PASADENA, TEXAS — Johnson Controls, a supplier of fire, HVAC and security equipment for buildings, has signed a 29,954-square-foot industrial lease in metro Houston. The company is taking space at a newly built facility located at 4111 Greenshadow Drive in the eastern suburb of Pasadena. Carlton Anderson of CBRE represented the tenant in the lease negotiations. Reed Vestal and Taylor Schmidt of Lee & Associates represented the owner and developer, VIGAVI Realty LLC.
FARMERS BRANCH, TEXAS — Marcus & Millichap has brokered the sale of the Baylor Scott & White Institute For Rehabilitation, a 5,000-square-foot medical clinic located in the northern Dallas suburb of Farmers Branch. The property was built in 2018 and was fully leased at the time of sale. Philip Levy and Vincent Knipp of Marcus & Millichap represented the seller and procured the buyer, both of which were private investors that requested anonymity.
In response to the outbreak of COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, industrial landlords in Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) are demonstrating greater flexibility on short-term lease structures in order to keep deals moving forward. With most of the nation sheltering in place to stem the spread of the virus, e-commerce activity is accelerating, leading to greater demand for distribution and logistics services. In addition, supply chain operators that service essential industries — such as grocery, healthcare, construction and infrastructure — are working overtime to store and ship the necessary product to end users. In addition, many of these suppliers are also carrying more inventory. This is because are at interest rates are at historic lows, making it cheaper to stockpile goods and equipment, and because the global healthcare crisis has caused demand for certain foods, household products and consumer goods to skyrocket. All of this activity translates to short-term disruption in industrial real estate. Some deals are on hold, and the market is now seeing more unforeseen requirements from firms that need additional space for inventory storage, as well as from distribution and logistics users that are hiring more workers and shipping more product. “Several larger distribution companies are still …
Content PartnerDevelopmentFeaturesIndustrialLoansMidwestMultifamilyNortheastOfficeRetailSoutheastTexasWalker & DunlopWestern
Walker & Dunlop: Rent, Lenders, Tech in the Midst of Coronavirus
In recent weeks, the ability of commercial real estate owners to access debt and equity has come into question as the novel coronavirus wreaks havoc on the economy. While some deals in the pipeline are still getting done, the debt markets took a pause as the pandemic took hold. Debt markets were waiting for clarity on how various sectors would react, according to Mark Strauss, managing director of capital markets, and Rob Quarton, director of capital markets, with Walker & Dunlop’s Irvine, Calif., office. The two recently spoke with REBusinessOnline via Zoom about the robustness of certain asset types, market stability, debt pricing and adoption of tech-heavy creativity in the wake of COVID-19 and its effects on commercial real estate nationwide. Commercial Real Estate Debt & Coronavirus Strauss and Quarton primarily work with institutional capital sources that provide capitalization for commercial real estate developers and owners. As such, they have a broad view of all debt markets and their willingness to fund. Debt funds are one of the most affected areas of the financial markets. “The way that debt funds finance their position behind the scenes — either using collateralized loan obligations (CLOs), bank warehouse lines or repo facilities — …
AUSTIN, TEXAS — Texas Gov. Greg Abbott provided more information on his plan to restart the Texas economy on Wednesday, noting that the state has experienced 13 consecutive days of downward trajectory in its COVID-19 growth rate and affirming his commitment to Texas’ reputation as a business-friendly state. Federal guidelines call for 14 straight days of downward trajectory before states may proceed with reopening certain businesses. Speaking to a Lubbock radio station, Abbott said his administration would soon allow the reopening of “any type of retail establishment you want to go to, with a structure in place that will ensure that we slow the spread of the coronavirus.” The Houston Chronicle reported that such businesses would include hair salons, movie theaters and dine-in restaurants. Abbott said that these measures would not permit full-fledged store reopenings, but rather “openings in strategic ways that are approved by doctors,” and that certain counties with higher growth rates would not be subject to these new measures. Lastly, the governor stated that he expected some level of expansion of COVID-19 cases in Texas following the reopenings, but expressed confidence in the state’s ability to handle it, “so long as the expansion is very minimal.” The …
DALLAS — International transport and logistics firm Geodis has signed a 280,000-square-foot industrial lease at 5450 W. Kiest Blvd. in southwest Dallas. According to LoopNet Inc., the site is located within Southwest Distribution Center, a 500,000-square-foot development that was completed in 1999. Ann Huntington of CBRE represented the tenant in the lease negotiations. Kacy Jones and Trapper Graff of CBRE represented the landlord, Kiest Blvd LLC.
AUSTIN, TEXAS — A joint venture between Dallas-based Trammell Crow Co. and New York-based Clarion Partners has completed construction of an 85,000-square-foot, build-to-suit distribution center for FedEx in Austin. The Class A building is situated on 13 acres at 8233 Industry Way on the city’s southeast side and has been operational since March. The project represents Phase II of Park 183, a Class A industrial development that currently totals 330,000 square feet. A third phase consisting of 300,000 square feet has been announced and is expected to be complete by the third quarter of 2021.
TIKI ISLAND, TEXAS — Austin-based developers Legend Communities and Tiki Time LLC have acquired six acres on Tiki Island, located near Galveston, for the development of a mixed-use community. Tiki Island Residences & Boathouse Resort will feature 75 condominium residences, five penthouses, a waterfront restaurant, retail space and a boathouse structure with the capacity to lodge more than 200 boats. Construction of Phase I, which includes the commercial components, is expected to begin by the fall. The developers expect to break ground on Phase II, which will deliver the residences, in summer 2021. NAN Properties Developer Services has been named as the exclusive listing agent for the residential component.
AUSTIN, TEXAS — Colliers International has arranged the $7.4 million sale of a 12,900-square-foot retail property Austin. The tenant, CVS, has 13 years remaining on its 25-year lease. Jon Busse and Volmey Campbell of Colliers represented the San Diego-based seller in the transaction. Brad Kritzer and David Chasin of Pegasus Investments represented the buyer, a California-based 1031 exchange investor.
AUSTIN, TEXAS — Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on Tuesday provided an update on the state’s unemployment situation, noting that there are nearly 500,000 jobs currently listed on workintexas.com, a job board and resource center that was developed by the Texas Workforce Commission. According to the governor’s presentation, more than 1.5 million Texans have filed for unemployment as a result of COVID-19, and the state has disbursed more than $.14 billion in unemployment benefits. Gov. Abbott also cited specific companies and industries that are hiring on regional bases. He noted that large tech and healthcare providers like Amazon and Baylor Scott & White are hiring in Central Texas, while aerospace and defense firms like Lockheed Martin are hiring in North Texas and manufacturing and biomedical companies, including paper products producer Georgia Pacific, are hiring in East Texas. The governor also pointed to Texas-based grocers H-E-B and Randalls as sources with high numbers of job openings.