CHICAGO — Real estate investment firm L3 Capital has purchased 914-26 W. Fulton Market, a 30,000-square-foot, two-story property from El Cubano Wholesale Meats. The purchase price was $14.5 million. El Cubano had used the property as a cold storage and office facility, but the property can easily be subdivided for multiple tenants. El Cubano will be moving its production and distribution operations to a 96,000-square-foot facility at 5275 S. Archer Ave. Keely Polczynski, CBRE senior vice president, represented El Cubano in the transaction.
MINNEAPOLIS — CBRE Capital Markets’ Debt & Structured Finance team has arranged $2.3 million in long-term acquisition financing for a 41-unit multifamily complex located in the Standish neighborhood of South Minneapolis. The two-story building, located at 3725 Cedar Ave. South, was built in 1971 and offers one-, two- and three-bedroom units. The property was 100 percent occupied at the time of closing. The non-recourse financing was obtained through Freddie Mac’s small loan balance program and features a 20-year loan term with a 10-year fixed interest rate of 3.3 percent and a 30-year amortization. Ben Bastian of CBRE’s Minneapolis office represented the borrower, 3725 Cedar LLC, in the transaction. The borrower is affiliated with Baker Management Group LLC, a local multifamily owner and operator with approximately 250 units under management within the Minneapolis metro area.
CHICAGO — Developer Smithfield Properties is nearing completion of SoNu Digs, Chicago’s first ground-up, micro-apartment building. SoNu is located at 1515 N. Fremont St. in the Lincoln Park/SoNo neighborhood. The apartments, which will be ready for occupancy in December, range in size from 336 square feet to 438 square feet. Monthly rental rates range from $1,300 to $1,655. SoNu is the final part of a planned SoNo complex built by Smithfield Properties, which includes the SoNo East apartments and SoNo West condominiums. Calibrate Management will lease and manage the property.
MINNEAPOLIS — WNC has provided nearly $2 million in low-income housing tax credit (LIHTC) equity to fund the development of Linden Grove Veteran Apartments, a 37-unit affordable housing complex exclusively constructed for homeless veterans of the U.S. Armed Forces in the Minneapolis suburb of St. Cloud. The three-story building sits on six acres of land and is located at 4804 Veterans Drive. The apartments are part of the St. Cloud VA Health Care System and designated as permanent housing for low-income veterans who are homeless or at risk of homelessness. St. Michael Development Group LLC, a subsidiary of The Sand Companies Inc., developed the apartments. Affordable Housing Initiatives LLC served as the managing general partner of the project and Jamie Thelen as its developer.
ST. CLOUD, MINN. — Mid-America Real Estate-Minnesota LLC has brokered the sale of Division Place, a 130,000-square-foot shopping center in St. Cloud. Division Place is located on the corner of Division Street West and 27th Avenue South. Tenants include TJ Maxx, Dollar Tree and Famous Footwear. Joe Girardi and Mark Robinson of Mid-America Real Estate Corp. were the exclusive brokers in the transaction on behalf of the seller, Vanbarton Group. An affiliate of Core Acquisitions LLC purchased the center, and hired Mid-America Real Estate-Minnesota as the exclusive leasing and management firm.
KANSAS CITY, KAN. — Block & Co. Inc. has sold a 1.1-acre pad site at the Plaza at the Speedway development in Kansas City to Burger King. The pad site is located on the northwest quadrant of I-435 and Parallel Parkway in front of Sam’s Club and Kohl’s. The Plaza at the Speedway is an 850,000-square-foot retail shopping center located in the heart of a major tourism district. Other tenants include Walmart Supercenter, Taco Bell and Chick-fil-A. Anchor space, pad sites and small shop spaces are still available. Alex Block and David M. Block of Block & Company represented the seller, Plaza Speedway Development Inc., in the transaction.
OMAHA, NEB. — The Lerner Company has unveiled plans for Burlington Coat Factory to open its second store in Omaha at Eagle Run Shopping Center, located at 4004 N. 132nd St. The new store will occupy a portion of the former Kmart, which closed in December 2014. The new 40,408-square-foot store will open in spring 2017. The opening will bring approximately 50 to 100 new jobs to the Omaha community. Eagle Run Shopping Center is one of The Lerner Company’s joint venture entities.
EDINA, MINN. — Carlyle Realty Partners V LP has sold Centennial Shops in Edina to Farmington Hills, Mich.-based Ramco-Gershenson Properties Trust for $32 million. The sale of the shopping center, located along France Avenue at 3825 Gallagher Drive, is the largest transaction by dollar amount for a retail property in the Minneapolis-St. Paul market so far this year. The 85,200-square-foot lifestyle center was 100 percent leased at the time of sale and includes tenants such as West Elm and the Container Store. George Good, executive vice president in CBRE’s Chicago office, and Jim Leary, senior vice president in Minneapolis, marketed the property for sale.
CINCINNATI AND COLUMBUS, OHIO AND FORT WAYNE, IND. — Walker & Dunlop has closed a $15.5 million loan for the acquisition of four extended-stay properties in Ohio and Indiana by Sandpiper Hospitality. The financing is a three-year, interest-only bridge loan to allow Sandpiper to complete the acquisition while the properties are stabilized. Walker & Dunlop’s Stephen Farnsworth and Geoff Smith led the lending team. Two of the properties were recently constructed and have not yet achieved stabilization, and three of the four will undergo a rebranding from a Value Place to a WoodSpring Suites this quarter. The Value Place franchise is currently in the process of rebranding all of its properties to the new WoodSpring Suites. Extended-stay properties within the portfolio include WoodSpring Suites Easton and Value Place Worthington in Columbus, Value Place Fairfield in Cincinnati, and Value Place Fort Wayne in Fort Wayne.
EAST LANSING, MICH. — Michigan State University alumni Dan and Jennifer Gilbert are donating $15 million from their family foundation to support a new addition and renovation of the Breslin Center at MSU. The renovation will enhance the fan experience for the more than 500,000 people who attend basketball games and other events at the arena each year. The gift will also support two MSU programs: the Detroit Scholars Program (DSP) and the Resource Center for Persons with Disabilities (RCPD). The donation is one of the largest in MSU’s Empower Extraordinary campaign, which has raised more than $1.26 billion since 2011 to support global problem-solving research, endowed faculty positions, enhanced facilities and student opportunities. Dan Gilbert is founder and chairman of Quicken Loans Inc. and Rock Ventures LLC, the umbrella entity for Gilbert’s portfolio of companies and investments, including his commercial real estate holdings. He is also majority owner of the Cleveland Cavaliers. His wife, Jennifer, is founder and CEO of Amber Engine, a business-to-business cloud-based platform that seeks to transform the way manufacturers and retailers of home furnishings and décor conduct business.