CHICAGO — Four Star Mushrooms (FSM) has signed a lease to open an 11,000-square-foot production facility at 300 N. Oakley St. in Chicago’s Kinzie Industrial Corridor. The facility represents a significant expansion from the company’s current 1,800-square-foot space. FSM’s mission is to revolutionize the cultivation of rare, unique and nutrient-dense mushrooms to help build sustainable food and ecological systems. The new facility will feature a commercial kitchen, wet lab, dry lab, cold storage, retail storefront and dining concept. Dimitri Tsiribas and Michael Conway of JLL represented FSM in the site selection process. Controlled environment agriculture, which involves the cultivation of plants and fungi in an indoor setting, is a rapidly growing sector of the food and agriculture market, according to JLL.
CHICAGO — Logistics Property Co. has unveiled plans to develop 1237 West Division, an industrial project on the west side of Chicago that will span 600,000 square feet of logistics space across two floors. The city’s first multi-story warehouse will also offer both rooftop parking and an adjacent five-story parking garage. Logistics Property recently closed on the 11.5-acre land sale in Chicago’s Goose Island neighborhood and received approval from the Chicago City Council for the project. Situated adjacent to the four-way interchange at Division Street and Elston Avenue, 1237 West Division is located 3.5 miles from the Chicago Loop and 15 miles from Chicago O’Hare International Airport. The JLL team of Michael Conway, Leslie Lanne, Dan McGillicuddy and Gavin Stainthorpe will lease and market the property. “1237 West Division provides flexibility for companies that must get closer to their customers,” says Lanne, who leads JLL’s urban infill group. “It gives them access to modern distribution space, which urban core markets are severely lacking.” The first level of 1237 West Division will feature 36-foot clear heights, 28 dock doors and two drive-in doors. The second floor, which will be accessible by separate two-way, double-wide ramps, will feature 33-foot clear heights, 28 …
CHICAGO — Draper and Kramer’s Commercial Finance Group has arranged two loans totaling $114 million for two apartment developments in Chicago. Tandem Development was the borrower for both transactions. The first was a $58.4 million construction loan for 1044 West Van Buren, a 196-unit apartment project with 1,775 square feet of first-floor retail space in the West Loop neighborhood. Construction began on the building, designed by Antunovich Associates, in April. Completion is slated for the second quarter of 2023. The HUD 221(d)(4) loan features a 40-year term and a 40-year amortization schedule. The second loan totaled $55.6 million for the refinancing of Avenir Apartments in Chicago’s River West. Completed in 2019, the transit-oriented development features 196 units and 32,558 square feet of commercial space. Antunovich Associates also designed this property. The HUD 223(f) loan features a 35-year term and a 35-year amortization schedule. Matt Wurtzebach of Draper and Kramer originated both loans with assistance from colleagues Jeff Ross and Kevan Briscoe.
LOCKPORT, ILL. — Dwight Capital has provided a $49.8 million HUD 223(f) loan for the refinancing of Highland Ridge Apartments in Lockport, a southwest suburb of Chicago. Completed in 2019, the garden-style multifamily property consists of 240 units across 12 buildings. Amenities include a dog park, fitness center, pool, theater, shuffleboard and yoga room. Brandon Baksh of Dwight originated the 35-year loan on behalf of the borrower, Heartland Real Estate Partners. The fixed-rate loan benefitted from a Green Mortgage Insurance Premium (MIP) reduction set at 25 basis points because the property is Energy Star-certified.
CHICAGO — Marcus & Millichap has brokered the sale of 7100 South Shore Drive, a 164-unit multifamily property in Chicago’s South Shore neighborhood. The sales price was undisclosed. Originally constructed in 1923, the building has received updates in recent years such as the addition of Amazon Hub lockers, gated parking and a fitness center. Ryan Engle, Andrean Angelov and Zack Mahoney of Marcus & Millichap represented the seller, Morgan Properties, and procured the buyer, James Oppenheimer of New City Property Management. The buyer plans to update common areas, including renovating and repurposing the building’s vacant ballroom.
