DALLAS — A partnership between St. Louis-based general contractor Brinkmann Constructors and Asbury Automotive Group has broken ground on a build-to-suit industrial project in Dallas that will deliver a campus-style Porsche and Volvo dealership. The project’s initial phase will involve the demolition of a 600,000-square-foot manufacturing facility and the renovation of an existing Volvo dealership. A 30,000-square-foot addition to the Volvo dealership will feature a 29-bay service shop, parts department and technical facilities. The project also includes the construction of new 140,000-square-foot Porsche dealership with a 70-bay service shop, parts department, tech facilities, offices and a showroom. Praxis3 is the project architect. Completion is slated for early 2027.
FRISCO, TEXAS — Toyota Financial Services has signed a 242,000-square-foot office lease in Frisco. The automotive finance company will be the sole occupant of The Offices at Southstone Yards, a seven-story, mass timber building that is part of the 45-acre Southstone Yards development. Designed by Duda|Paine Architects in partnership with Gensler, The Offices at Southstone Yards offers amenities such as a fitness and wellness center, meeting spaces, private terraces on every floor and access to three acres of surrounding park space. CBRE represented the developer, Crow Holdings, in the lease negotiations. JLL represented Toyota Financial Services.
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.
DEL CITY, OKLA. — Home Invest, a private investment firm and fund manager, has acquired Morgan Terrace, a 100-unit apartment complex in Del City, located southeast of the state capital. The sales price was $3.7 million, and the seller was an undisclosed, California-based investor. According to Apartments.com, Morgan Terrace was built in 1964 and offers one-, two- and three-bedroom units, as well as a courtyard and onsite laundry facilities.
By Joe Lutz, managing director at Leon Multifamily Group Market uncertainty has many real estate investors hesitating. Rising costs, high interest rates and shifting supply-demand dynamics add to the caution. Yet Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) remains a powerhouse in multifamily development, driven by strong demand and solid market fundamentals. For those willing to act, the opportunities are hard to ignore. Investor caution is evident, with a “stay alive through ’25” mentality reflecting economic pressures. Transaction volumes have dropped to historic lows. Newmark Capital Research (NCR) reports that 2023 and 2024 saw the weakest activity since 2013, with sales down 30 percent compared to the pre-COVID era. For the first time since 2008, 2023 ended without the usual year-end sales uptick, and 2024 data suggests a similar trend. While some feared a market collapse, conditions haven’t reached Great Financial Crisis levels. The multifamily sector faces supply imbalances and growing debt pressures. Construction starts hit their lowest levels since 2013, while completions exceeded new starts by over 200,000 units — a gap unseen since the 1970s, according to data from NCR. The surge in 2023 completions resulted from post-COVID, low-interest-rate incentives, but now concerns over vacancies, concessions and stagnant rent growth linger. Debt …
HOUSTON — ACMI Properties, the development arm of the American Center for Manufacturing & Innovation, will develop Exploration Park, a 1.5 million-square-foot build-to-suit industrial park in southeast Houston. The site spans 207 acres on NASA’s Johnson Space Center campus. Plans for Exploration Park currently call for as many as 22 buildings ranging in size from 15,000 to 500,000 square feet with 24- to 30-foot clear heights and rear- or side-load configurations. Construction is expected to begin in the second quarter and to be complete in late 2026. JLL has been tapped as the leasing agent.
NEW CANEY, TEXAS — The East Montgomery County Improvement District (EMCID) is underway on construction of a 210,000-square-foot convention center within the Valley Ranch master-planned development in New Caney, a northeastern suburb of Houston. The facility will feature a 55,000-square-foot ballroom/exhibit hall, nearly 20,000 square feet of meeting space and approximately 25,000 square feet of pre-function and lobby space and outdoor courtyards. Plans also call for an attached 813-space parking garage and connection to a full-service hotel. Completion is slated for fall 2026. Signorelli Co. is the master developer of Valley Ranch and previously owned the land on which the facility will be located.
NORTH RICHLAND HILLS, TEXAS — Merlin Entertainments, an operator based in the United Kingdom, has opened a theme park in North Richland Hills, a suburb of Fort Worth, that is dedicated to children’s character Peppa Pig. The site formerly housed a Mountasia Family Fun Center, and the new park features multiple rides, interactive attractions, themed playscapes and shows. Merlin Entertainments, which also operates facilities for concepts including Legoland and Sea Life Aquariums, has a licensing agreement with toymaker Hasbro, which owns the intellectual property rights to Peppa Pig and associated characters. Merlin Entertainments announced the concept in spring 2023.
HOUSTON — CDC Houston, a subsidiary of Coventry Development Corp., has begun the renovation of the 128-room Residence Inn Houston City Place hotel. Built on 3.3 acres in 2015, the hotel is located within the 2,000-acre City Place master-planned community on the city’s north side. Suites feature full kitchens and separate living, working and sleeping areas. Amenities include an event space, a sport court, outdoor pool, onsite laundry facilities and a convenience store. Arkansas-based Julian Builders is leading design and construction of the project, which is expected to be complete in the second quarter.
AUSTIN, TEXAS — Marcus & Millichap has brokered the sale of an 86-room hotel in North Austin. The Best Western Plus Executive Residency Austin — Round Rock was built on 2.7 acres in 2019 and offers amenities such as a pool, fitness center and onsite laundry facilities. Chris Gomes of Marcus & Millichap represented the seller in the transaction and procured the buyer with support from Allan Miller of Marcus & Millichap. Both parties requested anonymity.