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​​​​​​​​​​​​KILLEEN – Z Modular has purchased a 230,000-sf building at 710 Swanner Loop in the Killeen Industrial Park.

​The company, which manufactures steel-framed building modules, e​​xpects to hire 250 highly skilled workers at the facility within three years. 

​HOUSTON – London-based BP PLC has leased 91,000 sf in West Memorial Place II at 15377 Memorial Dr. 

The property is a sister building to Skanska's West Memorial Place I next door. The complex sits on 12 acres. ​  

Part of BP's space is part of space that was up for sublease by IHI E&C International Corp. The deal resulted in IHI being taken off the lease and BP leasing the space directly from the landlord.

Savills Studely represented IHI, and JLL represented BP. ​

​Check out Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land Office Market Research.

​FORT WORTH – Kansas-based QTS Realy Trust has purchased land to expand a $50 million data center campus it purchased last year from Health Care Services Corp.

Building permits have been filed with the city for a $20 million addition. 

The AllianceTexas facility in the same area where Facebook has its huge new data center complex.

​​​​​​COPPELL – Cawley Partners is planning ​The Braun on Belt Line, a three-phase office park on the northeast corner of South Belt Line and Hackberry Roads, just north of I-​635.

The first phase will be a four-story, 168,000-sf office building.

Designed by Gensler, the property will also have a fitness center, a conference center, and a ground-floor exterior patio lounge.

​Check out Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington Office Market Research​.

​SHAVANO PARK – MSL Investments has broken ground on a 75,000-sf medical office building along Lockhill Selma Rd. near North Loop 1604 East.

The three-story office is 100 percent leased to a group of local doctors, surgeons, and medical professionals operating as The National Joint Care Institute.

Delivery is expected by fourth quarter 2019. The surgical part of the facility will be ready by first quarter 2020.

​​​​​​​SAN ANTONIO – California-based Arrimus Capital has acquired the Prado student-housing complex.

The 472-bed apartment at 7114 UTSA Blvd. is adjacent to the University of Texas at San Antonio and features an on-site coffee house.

The property was sold by Fountain Residential Partners.

​​​HOUSTON – MetroNational has sold three suburban office properties totaling 230,506 sf.

The Kempwood Building at 2930 W. Sam Houston Pkwy. was purchased by Amerix Capital. Built in the early 2000s, it is 94.2 percent leased. 

Enterprise Holdings purchased the property at 10401 Centrepark Dr. It is 69.7 percent leased and was also built in the early 2000s. 

Built in 1992, the 155,118-sf vacant building on 5.7 acres at 15150 Memorial Dr. was purchased by S&B Engineers and Constructors Ltd. Mission Action Marketing Inc. represented the buyer. 

​HFF acquired all three buyers.​

​Check out Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land Office Market Research.

​TYLER – Local developer Ed Thompson is building the Majesty Events Center on the corner of West Bow St. and North Palace Ave.

Thompson's crew has completed the framing work and plans to have the facility open in early 2019.

The 24,000-sf lot at 900 W. Bow St.​ had a convenience store on one side, a nightclub on the other, and several gas pumps outside in a parking lot area.

The developer bought the whole building this spring for about $2 million, and is on track to put about $1.5 million into renovations.

Plans currently include keeping the gas pumps under a different brand, turning the convenience store into a homestyle restaurant, and converting the old nightclub into an inclusive events center.

​​​DALLAS – North Texas has become one of five Tier 1 markets for data centers in the U.S.—alongside Chicago, Metro New York, Northern California, and Washington D.C.—and a key international data center market. 

There are more than 115 active data centers in the market with a total of over 4 million sf and a market estimate of p​ower well over 400 megawatts.​

A number of elements make North Texas an attractive location for data centers, such as its central location near a major population center, relatively moderate climate, and affordable, dependable power supply.

In addition, the viability of many suitable sites for data center development and overall lower land costs set the region apart from the other Tier 1 markets, according to Cushman & Wakefield.

​Check out CBRE's semiannual "H1 2018 U.S. Data​ Center Trends Report​​ ."

​​​​COLLEGE STATION – Low unemployment levels and steady nonresidential construction in August indicated a healthy border economy, according to the Real Estate Center. 

The lack of wage growth, however, revealed additional slack in the labor market. 

Despite stagnant wages and slower job growth, housing demand was strong, albeit in the lower price ranges. 

Border housing sales dipped 2​ percent in August ​after reaching record levels in July but maintained an upward trend. El Paso sales through Multiple Listing Services (MLS) held at an all-time high of 732, accounting for more than half of total border activity. Sales flattened in Laredo and contracted 6.8 percent year to date in McAllen. In Brownsville, sales dropped 7.6 percent in August but have trended upward since the start of the year as activity strengthened in the $300,000-$400,000 range.

Trade values balanced around record highs, and the outlook improved following the announcement of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Trade Agreement. The unofficial pact calms concerns of supply-chain disruptions and overall operating uncertainty.

For more, read the latest Texas Border Economy​ ​report by Center Chief Economist Dr. Jim Gaines, Research Economist Dr. Luis Torres, Research Associate Wesley Miller, and Research Intern Paige Woodson. ​​​​

​​HOUSTON – ​​Texas' crude oil production​ is projected to grow by 68,000 barrels a day next month, said the Department of Energy.

That growth will be led by the Permian Basin, which increased production faster than expected this month. It is projected to grow by nearly 40,000 barrels more th​an previously estimated. 

By the end of the month, the Permian is expected to produce nearly 3.5 million barrels a day. The Energy Department expects the shale's production to grow by an additional 53,000 barrels a day in November. 

