Aransas County, Texas, is proud to announce the acquisition of the Copano Cove Ranch, also historically known as the Bailey Ranch, a significant conservation project funded entirely through the Texas General Land Office’s (GLO) Coastal Management Program under Contract #24-099-005-E379.

This acquisition was wholly funded through a grant from the GLO providing Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act of 2006 (GOMESA) funding, made available to the State of Texas and awarded under the Texas Coastal Management Program.

On July 31, 2025, Aransas County officially closed on the 950-acre property located at 1751 FM 1781 in Rockport, Texas. This expansive tract of native prairie, marshes, and wetlands will now be preserved forever as protected natural habitat.

“This is a major win for Aransas County,” said County Judge Ray Garza. “Preserving this land protects vital habitat, expands public access, and creates opportunities for ecotourism and education that will benefit our community for generations. I’m grateful to all the partners who stayed committed to getting this across the finish line.”

The property is protected by a conservation easement held by the North American Land Trust (NALT). NALT has been actively protecting land in Texas for 20 years, with over 6,200 acres protected on the Texas Gulf Coast. The property boasts over 2,700 linear feet of Copano Bay shoreline, 200+ acres of estuarine and marine wetlands, and more than 100 acres of palustrine emergent wetlands, all now protected under a conservation easement held by the NALT. The land also serves as a critical natural drainage area for one of the most developed watersheds in Aransas County, providing invaluable flood mitigation and stormwater management benefits.

A Community-Driven Effort

The vision for this acquisition was born from the collaborative efforts of Aransas First Land Trust and the Aransas County Road & Bridge Department. Early champions of the project— Shelly Steckler, Maureen Crocker, and Dr. Earl Matthew of Aransas First—partnered with Katherine “Kat” Comeaux, Development Services Coordinator at Road & Bridge, to identify the

ranch as a prime candidate for acquisition. Together, they developed and submitted the successful grant application.

Janae Evans, the broker representing the seller, remarked:

“This was one of the most complex transactions in my 30+ year career in ranch/commercial real estate, but the conservation value of this particular property made the 21-month contract period worth the wait. This iconic property undoubtedly will become a unique destination for ecotourism, for generations to come.”

Evans continued:

“This is biodiversity on full display; the property is widely known for its magnificent wildlife and its natural vegetation, which is diminishing in our region. The seller’s dedication to conservation, ability to provide an expansive cache of due diligence materials, and their willingness to extend deadlines when required, allowed this transaction to come to fruition, in addition to a lot of hard work by dedicated folks on both sides of the transaction. I want to extend special recognition and gratitude to Judge Ray Garza who held the course through all stages, as well as Commissioner Bob Dupnik and the other county commissioners who were extremely supportive, along with the good folks at County Road & Bridge, especially Kat Comeaux without whom this transaction would not have happened.”

Partnerships That Made It Happen

This milestone acquisition represents a tradition of public-private partnership and environmental stewardship:

• Meghan Martinez, Project Manager/Natural Resources Specialist with the GLO’s Coastal Management Program, kept the project on track through all stages of due diligence and contract execution.
• Patty Kennedy, Southeast Program Director for NALT, provided expert insight into the intricacies of the conservation easement and its lasting protections.
• The sellers, EVC-CC Land Holdings and Rockport Property Entity, LLC, and their counsel were fully supportive of preserving the property’s ecological and public access values.
• John Bell of Wood, Boykin & Wolter in Corpus Christi represented Aransas County, offering essential legal guidance throughout the acquisition process.

Looking Forward

Aransas County is currently developing a land management plan for responsible public access and ecotourism opportunities that align with habitat preservation goals. The County envisions a future where this unique landscape educates the public, promotes sustainable recreation, and remains a sanctuary for wildlife.

The Copano Cove Conservation Area lies within the Mid‐coast Barrier Islands and Coastal Marshes ecoregion, part of the Gulf Coast Prairies and Marshes. According to The Nature Conservancy, “The 600-mile-long region abounds in superlatives: the longest barrier island system on Earth, the most important fish nursery in the gulf, the largest hypersaline lagoon

known to man. The numbers and types of birds seen here rival those found anywhere else in North America; the coastline provides critical stopover sites for millions of migrating birds. Nearly 1,000 species of wildflowers live here, and the area’s diversity of butterflies and reptiles in renowned.”

