Happy Feet Planet and D1 Training ink deals totaling more than 20,000 square feet, with both concepts expected to open this year

RALEIGH, NC – St. John Properties has signed two inaugural leases at Wake Forest Exchange, a 30-acre mixed-use business community in Wake Forest, North Carolina, totaling over 20,000 square feet. Children’s indoor amusement park Happy Feet Planet has leased 15,120 square feet, while fitness franchise D1 Training has signed for 5,580 square feet. Both groups are targeting 2026 openings within 920 Timberline View Drive, a 60,240-square-foot flex/R&D building. The development, which represents St. John Properties’ first North Carolina project since entering the market in 2022, will include more than 175,000 square feet of flex/R&D, single-story medical office, and retail space on completion. St. John Properties Regional Partner Dustin Atkielski represented the landlord in both transactions.

Local entrepreneur opening third Triangle-area indoor amusement park at Wake Forest Exchange

Following the opening of his first location in Apex, North Carolina, three years ago, Happy Feet Planet owner Eric Liu selected Wake Forest Exchange for his third children’s indoor amusement park in the Triangle area. Liu cited the area’s growing population of young families, the building’s ample parking and high ceilings – capable of accommodating a three-story play structure – and its prime location at the entrance to Wake Forest near North Raleigh as key factors in his decision. Approximately 30 people will be employed at the facility.

The concept targets toddlers to pre-teens with specialized areas for each age group including a Ball Pit Zone, Slides Zone, Ninja Zone, and Toddler Zone, the latter reserved exclusively for children under four years of age. Liu explains that he and his wife often struggled to find places in the greater Raleigh area where their two young children could both enjoy themselves and where parents could relax without constantly worrying about losing sight of them. He noted that while play areas in fast-food restaurants are extremely popular, they are usually small and often overcrowded – and larger options such as big trampoline parks also require extra parental vigilance, especially for families with younger children. “Our intention was to create an environment that emphasized safety, so parents could relax when bringing their children, while also providing areas that were kept exceptionally clean.”

All equipment contained within Happy Feet Planet is fully compliant with key safety standards and specifications for Soft-Contained Play Equipment and Liu says that the indoor areas are cleaned “daily, weekly, monthly, and annually” to maintain this level of quality. “We regularly receive comments from customers who have visited our other locations which emphasize how clean our equipment is, and that is what we strive for,” he said.   

In addition to is regular open play schedule, Happy Feet Planet also hosts special events, group activities, field trips, and birthday parties. “This building was among the few that would enable us to execute a custom-designed layout for our different play zones, and that is what makes our concept highly-differentiated,” Liu said.   

Dandan Zu of Universal Realty of North Carolina represented the tenant in this leasing transaction.

D1 Training delivers coach-led, science-backed workouts for adults and youth 

The husband-and-wife team of Dylan and Kasey Hudock are pursuing career pivots with the opening of the third D1 Training franchise in the greater Triangle area, the first for the locally based couple. D1 Training caught the couple’s eyes due to the franchise’s mission of “making a positive impact on young people and their families” and “community-building,” according to the Hudocks.

“Our family is deeply involved with youth sports, particularly ice hockey and from my experience as a coach and player, I see how important it is to have the correct training and the proper outlook on sports and fitness-related activities,” Dylan Hudock explained. “We were particularly impressed with how D1 Training instills confidence, fosters relationship-building, and builds mental toughness and teamwork with its fitness and training protocols. Not everyone is an athlete or has a goal of competing to earn an athletic scholarship, and the coach-led, science-backed workout tailors its training to meet the specific requirements of its participants. Participants have the option of receiving personal one-on-one training that is customized to the individual or participating in group fitness classes.”

After searching for the perfect location for more than one year, the Hudocks toured St. John Properties’ Wake Forest Exchange and immediately realized its long-term potential for their first D1 Training franchise. “The business community is visible from one of the most heavily-traveled roadways in the Triangle area and is within a mile or two of every local high school, which is extremely important as coaches will be regularly visiting these schools to work with the student athletes,” Kasey added. “In addition, the high ceilings and extreme flexibility of the interior space will enable us to execute our tenant build-out.”   

Approximately 10-12 people will work at D1 Training, including professionally-certified and trained coaches. The Hudock’s plan to open additional locations in the Triangle area and to expand into other North Carolina territories. Founded by former NFL player Will Bartholomew, the Nashville-based D1 Training company operates more than 150 locations nationally. CBRE’s Jon Stanley represented the tenant in this lease transaction.    

First two buildings at Wake Forest Exchange nearing completion

St. John Properties is nearing completion on the flex/R&D building at 920 Timberline View Drive, as well as an 11,090 square foot inline retail building. Wake Forest Exchange is situated near Capital Boulevard (US-1) and South Main Street (Falls of Neuse Road) in Wake Forest. The new business community, located less than five miles from Interstate 540 and approximately 13 miles north of Raleigh, is expected to support more than 640 jobs at final build-out and leasing. St. John Properties acquired the site in late 2023.       

Full development plans call for St. John Properties to speculatively develop six buildings, including three flex/R&D buildings, one single-story medical office building, and two inline retail buildings, which will provide convenient amenities to tenants and employees of Wake Forest Exchange, as well as the surrounding community. Construction will be phased based on leasing pace, with the goal of executing the entire development by 2027.

The company’s signature flex/research and development asset class is a “part office/part industrial” single-story building separated into bays which can be fully customed based on end-users’ needs. St. John Properties’ flex/R&D product serves a broad array of businesses from high-tech companies with majority office need, to light manufacturing, to government contractors, and others.

“Pre-leasing is off to a brisk start at Wake Forest Exchange and, as evidenced by our first two leases, end-users are gravitating toward the business community based on its strategic positioning in the greater Triangle area and the extreme flexibility of our signature flex/R&D product,” stated Atkielski. “The strong interest and associated leasing activity have provided us with tremendous confidence to proceed with the next phase of development at Wake Forest Exchange. St. John Properties intends to be a long-term partner in the North Carolina commercial real estate market and we are gratified by the response to our company and flex/R&D product type.”

Founded in 1971, St. John Properties, Inc. is one of the nation’s largest and most successful privately held commercial real estate firms. The company is distinguished by its commitment to customer service, achievements in green building, and top-rated workplace culture. Throughout St. John Properties’ 55-year history, the company has developed more than 25 million square feet of flex/R&D, office, retail, and warehouse space and has investments in over 3,000 residential units. The company proudly serves more than 2,700 clients in Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Louisiana, Maryland, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Utah, and Wisconsin. For more information about the company, visit www.sjpi.com.