Just like Omaha’s diverse and strong economy — a 3.2 percent unemployment rate as of December 2014 — the local apartment market continues to shine. Occupancy remains high, rents are up significantly over the past year as additional charges continue to be passed through to tenants, and new construction has not yet overtaken demand. In short, 2014 was another golden year for apartments. We expect more of the same in 2015 because the market has not yet peaked. The latest estimate by the Institute of Real Estate Management (IREM) is that there are now 95,128 apartment units in the Omaha metro area, with an overall occupancy level of nearly 96 percent as of fall 2014. This strong occupancy level is virtually unchanged from the fall of 2013 when it stood at 96.17 percent. From a historical perspective, the occupancy level for Omaha’s market over the past decade has remained strong, ranging from a low of 92 percent to a high of 96 percent. We expect Omaha’s occupancy rate in 2015 to remain strong, likely in the 95 to 96 percent range. Rents on the Rise Not surprisingly, the higher occupancy gives landlords greater pricing power. Historically we have observed about …
CARMEL, IND. — Mainstreet and Trilogy Health Services have completed construction on a transitional care facility in Carmel. Wellbrooke of Carmel is located at 12315 Pennsylvania St. The new facility will provide transitional care (short-stay rehabilitation and therapy) and assisted living. Construction on Wellbrooke of Carmel started in April 2014. The 68,590-square-foot property includes 94 beds. Amenities include a therapy gym, an outdoor rehabilitation courtyard, a movie theatre, a game room, a spa and an on-site chef. The project, which represents a total investment of $15 million in the community, created 374 construction jobs and 120 permanent jobs. A community open house for Wellbrooke of Carmel will take place on May 3.
DES MOINES, IOWA — The Weitz Co. has been selected to build the $101 million Iowa Events Center Hotel at Fifth Avenue and Park Street in Des Moines. The Iowa Events Center Hotel will include a build-out of a 330-room convention hotel, which will be connected to the Iowa Events Center, a multi-venue convention center and entertainment complex. Weitz will work with Des Moines-area architectural and engineering firms to complete the project.
AURORA, ILL. — The Chicago office of Duke Realty Corp. is developing a 242,372-square-foot, build-to-suit corporate headquarters and warehouse for Shorr Packaging Corp, a distributor of packaging products, equipment and services. The new facility is being constructed on 13 acres in Butterfield Corporate Park, Duke Realty’s multi-building industrial campus located off I-88 in Aurora. Shorr Packaging will consolidate operations from a 120,000-square-foot building it owns in Meridian Business Park, a 34,000-square-foot space in the Meridian Business Park it leases from Duke Realty and 36,127 square feet it leases in another building in Aurora. Trevor Ragsdale of JLL represented Shorr Packaging. Susan Bergdoll of Duke Realty, along with Traci Payette, David Prell and John Suerth of CBRE, represented Duke Realty. Construction on Shorr Packaging’s new facility in Butterfield Corporate Park is slated to begin this summer with delivery in spring 2016.
LOVELAND, OHIO — Marcus & Millichap has brokered the $6.6 million sale of Symmes Gate Station, a 40,313-square-foot shopping center located in Loveland. CVS anchors the property, which is located at Madeira Road. Burger King and US Bank are out-parcels at the asset. Craig Fuller, Scott Wiles and Erin Patton of Marcus & Millichap’s Cleveland and Columbus offices represented the seller, an Ohio-based developer and the buyer, a Connecticut-based private real estate company.
MANSFIELD, OHIO — Namdar Realty Group has acquired a 158,000-square-foot shopping center in Mansfield from a private trust for an undisclosed sales price. The West Park Shopping Center is located at 1157 Park Ave. W. Tenants at the property include Dollar General Market, Citi-Trends, Rent-A-Car, Midas and Rose’s Beauty Supply. Joel Gorjian of Namdar Realty Group represented the firm.
ST. LOUIS — The St. Louis Regional Convention and Sports Complex Authority (RSA) has contracted Kwame Building Group Inc. (KWAME) to provide project management support to John Loyd, RSA’s developer’s representative, for the proposed NFL stadium on the St. Louis riverfront. The RSA contracted John Loyd as its developer’s representative to consult on stadium design and construction. The Hunt Construction Group/Clayco (HCKL) construction management team will report to Loyd. Hunt Construction, in association with Kwame Building Group, served as the design-build contractor on the $270 million Busch Stadium in downtown St. Louis, with Loyd as the owner’s representative. Construction of the new stadium would create more than 5,000 construction jobs over a four-year period, in addition to retaining a major regional employer and more than 2,400 game-day jobs.
ZION, ILL. — Cohen Financial has arranged $9.2 million in acquisition loans through Pillar’s lending program for two multifamily properties in Zion. Dan Rosenberg of Cohen Financial’s Chicago office secured a $5.3 million loan for Country Chalet Apartments and a $3.85 million loan for Park Trails Apartments. The two properties purchased included a total of 247 units. The fixed-rate, 15-year loans include 30-year amortization schedules. The borrower is an affiliated entity of The Ferndale Realty Group LLC, a Chicago-based real estate investment company.
WICHITA, KAN. — Value Place, a value extended stay hotel brand, has changed its name to WoodSpring Suites, effective immediately. In addition, the Wichita-based company is developing a brand extension with a more enhanced offering, WoodSpring Suites Signature, designed to appeal to less price sensitive guests. “Our new brand strategy will foster our ability to further expand our network, gain access to new markets and customer segments, and further drive RevPAR growth for our company owned hotels and development partners,” says Bruce Haase, CEO of the brand. “Leveraging our highly profitable operating model and history of product innovation, we believe that our rebranding strategy will be the catalyst to take the company to the next level of growth and profitability. We are building from a strong foundation.”
ELK GROVE VILLAGE, ILL. — Entre Commercial Realty has arranged the $2.3 million sale of a 41,600-square-foot industrial facility in Elk Grove Village. Horizon Logistics Inc., which is doing business as Seko Logistics, acquired the property located at 801 Lunt Ave. The free standing, single-tenant building is in close proximity to I-90, I-355 and O’Hare International Airport. Jonathan Kohn and Ron Behm of Colliers International represented the seller, Prologis. Tom Boucher and Dan Jones of Entre Commercial Realty represented Horizon Logistics. Seko Logistics is a 39-year-old global firm that specializes in transportation, logistics, freight forwarding and warehousing.