Top Stories

Contegra Construction Completes 1 MSF Project Luna Distribution Center in Liberty, Missouri

by Jeff Shaw January 27, 2023

LIBERTY, MO. — Contegra Construction Co. has completed Project Luna, a 1 million-square-foot distribution facility at Liberty Commerce Center in Liberty, a northeast suburb of Kansas City. Located at 2361 S. Withers Road, Project Luna features a 40-foot clear height, 108 dock doors, two drive-in doors and 20,000 square feet of office space. The property is built with tilt-up concrete panels and is topped with thermoplastic polyolefin (TPO) roofing, a single-ply white membrane which reflects heat instead of absorbing it. The warehouse is also equipped with 56 rooftop HVAC units to maintain temperature control throughout the interior. In addition, Edwardsville, Illinois-based Contegra constructed four retaining walls around Project Luna, which are up to 40 feet tall. The company also managed the installation of water, storm water and electrical infrastructure in conjunction with the retaining wall construction, including two large underground detention systems. Project Luna is Liberty Commerce Center’s fifth and largest distribution center since the 337-acre industrial park’s launch by Kansas City real estate developer NorthPoint Development in 2021. Upon its completion, the Liberty Commerce Center will consist of 3.4 million square feet of space located near the Liberty city border with Claycomo, south of Liberty Parkway between Hughes and …

January 27, 2023

Development Midwest Nebraska Office Top Stories

Mutual of Omaha Breaks Ground on 44-Story Headquarters Building in Downtown Omaha

by Katie Sloan January 26, 2023

OMAHA, NEB. — Mutual of Omaha has broken ground on a 44-story office tower that will act as the company’s headquarters in downtown Omaha. At 677 feet, the building will rise 43 feet above the city’s current tallest building, First National Bank Tower. The 800,000-square-foot development will include a street-level lobby with conference space and an “experience center” spotlighting the company’s history, brand and impact on customers and the community; a sky lobby, welcoming associates from the planned 2,200-stall parking structure; food and wellness services, a fitness center and flexible meeting spaces on the 16th through 20th floors; and conference facilities with a two-story atrium on the 44th floor. Despite the skyscraper’s record-breaking height, the building will be less than half the square footage of the company’s current 1.7 million-square-foot headquarters in Omaha’s Midtown neighborhood. This shift in design is to support flexible work arrangements, including in-person, remote and hybrid models. “As a customer-focused company, we worked closely with our design team to create a headquarters that is appropriately sized, adaptable to ways of working that may emerge in the future and able to serve our policyholders in an effective and efficient manner,” says CEO James Blackledge. Mutual of Omaha’s …

January 26, 2023

Development Industrial Nevada Top Stories Western

Tesla to Invest $3.6B for Electric Battery, Truck Factories at Gigafactory Nevada Campus

by John Nelson January 25, 2023

SPARKS, NEV. — Electric car manufacturing giant Tesla Inc. (NASDAQ: TSLA) plans to invest $3.6 billion to expand Gigafactory Nevada, an advanced manufacturing campus in the Reno suburb of Sparks that Tesla launched in 2014. The company’s investment will include two new factories — a battery manufacturing facility and a truck factory — that can support approximately 3,000 new team members. At the battery facility, Tesla plans to produce enough of its patented 4680 battery cells for 1.5 million light-duty vehicles annually. The facility will have the capacity for 100 Gigawatt hours (GWh) annually. The truck factory represents the first high-volume factory for Semi, Tesla’s fully electric combination truck that was announced in 2017. The company’s Semi trucks can travel up to 500 miles on a single charge and run on less than 2 kilowatt hours (kWh) per mile, which Tesla says gives companies using commercial transportation a sustainable freight option. The first Semi trucks were delivered in December 2022 to PepsiCo, according to CNBC. Gigafactory Nevada currently spans 5.4 million square feet and represents a $6.2 billion investment for Tesla to date. Annually Tesla produces 7.3 billion battery cells, 1.5 million battery packs, 3.6 million electric vehicles and 1 …

January 25, 2023

Acquisitions Arizona Development Mixed-Use Multifamily Retail Top Stories Western

