MARSHALL, MINN. — The U.S. Department of Energy Loan Programs Office has provided a $213.6 million loan guarantee to support the construction of Solugen’s Bioforge Marshall facility in Southwest Minnesota. The 500,000-square-foot facility will produce bio-based chemical products for use in wastewater treatment, industrial wastewater, construction, agriculture and the energy sector. The project is designed to reduce annual carbon emissions by up to 18 million kilograms compared with incumbent production methods. Construction began in April, and production at the facility is scheduled to begin in fall 2025. The development will create up to 100 jobs during construction and 56 full-time manufacturing jobs once fully operational.
Loans
BWE Arranges $66.5M Construction Financing for Plaza de Perris Shopping Center Expansion in Perris, California
by Amy Works
PERRIS, CALIF. — BWE has arranged $66.5 million in construction financing for a new phase of development at Plaza de Perris, a retail center located in the Inland Empire city of Perris. Upon completion, the property will span 363,582 square feet and feature a Target location. Wood Investments, the borrower and developer, purchased the center in 2017 and previously completed the addition of 118,000 square feet of retail space at the property in 2019 and 2020. Upon completion of construction, Target will join the center as a tenant. Other tenants at the center, which was 99 percent leased at the time of financing, include Ross Dress for Less, Ulta Beauty, Burlington Coat Factory, Planet Fitness and Five Below. Tom Kenny and Josh Boehling of BWE secured a $55.5 million loan through a life insurance company, as well as an $11 million joint-venture equity investment, on behalf of the borrower.
COLUMBUS AND MACEDONIA, OHIO — National Church Residences has received two 9 percent Low-Income Housing Tax Credits (LIHTC) awards from the Ohio Housing Finance Agency for two affordable housing projects in Ohio. Divinity Landing is a new 54-unit affordable seniors housing property to be developed in Macedonia, a suburb of Akron. The three-story property will feature a community room, exercise center, multipurpose room, outdoor patio and onsite walking paths. The Commons at Grant, an existing 100-unit permanent supportive housing community in Columbus, was originally constructed in 2002 through the 9 percent LIHTC program. The development provides affordable housing for formerly homeless, veterans and disabled individuals. The planned renovation will include upgrades to apartments and common areas, as well as a new roof and windows. Construction on both projects is slated to begin as early as spring 2025.
AMARILLO, TEXAS — New York City-based Dwight Capital has provided a $58.6 million HUD-insured loan for Residences at Town Square, a 32-acre mixed-use property in Amarillo that consists of 480 residential units and 121,360 square feet of commercial space. The residential component comprises four five-story apartment buildings, and the commercial space houses a dental office, nail bar, spa, retail merchandising and restaurant users. Daniel Malka of Dwight Capital originated the debt through HUD’s 223(f) program on behalf of the borrower, Williams Group. Daniel Hartnett of Greysteel served as the loan correspondent.
Berkadia Arranges $400M Construction Loan for Condo Development on Fisher Island in South Florida
by John Nelson
FISHER ISLAND, FLA. — Berkadia has arranged a $400 million construction loan for the development of The Residences at Six Fisher Island, an ultra-luxury condominium property in Miami-Dade County. The 10-story development will feature 50 for-sale condos and high-end amenities on the northeastern shoreline of Fisher Island, a barrier island east of Miami. Scott Wadler, Michael Basinski, Patrick Johnson, Mitch Sinberg, Brad Williamson and Matthew Robbins of Berkadia arranged the loan through Madison Realty Capital. The borrowers — Related Group, Teddy Sagi, BH Group and Wanxiang America RE Group — launched sales for The Residences at Six Fisher Island in late 2022, generating more than $500 million in sales to date. Two of the property’s penthouses sold earlier this year for a combined total of $150 million, with remaining inventory targeting prices north of $4,000 per square foot. The project is set to begin construction this summer, with completion slated for 2026.
