FORT WORTH, TEXAS — FedEx Ground Packaging has signed a 110,880-square-foot industrial lease renewal at Crossroads 35/20, a distribution center in Fort Worth. According to the property website, Crossroads 35/20 spans 615,000 square feet and features 32-foot clear heights, 190-foot truck court depths, 35 trailer parking stalls and an ESFR sprinkler system. Donnie Rohde and Thomas Grafton of Holt Lunsford Commercial represented the landlord, Sealy Oak Grove LLC, in the lease negotiations.
CORPUS CHRISTI, TEXAS — Cravey Real Estate Services has brokered sale of Huntington Square, a 90,768-square-foot shopping center in Corpus Christi. Shadow-anchored by H-E-B, the center houses tenants such as Dollar Tree, Freedom Fitness, Edward Jones, Jason’s Deli and Pizza Hut. Lynann Pinkham of Cravey Real Estate represented the seller, Hunt Development Ltd., in the transaction. The brokerage firm also procured the buyer, LRIC Corpus Christi LP.
DALLAS — Glenstar Properties LLC has acquired Premier Place, a 457,000-square-foot office building located at 5910 North Central Expressway in Dallas. Built in 1985 and renovated in 2014, the 20-story, transit-oriented property offers proximity to Southern Methodist University, the Katy Trail and Dallas Love Field Airport. The building also houses a 62,000-square-foot Life Time Fitness. The seller and sales price were not disclosed.
MISSION AND MCALLEN, TEXAS — Laredo-based Killam Development Ltd. has purchased 3,400 acres in the Rio Grande Valley cities of Mission and McAllen for the development of a new master-planned community. In addition to residential, office and retail uses, the development will include walking trails, park space and connections to entertainment districts and education centers. Carlos Marquez and Brett Lum of NAI Partners represented the seller, Hunt Valley Development, in the land sale. Killam could begin construction early next year.
FRISCO, TEXAS — JLL has negotiated the sale of Little Elm Towne Crossing, a 150,0007-square-foot shopping center in Frisco. Hobby Lobby anchors the center, which was built in 2007 on 17.6 acres and had an occupancy rate of approximately 95 percent at the time of sale. Other tenants include 24 Hour Fitness, Hibbett Sports, Great Clips and Monarch Dental. Aaron Johnson, Barry Brown, Chris Gerard, Ryan Shore and Adam Roosien of JLL represented the seller, Dallas-based Dunhill Partners Inc., in the transaction. The buyer and sales price were undisclosed.
DALLAS — Talley Riggins Construction Group has broken ground on Daniel House, a 53,000-square-foot, on-campus student housing building at Southern Methodist University (SMU) in Dallas. Designed by Merriman Anderson/Architects, the three-story building will feature 72 beds, laundry facilities, common space and study rooms. Completion is slated for July 2020.
GARLAND, TEXAS — Tosca Services LLC, a provider of reusable plastic containers, has signed a 152,000-square-foot industrial lease at Gateway East Business Center in Garland, a northeastern suburb of Dallas. Ryan Wolcott and Matt Dornak of Stream Realty Partners represented the landlord, Barings, in the lease negotiations. Louis Pascuzzi of Newmark Knight Frank represented the tenant.
AUSTIN, TEXAS — Ryman Hospitality Properties Inc. (NYSE: RHP) has reached an agreement with Stratus Properties Inc. (Nasdaq: STRS) to purchase Block 21, a mixed-use and entertainment development occupying a full city block in downtown Austin. Ryman has agreed to purchase the property from Stratus for $275 million, including a debt assumption of $142 million. Block 21 houses Austin City Limits Live at the Moody Theater, a 2,750-seat venue that hosts America’s longest running music series, Austin City Limits. Past artists that have played the annual concert series include Dave Matthews Band, Lauryn Hill, Beck, Elvis Costello, Coldplay, Robert Plant, Cyndi Lauper and B.B. King. The project also features W Austin Hotel & Residences, 3TEN ACL Live club, 40,000 square feet of Class A office space and 18,000 square feet of retail and restaurants, including Starbucks and Urban Outfitters. Built in 2010, Block 21 anchors downtown Austin’s 2nd Street District. “Ryman Hospitality Properties’ expertise in both hospitality and live entertainment, plus their demonstrated stewardship of the iconic Ryman Auditorium and Grand Ole Opry, make them the ideal company to usher Block 21 and ACL Live into their next decade,” says William Armstrong III, president, CEO and chairman of the board …
While rumors of a looming recession dot the mainstream media landscape and pervade conversations at bars and water coolers, Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) and Austin are humming along with the kind of healthy job growth that reduces that talk to little more than a whisper. Growth in office-using sectors like tech, finance, engineering and business services in both the state’s capital and largest metropolis continues to fuel demand for space, push rents to new levels and drive price appreciation on office assets. According to CoStar Group, the Dallas area has added about 90,000 new jobs over the last 12 months, and currently boasts a 3.4 percent unemployment rate, which is lower than both the state and national averages. And based on the most current data from the Austin Chamber of Commerce, payrolls in the state capital grew by about 23,000 between June 2018 and June 2019, while unemployment currently sits below 3 percent. While strong population growth is enough to jumpstart development and absorption in the multifamily, industrial and retail sectors, it’s pure job growth that drives the office space. So it’s not a bad time to be an owner of core properties in desirable submarkets in both cities. But these …
AUSTIN, TEXAS — Cypress Real Estate Advisors (CREA) has broken ground on Eastlake at Tillery, a 172,000-square-foot office project in East Austin. The development will consist of two three-story buildings and an adjacent parking structure. Amenities will include a fitness center, bike storage and rental space, a prep kitchen and rotating art installations. Delineate Studio is the project architect, and Harvey Cleary is the general contractor. Aquila Commercial will handle leasing of the project. CREA expects to begin tenant improvement work at Eastlake at Tillery in December 2020.