TRAVERSE CITY, MICH. — Greystone has provided a $28.2 million HUD-insured 221(d)(4) loan for the construction of Corners Crossing in Traverse City. Wallick Communities and Homestretch Nonprofit Housing Corp. are co-developing the 192-unit, $45 million multifamily community. Plans call for 96 one bedrooms, 78 two bedrooms and 18 three-bedroom units across eight buildings. Units will be designated for those earning between 80 and 120 percent of the area median income. Corners Crossing will also feature a clubhouse with an onsite management office and resident amenities, including a fitness center, computer center and patio. Construction is expected to take approximately 24 months and be completed in the second quarter of 2026. Brian Jones of Greystone originated the loan on behalf of JHT Wallick Holdings LLC. In addition to the loan from Greystone, the property will be financed with funds from the American Rescue Plan Act awarded by Grand Traverse County and the Michigan State Housing Development Authority. Additionally, Blair Township passed its first-ever Payment in Lieu of Taxes ordinance for the project, creating a fixed rate for the development’s real estate taxes.
SOUTHGATE, MICH. — Dwight Mortgage Trust, the affiliate REIT of Dwight Capital, has provided a $51.3 million bridge loan for the refinancing of Southgate Apartments, a 624-unit garden-style multifamily property in the Detroit suburb of Southgate. The asset consists of 12 buildings with studio, one- and two-bedroom units across more than 21 acres. Amenities include a fitness center, pet grooming station, dog park, clubhouse, pool and barbecue area. The loan proceeds will retire existing debt and finance community improvements. David Scheer of Dwight originated the loan on behalf of the borrower, Pepper Pike Capital Partners.
SHELBY TOWNSHIP, MICH. — Dominion Real Estate Advisors LLC has negotiated the sale of a 0.78-acre retail development site located at 56166 Van Dyke Road in Shelby Township for an undisclosed price. Andrew Boncore of Dominion represented the seller. Steven Murphy of Century 21 Campbell Realty represented the buyer, a local business owner who plans on redeveloping the site into a retail center to expand his existing business.
By Andy Gutman, Farbman Group Until recently, the post-pandemic headlines and trend lines have been clear: the office market is struggling. Lower volumes and businesses closely evaluating their operational models and space needs in the wake of a COVID-altered world have prompted concerned conversations about what’s next for an evolving office sector. Here’s the good news, however: the Detroit office landscape reflects a changing narrative around not only the commercial climate, but the entire city of Detroit. To be clear, the office resurgence in Detroit has been modest, and is clearly still in its early stages. Whether you are entering a recession or starting a recovery, there is always a transitional period where sector activity is starting to change before the shift becomes impossible to deny. Motown momentum While the understandable indecision and uncertainty of the last few years has led to some stagnation in the office space, many of the COVID-era lease expirations seem to have resolved and activity has been gradually, but steadily, picking up in the last six to 12 months. Decisions are being made and lease volume is trending up — but deals and leases are moving slower, are taking longer to get done and we …
DETROIT — The Community Builders has broken ground on Phase I of Preserve on Ash, which will consist of a 69-unit mixed-income housing development in Detroit. The new development marks the first groundbreaking for what will ultimately comprise nearly 600 new and preserved units of affordable housing in the greater Corktown area made possible thanks to a $30 million Choice Neighborhoods grant that the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development awarded to the city in 2021. The city had sought the grant anticipating the rising rents that would be coming to Corktown as a result of Ford’s revitalization of Michigan Central Station. Preserve on Ash Phase I will include five buildings and more than 5,800 square feet of retail space. Of the 69 units, 48 will be reserved for those who earn up to 60 percent of the area median income. Phases II and III of Preserve on Ash are expected to begin construction next year.
ANN ARBOR, MICH. — Bernard Financial Group (BFG) has arranged a $7.9 million loan for the refinancing of a 100,007-square-foot flex office property in Ann Arbor. Dennis Bernard and Adam Ferguson of BFG arranged the loan on behalf of the borrower, an entity doing business as 2725/2805 Associates LLC. Genworth Life Insurance Co. provided the loan.
NOVI, MICH. — Novi-based cold storage REIT Lineage Inc. has launched its initial public offering (IPO) of 47 million shares of its common stock, valuing the company at around $19 billion. In addition, the underwriters of the offering will have a 30-day option to purchase from the company up to 7 million additional shares of its common stock at the IPO price, which is expected to be between $70 and $82 per share. The company expects its stock to be listed on the Nasdaq under the ticker symbol “LINE.” Morgan Stanley, Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC, BofA Securities, J.P. Morgan and Wells Fargo Securities are acting as joint lead book-running managers for the proposed offering. Lineage claims to be the world’s largest global temperature-controlled warehouse REIT with a network of more than 480 facilities totaling over 84 million square feet and 3 billion cubic feet of capacity across North America, Europe and Asia-Pacific.
LIVONIA, MICH. — Penske Automotive Group Inc. has acquired the Bill Brown Ford dealership in Livonia within southeast Michigan. The asset is the world’s largest Ford dealership by sales volume, according to Crain’s Detroit Business. Penske estimates the acquisition will add $550 million in annualized revenue. As part of the acquisition, Penske will acquire more than 200,000 square feet of existing facilities across 29 acres, including a main dealership premises, a pre-owned facility, fleet maintenance center and collision center. Year to date in 2024, Penske has completed acquisitions representing nearly $2 billion in estimated annualized revenue.
DETROIT — Matthews Capital Markets (MCM), a financing division of Matthews Real Estate Investment Services, has arranged an $8.7 million loan for the refinancing of New Cadillac Square Apartments in Detroit. Located at 111 Cadillac Square, the apartment building rises 21 stories with 221 units. Jack Quigley of MCM arranged the loan through a credit union. The floating-rate loan features a free rate lock ability at the borrower’s discretion.
Metro Detroit’s retail market is characterized by strong tenant demand and investors’ eagerness to acquire and backfill vacant properties. In the downtown area, the revitalization efforts and adaptive reuse developments that started well before the pandemic continue. In fact, this year marked Detroit’s 100th commercial demolition, accelerated by $95 million in American Rescue Plan Act funding. Over the past five years, the City of Detroit has invested $1 billion in preserving or developing more than 4,600 affordable housing units. The hard work is paying off. Between July 2022 and July 2023, Detroit experienced population growth for the first time since 1957, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. A major highlight this year was the reopening of the long-abandoned train station, Michigan Central Station. Ford Motor Co. redeveloped the property in the city’s Corktown neighborhood into a 30-acre technology and cultural hub. Until Aug. 31, the first floor will be open for “Summer at The Station,” where visitors can take self-guided tours and enjoy food and beverages outside. This fall, the first commercial spaces will begin opening to the public. Meanwhile, developer Bedrock topped off construction of its Hudson’s project, the redevelopment of the former J.L. Hudson’s department store site. General …