CAMBRIDGE, MASS. — Alexandria Real Estate Equities Inc. (NYSE: ARE), an office and life sciences REIT based in Pasadena, Calif., plans to open Moderna’s (Nasdaq: MRNA) new global headquarters in Cambridge ahead of schedule. The developer will deliver the 462,100-square-foot property at 325 Binney St. in November. The building will serve as Moderna’s corporate headquarters and also house the company’s core research-and-development operations. The property will be situated within Alexandria Center at the One Kendall Square mega campus, which is located near other life sciences firms and top-tier institutions in the Greater Boston area, including Harvard University and MIT. “We value our longtime strategic relationship with Alexandria. It has been a privilege to work with their team to develop our new headquarters and science center designed to be the most sustainable laboratory building in Cambridge,” says Jamey Mock, chief financial officer of Moderna. Moderna will use the facility to continue to hone and make advances in its mRNA medicines and therapeutics to combat a wide range of diseases, including COVID-19. Alexandria Real Estate Equities is targeting for the new property to achieve LEED Zero Energy, LEED Platinum Core & Shell, Fitwel Life Science and WiredScore Platinum certifications. The property will …
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Fulton Street Cos. Receives $233M Financing for 919 West Fulton Office Project in Chicago
by Jeff Shaw
CHICAGO — Development firm Fulton Street Cos. (FSC) has received $233 million for the financing of its 919 West Fulton office project in the Fulton Market neighborhood of downtown Chicago. Led by Shanna Khan, SNK Capital has signed on to serve as the lead equity investment partner on the project. Bank OZK and Manulife Investment Management are also providing capital. A groundbreaking ceremony is scheduled for today. Upon completion in 2025, the 11-story building will total 360,000 square feet. FSC and JDL Development will develop the property, which will feature factory-style facades, architectural masonry and large outdoor terraces on each floor. Amenities at the building will include a conference center, 24-hour health club and a tenant lounge. The ground floor will offer 40,000 square feet of retail space. Khan, who has a background in mixed-use real estate development, interior design, manufacturing, leisure and hospitality, will act as lead designer on the project. “Her creativity and vision embody the essence and unique qualities of the very unique neighborhood,” says Alex Najem, founder and chief executive officer of FSC. He adds that the “goal is to retain the character of the neighborhood while introducing a property that attracts those tenants who want …
SJC Ventures Breaks Ground on 54-Acre Mixed-Use Development in Montgomery Township, New Jersey
by Jeff Shaw
MONTGOMERY TOWNSHIP, N.J. — SJC Ventures, a privately held commercial real estate and retail development firm based out of Atlanta, has broken ground on Montgomery Promenade in the New York City suburb of Montgomery Township. Situated on a 54-acre site on Route 206, Montgomery Promenade will comprise 292,700 square feet and feature palisades for walking, green spaces, outdoor dining and restaurants. According to the Montgomery Township website, the project also includes 34 single-family detached homes that buffer the existing homes on Route 518 and the new shopping center. A Whole Foods Market grocery store will anchor the new development. Other confirmed tenants include an 11,000-square-foot Ulta, Panera Bread, Iron Whale, The Robinson Ale House, Dor L’ Dor NYC, Turning Point Restaurants, More Than Q, European Wax Center, Spavia and Norman’s Hallmark. According to the SJC Ventures, three new retail leases will be announced in the next 60 days, with five more before the end of the year. “We’re thrilled to have two great concepts from the McLoone’s Group with Iron Whale and Robinson Ale House that will take about 15,000 square feet,” says Justin Latone, senior vice president of leasing for SJC Ventures. “Both spaces will front a promenade and patio area immediately adjacent to the roundabout …
Joint Venture Plans 3.4 MSF Simpsonville 64 Logistics Park in Metro Louisville, Kentucky
by Katie Sloan
