Related Group has broken ground on the Southbank Residences, a 25-story mixed-use development along Jacksonville’s St. Johns River. This $200 million project marks the first new luxury high-rise along the Downtown riverfront in over a decade. 

Southbank Residences will deliver 395 luxury rental residences across two towers, anchored by a 4,500-square-foot waterfront restaurant and rooftop lounge. A 29-slip marina, public boat ramp and 601 structured parking spaces reinforce the project’s connection to life on the river. The City’s water taxi network will further connect Southbank Residences to entertainment, cultural and sports venues, as well as businesses throughout Downtown Jacksonville.

Construction is scheduled to begin in the next 30 days, and the work will take 30 to 36 months, with a completion targeted for late 2028 to early 2029.

The project is designed by Carlos Ott,and MSA Architects as record architect. Coastal Construction is the lead contractor.

The James of Irvine, a luxury senior living community, recently celebrated its groundbreaking, marking a milestone for what’s reportedly the area’s first upscale rental-based senior community. The event, held at the 3.03-acre site on Gates Avenue, drew more than 80 attendees, including city officials, developers and industry leaders.

Designed for baby boomer renters, The James will feature 350 studio, one- and two-bedroom residences for independent living, assisted living and memory care. The eight-story community, set to open in summer 2027, will offer modern amenities, holistic care and a walkable lifestyle in Orange County, with convenient access to Santa Ana, Costa Mesa and Tustin.

Owned by the P3 Foundation, The James is being developed by Harbert South Bay Partners and will be managed by Momentum Senior Living. Additional project partners include Van Tilburg, Banvard & Soderbergh, Rodrigo Vargas Design and W.E. O’Neil Construction.

Thursday, March 20: Be there to learn from and network with the experts from Gantry, CBRE, Wonderful Real Estate, RETS Associates, BKM Capital Partners, Thorofare Capital, Kidder Mathews, Buchanan Street Partners, and many more on March 20^th at the 9^th annual Connect Orange County conference. Don’t miss out on the industry’s most insightful Orange County CRE event of 2025. Be sure to register in advance; registration pricing increases on event day. www.ConnectOC2025.com

Northgate Resorts is eyeing a 200-acre camping resort on a farm site near the Grand Ole Opry. The project includes over 400 campsites and luxurious amenities.

The project, called The Bend Resort, will rise on a 215-acre site on the Cumberland River about 1.3 miles away from the Grand Ole Opry.

The Bend Resort is set to include 425 campsites, 105 of which are cabins and 320 of which are recreational vehicle sites. The first phase of the development will also include a welcome center, camp store, event center, pool, craft pavilion, petting barn, chapel and arcade barn.

The Nashville Business Journal reports future phases of the project include a 120-room hotel, 300 apartments, an indoor commercial amusement facility and a farm-to-table restaurant and microbrewery.

Nashville-based architecture and engineering firm Gresham Smith is involved in the project.

Northgate Resorts has 34 camp resorts and 11 brands across the country and is the largest operator of Yogi Bear’s Jellystone Parks. 

JLL’s Capital Markets group and HJ Sims arranged $473 million in tax-exempt and taxable bond financing for the ground-up development of The James, a luxury rental, 350-bed seniors housing community in Irvine. Reportedly it’s the largest tax-exempt senior living financing of the year and the largest nonprofit single-site senior living bond issue in history.

The JLL Seniors Housing Capital Markets team worked on behalf of Harbert South Bay Partners, LAMB Properties, P3 Foundation and Momentum Senior Living to secure the 35-year financing, with HJ Sims hired as sole underwriter of the bonds. JLL also handled the land sale to the partnership.

The James will be the first new senior living community in the Irvine market in 28 years. Jay Wagner, head of JLL’s Seniors Housing Capital Markets team, said, “While tax-exempt financing has been used to finance senior living in the past, this specific structure was innovative for both the clients involved and bond investors. We could not be more excited for our clients and investors to deliver this amazing project to the city of Irvine.”

Optima, Inc. has received final village board approval for Optima Lumina, a 128-unit luxury residential building in downtown Wilmette on Chicago’s North Shore.

The six-story building features one- to three-bedroom residences of up to nearly 3,000 square feet, almost 5,900 square feet of retail space, a large public plaza, and a robust amenity package. Replacing the long-vacant former Imperial Motors car dealership located at 720-739 Green Bay Road, the transit-oriented development is located directly across from Wilmette’s Metra rail commuter station.

