Stirling Properties and CBL & Associates Properties, Inc. Celebrate Grand Opening of Fremaux Town Center Phase II
Today, Stirling Properties and CBL & Associates Properties, Inc. (NYSE: CBL) celebrated the Grand Opening of Phase II of Fremaux Town Center in Slidell, Louisiana. This second phase of construction adds 283,000 square feet to the existing shopping center and is anchored by Dillard’s. The rest of Phase II expansion is already 86% leased.
“We are thrilled to celebrate the opening of this second phase of Fremaux Town Center. Phase II complements the existing tenants in the first phase and is another big part of growing the overall development,” stated Stirling Properties’ Senior Vice President of Development Townsend Underhill. “Fremaux Town Center offers a one-of-a-kind retail experience in the City of Slidell and Eastern St. Tammany Parish, with many of the retailers and restaurants to date that are new to the Northshore.”
“We’re excited to join Stirling Properties to celebrate the opening of phase two of Fremaux Town Center,” said Michael Lebovitz, Executive Vice President, Development and Administration of CBL & Associates Properties, Inc. “The expansion of this thriving retail complex has allowed us to add even more great retail and restaurant options that will further solidify Fremaux Town Center as the premier regional shopping destination.”
Today’s festivities included a ceremonial ribbon cutting, the Marine Corps Band of New Orleans and special guests Mayor Freddy Drennan, St. Tammany Parish President Pat Brister, and City of Slidell Council Members. “We are thrilled to have such a beautiful development in our City,” said Slidell Mayor Freddy Drennan. “I know our citizens are excited about the opening of Fremaux Town Center. I would like to thank Stirling Properties and CBL & Associates for all their efforts in bringing this development to Slidell and we look forward to developing the remaining 400 acres.”
Fremaux Town Center is located on more than 80 acres at the southwest corner of Interstate 10 and Fremaux Avenue in Slidell, LA. Slidell is the largest municipality in St. Tammany Parish on the northern shore of Lake Pontchartrain near the city of New Orleans. The first phase of construction for Fremaux Town Center included 350,000 square feet of retail and is currently 98% leased and thriving. With its interstate location and high-visibility, Fremaux Town Center is expected to become a regional destination. “The expansion of this Town Center, represents many economic opportunities for the citizens of Slidell, and the whole of St. Tammany Parish,” Pat Brister, St. Tammany Parish President said. “Just as the first phase offered job opportunities and retail options to the consumer, not just in St. Tammany, but in the surrounding region, this phase will build upon that momentum.”
Tenants Opening in October
Dillard’s
Off Broadway Shoes
Forever21
Victoria’s Secret
Buckle
Charlotte Russe
LOFT
Red Robin
Bath & Body Works
Torrid
Journey’s
Zales
Luxe 83
Which Wich
Claire’s
Francesca’s
Tenants Opening Soon
Pier 1 Imports
Capital One
Chico’s
Aveda
Goodyear
Tesla Motors – Charging Stations
AND MORE TO COME!
For leasing information, contact Ryan Pecot at 337.572.0246 or rpecot@stirlingprop.com; Rodney Gordon at 423.553.8704 or Rodney.Gordon@cblproperties.com or Tim Gilmore at 423.490.8358 or Tim.Gilmore@cblproperties.com. For information on land surrounding Fremaux Town Center, please contact Dan Tate at 504.620.8132 or dtate@stirlingprop.com.
Tsunami Sushi Coming to Pan American Life Center in New Orleans
First Tenant Announced for First Floor Conversion
to Retail & Restaurant Space
Stirling Properties is excited to announce the addition of Tsunami Sushi to Pan American Life Center, located at 601 Poydras Street in New Orleans’ Central Business District. Pan American Life Center, a premier Class-A office building located at the prominent corner of Poydras Street and St. Charles Avenue, is set to undergo a first floor conversion to retail and restaurant space with more exterior exposure. Tsunami Sushi is the first announced tenant for the conversion with additional deals under negotiation.
The approximately 6,700-square-foot restaurant will be Tsunami Sushi’s fourth location and will open in late 2016. “We think it’s the perfect location for easy access for the neighboring businesses and residents as well as tourists” says Tsunami owner Michele Ezell. Tsunami Sushi is locally and regionally renowned with the success of their Lafayette location and in Downtown Baton Rouge on the top floor of the signature Shaw Center. “Tsunami will serve as the anchor for our conversion of the first floor to retail and restaurants. We are excited about the concept and the energy it will bring to our Pan Am building,” says Grady K. Brame, Executive Vice President at Stirling Properties.
Exciting information regarding the first floor conversion will be announced soon.
Rhonda Sharkawy and Dan Tate, both Sales and Leasing Executives with Stirling Properties, completed the transaction. Ms. Sharkawy represented the landlord and Mr. Tate represented Tsunami Sushi. For more information regarding Pan American Life Center, contact Gaines Seaman at gseaman@stirlingprop.com or call (985) 620-8187.
Stirling Properties Announces Most Recent Transactions from our Alabama and Florida Offices
Below is a list of Stirling Properties’ most recent closed transactions by Brokers in our Alabama and Florida offices. For more information on the individual transaction, please contact the Agent associated with that transaction.