SIMPSONVILLE, KY. — A joint venture partnership between Hunt Midwest and Marshall Planing Mill has announced plans to break ground on a 3.4 million-square-foot industrial park in Simpsonville, roughly 25 miles east of Louisville. The 300-acre development, dubbed Simpsonville 64 Logistics Park, will be located on Kentucky Route 1848 near the Ford Kentucky Truck Plant, Ford Kentucky Assembly Plant and GE Appliance Park. The project will be developed in phases, with construction of Phase I set to begin in the fourth quarter of this year. Phase I will include the development of a 207,400-square-foot, rear-load industrial building with 210 parking spaces and 80 semi-trailer truck parking space, as well as a 486,720-square-foot cross-dock industrial building with 206 parking spaces and 140 semi-trailer truck parking spaces. The development will also include retail space along Buck Creek Road. Build-to-suit opportunities are available at the site for industrial users up to 1.5 million square feet. A timeline for the project was not announced. The development team for Simpsonville 64 Logistics Park includes H2B Architects and Mindel Scott. Kevin Grove of CBRE will handle leasing for the industrial portion of the park. Jody Zimmerman and John Agan with Walter Wagner Jr. Co. will lead …
MIAMI — Black Salmon and The Allen Morris Co. have unveiled plans to develop Highland Park Miami, a $1 billion mixed-use project that will span seven acres and increase the footprint of the Miami Medical District by approximately 10 percent. Plans call for 1,000 residential units designed by Oppenheim Architecture, a 150-room hotel and 500,000 square feet of medical-related office space, along with retail, restaurants, open walkways and greenery. Global architecture firm Arquitectonica is the master planner and designer. Naturalficial, a Miami-based landscape architecture and design practice, spearheaded the landscape design. The developers still need city approval but expect preliminary site clearing for the multi-phase project to begin this year. Construction is slated to begin next year on the medical office and multifamily portions, with an estimated five to seven years of construction in total. The development team says it has been planning the project for the past decade, drawing inspiration from other major medical hubs in the U.S. such as Houston and Minnesota’s Mayo Clinic Health District. “With Highland Park, we’re creating a new center of gravity for the Medical District, with curated, wellness-oriented retail and restaurants; world-class architecture; and best-in-class medical office and residential offerings,” says W. A. …
CLEMSON, S.C. — Core Spaces has acquired Clemson Lofts, a 233-unit, 641-bed student housing community in Clemson. GEM Realty Capital joined Core Spaces as equity partner, and KKR provided financing. The seller and price were not disclosed. Clemson Lofts is positioned directly north of Tiger Boulevard, which is the main entryway into Clemson University and includes the most popular retail and restaurants. The property is spread across 19 acres and includes 14 separate residential buildings and a clubhouse. The floor plans include one-bedroom through four-bedroom units, each fully furnished with modern furniture and appliances. Features include high-end finishes, spacious living areas and ample storage areas. The community also boasts a variety of amenities, including a resort-style pool and hot tub, fitness center, outdoor yoga space, dog park, communal clubhouse and private study rooms. Clemson Lofts was originally built in 2015, and amenity spaces and select unit renovations started in 2021. Core and GEM plan to renovate the remaining units in summer 2024. “The growth of our acquisitions platform is predicated on finding great communities in Tier 1 university markets,” says Brendan Miller, chief investment officer of student housing at Core Spaces. “We believe the value-creation opportunities at Clemson Lofts amidst …
NEW IBERIA, LA. — First Solar Inc. (NASDAQ: FSLR), an Arizona-based provider of solar panels, has broken ground on a $1.1 billion manufacturing facility in New Iberia, located just southeast of Lafayette in the south-central part of Louisiana. The facility will be located on the grounds of Acadiana Regional Airport and will ultimately encompass more than 2 million square feet. The project, which local community leaders and members of the development team believe is the biggest in the history of the parish, is expected to generate about 700 new permanent manufacturing jobs within the local economy. First Solar anticipates that the plant will be fully operational and able to begin shipping products by the first half of 2026. When that scenario materializes, the company’s total manufacturing capacity will increase from 3.5 gigawatts to approximately 14 gigawatts in the United States and 25 gigawatts globally. At full capacity, the plant will be capable of churning out more than a dozen panels per minute. To secure the project in Iberia Parish, the State of Louisiana offered First Solar an incentives package that includes the workforce solutions of LED FastStart, a Louisiana Economic Development program for training and onboarding workers. Additional incentives include …
