District of Columbia

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. hotel sector posted its highest average daily rate (ADR) and revenue per available room (RevPAR) on record, according to 2023 data from CoStar. ADR ended the year at $155.62, a 4.3 percent increase compared to year-end 2022, and RevPAR settled at $97.97, a 4.9 percent hike from 2022. Additionally, the U.S. hotel industry enjoyed its highest occupancy levels since 2019. The occupancy rate at year-end was 63 percent, a 60-basis-point increase year-over-year. Among the top 25 markets tracked by CoStar, New York City experienced the highest occupancy rate (81.6 percent, up 8.8 percent year-over-year), ADR ($301.22, up 8.5 percent) and RevPAR ($245.77, a 18.1 percent hike). New Orleans and Miami recorded the only RevPAR decreases, falling 6.8 percent and 6.7 percent year-over-year, respectively.

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TORONTO AND WASHINGTON, D.C. — Avison Young has entered into an agreement to acquire Madison Marquette’s retail platform for an undisclosed price. The acquisition will include the Washington, D.C.-based firm’s retail property management, marketing and leasing services throughout the United States; and a portfolio comprising more than 6.1 million square feet of properties managed and leased by Madison Marquette. Madison Marquette teams will integrate with those of Toronto-based Avison Young in Los Angeles, New Jersey, Philadelphia, Indiana, Arkansas, Maryland, Virginia, Atlanta and Florida, and the acquisition expands Avison Young’s presence to Seattle. In 2022, Avison Young acquired Madison Marquette’s office and industrial property management, agency leasing and project management service lines. “Avison Young is going all-in into the retail sector, and I am eager to take the firm’s vision of expanding its retail platform to the next level with the help of our strong team of retail leasing, management, marketing and market intelligence experts and Avison Young’s innovative data capabilities,” says Gavin Farnam, principal and managing director of U.S. retail services with Madison Marquette. Farnam will lead Avison Young’s U.S. retail property management and leasing teams.

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WASHINGTON, D.C. — Red Oak Capital Holdings has provided a $5.8 million bridge loan for Hawaii Avenue Apartments, an affordable housing property located at 89 and 93 Hawaii Ave. NE in Washington, D.C.’s Brookland neighborhood. The borrower, an entity doing business as Legacy Lofts II & III, will use the funds to acquire and rehabilitate the property into 22 apartments that will be rented under the D.C. Housing Authority’s Choice Voucher Program. The project involves converting the vacant units at the two buildings into 12 two-bedroom and 10 three-bedroom apartments with projected monthly rents of $2,439 and $3,256, respectively. The rehabilitation is expected to be finished within a year, with full stabilization by late 2025, according to Red Oak Capital. The interest-only loan carries a 12-month term with two six-month extension options and an all-in interest rate of 11 percent. The financing was underwritten based on the property’s forecast stabilized value of $8 million.

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WASHINGTON, D.C. — Total nonfarm employment in the United States increased by 216,000 jobs in December 2023, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). This jump significantly exceeds the one predicted by Dow Jones economists, who expected an increase of 170,000, according to CNBC. This number falls slightly below the 2023 monthly average increase of 225,000, and the unemployment rate remained unchanged at 3.7 percent. Government employment comprised a significant portion of the total, with 52,000 positions added. Growth occurred primarily at a local level as municipal governments added 37,000 jobs, whereas the federal government added 7,000. The BLS calculates the monthly average for government employment growth in 2023 was 56,000 jobs, which is more than double the average of 23,000 in 2022. Ryan Severino, managing director, chief economist and head of U.S. research at BentallGreenOak (BGO), says that government entities were challenged in 2022 because workers had the upper hand in the labor market as the private sector was actively hiring across various categories, which led to more mobility for employees. He says the government sector experienced a market correction of sorts in 2023. “People aren’t leaving jobs as quickly as they once were, and the slowdown …

