[Wattleigh]

https://www.bizjournals.com/houston/...asa-lease.html

JLL to lease 207-acre Exploration Park development outside NASA

The new commercial space development outside Johnson Space Center has a leasing partner.

JLL (NYSE: JLL) said Feb. 25 that it will oversee leasing of Austin-based ACMI Properties' space at Exploration Park, which spans over 200 acres. The brokerage team overseeing Exploration Park leasing for JLL consists of Senior Managing Director Richard Quarles, Vice President David Holland and Associate Angela Watford.

“There is no better place for the future of space exploration than NASA’s Johnson Space Center, a site that represents excellence in space discovery,” Quarles said in a press release. “We are thrilled to be a part of this development and know this will be a one-of-a-kind opportunity for businesses looking to make a lasting impact, whether it be through research and development or manufacturing.”

The announcement comes approximately a year after the Houston Business Journal first reported that ACMI had been selected to lease the 207 acres at Exploration Park, which is just outside the Johnson Space Center's controlled access area. Vanessa Wyche, Johnson Space Center’s director at the time, told the HBJ that NASA moved its controlled access area to free up room for private space companies to operate near JSC.

Initial concepts for ACMI’s buildings were unveiled last year, targeting a groundbreaking date in 2025 and a completion date of 2026. JLL confirmed both those timelines in its press release, with construction set to begin in the second quarter and the project expected to deliver in Q4 2026.

ACMI is planning for up to 22 buildings with a range of sizes from 15,000 to 500,000 square feet. However, those buildings could be replaced with a build-to-suit concept, JLL said. Facilities would include 24-30 feet of clear height for research and development, laboratories, clean rooms, offices, light assembly and manufacturing.