With this acquisition, Aransas County solidifies its role as a steward of the Texas coast, protecting a priceless resource for future generations.

 JLL Capital Markets announced today that it has arranged the financing for Clock Tower Residences, a boutique multifamily addition to its Heights Clocktower mixed-use project in Houston, Texas.

JLL represented the borrower, a joint venture between Radom Capital and Asana Partners, in arranging the four-year construction loan through Veritex Community Bank.

Clock Tower Residences, a boutique multifamily addition to its Heights Clocktower mixed-use project. Located in the heart of the Houston Heights, Clock Tower Residences consists of 214 newly built residential units, four live-work units and a new neighborhood-focused food and beverage concept, all adjacent to its award-winning Heights Clocktower historic landmark project. Clock Tower Residences is being developed in partnership with retail real estate investment firm Asana Partners, which owns the adjacent historic Heights Clocktower building with Radom. The project marks Radom Capital’s 15th development in the Heights.

Set at the intersections of 23rd St., North Shepherd and Lawrence St., within Houston’s fast-growing urban core, Clock Tower Residences will rise seven stories and blend apartment living with the nuance of a curated, boutique experience. The project is directly across the street from the new Heights HEB supermarket and in the heart of the dynamic Shepherd corridor with acclaimed restaurants, parks, and shops all in short walking distance. 

Clock Tower Residences was designed by a collaboration of nationally recognized design teams. Cobalt Office designed the building to ensure that its scale, materiality and proportion feel grounded in the neighborhood. Farouki Farouki created the interiors with a layered sensibility consisting of warm, tactile and attuned to daily rituals. Landscape architect CultivateLAND extended a sustainable ethos to the exterior, blending elevated planted amenity decks with a lush, walkable ground floor that invites connection and softens the urban edge. 

The project features multiple community areas, including several resident lounges, coworking spaces and media rooms, a resort-quality fitness and wellness center, entertainment areas with a shared 611 West 22nd St. kitchen and contemporary gathering spaces, a yoga deck and a pool designed with a calm, understated elegance. The ground floor’s food and beverage concept will be open to both residents and the surrounding community.  

JLL Capital Market’s Debt Advisory team representing the borrower was led by Senior Managing Director Colby Mueck and Managing Director Michael Johnson, as well as Associate Davis Burnett and Analyst James Lovell.

Economic uncertainty caused by shifting tariff policies and persistently high interest rates have taken their toll on industrial real estate activity, according to the latest report from the NAIOP Research Foundation.

NAIOP reported that only 27 million square feet of industrial space were absorbed in the first half of 2025 and demand shrinking by 11.3 million square feet in the second quarter – the first quarterly decline since 2010. 

According to the NAIOP Research Foundation’s latest Industrial Space Demand Forecast, net absorption is expected to be nearly flat over the second half of 2025, but demand will begin to grow again in 2026.

Demand for industrial space is expected to recover somewhat after occupiers have time to adjust to a new tariff regime, according to the report. But higher tariffs and slowing employment growth will likely result in slower demand growth than that experienced from 2020 to 2022 or in the six years that preceded the pandemic.

Absorption is expected to rebound beginning in the second quarter of 2026, with full-year absorption totaling 119.3 million square feet. Another 109.7 million square feet of absorption is expected in the first half of 2027.

Demand for industrial real estate has been influenced by several factors, according to the report:

• Changes in U.S. trade policy, which could alter the strategies of occupiers that import raw, intermediate and finished goods, as well as those that export products abroad.
  
• Slow employment growth from May through July that suggests a broader slowdown in the economy is underway.
  
• Higher interest rates in recent years. Many expect the Federal Reserve to cut the federal funds rate by the end of 2025 if the employment market remains soft. The report notes that “falling rates and greater clarity on tariffs could reduce uncertainty and spur greater demand for industrial space, leading to a return to positive absorption in early 2026.”

“While the latest forecast reflects the impact of tariffs and a cooling economy, history has shown that industrial real estate remains a resilient sector,” said Marc Selvitelli, president and chief executive officer of NAIOP. “We anticipate a measured recovery in demand beginning in 2026 as markets adjust and fundamentals stabilize, positioning the sector for a return to stable growth.”

The semi-annual report is authored by Hany Guirguis, Ph.D., dean, O’Malley School of Business and professor, economics and finance, Manhattan College; and Joshua Harris, Ph.D., executive director, Fordham Real Estate Institute, Fordham University.