OKLAHOMA CITY — New York-based development and investment firm Exact Capital has acquired Isola Bella Apartments, a 77-building affordable housing community located at 6303 NW 63rd St. in Oklahoma City, for $59 million. Isola Bella’s unit mix comprises 451 one-bedroom units, 280 two-bedroom apartments, 16 three-bedroom residences, 23 four-bedroom dwellings and a superintendent’s unit. According to Apartments.com, amenities include a pool, fitness center, business center, clubhouse and onsite laundry facilities. The new ownership will renovate and rebrand the property as Alora Apartments. Following the renovation and recapitalization of the property with Low-Income Housing Tax Credits, units will be reserved for renters earning up to 60 percent of the area median income.
EL PASO, TEXAS — A partnership between Boston-based Equity Industrial Partners and New York-based Raith Capital Partners will develop three speculative warehouses in the El Paso area that will total 304,303 square feet. The two buildings at 9577 Plaza Circle will total 215,444 square feet and are expected to be complete in the fourth quarter. The building at 455 Pan American Drive will span 88,859 square feet and is slated for a first-quarter 2023 delivery. All three buildings will feature 1,200-square-foot office suites, 28-foot clear heights and ESFR sprinkler systems. CBRE has been tapped to lease the buildings. The partnership has developed other spec industrial projects in El Paso that have since been sold.
AUSTIN, TEXAS — Canadian developer Ivanhoé Cambridge and South Carolina-based Greystar have broken ground on a 170,000-square-foot office project in downtown Austin. The seven-story building will be part of 1121 at Symphony Square, a mixed-use development at which The Waller, a 32-story residential tower, is currently under construction. The property will feature 5,000 square feet of retail and restaurant space, as well as a range of amenities that promote employee health and wellness, such as a pool, fitness center and turf lawn. Architecture firm R2L is designing the project, with interiors by Austin-based Page and landscape architecture by TBG Partners. Completion is slated for spring 2023.
SAGINAW, TEXAS — San Francisco-based mortgage banking firm Gantry has arranged a $19 million bridge loan for the acquisition of Ashton Apartment Homes, a 152-unit multifamily property located in the northern Fort Worth suburb of Saginaw. Built in 1984, the property consists of 14 two-story buildings on a 7.6-acre site. The undisclosed borrower plans to implement a value-add program focused on unit interiors that is a continuation of the previous owner’s renovations to common areas and amenity spaces.
By Kenneth Katz, co-founder and principal, Baker-Katz The COVID-19 pandemic has reshaped the commercial real estate landscape, and retail has been no exception. Over the past two years, Americans have flocked to rural and suburban communities on the outskirts of major cities, seeking lower living costs and a better quality of life. An uptick in demand for residential real estate followed, and hot on its heels came increased demand for new retail and restaurant spaces to serve growing populations. Done right, retail construction can meet the emerging needs that migration trends expose, bringing new life and vitality to communities. Intelligent, efficient development practices can bring major retailers to consumers who would have previously traveled further afield, costing the city revenue. However, not every site or project is workable. Developers need to identify the right location — and the right moment. In January 2021, Houston-based Baker Katz broke ground on Brenham Crossing, a 50-acre, 250,000-square-foot shopping center in Brenham, Texas. Nestled midway between Houston and Austin, with a population of close to 75,000, Brenham and the surrounding area quickly attracted new residents as more Americans sought temperate climates and a more accessible housing market. In 2021, Texas topped U-Haul’s growth index …
ROCKWALL, TEXAS — Stream Realty Partners, in partnership with San Diego-based investment firm Westcore, will develop 1515 Corporate Crossing, a 301,120-square-foot speculative industrial project that will be situated on a 43.2-acre site in Rockwall, an eastern suburb of Dallas. Building features will include 32-foot clear heights, a divisible rear-load configuration, 68 dock doors, 309 car parking spaces and 62 trailer stalls, both of which can be expanded based on tenant needs. Completion is slated for the end of the year. Stream will also handle leasing of the facility.
HOUSTON — Berkadia has arranged the sale of The Dawson, a 354-unit apartment community located in the Energy Corridor area of West Houston. Built in 2014, The Dawson offers one- and two-bedroom units that range in size from 649 to 1,552 square feet. Residences are furnished with stainless steel appliances, granite countertops, individual washers and dryers and private balconies/patios. Amenities include a pool, fitness center, business center, outdoor kitchen and a dog park. Chris Curry, Todd Marix, Jeffrey Skipworth, Chris Young, Joey Rippel and Kyle Whitney of Berkadia represented the seller, Austin-based RPM Living, in the transaction. Clay Akiwenzie, also with Berkadia, originated an undisclosed amount of Freddie Mac financing on behalf of the buyer, California-based Bridge Partners. The loan carried a seven-year term and a floating interest rate.
ARLINGTON, TEXAS — Marcus & Millichap has brokered the sale of Alpha Storage Centers, a 290-unit self-storage facility in Arlington. The property spans 88,107 net rentable square feet. Brandon Karr and Danny Cunningham of Marcus & Millichap represented the seller, a locally based private investor, in the transaction. An entity doing business as 10 Federal Self Storage purchased the asset for an undisclosed price.
PLANO, TEXAS — A joint venture between two California-based investment firms, Magma Equities and Franklin Templeton, has purchased Palencia Apartment Homes, a 281-unit multifamily property in the northern Dallas suburb of Plano. Built in 1996, the property consists of nine buildings housing studio, one- and two-bedroom units on a 9.6-acre site. Amenities include multiple pools, a clubhouse, fitness center, business center and picnic and grilling areas. The new ownership plans to implement a value-add program that will be primarily focused on unit interiors.
SAN ANTONIO — New York City-based Dwight Capital has provided a $22.7 million HUD-insured loan for the refinancing of Stablewood Farms, a 252-unit affordable housing community in San Antonio. Built in 2002, the property comprises 16 two- and three-story buildings, five garages, a leasing office and a community center on a 22-acre site. The majority (75 percent) of the units are restricted to households earning 80 percent or less of the area median income (AMI), while 20 percent are reserved for renters earning up to 50 percent of AMI. Josh Sasouness of Dwight Capital originated the loan through HUD’s 223(f) program on behalf of the borrower, locally based nonprofit organization Merced Housing Texas.