FRISCO, TEXAS — The University of North Texas (UNT), a public college based in Denton, has signed an office lease renewal and expansion to now occupy 56,517 square feet at Hall Office Park in Frisco, where the university also has a campus. Jim Cooksey and Garrison Efird of Newmark Knight Frank represented UNT in the lease negotiations. Kim Butler, Brad Gibson and Cynthia Cowen represented the owner and developer, Hall Group, on an internal basis. Hall Office Park is a 162-acre campus with more than 2 million square feet of office space housing more than 10,000 employees.
AUSTIN, TEXAS — Texas Children’s Hospital will open a new, $450 million freestanding hospital for women and children near Lakeline Mall in North Austin. The 48-bed, 360,000-square-foot facility will include neonatal intensive care and pediatric intensive care services, as well as a children’s urgent care center and numerous pediatric subspecialty services. In addition, the new hospital will offer approximately 1,200 free parking spaces. International architecture firm Page is designing the project, and McCarthy Building Cos. is the general contractor. The project is expected to be complete in late 2023 and to bring as many as 400 new jobs to the Austin area.
HOUSTON — McCord Development has purchased a 201-acre tract in northeast Houston that will be an addition to the 4,200-acre Generation Park master-planned development, from Chicago-based power company Exelon Generation Co Inc. Specific development plans were not disclosed, but the buyer stated that the site would feature commercial uses and would be part of a future network of trails and parks that connects each region of Generation Park. David Cook, Jeff Peden and Scott Miller of Cushman & Wakefield worked with Will Condrey, Kayla Black and Ben Sample of Cresa Global Inc. to represent Exelon Generation in the sale of the land. Since 2017, Generation Park has seen more than $1 billion in commercial development, including 438,000 square feet of office space, 490,000 square feet of retail space, 908,000 square feet of industrial space, 251 luxury apartment units and two colleges. Another 2.1 million square feet of new construction is currently under development with more in the development pipeline.
AUSTIN, TEXAS — New York City-based Dwight Capital has provided a $23.8 million HUD loan for the refinancing of Oxford at Tech Ridge, a 256-unit apartment community in Austin. The property features one- and two-bedroom units and amenities such as a pool, fitness center, indoor basketball court, resident clubhouse, business center and a dog park. Brandon Baksh and Brian Yee of Dwight Capital originated the loan through HUD’s Green Mortgage Insurance Premium program, which allowed for a reduced rate of 0.25 percent based on the property’s green/energy efficient status. The sponsor was Justin Swartz, owner of Oxford at Tech Ridge Apartments LLC.
AUSTIN, TEXAS — California-based Focal Point Development will build The Point North, a 76-bed student housing community that will be located one block north of the University of Texas at Austin. The property is expected to be complete in summer 2021 and will feature an amenity courtyard, fitness studio and two study lounges. Craig Miller of FourPoint Capital Markets arranged an undisclosed amount of construction financing for the project.
SPRING, TEXAS — JLL has negotiated the sale of Rayford Village, a 19,950-square-foot retail center located in the northern Houston suburb of Spring. The two-building property houses tenants such as Cole Veterinary Services, SK Salon, Goodwill and Papa John’s. Ryan West, John Indelli and Katherine Miller of JLL represented the seller, BNS Rayford Partners LP, in the transaction. Michael Johnson, Stuart Helper and Trey Pizzitola of JLL arranged acquisition financing through First Community Credit Union on behalf of the undisclosed buyer. The loan carried a 10-year term and a fixed interest rate.
FORT WORTH, TEXAS — Pier 1 Imports Inc. has filed a motion in U.S. Bankruptcy Court to begin the process of closing all of its remaining stores and liquidating its assets, including its intellectual property and e-commerce business, the Fort Worth-based home goods retailer said on Tuesday. Pier 1 closed about 450 stores in January and filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in mid-February prior to the outbreak of COVID-19. However, CEO Robert Riesbeck said in the statement that the pandemic had amplified the company’s struggles to restructure debt and secure investment that would keep the business afloat. Pier 1 intends to initiate store closing efforts and liquidation sales once stores can reopen, in compliance with COVID-19 guidelines from local government and health officials. Pier 1 was founded in 1962 and operated about 1,300 stores at the height of its expansion in 2006.
SPRING, TEXAS — Berkadia has arranged the sale of Belvedere Springwoods Village, a 342-unit apartment community located within the Springwoods Village mixed-use development on the northern outskirts of Houston. Developed in 2014 by Fein Communities, the property features one-, two- and three-bedroom units with stainless steel appliances, walk-in showers and private balconies and patios in select units. Amenities include a pool with a sundeck and heated spa, outdoor kitchens and fire pits, a fitness center with a yoga studio, conference room, coffee bar and a dog park. Ryan Epstein and Jennifer Ray of Berkadia represented the seller in the transaction. John Koeijmans and Austin Blankenship of Berkadia arranged financing on behalf of the buyer, MLG Capital.
FORT WORTH, TEXAS — NAI Robert Lynn has brokered the sale of a two-building, 124,658-square-foot industrial facility located at 4901 N. Beach St. in Fort Worth. According to LoopNet Inc., the property was built on 11.5 acres in 1981 and includes additional outdoor storage space. Todd Hubbard of NAI Robert Lynn represented the seller, G&W Ventures, in the transaction. Hubbard will also handle leasing of the space on behalf of the new owner, Dallas-based CanTex Capital. The new ownership will rebrand the property as Beach Industrial Park and will target e-commerce users for occupancy.
KYLE, TEXAS — Dallas-based Montfort Capital Partners (MCP) will develop a 550-unit expansion project at its CubeSmart-operated self-storage facility located on Cromwell Drive in the Central Texas city of Kyle. The expansion building will span 55,000 square feet of net rentable space and will offer both climate- and non-climate-controlled units. The groundbreaking is scheduled for July, and the project is expected to be complete by early 2021.