Highwoods to develop $96M Mars Petcare HQ

February 28, 2017

Nashville Post

Highwoods Properties announced Tuesday a third-quarter groundbreaking at Ovation in Cool Springs on a $96 million headquarters for Mars Petcare.

Highwoods, which is based in Raleigh and has a Nashville office, will develop two connected LEED-Gold certified office buildings (with a collective 224,000 square feet) and structured parking, according to a release.

A second quarter 2019 completion date is targeted.

Spanning 145 acres, Ovation is billed as a high-density, mixed-use development with 56 acres of perpetually preserved green space. Highwoods is the owner and developer of the office portion of Ovation, which is planned for up to 1.4 million square feet. Thomas Land & Development is the developer of the non-office portions of Ovation, which is planned for up to 480,000 square feet of retail space, 950 residential units and 450 hotel rooms.

“We are flattered Mars Petcare, a new customer for Highwoods, has chosen us to be their developer-landlord,” Ed Fritsch, president and chief executive officer of Highwoods, said in the release. “We are thrilled by this opportunity to work with such a widely respected, internationally recognized and admired company and appreciate their confidence in our team and brand.”

Mars Petcare has been based in Franklin’s Aspen Grove for 11 years.

Renee Peets, Mars Petcare vice president and executive project sponsor, said Ovation is “ideally situated in a vibrant location, and will bring the best of ‘work, rest and play’ to our nearly 1,000 area associates and their pets.”