Signorelli Co. Announces Phase I of 4,700-Acre Master-Planned Development Near Houston
by Katie Sloan
ROSENBERG, TEXAS — The Signorelli Co. has announced plans for Phase I of Austin Point, a 4,700-acre master-planned community located roughly 30 miles southwest of Houston in Rosenberg. Upon completion, the development will feature 14,000 homes and 15 million square feet of multifamily, office, medical, retail and hospitality space. The project will also include the extension of Fort Bend Parkway and Grand Parkway at the development site for more convenient access to downtown Houston. Phase I of Austin Point is set to break ground in 2024 and will include the construction of 400 homes. These residences will be built on smaller lots in an alley-loaded format, in sizes ranging from 1,300 to 4,500 square feet. The project team for Phase I includes Ashton Woods, Beazer Homes, Drees Homes, Castlerock, David Weekley Homes, Newmark Homes, Perry Homes, William David Homes and Westin Homes. Sales of homes in Phase I are expected to begin in spring 2025. Plans for Austin Point also include a community event space dubbed The 1824 — a nod to the year that the original landowner received the title to the development site. The space will include a café and wine bar with an open front porch, outdoor …
Gateway Jax Acquires 22 Acres in Downtown Jacksonville for $2 Billion Mixed-Use Project
by Jeff Shaw
JACKSONVILLE, FLA. — Gateway Jax has acquired 22 acres within Jacksonville’s downtown area to develop a $2 billion mixed-use project aimed at revitalizing the city’s urban core. The first phase of the project is called the Pearl Street District. Plans for Pearl Street District include three buildings in the North Core area of Jacksonville’s downtown, which will offer more than 1,000 multifamily units and 120,000 square feet of grocery-anchored retail space. The cost of Phase I is expected to be approximately $500 million. The Jacksonville Downtown Development Review Board has approved the conceptual plan for Pearl Street District, and Gateway Jax plans to break ground midway through 2024. The developer expects that construction on the full project will continue over the next decade. At full build-out, the project will span 20 city blocks and offer public spaces, courtyards and sidewalk cafes, according to the developer. In addition to multifamily and retail space, Gateway Jax plans to include office, hotel and green corridors complementing the city’s 30-mile Emerald Trail in future phases of the project’s development. “We plan to create thriving, walkable neighborhoods that create a sense of place, attracting residents and workers who’ll be able to find everything they need …
Tampa Bay Rays to Build $1.3B Ballpark, Surrounding Mixed-Use Development in St. Petersburg, Florida
ST. PETERSBURG, FLA. — The Tampa Bay Rays, a Major League Baseball team, have reached an agreement with the City of St. Petersburg and Pinellas County to move forward with a new ballpark and surrounding development. The Hines Historic Gas Plant Partnership will lead the project on the 86-acre site where the team’s current stadium sits. The project will include nearly 8 million square feet of mixed-use space along with the new ballpark to ensure the team stays in St. Petersburg for years to come. The team has played at Tropicana Field since 1998. The project is slated to invest more than $6.5 billion in St. Petersburg over 20 years and be the largest mixed-use development in Tampa Bay history, according to a news release from the team. The agreed-upon plan includes the key aspects of the original proposal submitted by the Hines Historic Gas Plant Partnership in response to St. Petersburg Mayor Ken Welch’s request for proposals in 2022. The latest agreement increases the number of affordable and workforce housing units to be built by the partnership to 1,200, with at least half of that amount to be built on the historic Gas Plant District site. It also adds …