Cody Ratliff promoted to Principal at Polkinghorn Group Architects Inc.

We’re thrilled to announce Cody’s promotion to Partner! Known for his sharp strategic thinking, collaborative spirit, and unwavering commitment to quality, Cody has been instrumental in driving results and strengthening client relationships. His leadership and dedication truly reflect our firm’s values. Please join us in celebrating this exciting and well-deserved milestone in Cody’s journey!

CanTex Capital acquires 266,200-square-foot industrial facility in Dallas

CanTex Capital acquired a 266,200-square-foot Class-A industrial facility in Dallas.

The property, located on 20.77 acres in the Mountain Creek Industrial Business Park, reflects CanTex’s ongoing activity in the Dallas-Fort Worth market and an expansion into newer industrial product.

The facility boasts a 34-foot clear height, 3,000 amps of power, and approximately 8,000 square feet of office space. The site also features 285 parking spaces and four acres of additional land that may be used for outdoor storage or future development. It is accessible via I-20, the George Bush Turnpike, Highway 67, and Loop 12.

CanTex Capital plans to invest in property improvements, including updates to the roof, warehouse lighting, office space, new branding, and refreshed marketing materials.

CanTex Capital currently owns more than 6 million square feet of industrial assets, with a specific focus on the renovation and repositioning of these properties. As one of the most active industrial buyers in the state of Texas, the firm has 32 acquisitions on track to close by mid-year 2025.  

CanTex Capital partnered with DB9 Capital on this acquisition. DB9 isa Dallas-based private investment firm that strategically invests private, family capital in “value-add” opportunities with a focus on long-term value creation. The firm’s diverse portfolio primarily includes well-managed retail, industrial, and land assets that derive strong risk-adjusted returns.

Marcus & Millichap negotiates sale of 92,220-square-foot self-storage facility in Texas

Marcus & Millichap closed the sale of Van Alstyne Self Storage, a 92,220 rentable-square-foot storage facility on an approximately 8.72-acre lot in Van Alstyne, Texas. 

Brandon Karr and Danny Cunningham, investment specialists in Marcus & Millichap’s Fort Worth office and leaders of the Karr-Cunningham Storage Team, represented the seller, a local partnership. The buyer, a Dallas-based private investor, was also secured by Cunningham and Karr.   

Van Alstyne Self Storage is located at 15074 N. U.S. Highway 75. The unit mix consists of 42 climate-controlled units, 208 non-climate drive-up units, 91 covered parking spaces, 69 uncovered parking spaces and an on-site residence. Amenities include a personalized keypad-gated entrance, wide driveways, garage-style roll-up doors and an on-site manager’s residence.

Harmony Science Academy opens in North Houston’s City Place development

North Houston’s City Place continues to evolve and is fast approaching its next major milestone as tuition-free Texas charter system Harmony Public Schools prepares to welcome approximately 430 students to the community’s inaugural school – Harmony Science Academy – City Place – on August 13. 

Construction of the first phase with classrooms initially assigned to Pre-K through sixth grade students is mostly complete with punch list items anticipated to be finalized in the next month. Future development on the 28.9-acre tract – acquired from City Place master developer CDC Houston in 2022 – include an adjacent middle and high school campus with construction commencing again in 2027. Phased openings with the addition of a new grade level each year will culminate in Harmony Science Academy – City Place’s first high school graduating class and a total enrollment of 800 students across all classes in 2032. 

Harmony Science Academy – City Place is currently accepting applications for both students and team members. Interested families and individuals can apply online at www.hsacityplace.harmonytx.org or reach out to registrar Ms. Podio at asantisteban@harmonytx.org. School tours are now underway. 

According to CDC Executive Vice President Warren W. Wilson, “The addition of Harmony Public Schools, a proven leader in STEM education and character development, is an exciting step in our evolution as a community.” 

At the helm of this new chapter is Founding Principal Elyse Pravel, whose journey with Harmony Public Schools is a full-circle story of passion, purpose and leadership. A proud Harmony alumna, Pravel has served as an intern, teacher, assistant principal, and most recently, principal resident before stepping into her current role. 

With 25 years of experience and 76 campuses statewide, Harmony is Texas’ largest and one of its longest-standing charter systems, known for a strong focus on STEM, project-based learning and character development. Harmony students consistently outperform state averages on STAAR, NWEA MAP and other key assessments, and they maintain a 100% college acceptance rate. By fostering a culture of ethical, civic-minded and compassionate behavior, Harmony supports students’ social-emotional growth alongside their academic success. As of 2024, more than half of all Harmony campuses have been designated State Schools of Character – more than any other school system in the nation. 

