Texas commercial real-estate developer Sam Ware recently implemented plans to modernize a portion of JC Pennies Plano headquarters.

JC Penny recently decreased its foot print on its sprawling Plano, Texas headquarters. While the company will continue to remain on the site, it leased out part of the campus to developer Sam Ware. Ware is known for his value-added approach to commercial development. Ware will modernize his portion of the campus, naming the new development, “The Campus at Legacy West.”

Wares purchase was one of the largest commercial real estate transactions in North Texas in 2016. JC Penny made steps to downsize and after consulting with CBRE realtors and decided to lease out unused space on their campus. JC Penny will continue to occupy 1.1 million sq. ft. on the site, leasing the rest to Ware. Ware will make use of 600,000 sq. ft. of newly vacated office space as well as 300,000 sq. ft. of underused mezzanine space. The total sale price amounted to 353 million not including the improvements Ware intends to make. Ware intends to directly invest 60 million into new improvements on the site, with the help of a 377 million dollar mortgage from Beal Bank.

Job growth in the area made the site particularly attractive to Ware and other developers. The Plano area has boasted job growth of 3.8 percent year over year, 1 percent higher than the rest of the state. Office absorption has been positive in the area for 81 months. The site is already adjacent to the sprawling Legacy West Development, which already has offices for Toyota, Liberty Mutual and JP Morgan Chase. It is also nearby the sizable “Legacy West” urban village. Ware claimed “There is not another competing Class A corporate campus with this much contiguous space available in North Texas.” He sees a unique opportunity in the purchase “To buy this building today would run around $400 per square foot. If we had to create this building today, the land alone would cost $100 million and it would cost $800 million to build it,”he said.

“The Campus at Legacy West,” will stand out among Texas commercial real estate developments.

The site already boasts many amenities. The property is the only office building in the area with a Starbucks, a Subway and a pharmacy already on site. 50,000 square feet is already dedicated to amenities. Ware intends to expand on these amenities. He and his partners will spend 100 million dollars to add updated child care facilities, medical offices and expanded food service options. These updates will no doubt attract tenants to “The Campus at Legacy West.”

The area around the campus is one of the most desirable in Texas commercial real estate. Will Wares improvements to the site pay off?

A lot is at stake for Ware with such a huge investment. The site has many advantages already and clearly the immediate area is in high demand with a number of multi-billion dollar developments already established. Will Wares improvements to the site be enough to distinguish “The Campus at Legacy West” from adjacent office parks? Time will tell.

Dennis Dahlberg
Broker/RI/CEO/MLO
Level 4 Funding LLC  Private Hard Money Lender
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About the Author:  Dennis has been working in the real estate industry in some capacity for the last 40 years. He purchased his first property when he was just 18 years old. He quickly learned about the amazing investment opportunities provided by trust deed investing and hard money loans. His desire to help others make money in real estate investing led him to specialize in alternative funding for real estate investors who may have trouble getting a traditional bank loan. Dennis is passionate about alternative funding sources and sharing his knowledge with others to help make their dreams come true. Dennis has been married to his wonderful wife for 42 years. They have 2 beautiful daughters 5 amazing grandchildren. Dennis has been an Arizona resident for the past 40 years.

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