BOYNTON BEACH, FLA. — JLL has secured $52.3 million in construction financing from First Citizens Bank for Egret Point Logistics Center, a 457,110-square-foot industrial development underway at 3800 S. Congress Ave. in Boynton Beach. Steven Klein, Melissa Rose and Mateo Bolivar of JLL arranged the financing on behalf of the borrower, a joint venture between Foundry Commercial and Wheelock Street Capital. Once the site for a Baptist Health System clinic, Egret Point is situated on a 30.8-acre site about 22 miles south of West Palm Beach with frontage along I-95. The development will feature two Class A logistics buildings of varying sizes. The construction timeline was not disclosed.
BWE Provides $39.4M HUD Construction Loan for Pueblo Springs Multifamily Community in Pueblo, Colorado
by Amy Works
PUEBLO SPRINGS, COLO. — BWE, on behalf of ESH Development, has secured a $39.5 million HUD 221(d)(4) loan to finance the development of Pueblo Springs, a Class A market-rate apartment project in Pueblo, approximately 45 miles south of Colorado Springs. James Swanson of BWE’s Phoenix office originated the financing. The HUD-insured loan provides for a combined construction and permanent financing for market-rate multifamily projects. The non-recourse, fully assumable loan features a 40-year, fully amortizing term that will qualify for HUD’s reduced rates for eco-friendly developments upon final construction and delivery of units. Pueblo Springs will feature 199 units with nine-foot ceilings in select units, walk-in closets, ceiling fans, private balconies or patios, soaking tubs, breakfast bars, pantries, granite or quartz countertops, and stainless steel and Energy Star appliances, including in-unit washers/dryers. Community amenities will include a clubhouse with Wi-Fi, a fitness center, business center/e-lounge, community room with gourmet kitchen, bike storage, heated pool and spa, barbecue and picnic areas, walking paths, extensive landscaping, 24-hour emergency staff and gated entry. Colorado Structures is serving as general contractor for the project, which will be built to a high standard of energy efficiency.
PORTLAND, ORE. — Gantry has arranged a $16.2 million permanent loan for the acquisition of a warehouse facility located at 6447 N. Cutter Circle in Portland. FedEx Ground fully occupies the 212,000-square-foot building, which was redeveloped in 2015. The 126-door, cross-docked facility offers ready access to the Port of Portland, Interstate 5, Union Pacific Railroad and Portland International Airport. Tony Kaufmann and Joe Foley of Gantry’s San Francisco production office represented the borrower, a private real estate investor. The long-term, fixed-rate loan was secured from one of Gantry’s correspondent life company lenders and structured with a term that exceeds the tenant’s firm lease term. The loan features interest-only payments for half the term, followed by a 30-year amortization period.
Last fall’s ebullience over the Federal Reserve’s likelihood of cutting the federal funds rate early and frequently in 2024 quickly faded as inflation remained too high for the Fed’s liking. Wall Street traders who make wagers on the Fed’s actions keep pushing their rate cut bets further into the year, according to CME Group, a derivatives marketplace. In early March, for example, nearly 75 percent of traders wagered on a rate cut in June. As of early June, less than 2 percent expected one. The most recent Fed meeting, on June 13, has confirmed this assumption that a rate cut is at least months away, if not longer. If and when the central bank cuts rates this year, the cost of capital is unlikely to approach the historically low levels of the last few years. As a result, the growing interest rate mantra of “higher for longer” may be finally convincing commercial property buyers and sellers to meet on pricing. New York-based research organization MSCI Real Assets recently noted that commercial property sales continued to slow in the first quarter of 2024 — a year-over-year decline of 16 percent to $78.9 billion. But it suggested that investors might be encouraged …
HOUSTON — Lone Star PACE has provided $15 million in C-PACE financing for a 53,000-square-foot retail property located within The Allen mixed-use development near downtown Houston. Lone Star PACE partnered with lender Nuveen Green Capital to administer the financing. Locally based developer DC Partners owns The Allen. C-PACE (commercial property-assessed clean energy) financing allows commercial borrowers to obtain favorable loan terms in exchange for implementing eco-friendly devices and initiatives at their properties.