This Week's Houston Deal Sheet: 57-Acre Shopping District Coming To Signorelli Co.'s Valley Ranch
The Signorelli Co. is adding a 57-acre shopping district with 850K SF of retail to its Valley Ranch master-planned community.

Valley Ranch Marketplace will have a mix of retailers, fitness and other specialty tenants as well as a “village green” town center with restaurants, patio areas, parking, boutique office and other retail services.
The marketplace will add to Valley Ranch’s 240-acre town center and another 60-acre entertainment district that is under development. Palo Duro Commercial Partners will handle retail brokerage and advisory services for the Town Center and Marketplace districts.
This gives Palo Duro Commercial Partners leasing responsibility for 1.5M SF of existing retail and the upcoming 850K SF of additional retail.
PEOPLE
MetroNational promoted Frank Ortiz to chief operating officer. Ortiz joined MetroNational in 2021 as head of asset management, responsible for overseeing the management of 10M SF of commercial real estate assets – including office, retail, restaurant, hospitality and healthcare – within the 300-acre Memorial City mixed-use development.
Prior to joining MetroNational, Ortiz held roles at Lionstone Investments and Clarion Partners.
***
Jackson-Shaw announced two Houston-area leadership promotions. Grant Pearson, formerly vice president of industrial development, was promoted to chief development officer, overseeing Jackson-Shaw’s national industrial development initiatives. Pearson joined Jackson-Shaw in 2015 and established the company’s Houston office in 2018.
Former Development Manager Reid Watler was promoted to vice president of development. Watler leads site selection, land acquisition, financing, entitlements, design, construction, leasing and sales for industrial projects across Central and South Texas. Before joining Jackson-Shaw in 2022, Watler was an associate on Greystar’s multifamily team in Houston.
***

SparrowHawk, a real estate investment and management firm with a focus on industrial real estate, appointed Jorge Cabrera as vice president of asset management and transactions. Cabrera will be involved in property acquisitions and asset management.
Cabrera will be based in Houston, but he will focus on SparrowHawk’s portfolio in St. Louis and Kansas City.
***
The Morgan Group hired Andy Lusk as chief investment officer. Lusk, an industry veteran with more than 20 years of experience in real estate investment and strategy, will oversee equity capital markets and acquisitions strategy. He also will join the firm’s leadership team and serve as a member of Morgan’s executive committee and investment committee.
Lusk most recently served as chief investment officer and head of corporate strategy at Lionstone Investments. During his tenure, Lionstone’s AUM grew from $1.5B to $10B. He began his career at LaSalle Investment Management before joining Goldman Sachs in its real estate investment banking division.
SALES
Immobile Industrial LLC bought a 41K SF building at 14199 Westfair East Drive in Houston. Oxford Partners’ Perry Mazzone and Matt Rogers represented the buyer, and Wyatt Huff, Hunter Stockard and Gray Gilbert of Partners Real Estate represented the seller.
***
RS 150 Hospitality LLC bought the 73-key Hampton Inn & Suites Houston – Cypress Station. The hotel, built in 2022, is at 150 Wagon Point in Houston.
HVS Brokerage & Advisory team members Eric Guerrero, James Rebullida, Fadi Rawashdeh and Kyle Peterek participated in this transaction. The seller was Austin-based Door Capital Partners.
***
Marcus & Millichap announced the sale of Goyaco Gas Station, a newly built fueling and retail asset on a 1-acre parcel in Missouri City. The transaction was exclusively arranged by the Luna-Thakor Group of Marcus & Millichap, which represented the seller, a local developer, and procured the buyer.
LEASES
SSAF Logistics subleased 13K SF at 8801 Wallisville Road in Houston. Oxford Partners’ Vincent Vega represented the tenant. The sublandlord, Myers Tire Supply Distribution, was represented by Kevin Erck of JLL.
CONSTRUCTION & DEVELOPMENT
Rice Real Estate Co. joined Brinshore Development and nonprofit Family Scholar House to support a Third Ward housing development. Manson Place for Parent Scholars aims to combine affordable housing with educational opportunities.
The project, which is under construction, will feature 76 affordable housing units designed to cater to a range of income levels, including some apartments designed for single-parent families pursuing post-secondary education at technical and trade schools, community colleges, universities and certification programs.
The project leverages competitive 9% federal Low-Income Housing Tax Credits, HOME-American Rescue Plan funding from the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs, Harris County ARPA funding and operating subsidy from the Houston Housing Authority.
Rice Real Estate Co. and Memorial Hermann Health System are providing a low-interest loan to close the remaining financing gap. Financial support came through a collaboration with Amegy Bank.