SPRING, TEXAS — NAI Partners has negotiated a 35,000-square-foot industrial lease at 27347 W. Hardy Road in the northern Houston suburb of Spring. Darren O’Conor of NAI Partners represented the tenant, Installed Building Products of Houston LLC, in the lease negotiations. James Schuepbach and Lisa Nickel of Ryoak Real Estate Group represented the landlord, Giddy Up Development LLC.
HOFFMAN ESTATES, ILL. — Sears Holdings Corp. (NASDAQ: SHLD) has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York. A $134 million debt payment was due today. Eddie Lampert will step down as Sears chief executive, but will remain the company’s chairman. The Hoffman Estates-based company oversees both Sears and Kmart-branded department stores. The company has negotiated $300 million in senior financing from its lenders and is also in the process of negotiating a $300 million loan with ESL Investments Inc., which is Lampert’s hedge fund. “While we have made progress, the plan has yet to deliver the results we have desired, and addressing the company’s immediate liquidity needs has impacted our efforts to become a profitable and more competitive retailer,” says Lampert. “The Chapter 11 process will give [Sears] the flexibility to strengthen its balance sheet, enabling the company to accelerate its strategic transformation, continue right-sizing its operating model and return to profitability.” Sears and Kmart stores will remain open for business, but the company plans to close 142 unprofitable stores by the end of the year. Liquidation sales at these stores are expected to begin shortly. This is in addition …
At mid-year 2018, Orlando’s economic engine is performing like a well-oiled machine, fueled by brisk business expansion, healthy in-migration, accelerating job growth and steady population gains. In fact, Orlando ranked No. 3 in the nation for population growth during the period between 2010 and 2017. Office market fundamentals remain solid with steady demand for high-quality, Class A space largely outstripping available supply, particularly in high-demand areas. Job creation continues to fuel economic growth in Orlando with a rise in non-farm employment of 46,840 over the trailing 12 months ending in May. There has been a sustained decline in the unemployment rate as well, which stood at 3 percent in May. Spec, Mixed-Use Projects Development activity has been restrained over the last several years. However, a handful of key office projects have recently broken ground in high-demand areas. The most exciting development activity is occurring in the urban core, where a number of projects are moving forward. Speculative Class A office construction is once again rising with the $100 million Church Street Plaza going vertical after a slight construction delay. SunTrust Banks Inc. recently announced plans to relocate its Orlando headquarters from the SunTrust Center building into 90,000 square feet at …
HOUSTON — HFF has negotiated the sale of WaterWall Place, a 322-unit multifamily community located in Houston’s Uptown area. Completed in 2014, the property features one- and two-bedroom units and amenities such as a pool, fitness center, coffee bar, outdoor grilling area and private resident lounge. Todd Marix, Chris Curry and Estee Ibanez of HFF represented the seller, Hines, in the transaction. The buyer was multifamily investment and management firm HASTA Capital, which acquired the asset free and clear of existing debt. Matt Kafka and Kelly Layne of HFF arranged an undisclosed amount of fixed-rate acquisition financing for the deal through Barings Real Estate.
HOUSTON — Dornin Investment Group (DIG), an asset management firm with offices in California and Nevada, has sold 1250 Woodbranch and 11931 Wickchester, two adjacent office buildings totaling 164,933 square feet in Houston’s Energy Corridor. DIG acquired the Class B properties in 2013 and sold them to two separate, undisclosed investment groups. The new ownership of the Woodbranch building plans to upgrade the property’s common areas. DIG will continue to lease and manage that property as well.
PLANO, TEXAS — Bob Moore Construction has begun work on a 55,000-square-foot manufacturing and distribution facility in Plano for Signazon, an online retailer and supplier of signs, banners and marketing materials. The property includes an unspecified amount of office space. GFF Architecture designed the tilt-wall project, which is expected to be complete by early 2019.
NEW CANEY, TEXAS — Arch-Con Construction, a general contractor with offices in Dallas and Houston, has broken ground on an 11,000-square-foot medical office building in New Caney, a northern suburb of Houston. The property will be situated within Grand Texas, a mixed-use development by GT Operating Co. that includes a theme park, a water park, hotels and restaurants. Browne McGregor Architects is the architect of the project, which will deliver primary care offices and an urgent care clinic. Completion is scheduled for early 2019.
DALLAS — Secure Collateral Management, a Dallas-based financial services firm specializing in locating and recovering collateralized assets, has signed a 22,000-square-foot office lease in Dallas. The firm is relocating from its current space to Lake Highlands Tower, a recently renovated office building that includes a bank, barbershop, café and conference center. Blake Shipley, Jay Bailey and Ashley Curry of JLL represented the landlord, Malouf Interests, in the lease negotiations.
DENVER — Denver-based Continuum Partners has received $110 million in financing for A Block, a mixed-use development located in downtown Denver. The 310,055-square-foot project features the 200-key Kimpton Hotel Born, located at 1600 Wewatta St., and a 54,976-square-foot Class A office building with ground-level retail space and a 197-space parking garage, located at 1881 16th St. Completed in 2017, A Block has two separate components: the 12-story Hotel Born and the five-story office and retail portion. The hotel features 13,937 square feet of flexible meeting space, a fitness center, business center, ground-floor retail space and two food and beverage options, Citizen Rail Restaurant in the hotel lobby and Tavernetta. The fully occupied office building features 7,929 square feet of retail space leased to national tenants. Eric Tupler, Leon McBroom and Tyler Dumon of HFF arranged the floating-rate loan with a national bank. Loan proceeds will be used to retire the existing construction financing, which was placed by HFF in 2015.
MELVILLE, N.Y. — CBRE has brokered the $54.5 million sale of a flex facility in Melville on Long Island. Located at 235 Pinelawn Road, the 48-acre site is the former headquarters, newspaper production and distribution center of Newsday. CBRE represented the seller, Tribune Real Estate Holdings, in the transaction. The buyer was New Jersey-based real estate owner/developer Hartz Mountain, which plans to build an 800,000-square-foot high-bay logistics space on the property.