BELLWOOD, ILL. — Evergreen Real Estate Group has topped off construction of Bellwood Senior Apartments in Bellwood, a western suburb of Chicago. The 80-unit affordable seniors housing property is slated for completion in August. The $30 million project replaces a former Walgreens property. Operated by Evergreen’s in-house management team, Bellwood Senior Apartments will be reserved for residents age 62 or older with incomes at or below 60 percent of the area median income. General contractor F.H. Paschen has completed the concrete block masonry and precast plank structure. The construction crew is currently installing mechanical, electrical, plumbing and fire protection, which will be followed by drywall work, windows and façade finishes. Weese Langley Weese Architects Ltd. is the project architect. Amenities will include laundry rooms on each level, three community rooms, storage rooms and a fitness center. The Illinois Housing Development Authority served as the tax credit issuer and subordinate funds provider. The Village of Bellwood provided tax-increment financing incentives and a loan. Additionally, Bank of America is the investor and construction loan lender, Hudson Housing Capital syndicated the tax credits and Cook County provided HOME funds.
Development
GPI Cos. Receives $84M Construction Financing for Overland and Ayres Apartment Community in West Los Angeles
by Jeff Shaw
LOS ANGELES — GPI Cos. has received $84 million in financing for construction of Overland and Ayres, a 201-unit apartment community in West Los Angeles. Located 2455 Overland Ave., Overland and Ayres will be fully integrated with the newly constructed West End creative campus. It will feature 100 percent market-rate units, with amenities like a podium pool deck and outdoor fitness lawn. The community will also include about 6,200 square feet of commercial space. JLL secured the floating-rate construction loan through Citizens.
CBRE Negotiates $17.7M Sale of Thousand Oaks Office Property for Life Sciences Conversion
by Jeff Shaw
THOUSAND OAKS, CALIF. — CBRE has arranged the sale of a 98,776-square-foot office building in Thousand Oaks for $17.7 million. The firm also arranged $42 million in financing for the acquisition and speculative conversion to a life sciences campus. Located at 120 Via Merida and built in 1998, the two-story office building sits on 6.7 acres and was previously the corporate headquarters for Wellpoint Health Networks. The property’s existing infrastructure is well suited to be redeveloped for life sciences use, according to CBRE. It features 50,000-square-foot floor plates, steel frame construction, outdoor balconies, grade-high dock door and ample power supply. Gray Matter, the life sciences initiative of Graymark Capital, has engaged architect BAM Creative to develop a phased conversion plan. Upon completion, the property will feature 60 percent lab-ready space with upgraded mechanical, electrical and plumbing, and 40 percent newly built creative office space to support the lab. The property will also undergo exterior and site improvements to the power system, loading area, indoor/outdoor amenity areas, cosmetics, roof and parking lot. CBRE’s Mike Longo, Sean Sullivan and Todd Tydlaska represented the seller, a Los Angeles-based private equity firm, in the sale. CBRE’s Greg Grant arranged financing on behalf of the …
HUNTINGTON PARK, CALIF. — North Palisade Partners has opened its first self-storage facility, located at 2200 Nadeau St. in Huntington Park, just south of Los Angeles. The three-story, 133,000-square-foot facility sits on two acres and features more than 1,500 units. Extra Space Storage will operate the property, which is named Palisade Nadeau Storage.
Fox Corp. Plans $1.5B Expansion to Historic Fox Studio Lot in Los Angeles, Including New Office Towers
by John Nelson
LOS ANGELES — Fox Corp. has submitted plans to the City of Los Angeles to expand the historic Fox Studio Lot as part of a project known as “The FOX FUTURE Studio Lot Project.” The plan is expected to cost approximately $1.5 billion and generate $9 million in annual tax revenues. The Fox Studio Lot currently comprises 1.8 million square feet across 96 buildings. The FOX FUTURE Studio Lot Project would add 1.6 million square feet of new development, including nine new soundstages, as well as production facilities and a 24-story media campus office building. The media campus office is intended to receive LEED Platinum certification and will feature shared and private offices designed for film and TV production. Fox is seeking a development partner to construct a 35-story building toward the northeast section of the Fox Studio lot that will directly connect to the studio lot and the Century City subway station, but will function as independent office space. This building will also be designed with LEED Platinum certification in mind. Plans also call for upgrades to existing facilities, a historic preservation plan for key buildings, seismic retrofits of older buildings and a renovation of Fox Sports Studio A. “The Fox …
WEATHERFORD, TEXAS — A joint venture between TruLife Communities and build-to-rent owner-operator Advenir Oakley has broken ground on LEO at Bethel Place, a 200-unit project in the southern Fort Worth suburb of Weatherford. Designed by Gaylen Howard Laing Architects, the property will offer a mix of one-, two- and three-bedroom homes that will average 781, 1,130 and 1,500 square feet, respectively. The amenity package will comprise courtyards with pavilions and grill stations, a central clubhouse with a pool and fitness center, dog park, pickleball court, putting green, walking trail system and a community garden. Full completion is slated for December 2024.
