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NEW YORK CITY — JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE: JPM) announced plans today to expand its brick-and-mortar footprint by adding 500 Chase bank branches over the next three years. The New York City-based institution also plans to renovate 1,700 existing bank locations across the United States. New branches will expand JPMorgan Chase’s footprint in existing markets like Boston; Washington, D.C.; Charlotte, N.C.; Philadelphia; and Minneapolis. The company will also enter several new markets, including low- to moderate-income rural communities that previously had little access to traditional banking service. The multi-billion-dollar expansion effort will also contribute to local economic growth through the addition of 3,500 new employees, including construction jobs and local hiring upon completion, according to the company.  JPMorgan first announced expansion efforts in 2018 with a $20 billion economic growth effort that included the addition of 400 new Chase branches over the subsequent five years. Since that time, the company has added more than 650 new branches, including 400 locations in 25 new states.  Brick-and-mortar expansion efforts by JPMorgan have marked a stark shift in strategy, as a number of rival banks have been closing branches over the past few years and shifting more toward digital banking efforts. This year, Chase …

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Jackson-Health-Miami

MIAMI — Regional healthcare provider Jackson Health System has announced plans for a $300 million renovation and expansion project at its Miami hospital campus. According to the project team, the facility is the busiest emergency department within Miami-Dade County, receiving an average of 120,000 visits per year. The project will expand the campus’ existing emergency department by about 130,000 square feet and add 207 new rooms, including 50 observation rooms and seven patient rooms. In addition, about 45,000 square feet of space within the existing emergency department will be renovated. The initial phase of the project will involve the demolition of two buildings to create additional space for the planned expansion, which will triple the size of the facility. The project team will also relocate and reinstall underground utilities to support the larger medical building. The goal of the changes is to triage patients faster and reduce wait times for emergency services. Global architecture firm HKS is leading the design of the project. Skanska USA has secured a $90 million contract with Jackson Health for the initial phases of construction work. The expansion component of the project is scheduled for completion in 2025, and the renovation piece is slated for a …

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HUNTSVILLE, ALA. — A joint venture between Essex Capital and Ascend Property Group has broken ground on Front Row, an 11-acre mixed-use project in downtown Huntsville. The $220 million first phase of Front Row is now underway, following news last week that Banco Inbursa and a group led by Keel Point and Opportunity Alabama provided $115 million in construction financing. The first retail space is slated for delivery in late 2025, followed by apartments and office space in early 2026. Upon full build-out, the first phase of Front Row will comprise two six-story buildings featuring 545 apartments, 36,000 square feet of office space and 47,000 square feet of retail space. Further plans for the project — including a hotel, a class A office tower and luxury condos — will be disclosed at a later date, according to the developers. The development will be situated across from the Von Braun Center, a 170,000-square-foot entertainment center that opened its doors in 1975. The developers state that Front Row is intended to interlink the Von Braun Center with other key areas of the city, such as Big Spring Park, Fountain Circle, University of Alabama Huntsville and Downtown Greenway. The project’s team also includes …

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Walmart

BENTONVILLE, ARK. — Walmart (NYSE: WMT) has announced plans to expand by more than 150 new stores over the next five years, both through new construction and converting existing buildings.  The first two stores under this initiative — both under the company’s smaller-format Walmart Neighborhood Market banner — are scheduled to open this spring in Santa Rosa, Fla., and Atlanta. The company is currently finalizing plans for 12 new projects, one of which will be the conversion of a smaller existing location into a large-format Walmart Supercenter, which serves as both a grocery store and a full department store. Walmart simultaneously released plans to remodel 650 of its existing stores across 47 states and Puerto Rico over the next 12 months. The new and renovated locations will all feature the Bentonville-based company’s “Store of the Future” model, which includes improved layouts, expanded product selections and the integration of new technology.  The “Store of the Future” features expanded pharmacies and updated vision centers, with pharmacies moved toward the front of the store; activated corners with product displays that allow customers to interact with items and visualize them in their lives; digital touch points throughout the store to provide information on products …

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YONKERS, N.Y. — Developers have released plans to build two new multifamily projects in Yonkers, about 20 miles north of New York City. The developments represent a total of $186.6 million in private investment and are expected to create 503 construction jobs. The Yonkers Industrial Development Agency recently granted final approval of financial incentives for both projects. Miroza Tower, which a subsidiary of Azorim Construction Co. Ltd. is developing, will rise 27 stories at 44 Hudson St. The $133.5 million project will comprise 250 apartment units, 25 of which will be designated as affordable housing. Amenities will include a party room, library, conference room, gym, two resident lounges, a rooftop garden and children’s playroom. The tower will also include 1,920 square feet of first-floor retail space and a 252-space parking garage. Azorim is receiving a sales tax exemption of $5.8 million, a mortgage recording tax exemption of $1.3 million and a 20-year payment in lieu of taxes (PILOT) agreement valued at $12.4 million. The project is expected to create 324 construction jobs. The Center for Urban Rehabilitation and Empowerment Inc. (CURE), a local nonprofit, and Conifer Realty LLC in partnership with the City of Yonkers are developing the second project, …

