Stirling Properties Completes Acquisition and Financing to Develop Offices at Mid-City Market in New Orleans
Stirling Properties is excited to announce the execution of development financing and construction commencement for the Offices at Mid-City Market, a 54,000 square foot, mixed-use complex in the burgeoning Mid-City neighborhood of New Orleans
The Offices at Mid-City Market will feature approximately 31,000 square feet of prime office space along with 9,000 square feet of retail and restaurant space. The building design will include parking, additional greenspace and water management. Prior to closing the construction loan the building was nearly 50% pre-leased.
Gallo Mechanical, LLC, a leading mechanical contracting company in the Gulf South, will be the first office tenant, encompassing 16,000 square feet. Gallo is relocating their corporate headquarters from Metairie to New Orleans. “We are excited to be moving our headquarters back to New Orleans as we celebrate our 70th anniversary this year!” stated David Gallo, President and CEO. Orangetheory Fitness, a fitness studio that specializes in hour-long group interval training workouts, will open their first Louisiana location at Offices at Mid-City Market comprising of 3,000 square feet.
“We are excited about the ability to continue the enhancement of the quality of life in Mid-City, one of New Orleans’ many unique and exciting neighborhoods,” stated Lewis Stirling, Executive Vice President for Stirling Properties.
Located adjacent to Stirling’s recently completed Mid-City Market development, this building encompassing an entire city block was originally constructed in 1954 and was most recently the home of Loubat Foodservice Equipment Company. Stirling Properties plans to maintain the historic integrity of the existing structure while renovating the interior into a combination of office and retail space and thus bringing a prominent neighborhood building back into commerce.
Fidelity Bank of New Orleans provided financing and Stirling will utilize the same architectural firm that designed Mid-City Market, VergesRome Architects. Ryan Gootee General Contractors will commence construction in April and the first tenants will take occupancy before the end of this year.
Stirling’s recent projects in New Orleans include: Magnolia Marketplace, a 106,000 square-foot shopping center located at the corner of S. Claiborne Avenue and Toledano Street; Mid-City Market, a 108,000 square-foot Winn-Dixie anchored shopping center located at North Carrollton Avenue and Bienville Street; as well as the full renovation of the former American Legion building located on Magazine Street into a new 13,000 square foot Walgreens Marquee Store. Since 2011, Stirling Properties has invested over $120 million in the City of New Orleans.
For more information and leasing opportunities, contact Mac Bauer at mbauer@stirlingprop.com or 504-620-8131.
JCH Development and Stirling Properties Celebrate Grand Opening of Magnolia Marketplace
Today, Mayor Mitch Landrieu joined representatives from JCH Development and Stirling Properties to celebrate the Grand Opening of Magnolia Marketplace, a 106,000-square-foot shopping center located at the intersection of South Claiborne Avenue and Toledano Street in New Orleans’ Central City neighborhood. Councilwoman-At-Large Stacy Head, a representative from Councilwoman LaToya Cantrell’s office and other local officials were also in attendance.
“Magnolia Marketplace is further proof that New Orleans is building back better than before. This redevelopment is creating more jobs, strengthening our local economy and giving residents more retail options right here in the heart of New Orleans,” said Mayor Landrieu. “Magnolia Marketplace is also another example of a strong public-private partnership— celebrating the new way of doing business in New Orleans. The project will nicely complement the nearby Claiborne corridor and help spur activity and redevelopment across the city.”
The project was 100% pre-leased prior to the January 2014 groundbreaking. Open tenants at Magnolia Marketplace include: T.J.Maxx, Ross Dress For Less, PetSmart, Shoe Carnival, ULTA Beauty and Raising Cane’s. Michaels will open on March 20, 2015. The initial phase of Magnolia Marketplace included a 6,000-square-foot development located at the intersection of South Claiborne Avenue and Fourth Street that opened in 2014 and now houses Capital One Bank, Subway and T-Mobile.
“This grand opening is about creating jobs, attracting national retailers, improving quality of life, building economic momentum, and turning Claiborne into a regional commercial corridor,” said Councilmember LaToya Cantrell of District B. “I am excited to celebrate the grand opening of this venture and I believe that it is a sign of future development in this city.”
“This project is evidence of the resurgence of Central City and represents yet another important step in bringing additional retail to the city,” said Townsend Underhill, senior vice president of development for Stirling Properties. “We would like to thank the City of New Orleans and Mayor Landrieu’s Administration as well as the City Council, particularly councilmembers Latoya Cantrell and Stacy Head for being supportive in yet another project that signifies Stirling’s commitment to the City of New Orleans.”