LISLE, ILL. — NAI Hiffman has negotiated five new leases totaling nearly 30,000 square feet at 2200 Cabot Drive, an office building in the Corporate Lakes office park in Lisle, a western suburb of Chicago. Patrick Kiefer and Jim Adler of NAI Hiffman represented ownership, RE Development Solutions. The tenants included CAGE Civil Engineering, Capitas Financial Midwest, NSA Media, TD Synnex and Mathieson, Moyski, Austin & Co. LLP. Brokers representing the tenants included Patrick Elwood of CBRE, William Main of CBIZ Gibraltar, Diana Riekse of CBRE, Kevin Rogers of JLL and Scott Fedyski and Jay Scholten of Capital Real Estate Partners. Built in 1990 and previously renovated in 2002, 2200 Cabot rises five stories and spans 132,000 rentable square feet. RE Development Solutions has been renovating the property since its acquisition in November 2019. Approximately 70,000 square feet of the building remains available for lease.
PERU, ILL. — Cawley Chicago has arranged the sale of a 3,600-square-foot retail building located at 1320 38th St. in Peru, about 60 miles north of Peoria. The sales price was undisclosed. Jon Chamlin of Cawley Chicago represented the seller, the Stark family. Kevin Schultz of Newmark represented the buyer, Stash Holding LLC, which is a cannabis dispensary group. Jimmy John’s previously occupied the property.
NEW YORK CITY AND CHICAGO — Private real estate funds managed by Brookfield Asset Management (NYSE: BAM) have agreed to acquire Chicago-based hospitality REIT Watermark Lodging Trust for $3.8 billion. Watermark’s portfolio was constructed over the past decade and currently consists of 25 luxury hotels and resorts totaling 8,100 rooms across 14 states. The properties are primarily located in Sun Belt markets. Under the terms of the deal, Brookfield will acquire all outstanding shares of Watermark’s common stock for approximately $6.73 per share. The purchase price represents a premium of more than 7.5 percent from the most recently published net asset values per share as of Dec. 31, 2021. The deal is expected to close in the fourth quarter. “Hotels and resorts of this scale and quality are difficult to replicate,” says Lowell Baron, managing partner and chief investment officer in Brookfield’s real estate group. “This portfolio is well positioned given its concentration in the Sun Belt, as well as in coastal destinations and gateway cities with high barriers to entry.” Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC is serving as exclusive financial advisor to Watermark. Hodges Ward Elliott is providing estate advisory services to Watermark, and Clifford Chance US LLP and …
CHICAGO — Skender has completed the interior office buildout for Milwaukee Tool at the Old Post Office in Chicago. The 70,000-square-foot space is located on the third floor and features 10,000 square feet of research and development lab space as well as 60,000 square feet of open and private offices. The office component also includes a large collaboration area called the Beehive, plus a training room and multiple conference rooms. The office is Milwaukee Tool’s first outside of Wisconsin. Skender collaborated with owner’s representative JLL, architects Nelson and SPS and engineering firm McGuire. Skender also entered into an official partnership with Milwaukee Tool to streamline access to its power tools and products for future projects.
CHICAGO — Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot has selected Bally’s Corp. as the preferred company to redevelop a former Chicago Tribune printing plant into a gaming and entertainment destination. The 30-acre site is located at the intersection of Chicago Avenue and Halstead Street along the Chicago River in the city’s River West neighborhood. The $1.7 billion proposal calls for the city’s first casino featuring 3,400 slots; 170 table games; 10 food and beverage venues; a 500-room hotel tower with rooftop bar; 3,000-seat, 65,000-square-foot theater; 20,000 square foot exhibition hall; outdoor music venue; and outdoor green space including an expansive public riverwalk with a water taxi stop. Mayor Lightfoot announced Thursday that Bally’s had won the project over competing bids from Hard Rock International and Rush Street Gaming. State regulators and the Chicago City Council will need to approve the plan before work can begin. The city’s evaluation report said the Bally’s proposal provides the most economic value to taxpayers, including an upfront payment of $40 million and annual payments to the city totaling $4 million. The project is expected to generate more than $800 million in gaming revenue on an annual basis, a substantial portion of which will support the city’s …