EVANSTON AND OAK PARK, ILL. — Albion Residential, along with general contractor Clark Construction, has broken ground on two apartment projects in suburban Chicago. Albion Evanston will include 268 apartment units with 6,800 square feet of retail space. Existing buildings on the development site will be demolished this month with construction slated to begin in August. The property is scheduled to open in the third quarter of 2019. The Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company provided project financing. Albion Oak Park will include 265 apartment units and 8,000 square feet of retail space. Construction of the building’s foundation is underway. CIBC and Associated Bank provided project financing. Hartshorne Plunkard Architecture is designing both projects.
AURORA, ILL. — Quantum Real Estate Advisors Inc. has brokered the sale of two retail properties in Aurora for an undisclosed price. The sale includes a 31,000-square-foot retail center and a single-tenant building occupied by Walgreens. The retail center was fully leased at the time of sale. Tenants include Dollar General, O’Reilly Auto Parts and Subway. Constructed in 2002, the Walgreens property is approximately 15,000 square feet. Chad Firsel of Quantum represented the seller, a Chicago-based investor. Daniel Waszak of Quantum represented the buyer, a Colorado-based private investor.
CHICAGO — American Street Capital (ASC) has arranged a $3.5 million bridge loan for the acquisition of a 25,000-square-foot office building in Chicago’s River North neighborhood. Built in 1920, the five-story building is currently vacant and in need of repairs. The buyer plans to renovate the property to include modern floor plans and amenities for tenants. Igor Zhizhin of ASC arranged the floating-rate loan, which features a full term 18 month interest reserve. A commercial bank provided the loan.
NEW ALBANY, OHIO — Blue Horseshoe Ventures Ltd. has unveiled plans to develop Planet Oasis, a combined entertainment, attraction, action sport, food and beverage and health wellness venue. Project costs are estimated at $2 billion, according to local media reports. The 350-acre development will be located at the intersection of I-71 and State Route 36 in Delaware County and Berkshire Township near Columbus. Plans call for a 200,000-square-foot UltraStar Multi-tainment Center, which will house bowling, laser tag, video games, virtual golf, a movie theater and sports restaurant and bar. It will also house a “Uni-coaster” within a glass cylinder that will extend 150 to 200 feet in the air. Other attractions will include a 90,000-square-foot go-kart venue, a 10,000-square-foot indoor skydiving experience and a shooting gallery. The Mirage Entertainment District will be built around Lake Mirage, a 20-acre saltwater lake with sand beaches. The District will also feature an indoor waterpark and an indoor sports facility. The project will feature at least 15 hotels offering 4,000 rooms as well as 75 restaurants. A wellness resort known as Bloom will feature a 100-key hotel on its own lake. Blue Horseshoe expects to break ground in December, with a planned opening date of December 2019 …
KANSAS CITY, MO. — NorthMarq Capital has arranged a $251.3 million Fannie Mae loan for the refinancing of a 12-property multifamily portfolio located in metro Kansas City and Dallas. The portfolio totals 3,165 units. Price Brothers was the borrower, but property names were not disclosed. The 15-year loan features a 30-year amortization schedule. Greg Duvall of NorthMarq’s Kansas City regional office arranged the loan.
MILWAUKEE — Cambridge Landmark has purchased the Hyatt Regency hotel in downtown Milwaukee. The sales price was $37.3 million, according to the Milwaukee Business Journal. The 481-room, full-service hotel is connected to the Wisconsin Convention Center. The hotel will undergo a multi-million dollar renovation focused on upgrading the rooms, lobby, meeting space and other new amenities. The seller was not disclosed. Cambridge Landmark is a Miami-based investor.
LORDSTOWN, OHIO — Broadstone Net Lease Inc. has acquired a 210,497-square-foot distribution center in Lordstown, about 60 miles southeast of Cleveland. The purchase price was not disclosed. The property is fully occupied by The Anderson-DuBose Company, which distributes frozen, refrigerated and dry foods as well as paper goods to restaurants throughout Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York and West Virginia. Constructed in 2012 as a build-to-suit for the company, the property was expanded in 2017. Jeffrey Shell, Amie Sweeney, Michael Hines, Brian Fiumara, Brad Ruppel and Lauren Dawicki of CBRE represented the seller, a REIT managed by U.S. Realty Advisors LLC. Steve Roth of CBRE secured financing on behalf of Broadstone.
MINNEAPOLIS — Cushman & Wakefield has negotiated a 134,000-square-foot industrial lease on behalf of Canteen, a food service company. The property is located at 700 24th Ave. SE in Minneapolis. The landlord, Interstate Development, plans to demolish part of the property and reposition the remainder in order to meet Canteen’s needs. Significant landscaping and parking improvements will also be made to the property. Canteen, a division of Compass Group, is a vending, office coffee and refreshments services company. Canteen will move into the new space in October. David Stokes and Chris Weirens of Cushman & Wakefield represented Canteen in the lease transaction.
CHICAGO — Colliers International has finalized its previously announced strategic investment in Harrison Street Real Estate Capital LLC for $450 million. An additional $100 million will be payable to Harrison Street in 2022 based on the achievement of certain performance targets. Colliers has acquired 75 percent of the Chicago-based real estate investment firm, which focuses on the education, healthcare and self-storage sectors. The senior management team of Harrison Street owns the balance of the equity. Christopher Merrill, Harrison Street’s co-founder and CEO, will lead operations and remain the largest individual shareholder. Colliers expects annual revenue from management fees to range between $100 million and $115 million. Harrison Street currently maintains approximately $14.6 billion in assets under management.
CHICAGO — Baker Development Corp. has completed ELEVATE Lincoln Park located at 930 W. Altgeld St. in Chicago. The 11-story luxury apartment building includes 191 units. The property features a pool, grill area, demonstration kitchen, fitness center and dog run. Floor plans include studios, one- and two-bedroom units, as well as penthouse units. Monthly rents start at $1,985.