Joint Venture Completes Acquisition of Metrocenter Mall in Phoenix, Begins $850M Redevelopment

by Jeff Shaw January 24, 2023

PHOENIX — Concord Wilshire Capital and TLG Investment Partners, in partnership with Carl DeSantis’ CDS International Holdings Inc., have completed the acquisition of the Metrocenter Mall in Phoenix. The development group has formed a strategic alliance with Hines, an international real estate firm, to redevelop and repurpose the Metrocenter Mall into a walkable village that will be home to apartments, condominiums, curated boutiques, popular retail stores, restaurants, bars, a town-center park and other commercial and entertainment venues. The property spans approximately 64.2 acres of land in a Qualified Opportunity Zone. The plans for the village include over 2,600 multifamily units, 150,000 square feet of commercial space and 4,100 surface and garage-deck parking spaces. The development team has also signed agreements with the City of Phoenix for a public-private partnership for public improvements. The purchase includes both the Dillard’s building and U-Haul building, which formerly housed a Macy’s. Developers confirmed the planned $850 million redevelopment of the property will begin immediately. The redeveloped Metrocenter will be designed as a transit-oriented community, encompassing the city’s new light rail station currently under construction on the site. The City of Phoenix invested approximately $150 million to build the station, which is scheduled for completion …

January 24, 2023

Development Industrial Michigan Midwest Ohio Top Stories

General Motors to Invest $918M Across Four U.S. Manufacturing Plants

by Taylor Williams January 23, 2023

DETROIT — General Motors Co. (NYSE: GM) has announced plans to invest $918 million in capital improvements at four of its U.S. manufacturing plants. The initiative is designed to elevate the company’s production capacity for full-size trucks and sport utility vehicles while also establishing facilities that support the growth of GM’s electric vehicle (EV) divisions. The Detroit-based automotive giant is committing a total of $795 million to two of its Michigan facilities that will support the production of small-block V-8 engines. The company is investing $579 million at its plant in Flint, and the remaining $216 million will be allocated to GM’s facility in Bay City, where parts such as camshafts and connecting rods that support these engines will be assembled. GM is also investing $55 million in its manufacturing operations in Defiance, Ohio. Of this sum, $47 million will be used to prepare the facility for the manufacture of block castings to support future V-8 engine programs. In addition, GM will construct an $8 million casting development cell for future EV initiatives. Lastly, the company has earmarked $68 million for upgrades to its manufacturing facility in Rochester, New York. At this location, GM plans to invest $12 million to …

January 23, 2023

Loans Multifamily Top Stories

NexPoint Receives $807.5M Refinancing for 19-Property Multifamily Portfolio

by Jeff Shaw January 20, 2023

DALLAS — KeyBank Real Estate Capital has provided NexPoint Residential Trust (NYSE: NXRT) with an $807.5 million Freddie Mac loan to refinance debt on 19 garden-style, market-rate multifamily properties across Texas, Florida, Nevada, Georgia, Arizona and North Carolina. NexPoint is a publicly traded real estate investment trust based in Dallas. Various properties in the portfolio are equipped with smart home technology, as well as a variety of individual and community amenities. Creekside at Matthews, for instance, is a 240-unit complex located in the Matthews suburb of Charlotte, North Carolina. The property offers one-, two- and three-bedroom floor plans with features such as slate or stainless steel appliances, washers and dryers, patios and garden-style bathtubs. Community amenities at Creekside include a playground, business center, clubhouse, courtyard, nature trail, a swimming pool and Wi-Fi in common areas. Meanwhile, Silverbrook Apartments in Grand Prairie, Texas, comprises 642 one-, two- and three-bedroom units and includes community amenities such as a business center, fitness center, dog park, volleyball court, tennis court, picnic area and three swimming pools. Individual units feature washers and dryers, ceiling fans, fireplaces and private patios. Christopher Black, Brendan O’Keefe and Christopher Neil of KeyBank’s Commercial Mortgage Group originated and structured the …

