KYLE, TEXAS — Tennessee-based developer GBT Realty Corp. has landed five new tenant commitments at The Shops at The Brick & Mortar District, a 42,000-square-foot shopping center in the Central Texas city of Kyle that is nearing completion. The tenants are Playa Bowls, Jeremiah’s Italian Ice, Skip’s Beer Wine & Liquor, Square Nails Austin and Perspire Sauna Studio. Sprouts Farmers Market is the anchor tenant of the center, which is now 90 percent preleased ahead of the scheduled late-summer completion date.
ST. LOUIS — Tacos 4 Life is slated to open its new location at the Element Hotel at 3763 Forest Park Ave. in Midtown St. Louis on Tuesday, Feb. 11. St. Louis-based hotel development firm Midas Hospitality owns the property. The Midtown Tacos 4 Life marks the third franchise to open in the region, with other locations in Ballwin and O’Fallon, Mo. The retail space at Element Hotel is now fully leased. The 153-room extended-stay hotel opened in 2020. Midas Hospitality will own and operate the Tacos 4 Life Midtown franchise, which is located in a 4,200-square-foot space. Founded in Arkansas in 2014, Tacos 4 Life is a fast-casual taco restaurant with 29 locations. For every meal purchased, the restaurant donates a meal to a child in need through its Meal 4 Meal program.
PEABODY, MASS. — Dick’s Sporting Goods will open a store at Northshore Mall in Peabody, located north of Boston, that will be operated under the Pittsburgh-based retailer’s ‘House of Sport’ brand. The square footage was not disclosed. Nordstrom currently occupies the space. Simon Property Group owns Northshore Mall, which is home to about 140 specialty stores, dining and entertainment venues and recently underwent a multimillion-dollar repositioning. The opening is scheduled for summer 2026.
By Garrett Cohoon, Block & Co. Inc. Realtors The commercial real estate activity in the Kansas City metropolitan area showed substantial growth in 2024 for the retail, multifamily and industrial sectors. The office sector is still seeing record vacancy rates, but the annual loss over 2023 is slowing down. According to CoStar, the office vacancy rate for 2024 is up 11.8 percent in Kansas City while the national index is at a 13.9 percent increase. That’s only 0.5 percent higher than last year in Kansas City and we expect to see that trend turn around in the next year. The retail sector saw new brands like Aritzia grow into the Kansas City market. Whataburger opened its 14th location in the past two years as drive-thru restaurants have continued to be a preference for consumers and investors alike. Wellness-based businesses and health clinics have also made good strides in the market. Kansas City has seen an increase in new experiential attractions this year, including national businesses like Puttery minigolf, Andretti indoor karting and SandBox VR. These new attractions have been key to many new development complexes and redevelopments of existing strip centers. Mattel also announced a new adventure park to be …
BARTOW COUNTY, GA. — Hines and Aubrey Corp. plan to co-develop a new 10 million-square-foot mixed-use community in Bartow County, a northwest suburban node of Atlanta. The master-planned project, called Aubrey Village, will sit on 2,390 acres at the I-75 interchange with U.S. Route 411, which is located near multibillion-dollar plants underway for Hyundai-SK Battery and QCells. Once complete, the development will include new manufacturing, data center and logistics facilities, as well as a supermarket, shops, restaurants, hotels and a variety of residential properties that will accommodate 2,800 families. The industrial-zoned land spans 1,200 acres and will accommodate two industrial parks. Aubrey Village will also feature a network of trails, parks and walkways and a Bartow County public school. The project is projected to be completed over the next 10 to 12 years in several phases, with Hines expecting to break ground on the initial infrastructure later this year or in 2026. Jim Ramseur and Samantha Wheeler with Lee & Associates represented Aubrey Corp. in venture formation, and Ramseur Real Estate Advisors will act as the managing consultant for the co-developers’ commercial and residential parcels moving forward.
MIAMI — Marcus & Millichap has negotiated the $8.4 million sale of Blue Grotto Plaza, an 11,890-square-foot retail strip center located in Miami. Built in 1973 and renovated in 2023, the multi-tenant property features a mix of service-oriented businesses and food-and-beverage tenants, including 10 retail spaces and 68 parking spaces. Jonathan De La Rosa and Matthew Albregts of Marcus & Millichap marketed the property on behalf of the seller, Minkin Enterprises Inc., and procured the buyer, OMAC Real Estate LLC, in the transaction.
SUGAR LAND, TEXAS — San Antonio-based Headwall Investments has purchased Old Mill Retail Center, a 15,182-square-foot retail strip center located in the southwestern Houston suburb of Sugar Land. Tenants at the property include Pepperoni’s Pizza, Primera Professional Pharmacy, MTea & Coffee and Floors for Living. The seller and sales price were not disclosed.
WHEATON, ILL. — JLL Capital Markets has arranged $41.6 million in financing for Danada Square West, a 314,819-square-foot shopping center in the Chicago suburb of Wheaton. Constructed in 1988, the grocery-anchored property was 92.7 percent leased at the time of the loan closing. The anchor tenant, Jewel-Osco, has occupied space at the property for over 37 years. Additional retailers include TJ Maxx, HomeGoods, Burlington, The Paper Store, Ulta and Five Below. Scott Aiese, Christopher Knight and Alex Staikos of JLL arranged the five-year, fixed-rate loan on behalf of the borrower, DLC.
NAPERVILLE, ILL. — Marcus & Millichap has brokered the nearly $7 million sale of a 59,935-square-foot retail center in the Chicago suburb of Naperville. Built in 1988, the property is anchored by Dollar Tree and Anytime Fitness. Some of the tenants have operated at the center since its construction. Sean Sharko, Austin Weisenbeck and Adrian Mendoza of Marcus & Millichap represented the seller, 1550 State RTE 59 LLC, and procured the buyer, an out-of-state professional ownership group that was expanding its Illinois portfolio. Dean Giannakopoulos of Marcus & Millichap Capital Corp. arranged $5.1 million in acquisition financing through a regional bank.
PARK RIDGE, N.J. — Marcus & Millichap has brokered the $17 million sale of Ridgemont Shopping Center, a 71,650-square-foot shopping center in Park Ridge, located near the New Jersey-New York border. German discount grocer Lidl anchors the center, which is also home to tenants such as Staples, Chase Bank and Starbucks. Alan Cafiero, David Cafiero and John Moroz of Marcus & Millichap, along with Bill Farkas of Jeffery Realty, represented the seller and procured the buyer in the transaction. Both parties requested anonymity.