SUGAR LAND, TEXAS — A report from SmartAsset, a personal finance technology company, ranks Fort Bend County, a county in the Houston metropolitan area, as No. 1 in Texas and No. 5 in the United States as the area with the most incoming investments. The data, aggregated from various sources including the U.S. Census Bureau, showed that the county ranked highly in several further categories including gross domestic product (GDP) growth, new building permits and municipal bonds. The county ranked No. 10 in Texas with a GDP growth of over $3.5 million from 2013 to 2014. Fort Bend also ranked No. 1 in Texas and No. 2 in the United States for the highest number of new building permits granted per 1,000 homes. From 2013 to 2014, the county had a municipal bonds index of 2.13, earning the No. 8 spot in Texas. These bonds have been used to enhance quality of life such as mobility, water and safety, and are responses to the high growth in employment and residential opportunities available in the county.
DALLAS — CBRE Capital Markets has arranged the sale of Brandywine Apartments, a 100-unit, value-add multifamily community in Dallas. 4710 Lake LLC purchased the complex from Brandywine Investments LLC. Chris Deuillet of CBRE’s Dallas office represented the seller. The property is located at 4710 Lake Ave., east of Parkland Hospital and the Dallas Medical District, and is 95 percent occupied. Current growth at Parkland Hospital and in Uptown Dallas is driving demand for upper end and workforce-level housing in the area. Planned improvements could support increased rental rates and property value. The average rental rate at Brandywine is approximately 23 percent less than the average rental rate in the immediate area.
LEWISVILLE, TEXAS — New tenants have signed on at Castle Hills Village Shops, part of the master-planned Castle Hills community in Lewisville. FroYo Smoo-licious recently opened a 1,026-square-foot store in the Village Shops. Long-time tenant Umi Umi sushi restaurant has moved to a larger space within the shops, adding a hibachi grill to the menu. Re-opening as Kanzi Sushi & Hibachi, the new 2,561-square-foot space added 1,200 square feet to the restaurant, plus a porch for outdoor dining that overlooks Lake Avalon. Kerry Assa of Bright Realty represented the landlord, Bright Realty, in both transactions. Kevin Park, of Coldwell Banker, represented Kanzi Sushi & Hibachi in its upgrade. Sean Conner, who opened PI.E 3.14 Everyday Eatery pizza kitchen in Castle Hills, is opening a second restaurant in the Village Shops. T.B.D. Kitchen is a chef-driven taco concept with craft cocktails that will occupy 1,779 square feet. Conner’s PI.E 3.14, with local chef Brent Hammer, also added more than 200 square feet to its space at the shops. Hammer will also oversee the menu at T.B.D. Kitchen. Assa represented the landlord in these transactions. Al Panigua with Swearingen Realty Group represented the tenant.
HOUSTON — Texoz E&P I, Inc., a subsidiary of Talon Petroleum Limited, has subleased their office space at Three Chasewood in northwest Houston to Huff Energy Holdings. Ryan Dierker with Newcor Commercial Real Estate represented the sublessor, Texoz E&P I, Inc. and the subtenant, Huff Energy Holdings, in the 2,235-square-foot office sublease transaction located at 20405 State Highway 249 in Houston. Newcor is a full-service commercial real estate company headquartered in The Woodlands. With a focus on north Houston and the area around the new Exxon Mobil campus, Newcor is positioned to maximize their clients’ opportunities in and around Houston’s new energy corridor.
AUSTIN, TEXAS — Karlin Real Estate has closed out the 1 million-square-foot first phase of PARMER Technology and Office Park with the sale of Parmer 6.2, a 292,000-square-foot office/flex building, to Casa Marco. Located at 301 Howard Lane, the building is one of three similarly sized institutional quality buildings that make up PARMER’s first phase, known at Sector 6. Karlin acquired the buildings from Dell in December 2012 when the computer maker moved to consolidate its operations to a 350-acre complex in Round Rock. Since then, the Los Angeles-based investor has backfilled 100 percent of the vacant buildings with a variety of companies including GM, Allergan and Met Labs. CBRE’s Mark Emerick and John Barksdale represented both parties in the transactions. Karlin and Dallas-based Trammell Crow Co. are developing the 400-acre technology and office park.
