CHICAGO — Sterling Bay has topped out construction of 160 N Morgan, the firm’s first residential building in Chicago’s Fulton Market district. The 282-unit apartment building will feature amenities such as an exterior rooftop pool deck, fitness center, training room, outdoor fitness deck, resident lounge, covered outdoor dog run and coworking spaces. Sterling Bay is developing the project in partnership with Ascentris, a Denver-based real estate private equity firm. The project’s capital structure includes senior-secured financing from CIBC Bank USA. Sterling Bay has set aside 28 units for affordable housing. Chicago-based bKL Architecture is the project architect. Walsh Group is leading construction alongside joint venture partner BOWA Construction. Pre-leasing is scheduled to begin in July. The first units are slated for completion in September.
EXCELSIOR, MINN. — Locally based Red Leaf Partners LLC and Monarch Development Partners LLC are developing One West Drive, a 49-unit apartment building in Excelsior, a western suburb of Minneapolis. The project site is situated near Lake Minnetonka and dozens of restaurants and shops. The development will include a 322-stall parking garage, of which 78 stalls will be dedicated to One West Drive residents. Andy Finn of Northmarq arranged equity and debt financing for the project. Denver-based Brue Baukol Capital Partners is the equity partner, and MidWestOne Bank is providing a construction loan. The loan features a 65 percent leverage on a three-year term with three years of interest-only payments.
LOS ANGELES — Landmark Properties has announced plans to develop a student housing community near the University of Southern California (USC) campus in Los Angeles. Located at the corner of West 39th and South Figueroa streets, the property will offer 435 units in studio through five-bedroom configurations. The development will also include 87 affordably priced units, which will be reserved for students at the low-income level or below. Landmark is still in the planning phase for the project, which is expected to feature more than 1,500 beds. Shared amenities will include a clubhouse; rooftop resort-style swimming pool and grilling area; computer lab; fitness center; on-site parking; and 20,000 square feet of ground-floor retail. Construction is set to begin by the end of 2023, with completion scheduled for fall 2026. Landmark Urban Construction will serve as general contractor for this project. Kevin Shannon, Ken White, Greg Galusha, Bryan Norcott, Ryan Lang, Jack Brett, Chris Benton and Anthony Muhlstein of Newmark, in collaboration with Eric Bergstrom at Bergstrom Capital Advisors, brokered the acquisition of the development site from Ventus Group for an undisclosed price.
RENO, NEV. — Alston Construction has broken ground on TRIC 688 West Building 3, an 815,360-square-foot speculative tilt warehouse/distribution facility in Reno. The project is the first building for Locus Development Group’s planned 200-acre campus. The project will allow for increased economic activity in an underdeveloped area with unused land. Valued at $47 million, construction on Building 3 is scheduled for completion in January 2024.
FONTANA, CALIF. — Alere Property Group has purchased a 17.4-acre site in Fontana for $38.9 million. Located at 13592 Slover Ave., just off Interstate 10 between North Etiwanda and Cherry avenues, the site is entitled for two Class A warehouse distribution buildings totaling about 350,000 square feet. Alere plans to develop the property in 2024 and offer the buildings for lease. Richard Lee, Nicholas Chang, Justin Kuehn and Sione Fua of the Lee Chang Kuehn Fua Group of NAI Capital Commercial’s Ontario office represented both Alere and the seller, CP Fontana, in the transaction.
LAS VEGAS — DXD Capital has completed development of a 991-unit self-storage facility at 7435 West Sahara Ave. in Las Vegas. The company acquired the 1.7-acre parcel in January 2021. The development features two interior loading bays with room for three trucks in a fully climate-controlled building with two freight elevators, in addition to a storefront with moving supplies. Studio Level 1 designed the property, with Arco Murray as the general contractor. Public Storage is the operator.
NORTH RICHLAND HILLS, TEXAS — Merlin Entertainments, an operator based in the United Kingdom, will open a theme park in North Richland Hills, a suburb of Fort Worth, that will be dedicated to children’s character Peppa Pig. The size of the park, which will feature multiple rides, interactive attractions, themed playscapes and shows, was not disclosed. The location, which is next to the NRH2O Family Water Park, formerly housed Mountasia Family Fun Center. The opening is slated for 2024. Merlin Entertainments, which operates facilities for concepts including Legoland and Sea Life Aquariums, has a licensing agreement with toymaker Hasbro, which owns the intellectual property rights to Peppa Pig and associated characters.
FORT WORTH, TEXAS — Locally based developer Palladium USA is underway on construction of Palladium Oak Grove, a 240-unit mixed-income residential project in Fort Worth. Residences will come in one, two- and three-bedroom formats, and amenities will include a pool, fitness center, conference center, dog park, computer lounge, kid’s playroom and a resident clubroom. Cross Architects is designing the project, and Treymore Construction is the general contractor. The Texas Department of Housing & Community Affairs issued $25.6 million in tax-exempt bonds that were purchased by Cedar Rapids Bank & Trust to fund the project. PNC Bank also provided over $23 million in equity. Palladium Oak Grove’s first units are expected to be complete in May 2024.
TALLAHASSEE, FLA. — KeyBank Community Development Lending and Investment (CDLI) and KeyBank Real Estate Capital have provided $49 million in construction financing for Magnolia Family II, an affordable housing development in Tallahassee. The community’s 160 units will feature 128 apartments that will be affordable to households earning 33 percent and 60 percent of the area median income (AMI). The remaining 32 units will be rented at market rates. The borrower is Columbia Residential, which is developing Magnolia Family II in partnership with the landowner, Tallahassee Housing Authority. CDLI provided a $33 million construction loan and a $15.9 million Freddie Mac forward commitment permanent loan to Columbia Residential. Reginald Fenn of CDLI and Leslie Meyers of KeyBank originated the financing. Additionally, RBC provided $19.5 million in LIHTC equity, and Tallahassee Housing Authority approved project-based vouchers. Magnolia Family II is the second phase of the redevelopment of a public housing complex operated by the Tallahassee Housing Authority that was originally constructed between 1971 and 1972. Phase I of Magnolia Family is set to open in November.
NORTH BERGEN, N.J. — Hall Structured Finance, a Dallas-based lender, has provided a $52.5 million construction loan for The Braddock Apartments, a 135-unit multifamily project located across the Hudson River from Midtown Manhattan in North Bergen. New York City-based Sanz Management is developing the 10-story building, which will also house 2,400 square feet of retail space. Units will come in studio, one- and two-bedroom floor plans and will be furnished with stainless steel appliances, walk-in closets and individual washers and dryers. Private balconies/patios will also be available in select residences. Amenities will include a fitness center, coworking lounge and a rooftop terrace. Peter Nicoletti, Dylan Kane and Zach Redding of Colliers arranged the loan. Construction is slated for a summer 2025 completion.