PROVIDENCE, R.I. — Marsella Development Corp. has opened Track 15, a $25 million, 18,000-square-foot food hall that is situated within the historic Union Station building in downtown Providence. Vendors include Little Chaska, Tolia, Dune Brothers, Dolores, There There, Giusto PVD and Mother Pizzeria PVD. The development also features indoor and outdoor seating for roughly 600 people, an entertainment venue and a 10,000-square-foot plaza. Rhode Island-based architecture firm Vision3 designed the food hall.
DEDHAM, MASS. — Local owner-operator WS Development has welcomed five new tenants to Legacy Place, a 580,000-square-foot retail power center located in the southwestern Boston suburb of Dedham that was recently recapitalized. The new tenants are Mexican restaurant Anna’s Taqueria, permanent jewelry brand Brave Daughters, women’s apparel retailer Aritzia, Asian restaurant Mecha Noodle Bar and fitness concept [solidcore]. All openings are slated for various points in 2025.
COLUMBUS, OHIO — Mastro’s Steakhouse, a high-end seafood and steak restaurant, has opened a 9,000-square-foot location at Easton Town Center in Columbus. The restaurant marks the first location in the Midwest for Mastro’s, which operates 22 locations across the country. The Columbus restaurant features two main dining rooms, one private dining room, two outdoor patio spaces, a grand double-faced bar, piano lounge and semi-private wine room. Easton Town Center is home to other upscale restaurants such as Del Mar, Mitchell’s Ocean Club and Cooper’s Hawk Winery & Restaurant.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Portman and National Real Estate Advisors have completed construction of Linea, a 24-story apartment tower located in Charlotte’s South End neighborhood. Situated at 2161 Hawkins St. fronting the city’s Rail Trail, the high-rise features 370 luxury units and 18,000 square feet of ground-floor retail space. Ranging from 522 to 1,723 square feet in size, apartments at Linea include studio, one-, two- and three-bedroom floorplans, as well as 13 penthouses. Amenities at the property include 24/7 concierge services like in-home/package delivery, in-home grocery and dry-cleaning delivery and plant and cat care. The complex also includes a 23rd-floor community level featuring spaces such as the Overlook Lounge, Entertainment Hub, Billiard Parlor, The Sound Lounge and dining spaces, as well as a Skyline Athletic Club with a two-story rock-climbing wall, Echelon Mirrors, private fitness rooms and customizable wellness programs. Confirmed retail and restaurant tenants at Linea include Half Shell, True Food Kitchen, Peachy Salon and Night Swim Coffee, with Night Swim Coffee slated to open this spring. Additional retailers will be announced in the coming weeks. Foundry Commercial is handling Linea’s retail leasing assignment on behalf of ownership. Atlanta-based Portman and Washington, D.C.-based National Real Estate Advisors are the co-developers …
DALLAS — Hampton Social has opened a 17,224-square-foot restaurant at Pegasus Plaza in downtown Dallas. Designed by Dallas-based architecture firm Harrison, the space includes a ground-floor dining room and bar, second-level dining space, a rooftop bar and a private basement club. Parker Hospitality operates Hampton Social, which held a grand opening celebration on March 20.
REISTERSTOWN, MD. — Greenberg Gibbons has opened a new retail building totaling 15,000 square feet at Reisterstown Shopping Center, a 167,212-square-foot shopping center located in the Baltimore suburb of Reisterstown. The retail building includes an 11,076-square-foot renovated Advance Auto Parts, which is now open. Two additional tenants at the building — Jersey Mike’s Subs and Quickway Japanese Hibachi — will open this fall. Existing tenants at Reisterstown Shopping Center include Lidl, Big Lots, Walgreens, Planet Fitness, Starbucks Coffee, Chick-fil-A, Bank of America, Wells Fargo and Dollar Tree. Since acquiring the property, Greenberg Gibbons has invested $30 million in upgrades and renovations.
UPPER LAKE, CALIF. — Curtis Holdings has completed the disposition of Tallman Hotel and Blue Wing Saloon, located at 9550 Main St. and 9520 Main St., respectively, in Upper Lake. Amar and Rajvi Alapati acquired the assets for an undisclosed price. The buyers will add the properties to its Serenity Hotels Collection. Alex Lee-Bull and Lauren Liebes of CBRE represented the seller. The Tallman Hotel offers 17 rooms across nine buildings. Originally built in 1896, the hotel was renovated between 2002 and 2005 and reopened in 2006 with modern amenities, including an outdoor swimming pool, gardens and a meeting room. Select rooms offer outdoor showers and Japanese Ofuro soaking tubs.
By Casey Smallwood of SRS Real Estate Partners In today’s fiercely competitive quick-service restaurant (QSR) market, digital transformation and artificial intelligence (AI) are reshaping how brands operate, engage with customers and create value. An industry once defined by speed and consistency is now being reshaped by data, automation and intelligent personalization. Across the country, QSRs are embracing cutting-edge technologies to improve operations, enhance the customer experience and maximize profitability. From mobile ordering apps to AI-powered drive-thru automation and predictive inventory management, these innovations are redefining the QSR business model. To stay competitive and relevant in today’s fast-changing market, franchise operators, developers and commercial real estate investors must understand and adapt to these technology-driven shifts. At the heart of this evolution is digital transformation — the integration of digital technology across all aspects of the business. In the QSR landscape, this includes everything from mobile ordering apps, digital menu boards to contactless payment systems, smart kitchen equipment and sophisticated customer relationship management (CRM) tools. Unlike full-service restaurants that emphasize ambiance and table service, QSRs succeed by offering speed, convenience and consistency. Digital transformation amplifies these core strengths, allowing operators to serve more customers faster and more accurately while also collecting and …
SILVER SPRING, MD. AND FAIRFAX, VA. — Marcus & Millichap Capital Corp. (MMCC) has arranged a $17 million loan for the refinancing of a nine-property retail portfolio located in the Washington, D.C. suburbs of Silver Spring, Md., and Fairfax, Va. The properties — which total roughly 71,000 square feet — include multi-tenant retail strip centers, single-tenant retail properties and single-tenant restaurants. Jared Cassidy of MMCC’s D.C. office secured the five-year loan through a local bank. The financing carries a 12-month adjustable rate, 25-year amortization schedule and a 55 percent loan-to-value ratio.
ORLANDO, FLA. — Universal Orlando Resort’s newest theme park, Epic Universe, is officially opening on May 22, marking the first major theme park to open in Central Florida in 26 years, according to CNN. The new park will include five distinct components: Celestial Park, The Wizarding World of Harry Potter’s Ministry of Magic, Super Nintendo World, How to Train Your Dragon – Isle of Berk and Dark Universe. According to multiple media outlets, Epic Universe is estimated to have cost roughly $7.7 billion to build, although Universal Orlando Resort hasn’t commented on the new park’s price tag. At 750 acres, including both guest areas and backstage space for employees, Epic Universe is also reported to be the largest singular theme park in the world. The main hub of Epic Universe will be Celestial Park, which offers guests two rides — a dual-track roller coaster and a carousel — as well as shops, restaurants and bars. From this hub, guests can choose to enter four other portals, with each leading to a different themed land. Dark Universe brings the famous “Universal Pictures Monsters,” including Dracula, the Wolf Man and the Invisible Man, to life, along with its anchor attraction, “Monsters Unchained: …