This Week's Houston Deal Sheet

Ahmad, Zavitsanos & Mensing Law, a national trial law firm, and MRC Global, a distributor of global energy products, extended and expanded their leases at Houston Center, Brookfield Properties announced. 

Under the new agreements, AZA will lease about 58K SF at LyondellBasell Tower. MRC Global will lease about 50K SF at 3 Houston Center.

AZA was represented by John Luck, Andy Iversen and Audrey Selber of Newmark, and MRC Global was represented by Trey Strake, Chris Oliver and Scott Wegmann of Cushman & Wakefield. In both deals, Brookfield Properties was represented by Transwestern's Doug Little, Kelli Gault, Jack Scharnberg and Parker Burkett.

Houston Center amenities include a large outdoor space and fitness center, retail and food options at The Highlight (the former Shops at Houston Center), and an extensive conferencing center.

Houston Center’s recent major redevelopment offers visitors and tenants a new arrival experience along McKinney Street, with a new central plaza, a stair connection to landscaped terraces, a two-story glass facade and reclad skybridges to foster street-level restaurant and retail activity. As part of this initiative, Brookfield Properties recently completed the redevelopment of The Highlight and the renovation of 3 Houston Center at 1301 McKinney St. 

The newly renovated 3 Houston Center includes an updated main lobby, improved pedestrian circulation, new floor and wall finishes, energy-efficient lighting upgrades, improvements to the existing conferencing facility, and new furniture and art.

PEOPLE

Jack Eichelberger joined Edge Realty Partners in Houston as an associate, focusing on project leasing and tenant representation. Prior to joining Edge, Eichelberger worked as a business development associate for Charter Title, focusing on commercial transactions.

SALES

Fuller Realty sold a 10-building, 240K SF light industrial portfolio to Fort Capital. The deal was a direct, off-market sale.

The buildings — including Dairy Ashford Business Park in the Energy Corridor; Rothway Business Center near Highway 290 and Hempstead Road; Kirkwood Tech Center in Stafford; and Jameel Business Center off Highway 290 and Beltway 8 — are all in northwest, west and southwest Houston.

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Pagewood acquired a 98K SF industrial business park at 10205 Market St. The multitenant park caters to small and large users in a high-quality infill location near Port Houston. 

Pagewood’s Nick Spearman closed the off-market deal within four months of joining the firm. Pagewood will implement a capital improvement program to enhance the property, which has historically had minimal marketing and management.

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Riley Sharman of Northmarq Houston completed the sale of an eight-tenant medical and retail strip center at 827 Magnolia Blvd. in Magnolia. The 17K SF building is fully leased.

Sharman represented the seller, a local owner. A 1031 exchange buyer based in the Dallas-Fort Worth area acquired the asset.

The facility was built in 2012 and is situated on 7.7 acres.

LEASES

Pediatrix leased 4K SF in Copperwood Village, a retail shopping center at 6809 Highway 6 N. Crystal Allen and Loch Cook of Transwestern represented the tenant in the transaction. David Wise of Streetwise represented the landlord.

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Orbis Education Services signed a new 22K SF lease at Commerce Green One, a medical office building at 14090 Southwest Freeway. Ashley Cassel Byrd and Chad Gunter of Transwestern represented the tenant in the transaction.

CONSTRUCTION & DEVELOPMENT

Vero Sade has completed its renovations of the 404-unit multifamily complex previously known as City Vista. Now called Us Bayou Park, the 2221 West Dallas St. complex is Vero Sade’s first club living concept, infusing hospitality, high-frequency programming and amenities to build relationships among residents.

Upgrades include a 10K SF communal multipurpose space, a 4K SF fitness center and outdoor green space for yoga, two resort-style pools and renovated units throughout. 

Floor plans range from 691 SF to 1,400 SF and start at $1,700. Houston-based Greystar is the complex’s newly appointed operator. 

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Skanska announced that it topped out 1550 on the Green, a 28-story, 375K SF Class-A office building adjacent to Discovery Green. Skanska representatives celebrated the milestone with representatives from Norton Rose Fulbright, which will be the anchor tenant in the building.

Construction completion is expected later this year. 

THIS & THAT

Four Oaks Place has earned the Fitwel Certification, CBRE announced. Four Oaks Place is a 2.3M SF Class-A office complex in the Uptown Galleria submarket.

Fitwel evaluates the impact new and existing buildings have on their occupants and the environment. Four Oaks Place achieved the certification by implementing strategies in categories such as the impact on surrounding community health, promoting occupant safety, increasing physical activity, supporting social equity for vulnerable populations and enhancing access to health foods. 

Four Oaks Place, which includes five buildings, holds LEED and Energy Star certifications and includes expansive green space. Its location in uptown Houston boosts flexibility, walkability and proximity to abundant amenities, according to Nuveen Real Estate. Amenities include a full-service cafeteria, an on-site restaurant, a fully staffed fitness center, an on-site car wash and electric car charging stations.

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The Association of Commercial Real Estate Professionals – Gulf Coast Chapter announced the boxers for the Bayou City Brawl, all local commercial real estate professionals.

The Bayou City Brawl will be on April 20 at the Marriott Marquis in downtown Houston. It will benefit the Building Tomorrow Education Foundation. 

More than 1,500 guests are expected to attend the event, which will be the first in Houston. 

“The courageous fighters that fill this card are well-known CRE leaders on the Gulf Coast,” Texas Overland Co.'s Randy Young, event chair for ACRP, said in a news release. “All recognized by their co-workers and peers as potential champions in their own right. I am thrilled to announce after weeks of intense training the names of your fighters for this years’ Bayou City Brawl.”

The fighters are:

• Pierce Beyer – Partners Real Estate
• Chris Carr – Goree
• John Grimsley – Colliers
• Marcus Harper – Colliers
• Joe Monteith – Tellepsen
• Juan Ponce – Method Architecture
• Steve Ramirez – WGA Consulting Engineers
• Owen Rogers – Kimley-Horn
• Cliff Santellana – Gulf-Tex Roofing & Services LLC
• Jason Tangen – NIT Industrial
• Jared Tipps – Heights Venture
• Scott Visin – Cushman & Wakefield

Alternates:

• Payton Arens – Kimley-Horn
• Matt Banker – Burton Construction

Former heavyweight champion Lou Savarese is bringing his industry know-how to the matches, which will be officially sanctioned by USA Boxing.