BLOOMINGTON, ILL. — CBL Properties has launched redevelopment of Eastland Mall in Bloomington. H&M and Planet Fitness will occupy the space formerly home to J.C. Penney. Outback Steakhouse is also slated to join the lineup of tenants. Construction of H&M, Planet Fitness and Outback Steakhouse is currently underway. Tenants are expected to open prior to the 2018 holiday season. The mall, originally built in 1967, has a gross leasable area of 760,833 square feet.
AURORA, CAROL STREAM AND NEW LENOX, ILL. — Colliers International has arranged the sale of a 1.4 million-square-foot industrial portfolio in metro Chicago for $95 million. All six buildings in the portfolio are located in business parks with immediate access to interstate highways. The buildings include: 494 E. Lies Road, an 89,380-square-foot facility in the Carol Point Business Center in Carol Stream; 2520 Diehl Road, a 130,000-square-foot facility in the White Oak Business Park in Aurora; and 2700 Ellis Road, 2101 Haven Road, 2201 Haven Road and 2200 Haven Road within the Cherry Hill Business Park in New Lenox. Collectively, the buildings were 100 percent leased to seven tenants at the time of sale. Jeff Devine and Steve Disse of Colliers International represented the seller, institutional investors advised by J.P. Morgan Asset Management. A comingled fund managed by CBRE Investors purchased the portfolio.
CHICAGO — Harrison Street Real Estate Capital LLC has agreed to acquire a portfolio of six student housing properties in Germany from MPC Capital AG. The portfolio consists of more than 1,000 beds and serves university students in Berlin, Bonn, Kaiserslautern, Leipzig and Nuremberg. In addition, Harrison Street has formed a strategic joint venture with MPC Capital to acquire student housing properties across Europe. Headquartered in Germany, MPC Capital is a developer and operator of student accommodations. A press release announcing the transaction didn’t provide a purchase price or the expected closing date. Under the terms of the joint venture, the properties will continue to be managed under MPC Capital’s STAYTOO brand and existing property management teams. MPC Capital has identified several other properties as possible acquisitions for the joint venture, which will also be managed under the STAYTOO brand. Germany has Europe’s largest student population and a supply-constrained student accommodation market, according to Robert Mathias, senior managing director and head of international at Harrison Street. Those attributes plus strong user demand and enrollment growth present an attractive investment opportunity, adds Mathias. Chicago-based Harrison Street is one of the largest owners of student housing in the United States and Europe. Harrison …
MINNETONKA, MINN. — The Opus Group has begun construction on a 147-unit senior living facility in Minnetonka. The project will encompass independent living, assisted living and memory care apartments. Ebenezer Management Services will operate and manage the four-story property upon completion, which is slated for spring 2019. Amenities will include a salon, chapel, club room, dining room and walking paths. Opus Development Co. is the developer and Opus Design Build is the design contractor. Opus AE Group is the architect and engineer of record, while Sperides Reiners Architects is the design architect. Consilium Associates is the project’s interior designer.
MINNEAPOLIS — Upland Real Estate Group Inc. has arranged the sale of 700 Hennepin Avenue in downtown Minneapolis for $7.5 million. Seven the Steakhouse and Clear Channel Billboards occupy the 30,977-square-foot, net leased retail building. Both tenants have over nine years remaining on their leases with annual rent increases in place. Seven the Steakhouse has operated at the property since 2007. Nearby attractions include Pantages Theatre, Target Field (home of the Minnesota Twins) and U.S. Bank Stadium (home of the Minnesota Vikings). Keith Sturm, Deborah Vannelli and Amanda Leathers of Upland represented the undisclosed seller. A private New Jersey-based investor purchased the asset.
TROY, MICH. — Bontaz Centre has signed a 40,000-square-foot industrial lease for its North American headquarters in Troy. Previously occupied by International Automotive Components, the property is located at 1099 Chicago Road. Founded in 1965, Bontaz Centre is an automotive fluid management company that specializes in subassembly design and production. The company, which has had a small presence in Madison Heights, will begin occupying the new space in March 2018 and expects to expand its lease by an additional 20,000 square feet to increase production processes and accommodate a growing workforce. Peter Kepic and Peter Kepic Jr. of Colliers International represented the landlord, John Secco of Allegra Development, in the lease transaction. Gary Grochowski and Bryan Barnas of Colliers represented the tenant.
HOFFMAN ESTATES, ILL. AND CINCINNATI — Sears Holdings Corp. has announced that 64 Kmart stores and 39 Sears stores will close nationwide between March and early April of this year. Sears had previously unveiled an effort to close unprofitable stores and “right size” store footprints. Eligible associates impacted by these store closures will receive severance and will have the opportunity to apply for open positions at area Kmart or Sears stores. Liquidation sales will begin as early as Jan. 12 at the stores set to close. The company is closing three Kmart stores and three Sears stores in its home state of Illinois. For a full list of store closings, click here. Meanwhile, Cincinnati-based Macy’s has also announced the planned closure of 11 stores, four of which were previously disclosed. With these closures, the retailer will have completed 81 of the approximately 100 planned store closures announced in August 2016. The company intends to close approximately 19 additional stores as leases or operating covenants expire or sales transactions are completed. Including the newly announced stores, Macy’s has closed 124 stores since 2015. A majority of the Macy’s stores closing in early 2018 are located in California and Florida. A full list is available here. …
CHICAGO — NorthMarq Capital has arranged a $93 million Fannie Mae loan for the refinancing of Columbus Plaza in downtown Chicago. The 533-unit multifamily property will undergo extensive work in the lobby and outdoor amenity spaces, including a complete renovation and expansion of the building’s deck and grilling stations. Additionally, energy-saving appliances will be added to reduce water consumption and improve energy efficiencies. Sue Blumberg of NorthMarq arranged the seven-year loan. An entity controlled by the Habitat Co. owns the property.
MILWAUKEE — Colliers International has brokered the sale of 310 W. Wisconsin Avenue in Milwaukee for an undisclosed price. The 578,000-square-foot office complex is the third largest multi-tenant, stand-alone office complex in the state of Wisconsin, according to Colliers. Built in 1984, the blue glass building features two office towers connected by an atrium that reaches 14 stories high. The property is situated on the planned streetcar path and is walking distance to the new Bucks arena currently under construction and the proposed Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra development. Major tenants at the property include Captel, Previant Law, the General Services Administration, 540 ESPN and the Capital Grille. Tom Shepherd and Dan Wroblewski of Colliers represented the seller, RAIT Reuss Federal Plaza LLC. Time Equities Inc. purchased the complex and an attached 606-stall parking deck.
EDEN PRAIRIE, MINN. — CBRE Capital Markets has arranged the sale of the Southwest Office/Tech portfolio in Eden Prairie, a southwestern suburb of Minneapolis, for an undisclosed price. The portfolio consists of three flex office buildings totaling 166,650 square feet: Edenvale Executive Center A & B and Valley Gate North. The buildings were constructed between 1986 and 1987. The portfolio is currently 82 percent occupied. Judd Welliver, Ryan Watts, Sonja Dusil and Tom Holtz of CBRE represented the undisclosed seller. Red Tail Acquisitions, a private real estate investment firm based in Irvine, Calif., purchased the portfolio.