AUSTIN, TEXAS — Locally based developer The Geyser Group is nearing completion of The Johnny, a 76-unit multifamily project in Central Austin. Geyser Group is developing the project in partnership with The Sephira Group. Units come in studio, one- and two-bedroom formats and are furnished with quartz countertops, stainless steel appliances and individual washers and dryers. In addition, 16 of the residences are reserved for renters earning 60 percent or less of the area median income. Communal amenities include a fitness center and a rooftop deck with an outdoor kitchen. Full completion is slated for April.
Walker & Dunlop Arranges $51M Construction Financing for City Hall, Affordable Housing Project in South Florida
by John Nelson
OAKLAND PARK, FLA. — Walker & Dunlop has arranged $51 million in construction financing for Sky Building, a mixed-use development located in the South Florida city of Oakland Park. The borrower, locally based NRI Investments, previously signed a development agreement, lease agreement and purchase and sale agreement for the 2.1- acre site with the City of Oakland Park. Sky Building will house 136 affordable and workforce units, which are connected by a skybridge to the City of Oakland Park’s new City Hall, alongside roughly 15,000 square feet of ground-floor retail space. The site is within an opportunity zone approximately three miles north of downtown Fort Lauderdale. Jeremy Pino, Livingston Hessam, Carl Passmore, Kyle Miller, David Strange and Keith Melton of Walker & Dunlop arranged the financing via senior construction lenders and debt and equity funds. The financing was underwritten at 80 percent loan-to-cost and is non-recourse through the capital stack, according to Walker & Dunlop. The construction timeline for Sky Building was not disclosed.
Placemakr Opens 89-Unit Hotel-Residential Property in Nashville’s Wedgewood-Houston Neighborhood
by John Nelson
NASHVILLE, TENN. — Placemakr, a tech-centric hospitality and multifamily operator, has opened its third Nashville location. The 89-unit property is located at 321 Hart St. in the city’s Wedgewood-Houston neighborhood. Placemakr Wedgewood-Houston, formerly a Bento Living building, features apartment-style units for nightly hotel, short-term rental and long-term furnished housing stays. Units range from micro studios to two-bedroom apartments. According to the property website, a one-night stay this weekend ranges from $169 to $379. Guests have access to an outdoor rooftop terrace with views of downtown Nashville, a fitness center, meeting spaces, onsite bodega, coffee bar and an onsite Pacific-Rim-inspired restaurant. Placemakr’s other Nashville locations are in SoBro and Music Row.
SJC Ventures Adds Firebirds Wood Fired Grill to Pinnacle Springs Mixed-Use Development in Rogers, Arkansas
by John Nelson
ROGERS, ARK. — Atlanta-based SJC Ventures has signed casual American restaurant chain Firebirds Wood Fired Grill to join the tenant roster at Pinnacle Springs, a mixed-use development underway in Rogers. The 80,498-square-foot development will be anchored by Whole Foods Market. Construction at the site, located at the corner of West Seneca Road and South Promenade Boulevard, will begin this spring. Firebirds Wood Fired Grill is tentatively planned to open in the fourth quarter of 2024. Tina Howard of SJC Ventures is leading the leasing assignment for Pinnacle Springs. The developer plans to announce more tenants in the near future. North Carolina-based Firebirds Wood Fired Grill has more than 60 locations across the country, and the Pinnacle Springs location will be its first in Arkansas.