HOUSTON — Locally based owner MetroNational has completed a 33,000-square-foot hospitality renovation project in West Houston. The multimillion-dollar project upgraded all 29 meeting and event rooms at the 289-room Westin Memorial City Hotel with new wallpaper, carpet, light fixtures, furniture, artwork and curtains. Atlanta-based interior design firm Blackdog Studio served as the project architect, and Houston-based DPR Construction served as the general contractor.
BOSTON — Azora has acquired an office and retail building located at 149 Newbury St. in Boston for $101 million. The property offers 45,495 rentable square feet across five floors. Certified LEED Gold, the building is situated along the Newbury Street commercial corridor, surrounded by luxury shops and restaurants in the city’s Back Bay neighborhood. The asset was 81 percent leased at the time of sale. The ground floor is fully occupied by two tenants: Google, which operates its first high-tech store in New England; and Alo, an athletic apparel retailer. The third floor offers 9,586 square feet available for lease. Azora plans to convert this space into “ready to move in” offices, citing demand for this type of product in the area. Ignacio Gil-Casares, managing partner of Azora Exan, says the acquisition aligns with a strategy that the company began implementing in the U.S. last year. “We continue to believe in the value of trophy office assets in major U.S. cities, and 149 Newbury is the perfect example, combining an excellent location, high occupancy by top-tier tenants and the potential to achieve higher returns by leasing the remaining space through the creation of speculative spaces,” he says. “We are …
BAYTOWN, TEXAS — Atlanta-based investment firm MDH Partners has acquired a 996,482-square-foot distribution center near Port Houston that is fully leased to Swedish furniture retailer IKEA. Completed in 2017, Cedar Port IKEA is a two-building complex located within Cedar Port Industrial Park, a 15,000-acre, master-planned development in Baytown. Building features include 32-foot clear heights, 190-foot truck court depths, ESFR sprinkler systems and ample car and trailer parking. Trent Agnew, Charlie Strauss and Lance Young of JLL represented the undisclosed seller in the transaction.
HOUSTON — North Texas-based developer Jackson-Shaw is underway on construction of greensPORT Logistics Park, a 535,478-square-foot industrial project in East Houston. The 38.2-acre site is located near the junction of I-10 and Haden Road, and the development will consist of two buildings spanning 149,477 and 386,001 square feet. Jackson-Shaw is developing greensPORT Logistics Park in partnership with Greystar-Thackeray. Burton Construction is the general contractor for the project, and Goree Architects is handling design. Kimley-Horn is the civil engineer, and Comerica Bank is financing the project. Cushman & Wakefield has been tapped as the leasing agent. The development team broke ground on the project in late September and is targeting a third-quarter 2025 delivery.
DENTON, TEXAS — An affiliate of Kansas City-based Price Brothers has purchased Eastpark, a 333-unit apartment community located in the North Texas city of Denton. Built on 11 acres in 2022, the property offers one-, two- and three-bedroom units that are furnished with stainless steel appliances, quartz countertops and washer/dryer connections. Amenities include a pool, fitness center, outdoor lounge and game area and a community coffee lounge. Drew Kile, Michael Ware, Joey Tumminello, Taylor Hill, Cameron Purse and Will Balthrope of Institutional Property Advisors (IPA), a division of Marcus & Millichap, represented the undisclosed seller in the deal. The team also procured the buyer.
MESQUITE, TEXAS — Newmark has brokered the sale of Alcott Logistics Station, a 310,900-square-foot industrial property located in the eastern Dallas suburb of Mesquite. The property was developed between 2022 and 2023 as a build-to-suit corporate headquarters for automotive parts manufacturer Vehicle Accessories Inc. Dustin Volz, Stephen Bailey, Dom Espinosa, Zach Riebe and Caroline Wilson of Newmark represented the seller, North Texas-based developer Jackson-Shaw, in the transaction. The buyer was New York-based Sterling Investors.
HOUSTON — JLL has negotiated the sale of Little York Plaza, a 114,982-square-foot shopping center in North Houston. Anchored by Hispanic grocer Sellers Bros., the center was built on 11.4 acres in 1987. Other tenants include Dollar Tree, Melrose Family Fashions and Aaron’s Appliances. Ryan West and John Indelli of JLL represented the undisclosed seller in the transaction. The buyer was The Criterion Fund, a retail investment firm with offices in Fort Worth and Owasso, Okla.
SANTA MONICA, CALIF. — Gortikov Capital has acquired Samo Collection, a portfolio of income- and rent-restricted affordable housing units in Santa Monica, for $120 million. Spanning 11 buildings, the portfolio offers a total of 399 units. Built between 1997 and 2009, Samo Collection features studio, one-, two- and three-bedroom units with stainless steel appliances, hardwood-style flooring and central heating and air conditioning. The name of the seller was not released.
TUCSON, ARIZ. — Atlanta-based TPA Group has broken ground on Butterfield Logistics Center, an industrial project in Tucson. Situated within Butterfield Business Center, the logistics center is slated for completion by third-quarter 2025. The 194,879-square-foot building will feature 32-foot clear heights, ESFR fire-sprinkler systems, 50-foot column spacing and 135-foot truck courts. The Class A facility will offer lease opportunities from 32,232 square feet and larger. The project team includes Atlas Collaborative Architects and FCL Builders.
FRESNO, CALIF. — Faris Lee Investments has arranged the $5.3 million presale of a newly constructed, single-tenant retail property in Fresno. The Learning Experience daycare occupies the property on a long-term 20-year net-lease basis. Scott DeYoung, Jeff Conover and Greg Lukosky of Faris Lee represented the seller in the transaction. The names of the buyer and seller were not released.