The new City Place campus is part of Harmony’s “A”-rated Houston North District, which has earned national recognition from U.S. News & World Report, Newsweek, and Character.org. Situated in a sustainable, pedestrian-friendly community at the axis of the Grand Parkway, I-45, and Hardy Toll Road, the campus offers students and families a vibrant, accessible environment surrounded by trails, green space, and LEED-certified infrastructure.

Class-A office tower in Houston wraps successful recapitalization

Following a recent successful recapitalization of One Riverway, ownership—One Riverway Venture LLC an entity controlled by Azrieli Group and Unilev Capital, professionally managed by Unilev Management Corp.—is now strategically positioned to actively pursue new leases, renewals, and tenant expansions at the 507,565-square-foot, Class A office tower in Houston’s Galleria area. The recapitalization includes a loan modification with an additional equity contribution.

The strengthened capital structure paves the way for a significant reinvestment into One Riverway. Planned improvements include common area upgrades to corridors and restrooms, full elevator modernization, and the delivery of move-in-ready spec suites tailored to meet the evolving needs of today’s office users. Located at 777 South Post Oak Lane, the 25-story office tower offers expansive views of both the Galleria and Downtown Houston. Tenants benefit from a wide range of on-site amenities, including a tech-enabled conference center, a state-of-the-art fitness facility, an on-site café, outdoor terraces, and ample garage parking.

“One Riverway is an iconic landmark office tower modernized to meet the 21st-century needs of our tenants,” said Raymond Levy, President of Unilev Capital and Unilev Management.

This news coincides with the recent engagement of Global Fund Investments (“GFI”) as the Asset Manager on Azrieli Group’s 3 million-square-foot office portfolio in Houston and Austin. GFI, a retail-focused investor with 5 million square feet of assets across five states, has partnered with Jason Presley, who has 27 years of experience in the office sector, to oversee the portfolio.

“Recapitalizing One Riverway allows us to move quickly and creatively in a dynamic leasing environment, at a time when competing projects often do not have the capital to transact,” said Jason Presley. “We’re reinvesting in these assets to ensure One and Three Riverway remain a top-tier destination for tenants in Houston’s Galleria area.”

An entity controlled by Azrieli Group and Unilev Capital also owns the neighboring Three Riverway, located at 3 Riverway Drive. Three Riverway currently has no mortgage loans and remains positioned to actively pursue new leases, renewals, and tenant expansions. Both towers offer access to modern amenities, a prime location, and a strong ownership group focused on long-term value. One and Three Riverway can accommodate office users of all sizes, from 1,086 square feet to 101,330 square feet.

Stream Realty Partners, a national commercial real estate firm offering an integrated platform of services, will continue to handle the leasing for the property on behalf of building ownership. The leasing team is led by Managing Director of Office Leasing Matt Asvestas, Senior Vice President Brad Fricks, and Senior Associate Danielle Rothchild.

Apartment rent growth steady, but far from spectacular

Multifamily rents continued to grow in May, though that growth was more on the steady rather than the spectacular side, according to the latest research from Yardi Matrix.

In its most recent National Multifamily Report, Yardi Matrix said that the average U.S. multifamily advertised rent jumped $6 in May when compared to April. That brought the average monthly rent to $1,761 in May.

On a year-over-year basis, average monthly rents barely budged. Yardi Matrix reported that May’s average monthly rent was just 1% higher than it was a year ago.

Gateway and secondary metropolitan areas in the Midwest and Northeast recorded the highest rent growths, with New York City seeing the highest growth as its monthly rents jumped 5.7% this May when compared to the same month a year ago.

In the Midwest, Kansas City, Missouri, saw its monthly rents increase this May by 4% when compared to a year ago. Other Midwest cities seeing solid year-over-year multifamily rent growth were Columbus, Ohio, with a jump of 3.3%; Detroit, 3.1%; and Chicago, 3.1%.

Many metropolitan areas with a high supply of multifamily apartments saw negative rent growth. Austin, Texas, led the way, with the average monthly apartment rent here dropping by 5.2% in May when compared to the same month a year ago. Also in Texas, Dallas saw its average monthly apartment rent drop by 1.5% this May on a year-over-year basis.

The national occupancy rate in April stood at 94.4%, 0.3% year-over-year. This is the lowest this rate has been in more than a decade, according to Yardi Matrix.

Occupancy rates have slipped below 93% in Austin, where this figure stood at 92.5% in April, and Dallas and Houston, both of which saw their multifamily occupancy rates fall to 92.6%.Tags