COVER STORY JULY, 15 2006
OFFICE SHAPE-UP
New office projects are underway in Frisco, Plano and San Antonio.
Susan H. Fishman

Huebner Town Center

Last month, San Antonio developer Efraim Abramoff with Ariel Texas Star Inc. completed the first phase of Huebner Town Center, a 12.5-acre project in the 15300 block of Huebner Road in San Antonio. The project is being developed by K&A Development, and Ariel Texas Star is serving as the general contractor.

The development will have three one-story office condo buildings and a restaurant and will be marketed for sale or lease to doctors and other professionals.

“The trend now is to buy instead of rent because the interest rates are so low,” says Abramoff. “Tenants can own the building and pay less than if they rented, and receive all the benefits, like tax deductions.”

The well-landscaped, garden office building provides parking all the way around the project. The office condominiums are approximately 4,000 to 6,000 square feet. “The project will take place in three phases with development of roughly 135,000 square feet of space,” explains Abramoff. “The second phase of the project — another 30,000- to 33,000-square-foot, two-story building — will break ground in a few months. And the third phase calls for an additional 90,000 square feet.”

“It’s a great location with a lot of rooftops and high family incomes,” adds Abramoff. “We have a lot of tenant interest, and I believe we’ll fill the building in a very short time.”

 Ariel Texas Star developing 'Edan' on city's North Side - San Antonio Business Journal:
sanantonio.bizjournals.com/sanantonio/stories/2007 - [Cached]
Ariel Texas Star Inc., Efraim Abramoff, Jeff Kotel, Rami Kotel, kotelinverstment.com

Efraim Abramoff, president of San Antonio development and investment firm Ariel Texas Star Inc., is about to begin construction on the latest building in his firm's Huebner Town Center development.

The new office facility is called The Edan Professional Building.
...
This portion is presently 84 percent occupied -- with the majority being medical-related tenants, Abramoff says.

In August, construction began on phase two of the center -- a 33,134-square-foot retail center called the Shops at Churchill Estates. Spaces are to be turned over to tenants this March.

Although Abramoff declined to divulge names -- citing ongoing negotiations -- he does say that tenants in The Shops could include an upscale restaurant, a flower shop and a lounge.

And Abramoff says that he is already getting calls from potential office tenants for phase three, the Edan Professional Building. Tenant spaces in Edan, he says, would likely range from 1,000 to 15,000 square feet.

Abramoff has even fielded inquiries from users that require larger blocks of space than he can provide with Edan.

It's time to start planning phase four.

"I have the plans in my head for how I am going to fill up that 13 acres," Abramoff says.

SAN ANTONIO BUSINESS JOURNAL:  posted Aug 3, 2007

Friday, August 3, 2007
Ariel Texas Star bringing local flavor to its latest endeavorSan Antonio Business Journal - by Tricia Lynn Silva

A new retail center currently under construction in North Central San Antonio is enjoying a healthy leasing run.

Of the 33,131 square feet of space originally up for grabs in the Shops at Churchill Estates, almost 26,000 square feet is already preleased, according to Efraim Abramoff, president of the development/investment firm Ariel Texas Star Inc.

And talks continue with tenants to finish out leasing space in the development, he adds.

"With the combination of tenants we have now, almost anything will work there," adds Rami Kotel, Abramoff's nephew and the head of promotions for Ariel Texas Star -- the developer and general contractor for the project.

The Shops as Churchill is part of a larger, mixed-use development by Ariel Texas Star -- called the Huebner Town Center. In all, the Town Center is expected to span 13 acres at the southeast corner of Huebner Road and Churchill Estates Boulevard.

Operations signed up for the Shops at Churchill include Christian Treasures, Fitness 19 and Quilters Point. The ventures will occupy 2,675, 6,500 and 7,500 square feet, respectively.

Fitness 19 is a new health club making its debut in San Antonio, courtesy of Ariel Texas Star's development. The company bills itself as a mid-sized facility geared toward the neighborhoods surrounding its clubs. The chain offers month-to-month memberships.

A good neighbor
Speaking of new concepts, locally based Centofanti Corp. is also bringing a new eatery to the Shops at Churchill: Luciano Neighborhood Pizzeria. The restaurant will boast quality food at a good price, says co-founder Luciano Centofanti.

Luciano Neighborhood Pizzeria will feature a rustic theme, including lots of ceramics from Italy, Centofanti adds. The restaurant will also be decked out with displays showing off the firm's bakery, salads and deli selections.

Centofanti's food has become a noted staple at several malls, including local retail centers North Star, Rivercenter and Ingram Park -- thanks to concepts such as Ristorante Luciano, La Villa Pizza and Cento & Fanti Brick Oven Pizzeria & Bakery.

Luciano Neighborhood Pizzeria will lease 3,000 square feet in the Shops at Churchill. Another 1,500 square feet will be occupied by Centofanti Management.

The set-up, says Centofanti, will allow him to be very hands-on with the new concept. He adds that over the next two years, he would like to open five more pizzerias in the city.

Close to home
The Shops at Churchill is an ideal starting point for the neighborhood pizzeria concept, Centofanti says.

"There is plenty of housing, and there is a need for a restaurant of this type," he says.

The homes and the line-up of tenants at the shopping center also bodes well for a lot of foot traffic, adds Greg Entzenberger, manager and co-owner of Christian Treasures. He is making the move to the Shops at Churchill after 30 years at 3449 Fredericksburg Road on the city's Northwest Side.

"Back when we moved (to the Fredericksburg site), this was the North Side. But now it's time to move a little further north," says Entzenberger, who expects to have the new store up and running by Oct. 1. 

 
Hapes Properties purchases industrial building on 8.2 acres - 1/15/2008
(Austin-Round Rock: Industrial)
(San Marcos) - Hapes Properties, a subsidiary of California-based Kotel Investments, has finalized the purchase of an industrial building located at 1942 I-35 in San Marcos. The Interstate Business Park, which is a one-story, 122,000-sf building, is built on 8.2 acres. Austin, Texas-based Southwest-Hawaii Partners was the seller.
[Texas Real Estate Business]