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Market ReportsMidwestMidwest Market ReportsMinnesotaMultifamily

Twin Cities’ Apartment Market Poised for a Strong 2019

by Kristin Harlow

The Twin Cities apartment market is historically characterized by high occupancy and minimal volatility, with consistent and solid year-over-year rent increases, minimal concessions and a sustained vacancy rate well below 5 percent. As a result, there is abundant interest from investors and lenders alike to place capital in the Twin Cities.  The lending environment for Twin Cities’ apartment owners appears poised for another great run in 2019, with all lender types having a large appetite to place capital in the market. Agency lenders Agency lenders (Freddie Mac, Fannie Mae and HUD) have been extremely active, and that will not change. Their allocations remain high, and all agencies are expected to compete aggressively for business. Additionally, there is an increased focus on products catering to affordable and workforce housing, not only for existing properties, but in providing loan commitments and locked interest rates for takeout financing for affordable or workforce housing projects.    The agency reach extends geographically to secondary and tertiary out-of-state markets as well, with minimal impact on underwriting standards. Agency lenders are able to provide relatively high leverage, longer-term, nonrecourse financing for all classes of apartments. Their ability to offer partial or full-term interest-only payments is a significant …

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DevelopmentHealthcareMidwestMinnesota

Kraus-Anderson Set to Break Ground on New Hospital Wing at Hutchinson Health in Minnesota

by Kristin Harlow

HUTCHINSON, MINN. — Kraus-Anderson is scheduled to break ground on a new hospital wing at Hutchinson Health in Minnesota on Monday, April 1. The one-year construction project will expand the hospital’s footprint by more than 17,000 square feet and will include 18 new patient rooms that are twice as big as the current rooms. Wold Architects and Engineers designed the expansion. Hutchinson Health, a part of HealthPartners, is located about 60 miles west of Minneapolis. The hospital currently has 66 beds and is classified as a Level 4 trauma center. It provides initial evaluation, stabilization, diagnostic capabilities and transfer to a higher level of care. A Level I trauma center offers the highest level of surgical care for trauma patients.

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AcquisitionsCaliforniaFloridaIllinoisIndustrialMinnesotaTop StoriesWisconsin

WPT Industrial REIT Acquires U.S. Logistics Portfolio for $226M

by John Nelson

TORONTO — WPT Industrial Real Estate Investment Trust, a publicly traded company based in Toronto, has increased its U.S. holdings by agreeing to acquire a 13-property logistics portfolio for approximately US$226 million. The industrial buildings total 2.2 million square feet and are situated in infill submarkets across the United States. The property names and addresses were not disclosed, but WPT says the portfolio will increase its scale in Chicago, Milwaukee and Minneapolis. The portfolio also includes assets in three new markets for the REIT, including Los Angeles and Miami. Additionally, WPT has confirmed that eight of the assets are leased to a single tenant and the other five are leased to multiple tenants. “We are very pleased to source a high-quality portfolio acquisition that advances the REIT’s strategic priorities to add scale and diversification with a focus on markets and properties that have the greatest potential to drive long-term growth,” says Scott Frederiksen, CEO of WPT. WPT plans to fund the acquisition with cash on hand and proceeds from its senior unsecured credit facility. In anticipation of the purchase, WPT has received lender commitments to amend and extend the credit facility from US$300 million to $450 million. The REIT expects …

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Market ReportsMidwestMidwest Market ReportsMinnesotaOffice

To Attract and Retain Tenants, Office Landlords Get Creative in Minneapolis

by Kristin Harlow

Stakes are rising in the war for talent, and employers are using amenity-rich real estate to win the hearts and minds of the brightest young recruits. Determined to outflank the competition, companies are increasingly focused on occupying buildings with the best available on-site features, proximity to nearby amenities, and the elusive “cool” factor.  Competition escalates To heed the call for better offerings, landlords in Minneapolis have begun to offer unconventional amenities including golf simulators and nap pods. As owners of traditional Class B and C buildings undertake renovations and amenity package upgrades to compete with Class A properties, lines between building classes are starting to blur. Tenants will likely start taking a more cautious approach to real estate, reflecting an increase in business uncertainty and projections for slower growth. This mindset will decrease appetites for relocations, prompting more renewals in 2019.  Despite this trend, there will be a healthy number of relocations for those tenants that have not yet right-sized by employing modern furniture systems, single-sized offices, more natural light and more collaborative space. Within tenants’ spaces, private offices will grow increasingly scarce, and those that remain will move to the interior to provide more light, greater flexibility and better …

