AUSTIN, TEXAS — CONTI Organization, a privately held multifamily owner-operator, has purchased Hillside Creek Apartments, a 268-unit community located about three miles south of downtown Austin. Built on eight acres in 1981, the garden-style complex offers amenities such as a pool, fitness center, a dog park, onsite laundry facilities and shuttle service to the University of Texas at Austin. The acquisition is CONTI’s first in Austin and 42nd in Texas. The seller was not disclosed.
DESOTO, TEXAS — Allied Stone Inc., a provider of quartz, granite and marble countertops, has signed a 226,000-square-foot industrial lease at Eagle Park 20/35 in the southern Dallas suburb of DeSoto. The building spans 454,408 square feet, is situated off Interstate 35 and features a cross-dock configuration with 32-foot clear heights. Matt Dornak and Drew Feagin of Stream Realty Partners represented the landlord, Ridgeline Property Group, in the lease negotiations.
DALLAS — JLL has arranged a Freddie Mac loan of an undisclosed amount for the refinancing of Central Park Apartments, a 144-unit multifamily community located in the Vickery Meadow neighborhood of Dallas. The property was built in 1977 and features one- and two-bedroom units. Amenities include a pool, fitness center, clubhouse, a business center and onsite laundry facilities. Mark Brandenburg and Chad Russell of JLL arranged the loan, which carries a 10-year term and a fixed interest rate on behalf of the borrower, Frontline Holdings. The Beverly Hills-based private equity firm acquired the asset in 2016 and implemented capital improvements.
FORT WORTH, TEXAS — Gaines Real Estate Co. has brokered the sale of Western Hills Plaza Shopping Center, an 82,000-square-foot retail asset in Fort Worth. American Freight anchors the property, which also houses tenants such as Sonic, Taco Casa, Jackson Hewitt Tax Service and Ultimate Physique. Andrew Gaines and Hank Gaines of Gaines Real Estate represented the seller, a Dallas-based partnership, and procured the buyer, a California-based investor. Both parties requested anonymity.
When beginning the loan process, borrowers and lenders start with a solid foundation. But what happens if a new or renovated project doesn’t lease up as quickly as expected? What happens if construction delays push past the end of the construction loan? What happens if construction cost overruns jeopardize completion of a project? And what if the economic upcycle turns downward before your project is completed? Mark Fogel, President and CEO of ACRES Capital, talks about the role of alternative lenders and how communication between borrowers and lenders can overcome these challenges. Watch the video for Fogel’s recommendations on creating a solid partnership with your lender. This video is posted as part of REBusinessOnline’s Finance Insight series, covering MBA CREF 2020. Click here to subscribe to the Finance Insight newsletter, a four-week newsletter series, followed by video interviews from MBA CREF.
The Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) real estate market is remarkable. In a recent meeting with a broker from another market, he made the observation: “You guys in Texas are like a country unto yourself. It’s not that you don’t know there are 49 other states, you just don’t care!” While that was a bit of an exaggeration, the point was well taken. Certainly DFW is not immune to national affairs and recessions, but the market appears to have enough momentum to carry through 2020, though the uncertainty of the presidential election could cause a few users and buyers to pause before making decisions. In 2016, as Global President for the Society of Industrial and Office Realtors (SIOR), I travelled throughout North America and Europe. Continually meeting with SIOR brokers in other markets gave me unique perspective on how DFW really does compare to the rest. The leasing and absorption activity far outweigh most other markets, making it an enviable location. Texas will always be a magnet for businesses as long as it retains a pro-business state of mind: Texas is a central part of the country and a right-to-work state with no state income tax, among other attractive incentives. Oftentimes, as …
HOUSTON — Texas A&M University has unveiled plans for a $546 million expansion project at Texas Medical Center in Houston. The project will include the $145 million acquisition and renovation of the 18-story Texas A&M Engineering Medicine (EnMed) building at 1020 Holcombe Blvd., as well as $401 million construction of two new towers adjacent to the EnMed structure. The first new building is a 30-story medical tower slated for completion in June 2023. The property will include 72,000 square feet of retail space and 8,700 square feet of green space. The tower will expand the EnMed building’s engineering medicine programs, which include a combination of medical and engineering degrees. The second new building is a 19-story residential tower slated for completion in June 2022. The project will include 704 beds of student housing and a 3,444-space parking garage. Texas A&M College of Medicine students and Prairie View A&M University College of Nursing students will have first priority to occupy the housing, but students from other institutions can also apply. The expansion will be part of Texas Medical Center’s planned 1.5 million-square-foot TMC3 translational research campus. With construction scheduled to begin this year for completion in 2022, TMC3 will include 112,000 …
FORT WORTH, TEXAS — Ascendant Commercial, a Dallas-based investment and development firm, has purchased land at the northwest corner of Interstate 35 and State Highway 1187 in south Fort Worth for a 2.2 million-square-foot industrial project. Construction of Phase I of the project is expected to commence this summer and to feature an 850,000-square-foot speculative distribution center. Delivery is slated for May 2021. CBRE is handling leasing of the new facility.
HOUSTON — Cushman & Wakefield has acquired Colvill Office Properties, a Houston-based provider of office agency leasing services. The company currently oversees marketing and leasing efforts for roughly 17 million square feet of Class A office space throughout the Houston area. The Colvill portfolio includes more than 30 individual properties in the central business district, Energy Corridor/Katy Freeway, Galleria/Uptown, Westchase, West Belt, Springwoods and Inner Loop submarkets. Colvill CEO and president Chip Colvill will join Cushman & Wakefield as executive vice chairman.
FRISCO, TEXAS — KWA Construction has topped out Kilby, a 258-unit apartment community located within the $600 million Frisco Square mixed-use development north of Dallas. Designed by BGO Architects and developed by Toll Brothers Apartments, the property will offer a clubroom, conference lounge, gaming lounge, two-story fitness center with a yoga deck, pet spa and an outdoor patio with grills surrounding a resort-style pool. Completion is scheduled for late 2020.
