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WARNER ROBINS, GA. — Pratt Industries Inc., a Georgia-based recycled paper and packaging company, has released plans for a new production facility in the Middle Georgia city of Warner Robins, approximately 100 miles southeast of Atlanta. The new factory is expected to create more than 125 jobs and cost over $120 million to build. The development will comprise 496,000 square feet and produce corrugated boxes using recycled containerboard. The containerboard will be largely sourced from the company’s mill in Conyers, Georgia. The property is scheduled for completion in late 2024. The new facility will be Pratt Industries’ 13th site in Georgia. According to the office of Governor Brian Kemp, the project will bring the company’s total investment in Georgia to over $800 million. “We’re very honored to be coming to Warner Robins and we’re committed to the great state of Georgia — in fact, Georgia is where our company began,” says Anthony Pratt, global executive chairman for Pratt Industries. “This will bring Pratt’s total workforce in Georgia to over 2,100 employees and 11,700 nationwide.” The property is located at Robins Industrial Park within the Peach County portion of the city, on a Georgia Ready for Accelerated Development (GRAD) certified site. The …

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HFH-MSUHS-Research-Building

DETROIT — The Gilbert Family Foundation, Henry Ford Health and Shirley Ryan AbilityLab have announced plans for the development of a $439 million inpatient rehabilitation hospital and research facility in Detroit. The project will be an expansion of the existing Henry Ford Health and Michigan State University Health Sciences campus. Plans for the project include a 125,000-square-foot inpatient tower, which will be constructed at the corner of West Grand Boulevard and John C. Lodge Freeway. The facility will offer 72 beds, with three floors of the building occupied by rehabilitation care provider Shirley Ryan AbilityLab.  The rehabilitation floors will provide inpatient care for those recovering from strokes, traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord injuries and other conditions. The Gilbert Family Foundation has provided $10 million fund to increase access to rehabilitation care for low-income residents in Detroit. The building is scheduled for completion in 2029.  The development will also include a new research building on Henry Ford Health’s East Campus. The project will house the Nick Gilbert Neurofibromatosis Research Institute, a facility dedicated to finding a cure for neurofibromatosis. The property is scheduled for completion in 2027.  The building will be the first brick-and-mortar development to be solely dedicated to neurofibromatosis …

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ATLANTA — Core Spaces has opened Hub Atlanta, a 792-bed student housing community located near the Georgia Tech campus in Atlanta’s Midtown neighborhood. The 19-story property offers 292 units in studio through six-bedroom configurations. Amenities include a fitness center, coworking spaces, private study lounges, a rooftop pool deck with a hot tub, dog park, 6,990 square feet of ground-floor retail space and a four-story parking garage. New Here Coffee operates a coffee shop. Curioso provided interior design services alongside Core’s in-house design team. Hartshorne Plunkard Architecture served as the architect, and Juneau Construction Co. was the general contractor. Core Spaces is managing the community. Residents recently moved in for the 2023-2024 school year, and leasing is now open for next year. Core Spaces focuses on developing, buying and managing student housing and build-to-rent communities. The firm maintains offices in Austin and Chicago. — Kristin Harlow and Katie Sloan

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CYPRESS, TEXAS — Oil-and-gas giant Chevron Corp. (NYSE: CVX) has acquired 77 acres in the northwest Houston suburb of Cypress. The parcel is situated within Bridgeland Central, a multi-phase campus spanning 925 acres within the larger Bridgeland master-planned community. The land seller was The Howard Hughes Corp. (NYSE: HHH), the master developer of the 11,500-acre Bridgeland development. The sales price for the Chevron land deal was not disclosed. “Chevron’s acquisition marks a pivotal moment for Bridgeland as the community enters its next phase of development as a leading job center for the region,” says Jim Carman, president of the Houston region for Howard Hughes Corp. “One of the top-selling communities in the country, Bridgeland is poised to benefit from the influx of businesses and their employees seeking to live and work in a centralized location that offers commercial opportunities, as well as single-family and multifamily housing options to meet growing demand.” Daniel Abate, head of corporate real estate for Chevron, says the company could potentially establish a research-and-development campus on the newly acquired land. “Chevron is attracted to the opportunities Bridgeland has to offer and views this acquisition as a strong addition to our asset portfolio,” says Abate. Details about the …

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New-Hope

CEDAR PARK, TEXAS — A joint venture between three Austin-based real estate firms — Cordova Real Estate Ventures, Riverside and Live Oak — has broken ground on Phase I of New Hope, a $250 million mixed-use project located in the Austin suburb of Cedar Park. The first two phases of the project are being developed across six parcels on New Hope Drive. Phase I will include three Class A industrial buildings totaling 271,689 square feet. The second phase of development will include an additional 213,700 square feet of industrial space.  The project is also set to include a 32-acre development named The District at New Hope. This portion of the project is still in design, but could include a mix of retail, entertainment, restaurant, hospitality, office space, and research-and-development space. A timeline for the development was not announced. The project team for New Hope includes Zapalac/Reed Construction Co., McFarland Architecture and Malone Wheeler. Live Oak will market and lease the project’s industrial space, and Travis Robertson with JLL has been tapped to handle leasing of retail and restaurant space. A number of industrial developments are currently underway in suburban Austin, including 5900 Ben White, an industrial project also by Riverside …

