DMA: Development Management Associates

Leasing Begins at The Varsity

Connect CRE, September 13, 2024

JLL announced the start of leasing for retail space connected to The Varsity, an adaptive reuse project that transformed an historic movie theater in Evanston, Illinois. The building now offers apartments with distinctive original details and includes approximately 8,500 square feet of ground-floor retail space. Restaurant tenant Guzman y Gomez will open in this location, and leasing opportunities extend into the adjacent Bookman’s Alley, which will feature outdoor seating, lighting and public art as part of the redevelopment. DMA has supported The Varsity as a project manager and investor.

The Varsity Wins Design Award

October 4, 2024

A not-for-profit organization promoting design excellence in its community recognized The Varsity with a Design Evanston Award in the Rehabilitation/Renovation Category. Built in 1926 as one of the largest and most luxurious movie palaces in the area, this historic Illinois building closed as a theater in 1980. The Varsity project created 35 architecturally distinctive apartments within the structure, preserving many original details and including ground-floor retail and restaurant space stretching into Bookman’s Alley—an art, entertainment, and gathering place. DMA supported the remodeling effort as a project manager and investor and congratulates The Varsity’s owners and team members on this recognition of quality results.

The Terminal Wins Preservation Award

August 21, 2024

The Landmarks Illinois Richard H. Driehaus Foundation Preservation Awards honor exceptional preservation efforts across the state. The Terminal, in Chicago’s Humboldt Park neighborhood, earned a 2024 adaptive use award for revitalizing the former Pyle-National Company campus in Chicago’s Humboldt Park neighborhood. A manufacturer of railroad lighting equipment, Pyle-National operated at the site for nearly 80 years, until 1992. Owners of The Terminal reshaped the neglected, three-building complex to create a multipurpose innovation hub drawing new businesses and energy to the area. DMA is proud to have participated in The Terminal project and congratulates owners, investors and others team members on this significant recognition.

New Restaurant Tenant in Evanston

Evanston Now, August 17, 2024

A new restaurant tenant is coming to The Varsity, an historic building that once housed a movie palace in Evanston, Illinois. An adaptive reuse project transformed the building into 35 architecturally distinctive apartments, preserving many original details and including ground-floor retail and restaurant space. DMA supported the remodeling effort as a project manager and investor. Guzman y Gomez will serve up a Mexican food concept that started in Australia and has spread to more than 200 locations.

An Eye for Excellence

AIA Chicago named two finalists for its 2024 Design Excellence Awards in the Architecture Small category: 15 Elizabeth and 530 W Dickens. DMA invested in both neighborhood residential projects and congratulates their development and architectural teams. All finalists receive an Honor Award or a Citation of Merit. AIA Chicago recognizes finalists in additional project size and award categories, including the Roberta Feldman Architecture for Social Justice Award. The organization announces award recipients at its annual Designight, held this year on September 5, 2024.

Whole Foods Grows Location

Connect CRE, Chicago & Midwest, April 26, 2024

Whole Foods Market signed a 25-year lease expanding its River Forest, Illinois location by 7,000 square feet. The store will undergo a full remodel as part of its expansion at River Forest Town Center, and DMA is pleased to be providing project management services to support a smooth transformation. The River Forest Whole Foods was the 14th location opened by the grocery business, now owned by Amazon and operating more than 500 stores nationwide.

Southplace City Center’s Super News

Miami Herald, March 9, 2024

Construction will begin this summer on the first residential tower in Southplace City Center, a $1 billion redevelopment project transforming the Southland Mall in Cutler Bay, Florida, into a mixed-use, transit-oriented community. This initial apartment building, with 350 units, now has an anchor tenant that will serve the grocery needs of the growing community. Presidente Supermarket signed a 15-year lease and will occupy approximately 25,000 square feet of space. Southplace City Center will take shape over a seven-year timeframe and include more than 4,000 residential units, new dining and retail options, a hotel, and community greenspace. DMA is proud to be an ongoing part of this ambitious project.

New Permit for Chicago Fire Facility

Urbanize Chicago, January 9, 2024

Construction of the Chicago Fire’s Performance Center will continue through to completion with a newly granted full building permit for its training facility on the city’s Near West Side. Permitted work on the site and complex, serving both the Fire FC’s professional players and the Chicago Fire Youth Academy, has already been moving forward. The two-story training building itself will span 53,000 square feet. The campus will include multiple soccer fields, both hybrid grass and synthetic turf, and a pedestrian greenway corridor. DMA provided advisory services for the project, analyzing costs and advising ownership on feasibility matters.

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