JOHNSON CITY, TENN. — Windsor Aughtry Co. Inc. has brokered the $6.3 million sale of Hampton Inn Johnson City, a 77-room hotel located at 508 N. State of Franklin Road in Johnson City. Pleasantburg Hospitality Inc. sold the hotel, which it has owned since the hotel was built in 1995. Jay Alexander and Bill Fayssoux of Windsor Aughtry represented Pleasantburg Hospitality in the transaction.
PHILADELPHIA — Drexel University and Brandywine Realty Trust (NYSE: BDN) will co-develop the Schuylkill Yards mixed-use community on a 14-acre site in Philadelphia. The development costs weren’t disclosed, but the Philadelphia Business Journal estimates total costs will reach $3.5 billion. Initial phases of the projected 20-year innovation development plan will consist of 5 million square feet of mixed-use real estate on a 10-acre site next to Drexel’s main campus and adjacent to Amtrak’s 30th Street Station. The master-planned neighborhood within Philadelphia’s University City submarket will feature entrepreneurial spaces, educational facilities and research laboratories, corporate offices, residential and retail spaces, hospitality, cultural venues and public open spaces. “Drexel University and Brandywine’s shared vision for the continued renaissance of University City provides a strong foundation for a long-term partnership. Together, we will create a dynamic and world-class innovation hub to attract the brightest minds to our region,” says Gerard Sweeney, president and CEO of Brandywine Realty Trust. “Schuylkill Yards will transform Philadelphia’s skyline as new towers rise on the west side of the Schuylkill River,” he continues. “Brandywine’s existing Cira Centre, EVO and FMC Tower at Cira Centre South projects in University City will provide a synergistic connection to Schuylkill Yards, creating …
Recovery is continuing to occur in the Delaware retail market and forecasts show it will continue in the year to come. The retail sector has been strong in Class A locations, while secondary centers have experienced less demand. Land values on major corridors remain high and the limited supply is expected to further this trend. The area around Christiana Mall continues to be a strong draw for national retailers. Recent new retail activity includes the Christiana Fashion Center, which has been approved for buildings totaling in excess of 500,000 square feet. Current tenants include The Container Store, REI, Nordstrom Rack, DSW, Saks OFF Fifth, Ulta Cosmetics and Jared Jewelers. Allied Properties is developing the center. Also in the Christiana area, Kimco is planning to develop the Christiana Promenade which will encompass more than 400,000 square feet. Demolition of an existing structure is underway. The city of Wilmington will see a new $40 million redevelopment of a popular retail and office location on the 2000 block of Pennsylvania Avenue. Mayor Dennis Williams recently announced the project, which will redevelop the existing property into an attractive, high-quality mixed-use and pedestrian-oriented space that incorporates luxury residences above a first floor of quality retail …
FORT WORTH, TEXAS — Trademark Property Co. is under contract to purchase 3.5 acres adjacent to its 278,000-square-foot WestBend mixed-use development in Fort Worth’s University District. The parcel is located on University Drive, immediately south of WestBend along the Trinity River. Conceptual planning is underway to develop additional mixed-use space including ground-floor retail with either a hotel or multifamily and condo units above. A Hawthorne Suites hotel currently occupies the site.
DALLAS — INDECT USA, a provider of sensor-based parking guidance systems, has completed ultrasonic parking guidance installation at the Dallas Omni Hotel and Convention Center in downtown Dallas. The Dallas Omni Hotel is the first and only hotel in the United States to offer parking guidance. Installed as part of the $400 million Dallas Convention Center redevelopment, the parking guidance program features the installation of 347 parking sensors, as well as a network of LED signs informing drivers how many open parking spaces are available and where they can be found. The sensors are located above each parking space, offering signals to drivers that are visible from several hundred yards away of where open spaces can be found, and what type of parking is permitted in an individual space. Different colors indicate each space’s status: green for available, red for occupied, blue for Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) parking and white for one-hour parking. The LED signs at the end of each driving aisle also indicate how many spaces, and what types of spaces, are available in each parking aisle. Additionally, the sensors provide management benefits by collecting data about lengths of stay, occupancy and usage, which will help Omni Hotels …
ROCKWALL, TEXAS — MYCON General Contractors has begun construction on a standalone Kroger Signature concept store located on an 11.3-acre tract at the southeast corner of North Goliad Street and Quail Run Road in Rockwall. The 80,000-square-foot Kroger Signature store will offer fresh food options, healthy meal solutions and traditional grocery items, as well as a six-pump Kroger Fuel Center and Kroger Pharmacy, which will have three drive-thru lanes. Site plans include loading docks, a detention pond, surface parking and landscaping. Groundbreaking was held in January, and the store opening is slated for the first quarter of 2017.
WACO, TEXAS — KeyBank Real Estate Capital has provided a $7.7 million interim loan for Brazos Village Apartments, a 144-unit affordable housing apartment community in Waco. Proceeds from the loan will be used to fund the acquisition and renovation of the property. The project operates under the Section 42 Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LITHC) program and is within its extended use period requiring that 70 percent of the units be rented to tenants earning no more than 60 percent area median income (AMI) and 30 percent of the units be set aside for tenants earning no more than 50 percent AMI. This project is sponsored by Harmony Housing, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to providing affordable rental housing throughout the United States. John Gilmore IV of KeyBank’s community development lending division arranged the financing.
HOUSTON — USA Insulation has opened its first Texas location at 6868 N. Loop E. in Houston. The 3,433-square-foot space expanded the total corporate franchise count to 16 locations across the United States. John Wenckens of Newcor Commercial Real Estate represented the tenant. USA Insulation installs residential home insulation using methods ranging from blown-in attic insulation to injection foam insulation that can be injected or pumped into exterior walls, crawl spaces and foundations. Kelly Landwermeyer with Holt Lunsford Commercial represented the landlord, CenterPoint Properties.
LA GRANGE PARK, Ill. — Ziegler, a specialty investment bank, has closed $56.3 million in fixed-rate bonds for Plymouth Place Senior Living, a 360-unit continuing care retirement community in La Grange Park, approximately 15 miles southwest of Chicago. Plymouth Place is a nonprofit community established by United Church of Christ in 1939 and is situated on 18.6 acres. The community includes 182 independent living apartments, 14 independent living cottages, 52 assisted living apartments, 26 memory care apartments and 86 skilled nursing beds. Providence Management and Development Co. operates the skilled nursing portion of Plymouth Place. Proceeds from the bonds will pay for $2.3 million in capital improvements, pay for $52.8 million in outstanding 2005 bonds, establish a debt reserve fund and pay for issuance expenses. The 2005 bonds were used to redevelop the main building and demolish the prior main building.
SOUTHFIELD, MICH. — Newmark Grubb Knight Frank (NGKF) has brokered the sale of an 116,389-square-foot industrial building in Southfield for $8.4 million. ElringKlinger Automotive Manufacturing Inc. purchased the facility located at 23300 Northwestern Highway from STAG Industrial. Built in 2006, the asset was formerly a Staples fulfillment warehouse. ElringKlinger will begin occupying the facility, which is situated on 10.7 acres, by the end of the first quarter of this year. Tom Oldham of NGKF represented the buyer in the transaction. The seller was undisclosed.