ALABAMA
- The Legacy Village Shopping Center in Mobile, Alabama was sold to a group of local investors. The 82,000 square-foot center features tenants such as Talbots, Jos. A. Bank, Zoes and Alabama Outdoors. Nathan Handmacher with Stirling Properties handled the sale.
- The 146,000 square-foot, former Coastal Door and Window Warehouse in Mobile was leased to regional trucking and warehousing company BR Williams Trucking, LLC. Nathan Handmacher with Stirling Properties handled the lease.
- IMC – Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, PC leased 8,259 SF at Airport and Azalea. Nathan Handmacher with Stirling Properties handled the lease.
- Cricket Wireless has leased the former Radio Shack space in front of Walmart in Saraland, Alabama. Andrew Dickman with Stirling Properties handled the lease.
LOUISIANA
- Dirt Cheap has leased 60,000 square-feet at 1000 Roma Avenue in Hammond, Louisiana and plans to open Dirt Cheap and Dirt Cheap Building Supplies. Construction is currently underway and the stores will open around Thanksgiving on 2015. Andrew Dickman of Stirling Properties handled the lease.
Stirling Properties is located in One St. Louis Centre, 1 St. Louis Street, Suite 4100 in Mobile, Alabama and at 220 W. Garden Street, Suite 802 in Pensacola, Florida. For more information regarding our services, please visit us at www.stirlingproperties.com.
Senior Project Manager Robert Dischler To Retire At End Of This Year
Please join us in extending best wishes to Robert Dischler, who is retiring from Stirling Properties at the end of this year. Robert has been a great Stirling Team Member and Project Manager for over 24 years, overseeing all aspects of active development projects from design coordination, to construction implementation, tenant coordination, and beyond.
Robert came to Stirling as a seasoned veteran in the shopping center construction industry and has worked in the retail development industry for over 36 years. “Robert has been a leader, mentor, and friend to many in the Stirling Properties family for more than two decades” states Townsend Underhill. “He will be greatly missed and his presence is an irreplaceable part of our Company’s history.”
Robert has been involved in many development projects with Stirling — beginning with Bluebonnet Village, Woodlawn Park and Siegen Village in Baton Rouge in the early ‘90’s, the redevelopment of McArthur Village and Eastgate Shopping Center, ground up development of Stirling Millerville Shopping Center, the initial three phases of University Club Plantation, multiple Eckerd and Walgreens locations, and finally with Fremaux Town Center & Stirling Bossier Shopping Center. Robert will continue with these two projects through his retirement at the end of 2015 and will also continue to be involved with Stirling on a part-time consulting basis with the development team post-retirement.
Robert is eager to enjoy his time at his camp, Livingston Four Seasons, with wife Nancy, family and friends as well as catch up on his fishing and traveling to visit his grandchildren!
Stirling Properties’ Will Barrois Joins Board of Advisors of the Mobile Area Chamber of Commerce
Stirling Properties is pleased to announce that Will Barrois, Vice President/Regional Manager of Alabama and Florida, is now a member of the Mobile Area Chamber of Commerce Board of Advisors.
The Board of Advisors provides company executives an avenue for valuable input on critical Chamber and community issues, facilitates peer-to-peer interaction and provides a high level of recognition. The Board meets three times a year at various locations to listen to business and governmental leaders and other speakers address pertinent issues.
Mobile Office Market Survey
John Toomey III, CPM® is a Broker and Mobile New Business Development Coordinator in our Mobile, Alabama, office with over 30 years’ experience in the commercial real estate industry. He recently completed an Office Market Survey of the West Mobile and Mobile CBD markets, with plans to periodically update the survey to track trends and establish absorption rates.
Here’s an excerpt from John’s Market Assessment:
Our office market has seen challenging times the last five years. Some buildings have fared better than others in terms of occupancy. The good news is while the Mobile Office Market vacancy rate has been relatively stagnant, it has recently started to improve. The Downtown Mobile Alliance and the City of Mobile were successful in creating a statewide Historic Tax Credit in October 2013. After going into effect, this tax credit has been instrumental in spurring office redevelopment. Many historic, but vacant, buildings were revitalized using these tax credits and put back into commerce. One such example is the RSA Van Antwerp Building located in the CBD. This roughly 60,000 SF building has taken over 2 years to renovate and will open summer of 2015 with Phelps Dunbar and BBVA Compass Bank occupying most of the building, essentially pre-leasing nearly the entire building before it comes online.
We have seen a fair amount of leasing activity in our office market the last 12 to 18 months. Unfortunately, a lot of space was subleased, which does not have the desired effect on our rental rates and absorption rates. The Trustmark sublease at RSA Trustmark Building is an example. Newly restored buildings like RSA Van Antwerp Building add more inventory to the market. It is a positive step to see these buildings restored, but it remains to be seen how this will affect future rental and absorption rates.
In summary, we expect the office market to see leisurely positive growth in the future.
Please click here to view and download the PDF of the Mobile Office Market Survey. This survey provides a good summary of the Mobile office market and my hope is that it becomes a valuable resource in the market.