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Leasing ActivityMidwestMinnesotaOffice

Law Firm Signs Lease Renewal, Plans Renovation at IDS Center in Minneapolis

by Kristin Harlow

MINNEAPOLIS — Briggs and Morgan, a full-service law firm, has signed a 93,000-square-foot lease renewal at IDS Center in downtown Minneapolis. The firm plans to fully renovate its space, which is located on floors 22 through 25. Plans call for a more modern, open and collaborative space. Briggs and Morgan employs 250 people. Paul Donovan, Jaclyn May, Jeremy Striffler, Jennifer Stumm and Sherry Cushman of Cushman & Wakefield brokered the lease transaction. MP Johnson Construction Inc. and NELSON make up the project team. Completion is slated for mid-2020.

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DevelopmentHospitalityMidwestMinnesota

Midas Hospitality Opens Second Hotel in Brooklyn Park, Minnesota

by Kristin Harlow

BROOKLYN PARK, MINN. — Midas Hospitality has opened a 107-room Home2 Suites by Hilton hotel in Brooklyn Park, its second hotel within the city. The nearly 58,000-square-foot hotel is part of a $28 million development. The property includes suites with fully equipped kitchens designed for extended-stay use. Amenities include an indoor pool, meeting room, fitness area and patio. MC Hotel Construction served as the general contractor.

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AcquisitionsMidwestMinnesotaRetail

Upland Arranges $4.6M Sale of Retail Center in Waconia, Minnesota

by Kristin Harlow

WACONIA, MINN. — Upland Real Estate Group Inc. has arranged the sale of Waconia Crossing for $4.6 million. The newly constructed retail center is situated on Highway 5, approximately 35 miles southwest of Minneapolis. The sale includes a freestanding Dollar Tree and a property occupied by Starbucks, Sport Clips, AT&T and Qdoba for a total of 16,695 square feet. Keith Sturm, Deborah Vannelli and Amanda Leathers of Upland represented the seller. The buyer completed a 1031 tax-deferred exchange.

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AcquisitionsIllinoisIndianaIowaMichiganMidwestMinnesotaRetail

A&G Realty Completes Auction of Several Properties Formerly Owned by The Bon-Ton Stores Inc.

by Kristin Harlow

ILLINOIS, IOWA AND MICHIGAN — Real estate advisory and brokerage firm A&G Realty Partners has announced the results of its Jan. 28 bankruptcy auction of the final department store properties formerly owned by The Bon-Ton Stores Inc. The stores, located in the Midwest, formerly operated under the Bergner’s Carson’s, Younkers, Elder-Beerman and Bon-Ton names. In Coralville, Iowa, a home furnishings retailer acquired the 98,458-square-foot Younkers at Coral Ridge Mall. Mall owner Abbell Associates purchased the 165,000-square-foot Younkers at Merle Hay Mall in Des Moines. Mall owner Brookfield Properties acquired the 128,000-square-foot Carson’s at Spring Hill Mall in Dundee Township, Ill., as well as the 150,081-square-foot Younkers in Grandville, Mich. Mall owner Simon Property Group purchased the 125,000-square-foot Bergner’s at White Oaks Mall in Springfield, Ill. In Indiana, the Economic Development Corp. of Wayne County purchased 100,000-square-foot Elder-Beerman in Richmond. HOM Furniture acquired the 46,660-square-foot Bon-Ton at Lewistown Mall in Lewistown, Pa. Two Herberger’s stores in Minnesota were removed from the auction. In late January and early March, A&G completed private sales on two other store properties from the Bon-Ton portfolio. This includes the sale of the former Younkers building at Miller Hill Mall in Duluth, Minn. Buyer Essentia Health plans …

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DevelopmentMidwestMinnesotaMultifamily

Norhart to Open 91-Unit Apartment Community in Forest Lake, Minnesota

by Kristin Harlow

FOREST LAKE, MINN. — Norhart has unveiled plans to open Encore Apartments, a 91-unit apartment community in Forest Lake, about 30 miles north of Minneapolis. The four-story property will be located at the corner of 4th Street and 11th Avenue. Amenities will include an Internet café, fitness center, sky lounge, community room, outdoor firepit and dog run. Prospective residents will be able to tour the apartment at their convenience through a mobile app. Residents will also be able to monitor their energy usage and control lights and thermostats remotely through an app. Encore Apartments, slated to open in summer 2020, will also be home to the new corporate office of Norhart.  

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