COLUMBUS, OHIO — Woda Cooper Cos. Inc. has unveiled plans to create an interim rental assistance fund and waive late rent fees for residents whose jobs are directly impacted by the coronavirus pandemic. The company has also halted celebrations commemorating its 30th anniversary later this year to focus on helping residents navigate the financial impacts of the pandemic. As part of the announcement, Woda Cooper will waive all late fees for rent due April 1 for any resident who has been laid off or furloughed. In addition, the company will establish an interim rental assistance fund of $250,000 to assist residents who have been laid off or furloughed, and ask vendors, lenders and investors to help financially in the effort. Woda Cooper will match the first $250,000 of contributions received and add those funds to the rental assistance fund. Columbus-based Woda Cooper owns and operates more than 300 affordable housing communities in 15 states.
CINCINNATI — Halo Communications and KnowledgeWorks Foundation have signed new leases at 312 Plum Street, a 231,000-square-foot office building in downtown Cincinnati. Rubenstein Partners LP and Strategic Capital Partners LLC own the Class A property. Halo Communications, a healthcare technology and communications provider, has leased 11,902 square feet on a five-year basis. Halo is relocating from its previous Cincinnati office at 1 W. 4th St. KnowledgeWorks Foundation, a nonprofit education organization, has leased 12,837 square feet for 10 years. The organization is relocating from the same building as Halo. Nick Greiwe, Travis Likes, Chris Carey, Scott Yards and Kate Myers of CBRE represented ownership in the lease negotiations. Chris Vollmer Jr. of CBRE represented Halo, while Peter Snow and Rose Ferrugia of Cushman & Wakefield represented KnowledgeWorks.
COLUMBUS, OHIO — Global design consultancy Fitch has relocated from the Brewery District to the Arena District within Columbus. The company now occupies 7,637 square feet at 191 W. Nationwide Blvd. The agency says it hopes to attract new talent, create a better workspace for employees and have increased exposure and visibility with clients. Kirk Smith of CBRE represented Fitch in securing its new studio, which features two floors, standing desks and an open area for collaboration.
WESTERVILLE, OHIO — Arch Street Capital Advisors and VEREIT (NYSE: VER) have acquired DHL Supply Chain’s North American headquarters in Westerville, a northeastern suburb of Columbus. The purchase price was undisclosed. The newly completed, build-to-suit office building spans 145,000 square feet and is located within Westar Place Business Park. The acquisition is part of Arch Street and VEREIT’s partnership focused on the acquisition of long-term leased, single-tenant office assets.
CINCINNATI — Time Equities Inc. has acquired 302 West Third in Cincinnati for an undisclosed price. The nine-story, 177,624-square-foot office building was originally built in 1915 and renovated in 2001 and 2016. The loft-style property features a conference center and complimentary morning coffee for all tenants, some of which include Al Neyer, Baxter Hodell Donnelly Preston Inc., Immedion and Grey Advertising. Max Pastor and Brian Soto of TEI led the acquisition on behalf of the organization. Michael Sullivan of Cushman & Wakefield represented the seller, an affiliate of HighBrook Investors.
CLEVELAND HEIGHTS, OHIO — SRS Real Estate Partners has arranged a $9.6 million loan for the ground lease acquisition of a property occupied by Home Depot in Cleveland Heights, just east of Cleveland. Located at 3460 Mayfield Road, the property includes a 132,000-square-foot building and an 18,000-square-foot garden center. The sales price was $13.7 million. Ben Townsend and Matt Marlin of SRS arranged the nonrecourse, 10-year loan at a fixed interest rate of 3.65 percent. A California-based private investor was the borrower. An institutional lender provided the loan, which features a 70 percent loan-to-value ratio.
DES PLAINES, ILL. AND DUBLIN, OHIO — NorthMarq has arranged $16.9 million in acquisition financing for two flex industrial properties in Illinois and Ohio. Jeff Frankel of NorthMarq arranged both fixed-rate loans with Ready Capital Structured Finance. The first is a three-building property spanning 140,134 square feet in Des Plaines, a northwestern suburb of Chicago. The second is a three-building property totaling 124,929 square feet in Dublin, a northern suburb of Columbus. The Des Plaines property was 94 percent occupied at the time of acquisition, while the Dublin asset was 80 percent occupied.
MARION, FINDLAY, OTTAWA AND CLYDE, OHIO — Whirlpool has entered into a $178.9 million sale-leaseback agreement for a 3.1 million-square-foot industrial portfolio largely in the state of Ohio. In addition to four distribution centers in Ohio (Marion, Findlay, Ottawa and Clyde), the portfolio includes one manufacturing facility in Tennessee and two office buildings in Italy. Bruce Westwood-Booth, Guy Ponticiello, Maury Vanden Eykel and Kyle Sals of CBRE represented Whirlpool in the transaction. The buyer was undisclosed. Corporate clients with multi-continent real estate holdings are entering into more sale-leaseback deals today, according to Westwood-Booth.
CINCINNATI — KTGY Architecture + Planning has unveiled the design for Artistry Cincinnati, a 344-unit apartment project located along the Ohio River in downtown Cincinnati. The seven-story building, located at 601 E. Pete Rose Way, is currently under construction and is scheduled for completion in late 2021. Milhaus is the developer. Features of the property include a second-floor amenity space offering direct access to an exterior courtyard, a 2,500-square-foot outdoor gallery that will house large-scale art installations, and access to the river and adjacent park. Amenities will include a rooftop pool, fitness center, yoga studio, pet spa, community garden, coworking spaces and bike storage. Plans also call for 390 parking spaces and 8,000 square feet of commercial space. Floor plans will range from studios to three-bedroom units. The project is situated at 601 E. Pete Rose Way.
DUBLIN, OHIO — Tremont Mortgage Trust has provided a $22.8 million first-mortgage bridge loan for the refinancing of The Blazer Plaza, a three-building office and lab campus in Dublin, a northwest suburb of Columbus. The property spans 519,000 square feet on 54 acres. The floating-rate loan includes initial funding of $12.1 million and a future funding allowance of approximately $10.7 million for tenant improvements. The loan is structured with a two-year initial term and a one-year extension option. The borrower was undisclosed.