SAN ANTONIO — Hospitality development and management firm Winston Hotels is nearing completion of a project in downtown San Antonio that will convert an office building into a 343-room dual-branded hotel. The AC by Marriott component will total 181 rooms and is scheduled to launch in early October, and the Element by Westin brand will comprise 162 rooms that are slated to come on line before the end of the year. Guests of both hotels will have access to multiple bars and lounges, a fitness center, business center and 4,000 square feet of meeting space.
Texas
HOUSTON — Lineage Logistics, a third-party provider specializing in cold storage real estate, has signed a 315,111-square-foot lease at Houston ColdPort, a newly built facility located near Port Houston. The facility sits on 22.5 acres and features 50-foot clear heights, 200-foot truck court depths and the capacity to support 40,000 pallet positions. The developer, a partnership between CenterSquare Investment Management and Boomerang Interests, broke ground on the facility in April 2021.
HOUSTON — The Houston-based brokerage and advisory firm formerly known as NAI Partners has elected not to renew its affiliation with NAI Global and has rebranded the entire organization as Partners. All of the organization’s business lines, including brokerage services, investor services and valuation, will operate under this brand, as will Partners Capital, the company’s commercial investment arm. In addition, Partners, which already has additional offices in Austin and San Antonio, will open a new office in Dallas in the coming months.
HUNTSVILLE, TEXAS — Colorado-based Spartan Investment Group has begun a 303-unit expansion project at the FreeUp Storage facility in Huntsville, about 70 miles north of Houston. The facility currently comprises 45,000 net rentable square feet of climate- and non-climate-controlled space across 320 units. On a net rentable basis, the expansion will add 31,700 square feet of climate-controlled space and 12,940 square feet of non-climate-controlled space. Spartan Investment Group expects to complete the project before the end of the year.
HOUSTON — Colliers has negotiated a 127,046-square-foot, full-building industrial lease at 2425 Turning Basin Drive in East Houston. The property features 23-foot clear heights, 12 dock-high doors and 20,292 square feet of office space. John Nicholson, Zack Taylor and Trey Horne of Colliers represented the landlord, Macey Family Properties, in the lease negotiations. John Garza of Windsor Hill Real Estate Group represented the tenant, an entity doing business as LTR Intermediate Holdings Inc.
As the commercial real estate market adjusts to how much of an effect higher interest rates will have on investment sales and property values, the rental housing sector continues to witness robust resident demand and rent growth as home ownership has become even more difficult for first-time buyers. According to a recent report by the National Multifamily Council (NMHC) and the National Apartment Association (NAA), by 2035 the U.S. needs to build 4.3 million new residential rentals to meet housing needs amid shifting demographics, the existing shortage and the loss of 4.7 million affordable units with monthly rental rates of $1,000 or less, the organizations report. “We’re just not seeing enough new apartments being built, and as a result, we’re seeing significant demand in the rental housing market,” says Hugh Cobb, a principal of Asset Living, one of the nation’s largest property managers of multifamily, affordable, student, active adult, single-family rentals and build-to-rent housing. “Because we’re seeing a decrease in demand in the single-family sales market due to higher mortgage rates, people are staying in apartments longer. And as their families grow, they’re looking for alternative rental housing, such as the build-to-rent space,” says Hugh Cobb. “Through our proprietary data …
FORNEY, TEXAS — A partnership between Holt Lunsford Commercial Investments (HLCI) and Principal Real Estate Investors will develop Gateway Crossing Logistics Park, an approximately 1.7 million-square-foot industrial project that will be located in the eastern Dallas suburb of Forney. The development will consist of three buildings ranging in size from roughly 1 million to 265,000 square feet on a 127-acre site along State Highway 80. Building features will include 36- to 40-foot clear heights, 185-foot truck court depths, built-to-suit office space and ample car and trailer parking. Construction is slated to begin within the month and to be complete in late 2023. Holt Lunsford’s leasing division will market the property.
FORT WORTH, TEXAS — GXO Logistics has signed a 644,318-square-foot industrial lease at Everman Crossroads, a 954,611-square-foot development in Fort Worth that is owned by Atlanta-based MDH Partners. The third-party logistics firm will occupy the entirety of Building 2. Pet products supplier Purina occupies the 310,292-square-foot Building 1. Scott Moore and Steve Koldyke of CBRE represented the landlord in the lease negotiations. Allen Gump and Allyson Yost of Colliers represented the tenant.
CORPUS CHRISTI, TEXAS — Northmarq has arranged the sale of Island Villas, a 336-unit multifamily property in Corpus Christi. The property was built in 2008 and features a pool, billiards room, fitness center, package room and a pet play area. Moses Siller of Northmarq represented the buyer and seller, both of which requested anonymity, in the transaction. Bryan Mummaw, Brandon Harrington, Bryan Liu and Tyler Woodard, also with Northmarq, originated an undisclosed amount of Freddie Mac acquisition financing for the deal. The financing was structured with a 10-year term and seven years of interest-only payments followed by a 30-year amortization schedule.
AUSTIN, TEXAS — HNTB, a Kansas City-based design-build firm focused on urban infrastructure projects, is underway on the renovation and expansion of Austin-Bergstrom International Airport. HTNB is working with global design firm Populous on the project, which will include updates to the existing Barbara Jordan terminal, a new below-grade passenger tunnel and a new Midfield Concourse with space for up to 30 gates. A tentative completion date for these pieces of the project was not disclosed.