DALLAS — SHOP Cos. Investment Sales has arranged the sale of three retail properties in metro Dallas totaling 47,476 square feet. Tommy Tucker and Tim Axilrod of SHOP Cos. represented three different sellers in each transaction. The sales included: Custer Plaza, a 29,152-square-foot retail center located in Frisco. At the time of closing, the property was 100 percent leased to tenants including Texas Family Fitness, Subway, Rosatti’s, Asiana Biztro, Life Changing Chiropractic and Serene Dentistry. SHOP Cos. represented the seller, a Dallas-based limited partnership. SHOP Cos. also procured the buyer, a private investor from metro Dallas; Ridgeview Village, a 16,474-square-foot shopping center located in Allen on Watters Road off of its intersection with Highway 121. The property was 100 percent leased to tenants including The Brass Tap, The Cryo Center of Allen, Max Muscle, Nail Trends, Laser Beauty Medical Spa, Shaiwase Japanese Restaurant and S J Lee Taekwondo. SHOP Cos. represented the seller, a Texas limited liability company, and procured the unnamed buyer; Starbucks, a new-construction 1,850-square-foot restaurant as a pad to a new Kroger Marketplace in Granbury. Starbucks signed a 10-year lease and sits along the frontage of U.S. Hwy 377 and FM 4/Acton Highway.
DESOTO, TEXAS — Alliance Architects, Inc. has completed design services for a speculative industrial building in DeSoto. Located on 64 acres in USAA Real Estate Co.’s Southfield Park 35, building one totals 1.1 million square feet and is being developed by Seefried Properties. Alliance Architects designed the 157-acre master plan, which features Class A building designs with build-to-suit flexibility and direct access to I-20 and I-35 in south Dallas, for Seefried.
It’s safe to say that the Rio Grande Valley, now also referred to as Rio South Texas, is one of the most dynamic and fastest growing regions in the state. The four-county region at the southernmost tip of Texas bordering Mexico and hugging the Gulf of Mexico consists of Hidalgo, Cameron, Starr and Willacy counties. With nine ports of entry, five international airports, a first-class deep water port, a population of over 1.2 million and three interstates, it is easy to see why the Rio Grande Valley is one of the largest trade corridors in the world. Growth in all aspects, including retail, office, medical, education, industrial and housing, brought nearly $700 million in construction permits for all of 2014. Retail Sales tax revenue being sent back to the cities continues to increase at a healthy pace. Walmart’s opening of 12 new stores in the region affirms the positive growth and the confidence in the valley. The impact a Super Walmart has is evident with a city’s sales tax revenue. Two new stores in Donna and Elsa increased local sales tax revenue 14 percent and 57 percent, respectively. Retail sales in the region continue to rise, showing the strength of …
FORT WORTH, TEXAS — Eight new tenants are set to join Trademark Property Co.’s 63-acre Waterside mixed-use development, which is currently under construction at Bryant Irvin Road and Arborlawn Drive along the Trinity River in Fort Worth. More than 20,000 square feet of new retail and restaurants, along with anchor tenant Whole Foods Market, will open as part of the center’s first phase. The new tenants include Taco Diner, a Mexico City-style taqueria, which will open a 3,900-square-foot restaurant; Zoës Kitchen, a fast casual restaurant concept serving Mediterranean-inspired dishes, which will open a 2,800-square-foot restaurant; Blaze Pizza, a counter-serve pizzeria, which will open a 2,800-square-foot restaurant; Sleep Train, a top mattress retailer, which will open a 3,602-square-foot location. The lineup of new tenants also includes Massage Heights, Envy Nails, Amazing Lash Studio and Pretty Kitty. Construction on Waterside’s first phase began in 2014 and is slated for completion in late spring 2016. Phase I will also include 375 multifamily units built by Transwestern Development Co.. At full build out, Waterside will include 200,000 square feet of retail space and riverside restaurants, 800 multifamily units and two or three hotels.
WILLOW PARK, TEXAS — Civitas Senior Living LLC began construction in July on Clear Fork Senior living, a seniors housing complex that will offer assisted living and memory care units. The development will be the 13th property in the company’s portfolio. The project is a joint venture between Civitas and Sandlin Capital LLC/2MR Capital LLC. Justin Hitchcock of Community National Bank & Trust of Texas in Weatherford originated construction financing for the project. Donica Construction and Development will be the developer for Clear Fork Assisted Living and Memory Care. Building plans include 38 assisted living suites and one-bedroom units, along with 24 private and semi-private memory care units. Clear Fork Senior Living amenities will include a gym, spa, wellness center, walking trails and a clubhouse. The complex will be owned and managed by Civitas. In addition to Clear Fork Senior Living, Civitas Senior Living operates Cambridge Court Assisted Living and Memory Care Facility in Mesquite, Autumn Wind Assisted Living in Winnsboro, Aria Memory Care in Cedar Park and Midtowne Assisted Living and Memory Care in Midlothian. The company also projects in the pipeline in Burleson, Flower Mound, Frisco, Austin and Allen.