CEDAR RAPIDS, IOWA — Samsung Electronics will relocate within Cedar Rapids and expand its research and development operations. The company has been conducting ongoing testing on GPS location software at its current location off Collins Road. Samsung joins a growing list of businesses selecting the emerging Kingston Yard district of downtown Cedar Rapids. Notable recent additions include Big Grove Brewery & Taproom and Pickle Palace, as well as the future opening of the AC Hotel by Marriott. The Cedar Rapids Metro Economic Alliance and the City of Cedar Rapids worked together to assist Samsung’s growth in the city.
BELLEVUE, WASH. — Newmark has arranged a $525 million loan for the refinancing of The Artise, a recently delivered, 25-story trophy office tower located in downtown Bellevue. Goldman Sachs and Deutsche Bank issued the new loan, which replaces a $520 million loan that was originally secured in September 2021, according to Puget Sound Business Journal. Jonathan Firestone, Blake Thompson and Kevin Shannon of Newmark secured the financing on behalf of a joint venture between Schnitzer West, the developer of the tower, and The Baupost Group. “Securing this refinancing for The Artise underscores lender confidence in Bellevue’s premier office market and the long-term durability of this tenancy,” says Firestone, who serves as the co-president of Global Debt & Structured Finance at Newmark. Situated at the corner of NE 8th Street and 106th Avenue on the other side of Lake Washington from Seattle, The Artise was completed in 2024 and includes more than 600,000 square feet of office space that is fully preleased to Amazon. Amazon paused interior construction at the office property in 2022, but restarted work in October 2025, as reported by Puget Sound Business Journal. Along with office space, The Artise features 7,000 square feet of vacant ground-floor retail …
— By Shawn Smith and Sean Retzloff of Colliers — Northern Nevada retail has entered 2026 with a sense of forward motion, shaped by population growth, changing consumer spending habits and renewed interest from national retailers. Grocery-anchored centers continue to serve as reliable engines of demand, particularly in Sparks, where national chains and quick-service restaurants (QSR) are actively pursuing space. These QSR brands continue to be fueled by the post-pandemic preference for convenience and speed — and they find Northern Nevada’s demographic expansion particularly attractive. The lifestyle shift toward wellness is also redefining the tenant mix, with concepts like Planet Fitness building on momentum and gravitating toward suburban neighborhoods where resident demand for amenity-rich environments close to home is rising. This suburban pull is especially evident in Spanish Springs, South Reno and the North Valleys. Growth is moderate in these areas, which justifies new retail infrastructure with flexibility to accommodate retailers eager to enter maturing communities. Once considered fringe, these outer markets are now central to the region’s retail growth story. Shifting Economics of Retail Space The economics of securing space are evolving as demand grows outward. Lease rates are expected to rise modestly to the $2.25 to $2.50 per square foot …
DALLAS — Locally based investment firm Dalfen Industrial has acquired a portfolio of 19 industrial properties totaling approximately 1.4 million square feet, the majority of which (13) are located in the Dallas area. The sales price was $207.5 million. The other six properties are scattered across Midwestern markets, including Chicago, Cincinnati and Indianapolis. The Dallas properties are located in submarkets such as Plano, Valwood and the Great Southwest. The portfolio was 93 percent leased to 48 tenants at the time of sale. Jack Fraker, Dom Espinosa and Travis McEldowney of Newmark represented the seller, Mapletree, a development and investment firm based in Singapore, in the transaction.
PLANO, TEXAS — Rosewood Property Co. has received zoning approval from the Plano City Council for Heritage Creekside, a 156-acre mixed-use development that will be located near the intersection of U.S. Highway 75 and President George Bush Turnpike. According to the site plan, Rosewood intends to develop about 340 single-family homes, 2,000 apartments, 292,000 square feet of office space and 109,000 square feet of retail, restaurant and entertainment space on the site. According to Rosewood, these elements constitute a shift from previous plans that featured heavier office and hospitality components. A tentative construction timeline was not announced, but “further development of the master-planned community is expected by the end of the year,” Rosewood said in a statement.
