HOUSTON — Minneapolis-based NorthMarq has acquired Kinghorn, Driver, Hough & Co. (KDH), a commercial debt and equity firm based in Houston. Ray Driver will relinquish his role as principal of KDH to become managing director of NorthMarq’s Houston office, joining Tony Gray and John Burke to lead the office. Founded in 1945, KDH is self-described as the oldest independently owned commercial real estate capital company in Texas. Formerly part of the Q10 network, KDH will bring eight additional mortgage banking professionals and five financial analysts, increasing the total employees in the expanded NorthMarq office to nearly 30. KDH also brings a loan servicing portfolio totaling nearly $2 billion, extending NorthMarq’s servicing portfolio to more than $60 billion.
ALLEN, TEXAS — Cronheim Mortgage has arranged a construction financing syndicate package totaling $55.5 million for the second phase of Dolce Twin Creeks, a multifamily community in Allen. Phase II will be a midrise, garden-style apartment community totaling 366 units, bringing the entire Dolce Twin Creeks unit count to 740. The second phase will also feature 15,000 square feet of commercial space that will house at least one medical office tenant. Community amenities will include a two-story clubhouse, fitness center, resort-style pool with outdoor grilling stations and cabanas, elevators, large corridors and a dog park. The borrower was not disclosed. Cottonwood Communities provided a mezzanine portion of the construction loan that was included in the syndication package. BridgeInvest and JLJ Capital hold the senior loan portion. Cronheim Mortgage will act as servicer and correspondent and is handling approval and disbursement of all construction draws.
SAN ANTONIO — JLL has arranged the sale of Shops at Walzem, a 55,526-square-foot shopping center in San Antonio anchored by Gold’s Gym. The retail property is located at 7650 FM 78, three miles from Randolph Air Force Base on the east side of San Antonio. The tenant roster at Shops of Walzem includes Beauty Supply, Iglesia Pentecostal and Sun Sews Alterations. Aaron Johnson, John Taylor, Chris Murphy and Ross Crawford of JLL represented the seller, Gold’s Gym, in the transaction. Mark Sher of KW Commercial represented the undisclosed buyer.
PLANO, TEXAS — Gaedeke Group has selected global architectural firm Gensler to design Two Legacy West, a Class A office tower situated near Gaedeke’s existing One Legacy West property in Plano. Gensler’s Dallas office is handling the design of the tower, which will accommodate a 300,000- to 600,000-square-foot user and focus on tenant wellness. The property will be located near the corporate headquarters of Toyota and FedEx. Dallas-based Gaedeke Group expects to complete Two Legacy West in 2022.
GRAPEVINE, TEXAS — The Woodmont Co. has arranged a 14,713-square-foot retail lease for Daylight Golf, a new virtual golf and sports bar concept, at 2505 E. Grapevine Mills Circle in Grapevine. Set to open this summer, the Daylight Golf venue will be situated on two acres along the outer ring road of Grapevine Mills, a regional mall owned by Simon that attracts more than 10 million visitors annually. The venue will feature virtual golf simulators for courses around the world, an outdoor patio, full kitchen and bar and 40 TVs. The retail location was previously The Trail Dust and Love & War in Texas of Grapevine. Andy Anderson of Henry S. Miller Brokerage’s restaurant property group represented Daylight Golf in the lease deal. Derek Anthony, Grant Gary and David Adams of Woodmont represented the landlord, CJK Grapevine Properties.
FORT WORTH, TEXAS — Pier 1 Imports Inc., a home goods retailer based in Fort Worth, has announced its intention to shutter up to 450 stores, which represents nearly half of its current store count of 936. The retailer also plans to close a select number of distribution centers and reduce its corporate expenses, which includes corporate layoffs. Pier 1 says that its efforts will help right-size the company’s omni-channel operations and allow it to move forward with an “appropriately sized store footprint.” Pier 1 has hired a third-party liquidator to help manage the store closings. The locations of the closing stores and distribution centers were not disclosed. Pier 1 (NYSE: PIR) reported that its net sales are down 13.3 percent year-over-year in its most recent quarter ending Nov. 30, 2019. (The company’s fiscal calendar traditionally runs from early March to late February.) Pier 1 also reported a 15.3 percent reduction in its inventory compared to this time last year. Robert Riesbeck, CEO and CFO of Pier 1, says that the company has been seeking to clear out its “non go-forward” merchandise. “Looking ahead, we believe that we will deliver improved financial results over time as we realize the benefits …
Inventory taxes pose an additional cost of doing business in more than a dozen states, and despite efforts to mitigate the competitive disadvantage the practice creates for many taxpayers, policymakers have yet to propose an equitable fix. Virtually all states employ a property tax at the state or local level. The most common target is real property, which is land and land improvements; and tangible personal property such as fixtures, machinery and equipment. Nine states also tax business inventory. These include Texas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Mississippi, Kentucky, West Virginia, Maryland and Vermont. Another four states — Alaska, Michigan, Georgia and Massachusetts — partially tax inventory. In these 13 states, inventory tax contributes a significant portion of overall property tax collections. From a policy standpoint, however, inventory tax is probably the least defensible form of property tax: It is the least transparent of business taxes; is “non-neutral,” as businesses with larger inventories, such as retailers and manufacturers pay more; and it adds insult to injury for businesses whose inventory is out of sync with finicky consumer buying habits. Few fixes Taxpayers have had few options in attempting to reduce inventory tax liability because an inventory’s valuation is seldom easily disputed. So, …
SPRING, TEXAS — Frontier Management has broken ground on The Landing at Augusta Woods, a 120-unit seniors housing community located at 7727 August Pines Drive in Spring, a northern suburb of Houston. The property, which will include 75 units for active adults and 45 assisted living units, is set to open in early 2021. The project team includes general contractor Regent Construction, architect Jeffrey DeMure & Associates and construction lender UCB. Frontier Management will operate Landing at Augusta Woods, joining the more than 100 seniors housing communities in its management portfolio.
SAN ANTONIO — Dornin Investment Group has sold the Parkway Plaza office park in San Antonio’s North Central submarket. A private investor based in Texas purchased the single-story buildings for an undisclosed amount. Situated on 13.7 acres, the 189,390-square-foot property was 91 percent leased at the time of sale. Todd Mills of Cushman & Wakefield represented Dornin Investment Group in the sale.
IRVING, TEXAS — Marcus & Millichap has arranged the sale of Walnut Hill Business Park II, a 28,339-square-foot industrial building located at 1600 Corporate Court in Irving. Built in 1982, the property is situated on two acres about 13 miles west of Dallas. The buyer and seller were both private investors. Adam Abushagur of Marcus & Millichap represented the seller and procured the buyer in the transaction.