David Karr, senior development manager for Hillwood Properties,has just become the developer's first LEED-accredited professionalin Texas. He will be heading up a cutting-edge industrialdevelopment program at AllianceTexas, following a lead set inCalifornia. Tammy Spencer, development manager for HillwoodInvestment Properties in San Bernadino, and her team are poised tobreak ground on 135,000-sf and 219,000-sf industrial buildings, thefirst of five totaling 1.3 million sf in InterChange Business Park,a 144-acre development at the University Parkway interchange ofInterstate 215. A sixth building is an 800,000-sf build-to-suitthat's under negotiation, but not likely to end up LEED-certifiedspace like the rest of the park, according to a Hillwoodspokesman.

Dallas-based Granite broke ground in March on the 318,557-sfGranite Westchase II at 10350 Richmond Ave. The silver LEED-CSproject, set to deliver in April 2008, is 40% preleased with itsquote at $20 per sf net plus electric. Granite COO Greg Fullertells GlobeSt.com that the company paid 1% to 3% more to go green,bringing in development costs at $200 per sf for the class Aspeculative project.