MIAMI — Mast Capital and Avalon Bay Communities have completed the development of Avalon Merrick Park, a 254-unit apartment community located at 3811 Shipping Ave. in the Coral Gables neighborhood of Miami. The property, which was constructed by general contractor First Florida, features studio, one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments, ranging from 456 to 1,530 square feet. Amenities at the community include a swimming pool, fitness center, resident lounge with coworking spaces and a pet spa. Arquitectonica designed the property. Rental rates at Avalon Merrick Park begin at $2,340, according to Apartments.com.
Southeast
VERO BEACH, FLA. — Thompson Thrift plans to develop a new 276-unit multifamily community in Vero Beach. Dubbed Verity, the project is scheduled for completion in summer 2026. The property will comprise apartments across three-story buildings, with units in one-, two- and three-bedroom layouts averaging 1,400 square feet in size. Amenities at the community, which will span 18 acres, will include a clubhouse, fitness center, 24-hour social hub, work-from-home suites, resident conference room, swimming pool, electric firepits, grilling areas, a pickleball court, dog run and pet spa. The property will also feature an Amazon package hub and valet trash service.
MARIETTA, GA. — Major League Soccer (MLS) club Atlanta United has announced plans for a $23 million expansion to its Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta Training Ground headquarters facility in Marietta, roughly 20 miles northwest of Atlanta. The two-story, 20,000-square-foot addition will connect to the east wing of the existing facility and feature 4,000 square feed designated for its second team (ATL UTD 2) and the club’s five Academy teams. The space will also feature a dedicated gym, locker room and office space for Atlanta United’s six development teams and 20-plus staff members, as well as a dedicated classroom, two new digital content studios, a new podcast and esports studio and a press conference room. The expansion will bring the total footprint of the facilities to 50,000 square feet, with a total investment of $85 million. Completion of the project is scheduled for summer 2025.
St. John Properties Signs Clinical Research Firm to 116,000 SF Lease Expansion in Frederick, Maryland
by John Nelson
FREDERICK, MD. — St. John Properties has signed a lease extension and expansion with Precision for Medicine at Riverside Tech Park, a 70-acre business and research and development (R&D) property in Frederick. Precision for Medicine, a clinical research organization, has occupied space at the park since 2006. Precision for Medicine currently occupies 75,000 square feet at 8425 Precision Way. With the new agreement, the tenant will occupy an additional 41,040 square feet at 8440 Broadband Drive, a new 52,080-square-foot flex R&D building at the development, utilizing the building for office and laboratory space. St. John Properties recently completed construction at Riverside Tech Park, which comprises more than 750,000 square feet across 14 buildings. The development is located adjacent to the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and is within a mile of the Frederick Municipal Airport.
NASHVILLE, TENN. — Video game developer Iron Galaxy Studios has signed a 25,000-square-foot office lease at 333 Commerce in Nashville. The company, which has studios in Chicago and Orlando, will be relocating from UBS Tower, where it occupied space on a temporary basis. Kevin Ziomek, Corey Siegrist and Jim Rose of JLL represented the tenant in the lease negotiations. Amenities at the building include an 8,000-square-foot fitness center, outdoor courtyards and recently renovated lobby and common areas.
Wegmans to Open 110,000 SF Grocery Store at Ballantyne Campus in Charlotte, North Carolina
by John Nelson
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Wegmans Food Markets Inc., a Rochester, N.Y.-based grocer, plans to open a 110,000-square-foot store in Charlotte. Located along North Community House Road, the grocery store will be situated within Ballantyne, Northwood Investors’ 2,000-acre master-planned development on the south side of Charlotte adjacent to the South Carolina border. Wegmans aims to open the new store by the third quarter of 2026. The store will feature all traditional Wegmans departments, including produce, seafood, meat, bakery, deli, cheese and wine and beer. Additional offerings will include Meals2Go and catering, online shopping capabilities, a floral shop, coffee and home goods. The store will also have a market café with indoor and outdoor seating for customers dining at one of Wegmans’ multiple food outlets. “We’ve received hundreds of requests from locals asking for a store in their area, and we’ve spent years looking for exactly the right location,” says Dan Aken, vice president of real estate and store planning at Wegmans. The new Wegmans will be located on the east side of Ballantyne and half a mile from Northwood’s The Bowl at Ballantyne mixed-use development, which is currently under construction. The project will feature a wide array of retail and restaurant tenants …
GW Real Estate, Griffin Capital Break Ground on 250-Unit Apartment Community in Charlottesville, Virginia
by John Nelson
CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA. — GW Real Estate Partners and capital partner Griffin Capital Co. have broken ground on The Arrowood Charlottesville, a 250-unit apartment community located at 463 Rio Road W in Charlottesville. Situated two miles from The Shops at Stonefield and a short drive to University of Virginia, the property features studio to three-bedroom layouts, as well as a clubhouse with a fitness center, coworking space, resort-style swimming pool and a grill/lounge area. Fifth Third Bank provided construction financing for the project. The design-build team includes general contractor GW Builders, Heffner Architects, civil engineer Collins Engineering, structural engineer Cates Engineering, MEP engineer GTP Consulting Engineers and landscape architect LandDesign. The developers expect first buildings at The Arrowood to be ready for occupancy in mid-2025, with full community completion expected by March 2026.
Dermody Properties Acquires Two Industrial Facilities at Gillem Logistics Center in Atlanta Totaling 548,040 SF
by John Nelson
ATLANTA — Dermody Properties has purchased two industrial facilities within Gillem Logistics Center, an industrial park in south Atlanta. The developer, locally based Robinson Weeks Partners, sold the assets for an undisclosed price. The properties include Building 700, a 169,520-square-foot facility, and Building 1200, a 378,520-square-foot building. Wes Hardy represented Dermody in the transaction on an internal basis, and Trey Barry of CBRE represented Robinson Weeks.
Stonemont Financial Signs Logistics User to 733,200 SF Industrial Lease in Metro Savannah
by John Nelson
RINCON, GA. — Stonemont Financial Group has signed Armstrong Logistics Inc., a warehousing and logistics service provider based in California, to an industrial lease near Port of Savannah. The logistics firm will fully occupy Building 4A, a 733,200-square-foot cross-dock facility, at Georgia International Trade Center (GITC), a 1,150-acre industrial park in Effingham County that Stonemont Financial is co-developing with The Davis Cos. and Chesterfield. Located in Rincon, the facility features 40-foot clear heights, 175 dock-high doors, four drive-in doors and 208 trailer stalls. Scott Mertz of NAI Global brokered the transaction. Additional partners for the project include Omega Construction as the general contractor, Atlas Collaborative as the architect and Thomas & Hutton as the civil engineer. Stephen Ezelle of Cushman & Wakefield/Gilbert & Ezelle is handling all leasing at GITC. Building 4A is the 10th warehouse that Stonemont Financial has delivered at the park.
KISSIMMEE, FLA. — JLL has arranged a $43 million loan for Solamar Apartment Homes, a 210-unit build-to-rent residential community in Kissimmee, about 22 miles south of Orlando. Max La Cava, Melissa Quinn, Kenny Cutler, Josh Odessky and Pier Barinci of JLL arranged the construction take-out bridge loan on behalf of the borrower, TRUSOT Development. JLL arranged the original $35 million construction loan in 2021. Solamar Apartment Homes was completed in phases, with the final phase delivered in 2023. According to Apartments.com, the property features two- to three-bedroom homes ranging in size from 973 to 1,317 square feet.