During the ceremony, Tara Hernandez, president of JCH Development, unveiled the Toledano Art Wall, a mural painted by local artists Rontherin Ratliff and his team at YAYA Inc.; Brandan “Bmike” Odums; and, Ellen Macomber. It conveys a story of many historical elements and events from the Central City neighborhood to share some of the area’s proudest moments and accomplishments.
“We are proud to bring a dynamic new retail development to an underserved portion of the city,” said Hernandez.
Magnolia Marketplace is directly south of Harmony Oaks, a 460-unit, mixed-income residential development. The Marketplace will serve one of the city’s busiest corridors, with traffic counts exceeding 70,000 cars a day. Claiborne Avenue also provides a vital connection between Uptown New Orleans and the Central Business District.
These recent commercial projects are significant in light of a 2012 report by the New Orleans Business Alliance (NOLABA) that analyzed the retail spending of Orleans Parish residents. The report estimates that Orleans Parish loses $1.9 billion in retail sales to neighboring parishes and other U.S. cities each year. Since being founded in 2011, NOLABA has focused on attracting retail and development throughout New Orleans. In addition to facilitating smooth progression of the project, NOLABA performed an independent economic analysis on the development before it began.
“Our evaluation revealed that the Magnolia Marketplace development would benefit area residents, people who travel Claiborne Avenue and the City’s general fund through increased sales taxes, particularly because it attracted new national retailers to Orleans Parish,” said Melissa Ehlinger, interim president and CEO of NOLABA. “We always look for better than average returns on public investment, for impact that reaches New Orleanians at a variety of economic levels, and for projects that enhance the city’s attractiveness to future investment. Magnolia Marketplace serves up all of these.”
For more information about Magnolia Marketplace, contact Townsend Underhill at tunderhill@stirlingprop.com or 985-898-2022, or for leasing information contact Rhonda Sharkawy at rsharkawy@stirlingprop.com or 504-523-4481.
Whole Foods Market coming to Stirling Properties’ Premier Centre in Mandeville, La.
First Whole Foods Market location for Northshore New Orleans
Stirling Properties announces the addition of Whole Foods Market® to the tenant lineup at Premier Centre, a 273,000-square-foot shopping center near the intersection of U.S. Highway 190 and North Causeway Boulevard in Mandeville, Louisiana.
The approximately 40,000-square-foot Whole Foods Market store, the first for Northshore of New Orleans, will offer customers a large selection of natural and organic products with features tailored to the local Louisiana community.
“We are excited to bring such an in-demand, high-caliber retailer to the Northshore community,” said Donna Taylor, Stirling Properties’ Senior Vice President of Asset Management and New Business. “Whole Foods Market is a welcome addition to Premier Centre and will be a regional draw for the city of Mandeville.”
“On behalf of the city of Mandeville, we welcome the announcement that Whole Foods will be locating in Mandeville,” Mandeville Mayor Donald Villere said. “As mayor I have had requests for years to get Whole Foods to become a part of the city. I believe their opening will be the start of a long lasting relationship with the citizens of Mandeville.”
Whole Foods Market, projected to open in the first quarter of 2016, will be located in a portion of the space currently occupied by Albertsons. Twenty thousand square feet of adjacent space is available for lease. Premier Centre is situated in the heart of the Mandeville community on the Northshore of Lake Pontchartrain in St. Tammany Parish. This center has maintained 100 percent occupancy since opening in 1998, and sales per square foot are well above average for the national tenants in the center. Whole Foods Market joins Stein Mart, Bed Bath & Beyond, T.J.Maxx, Barnes & Noble, Old Navy and many other national retailers.
For more information, email dtaylor@stirlingprop.com or call (985) 898-2022.
For information about the adjacent 20,000 square feet available for lease email rsharkawy@stirlingprop.com or call (985) 898-2022.
Stirling Properties and CBL & Associates Properties, Inc. to Commence Construction on Ambassador Town Center in Lafayette, Louisiana
Development over 90% Leased Prior to Construction Start
Stirling Properties and CBL & Associates Properties, Inc. (NYSE: CBL) announced today a joint venture to develop Ambassador Town Center in Lafayette, Louisiana. The approximately 58-acre site is located at the corner of Ambassador Caffery Parkway and Kaliste Saloom Road. The retail center will be built in one phase and will be approximately 425,000 square feet with major retailers including Costco Wholesale, Dick’s Sporting Goods, Field & Stream, Marshalls, HomeGoods, Nordstrom Rack, Off Broadway Shoes, Chuy’s, Panera Bread and Freddy’s Frozen Custard & Steakburgers. The majority of the retailers committed to the project are either first-time locations within Lafayette or Louisiana, or both. Construction is set to begin this month, with a projected opening of March 2016.
