Alta Dadeland in Miami will feature two residential towers and a parking garage upon completion.

MIAMI -- Wood Partners LLC, a privately held multifamily developer based in Atlanta, has broken ground on Alta Dadeland, a $128 million mixed-use development featuring 431 apartment units and 2,000 square feet of retail space in Miami. The community is located within two miles of South Florida's largest employers, the University of Miami and Baptist Health South Florida.

"There are two Metrorail stations in close proximity as well," says David Thompson, Florida development director for Wood Partners. 

The two-acre community, located on Southwest 72nd Avenue in Miami, will include 477,117 square feet of residential space, retail space and 663 parking spaces.

EDI International designed the mixed-use development, which will include two towers connected by a pedestrian bridge. Building One will be a nine- to 12-story courtyard building with 312 residential units. Building Two will be a nine-story, 119-unit building. The development will include a six-story parking structure that will be hidden behind the tower residences and will feature a resort-style pool deck above it.

-- John Nelson

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Buckhead Atlanta, the 1.5 million-square-foot mixed-use development in Atlanta's Buckhead submarket, has topped out.

ATLANTA -- The long-awaited Buckhead Atlanta is in its final construction stages. On Friday, Jan. 17, developer OliverMcMillan, contractor Balfour Beatty and Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed held a topping out ceremony for the project. Previously known as The Streets of Buckhead, construction on the development was stalled during the recession. OliverMcMillan took control of the project in 2010 and renamed it Buckhead Atlanta.

Located at the intersection of Peachtree Road and Buckhead Avenue in the heart of the city's Buckhead submarket, the 1.5 million-square-foot Buckhead Atlanta is expected to transform the city's skyline. Upon completion, the project will include 300,000 square feet of upscale retail, restaurants and cafes, along with 100,000 square feet of office space and 370 high-rise residences. 

Buckhead Atlanta was designed to fit into the existing Buckhead Village neighborhood. The development will include pedestrian-friendly streets, lush landscaping and several retailers that are new to Atlanta.

The first retailers and restaurants are slated to open in July. Tenants will continue opening into early 2015. In November, Spanx will move into its office space and the residential towers will be complete.

Hilton Garden Vacations Club in Myrtle Beach is the tallest high-rise under construction along the Mid-Atlantic coastline.

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. -- Landmark Builders has begun construction on the new Hilton Garden Vacations Club in Myrtle Beach. The 24-story, 308,000-square-foot resort is the tallest high-rise under construction along the Mid-Atlantic coastline, according to Landmark. The resort will feature 220 residential units, a 200-foot sky-lit atrium, five-story parking garage, fitness center, two full-service bars and multiple pools with direct access to the Myrtle Beach coastline. Landmark expects to wrap up construction in May 2015. Myrtle Beach-based Strand Capital is developing the property, and Garvin Design Group and tag Architecture are the project's architects.

GERMANTOWN, MD. -- Cassidy Turley has arranged the $128.4 million sale of Milestone Business Park, a 635,272-square-foot office campus in Germantown. The campus features three office buildings, one flex property and sites for future development. Milestone Business Park was 85 percent leased at the time of the sale. Bill Collins, Paul Collins, Jud Ryan, Drew Flood and James Cassidy of Cassidy Turley represented the seller, Multi-Employer Property Trust, and its real estate advisor, Bentall Kennedy, in the transaction. Matan Fund IV, an affiliate of Matan Cos., purchased the 41.8-acre office park.

Miller Creek at Germantown in Memphis, Tenn., opened in March 2013.

WAKE FOREST, N.C. AND MEMPHIS, TENN. -- Trade Street Residential Inc., a multifamily owner and operator, has acquired two apartment communities totaling 618 units for a combined $81 million. Trade Street acquired The Estates at Wake Forest in Wake Forest for $37.2 million and Miller Creek at Germantown in Memphis for $43.8 million. The Estates at Wake Forest was delivered in September 2013 and Miller Creek at Germantown was delivered in March 2013. Trade Street financed the acquisition of the Wake Forest community with an $18.6 million loan fixed at 3.9 percent and the Memphis community with a $26.3 million loan fixed at 4.6 percent. 

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The National Multifamily Housing Council (NMHC) has announced its first-ever rebranding in the organization's 36-year history. The council debuted a new logo and visual identity, a change to its name and a new tagline.

"What we're launching today is much more than just a new logo," says Doug Bibby, president of NMHC. "An organization's brand is everything it says and everything it does." 

NMHC has spent the past 18 months working with Forge Branding and Pentagram Design, two brand consultants, to rebrand the organization, according to Bibby.

The most immediate changes are to the organization's name and tagline. The National Multi Housing Council has changed to the National Multifamily Housing Council to help important stakeholders outside of the industry, namely policymakers, better understand the focus of the organization. The organization has also unveiled its new tagline, "Apartment Leadership Resides Here."

"This new brand is designed to bridge the gap between who we were 36 years ago and who we are today, and it is designed to better reflect the sophistication of the now $1.1 trillion apartment industry," says Bibby.

According to Kim Duty, senior vice president for public affairs and industry initiatives at NMHC, the rebranding will result in initiatives in the coming months that include an updated website and new newsletters.

Washington, D.C.-based NMHC brings together apartment owners, managers and developers who help create communities by providing apartment homes for 35 million Americans. NMHC provides a forum for insight, advocacy and action that helps both members and the communities they build.

-- John Nelson