WEBSTER, TEXAS — CBRE has brokered the sale of Baybrook Village, a 278,842-square-foot shopping center located in the southeastern Houston suburb of Webster. Built in 1978 and renovated in 2020, Baybrook Village is home to tenants such as Burlington, Ross Dress for Less, PetSmart, PGA Superstore, Chuck E. Cheese, Haverty’s and pOpshelf. Mark Witcher, Jolie Duhon, Jim Batjer, Chris Cozby and Harrison Tye of CBRE’s National Retail Partners team represented the seller, a partnership between O’Connor Capital Partners and Wafra, in the transaction. Brent Crawford and John Fenoglio, also with CBRE, arranged acquisition financing on behalf of the buyer, Fidelis Realty Partners.
The U.S. retail industry is entering a new era of transformation, and two forces are emerging as the primary architects of change: Generation Z and artificial intelligence (AI). Insights from the National Retail Federation’s recent “State of Retail and the Consumer” webinar underscore the industry’s modern reality — today’s consumer is actively reshaping how products are discovered, evaluated and, ultimately, purchased. While the oldest of Gen Z consumers are on the cusp of turning 30, the youngest are transitioning into high school. “They’re not kids anymore — they’re teenagers, college students and young adults, and it shows in their spending habits and their sentiment,” said Katherine Cullen, vice president of industry and consumer insights at NRF, during the webinar. “We see them increasingly influencing holiday traditions, differentiating themselves and how they manage costs, as well as leading the adoption of AI tools and platforms.” Even with feelings of uncertainty on both the broader macroeconomic and individual levels, Gen Z consumers are still choosing to spend money in moments of joy and looking for ways to “treat themselves.” In the past five years, average apartment rental rates in the United States have risen 25 to 30 percent higher than pre-pandemic levels …
HOUSTON — Berkadia has arranged the sale of Green Tree Place, a 200-unit apartment complex in West Houston. Built in 1984, the property offers one- and two-bedroom units and amenities such as a pool, fitness center, business center, playground, outdoor kitchen and a cyber café. Chris Young, Chris Curry, Jeffrey Skipworth, Joey Rippel, Kyle Whitney and Jed Dalton of Berkadia represented the seller, Kairos Investment Management, in the transaction. The buyer was Texas-based investment firm Aligned Ventures.
NEW YORK CITY — Naftali Credit Partners, an alternative lender and subsidiary of global investment firm Naftali Group, has provided $203 million in financing for an office-to-residential conversion project in Midtown Manhattan. The financing comprises a $167 million senior loan and a $36 million mezzanine loan. The borrower is private equity firm Yellowstone Real Estate Investments, and the property in question is the 25-story building at 221 West 41st St., which was originally constructed in 1925. The converted building will include a 25 percent affordable housing component and amenities such as a fitness center, spa, golf simulator, lounge and an outdoor terrace. A construction timeline was not announced.
ARLINGTON, VA. — Crescent Communities and Rockefeller Group have broken ground on NOVEL Arlington, a 530-unit apartment development in the Washington, D.C., suburb of Arlington. Set for completion in early 2028, the property will sit on 5.5 acres near the interchange of I-395 and South Glebe Road, which is one exit from the Pentagon. NOVEL Arlington will comprise 493 studio, one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments, as well as 37 rental townhomes. The property will offer direct access to two trails (the Four Mile Run and the Washington & Old Dominion Trail) and 20,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor amenities, including a rooftop pool, golf simulator, coworking suites and a fitness center with recovery offerings. Crescent and Rockefeller are pursuing LEED Gold certification for NOVEL Arlington. Other members of the design-build team include Bohler D.C. (civil engineer), Hord Coplan Macht (architect), John Moriarty & Associates (general contractor), LandDesign (landscape architect), Streetsense (interior design) and Structura (structural engineer). Capital sources include equity financing from Shimizu Realty Development and Mitsubishi Estate New York and construction financing from Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Bank New York Branch.