“Stirling Properties is excited about our partnership with CBL to develop Ambassador Town Center and believes that this joint venture brings the best possible team together to build this project,” said Stirling Properties’ Senior Vice President of Development Townsend Underhill. “We know this site to be an excellent location for a retail development in this market and we are happy to continue our long and successful development history in the City of Lafayette.”
“Ambassador Town Center is well-located and is well leased with an outstanding retail line-up,” said Michael Lebovitz, CBL’s Executive Vice President – Development and Administration. “We are pleased to partner with Stirling Properties on this project and are looking forward to announcing additional retailers as the development progresses.”
Ambassador Town Center is expected to create approximately 2,200 construction jobs, 1,000 permanent jobs and generate nearly $9 million annually in sales taxes for the City of Lafayette.
“This project is a sign of Lafayette’s strong economy and our willingness to work with the private sector for needed infrastructure in our community,” stated Joey Durel, Lafayette City-Parish President. “Retailers like those that have committed will be a regional draw for Lafayette, and the public infrastructure that will be built with this project, providing a route parallel to Ambassador Caffery, is necessary for one of the fastest growing areas in the state of Louisiana. Companies make decisions on where to locate based on long-term projections. This decision says that they have confidence in the future of our area.”
Public infrastructure improvements are being funded through a payment in lieu of tax arrangement (PILOT), which includes a new connection between Frem Boustany Road and Kaliste Saloom Road and multiple improvements to the existing road system. Under the arrangement, The Industrial Development Board for Lafayette Parish has agreed to allocate a significant portion of the property taxes that will be created by the development of this project, for a period of up to 12 years, to build the public infrastructure.
For leasing information, please contact: Ryan Pecot, 337.572.0246 or rpecot@stirlingprop.com, or Rodney Gordon, 423.553.8704 or rodney_gordon@cblproperties.com.
Stirling Properties Welcomes Mike Bucher to the Development Team
Stirling Properties is pleased to announce the addition of Mike Bucher as Development Director.
As Development Director, Mr. Bucher will lead new and on-going development projects, including ground-up development, redevelopment and joint ventures. Based in the Covington office, he will plan, coordinate and direct personnel relating to Development and Redevelopment.
“Mike’s extensive background in Development will play a significant role in Stirling Properties’ continued expansion of our services across the Gulf South. We are ecstatic to be able to bring someone of Mike’s caliber onboard,” stated Townsend Underhill, Senior Vice President of Development.
Mr. Bucher was previously with Federal Realty Investment Trust in Boston, MA, where he worked as a Development Associate and previously as a Development Financial Analyst.
Mike Bucher can be reached at 985-898-2022.
Stirling Properties and CBL & Associates Properties, Inc. Developing Phase II of Fremaux Town Center in Slidell, LA
Anchored by Dillard’s, Phase II is Over 70% Leased
Stirling Properties and CBL & Associates Properties, Inc. (NYSE: CBL) announced today the construction of the second phase is underway at Fremaux Town Center in Slidell, Louisiana. Site work commenced in June with a scheduled opening in October 2015. Phase II will include roughly 285,000 square feet of additional retail space and will be anchored by a 128,000 square-foot Dillard’s. Phase II is over 70% leased, including executed leases with Red Robin, Zales, Aveda and Francesca’s as well as numerous other retailer commitments to be announced as the project progresses.
“We are excited to offer additional retail and restaurant options for the region that will complement the existing mix of successful stores and restaurants at the center,” stated Townsend Underhill, Stirling Properties’ Senior Vice President of Development.
Currently 99% leased, Phase I of Fremaux Town Center opened in March of this year with approximately 350,000 square feet of retail anchored by Dick’s Sporting Goods, Michaels, T.J.Maxx, and Kohl’s. Sports Clips and Panera Bread recently opened and several other tenants are scheduled to open as follows: Payless ShoeSource and Five Guys Burgers and Fries this week, Starbucks in September, and rue21 and a 41,000 square-foot, full-service LA Fitness later this year. BJ’s Restaurant & Brewhouse recently purchased a 2.3 acre outparcel and is also now under construction with an opening scheduled in early 2015.
“Fremaux Town Center has been successful from the start due to the collection of retailers here and the ideal location,” said Michael Lebovitz, Executive Vice President of Development and Administration at CBL. “This expansion allows us to add even more great retailers to the mix.”
Located on more than 80 acres at the southwest corner of Interstate 10 and Fremaux Avenue in Slidell, Fremaux Town Center will be over 635,000 square feet upon completion. With its interstate location and high-visibility, Fremaux Town Center is expected to become a regional shopping destination.
For leasing information, please contact Ryan Pecot at 337.572.0246 or email at rpecot@stirlingprop.com; Rodney Gordon at 423.553.8704 or email at rodney_gordon@cblproperties.com or Robert Snetman at 423.490.8333 or email at robert_snetman@cblproperties.com.
