TUSCALOOSA, ALA. — The Preiss Co. has acquired Riverfront Village, a 440-bed student housing community located near the University of Alabama campus in Tuscaloosa. Preiss purchased the 92-unit community in partnership with Crow Holdings Capital. The buyers are planning capital improvements, including renovations to select units, a clubhouse redesign, upgrades to the swimming pool and comprehensive technological updates. The seller and sales price were not disclosed.
ATLANTA — DC BLOX will develop four new data centers in the Southeastern United States. The company is currently underway on its 68-acre Atlanta East campus in Conyers, Ga., roughly 24 miles east of downtown Atlanta. The facility will consist of two buildings with more than 1 million square feet of data center space at full build-out. The campus will initially deliver 10 megawatts (MW) of power for an undisclosed hyperscale client, with an expansion capacity of up to 120 MW for additional clients. Data center power refers to the amount of energy required to operate all the components of the facility, including servers and related IT hardware, as well as the cooling systems. DC BLOX broke ground on the project in September 2024. Delivery is slated for the fourth quarter of 2025. “DC BLOX’s presence in Conyers is a transformative step for our region,” says Kevin Hanna, president of the development authority of Rockdale County through the Conyers Rockdale Economic Development Council. “Their collaboration with local stakeholders and commitment to innovation will be foundational for future tech investments in our community.” In conjunction with the Atlanta East data center, DC BLOX will build a network of fiber cables around …
MOBILE, ALA. — Scannell Properties has broken ground on RailPort Logistics Mobile, a 500-acre industrial park in Mobile. The project is designated by rail giant CSX as a “Platinum CSX Select Site,” meaning it’s been deemed a shovel-ready site along the CSX rail network. At full build-out, RailPort Logistics Mobile will span 4.7 million square feet across 10 buildings. Scannell Properties estimates that the property will support 2,500 workers. The site is located proximate to Port of Mobile and I-10. Phase I will encompass 390 acres, and approximately 149 acres will be reserved for conservation. Scannell Properties plans to invest approximately $15 million for transportation infrastructure upgrades at the site. David Salinas, senior development manager with the Indianapolis-based firm, says the investment will “also benefit the neighboring Todd Acres Industrial Park.”
TAMARAC, FLA. AND BIRMINGHAM, ALA. — Greystone has provided a pair of Freddie Mac loans totaling $103.7 million for the refinancing of two multifamily communities in South Florida and Birmingham. The deals include a $37.3 million loan for Midora at Woodmont, a 199-unit community in Tamarac, and a $66.4 million loan for Avenues of Inverness, a 586-unit property in Birmingham. The agency loans for both properties carry seven-year terms, fixed interest rates, five years of interest-only payments and 35-year amortization schedules. The borrower for both loans is Monsey, N.Y.-based White Eagle Property Group.
MONTGOMERY, ALA. — Matthews Real Estate Investment Services has brokered the sale of Promenade North Shopping Center, a 57,441-square-foot retail center located at 2423 Eastern Blvd. in Montgomery. Pierce Mayson and Kyle Stonis of Matthews represented the seller, an affiliate of Hackney Real Estate Partners, in the transaction. The buyer and sales price were not disclosed. Promenade North was 97.3 percent leased at the time of sale to tenants such as Harbor Freight Tools, AutoZone and ArchWell Health. The Home Depot shadow-anchors the center.
BIRMINGHAM, ALA. — Ballard Designs has opened its first Alabama location in downtown Birmingham. Situated along the city’s Rotary Trail, Ballard’s newest location occupies the street level of the historic Hardwick Building, with restaurants and offices filling the remaining floors and spaces of the former steel factory. Locally based Bayer Properties owns the Hardwick Building and will soon welcome restaurants Epice and Lapeer Steak and Seafood to the property, according to Bham Now. The new Ballard Designs store is set up with several vignettes staged with the brand’s living room and dining room furniture, lighting, rugs, bedding and home décor. The store also includes a fully staffed design center where patrons can meet with one of the retailer’s design consultants. Additionally, Ballard designed and furnished the Hardwick Building’s shared entryway to serve as a waiting area for restaurant goers.
HUNTSVILLE, ALA. — Jim Chapman Construction Group has begun vertical construction at Nestledown Farm, a 201-unit build-to-rent residential community in Huntsville. The townhome community is situated on a 29-acre site on Zierdt Road adjacent to the Redstone Arsenal Army base. Jim Chapman Construction broke ground on Nestledown Farm last fall and expects first residents will move in next spring. The property will offer five different floor plans for two- and three-bedroom townhomes ranging in size from 1,020 to 1,466 square feet and with one- or two-car garages. Jim Chapman Construction is also underway on the property’s amenities, including a 4,000-square-foot clubhouse, swimming pool, fitness center, dog park, illuminated sidewalks, gated entrance and onsite property management.
AUBURN, ALA. — Muinzer has acquired Samford Square, a 752-bed student housing community located near the Auburn University campus. The property offers units in two-, three- and four-bedroom configurations, all of which were fully leased at the time of sale. Shared amenities at Samford Square include a resort-style swimming pool, cyber café, resident activity room, sand volleyball court, clubhouse, hammock garden, 24-hour gaming lounge and a tanning bed. Peter Katz of Institutional Property Advisors (IPA), a division of Marcus & Millichap, brokered the transaction. The seller and terms of the deal were not disclosed.
HOMEWOOD, ALA. — The FiveStone Group has broken ground on a new 30,000-square-foot office building in Homewood that will serve as the Alabama headquarters for global financial services firm Morgan Stanley. The site is located on a one-acre parcel at 740 Shades Creek Parkway, which is adjacent to Shades Valley Lutheran Church, in one of Birmingham’s top office submarkets. Carter Burwell of JLL represented the tenant in the lease negotiations, and Michael Reilly of FiveStone Group and Philip Currie of JH Berry represented the landlord. Additional partners for the development include KPS Group, Schoel Engineering, Renta Urban Land Design and D&A Cos. Hoar Construction is the general contractor for the Class A facility and expects to complete the core and shell of the building in second-quarter 2025.
VESTAVIA HILLS, ALA. — KPR Centers has obtained a $42.5 million loan for the refinancing of Vestavia Hills City Center, a 389,736-square-foot retail center located in Vestavia Hills, roughly 10 miles outside Birmingham. An affiliate of MetLife Investment Management provided the floating-rate financing. Chris Drew, Gregg Shapiro and Kelsey Bawcombe of JLL arranged the loan on behalf of KPR Centers. Publix anchors Vestavia Hills City Center, and other tenants include AMC Theatres, Planet Fitness, First Watch, Pet Supermarket, Shoe Station, Dollar Tree, Panera Bread and Dave’s Hot Chicken.
