GRAND PRAIRIE, TEXAS — McWane Inc., an Alabama-based manufacturer of iron water works and plumbing products, has signed a 66,961-square-foot industrial lease at 1201 Avenue S in the central metroplex city of Grand Prairie. According to LoopNet Inc., the property was built on 5.4 acres in 1997, totals approximately 116,000 square feet and features 24-foot clear heights. Art Leichner and Andrew Crites of Newmark represented the tenant in the lease negotiations. CBRE represented the landlord, an entity doing business as TAF Dallas Industrial Portfolio LP.
HUMBLE AND SPRING, TEXAS — EDGE Realty Partners has negotiated two restaurant leases totaling 4,913 square feet on the northern outskirts of Houston. Dave’s Hot Chicken signed a lease to open a 2,995-square-foot restaurant at Spring Town Center in Spring, and Teriyaki Madness inked a deal for a 1,918-square-foot space at West Lake Crossing in Humble. In the first transaction, Debbie Adams of EDGE Realty represented Dave’s Hot Chicken, and Kevin Sims of NewQuest Properties represented the unnamed landlord. In the second deal, Kathy King of EDGE represented Teriyaki Madness, and Brett Strake of NewQuest Properties represented the undisclosed landlord.
EL PASO, TEXAS — Stonelake Capital Partners, a Texas-based real estate private equity firm, has acquired a 69-acre site in El Paso for the development of Eastlake Logistics Park, a 1.1 million-square-foot speculative industrial project. The site is located at the corner of Eastlake Boulevard and Interstate 10, adjacent to Amazon’s future fulfillment center. Construction is scheduled to begin in the fourth quarter and to be complete in the third quarter of 2022. CBRE is leasing the development.
MESQUITE, TEXAS — Global investment firm KKR has acquired Skyline Commerce Center, a 198,000-square-foot, newly built industrial property located in the eastern Dallas suburb of Mesquite. The seller, Conor Commercial, began construction on the two-building development in April 2020. Building 1 features 32-foot clear heights, 23 truck docks, 12 trailer parking stalls and 133 car parking spots. Building 2 offers 28-foot clear heights, 18 truck docks and 122 car parking spaces.
EL PASO, TEXAS — KeyBank Real Estate Capital has provided $30 million in Freddie Mac acquisition financing for Bungalows at North Hills, a 342-unit multifamily property in El Paso. Built on 18 acres in 2009, the property features studio, one-, two-, three- and four-bedroom units. Amenities include a pool, fitness center, clubhouse and outdoor grilling areas. Caleb Marten and Chris Neil of KeyBank originated the financing. The borrower was a real estate private equity firm based in New England. The property has since been rebranded as Forty649 North Hills Apartments.
DALLAS — Locally based owner United Development Co. has completed renovations of Park Forest, an office building located at 3530 Forest Lane in Dallas. The project began in 2018 with the relocation of office tenants from two one-story buildings to a three-story, 66,299-square-foot building. The project also included upgrades to the new building’s common areas, amenity spaces and exteriors. The two one-story buildings were demolished, and a Lone Star Self Storage facility will open in their place in June.
FRISCO, TEXAS — Locally based brokerage firm STRIVE has arranged the sale of Frisco Crossing, a 12,158-square-foot retail center located on the northern outskirts of Dallas. Frisco Crossing was fully occupied at the time of sale to tenants such as Stonelake Family Dentistry, Palio’s Pizza Café and Frisco Pharmacy. Hudson Lambert of STRIVE represented the seller and procured the buyer, both of which were local investors that requested anonymity, in the transaction.
Shifting behaviors and expectations for consumers, manufacturers and distributors have made industrial space central to the commercial real estate landscape. “This is an asset class that for 25 years of my 39 years in the commercial real estate business was a boring, middle-of-the-road class. But this steady investment has just exploded,” says Jay Olshonsky, president and CEO of NAI Global. Much of the most recent change has been driven by the particulars of the COVID-19 pandemic. Delivery became a way of life for those socially distancing, creating an instant need for more distribution and warehousing centers. Olshonsky explains that the behavioral changes starting in March of 2020 accelerated trends (online shopping, delivery/pickup services and working from home) that might otherwise have taken five or more years to come to fruition. Olshonsky explains that there are still hurdles for this ascendant product type to overcome, but the changes we’ve seen over the last year will remain. Industrial Not a Bubble “Industrial is here to stay,” says Olshonsky. “COVID accelerated trends that already existed, but those trends were already in motion. We’re seeing some changes that are fundamental.” The need for delivery and warehouses is fed by new expectations: “Ecommerce is the …
By Adam Frank, president, River Oaks Properties As one of the sector’s largest owners and developers, we have been witness to a number of uplifting and heartbreaking outcomes wrought by COVID-19 in the El Paso retail market over the last year. We’ve spent countless hours working with the 800 or so tenants that comprise our portfolio, negotiating rent deferrals and restructured leases, helping them navigate the newly launched Paycheck Protection Program and devising creative real estate solutions to help keep their businesses afloat. In some cases, these efforts have helped tenants keep their doors open. In others, the economic impacts of COVID-19 ultimately hit the employee bases and operating budgets of tenants — especially those of the mom-and-pop variety — too harshly for them to survive. But through the good, bad and universally unprecedented challenges of 2020, we have seen one category of retail — food and beverage — position itself as the clear leader in the recovery and inevitable return to growth of the broader El Paso market. As is often the case during economic downturns, the grocery sector has performed well over the past year, with both large- and small-format players looking to expand in El Paso. River …
HALTOM CITY, TEXAS — Stream Realty Partners is nearing completion of Midway Logistics Park, a 491,218-square-foot speculative industrial project in the Fort Worth suburb of Haltom City. The development consists of a 156,085-square-foot cross-dock building, a 126,320-square-foot rear-load complex and a 208,813-square-foot rear-load facility. Stream, which is also marketing the development for lease, expects to deliver the buildings in the third quarter.