FLA. — Bridge Investment Group LLC, a Salt Lake City-based investment firm, has acquired two office properties totaling more than 500,000 square feet in the western Miami metro area. The price was not disclosed. The properties include the Offices at Flagler Station in Medley and the Offices at Doral Square in Doral. The buildings are approximately five miles away from each other, and just west of Miami International Airport. The Offices at Flagler Station is a collection of three buildings totaling 387,474 square feet within the Flagler Station Business Park. Bridge plans to invest $5.2 million to renovate the fitness centers, conference facilities and cafes of all three buildings. Renovations are slated for completion in 2020. At the time of sale, the buildings were 91 percent leased, with available offices ranging from 1,507 to 16,970 square feet. The Offices at Doral Square is an eight-story, 141,205-square-foot property originally built in 1979. A recent $8.5 million renovation project upgraded the lobby, corridors, bathrooms and elevators. The investment also funded completion of a new roof and three-story parking deck. At the time of sale, the building was 89 percent leased, with available offices ranging from 1,974 to 8,165 square …
As job growth supports a healthy economy in Southwest Florida, the region is experiencing major population growth, causing a surge in new Class A multifamily construction. The number of new construction Class A units in Southwest Florida has increased by nearly 150 percent year-over-year. In first-quarter 2018, there were 257 Class A units completed, and in first-quarter 2019, that number rose to 622. With this increased supply of Class A properties, there is now more demand in Class B properties among renters, and ultimately from investors. Class B properties tend to have more affordable rental rates, and investors have now noticed the potential for higher investment returns. Illustrating this demand, in the first quarter of 2018 in Southwest Florida, there were 17 Class B properties sold that totaled nearly $39 million. In first-quarter 2019, the sale volume increased to $68 million with nine properties sold. Also, investors were willing to pay more for these assets if they had a value-add component With Class B vacancies being tight at 4.6 percent, investors are making interior and exterior improvements to properties and gradually raising rental rates to increase their returns. For example, a value-add Class B multifamily property in Fort Myers recently …
Greater Phoenix has re-cast itself in this real estate cycle. It is no longer expected to play the “boom-to-bust” role in the office sector. The metro area has definitely expanded its breadth of industries, reaching beyond homebuilding and professional services to now feature some of the country’s leading insurance corporations, technology companies and medical innovators. This diversification promises to buffer any future fall in nationwide economic activity. Greater Phoenix continues to lead the country in job creation, adding an estimated 66,500 net new jobs between May 2018 and May 2019, marking a 3.2 percent increase. These jobs are coming from companies like Carvana, AllState and WageWorks. Phoenix has benefitted from great exposure from in the national media, which has matriculated to corporate America and attracted broad attention. The Greater Phoenix MSA boasts a phenomenal combination of attractive cost of living, growing wages and an enviable lifestyle. This package of appealing factors has allowed Phoenix to garner more than its fair share of corporate expansions and relocations throughout the Western U.S. Demand has been strong for office space in the area. However, a diminishing availability of quality, speculative space is creating a battle for the tenants. Sizable users wanting signature spaces …
IRVING, TEXAS — Locally based multifamily developer JPI will build Jefferson Innova, a 433-unit community in Irving’s Las Colinas district, the company’s sixth project in that submarket. JPI has closed on construction financing for the five-acre project and expects to open the property in spring 2021. Amenities at Jefferson Innova will include a pool, business center, fitness center with a yoga studio, a coffee bar and two outdoor kitchens. Humphreys & Partners is the project architect, and Glenn Engineering Corp. is the civil engineer. CrossHarbor Capital Partners is serving as JPI’s equity partner on the project.
FRISCO, TEXAS — StreetLights Residential, a multifamily developer with five offices across the country, has broken ground on The Margo, a 358-unit project within The Canals at Grand Park in Frisco. The property will feature one-, two- and three-bedroom units ranging in size from 505 to 2,000 square feet. The Margo will offer amenities such as two pools, an entertainment lawn with outdoor games, a fitness center, game room, theater room and a private lounge. LRK served as the architect for the project, completion of which is scheduled for spring 2021.
AUSTIN, TEXAS — Parallel Co., a student housing development and investment firm, will open MUZE, its new 502-bed community that is located two blocks from the University of Texas in Austin. The grand opening is set for Sunday, Aug. 18. Located at 2100 Neuces St., the 18-story property will offer one-, two-, three- and four-bed units that will come fully furnished with stainless steel appliances, quartz countertops and washers and dryers. Walk-in closets will be available in select units. Amenities will include a study lounge with private rooms, a rooftop pool and theater, outdoor kitchen and a fitness center. Rhode Partners served as the project architect, and Rogers-O’Brien Construction served as the general contractor. KeyBank Real Estate Capital provided construction financing.
ALLEN, TEXAS — Berkadia has provided a $47.2 million HUD construction loan for Stacy Pointe Apartments, a 326-unit multifamily community in the northeastern Dallas suburb of Allen. The property will offer one- and two-bedroom floor plans and amenities such as a pool, fitness center, business center, media areas and coworking office space. Chad Bedwell of Berkadia secured the loan through HUD’s 221(d)(4) program on behalf of Texas-based Stacy Pointe Partners LP. The loan carried an 85 percent loan-to-cost structure.