DALLAS — Cadence McShane has completed a 143,000-square-foot academic project in North Dallas. The Henry W. Longfellow Career Exploration Academy is a replacement school for the Dallas Independent School District. In addition to classrooms, the three-story building houses administrative offices, fine arts spaces, a theater, library, cafeteria and kitchen and physical education facilities. Huckabee designed the project.
PASADENA, TEXAS — Local brokerage firm Finial Group has negotiated a 24,150-square-foot industrial lease in Pasadena, an eastern suburb of Houston. The tenant is Paton Engineers & Constructors, and the space is located within the building at 218 N. Preston Ave., which according to LoopNet Inc. was completed in 2018. Jason Gibbons and Tyler Holt of Finial Group represented the undisclosed landlord in the lease negotiations.
By Taylor Williams Defined by Gemini as “the division of a system, structure or entity into two distinct branches or parts,” the term “bifurcation” is coming up more frequently in the context of industrial development in Texas — a sort of umbrella term for the process of establishing new subcategories of the property type. The past seven or so years have constituted one of the most massive industrial building booms in modern history. Like matches and gasoline, Americans’ newfound obsession with e-commerce paired with unimaginably low interest rates for much of that time, sparking an all-out industrial development and leasing mania. Capital flowed into the sector with insatiable appetite, eventually forcing yield-chasers to devise new means of unlocking value within the space lest they cannibalize each other. Of course, even before e-commerce irrevocably changed the way Americans shop and allowed industrial real estate to ascend as an institutionalized asset class, functional differences were recognized between manufacturing and distribution facilities, or between pure-play industrial and flex buildings. Investors understood the relative differences in how these subcategories of industrial product were built, operated and valued. And in terms of development, at the most basic level, the size of a building has always …
DENTON, TEXAS — The NRP Group, a Cleveland-based multifamily developer, has broken ground on Arbor Ranch, a 297-unit affordable housing project in the North Texas city of Denton. The site at 2820 Roselawn Drive spans 22 acres, and the development will consist of nine three-story buildings that will house one-, two-, three- and four-bedroom units and will be reserved for households earning between 30 and 70 percent of the area median income. Amenities will include a pool, playground, barbecue and picnic areas, children’s activity room and a community lounge, and residents will also have access to various onsite social services. Younger Partners brokered the sale of the land. Truist Bank provided a $68 million construction loan for the project. The first units are expected to be available for occupancy early next year.
DALLAS — Locally based hospitality investment and management firm NewcrestImage has completed the renovation of Hotel Mockingbird, a 296-room establishment in the Highland Park area of Dallas. In addition to various property upgrades, ownership introduced two new food-and-beverage concepts: Verse Kitchen and Bar, a speakeasy-style restaurant, and Raven, which offers refined drinks and light bites. NewcrestImage acquired the Hotel Mockingbird, formerly known as the Beeman Hotel, in October 2024. Coury Hospitality manages the hotel.
CELINA, TEXAS — Walmart has opened a 200,000-square-foot Supercenter store in the North Texas city of Celina. The store is located within Shawnee Trail, a 150-acre mixed-use project that is being developed by Trademark in partnership with family holding company Glendenning 1887 and the Celina Economic Development Corp. Construction of the first phase of the broader development of Shawnee Trail will begin next year and will include additional retail, restaurant and entertainment space, as well as parks and public spaces.
HOUSTON — Locally based brokerage firm Oxford Partners has arranged an 11,057-square-foot industrial lease in northwest Houston. According to LoopNet Inc., the building at 13805 West Road was completed in 2000 and totals 61,600 square feet. Nathan Buckhoff of Oxford Partners represented the tenant, medical supplies provider Arpovo Health, in the lease negotiations. Jack Rathe and Brandon Preece of Stream Realty Partners represented the landlord, an entity doing business as Westland EPA LLC.
AUSTIN, TEXAS — A joint venture between San Diego-based investment firm PacVentures Inc. and Austin-based AQUILA Commercial has purchased The Campus at Arboretum, a five-building, 318,000-square-foot office complex in northwest Austin with plans to implement capital improvements. Upgrades will cover the fitness center, tenant lounge and conference facilities, and the new ownership also plans to refresh lobbies and restrooms, update lighting and security and enhance outdoor areas throughout the campus. The seller and sales price were not disclosed.
SUGAR LAND, TEXAS — Patterson Real Estate Advisory Group, a regional financial intermediary has arranged a construction loan for The Westermark, a 165-unit multifamily project that will be located in the southwestern Houston suburb of Sugar Land. The amount was not disclosed. The Westermark will consist of two five-story buildings that will house studio, one-, two- and three-bedroom units. Amenities will include a pool, fitness center, resident lounge and coworking space. Wintrust Commercial Real Estate provided the loan to the developer, Elm Real Estate Group, which is an affiliate of Indianapolis-based KCG Cos.
FAIRVIEW, TEXAS — Academy Sports + Outdoors will open a 130,000-square-foot store in Fairview, a northeastern suburb of Dallas. The retailer will backfill a former Macy’s store at Fairview Town Center, a 921,075-square-foot power center that first opened in 2009. Thomas Glendenning of SHOP Cos. negotiated the lease on behalf of the Fairview Economic Development Corp. Remodeling of the space is underway, and Academy expects to open its doors in the coming weeks.
