OMAHA, NEB. — Marcus & Millichap has arranged the sale of a 129-room La Quinta hotel in Omaha for an undisclosed price. Built in 1981, the two-story property is located at 3330 N. 104th Ave. Ebrahim Valliani, Allan Miller and Chris Gomes of Marcus & Millichap marketed the hotel on behalf of the seller, a private investor. The team also secured and represented the buyer, a private investor.
LINCOLN, NEB. — McCarthy Building Cos. Inc. has broken ground on a six-story boutique hotel at Lincoln’s Nebraska Innovation Campus, an expansive research community designed to facilitate partnerships between the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and private-sector businesses. Developed by Goldenrod Cos., the $23 million project will be a Marriott Tribute hotel with 154 rooms. Marriott Tribute hotels are independent, boutique properties that embrace the character and personality of their surroundings. In this case, the design aesthetic will celebrate the state of Nebraska, the university and its fans. A 10,000-square-foot portion of the hotel’s first level will be designated as educational and amenity spaces for the University of Nebraska’s hospitality, tourism and restaurant management students. Other amenities will include a full-service restaurant, rooftop bar, coffee shop, fitness center and a private dining area on the top floor known as the Founders Room. DLR Group designed the hotel. Completion is slated for fall 2021.
WEST OMAHA, NEB. — Darland Construction Co. has completed construction of Pacific Springs Center II, a 58,950-square-foot Class A office building in West Omaha. The two-story property is located at the northwest corner of 168th and Pacific streets. The project features 40,000 square feet of spec office space as well as an underground parking garage. The area, known as Pacific Springs Vista, has experienced a flurry of new development in the past several years thanks to a growing residential market and the area’s convenient access to the nearby West Dodge Expressway, according to Darland. Avant Architects was the project architect. Investors Realty is handling management and leasing.
OMAHA, NEB. — MAG Capital Partners LLC has acquired a 47,184-square-foot flex office building in Omaha in a sale-leaseback transaction. The single-tenant, fully leased property serves as the headquarters for Scantron’s technology solutions department. The seller was Transom Capital Group. Scantron, best known for its machine-readable paper forms for multiple-choice test questions, was acquired by Transom in December 2019. Built in 1987, the property is located on 3.6 acres at 2020 S. 156th Circle. Two-thirds of the building is utilized as flex office space with the remainder being used for warehousing and manufacturing space. Nick Foster of JLL represented the seller. Mary Garnett and Jim Tuesley of Barnes & Thornburg LLP represented the buyer.
OMAHA, NEB. — R&R Realty Group has added several “healthy” features in its newest office building currently under development in Omaha. Known as the Waterford Building, the property spans 180,000 square feet at the intersection of 192nd Street and West Dodge Road. R&R has configured the HVAC system to use medical-grade air filters. The Waterford Building will feature touch-free entrances along with motion sensors for lighting. R&R is also installing germ-resistant flooring, wall coverings and seating surfaces. Screens will help visitors find their way in an effort to reduce unnecessary foot traffic. The property management team will receive data regarding air quality, circulation and other building health metrics. Completion of the building is slated for spring 2021.
Over the past few decades, Omaha has grown in both size and reputation as a Midwest gem that offers affordable housing, a solid job market, excellent schools and a central location that makes both business and leisure travel a relative breeze. As our city has grown, our lifestyle has adapted, which has had an interesting impact on commercial real estate. While some developments are flourishing, others have been struggling. Overall, retail growth in Omaha is slow, but occupancy is robust in Class A-located centers. The main corridors in west Omaha (Center, Dodge and Maple streets) have strong occupancy and rents now pushing $40 per square foot NNN for new construction. Restaurants, medical/retail (or “medtail”) and fitness have become the main drivers of recent retail space use. “Treasure hunt” discount concepts such as Ross, Marshalls, TJ Maxx, Burlington and Five Below have all opened multiple locations in the past 24 months in a wide range of demographic areas of Omaha. Mall activity Nationally, the traditional shopping mall concept has been plagued by big-name store closures as consumers continue to turn to online shopping. Locally, some traditional malls are faring better than others. Westroads, which opened in 1968, remains strong in both …
Although an article on soil erosion might seem more fitting coming from Nebraska, the greater erosion concern for the Cornhusker State is retaining its young and talented workforce. Nebraska’s state education system ranks No. 6 in the country and its high school graduation rate ranks No. 4 in the country, according to U.S. News & World Report. But Nebraska is faced with the dual challenge of retaining young, homegrown talent as well as attracting the next generation of talent from outside the state. Nebraska is presently leaking young talent to surrounding states with an annual net outward migration of approximately 3,300 persons and ranks 39th in the country with respect to attracting talent between the ages of 25 to 29 years old, so it’s a double whammy. A 3,300-person out-migration of talent might seem fairly modest, but over time, it can and will become significant. Like a faucet that continually drips, you don’t realize the cost until you get the water bill. Taking steps to enhance both the retention and attraction of young talent is key to Nebraska’s economic success. Thankfully, such steps are being pursued in both the private and public sector. Two plans of action in particular are …
OMAHA, NEB. — NorthMarq has secured a $13 million loan for the refinancing of Ontario Place Apartments in Omaha. The 156-unit apartment complex is located at 7325 Ontario St. Amenities include a pool, clubhouse, fitness center and business center. John Reed of NorthMarq arranged the 10-year loan, which features a 30-year amortization schedule. A life insurance company provided the loan, which features a fixed rate of 3.32 percent.
OMAHA, NEB. — Investors Realty has brokered the sale of a two-building office property in Omaha for $7.2 million. The two adjacent buildings, located at 16945 and 17055 Frances St., span 36,740 square feet. The property was fully leased at the time of sale to Creighton University, Insurance Solutions, Frost Periodontics and Midwest Allergy & Asthma Clinic. Ember Grummons of Investors Realty represented the buyer, Heiskell Properties LLC. Tracy Earnest of NAI/NP Dodge represented the seller, RFW Properties LLC.
LINCOLN, NEB. — Hanley Investment Group Real Estate Advisors has arranged the sale of Edgewood Shopping Center in Lincoln for an undisclosed price. Built in 1991, the 174,000-square-foot shopping center sits on 22 acres. At the time of sale, the center was 95 percent occupied to tenants such as Super Saver Foods, CVS, Dollar Tree, AutoZone, Herbalife, Party America, Petco, Cartridge World, H&R Block and Papa John’s. Hanley Investment Group represented the seller, Perkins Properties. Scott Taubin of The R.H. Johnson Co. represented the buyer, a Kansas City-based private investor.