22-story apartment tower planned for CarPool site in Ballston

There may space for CarPool in a new, 22-story residential tower now being planned for its longtime Ballston home. Or maybe not.

A partnership of Houston-based Lionstone Investments and Penzance, which holds a contract to acquire 4000 Fairfax Drive from CarPool Investors LP, is proposing to construct a 330-unit residential apartment tower there over 8,000 square feet of retail. The team has submitted an application with Arlington County for a site plan amendment.

“Lionstone and Penzance, along…

Dallas' Catalyst gets $21M for new luxury McKinney Urban Village project

One of North Texas’ community-oriented developers — Dallas-based Catalyst Urban Development — has secured nearly $21 million in construction financing for the initial phase of McKinney Urban Village.

The $30 million mixed-use and health science district in McKinney initially will feature a proposed 240-apartment luxury community adjacent to the Medical Center of McKinney near U.S. 75 and State Highway 121.

The community’s proposed amenities include a clubhouse, fitness center, dog park, resort-style…

Miller Lane hotel getting 'head-to-toe' renovation

A hotel along Miller Lane began work Monday on major interior upgrades.

Drury Inn & Suites at 6616 Miller Lane is beginning work on a “head-to-toe” interior upgrade, a decade after it completed construction, General Manager Kevin Long tells me. The 180-room, seven-story hotel along Interstate 75 will see upgrades that modernizes its features and look.

“When the property gets to be that age, it comes time for an upgrade,” Long said. “We want to give it a 2015 look.”

Upgrades will include interior…

Oakland's 'lone builder' unveils plans for three new market-rate projects

Madison Park Financial, developer of the only new market-rate apartment building in Oakland last year, is seeking approval for three new housing projects totaling 230 units, another sign of increased investment and development interest in Oakland.

The projects, according to the developer and the planning department, are:

West Oakland’s 2868 Hannah St., which would include 36 residential and 11 live-work units Fruitvale’s 2985 Ford St., near the BART station, which would include 53 residential units…

Redfin wins, Nordstrom loses as Apple unveils much anticipated Watch

Want to be the first person to use your watch to buy a house?

The big Seattle winner from the flashy Apple Watch debut Monday is online real estate company Redfin. The Seattle company is the only real estate firm to have an app that will debut on the Apple Watch when the gadget is released April 24.

That could mean a big boost in traffic for Redfin, which is often overshadowed by booming Seattle real estate software company Zillow (Nasdaq: Z).

Redfin’s business model differs from Zillow’s —…