BETTENDORF, IOWA — Southern California-based private equity firm IRA Capital has acquired the Genesis Center for Digestive Health in Bettendorf, one of the Quad Cities. The purchase price was undisclosed. The 14,000-square-foot medical office building is fully leased to Genesis Health. Constructed in 2004, the highly specialized endoscopy center features three operating rooms alongside a full gastroenterology clinic, which includes physician offices, exam rooms and procedure rooms. Gastroenterology Associates previously occupied the building before becoming part of Genesis in June. IRA acquired the property through a sale-leaseback with Genesis, which operates six hospitals and employs over 5,500 people in the region.
ANKENY, IOWA — The Opus Group has begun construction of an industrial build-to-suit for Brown Warehouse Co. in Ankeny, a northern suburb of Des Moines. The 277,930-square-foot building will be located within Swanwood Logistics Center. The facility will feature 43 vehicle parking stalls, 24 dock doors and two drive-in doors. Brown, a leasing and third-party logistics company, will operate its warehousing business in the new building and relocate its workforce from its three previous locations. Completion of the new building is slated for April 2022. Opus is the developer, design-builder, interior designer, architect and structural engineer. Snyder is the civil engineer. Opus also owns 25 acres adjacent to the site and plans to build a speculative industrial building spanning 296,360 square feet. Marcus Pitts and Austin Hedstrom of JLL will market that building for lease.
COUNCIL BLUFFS, IOWA — National healthcare real estate developer NexCore Group has broken ground on a 23,000-square-foot, build-to-suit medical office building for OrthoNebraska in Council Bluffs near Omaha. The orthopedic specialty clinic is located at 1260 Valley View Drive near I-80. NexCore will own the project in a joint venture with real estate investment management firm Harrison Street. OrthoNebraska will be the sole tenant. The project team includes general contractor McCarthy Building Cos. and architecture firm Leo A. Daly. Completion is slated for the second quarter of 2022.
By Chris Curran and Mark Mills, R&R Realty Advisors Would you rather earn more money or have a more flexible work/life balance? Before the pandemic, many employees gave the latter as their answer. But the amount of money employees claimed they would forego wasn’t exactly peanuts. According to a pre-pandemic study by career site Joblist, the average employee was willing to give up around $10,000 per year to have better work/life balance. Fast forward to the present day and employees continue to express this desire. The isolation felt by many when working from home has increased the blurriness of the line that separates work from life. In fact, a survey conducted by TELUS International found that isolated workers reported a nearly 80 percent increase in work-related stress and anxiety when working from home. Given these findings, perhaps it shouldn’t surprise anyone that three out of four office employees express a desire to return to in-person work. If there’s a silver lining to the unprecedented year we’ve been emerging from, it may be that employees and employers alike are coming to understand the value in providing a balance between work and personal time. And, when it comes to the office market …
By Christopher Stafford, Cushman & Wakefield The Greater Des Moines retail market continues to emerge from the pandemic and is quickly regaining its footing from the closures and challenges experienced by many retailers, restaurants and businesses alike. Despite a few setbacks, occupancy rates and rents have generally held steady. Consumer spending is surging and according to a WalletHub study, Iowa’s COVID-19 recovery is the quickest in the nation, earning a total score of 75.25 out of a possible 100. The study compared all 50 states across three categories: COVID health; leisure and travel; and economy and labor market. Trends, observations A local real estate mogul recently made the analogy that the Des Moines retail market is currently much like a chessboard — lots of moving pieces and strategic repositioning by the current players. Greater Des Moines, like other Midwest cities, is experiencing a handful of post-pandemic retail trends that include: • Integrated retail approach (omnichannel): Bricks & mortar + online presence and ordering + apps + delivery/pickup. The presence of drive-thru and pickup services will shape the future of retail and are in high demand by restaurants and retailers. • Space transformation: Spaces once occupied by traditional retailers are now …
MASON CITY, IOWA — Colliers Mortgage has provided a $12 million Fannie Mae loan for the refinancing of The River in the northern Iowa town of Mason City. Constructed in 2020, the 133-unit property includes both apartment units and townhome units. Amenities include a fitness center, indoor bike storage, underground parking, a lounge, community room and dog wash. The 10-year loan features a 30-year amortization schedule. The River Mason City LLC was the borrower.
DUBUQUE, IOWA — NorthMarq has originated a $9 million Freddie Mac loan for the acquisition of Radford Place Apartments in Dubuque, a city in eastern Iowa along the Mississippi River. The 108-unit, three-story property was built in 2010. Dan Trebil and Bill Mork of NorthMarq’s Minneapolis office structured the 10-year loan, which features two years of interest-only payments followed by a 30-year amortization schedule. The borrower was undisclosed.
IOWA CITY, IOWA — Phoenix Investors has acquired a 364,000-square-foot manufacturing and distribution center in Iowa City for an undisclosed price. The property is located at 2500 Highway 6 East. Phoenix acquired the asset from International Automotive Components, which used the facility for manufacturing of various automotive parts. The property features 19 loading docks, three drive-in doors and clear heights ranging from 25 to 37 feet. Phoenix now owns more than 2 million square feet of industrial assets in the state of Iowa.
IOWA CITY AND CEDAR RAPIDS, IOWA — JLL has arranged the sale of a 1.4 million-square-foot industrial portfolio in Iowa City and Cedar Rapids for $54 million. The Class B portfolio, currently 80 percent occupied, consists of five buildings that were constructed in the early 2000s. Three properties are in Iowa City at 2561, 2570 and 2610 Independence Road. The others are in Cedar Rapids at 5404 and 5507 Ely Road. Marcus Pitts, Justin Lossner, Michael Minard and Austin Hedstrom of JLL represented the seller, 2570 Independence LLC. JLL will continue to serve as leasing agent on behalf of the undisclosed buyer. The sale represents the largest industrial portfolio sale ever recorded in Iowa, according to JLL.
COUNCIL BLUFFS, IOWA — Metro Crossing Shopping Center in Council Bluffs has sold for an undisclosed price. The property spans 309,811 square feet. It was 96 percent occupied at the time of sale by 57 tenants, including Dick’s Sporting Goods, PetSmart, Kohl’s, Hobby Lobby, Old Navy and TJ Maxx. Ember Grummons of Investors Realty represented the buyer, Bridge 33 Capital. CBRE represented the seller, a partnership between Walton Street Capital and Pine Tree Commercial.