FLORHAM PARK, N.J. — Cushman & Wakefield has brokered the sale of a 168,144-square-foot office building located at 325 Columbia Turnpike in Florham Park, about 30 miles west of New York City. The three-story building is situated on 15 acres and offers amenities such as a recently renovated cafeteria and onsite tenant storage units. The property was 85 percent leased at the time of sale. Andy Merin, David Bernhaut, Gary Gabriel, Frank DiTommaso and Seth Zudiema represented the seller, Mack-Cali, in the transaction. The team also procured the buyer, Connecticut-based investment firm The Birch Group.
LONG ISLAND CITY, N.Y. — Locally based investment firm Botanic Properties has acquired a 97,047-square-foot flex building located at 24-02 Queens Plaza in the Long Island City area of Queens. Apex Technical School has occupied the entirety of the three-story building since 2012. Christopher Peck, Steve Klein and Thomas Pryor of JLL arranged a $24 million fixed-rate acquisition loan through MSD Partners on behalf of the borrower. The seller was not disclosed.
The COVID-19 pandemic has forced commercial real estate owners to explore every possible avenue to raise funds, and one of the more popular transactional methods to secure capital in recent months has proven to be sale-leasebacks. Jeff Berryhill, principal of Stonemont Financial Group, says that companies that have traditionally owned their real estate are turning to sale-leasebacks because it mimics many aspects of ownership, such as long-term control of the asset. “During recessionary times or periods of extreme capital markets volatility, a sale-leaseback can appear more attractive to companies that historically owned real estate,” says Berryhill. “However, leasing real estate has always been appealing to both large and small companies, and strong and weak credit profiles.” According to research from Real Capital Analytics (RCA), sale-leaseback deals accounted for 5 percent of all investment sales in the U.S. industrial, office and retail transactions in the second quarter. For the previous three quarters, sale-leasebacks accounted for 2 percent of investment sales in those sectors for deals $2.5 million and greater. Recent sale-leaseback deals include Jervey Eye Group selling and leasing back a portfolio of medical office facilities in Upstate South Carolina; Crash Champions selling a portfolio of auto body shops in metro …
ATLANTA — Preferred Apartment Communities (PAC) has entered into an agreement with TPG Real Estate Partners to sell an eight-property student housing portfolio for $478.7 million. The portfolio is located in Arizona, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina and Texas. The Atlanta-based seller expects the sale to close by the end of the year. The Arizona property is SoL, a 639-bed community serving students in Tempe. The Florida properties are NxNW, a 679-bed community in Tallahassee, and Knightshade, an 894-bed complex in Orlando. In Georgia, PAC will sell Stadium Village, a 792-bed property in Kennesaw. PAC will also sell Rush, an 887-bed asset in Charlotte, N.C. The Texas communities included in the sale are The Tradition, an 808-bed complex in College Station, and The Bloc, a 556-bed property in Lubbock. CBRE represented the seller in the transaction. PAC is a REIT whose portfolio includes apartment communities, grocery-anchored shopping centers, Class A office buildings and student housing communities.
ALPHARETTA, GA. — Crescent Real Estate LLC has acquired The Hotel at Avalon, a 330-room property within Avalon in Alpharetta. The hotel, which is part of the Marriott Autograph Collection brand, opened in 2018 and features a 65,000-square-foot conference center, 44,000 square feet of multi-function space, a fitness center, pool, full-service Starbucks and a South City Kitchen restaurant. The Fort Worth, Texas-based buyer has retained HEI Hotels & Resorts to manage the property. Bill Hodges, Mark Elliott, Todd Ratliff, Pete Dannemiller, Nate Ries, Coby Campbell and Nic Howe of Hodges Ward Elliott represented the seller, a partnership between Stormont Hospitality Group, North American Properties and Long Wharf Capital, in the transaction. The sales price was not disclosed. Avalon is a $1 billion mixed-use development spanning 86 acres. Developed in phases by North American Properties, Avalon features 500,000 square feet of retail space, more than 20 restaurants, 600,000 square feet of office space and more than 600 residential units. The Hotel at Avalon is the only hotel on the property. Avalon’s tenant base includes Whole Foods Market, Tesla, Apple, Microsoft, Sundance, Arhaus, The Container Store, lululemon athletica, Peloton, Pottery Barn, a 12-screen Regal theater, West Elm and Williams Sonoma, among others.
SAN ANTONIO — The Multifamily Group (TMG), a Dallas-based brokerage firm, has arranged the sale of Sungate Apartments, a 66-unit community in San Antonio. The property was built in 1972 and features one-bedroom units and amenities such as a pool and an outdoor grilling area. Chris Siemasko of TMG represented the locally based seller in the transaction, and Bryce Smith of TMG procured the buyer. Both parties requested anonymity.
DALLAS — Henry S. Miller Brokerage has negotiated the sale of an 11,800-square-foot industrial building that is situated on roughly half an acre at 9101 Sovereign Row in northwest Dallas. Dan Spika of Henry S. Miller represented the seller, Hart-Willis Cos., in the transaction. Stephen Williamson of Lee & Associates represented the buyer, Dallas-based Mattu Enterprises LLC.
MALVERN, PA. — Avison Young has brokered the sale of a 106,000-square-foot office building located at 70 Valley Stream Parkway in Malvern, located northwest of Philadelphia. The building formerly served as the headquarters of digital services and printing firm Ricoh USA. Scott Williams and Ryan FitzPatrick of Avison Young represented the seller, Star 79VS Owner LLC, in the transaction. The buyer, Commonwealth Charter Academy, purchased the asset for $15.3 million.
FREEHOLD, N.J. — UMH Properties Inc. (NYSE: UMH), a New Jersey-based REIT, has acquired a manufactured housing community in New York for $4.5 million. The 21-acre property offers 163 developed home sites, about 70 percent of which are occupied. The seller was not disclosed. UMH Properties owns and operates 124 manufactured housing communities totaling roughly 23,400 developed home sites across eight states.
SACRAMENTO, CALIF. — CBRE has negotiated the sale of The Davenport, an apartment community located at 941 43rd Ave. in Sacramento. An affiliate of Abacus Capital Group sold the asset to an undisclosed buyer for $22.5 million. The seller invested in extensive capital renovations to the building exteriors and common area spaces while upgrading 10 percent of the unit interiors. Built in 1970, the 126-unit property features an upgraded swimming pool; remodeled clubhouse, leasing office and fitness center; barbecue area with two gas grills; dog park; laundry facilities; secured gate access; and covered parking. Marc Ross of CBRE’s Sacramento office brokered the sale.