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DENTON, TEXAS — Texas Woman’s University (TWU) will break ground on a $107 million health sciences center in Denton on Friday, Sept. 15. The 136,000-square-foot facility will serve students in the allied healthcare fields such as nursing, physical therapy and occupational therapy. TWU states the goal of the center is to graduate 30 percent more nursing and healthcare professionals, with a special emphasis on preparing students to serve in rural settings. The new health sciences center will be constructed on seven acres adjacent to Parliament Village, a TWU residential complex housing 872 students. Plans for the facility include laboratory space, classrooms, collaborative workspaces, outdoor clinic sites and a teaching kitchen, as well as community healthcare clinics and training areas for students. Alongside the groundbreaking, TWU will launch the public phase of the $125 million Dream Big Campaign. This is TWU’S first comprehensive fundraising campaign. The Dream Big Campaign is intended to commemorate university’s 125th anniversary in 2026. TWU is a public university that was established in 1901. The university’s main campus is in Denton, with additional health science centers in Dallas and Houston. While TWU admitted its first male students in 1972 and has been fully co-educational since 1992, the school is …

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DENVER AND PHILADELPHIA — Hersha Hospitality Trust (NYSE: HT) and KSL Capital Partners LLC have entered a definitive merger agreement under which affiliates of KSL will acquire all the outstanding common shares of Hersha for $10 per share in an all-cash transaction valued at approximately $1.4 billion. Philadelphia-based Hersha is a self-advised real estate investment trust in the hospitality sector, owning and operating luxury and lifestyle hotels in coastal gateway and resort markets. The company’s 25 hotels total 3,811 rooms and are located in New York, Washington, D.C., Boston, Philadelphia, South Florida and California. KSL is a private equity firm specializing in travel and leisure enterprises in five primary sectors: hospitality, recreation, clubs, real estate and travel services. In addition to its Denver headquarters, the firm also maintains offices in New York City, Stamford, Conn., and London. The purchase price represents a premium of approximately 60 percent over Hersha’s closing share price on Friday, Aug. 25, the last full trading day prior to the announcement. Upon completion, Hersha will no longer be publicly traded. “Hersha and its team have built an impressive, curated portfolio of experiential luxury and lifestyle hotels and resorts in strategic markets,” says Marty Newburger, partner at …

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Miami-Freedom-Park

MIAMI — Inter Miami FC has begun construction on Miami Freedom Park, the Major League Soccer (MLS) club’s new 131-acre entertainment district, the centerpiece of which will be a 25,000-seat stadium. The project is a redevelopment of the former site of the Melreese Country Club in the city’s Grapeland Heights neighborhood. In addition to the stadium, Miami Freedom Park will feature a 58-acre public park that will have soccer and youth athletic fields for the community, as well as office, hospitality, retail and restaurant uses. Leasing campaigns for the retail and restaurant components are already underway, as are efforts to cultivate corporate partnerships. Crews are now performing preliminary earthwork and sitework that will overlap with the start of vertical construction. A formal groundbreaking ceremony will take place later this year, and the development is slated for a 2025 completion. Redevelopment plans were previously approved by voters and the City of Miami Commission. A major impetus behind the development has been the club’s signing of international superstar Lionel Messi. The Miami Herald reports that the club intends for Messi, who previously signed a 2.5-year, $150 million deal that includes a future ownership stake in the team after he retires, to play at …

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JERICHO AND NEW YORK CITY, N.Y. — Kimco Realty (NYSE: KIM) has entered into a definitive merger agreement with RPT Realty (NYSE: RPT) under which Kimco will acquire RPT Realty in an all-stock transaction. Both REITs are based in New York — Kimco in Jericho and RPT in Manhattan — and own and operate open-air and grocery-anchored shopping centers, as well as mixed-use assets. Kimco valued the transaction at approximately $2 billion, including the assumption of debt and preferred stock. The merger will add 56 open-air shopping centers, including 43 wholly owned and 13 joint venture assets, to Kimco’s existing portfolio of 528 properties. The affected portfolio spans 13.3 million square feet of gross leasable area. GIC, a sovereign wealth fund based in Singapore, is RPT Realty’s largest joint venture partner and plans to continue its dual ownership with the combined company post-merger. Conor Flynn, CEO of Kimco, says that roughly 70 percent of RPT Realty’s portfolio aligns with Kimco’s strategic markets. This includes Mary Brickell Village, a mixed-use development in Miami that RPT Realty purchased last year for $216 million. Kimco plans to remerchandise and redevelop portions of the center, as well as add it to the company’s Signature Series …

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LAS VEGAS — Realty Income Corp. has signed a definitive agreement to acquire common and preferred equity interests from Blackstone Real Estate Income Trust Inc. (BREIT) for $950 million. The transaction forms a new joint venture that owns a 95 percent interest in the real estate assets of The Bellagio Las Vegas, a luxury hotel and casino on the Las Vegas Strip. Upon closing, Realty Income will invest approximately $300 million of common equity in the joint venture to acquire a 21.9 percent indirect interest in the property. BREIT will retain a 73.1 indirect interest. The operator of the property, MGM Resorts International (MGM), will retain a 5 percent indirect interest. Realty Income will also acquire a yield-bearing preferred equity interest in the joint venture for $650 million. The transaction is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2023. The Bellagio features approximately 4,000 guest rooms and suites across two towers, as well as 157,000 square feet of gaming space and 200,000 square feet of meeting and event facilities. The 77-acre campus also includes the Fountains of Bellagio and multiple Michelin Star restaurants.  MGM operates The Bellagio on a triple-net lease with approximately 26 years of remaining term. The existing lease …

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