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WASHINGTON, D.C. — Retail spending in November aligned with expectations and portends a strong holiday season, reports the National Retail Federation (NRF). Citing information for November provided by the U.S. Census Bureau, the NRF says that core retail sales — excluding automobile dealers, gasoline stations and restaurants — were up 3.3 percent year-over-year on a three-month moving average. According to the bureau, overall retail sales in November were up 4.1 percent year-over-year. The NRF predicts that holiday retail sales, which fall between Nov. 1 and Dec. 31, will meet the federation’s forecast and increase between 3 percent and 4 percent relative to 2022, reaching between $957.3 billion and $966.6 billion. The Wall Street Journal reports that the deceleration of inflation might “make consumers feel better” and “weigh on retail revenue.” The consumer price index (CPI) slipped from 3.2 percent in October to 3.1 percent in November, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

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WASHINGTON, D.C. — “Eatertainment” operator State of Play plans to open an 8,546-square-foot Flight Club darts venue in Washington, D.C. Scheduled to open summer 2024 and marking the 13th location for the brand, Flight Club D.C. will be situated at 641 New York Ave. NW within 655 New York, a 756,000-square-foot mixed-use development by Brookfield Properties. Other tenants at 655 New York, which features 79,000 square feet of retail space, include Rumi’s Kitchen, Capital Burger, Pearl’s Bagels, Kinship, Metier and Compass Coffee.

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WASHINGTON, D.C. — Total nonfarm employment in the United States rose by 199,000 jobs in November, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). CNBC reports that the figure slightly beats estimates from Dow Jones economists who predicted an increase of 190,000. This also marks an increase from the 150,000 jobs gained in October but below the average monthly gain of 240,000 over the prior 12 months. Private sector employment constituted 150,000 of the added jobs, with 49,000 jobs added in the government. Healthcare saw a significant increase, with the addition of 77,000 jobs, above the average monthly gain of 54,000 over the prior 12 months. The manufacturing and leisure and hospitality industries added 28,000 and 40,000 jobs, respectively, and the social assistance sector saw a more modest increase of 16,000. Employment in information and transportation and warehousing changed little, and retail trade employment declined by 38,000 jobs. The U.S. unemployment rate in November fell to 3.7 percent from 3.9 percent in October, beating expectations from Dow Jones economists who forecasted the rate would remain unchanged. Employment numbers for September and October saw minimal revisions. The BLS revised September job gains down by 35,000 from 297,000 to 262,000, and …

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WASHINGTON, D.C. — Marcus & Millichap has brokered the sale of a 26-unit apartment building located at 2724 11th St. NW in the Columbia Heights neighborhood of Washington, D.C. The transaction follows a decade of legal disputes and a Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing by the seller. Nick Murray, Marty Zupancic and John Slowinski of Marcus & Millichap arranged the sale. The undisclosed buyer plans to implement a redevelopment at the property. The sales price was not disclosed.

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LOS ANGELES — Thorofare Capital Inc., a Los Angeles-based affiliate of asset management platform Callodine Group LLC, has provided a $125.9 million loan for a medical office portfolio in greater Washington, D.C. The portfolio comprises eight properties totaling more than 705,000 square feet, the majority of which are situated on or adjacent to hospital campuses. Thorofare Capital provided the three-year, floating-rate loan to the borrower, an investment vehicle managed by Chicago-based Harrison Street. Felix Gutnikov, Jacob Yi and Nicholas Krueger of Thorofare Capital originated the financing. John Nero, Ben Appel, Jay Miele and Michael Greeley of Newmark’s Healthcare Capital Markets Group arranged the loan.

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WASHINGTON, D.C. — Newmark has arranged a 27,581-square-foot office lease at 11 Dupont, a six-story, 153,228-square-foot office building in Washington, D.C.’s Dupont Circle district. The tenant is American Enterprise Institute (AEI), a public policy think tank. Brendan Owen, Ed Clark and Max Planning of Newmark represented the landlord, The RMR Group, in the lease transaction. Mark Wooters and Aaron Pomerantz of Cushman & Wakefield represented AEI. The RMR Group recently completed a multimillion-dollar renovation to 11 Dupont.

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