By Mark English One of the most famous illustrations of the Dunning–Kruger effect dates back to 1995 in Pittsburgh where two men robbed a bank in broad daylight without wearing masks, sunglasses, fake mustaches or any form of disguise. Unsurprisingly, they were quickly identified on closed-circuit television and arrested. What stunned law enforcement — and later the academic community — was the explanation the suspects offered. They genuinely believed that by rubbing lemon juice on their faces, they would be invisible to security cameras. Their reasoning was that lemon juice …
Lynn Peisner
DALLAS — BDT & MSD Partners and Trammell Crow Co. have topped out the Knox Street mixed-use project under construction in Dallas. Knox Street includes The Lora, a 27-story, 186-unit apartment tower, as well as 150,000 square feet of office space, 100,000 square feet of retail, a half-acre park and The Knox Hotel and Residences, a 140-room hotel and 47 luxury for-sale condos. The Lora is one of the first buildings that will be complete this summer, according to the developers. The Lora will offer a mix of one-, two-, …
WinnDevelopment and Partners Launch Construction of $26M Renovation of Carroll Street Houses in Paterson, New Jersey
PATERSON, N.J. — WinnDevelopment, ART-JIUS, a locally based developer, and Rising Dove Carroll Street Houses, a nonprofit affiliate of Paterson’s Second Baptist Church, have begun the redevelopment of Carroll Street Houses, an 88-unit affordable housing community in Paterson. The $26 million renovation of the townhome-style property, originally developed in 1977, is anticipated to be complete within 18 months. Residents will remain in-place during construction. The LIHTC project will ensure rents remain affordable to households earning at or below 80 percent of area median income for the next 30 years. Rising …
PLEASANT PRAIRIE, WIS. — Berkadia has arranged the sale of two properties, Cobblestone Creek and Fountain Ridge, in Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin, a village about 37 miles south of Milwaukee and 56 miles north of Chicago. The buyer was Illinois-based Santefort Real Estate Group. The undisclosed seller was represented by Pete Evans of Berkadia Chicago and Richard Evans of Berkadia Milwaukee. The deal closed on Feb. 11, at which time both properties were fully occupied. Laura Cathlina, Chris Blechschmidt and Emily Stang of Berkadia Chicago arranged approximately $69 million in acquisition financing …
TOMBALL, TEXAS — Wood Partners has broken ground on Alta Timberline, a 204-unit community in Tomball, 34 miles northwest of Houston. Completion is slated for May 2027. The seven three-story buildings will feature a mix of one-, two- and three-bedroom layouts. The ground-floor units offer a private yard, while upper-level floors feature personal balconies. Amenities include a clubhouse, a resort-style pool, an outdoor kitchen area with gas grill stations, a TV, fans and seating for lounging and dining, two pickleball courts, a dog park, a pet spa, a business lounge, …
CARY, N.C. — Locally based Woodfield Development has opened EMORIE at Alston Town Center, a 302-unit property in Cary adjacent to a regional, open-air center, owned by American Asset Corp., anchored by Whole Foods. Located at 3905 Mahal Ave., EMORIE, features a mix of studio, one- and two-bedroom units ranging from 682 to 2,647 square feet. Additionally, the development includes a mix of townhomes, three penthouses and carriage units with private garages. Amenities feature a resort-style pool and courtyard with private cabanas and an outdoor kitchen, a fitness center and …
VILLA PARK, ILL. — Marquette Cos. has broken ground on The Union Villa Park, a seven-story, mixed-use project with 238 apartments and 7,500 square feet of retail space in the Chicago suburb of Villa Park. The development also includes 94 indoor parking spaces for public use that will serve the adjacent Villa Park Community Recreation Center, Cortesi Park and the surrounding business district. Reserved parking specifically for residents will also be available. Units will be configured as studio, one-, two- and three-bedroom floor plans with such amenities as a resort-style …
COON RAPIDS, MINN. — JLL has arranged the sale of Lyra at Riverdale Station, a 180-unit property in the Twin Cities suburb of Coon Rapids. JLL represented the undisclosed seller and secured the buyer, Wisconsin-based MLG Capital. Acquisition financing was secured by MLG assuming the property’s existing HUD loan. Along with Lyra, Aster, an adjacent multifamily property, comprises the residential component of Riverdale Station, a walkable district with retail, grocery and restaurant offerings. JLL’s team was led by Josh Talberg and Joseph Peris.
SAN ANTONIO — Walker & Dunlop has arranged a $46.5 million refinancing loan for GenCap Partners for the recently completed (2025) Park at Westover Hills, a 375-unit property located at 4103 Rogers Road in San Antonio. Walker & Dunlop’s team led by Stuart Wernick, Drew Garrison, Steve Mentesana and Matt Mentesana arranged the refinancing with a floating-rate, interest-only bridge loan provided by Geoff Smith and Mike Dunsheath of Walker & Dunlop Investment Partners. Park at Westover Hills consists of 14 buildings in San Antonio’s Far West submarket.
LeCesse, MAS Development Obtain $83.4M in Financing for Phase II of Project in Elizabeth, New Jersey
ELIZABETH, N.J. — LeCesse Development Corp. and MAS Development Group have begun construction of ECCO in Elizabeth. The project marks the second phase of Vintage City, which is a developer-branded live-work-play district anchored thus far by two multifamily properties from LeCesse and MAS. JLL arranged approximately $83.4 million in financing for the project in the form of a $63.2 million construction loan from Bank OZK and a $20.2 million mezzanine placement from PGIM. Phase I, known as Vinty, is a 267-unit property that was completed in 2022. ECCO, located at …