LEWISVILLE, TEXAS — Locally based developer JPI has broken ground on Jefferson Castle Hills, a 761-unit multifamily project that will be located within the 2,900-acre Castle Hills master-planned development in the northern Dallas suburb of Lewisville. Bright Realty owns Castle Hills. Designed by Preston Partnership, Jefferson Castle Hills will be developed in two phases and will offer one-, two- and three-bedroom units. Residences will be equipped with stainless steel appliances, walk-in closets, individual washers and dryers and private yards or balconies. Amenities will include a pool, fitness center, dog park, private courtyards and dedicated parking garages. Construction of Phase I is slated for a fourth-quarter 2025 delivery.
NEW YORK CITY — CL Credit, a division of New York-based investment firm Castle Lanterra Properties, has provided a $24 million loan for the refinancing of an 81-unit affordable housing property located at 53 E. 177th St. in The Bronx. Completed in 2023, the property comprises three studios, 38 one-bedroom units, 30 two-bedroom apartments and one ground-floor retail space. The undisclosed borrower will use a portion of the proceeds to retire senior construction debt and fund remaining lease-up costs.
LEWISVILLE, TEXAS — Bright Realty has welcomed eight new food-and-beverage users to The Realm at Castle Hills, the locally based developer’s 324-acre mixed-use destination in the northern Dallas suburb of Lewisville. The tenants that have either recently opened or signed leases include: Marble Slab Creamery/Great American Cookies (1,600 square feet); Chinese and Indian restaurant The Monk’s (3,869 square feet); RT Bakery (1,507 square feet); Voodoo Brewing Co. (4,346 square feet); Bagel Bar (1,186 square feet); Ked’s Artisan Ice Cream & Treats (1,893 square feet); Cocinero Mexican Restaurant (3,800 square feet); and Bluebonnet Brunch House (2,479 square feet).
CASTLE ROCK AND DENVER, COLO. — The Garrett Cos. has completed the sale of a two-property multifamily portfolio, totaling 434 apartments, to affiliates of Harbor Group International for $132.5 million. The portfolio includes The Prospector Modern Apartments at 3360 Esker Circle in Castle Rock and Ladora Modern Apartments at 18590 E. 61st Ave. in Denver. Prospector features 238 one-, two- and three-bedroom floorplans averaging 1,013 square feet, and Ladora offers 196 one-, two- and three-bedroom floorplans with an average apartment size of 1,024 square feet. Both assets were built in 2023 and are approaching lease up. Community amenities at the properties include resort-style pools, fitness centers, mail and package services, and pet parks and spas. Terrance Hunt, Shane Ozment, Andy Hellman and Justin Hunt of CBRE’s multifamily investment properties team in Denver represented the seller. Shawn Rosenthal, Jason Gaccione and Jake Salkovitz of CBRE’s New York office, along with Brady O’Donnell and Jill Haug of CBRE’s Denver office, arranged acquisition financing for the buyer.
RIVERHEAD, N.Y. — Chicago-based Bradford Allen Hospitality has acquired two hotels totaling 245 rooms in the Long Island community of Riverhead. The 131-suite Residence Inn by Marriott was built in 2017 and is located at 2012 Old Country Road, and the 114-key Hilton Garden Inn was constructed in 2008 at 2038 Old Country Road. Both hotels offer pools and fitness centers. The undisclosed seller in the off-market deals was the original developer of both hotels. Bradford Allen will retain New Castle Hotels & Resorts to manage the properties.
By Pam Knudsen, senior director of tax compliance services, Avalara While the dust has scarcely settled from a landmark ruling in New York City resulting in a massive crackdown on short-term rentals (STRs), the full extent of the fallout from the decision has yet to be fully grasped by many — and perhaps even by the city itself. Under the terms of Local Law 18, a resolution that passed earlier this year, hosts and owners of short-term rentals, including Airbnb, are now subject to tighter and stricter regulations. These include limits on numbers of guests, requirements to register with the city and obligations to more closely monitor guest behavior, among other regulations. The effective ban on short-term rentals will have considerable consequences on local economies, and more than anyone, it’s small lodging businesses that stand to be impacted by the resulting wave. But to fully understand the major impact this ban has on small businesses, we must first acknowledge that STRs should rightly be considered small businesses themselves. Much like any other small business, STRs are required by most communities to be licensed, registered and compliant with tax collection and remittance. Furthermore, the hosts and managers behind STRs operate in …
AUSTIN, TEXAS — Minneapolis-based developer Ryan Cos. has topped out Grand Living at The Grove, a five-story, 213-unit seniors housing project in Central Austin. The 348,353-square-foot building will house 177 independent and assisted living apartments, as well as 36 memory care apartments. Grand Living at The Grove will feature studio, one- and two-bedroom apartments that will range in size from 450 to 1,600 square feet. Ryan Cos. is co-developing the project with Grand Living and Castletop Capital. PACE Loan Group and Bankers Trust provided financing for the project. Construction began about a year ago, and delivery is slated for early 2025.
— By Julian Freeman, Dave Wensley and Gabe Pitassi — With steep vacancy rates impacting traditional office markets due to the headwinds of higher interest rates, short-term economic uncertainty and long-term remote/hybrid work uncertainties, underutilized traditional office buildings may become liabilities before the end of their anticipated economic life. Owners of these properties may consider a conversion — an adaptive reuse or repurposing — to access higher rents and occupancy rates. In view of nationwide housing shortages, especially in California, converting office to multifamily has received much attention as a logical move. However, such a conversion is not always viable from a financial, structural, legal or location perspective. An alternative option may be to repurpose an office building for life sciences use. Such a conversion, while posing its own unique challenges, may provide more realistic options than a conversion to residential use for many owners and properties. Challenges in converting to residential Converting an office building to residential use presents challenges on multiple fronts. Zoning laws vary based on property location and usage, and the property may need to be rezoned to a different classification to allow multifamily uses. Rezoning requires local government approval and public hearings, which can take months …
LEWISVILLE, TEXAS — Bright Realty is nearing completion of Tapestry at The Realm, a 362-unit apartment community in the northern Dallas suburb of Lewisville. The property will be situated within the locally based developer’s 324-acre Realm at Castle Hills mixed-use development. Tapestry at The Realm will feature studio, one- and two-bedroom floor plans and amenities such as a fitness center, sauna, game lounge, business center and a conference room. B2 Architecture + Design designed the project, and Andres Construction is the general contractor. Preleasing is slated to begin in November. The first units are expected to be available for occupancy in December.
CHICAGO — Kiser Group has brokered the sale of a historic multifamily property located at 2324 W. 111th St. in Chicago’s Morgan Park neighborhood for $1.9 million. Known as “The Castle” for its architecture, the property’s 16 apartment units were vacant at the time of sale. Originally constructed in the late 1800s as a funeral home, the building was later converted into a mixed-use asset in the 1920s. John George and Joe Bianchi of Kiser brokered the sale. Buyer and seller information was not provided.