CHICAGO — Kiser Group has arranged the $5.7 million sale of a 43-unit apartment building located at 5123-31 S. University Ave. in Chicago’s Hyde Park neighborhood. Lee Kiser brokered the transaction. The Norm Levin Trust sold the property to Florin Pavel. Situated a few blocks from the University of Chicago, the asset was 97.7 percent occupied at the time of sale. The buyer completed a 1031 exchange and plans to renovate and reposition the asset to better serve student housing demand. The same family had owned the property since 1962.
By Aaron Hyde and Justin Lossner, JLL Regional markets like Des Moines are no longer waiting their turn. Retailers and office users that once bypassed mid-sized metros for coastal or high-growth markets are compressing their timelines and arriving here ahead of schedule. Heading into the second half of 2026, that shift is already playing out on the ground. Des Moines faces constrained supply and steady demand—not excess capacity. Across retail and office, the question isn’t whether tenants want to be here, but whether growth can physically occur. Retail: strong demand Retail vacancy in metro Des Moines sits around 3.5 percent, the tightest rate in over a decade. Demand spans categories: Quick-service restaurants, banks, auto tenants, fitness and junior box soft goods retailers all absorb space as it becomes available. Retailers are no longer simply looking for the next door down the street. They’re expanding regionally, and markets like Des Moines are benefiting as larger metros tighten. National retailers now enter Des Moines earlier in their expansion cycles. In fact, roughly 36 percent of new national retail leases were signed within five months of space becoming available. Des Moines is consistent with that velocity. Space — not demand — limits growth …
ROCKY RIVER, OHIO — JLL Capital Markets has arranged the $28.2 million sale of Westwood Town Center, a shopping center in Rocky River near Cleveland. Built in 1988, the property totals 226,155 square feet. Anchor tenants include Home Depot, which accounts for 30 percent of income and recently extended its lease, and Marc’s, a regional grocer that accounts for 25 percent of income. Additional tenants include AMC Theatres, which operates the only six-screen theater within a five-mile radius, Dollar Tree, FedEx and Third Federal Savings & Loan. The center is currently 95 percent occupied. Michael Nieder and Brian Page of JLL represented the seller, Zeisler Morgan Properties. The buyer was KPR Centers.
CHICAGO — Marcus & Millichap has brokered the sale of a 916-unit Public Storage property in Chicago. Completed in 2024, the self-storage facility consists of climate-controlled units totaling 72,899 rentable square feet. Jeffrey Herrmann and Sean Delaney of Marcus & Millichap represented the seller, an Illinois-based limited liability company. Delaney procured the buyer, a Texas-based limited liability company.
NORTHBROOK, ILL. — Nonprofit developer Housing Opportunity Development Corp. (HODC) has opened Poupard Place, a permanent supportive housing community in Northbrook. The 48-unit, four-story community at 1593 Shermer Road provides affordable housing for individuals and families living with disabilities. The development was made possible through a collaborative partnership among HODC, Illinois Housing Development Authority, Cook County, National Equity Fund, Federal Home Loan Bank of Chicago, Village Bank & Trust and many other public and private partners. The Village of Northbrook unanimously approved the project and donated the land. The project team included architect Cordogan, Clark & Associates and general contractor Skender.
CHICAGO — Greenstone Partners has negotiated the $4 million sale of a fully leased property located along Restaurant Row in Chicago’s Fulton Market neighborhood. Located at 1012 W. Randolph St., the four-story asset totals 6,500 square feet and includes a ground-floor retail space leased to Rōti Modern Mediterranean and three loft-style apartments. At the time of sale, the property was fully occupied. Danny Spitz, Tom Galvin and Brewster Hague of Greenstone represented the seller. The buyer was Los Angeles-based Foundational Real Estate.
CHICAGO — JLL Capital Markets has secured a $275 million refinancing and a $57 million mezzanine financing for NEMA Chicago, a luxury multifamily tower. Standing 76 stories and 893 feet tall, the property is Chicago’s tallest rental tower, according to JLL. Located at 1210 S. Indiana Ave. along Grant Park, NEMA Chicago includes 800 units. Architect Rafael Viñoly designed the property, which was completed in 2019. David Rockwell designed the interiors. NEMA Chicago features 70,000 square feet of amenity spaces, including indoor and outdoor pools, a full-size basketball court, squash court, boxing ring, golf simulator, movie theater and spa services. The building features 764 Signature Residences and 126 exclusive Skyline Collection units on the upper floors, which comprise private lobbies, dedicated concierge teams, 10-foot ceilings and access to the Vista Lounge and Skyline Terrace. Danny Kaufman, Medina Spiodic and Youngsoo Yang of JLL represented the borrower, Crescent Heights, in facilitating the five-year, fixed-rate loan through New York Life Insurance Co. JLL also arranged the mezzanine loan through PGIM’s real estate business.
JOLIET, ILL. — Mapletree Investments has broken ground on a 419,520-square-foot speculative industrial facility in Joliet. Completion of the 29-acre project is slated for the first quarter of 2027. Situated along the I-80 and I-55 interchange, the development will provide direct connectivity to the Joliet Intermodal Center, North America’s largest inland port that is home to the Union Pacific and BNSF Joliet Intermodal Terminals. The property will feature a clear height of 40 feet, 78 dock doors, four drive-in doors, 172 car parking spaces and 97 trailer stalls. Singapore-based Mapletree currently owns and operates approximately 9.8 million square feet of industrial assets in Chicagoland. The group’s broader U.S. logistics footprint totals more than 60 million square feet. The project team includes Keeley Construction and Colliers.
MINNEAPOLIS — Transwestern has acquired Forte Real Estate Partners, a commercial real estate firm based in the Twin Cities. The transaction adds 12 healthcare, office and industrial tenant advisory team members and a broad property management portfolio. Established in 2021 through the merger of Excelsior Advisory and Paramount Real Estate Corp., Forte provides brokerage and property services across the Twin Cities region. Founders Steve Brown, Jim Jetland and Philip Simonet will join Transwestern, bringing decades of experience and knowledge across healthcare, office and industrial real estate, respectively. Forte has advised clients on more than $885 million in transactions and managed nearly 1 million square feet of commercial property. Following the acquisition, Transwestern maintains roughly 475 team members across the Midwest and oversees more than 52 million square feet of office, industrial, healthcare, retail and government properties. The Forte team will join Transwestern’s Minneapolis office at 705 Marquette Ave.
WISCONSIN — Hanley Investment Group Real Estate Advisors has arranged the off-market sale of three single-tenant retail properties occupied by O’Reilly Auto Parts in Wisconsin. Eric Wohl and CJ Kiehler of Hanley, in association with ParaSell Inc., represented the seller, a Montana-based development company. The three buildings each total around 7,000 square feet and are located in Oshkosh, Pulaski and Middleton within the Fox Valley and greater Madison trade areas. As of March 31, O’Reilly Auto Parts operated 6,644 stores across 48 U.S. states, Puerto Rico, Mexico and Canada.