HOUSTON — Jeffrey Roberts has joined the HFF firm as a chief information officer (CIO) in its Houston office and will be a member of the firm’s leadership team. In this role, Roberts will lead HFF’s information technology (IT) department and strategic technology vision for the firm and manage all aspects of the company’s IT strategy and operations. Roberts has more than 20 years of technology experience running global IT operations for leading corporations. Prior to joining HFF, he was the CIO at Carriage Services (NYSE: CSV), the world’s third-largest holding company of funeral homes and cemeteries. Before joining CSV, he worked as the CIO at Situs, a global commercial real estate advisors/servicer; Saxon Mortgage, a division of Morgan Stanley; and Litton Loan Servicing, a Goldman Sachs company. Roberts holds an executive leadership certificate from Rice University and is a graduate of the University of Tulsa.
HANOVER, N.J. — Vision Real Estate Partners (VREP) and Rubenstein Partners are ahead of schedule and on budget for the construction of the MetLife Investments Global Headquarters at 67 Whippany Road in Hanover. The 185,000-square-foot, build-to-suit facility is situated adjacent to Bayer Healthcare’s East Coast headquarters. Designed to achieve LEED certification, the facility features an open floor plan with collaborative workspaces, breakout rooms, conference facilities, food court with indoor and outdoor seating, café, fitness center and ample parking. VREP and Rubenstein purchased the site, a former Alcatel-Lucent Campus, in 2010. The MetLife building anchors the redevelopment’s 100-acre South Campus component, with remaining 94 acres housing the 675,000-square-foot Bayer Healthcare facility.
HOUSTON — NewQuest Properties will break ground on additional retail space in its 46-acre Spring Town Center in tandem with the first-quarter opening of the Grand Parkway in northwest Houston. The 320,497-square-foot Spring Town Center is the largest and closest retail development to the Kuykendahl Road exit of the Grand Parkway’s $1.1 billion extension from U.S. 290 to U.S. 59. Kuykendahl Road bisects Spring Town Center, with its northeastern corner anchored by Walmart, a 12-screen Cinemark and Palais Royale and the southeastern tract anchored by Lowe’s Home Improvement Center and Sprouts Farmers Market. NewQuest will be adding an 11,550-square-foot freestanding building on the southeastern corner. The new structure will front Kuykendahl Road, adjacent to the newly opened El Pollo Loco. Designed by NewQuest’s in-house architects, the building will deliver in the fall.
AUSTIN, TEXAS — Parkway Properties has chosen Balfour Beatty Construction for renovations at One Eleven Plaza, a downtown Austin tower built in 1987. Balfour Beatty will deliver the project alongside landscape architecture firm dwg. and Michael Hsu Office of Architecture. Fareground at One Eleven Congress is the renovation of the plaza and lobby space at One Congress Plaza, located at the corner of 2nd Street and Congress Avenue. Following preconstruction planning by Balfour Beatty, the Fareground at One Eleven Congress project is underway with completion expected in spring 2017.
WACO, TEXAS — Time Manufacturing, headquartered in Waco since 1968, plans to expand its truck-mounted hydraulic lift manufacturing operations in Waco. Time will invest $5.8 million to expand its facilities by 50,000 square feet at Texas Central Parkway and add 121 jobs during the next four years. The factory manufactures 20 to 25 aerial lifts per day, for a total of 3,500 to 4,000 units a year. The lifts are sold at dealerships throughout the U.S. and in Europe, Latin America and parts of Asia. Time has additional operations in Bethel, Pa. and the United Kingdom.
SCHERERVILLE, IND. — Ryan Cos. has broken ground on a $40 million, 177-unit senior living development in Schererville. Clarendale of Schererville is slated to open in the spring of 2017. The 206,000-square-foot development will be constructed on a nine-acre site and will consist of 85 independent living units, 38 assisted living units and 54 memory care units. Apartments will range from 720 square feet to 1,300 square feet for the independent living units and 300 square feet to 890 square feet for the assisted living and memory care units. Amenities will include a craft room, movie theater room, bistro, pub and billiards room, library, wellness center, salon, fitness room, multipurpose room and a private patio with courtyard.
PLYMOUTH, MINN. — Duke Realty Corp. has agreed to develop a 134,384-square-foot office and warehouse build-to-suit facility for Intereum Inc. in Plymouth, a western suburb of Minneapolis. Intereum supplies commercial office and healthcare furniture, floor coverings and related products to corporations and government entities. As part of the deal, Intereum has entered into a long-term lease agreement with Duke Realty, which will develop the facility on nearly 14 acres that it owns adjacent to Waterford Ponds, an office and retail complex. The building will include nine dock doors, one drive-in door, 152 automobile parking spaces, a 125-foot truck court and a 30,000-square-foot showroom. Construction on the facility is slated to begin in May 2016 and be completed in March 2017. This development marks the fifth time in the last 18 months that Duke Realty has undertaken an industrial build-to-suit project in Minneapolis. Jon Yanta and Brent Erickson of NorthMarq represented Intereum in the build-to-suit transaction. Matt Oelschlager of CBRE represented Duke Realty.
WACO, TEXAS — Coca-Cola Refreshments has received a tax abatement incentive to expand its Waco presence with a $13.3 million blow-molding line. The line will be used for in-house production of bottles in its Waco facility, located in Texas Central Park. Coca-Cola established its first Waco manufacturing facility in 1995, and Coca-Cola Enterprises constructed a 50,000-square-foot regional distribution center to supply the central Texas market in 2007. The expanded operations are a result of the company’s continued growth in product demand and a long-established partnership with the city of Waco, McLennan County and the Waco Industrial Foundation.
PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. — Regan Development Corp. has completed Homesteads on Ampersand, a 64-unit affordable housing community located at 292 Rugar St. in Plattsburgh. The eco-friendly community features four two-story buildings featuring 24 one-bedroom, 20 two-bedroom and 20 three-bedroom units, as well as a community building. The property features on-site management, a laundry facility, community room, library and computer center, as well as 73 surface parking spaces. Additionally, units feature Energy Star appliances, carpet, air conditioning and storage. Irvine, Calif.-based WNC, a national investor in real estate and community development initiatives, provided $7.1 million in low-income housing tax credit equity for the new development, which was constructed in one year.
ROSEVILLE AND ROCHESTER HILLS, MICH. — American House Senior Living Communities will add 40 units of memory care to its communities in the Detroit suburbs of Roseville and Rochester Hills. Virtus Real Estate Capital, a Texas-based private equity firm, arranged a loan through Talmer Bank and Trust to fund the expansion by American House, a Michigan-based operator. Each of the two new communities will include 40 units of licensed memory care and will share a campus with existing American House communities. REDICO is developing both projects. The Roseville community is set to open in September 2016, while the Rochester Hills community is scheduled to open in late 2016.