MILWAUKEE — Hines has completed an 11-year lease for James Beard-nominated Chef Kyle Knall’s newest restaurant, Cassis, to be located on the ground floor of Hines’ newly built luxury apartment community in Milwaukee. The riverfront French bistro, slated to open late this year, will span 5,175 square feet with an additional 1,100 square feet of outdoor patio space at 333 Water Street. The property, which marks the first luxury apartment tower to be located in Milwaukee’s Historic Third Ward, features amenities such as a sports lounge with golf simulator and resort-style pool and deck area.
NASHUA, N.H. — Las Vegas-based gaming operator ECL Entertainment has opened the 130,000-square-foot Nash Casino in Nashua, located near the Massachusetts-New Hampshire border, according to reports from local publications such as The Boston Globe and Sentinel & Enterprise. The Globe reports that the Nash Casino is housed within the former Sears building at Pheasant Lane Mall and features 1,000 gaming machines, three restaurants, two additional bars and a four-bay Topgolf Swing Suite simulator. Project partners included general contractor Dimeo Construction Co., architect Perkins Eastman, FEA Consulting Engineers and Wayne J. Griffin Electric.
MESA, ARIZ. — SimonCRE has acquired 64 acres of land for a new mixed-use development dubbed Medina Station in Mesa, roughly 20 miles outside Phoenix. Plans for the roughly 305,335-square-foot project include a multi-tenant retail center, retail outparcels, a restaurant district and a multifamily complex. Tenants at Medina Station will include Boot Barn, Einstein Bros. Bagels, Zara Nails, Café Zupas, GoodVets, U.S. Bank and Hawaiian Bros Island Grill. A Target store and a two-story, 80,000-square-foot Dick’s Sporting Goods will anchor the development. SimonCRE plans to break ground on the project in 2025, with initial tenant openings expected for 2026.
GILBERT, ARIZ. — Scottsdale, Arizona-based Diversified Partners has opened Mercy Center, an 11-acre mixed-use development in Gilbert, approximately 22 miles southeast of Phoenix. A mix of retail and office tenants — Galleria Nails, Prizm Dental, Honoré Skin Clinic, Beem Light Sauna, Brickhouse Dental and Willow Midwife — have already opened. Kolache Café and The Cabinet Design Studio are under construction and will soon join the tenant roster. Additionally, Arizona’s largest Starbucks Coffee is open at Mercy Center, which features a two-story design, a 23-car drive-thru, designated mobile order parking, an elevator and rooftop solar panels that supply 80 to 100 percent of the store’s energy needs. The center is designed to serve the needs of the growing medical and residential community surrounding Mercy Gilbert Medical Center and the soon-to-open Phoenix Children’s Hospital – East Valley.
BERKELEY, CALIF. — Levin Johnston, part of Marcus & Millichap, has arranged the $12.7 million sale of a retail building at 2310 Telegraph Ave. in Berkeley. Raising Cane’s will occupy the 12,419-square-foot property, which is currently anchored by Walgreens, as a new flagship restaurant. Additional details of the transaction were not released.
PHILADELPHIA — Local REIT Brandywine Realty Trust will open a 13,000-square-foot food hall at its Schuylkill Yards mixed-use development in the University City area of Philadelphia. Gather Food Hall & Bar will feature six eateries and a bar and will be housed on the ground floor of the historic Bulletin Building at 3025 Market St., which was converted to a life sciences facility in 2021. Hospitality HQ, a platform operated by New York chef and restaurateur Akhtar Nawab, will operate the venue, which is scheduled to open in the fall.
ELLISVILLE, MO. — Starbucks has opened its first location in Ellisville, a western suburb of St. Louis. The standalone property totals 2,300 square feet and serves as the newest amenity for the 227-unit MILA Apartments, which is slated to open in June. The development team for MILA, which includes Midas Hospitality and Balke Brown with its affiliates Double Eagle Development and Diamond Income Fund, also developed the building for Starbucks. The four-story MILA features units that range in size from 552 to 1,363 square feet. Work is currently focused on finalizing interior spaces. Amenities include a courtyard, pool, bocce ball, mini golf, dog park, business center and fitness room. Rosemann & Associates designed the building, and MBG is the general contractor. Leasing will begin in April and is being managed by 2B Residential.
CINCINNATI — Noble Chicken, a new fast-casual restaurant concept from the creators of Wings and Rings, is set to open its flagship location in Cincinnati in March. The idea for Noble Chicken began in 2019 as an entry into a local wing competition in Cincinnati. The concept evolved via a ghost kitchen and a licensed, non-traditional food court location that opened in 2020. Noble Chicken is now backed by a franchise with over 40 years of experience in growing restaurants and supporting franchisees. In addition to chicken sandwiches, tenders and wings, Noble Chicken’s menu includes Nashville hot slaw, hatch chile queso mac & cheese, hush puppies and carnival-inspired deep-fried cookie dough. All main and side items are designed with portions significantly larger than those found at competitors. For franchisees, the initial investment ranges from $449,750 to $698,342. Restaurant sizes range from roughly 1,400 to 1,800 square feet. The brand is targeting growth in the Midwest, South and Southwest, with immediate focus on Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky, Florida and Texas.
CYPRESS, TEXAS — Fort Worth-based Trademark Property Co. will develop a 25-acre retail and restaurant district within Dunham Pointe, a 1,300-acre master-planned community located in the northwestern Houston suburb of Cypress. The new district will total 205,000 square feet, and roughly 50 retail and food-and-beverage operators have already submitted preliminary lease offers for the property, according to Trademark. Construction is expected to begin in the fourth quarter, with the first openings slated for early 2027. At full build-out, Dunham Pointe will also feature more than 2,000 single-family homes and a school.
HERMOSA BEACH, CALIF. — Bolour Associates has completed the $33.5 million sale of a beachfront retail portfolio in Hermosa Beach. Situated on nearly one acre, the asset is located at 11-29 Pier Avenue and 1250-1272 The Strand. At the time of sale, the property was 88 percent occupied by beach-centric tenants, including Hermosa Cyclery, Oakberry, Hermosa Beach Trading Co., Waves, Playa Hermosa Fish & Oyster and Heavenly Couture. Tim Kuruzar, Bryan Ley, Brendan McArthur and Tess Berghoff of JLL served as investment advisors in the Strand and Pier transaction. Jeff Sause and Chad Morgan of JLL served as debt advisors.