PFLUGERVILLE, TEXAS — The City Council of Pflugerville on Tuesday approved a rezoning ordinance for a 94-acre tract that will house a 3.8-million-square-foot Amazon distribution center, according to multiple news outlets. The City of Pflugerville, located northeast of Austin, has not confirmed Amazon’s involvement, referring to the project as “Project Charm” in City Council documents, but both the Austin Business Journal and the Austin-American Statesman have named Amazon as the facility’s end-user. Amazon also operates an 850,000-square-foot distribution in San Marcos, located midway between the state capital and San Antonio.
AUSTIN, TEXAS — New York-based investment firm Castle Lanterra Properties (CLP) has sold Villas Tech Ridge, a 350-unit apartment community in Austin. Built in 2008, the property is part of the 236-acre Tech Ridge master-planned community and features one-, two- and three-bedroom units. Amenities include a pool, fitness center and a resident clubhouse. CLP acquired the asset in 2016 and implemented a value-add program that upgraded unit interiors and amenity spaces. Villas Tech Ridge was 98 percent occupied at the time of sale.
FORT WORTH — Multifamily developer Wood Partners has opened Alta Champions Circle, a 285-unit community in Fort Worth. The property is located near the recently completed Tanger Outlet Fort Worth and the Texas Motor Speedway. Floor plans include one-, two- and three-bedroom units with full-size washers and dryers and private yards in select units. Amenities include a pool with a tanning deck, fitness center, micro offices, indoor party room, a pet park and outdoor grilling stations.
HOUSTON — Owens & Minor Distribution Inc., a Virginia-based healthcare solutions firm, has signed a 124,044-square-foot industrial lease renewal at 2700 Brittmoore Road in Houston. Jim Cooksey and Adam Faulk of Newmark Knight Frank represented the tenant in the lease negotiations. Stream Realty Partners represented the landlord, G&I IX Kempwood LLC.
AUSTIN, TEXAS — Muskin Commercial LLC has arranged the sale of Palo Santo Apartments, a 72-unit community located in north central Austin. Units at the property feature hardwood-style flooring and upgraded appliances, and amenities include a pool and onsite laundry facilities. Muskin Commercial represented the seller, AL Rundberg Apartments LLC, in the transaction. James Young of Newmark Knight Frank represented the buyer, 1809 West Rundberg Lane LP.
Tony Schmitz, vice president and senior project manager at Dallas-based Hoefer Wysocki, has been leading the architecture and design firm’s sustainability initiatives across all sectors. With an academic foundation in environmental design, Schmitz has most recently taken his green building and design expertise to Collin College, in McKinney, Texas. Sustainability features of the up-and-coming campus include improvements in the areas of water conservation, design strategies and efficient technologies. At Collin College, Schmitz has made strides in the area of resource use reduction, primarily for water. As our most precious natural resource, water usage has recently come under scrutiny in the city of Dallas, where the city council unanimously passed the 2019 Water Conservation Plan. All of Schmitz’s projects have achieved or surpassed their goal of 40 percent water reduction for the last five years. This figure has become a standard for Schmitz, with a goal to increase to 50 percent water reduction and 100 percent for non-potable water reduction. Schmitz, spoke to Texas Real Estate Business about the process of integrating sustainability into all facets of the building industry, as well as the larger role design plays in the construction of highly adaptable and efficient facilities. His edited responses are …
GARLAND, TEXAS — CBRE has arranged the sale of Creekside on the Green, a 296-unit apartment community in Garland, a northeastern suburb of Dallas. Texas-based RS Creekside LLC sold the asset to Roseview Winn Acquisition LLC for an undisclosed price. Chris Deuillet, Chandler Sims and Danny Baker of CBRE arranged the transaction on behalf of the seller. Since 2016, Creekside on the Green has received more than $1 million in capital improvements, including full upgrades to approximately one-third of the units and improvements to the leasing office, fitness center and pool area.
ADDISON, TEXAS — Northwood Retail will reposition Prestonwood Place, a 133,000-square-foot retail center located at the corner of Beltline and Montfort streets in Addison, a northern suburb of Dallas. The project will convert part of the center into 50,000 square feet of office space, upgrade building façades and add a 15,000-square-foot park. Additional improvements will include reconfigured parking lots, new pedestrian walkways and refreshed landscaping. Construction will occur in four phases, with the overall completion slated for early 2021. Northwood Retail is based in Dallas and is an affiliate of Northwood Investors, a privately held investment firm that was founded in 2006 by former Blackstone executive John Kukral.
FORT WORTH, TEXAS — Marcus & Millichap has brokered the sale of The Monterrey, a 105-unit apartment community in Fort Worth. The property was built in 1968 and is located on the city’s southwest side. Al Silva of Marcus & Millichap represented the seller, locally based investment firm Napali Capital, in the transaction. Silva and Dan Mullen, also with Marcus & Millichap, procured the buyer, a Dallas-based limited liability company. The asset drew 13 offers during a four-week marketing period.
HOUSTON — CommonGrounds Workplace, a San Diego-based provider of coworking and flexible office space, has opened a 27,747-square-foot space at Houston’s Greenway Plaza. The company’s location at the 52-acre office campus is its second in Texas. The space serves up to 458 members and features private offices and team rooms, dedicated gathering spaces, wellness rooms, video-enabled conference rooms and phone booths. Ziegler Cooper Architects designed the space, and Arch-Con handled the build-out. Parkway Properties owns Greenway Plaza