FRISCO, TEXAS — Newland Communities has unveiled plans for Phase II of The Grove Frisco, a 735-acre mixed-use project located on the northern outskirts of Dallas. Phase II will include a 424-unit apartment community developed by JPI as well as 129 townhomes and an unspecified amount of retail and dining space. The groundbreaking is scheduled for the second quarter. Phase I of the project featured single-family homes and 25 acres of communal outdoor space that includes a fishing pond, city park and 4.5 miles of walking trails.
MANSFIELD, TEXAS — Houston-based Hilltop Residential has acquired an undisclosed apartment community in the Dallas-Fort Worth metro of Mansfield. The number of units was also undisclosed, but the property was built in two phases between 2015 and 2017 and features a pool, fitness center, outdoor lounge and a dog park. Cortney Cole and Steve Heldenfels of JLL arranged a four-year, fixed-rate acquisition loan through a life insurance company on behalf of Hilltop Residential.
SUGAR LAND, TEXAS — CBRE has arranged a $28.2 million bridge loan for the refinancing of Overture Sugar Land, a 200-unit active adult community in the Houston suburb of Sugar Land. The community opened in 2017 and features a coffee bar and bistro, pool, yoga studio and access to nature trails. Aron Will, Austin Sacco and Adam Mincberg of CBRE arranged the nonrecourse, floating-rate loan with 18 months of interest-only payments on behalf of the borrower, Greystar. The lender was MF1 Capital, an alliance between Limekiln Real Estate, Berkshire Group and CBRE Capital Markets.
HOUSTON — Colliers International has arranged the sale of York Centre, a 114,474-square-foot office building situated on 5.3 acres at the corner of Hempstead Highway and West Little York Road in Houston. According to LoopNet Inc., the Class B property was built in 1982. David Carter of Colliers represented the undisclosed seller in the transaction. The buyer, Interra York Centre LLC, an affiliate of Houston-based Interra Capital Group, was self-represented.
WEBSTER, TEXAS — JLL has negotiated the sale of Bay Area Plaza, a 72,569-square-foot commercial property in Webster, located about 23 miles southeast of Houston. Bay Area Plaza comprises 45,269 square feet of retail space and 27,300 square feet of industrial flex space that combined was 98 percent leased at the time of sale. Retail tenants include Total Body Work, Pizza Hut, Dapper Doughnuts and Amy’s Nails. Ryan West, John Indelli and Ethan Goldberg of JLL represented the seller, Orr Commercial Inc., in the transaction. The buyer was undisclosed.
NORFOLK, VA. — Harbor Group International LLC (HGI), a privately owned real estate investment and management firm based in Norfolk, has acquired a 36-property multifamily portfolio for $1.85 billion. The portfolio comprises 13,243 units, most highly concentrated in the Dallas/Fort Worth and Denver markets. The remaining properties are located in Houston, San Antonio, Atlanta, Orlando, Phoenix, Salt Lake City, Albuquerque, St. Louis and Kansas City. The properties average 350 units each, primarily in two- and three-story buildings. The transaction was the largest multifamily sale since 2016 and the fifth largest ever recorded in the U.S., according to the seller, Los Angeles-based Aragon Holdings LLC. The deal is part of Aragon’s broader $2 billion sale of its entire apartment portfolio, which consists of 15,000 units located in 12 cities and eight states across the nation. “We decided to sell our portfolio because we recognized that, in the present market conditions, the properties would have the greatest value in the hands of a ‘value-add’ operator,” says Larison Clark, founder, chairman and CEO of Aragon Holdings. “Harbor Group targets value-add opportunities, making this an ideal transaction for both firms.” Dan Guy, Aragon’s president and chief operating officer, adds that Aragon initially focused on …
The declining affordability of housing has become a worsening problem in many areas throughout the country, and Texas is no exception. Despite talk of a cooling housing market, home prices in both North and Central Texas are hitting high-water marks, making the dream of homeownership less likely to become a reality for many people. According to the Austin Board of Realtors, median home prices in Austin hit an all-time high in May, topping $400,000. As for North Texas, a report from ATTOM Data reveals that as of the third quarter, the median home price in Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) was 73 percent above the market’s pre-recession peak. As home prices skyrocket in the these markets, apartment rental rates are also experiencing upward pressure. The Austin Affordable Housing Corp., a nonprofit subsidiary of the Housing Authority of the City of Austin, reports that Austin is now the most expensive rental market in Texas. In addition, The Dallas Morning News reported in August that while Dallas-area apartment rents are growing at a slower rate than the national average, these figures rose 3 percent from a year earlier. Rising apartment rental rates in these markets are resulting in a greater percentage of cost-burdened renters …
MCKINNEY, TEXAS — Multifamily developer JPI has secured an undisclosed amount of construction financing for Jefferson Rockhill, a 354-unit apartment project that will be built on 16 acres in McKinney. Units will feature 10-foot ceilings, full-size washers and dryers and private patios and balconies. Amenities will include a pool, fitness center, putting green, dog park, beer garden, coffee bar and concierge service. The opening is slated for summer 2021. First United Bank provided the financing, specific terms of which were not disclosed.
HOUSTON — JLL has negotiated the sale of Concourse at Westway, a 130,223-square-foot office building located at 4700 W. Sam Houston Parkway in Houston. Built in 1999, the Class B property was 56 percent leased at the time of sale. Trent Agnew, Kevin McConn and Marty Hogan of JLL represented the seller, EverWest, in the transaction. The buyer was Houston-based investment firm Griffin Partners, which will implement a value-add program.
HOUSTON — PGIM Real Estate Finance has provided $48 million in Freddie Mac permanent financing for Red Line Station, a 300-unit affordable housing project in Houston. The borrower, San Antonio-based The NRP Group, will use a majority of the funds to retire construction debt. The loan was structured with a 10-year term and a 35-year amortization schedule. At least 50 percent of the units will be reserved for renters earning up to or less than 80 percent of the area median income.