TROY, MICH. — Friedman Integrated Real Estate Solutions has arranged a 19,723-square-foot office lease in Troy, approximately 25 miles north of Detroit. Allegis Global Solutions will occupy the space at the North Troy Corporate Park located at 700 Tower Drive. Allegis Global Solutions currently occupies suite 700 and 800 in the building and is expanding its space on the fourth floor. The landlord is 700 NTCC LLC. David Friedman and Robert Gagniuk of Friedman Integrated Real Estate Solutions represented the landlord in the transaction.
Michigan
OAK PARK, MICH. — Bernard Financial Group has arranged a $12.8 million refinancing loan for a mid-rise apartment tower in Oak Park, approximately 15 miles northwest of Detroit. Lincoln Towers Apartments, built in 1974, includes 480 units and is located at 15075 Lincoln St. Lincoln Towers Apartments LP was the borrower. Dennis Bernard and Kevin Kovachevich of Bernard Financial Group originated the loan through a CMBS lender.
LANSING, MICH. — Chick-fil-A will break ground next week on a freestanding store in Lansing, kicking off the restaurant chain’s expansion across the state. Chick-fil-A will open 15 to 20 new stores within the next five years. The first building, to be located at 5617 W. Saginaw Highway in Lansing, is slated for completion this fall. The 4,971-square-foot restaurant will feature seating for 132 people with additional patio seating. The building will also include two drive-thru lanes. The second store is expected to open at Troy’s Somerset Collection by the end of the year. The remainder of the stores in the expansion will open at a rate of approximately three to four stores per year, and the franchise is considering additional locations in Kalamazoo, metro Detroit and Grand Rapids. Chick-fil-A currently operates two stores in the state of Michigan, one at Detroit Metropolitan Airport and one on the Oakland University campus in Rochester.
The commercial real estate market in West Michigan was quite active in 2015 across all property sectors, including one massive data center deal that is expected to spur billions of dollars in investment. Both new development and transactions involving existing facilities drove deal volume in 2015. Consequently, vacancy rates dropped while leasing rates generally rose. We expect a high level of commercial real estate activity this year as well. A lack of inventory for existing product will continue to drive new development in 2016. Industrial Strength The industrial market, in particular, has experienced a shortage of quality product to satisfy the demands of distribution companies from across the area. The greater Grand Rapids industrial market consists of approximately 115 million square feet. At the end of 2015, the vacancy rate was 4.1 percent. This marks a significant improvement compared with the depths of the Great Recession when the vacancy rate approached 10 percent. For the first time in years, we are seeing speculative development across all sizes of industrial properties. Lease rates for these speculative buildings are significantly higher than what we have experienced in the recent past due to the relatively high cost of construction. The good news for …
SOUTHFIELD, MICH. — Sandler & Travis Trade Advisory Services Inc. has signed a 38,773-square-foot lease at the Galleria Officentre in Southfield, approximately 17 miles northwest of Detroit. Sandler & Travis will occupy space on the first and fourth floors of the 350,000-square-foot building. The five-story, Class A office building was constructed in 1987. David Friedman and Robert Gagniuk of Friedman Integrated Real Estate Solutions represented the ownership in the transaction.
NOVI, MICH. — Novi-based The Kroger Co. of Michigan will invest $180 million in Michigan’s grocery sector during 2016 by adding three Kroger Marketplaces stores and six new fuel centers. The grocer will also increase its ClickList online shopping service to 22 locations and remodel 11 existing stores. The new stores will be located at 12 Mile Road and Stephenson Highway in Royal Oak, M-59 and Elizabeth Lake Road in White Lake Township and at 26 Mile Road and Van Dyke Avenue in Shelby Township. The Kroger Co. of Michigan includes 129 Kroger stores, 69 fuel centers and 103 pharmacies. Kroger Marketplace stores average 110,000 square feet and are multi-department stores that offer full-service grocery, pharmacy, outdoor living products, electronics, home goods and toys.
ST. JOSEPH, MICH. — NorthPoint Capital Funding has arranged the $7 million refinancing of The Whitcomb Senior Living Community, a 134-unit community in St. Joseph, located in the southwest corner of the state along the banks of Lake Michigan. Originally constructed as a hotel in 1928, the property was converted to seniors housing in 1973. NorthPoint Capital Funding is a subsidiary of NorthPoint Capital Group, a lender based in Chicago.
YPSILANTI, MICH. — Cohen Financial has arranged a $4.5 million non-recourse refinancing loan for Blue Heron Pointe Apartments. The 64-unit community is located at 6244 Trumpeter Lane in Ypsilanti, approximately 40 miles west of Detroit. The Class A property was built in 2014. Cathy Bronkema of Cohen Financial secured the 25-year, fixed-rate loan with a life insurance company. Unit amenities at Blue Heron Pointe Apartments include one-car garages, kitchen appliances, granite countertops, faux wood floors and washers and dryers.
GRAND RAPIDS, MICH. — NAI Wisinski of West Michigan has arranged two retail leases totaling 3,280 square feet in Grand Rapids. In the first deal, Jamaican Dave’s will be relocating to a 1,980-square-foot building at 530 S. Division Ave. The space is currently undergoing a renovation, and the restaurant is expected to open by late April. In the second transaction, Aureus Tree Financial Services is relocating from Leonard Street to a former Modern Nails store at 4057 Plainfield Ave. The 1,300-square-foot building is under renovation. Aureus Tree Financial Services has an anticipated move-in date of May 1. Bill Tyson of NAI Wisinski of West Michigan brokered both transactions.
GRAND RAPIDS, MICH. — Lancaster Pollard has provided an $11 million, HUD-insured refinancing for Vista Springs Northview, an 88-unit assisted living community in Grand Rapids. The loan refinanced the first mortgage, which was a variable-rate loan, as well as other subordinate debt used to expand the facility in 2014. In addition to the refinancing, the loan will provide approximately $730,000 for facility repairs. Brendan Healy led the transaction for Lancaster Pollard.