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ROWLETT, TEXAS — Jackson-Shaw, a national real estate development firm based in North Texas, plans to develop Lakeview Business District, an industrial park in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex city of Rowlett. The development will feature seven buildings spanning more than 1.8 million square feet at full build-out. Jackson-Shaw plans to develop Lakeview Business District in two phases. Situated near I-30 in Rowlett’s North Shore area, the park will span 165 acres along President George Bush Turnpike, with one phase situated at the Merritt Road intersection and the other at Liberty Grove Road. “Lakeview is a prime location in the middle of the nation’s fastest-growing counties and adjacent to the Garland labor pool,” says Miles Terry, vice president of development at Jackson-Shaw. “Combined with strong market fundamentals and a need for product in this area, Lakeview is poised to become a major economic hub.” Phase I will consist of five buildings totaling more than 1 million square feet of Class A industrial space, with a mix of front- and rear-load facilities, as well as cross-docks. The facilities will feature oversized glass entries and ample car and truck parking. Building sizes will range from 88,000 to 417,000 square feet, and construction is set …

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Disneyland-Christmas-Parade

ANAHEIM, CALIF. — The Walt Disney Co. (NYSE: DIS) has proposed a $1.9 billion expansion of its Disneyland Resort and surrounding neighborhood in Anaheim, south of Los Angeles in Orange County. If approved, the various new projects would be carried out within 10 years of the approval date, with the potential for another $600 million in capital investment to follow. The proposal, known as DisneylandForward, calls for new attractions and hotels to be constructed on the west side of Disneyland Drive. In addition, the theme park’s operators are looking to add new shopping, dining and entertainment space to the southeast at a site that currently houses parking for the Toy Story attraction. The proposal was originally discussed with the Anaheim City Council last Thursday. According to a summary of that meeting, the proposal does not request that any new acreage, square footage or hotel rooms be developed, but rather that approved development plans be shifted onto lands that Disney already owns. As part of the proposal, Disney would invest about $85 million of its own money in various infrastructural improvements in the area, including upgrades to parking structures, roads and pedestrian bridges. To make the project possible, the City of …

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SANTA ANA, CALIF. — Gantry Inc. has negotiated $128 million in construction-to-permanent financing from three separate lenders for the development of Legado at the Met in Santa Ana, less than 10 miles southeast of Anaheim. The borrower was Legado Cos. Legado at the Met will comprise 258 market-rate apartments. The Class A development will be situated at 200 E. First American Way, across from First American Title’s headquarters. While a construction timeline for the project was not officially disclosed, Apartments.com states that the property will open in 2025. According to the City of Santa Ana’s government website, the community will rise six stories. Units will come in studio, one-, two- and three-bedroom layouts ranging from 612 to 1,783 square feet in size. The property will also include a 617-space parking garage. George Mitsanas and Amit Tyagi of Gantry’s Los Angeles production office arranged the financing on behalf of the borrower. Gantry’s production team underwrote the complex financing in three tranches with three of the firm’s correspondent life company lenders. Gantry will service all three loans. — Channing Hamilton

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MIAMI — SG Holdings has completed leasing at Sawyer’s Walk, a 3.4-acre mixed-use development underway in Miami’s Overtown neighborhood. The project, which will feature retail space, offices and affordable housing for seniors, is set to open this summer. SG Holdings is a partnership comprising Swerdlow Group, SJM Partners and Alben Duffie. The development team broke ground on Sawyer’s Walk in summer 2021. The development costs were not disclosed, but the Miami Herald reported the price tag hovers around $350 million. “The anticipated delivery of our mixed-use development will serve as an economic catalyst for Overtown, with the creation of over 1,000 quality jobs, the opening of a new full-service supermarket and mix of national retail stores that will serve the immediate community and surrounding neighborhoods,” says Michael Swerdlow, managing partner of Swerdlow Group. Sawyer’s Walk will feature 175,000 square feet of retail space. Committed tenants include Target (50,000 square feet), Aldi (25,000 square feet), Ross Dress for Less, Five Below, Tropical Smoothie Café and Burlington. MSC Group, a global cargo ship line and the world’s third-largest cruise line, purchased the property’s 130,000 square feet of office space with plans to combine its South Florida cruise and cargo operations under one roof. …

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SURPRISE, ARIZ. — A joint venture between GTIS Partners and Clyde Capital has released plans for Asante Trails, a $250 million mixed-use project in Surprise, a suburb of Phoenix. The development will feature a build-to-rent community, retail space and a medical facility, all of which will be built across 90 acres of land. In conjunction with the land acquisition, GTIS and Clyde sold 20 acres within the project site to HonorHealth, one of Arizona’s largest hospital systems, to develop the medical facility. Additionally, 45 acres will be allocated to a joint venture between Clyde and Simon CRE for the development of a multi-phase retail center. GTIS will retain the 25-acre balance of the site for build-to-rent homes. GTIS and Clyde initially pursued the property in April 2021 and took the project through a rezoning and site planning approval process as they secured entitlements. The site is 40 miles northwest of downtown Phoenix, located along North 163rd Avenue and bound by U.S. Highway 60 and Pat Tillman Boulevard. It is directly across from a 175,000-square-foot retail center and is about one mile from a Loop 303 interchange, providing convenient access to the 303 industrial corridor. “We are excited about delivering more …

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