HUMBLE, TEXAS — Wholesale distributor Lone Star Wire Rope Inc. has signed a lease at Parc Air 59, a 320,000-square-foot industrial development by Jackson-Shaw located in the northern Houston suburb of Humble. The company will occupy 26,010 square feet at Building 2, bringing the park’s overall occupancy rate to 70 percent. Beau Kaleel and Allison Bergman of Cushman & Wakefield represented Jackson-Shaw in the lease negotiations.
DALLAS — On Wednesday afternoon, 24 hospitals in the Dallas area reported aggregate bed and ventilator capacity numbers to Mayor Eric Johnson’s office, pursuant to emergency regulations set forth in response to the COVID-19 outbreak. According to the data, approximately 54 percent of the hospitals’ total of 5,354 beds are occupied, while roughly 62 percent of intensive care beds are occupied. Of the 900 or so ventilators, about 32 percent are in use. As of Friday, April 10, Dallas County had reported 1,432 cases of COVID-19.
Multifamily developers across the country know that these are unprecedented and uncertain times for nearly everyone due to COVID-19. Houstonians making up our workforce, which many consider “the essential class,” include professionals like teachers, police officers, nurses and firefighters who invest in other peoples’ betterment every day. These are the people who are working day in and day out to provide us with various fundamental needs during this time of mandated quarantine. Many of these individuals are tenants of workforce housing properties, and to the relief of developers, are most essential to the world right now. However, not all jobs can be kept, and with over 3 million people in the United States having lost their jobs in just a week’s time, necessary processes and procedures about how to work with residents who might be in a financial bind due to COVID-19 have become a requirement. In early March, developers including our firm began to work with both the National Apartment Association and the Houston Apartment Association for recommended guidelines to effectively help our tenants who need it most. Additionally, several landlords came together to better understand what other complexes are doing on the ground to best serve our residents. …
AUSTIN, TEXAS — Walgreens will introduce rapid testing services for COVID-19 across select parts of the state, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said in a press conference on Wednesday afternoon. The move comes as part of a larger effort to increase the number of people tested, and to do so with less aid and supervision from the federal government. Walgreens will also roll out this effort in six other states: Arizona, Florida, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana and Tennessee. Local ABC affiliate KVUE reports that test results will take about 15 minutes to process, and that each site may be able to test up to 3,000 people per day. Time frames for the rollout of these services and locations of testing sites were not specified. As of Thursday, April 9, the Texas Department of Health and Human Services had identified 9,353 cases of COVID-19 across the state with 177 fatalities.
HOUSTON — Camden Property Trust, a Houston-based multifamily developer and operator, has established a $5 million resident relief fund for renters experiencing financial hardships as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak. The fund is intended to help affected residents by providing financial assistance for living expenses such as food, utilities, medical expenses, insurance, childcare and/or transportation. Grants would be offered to Camden residents in good standing and not currently on notice to vacate. Financial assistance would be capped at $2,000 per apartment home.
DENTON, TEXAS — Walker & Dunlop has arranged the sale of Locust 210 Lofts, Victoria Heights, Victoria Station, Victoria Village, The Adagio and Locust Street Terrace Apartments, six apartment communities totaling 325 units and 18,000 square feet of commercial space in Denton. Each of the Class A, mid-rise properties was built between 2009 and 2014, and the portfolio had a collective occupancy rate of 94 percent at the time of sale. Kyle Palmer led a Walker & Dunlop team that brokered the transaction between the buyer and seller, both of which were locally based private equity investors. Jeremy Nussbaum, also with Walker & Dunlop, arranged acquisition financing for the buyer, which will implement $3.2 million in capital improvements across the portfolio, through a national debt fund. Loan terms included a fixed 4.5 percent interest rate, an 80 percent loan-to-value ratio and three years of interest-only payments.
LONGVIEW, TEXAS — Colliers International has brokered the sale of Bella Oaks, a 160-unit multifamily community in Longview, about 120 miles east of Dallas. Built in 1971, the property features one-, two- and three-bedroom units ranging in size from 688 to 1,088 square feet with granite countertops and walk-in closets. Amenities include a pool, playground and onsite laundry facilities. Mark Allen and Courtland Charles of Colliers represented the seller in the transaction. The buyer was a California-based investor that acquired the asset via a 1031 exchange.
HOUSTON — The Texas Eye Institute, an eye care physicians group serving the Gulf Coast, has renewed its 16,000-square-foot office lease at 7710 Beechnut St. in southwest Houston. John Zivley of NAI Partners represented the tenant in the lease negotiations. Ace Schlameus and Jenny Seckinger of Colliers International represented the landlord.
DUNCAN, OKLA. — Houston-based oilfield services firm Halliburton Co. will lay off approximately 350 employees at its facility in Duncan, according to reports from several news outlets including The Houston Chronicle and Reuters. The Chronicle reports that the move was revealed via a filing with the Oklahoma Office of Workforce Development, and that the company has independently confirmed plans to reduce its workforce as oil prices continue to suffer. Several weeks ago in mid-March, Halliburton furloughed some 3,500 workers at its Houston headquarters via a program in which employees would work every other week for 60 days. As of Tuesday afternoon, the price of West Texas Intermediate crude stood at $25.61 per barrel, down from $63.98 per barrel a year ago.
DALLAS — Locally based developer Centurion American has provided rooms at The Statler Hotel in downtown Dallas for healthcare workers who are battling the COVID-19 pandemic. According to NBCDFW, Centurion American has designated two floors of the hotel for use by medical professionals from nearby hospitals, including Baylor Medical Center, Teas Health Presbyterian Hospital and Parkland Memorial Hospital. Centurion American is perhaps best known as the developer behind the repositioning of Collin Creek Mall in Plano.
