FARGO, N.D. — The Boulder Group has arranged the sale of a single-tenant property net leased to Insurance Auto Auctions Inc. in Fargo for $5.7 million. The property is situated on 19 acres next to Hector International Airport. There are over 17 years remaining on the lease, which expires in November 2035. Randy Blankstein and Jimmy Goodman of Boulder brokered the sale. An institutional investor purchased the asset from a Southwest-based private developer.
LAWRENCE, KAN. — Block & Co. Inc. Realtors has arranged the sale of an 83,217-square-foot retail center in Lawrence for an undisclosed price. The property, formerly a JC Penney store, was recently redeveloped into a multi-tenant center. Tenants include Hobby Lobby, Five Below and HomeGoods. An undisclosed buyer purchased the asset from 3311 Iowa Investors LLC as part of a 1031 tax-deferred exchange.
NEW YORK CITY — The American investment team of Bahrain-based Investcorp has acquired 56 industrial properties totaling approximately 4.5 million square feet across seven major American markets. The purchase price was roughly $300 million. The portfolio includes nine warehouses in Minneapolis; 16 warehouse/flex buildings in Dallas; 14 warehouse/manufacturing buildings in Chicago; nine warehouse and flex buildings in Philadelphia and Delaware; five warehouse/manufacturing buildings in Phoenix; two industrial properties in Houston; and one industrial asset in San Antonio. All of the infill properties offer last-mile proximity to major population centers. The seller was not disclosed. “This acquisition gives us the opportunity to expand our presence in this important and growing industrial/warehouse sector in the U.S.,” says Mohammed Alardhi, executive chairman of Investcorp. “This investment further reflects our commitment to growing Investcorp’s footprint in the U.S., which is a key driver of the firm’s overall growth strategy.” At the time of sale, the properties were collectively 90 percent occupied by tenants in the e-commerce, manufacturing, design, wholesaling and food services industries. The sale marks Investcorp’s ninth industrial portfolio acquisition in the last 36 months. Since 1996, Investcorp has purchased more than 550 properties with a total value in excess of $14 billion. …
KANSAS CITY, KAN. — Overstock.com, an online home goods and furniture retailer, has leased 517,000 square feet at a new distribution center in Kansas City. The building, owned by Los Angeles-based BH Properties, is located at 5300 Kansas Ave. Luke Burbank and Kyle Roberts of Newmark Grubb Acres led the national site search for Overstock.com. Mark Long and John Hassler of Newmark Grubb Zimmer worked with Burbank and Roberts to provide assistance with lease negotiations in the Kansas City region. Chris Guiterez with Kansas City Smartport assisted in the coordination of all state and local economic development experts that assisted in this project, including the State of Kansas Department of Commerce and the Wyandotte Economic Development Council. Overstock.com will begin operations at the facility in October and will employ up to 200 people. The Kansas city location enables Overstock.com to offer two-day shipping options for 99 percent of its U.S. customers, according to Carroll Morale, vice president of supply chain at Overstock.com.
CHICAGO — Blackstone’s Equity Office, a large U.S. owner of office space, has unveiled plans for “Catalog,” a five-story dining, retail and entertainment destination located at the base of Willis Tower in downtown Chicago. Food hall operator Urbanspace will anchor Catalog’s food and beverage offerings, occupying more than 14,000 square feet and making the company one of the largest retailers in the building. The name Catalog is a nod to the Sears Roebuck Co., which originally developed and opened Willis Tower in 1973. Architecture firm Gensler is designing the space, which is scheduled to open in mid-2020. Willis Tower is undergoing $500 million in renovations, plans for which include more than 300,000 square feet of new retail, dining and entertainment space. Pre-leased tenants include Shake Shack, Sweetgreen, Luke’s Lobster and Taylor Gourmet.
MICHIGAN AND INDIANA — NAI Wisinski of West Michigan has brokered the sale of four shopping centers anchored by Kroger in Michigan and Indiana for $28.5 million. The properties in Michigan include Owosso East Shopping Center in Owosso and Sturgis Plaza in Sturgis. The Indiana properties include Plymouth Plaza in Plymouth and Auburn Plaza in Auburn. Cameron Timmer and Russ Bono of NAI Wisinski brokered the sale with assistance from NAI Farbman. Neither the buyer nor the seller was disclosed.
LANSING, MICH. — Greystone has provided a $17 million HUD-insured loan for the development of Metro Place Apartments in Lansing. The developer, Y SITE LLC, expects to complete construction of the 145-unit apartment community by the end of 2019. Located at 301 W. Lenawee St., the property will include a mix of studios, one- and two-bedroom units as well as 6,925 square feet of street-level retail space. Lisa Fischman of Greystone originated the loan under the 221(d)(4) construction program. The fixed-rate loan, which is fully amortized over 40 years, provided 80 percent of the project cost and is interest-only during construction. The loan will convert to permanent FHA financing upon completion of the project. Construction is expected to begin this month with the demolition of an existing six-story YMCA building, which has sat vacant since 2003.
CENTRALIA, ILL. — Albanese Cormier Holdings has acquired Fairview Park Plaza in Centralia in southern Illinois. The purchase price was not disclosed. The 274,215-square-foot retail center is located at 1001-1161 W. Broadway St. Anchor tenants include AMC Theaters, Big Lots, Goody’s and Schnucks. Chris LaBounty of May Real Estate represented the seller, Phillips Edison & Co. Albanese Cormier is based in Beaumont, Texas.
CHICAGO — Riverside Investment & Development, with its development partner Convexity Properties, has unveiled a revised plan for the Union Station redevelopment project in Chicago. The biggest change is the elimination of a 404-unit apartment structure that the developers had initially proposed to place atop the historic Union Station building, according to local media reports. Instead, Riverside plans to develop a one-story addition with hotel rooms. The other change is a 1.5-acre plaza and park along Jackson Boulevard and Clinton Street at the base of a proposed 50-story office tower. BMO Harris Bank is in talks to anchor the office property, according to local media sources. The new proposal will still have to clear many hurdles, including approval from city officials. In June, the developer faced criticism for its initial proposal largely because of the glass apartment building. Last year, Amtrak, which owns the station, selected the development team for the $1 billion project. The train station originally opened in 1925. Today, it handles about 140,000 passengers on an average weekday.
KANSAS CITY, MO. — City Club Apartments (CCA) has broken ground on a project in Kansas City’s Crossroads district, which is located directly south of the downtown loop and known for its art galleries, shops and restaurants. Located at the corner of Main and 20th streets, the seven-story apartment property will include 283 units with 50 different floor plans. Among the amenities will be a rooftop pool, outdoor theater, fitness center, zen garden, bark park and nearly 300 underground parking spaces. CCA has lease commitments with a local restaurant and wine bar, a specialty market and other local retailers. Those tenants will be announced at a later date. The hotel-style lobby will include a lounge, business center and concierge service. Residents are expected to begin moving into the property in the fall of 2019.
