CHICAGO — Mission Capital Advisors has arranged a $170 million loan for the construction of Essex on the Park in Chicago. The 56-story, 479-unit luxury apartment building will be located at 808 S. Michigan Ave. As part of the project, the adjacent Essex Inn will be expanded to 271 rooms and repositioned as the Hotel Essex. Opening of the entire project is slated for 2019. The apartments will include a mix of studios, convertibles, and one-, two- and three-bedroom units. The top two residential floors of the building will include four penthouse duplexes. Jordan Ray, Ari Hirt, Steven Buchwald and Jamie Matheny of Mission Capital advised ownership and sourced the financing from a global investment bank. Oxford Capital Group LLC and Quadrum Global are co-developing the project.
CHICAGO — Crescent Heights has broken ground on One Grant Park in Chicago’s South Loop. The 76-story apartment building, located at 1200 S. Indiana Ave., will include 792 luxury apartments. Completion is slated for early 2019. Rafael Viñoly designed the tower, and Rockwell Group will design the interiors of the units. The building will include a mix of studio, one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments. S. Loop Chicago Development LLC purchased the three-acre site in 2012.
CHICAGO — Associated Bank has provided $36.3 million in syndicated financing for a new mixed-use development under construction in Chicago. The 11-story tower will be located at 165-171 N. Aberdeen St. and will include 13,895 square feet of street-level retail space and 43,438 square feet of office space on the fourth and fifth floors. Floors six through 10 will contain 75 apartment units consisting of 10 studios, 50 one-bedroom units and 15 two-bedroom units. The project is scheduled for completion in October 2017. MCZ Development was the borrower. @Properties is marketing the tower. Associated Bank was the lead arranger/administrative agent and provided $18.1 million. The Private Bank was co-lead arranger and also provided $18.1 million. Michael Olson of Associated Bank managed the loan and closing.
CINCINNATI AND HOFFMAN ESTATES, ILL. — Macy’s Inc. (NYSE: M) and Sears Holdings Corp. (NASDAQ: SHLD) both announced on Wednesday plans to close a large number of department stores in an effort to improve their long-term operating performance. Macy’s will close 68 stores and Sears will close 150 non-profitable stores comprising 109 Kmart and 41 Sears locations. “We are taking strong, decisive actions today to stabilize the company and improve our financial flexibility in what remains a challenging retail environment,” says Edward Lampert, chairman and CEO of Sears Holdings. “We are committed to improving short-term operating performance in order to achieve our long-term transformation.” Jeff Green, president of Jeff Green Partners, a retail consultancy based in Phoenix that works with retailers and shopping center owners, suspects that the footprint of these department stores has contributed to the recent woes of Macy’s and Sears. “Department stores, by sheer definition, are oversized for this changing retail environment and may be a critical factor, though only one factor, in deciding which stores to close,” says Green. “It is interesting to see just how large some of the older stores on the Macy’s store closure list are. For example, two suburban stores to be …
DES PLAINES, ILL. — Brennan Investment Group LLC has sold its newly developed industrial facility in Des Plaines in the O’Hare submarket. The Class A distribution building is located at 1780 Birchwood Ave. Developed in partnership with DLJ Real Estate Capital Partners, the 139,425-square-foot building was sold to Morgan Stanley’s Prime Property Fund. The property is fully leased to Pet Food Experts and Cambria Co. Jonathan Kohn and Thomas Rodeno of Colliers International represented Brennan Investment Group in the lease-up of the property. Steven Disse and Jeffrey Devine of Colliers International represented Brennan in the sales transaction. Keeley Construction was Brennan’s general contractor and The PrivateBank provided construction financing.
PONTIAC, ILL. — Senior Living Investment Brokerage Inc. has arranged the sale of Woodridge Supportive Living in Pontiac, north of Bloomington, for $7.5 million. The 36,610-square-foot facility sits on five acres and includes 60 units. A private partnership that develops and operates assisted living and memory care facilities was the seller. A regional operator of seniors housing in Illinois was the buyer. Ryan Saul of Senior Living Investment Brokerage arranged the transaction.
CHICAGO — Kiser Group has brokered the sale of a multifamily portfolio in Chicago’s Rogers Park neighborhood for $20 million. The vintage buildings are located at 1412 W. Chase Ave., 6945 N. Ashland Ave., 1310 and 1257 W. Lunt Ave. The properties include studio, one-bedroom and two-bedroom units. Allen Smith of Winnemac Properties bought the four-building, 220-unit portfolio with plans to renovate the units. Luke Lesniewski, Stevens Haen, Michael Feldstein and Lee Kiser of Kiser Group represented the seller, Ansonia Properties.
SHOREWOOD, ILL. — Mid-America Real Estate Corp. has negotiated the sale of Shorewood Crossings in Shorewood, about 40 miles southwest of Chicago. Phillips Edison & Co. purchased the 173,981-square-foot retail center. Located at the northeast corner of Route 59 and Black Road, the center is anchored by Mariano’s. Joe Girardi of Mid-America represented the seller, Regency Centers Corp. and its co-investment partner.
LIBERTYVILLE, ILL. — Entre Commercial Realty LLC has arranged the sale of a 49,516-square-foot industrial building in Libertyville, a suburb of Chicago, for $3.2 million. The building is located at 1600-1648 Northwind Blvd. and features 26-foot clear heights, four docks and three drive-in doors. World Bioproducts, a manufacturer of microbiology testing products for the food industry, acquired the facility as part of an expansion and relocation from nearby Mundelein, Ill. Brian Bocci of Entre Commercial represented the buyer, while Dan Tobin of CTK represented the undisclosed seller.
CHAMPAIGN, ILL. — Maverick Commercial Mortage Inc. has arranged a $1.7 million first mortgage loan for a to-be built Portillo’s restaurant in Champaign in central Illinois. The restaurant will be constructed on a 1.4-acre site. The restaurant is expected to open shortly after demolition of the current Home Town Buffet. The six-month loan has two three-month extension options. The fixed-rate, recourse loan is interest only and was funded by a national bridge lender. Jeffrey B. Gurian of BeckerGurian represented the borrower, Berkshire Partners. Bryan Segal of Barack, Ferrazzano, Kirschbaum and Nagelberg LLP represented the lender.