HOUSTON — Westmount Realty Capital has acquired Copper Mill, a 234-unit multifamily community located at 15910 FM 529 in northwest Houston. Built in 1983, the property features one- and two-bedroom units and amenities such as a pool, fitness center, business center and dog park. The property, which was 98 percent occupied at the time of sale, will be rebranded as Westmount at Copper Mill. The seller was not disclosed.
FORT WORTH, TEXAS — Mercedes-Benz Financial Services USA LLC has signed a 200,000-square-foot office lease at AllianceTexas in Fort Worth. Mercedes-Benz Financial has operated out of AllianceTexas, an 18,000-acre, master-planned community owned by Hillwood, since 2007, and this move increases the overall size of the company’s footprint in Fort Worth. The new, build-to-suit property will serve as the company’s national business operations center and is scheduled to open in 2019.
HOUSTON — Citing struggles stemming from the rise of e-commerce, fashion retailer Charming Charlie has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. During the Chapter 11 process, which was filed late Monday, the Houston-based fashion retailer plans to restructure its debt while maintaining and operating a majority of its stores, as well as its online platform. The company also plans to go through with its previously announced decision to shutter 97 of its underperforming stores. Charming Charlie specializes in selling jewelry, handbags, apparel and beauty products. The company, which was launched in 2004, currently operates more than 375 stores in the United States and Canada. Charming Charlie has secured commitments from its lenders for $20 million in new-money debtor-in-possession (DIP) financing. The company also entered into a $35 million DIP asset-backed loan with its lenders. Both financing arrangements are subject to court approval and are intended to help operation costs during the Chapter 11 process. The Wall Street Journal reports the court on Wednesday approved the early use of the financing, and Charming Charlie is scheduled to return to court in January to request approval to use the balance of the loans. The Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing is part of Charming …
SHERMAN, TEXAS — Finisar, a California-based manufacturer of optical communications components used in Apple products, will open a 700,000-square-foot, previously shuttered manufacturing plant in Sherman. Funding for the project stems from a $390 million grant provided by Apple Inc. The awarding of the grant will enable Finisar, which already operates a plant in Allen, to increase its research and development spending and up its production of vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSELs), which power Apple products like Face ID and Animoji. Approximately 500 new jobs will be created as a result of Apple’s grant. Holmes Davis of Binswanger represented the seller of Finisar’s new facility, SunEdison. Finisar expects the Sherman facility to begin shipping new VCSELs by the second half of 2018.
DALLAS — Square Mile Capital Management LLC has originated a $118 million loan for Renaissance Tower, a 56-story office tower comprising more than 1.7 million square feet of space in downtown Dallas. The loan, a portion of which was sold to Bank of the Ozarks, will be used to repay existing CMBS debt and bridge the property through stabilization. The borrower was a joint venture between two New York-based firms: SMA Equities and The Moinian Group. Whitaker Johnson and Steve Heldenfels of HFF arranged the financing.
GRAND PRAIRIE, TEXAS — Swedish furniture retailer IKEA has opened a 290,000-square-foot store in Grand Prairie. The store is the company’s fourth location in Texas, with plans to open stores in the San Antonio and Fort Worth areas in 2019 underway. Construction of the store created about 500 new jobs, with an additional 250 workers joining the IKEA team as it became operational.
IRVING, TEXAS — Coldwell Banker Commercial Advisors (CBCA) has brokered the sale of a 136,000-square-foot, Tier IV-designed data center facility located at 6001 Campus Circle W. in Irving. The two-story property underwent an expansion in the 1980s that delivered an additional 94,000 square feet of space and five back-up generators totaling more than 8,100 kilowatts of power. The facility is currently configured to have a 74,500-square-foot data-raised floor, 34,000 square feet of office space and 27,500 square feet of infrastructure space. Ryan Crabtree of CBCA represented the buyer, Skywalker Property Partners, in the sale.
SPRING, TEXAS — Hunington Properties Inc. (HPI) has brokered the sale of Postwood Shopping Center, a 42,232-square-foot retail center located at 5639 Treaschwig Road in the northern Houston metro of Spring. The property, which is shadow-anchored by Kroger, was built in 1985 and renovated in 2009. Current tenants include Chase Bank, State Farm Insurance, Boost Mobile and Anytime Fitness. Rafael Melara of HPI represented the seller in the transaction. Gary Smith of RCR Realty represented the buyer, a local investor.
AUSTIN, TEXAS — Massachusetts-based Northland Investment Corp. has acquired The Park at Monterey Oaks, a 430-unit, Class A multifamily community located at 4701 Monterey Oaks Blvd. in southwest Austin. Built in 2000, the garden-style property consists of 15 two- and three-story buildings. Amenities include a property-owned park, community garden, nature trail, pool and boat parking. With this acquisition, Northland’s Austin portfolio totals 7,040 units across 19 properties.
KATY, TEXAS — CBRE has brokered the sale of Luxe at Katy Apartments, a 352-unit multifamily community located at 22631 Colonial Parkway in the western Houston metro of Katy. The property, which was built in 2013 and was 97 percent occupied at the time of sale, was previously branded Remington Katy. Units average 940 square feet per residence. Matt Phillips and Clint Duncan of CBRE represented the seller in the transaction. Michael Thompson of CBRE arranged acquisition financing on behalf of the buyer. Both parties requested anonymity.
