MORRISVILLE, N.C. — Merritt Properties has broken ground on the first phase of RDU Business Park, a 150-acre light industrial development located at 2040-2060 Seagirt Ave. in Morrisville, about three miles from Raleigh-Durham International Airport. The project will be situated in the jurisdiction of the city of Cary, N.C. Phase I, which is set for completion in late 2027, will span 31 acres and comprise three single-story buildings totaling 201,250 square feet. All three buildings will include 18- or 24-foot clear heights, rear-loading docks, drive-in capabilities, 30- and 40-foot column spacing and surface parking. Two buildings will share a 150-foot truck court, while the third will feature a dedicated 110-foot truck court. At full build-out, RDU Business Park will comprise 13 single-story buildings spanning 790,527 square feet. Merritt Properties is handling the leasing assignment at the park internally.
Southeast
CHESTER, VA. — Bonaventure has begun construction on Attain at Swift Creek, a $93.3 million multifamily development located at 6805 Greenyard Road in Chester, a southern suburb of Richmond in Chesterfield County. The Alexandria, Va.-based developer obtained a $79.9 million HUD 221(d)(4) construction loan for the project. Walker & Dunlop originated the 40-year, fixed-rate loan on behalf of Bonaventure, which will finance the balance of the development costs via its balance sheet while searching for a long-term equity partner. Situated on a 31-acre site adjacent to a Kroger Marketplace-anchored shopping center, Attain at Swift Creek will feature a mix of one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments averaging 1,058 square feet in size. The project team includes KBS Inc. (general contractor), RBA Architects and Timmons Group (civil engineer). Bonaventure will name a property manager for the community at a later date.
BROOKHAVEN, GA. — Woodfield Development plans to develop a new 320-unit apartment community located at 4170 Ashford Dunwoody Road NE in Brookhaven, a northeastern suburb of Atlanta in DeKalb County. The property will sit on five acres within Ashford Green, a mixed-use redevelopment by Vela Cos. that will features residences, offices, a hotel and restaurants. The site was recently rezoned from office to multifamily, and Woodfield plans to close on its land acquisition in second-quarter 2027. The unnamed apartment community will feature a mix of studio, one-, two- and three-bedroom floor plans, as well as a resort-style pool, clubhouse and coworking areas. The design-build team will include Dwell Design Studio (architect), PEC (civil engineer) and Spacecraft (landscape architect). The construction timeline was not released.
LAND O’ LAKES, FLA. — JLL has arranged the sale of The Hub at Bexley, an open-air retail center located at 16954 Focus Loop in Land O’Lakes, about 20 miles north of Tampa. Jorge Portela, Danny Finkle and Jacob Wise of JLL represented the seller, Center Connect Development, which delivered The Hub at Bexley in 2023. CenterSquare Investment Management purchased the property for an undisclosed price. The 50,000-square-foot retail center, which is designed in a village setting, was fully leased at the time of sale to tenants including BellaBrava, Stillwaters Tavern and TREK Bikes.
City of Alpharetta Approves North Point Mall Rezoning for Planned Hockey-Anchored Mixed-Use Village
by John Nelson
ALPHARETTA, GA. — The Alpharetta City Council has approved the rezoning of North Point Mall, a shuttered 1.3 million-square-foot shopping mall that originally opened in 1993. The redevelopment is now zoned for the build-out of a mixed-use entertainment district that the development team hopes will attract a National Hockey League (NHL) team. The team behind the nearly 100-acre mixed-use district includes landowner New York Life Insurance Co., real estate development and placemaking firm Jamestown and specialty sports and entertainment development firm Machete Group. The design-build team includes HKS Architects and Kimley-Horn (civil engineer), and Jamestown will manage the overall development. Plans for the site include a 20,000-seat NHL-ready arena; 4,000-seat music hall and performing arts center; 2,000-seat community hockey rink; 1,100-seat movie theater; two hotels comprising up to 650 hotel rooms and a 35,000-square-foot conference center; approximately 565,000 square feet of retail and dining space; 750,000 square feet of offices; 1,385 multifamily units; and more than 20 acres of publicly accessible parks, plazas and multi-use trails. The development team says the project should support more than 13,000 construction jobs and 6,000 permanent jobs, as well as generate $2 billion in direct consumer spending. The redevelopment will be delivered in phases, …
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Sheppard, a law firm that employs more than 1,200 lawyers nationally, has signed a 107,224-square-foot lease at 2033 K Street, a trophy office redevelopment project in downtown Washington, D.C. Dimitri Hajimihalis, Emily Eppolito and Carroll Cavanagh of CBRE represented the landlord, In-Rel Properties, in the lease negotiations. Gary Stein, David Lipson, Jon Glass and Owen Jaccard of Savills represented Sheppard, which is an Am Law 50 firm, or a top 50 grossing law firm based off rankings by The American Lawyer. Sheppard is anchoring the office redevelopment, which is expected to deliver by July 2029, and will have building signage. In-Rel’s redevelopment will expand the existing building’s square footage horizontally and vertically, with three new floors and an occupiable penthouse level. The project team includes Hines (construction manager), Corgan (architect), Clear (interior build-out manager) and Studio Alliance (interior designer).