January 20, 2023

Affordable Housing Development Illinois Midwest Multifamily Top Stories

Related Midwest Underway on 43-Story Multifamily Tower in Chicago’s Fulton Market District

by Katie Sloan January 19, 2023

CHICAGO — Related Midwest has released detailed plans for The Row Fulton Market, a 43-story multifamily development currently underway at 164 N. Peoria St. in Chicago’s Fulton Market district. The community will offer 300 units in one-, two- and three-bedroom configurations upon completion, currently scheduled for this June. Standard units will range in size from 617 to 1,929 square feet. The community is also set to offer six premium penthouse residences, which will range in size from 2,358 to 3,418 square feet in three- and four-bedroom configurations. Shared amenities at the development will include a fitness center and yoga studio; children’s play suite; reservable entertainment suite with an adjacent terrace including an outdoor kitchen with seating; multiple lounge and co-working spaces; a lap pool with lounge seating; three outdoor kitchens with dining and seating areas; green space with hammocks; and two fire pits offering views of the Chicago skyline. The property will offer a 24-hour concierge and door attendant, alongside services such as move-in coordination, housekeeping, package storage, on-site dry cleaning, and walking, grooming and daycare services for pets. The community will also feature 146 parking spaces, including 12 electric vehicle charging stations and complimentary bike storage. The property will …

January 19, 2023

New Jersey Northeast Retail Top Stories

Party City Files for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy

by Kristin Harlow January 18, 2023

WOODCLIFF LAKE, N.J. — Party City Holdco Inc. (NYSE: PRTY) has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. The restructuring process is expected to substantially reduce the company’s debt and optimize its capital structure and liquidity. The company expects to complete the restructuring process in the second quarter of this year. Party City’s more than 800 stores will remain open during the bankruptcy process. The company says it will continue to advance its key initiatives underway, such as converting stores to next-generation prototypes, evolving Halloween City pop-up stores, building out its online shopping experience, establishing localized marketplaces and delivering more compelling assortments and innovation for customers. Party City and some of its domestic subsidiaries filed voluntary Chapter 11 petitions for relief in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas. The company’s subsidiaries outside of the U.S., its franchise stores and its Anagram foil balloon business are not part of the Chapter 11 proceedings. The Woodcliff Lake-based party-goods retailer has entered into an agreement with a group holding more than 70 percent of the company’s senior secured first lien notes to support an expedited restructuring. Party City has secured a $150 million commitment from the group in debtor-in-possession financing. Party …

January 18, 2023

Data Centers Development Oregon Top Stories Western

Crane, Principal Asset Management to Develop Data Center Campus Near Portland, Oregon

by John Nelson January 17, 2023

FOREST GROVE, ORE. — Crane Data Centers Inc. and Principal Asset Management plan to develop a data center campus in Forest Grove, a suburb of Portland. The campus will be situated near the Hillsboro data center ecosystem, which houses data centers for users including Meta, Twitter and Microsoft, among others. The estimated development cost for the project was not disclosed. “We’re honored to partner with Principal Real Estate Investors to develop a new data center campus in the Portland market,” says Matt Pfile, CEO of Crane. “This strategic partnership with Crane and data center investment in the Portland area is an exciting project for all parties involved and makes for an excellent addition to our current portfolio of data centers,” says Ben Wobschall, managing director of real estate at Principal Asset Management. The first phase of the project includes a data center spanning approximately 300,000 square feet on a 35-acre site. The facility will have an initial capacity of 50 megawatts (MW) with plans to expand to over 100 MW, according to the developers. The two-story property will have 30-foot clear heights with flooring that can support 400 pounds per square foot, according to Crane. The construction timeline for Phase …

January 17, 2023

Development Massachusetts Northeast Office Top Stories

Chiofaro Plans $100M Transformation of International Place Office Complex in Downtown Boston

by Taylor Williams January 16, 2023

BOSTON — The Chiofaro Co., a locally based investment and development firm, has unveiled plans for the $100 million transformation of International Place, a 1.8 million-square-foot office complex in downtown Boston. Built in phases between 1987 and 1992, International Place consists of a 46-story tower and a 35-story building that are connected by a public courtyard. The complex is home to more than 90 tenants, many of which are in the legal, financial services and tech sectors. Global architecture firm Gensler is leading the design of the project, the centerpiece of which will be a 16,000-square-foot amenity center that will be known as The Aries Club. This center will house a tenant lounge, flexible workspaces, conferencing facilities, podcast rooms, mothers’ rooms, a bar and a 3,000-square-foot outdoor terrace. Chiofaro will contract a third-party hospitality management group to run The Aries Club. The capital improvement program also calls for the renovation of the entrance of One International Place with upgraded lighting and protective glass canopies to imbue the building with more hospitality-like curb appeal. Ownership will also modernize the retail storefronts at One International Place. At Two International Place, Chiofaro is planning a similar renovation of the entrance to elevate lighting, …

January 16, 2023

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