It is also immediately north of Optima’s 100-unit, high-end rental community, Optima Verdana. “The success of Optima Verdana has demonstrated the high demand for luxury new-construction multifamily housing on the North Shore,” said David Hovey, Jr. AIA, president of Optima, Inc. “Optima Lumina builds on that demand by offering the option for current residents looking to downsize from single-family homes as well as would-be North Shore buyers struggling to find a home due to the area’s low inventory of available housing.”

The Moinian Group topped out construction on 7 Platt St., a 37-story, 250-unit luxury residential development located in Manhattan’s Financial District. The project’s construction is being carried out by AECOM Tishman and completion is expected in the first quarter of 2026.

“We are thrilled to be celebrating this topping out milestone as we move one step closer to delivering 7 Platt to the neighborhood,” said Matthew Moinian, principal of The Moinian Group. “Having completed many conversion projects in Downtown Manhattan, the firm is excited to be pursuing a luxury ground-up residential offering in the region, which is one of the last of its kind to be carried out under the 421-a program.”

Located next to The Moinian Group’s 172-unit Platt Street Hotel project, 7 Platt St. benefits from its proximity to transportation offerings including the Fulton Street subway station and quick access to multiple NYC Ferry routes, a variety of surrounding outdoor green spaces and parks, and nearby food, beverage and cultural offerings.

Koury Corp. has broken ground on The Lindley, a 213-unit apartment complex planned for the intersection of Holden Road and Market Street in Greensboro. The fully enclosed, gated community is expected to cost just over $50 million to build and be completed in the fall of 2025.

The Lindley will include one-bedroom, two-bedroom and three-bedroom units. Most of the community will be four stories, with one five-story section.

The Triad Business Journal reports the complex will include various amenities, including a pool with cabanas, outdoor grills, a bike storage and repair area, a car wash and a detailing area. In addition, the community will have an indoor bar and kitchen area with billiards and a golf simulator.

The apartments will also have a fitness center with a rock climbing wall, yoga studio and personal training stations. The personal training stations will include a television that provides online workouts.

Experience Senior Living (ESL) introduced The Reserve at Lone Tree at 11010 High Note Avenue in Lone Tree.

The Reserve at Lone Tree, ESL’s first senior living community under its new luxury brand, is located within the RidgeGate master-planned development. When completed in early 2025, the Reserve will include a nine-story building featuring 124 independent living units and a five-story building featuring 60 assisted living and 24 memory care units.

The Reserve brand delivers a number of amenities, such as cuisine crafted from locally sourced, organic ingredients and programs ranging from culinary workshops to art classes. The Lone Tree location has six restaurants and two bars, including a chop house with dry-aged steaks. Amenities also include a podcast studio, pickleball courts and gardens, 

Over the next several years, the company plans to add 10 to 12 more communities in Colorado, with the goal of two of those being part of the luxury reserve brand. Rates start at $5,000 a month and go up to $18,000 for a penthouse suite.

Sunrise Senior Living has added Battery Park, an independent living high-rise in Lower Manhattan, to its management portfolio. Located at 455 North End Ave., near One World Trade Center, the 217-unit facility is the third luxury property in Manhattan for Sunrise and is owned by healthcare REIT Ventas Inc.

“Sunrise is honored to be selected by Ventas as the new manager for this iconic, luxury independent living community, which will be specially tailored for Manhattan residents intentionally seeking out our vibrant and preferred lifestyle for enjoying longer, healthier, happier lives,” said Jack R. Callison, Jr, CEO at Sunrise.

As Sunrise assumes management, it will seek to enhance the community to benefit its current and future residents, as well as team members. The community will undergo extensive renovations to its infrastructure and common areas. Planned investments include the complete modernization of the HVAC and main building systems, aiming for greater efficiency and sustainability to meet LEED building standards.

Simon announced plans to integrate luxury living at its Fashion Valley mall in San Diego. Following the recent completion of a multimillion-dollar revitalization, the property will add 850 multifamily units developed by AMLI Residential along with 100,000 square feet of new retail and new dining experiences.

 “Simon is leading the evolution of today’s retail landscape with the strategic transformation of key properties across the country,” said Mark Silvestri, president of development at Simon. “We’re excited about this next phase of Fashion Valley as we continue to reinvest and add a walkable, livable lifestyle community that is intertwined with handpicked luxury brands that can only be found here This redevelopment marks a new era of sophistication and convenient living in San Diego.”

Fashion Valley recently marked the openings of first-to-market luxury brands, including Dior, Bottega Veneta, David Yurman and Dolce & Gabbana. It was also recently announced three more first-to-market brands will join the lineup including Celine, slated to open later in the second quarter, and Christian Louboutin and Fendi, both of which will open in 2025.