KATY, TEXAS — Weitzman has begun leasing Porter Lake Crossing, a 40,130-square-foot shopping center under construction in the western Houston suburb of Katy. Cornerstone Development Group is developing the project, which will consist of three multi-tenant buildings and a 6,000-square-foot pad site. Construction of the first building is expected to be complete next fall.
CASTROVILLE, TEXAS — Merit Commercial Real Estate has broken ground on Alsatian Oaks, a 435-acre, master-planned community in Castroville, a town adjacent to San Antonio. The project represents an investment of more than $500 million. When complete, Alsatian Oaks will include 950 single-family homes, an amenity center, parks, bike trails and more than 400,000 square feet of restaurants, retail and medical office space. The first phase of development will consist of 233 homes as well as utility systems and a parkway connecting to Highway 90. A construction timeline was not provided. Founded in 1844 by farmers from Alsace, a French region that borders Germany, Castroville maintains a uniquely European agricultural style. Merit brought in agricultural talent from across the state to ensure that the new development honored the city’s heritage and paid tribute to its unique architecture. The population within a 10-mile radius of Castroville has increased 11.4 percent over the past five years, according to Merit. It is projected to increase another 18.2 percent over the next five years. Additionally, Castroville lies within the highest growth submarket for the San Antonio area, with more than 5,321 new home starts in the past year. There are multiple projects to increase …
CHICAGO — Chicago-based Alliant Credit Union has provided over $51 million in financing for three student housing properties located near Louisiana State University (LSU) in Baton Rouge, Baylor University in Waco, Texas, and the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. In Baton Rouge, Alliant provided acquisition financing to Versity Investments for a student housing property comprising 244 residential units and 466 beds. Located one mile south of LSU, the property was 100 percent occupied at the time of sale for the 2021/2022 school year. The undisclosed seller completed renovations to offer interior and community amenities, including lounges, two pools, a coffee bar, fitness center and a grilling area. Josh Perew of Walker & Dunlop referred the transaction to Alliant. In Waco, Alliant Credit closed on acquisition financing for a student housing property located approximately one mile from Baylor. The complex includes 116 apartments in three buildings comprising a combined 455 beds. Community amenities include two resort-style pools and spas, sand volleyball court, basketball court, private jogging trail and a fitness center. Free high-speed internet and expanded cable TV are included in every unit. The flexible loan structure included a three-year term with extension options and a 30-year amortization schedule. Patrick Short …
THE WOODLANDS, TEXAS — The Howard Hughes Corp. (NYSE: HHC) has received $250 million in new financing for 1201 Lake Robbins, an approximately 806,000-square-foot Class A office tower in The Woodlands, about 30 miles north of Houston. The building, which at the time of the loan closing was fully leased to Occidental Petroleum (NYSE: OXY) through the end of 2032, represents half of The Woodlands Towers at the Waterway development. An undisclosed lender provided the nonrecourse, 10-year loan, which bears interest at a rate of roughly 3.8 percent and is interest-only for the full loan term. Howard Hughes Corp. CEO David O’Reilly stated that receipt of the new financing would free up capital proceeds for redeployment in other development opportunities. To that end, the company announced earlier this week that it had purchased 37,000 acres in Phoenix for the development of the Douglas Ranch master-planned community.
HOUSTON — Group RMC, a New York City-based investment firm focused on the office sector, has acquired a 491,092-square-foot building located at 5718 Westheimer Road in Houston’s Galleria District. The 22-story building was renovated in 2017 and offers a fitness center and a full-service café. Kevin McConn and Rick Goings of JLL represented the undisclosed seller in the transaction. John Ream, also with JLL, arranged an undisclosed amount of floating-rate acquisition financing through Sound Point Capital Management on behalf of Group RMC. At the time of sale, 5718 Westheimer was approximately 68 percent leased.
MIDLOTHIAN, TEXAS — Marcus & Millichap has brokered the sale of Midlothian Self Storage, a 714-unit facility located on the southern outskirts of Dallas. The property spans 94,385 net rentable square feet. Brandon Karr of Marcus & Millichap represented the seller, a private owner, and procured the buyer, a 1031 exchange investor. Both parties involved in the transaction requested anonymity.
HOUSTON — Global energy consulting firm Opportune has signed a 62,535-square-foot office lease renewal and expansion at Pennzoil Place, a 1.4 million-square-foot office complex located at 711 Louisiana St. in downtown Houston. The firm will now occupy floors 31 through 34 at Pennzoil Place, which also houses a Starbucks Coffee and a Chick-fil-A. Tyler Garrett and Eric Anderson of Transwestern represented the landlord, Metropolis Investment Holdings Inc., in the lease negotiations. Lucian Bukowski of CBRE represented Opportune, which has been a tenant at Pennzoil Place since 2005.
DALLAS — Locally based brokerage firm Wellington Realty has arranged the sale of Crestview Apartments, an 85-unit multifamily complex located near Highland Park in Dallas. According to Apartments.com, the property was built in 1962 and offers a picnic area and onsite laundry facilities. The buyer and seller were both undisclosed. David Shaffer, Caleb Jones and Will Miller of Wellington Realty brokered the deal.
DALLAS — Lument has provided $47.1 million in financing for The Oaks, a mixed-income seniors housing project in Dallas. The package consists of $25 million in short-term bonds and $22.1 million in Freddie Mac permanent financing. The Oaks will consist of 260 units for residents aged 62 or older. Over 90 percent of the units will have income or rent restrictions, with 216 units serving seniors earning at or below 60 percent of the area median income (AMI) and 27 units serving seniors earning at or below 30 percent of AMI. Construction is expected to be complete in 2023. Upon stabilization, the Freddie Mac loan and tax credit equity will be used to pay off a $35 million construction loan from a national bank. The borrower is a partnership between DHA Housing Solutions for North Texas and the Volunteers of America National Services. Tracy Peters and Dale Giffey led the transaction for Lument.
HOUSTON — Marcus & Millichap has brokered the sale of Barker Cypress Self Storage, a 469-unit facility in Houston. Built on 2.9 acres in 1996 and expanded in 2003, the property consists of 130 climate-controlled units totaling 15,800 net rentable square feet and 339 non-climate-controlled units totaling 40,250 net rentable square feet. Dave Knobler and Charles LeClaire of Marcus & Millichap represented the seller, a family partnership, in the transaction. The buyer was not disclosed.