BRYANT, ARK. — The Landes Group has acquired Encore Medical Center, a 108,055-square-foot healthcare property in Bryant, about 19 miles southwest of Little Rock. The Dallas-based owner also finalized a long-term lease agreement with the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS), which will operate the facility that formerly operated as the Arkansas Heart Hospital. The seller and sales price were not disclosed. CGA Capital provided an undisclosed amount of acquisition financing for Landes Group.
LEXINGTON, KY. — Subtext has acquired a site located at 565 S. Limestone in Lexington for the development of EVER Lexington, a 520-bed student housing community serving students attending the University of Kentucky. The project is located within a qualified opportunity zone and is being developed in partnership with FrontRange Capital and Larson Capital Management. Construction is set to begin imminently, with completion scheduled for summer 2028. The community will offer 149 units in one- through four-bedroom configurations. Shared amenities will include a two-story lobby, study mezzanine, fitness center, wellness suite, pool deck, fitness studio, cold room, sauna and an outdoor bar and lounge. The development team for the project includes Southern Building Group, KTGY, ESG, EA Partners, Schultz Burman Engineering and UMB.
VERMILION PARISH, LA. — Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (SpaceX) (NASDAQ:SPCX) plans to invest at least $100 billion to build a spaceport facility in Vermilion Parish, located southwest of Lafayette in coastal Louisiana. The site, which will be named Starbase, Louisiana, is located on an 18-mile strip of Pecan Island. At full build-out, the site will feature five launch complexes with two launchpads, each facilitating thousands of space launches annually, as well as propellant production facilities. SpaceX intends to begin construction in 2027 and launch its first rocket from the location by 2029. Starbase, Louisiana will eventually be the company’s largest launch site, per SpaceX. “We’re preparing to build a spaceport that, until now, has only existed in science fiction,” Founder and CEO of SpaceX Elon Musk said. “SpaceX was founded to bring about a future where humans are out exploring amongst the stars, which will only be possible when we make going to space as routine as flying on an airplane. Starbase, Louisiana will unlock that future.” The company brokered a Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILOT) agreement with Vermilion Parish that will see the parish receive a $20 million upfront payment as well as $25 million each year for …
Urban Story Ventures, Hill Partners to Develop $350M Mixed-Use District at The Bend in Chattanooga
by John Nelson
CHATTANOOGA, TENN. — A partnership between Urban Story Ventures and Hill Partners has announced plans for a new $350 million retail and residential district at The Bend, a 120-acre mixed-use redevelopment in downtown Chattanooga. Situated along “the bend” in the Tennessee River, the new district will feature an open-air layout and comprise restaurants, shops, service retailers, offices and residences. Perkins&Will is providing the master plan design based off Urban Story Ventures’ vision for the project. According to Urban Story Ventures, existing developments that have inspired the design behind the new retail and residential district at The Bend include The Wharf in Washington, D.C., and Biltmore Village in Asheville, N.C. Other aspects of The Bend include a $300 million amphitheater being developed by Venu Holding Corp., which is planning to complete the venue by late 2028. Construction of the new district is expected to begin next year, with an anticipated completion timeline of the fall of 2028, subject to the timing of preleasing.
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