Three major projects with a total crude capacity of more than two million barrels a day are under construction from West Texas to the Gulf Coast markets and export hubs. Completion is expected by early 2020.

Estimates of oil production in South Texas' Eagle Ford Shale for October were revised down by more than 25,000 barrels a day to 1.42 million. Oil production is expected to grow by 15,000 barrels a day in November. 

Drilled but uncompleted wells continue to increase across Texas. The Permian added 194 such wells from August to September, increasing the total number to 3,722. The Eagle Ford added 18 to its inventory, which totals 1,584 wells. 

​​​​​​​WASHINGTON – Three major Texas metros have landed on U.S. News and World Report​'s list of the best places to retire in America. 

​Austin ranked fourth with a​ 5.6 healthcare score, ​6.0 housing affordability score, and a 7.2 overall score. 

San Antonio (​5.4 healthcare, 7.0 housing affo​​rdability, ​7.0 overall) and Dallas-Fort Worth (6.4 healthcare, 6.4 housing affordability, 7.0 overall) ranked eighth and ninth, respectively. 

The rest of the top ten rankings are: ​​​

• No. 1 Lancaster, Penn.; 
  

• No. 3 Fort Myers, Fla.; 
  

• No. 3 Sarasota, Fla; 
  

• No. 5 Pittsburgh;
  

• No. 6 Grand Rapids, Mich.;
  

• No. 7 Nashville, Tenn.; and 
  

• No. 10 Lakeland, Fla. 
  

El Paso followed closely behind, ranking 11th with a 7.0 overall score, 7.9 housing affordability score, and 4.7 in healthcare. 

To identify the best places to retire, U.S. News analyzed data for the 100 largest metropolitan areas. Top criteria include the happiness of local residents, housing affordability, tax rates, and healthcare quality.​​

​​​​​​HOUSTON – A major oil field services provider has signed a 17-year lease at the 300,000-sf Enclave Place building at 1414 Enclave Pkwy. 

The 11-story, Class A office building is on 4.7 acres in the Enclave Business Park within the Energy Corridor. 

Atlanta-based Piedmont Office Realty Trust Inc.​ is the owner. 

​Check out Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land Office Market Research.

​​​​​​​​​​​SAN ANTONIO – A 16.5-acre lot at 3030 NE I-410 Loop that houses Cowboys Dancehall has been put on the market.

Texas Heritage Brokers is listing the 67,850-sf venue for $12 million.

The Bexar Appraisal District assessed the property at $5.6 million earlier this year.​

​​​​​​​​​​​​HOUSTON – Following the creation of 53,000 jobs in 2017, local industrial employment is up 3.9 percent, and 120,000 jobs are forecast to be created this year.

Construction was headlined by a one million-sf Amazon distribution center. Deliveries will reach​​​​​​​​​ their highest level of the current cycle this year, surpassing last year’s total by more than five million sf.

Marcus & Millichap expects the vacancy rate will rise to 5.3 percent this year as the net absorption of nearly 12 million sf trails deliveries, erasing the 20-basis-point decline posted in 2017.

Rent growth will return to positive territory after registering a 1.9 percent reduction last year, climbing to $6.74 per sf, a 1.5 percent increase.

On the investment side, the Southeast Corridor submarket has outperformed other areas in terms of rent growth, posting a double-digit increase over the past year, and boosting investor interest this year. 

​C​heck out Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land Industrial Market Research.

​​​​​​​​FRISCO – Hillwood and VanTrust have started construction on the second office building in the $1.5 billion Frisco Station development. 

The seven-story facility is part of a five-building office complex that ​will eventually total more than five million sf. Construction is expected to take 12 months. ​

​Construction is also underway on two apartment projects and two hotels in Frisco Station.​​​ The 242-acre mixed-use project is part of the city's $5 billion mile and wraps around the Dallas Cowboys' new headquarters complex.

The Rudman Family Partnership owns the land along Warren Pkwy. just west of the Dallas North Tollway. Three years ago, the fields were known for producing some of the finest hay in the area.

​​​HOUSTON – The LeClaire Group of Marcus & Millichap has announced the sale of Nations Storage, a 64,280-sf storage facility. 

The property at 22300 SH 249 has 516 units, some of which are climate-controlled. It sits in a densely populated and growing area.

​Check out Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land Retail Market Research​.

​​​​TARRANT COUNTY – Cities along the upcoming commuter rail line connecting downtown Fort Worth to DFW International Airport are preparing for the arrival of TEXRail. 

The new 27-mile rail service will increase public transportation opportunities throughout the region when in launches in three months.

With nine stations in three cities—Fort Worth, North Richland Hills,​​ and Grapevine—the potential for transit-oriented development is enormous, according to local government and business leaders.

Investment in the project so far has been about $1.4 billion, including the $1 billion TEXRail budget and ​​​$336 million in economic development.

TEXRail is expected to serve about 67 million business and leisure travelers. 

​​​​​​​PEARLAND – Endress+Hauser has chosen a site in the Lower Kirby District for its 100,000-sf Gulf Coast Regional Center.

The facility will be on 17 acres at the southeast corner of Beltway 8 and Kirby Dr. It includes an area for calibration and repair and office and training space. Approximately 110 employees will work there.

​The Lower Kirby District is a 1,200-acre mixed-use development on S. Beltway 8 and SH 288. It is home to office, retail, commercial, and industrial projects.​

​Check out Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land Office Market Research.

​​DALLAS – Finial Group has made its first DFW acquisition with the purchase of the Westmoreland Business Center.

The two-building light industrial project totals 85,033 sf on the corner of S. Westmoreland Rd. and Love Bird Ln. 

It is 1.7 miles north of I-20 in the Redbird submarket, one of the stronger industrial submarkets in the area.