CINCINNATI, KANSAS CITY, ST. LOUIS AND KENOSHA, WIS. — BGO Industrial Real Estate Income Trust Inc. (BGO IREIT) has acquired an indirect 34.2 percent ownership interest in a portfolio of Midwest industrial assets valued at approximately $948 million in exchange for 13 million units of its operating partnership. The purchase price of the portfolio was approximately $130 million. The portfolio consists of 29 industrial buildings totaling more than 9.4 million square feet in Cincinnati, Kansas City, St. Louis and Kenosha, Wis. Developed between 2012 and 2023, the portfolio is 90 percent leased to multiple tenants with a weighted average remaining lease term of approximately five years.
AURORA AND PALATINE, ILL. — PGIM Real Estate has provided a $66 million loan for the refinancing of two newly built industrial properties in suburban Chicago. The assets, which include 90 Logistics Center in Palatine and 2800 W. Diehl Road in Aurora, total 760,669 square feet. The borrower, Logistics Property Co., will use proceeds of the loan to pay off construction debt, cover closing costs and return equity to the company. Craig Foreman of PGIM originated the fixed-rate loan.
CHICAGO — AmTrust RE has unveiled plans for a $50 million capital improvements program at two of its Chicago office properties, One East Wacker and 33 North Dearborn. The improvements will provide tenants with a “hospitality-inspired setting,” equipped with amenities, modern finishes and furniture, and elevated conveniences. This initiative marks the initial stage of the company’s $100 million commitment to upgrading its Chicago portfolio. Additionally, AmTrust has enlisted Stream Realty Partners to manage leasing for its Chicago office portfolio. At One East Wacker, AmTrust will upgrade the property’s exterior and entrances along both Wacker Drive and State Street, create multiple spec suites and fulfill a corridor and restroom renovation. Additional plans call for a comprehensive lobby renovation envisioned by Chicago-based Eastlake Studio; creation of a comprehensive amenity floor on the second level overseen by wellness amenities management service Lulafit; and significant renovations to the top-floor lounge on the 41st floor. The office tower spans 540,000 square feet. Improvements to the 330,000-square-foot 33 North Dearborn include renovating and expanding the fourth-floor conference center to double in size; creating an outdoor tenant roof deck; enhancing building conveniences such as expanding the bike room; new ground-floor retail offerings; aesthetic upgrades to the building …
CLAYTON, MO. — Midas Construction has topped out an AC Hotel in the St. Louis suburb of Clayton. The $50 million project is slated for completion in spring 2024. The 11-story building includes 207 rooms. A team of Concord Hospitality, Homebase Partners, Koplar Properties, Eagle Realty and Midas Construction is developing the project. Designed for business and leisure travelers, the hotel will feature a rooftop bar and restaurant open to the public. The project revitalizes a historic, underutilized site that once housed the headquarters for the Clayton Police. Designed by DLR Group, the AC Hotel Clayton will feature the AC Lounge, where patrons can enjoy craft beer, handcrafted cocktails and tapas-style small plates, and the AC Kitchen, an onsite restaurant offering a European-inspired menu. The project team also includes DeLuca Plumbing LLC, Streib Co., TJ Wies Contracting Inc., Eisen Group, Acme Erectors, Jacobsmeyer Construction, Leonard Masonry, Vee-Jay, Titan Carpentry, Custom Service Crane, Grasse & Associates, Waterhout Construction and Castle Contracting.
ST. PAUL, MINN. — Marcus & Millichap has brokered the $5 million sale of Phalen Shores, a 53-unit multifamily property in St. Paul. Built in 1987, the five-story community features a fitness center, outdoor spaces and an underground heated garage. Abe Roberts and Michael Jacobs of Marcus & Millichap represented the seller and buyer, neither of which were disclosed.
No one in the multifamily sector needs a lecture on the difficulty of financing projects and deals these days. But, when there are challenges in the market, attention to detail and alternative financing can result in a better chance of finding solutions. Considering life insurance companies as viable investors is one example. Insurers often can provide needed liquidity as they search for yield, especially in the multifamily world. Multifamily fell to the same forces that have affected every other commercial real estate (CRE) class. After a buildup of easy money over more than a decade, the zero-interest rate policy in response to the pandemic collapse set asset investment on fire. Prices soared, opportunities were widespread and big leverage was in. “Starting in 2019/2020, you saw a lot of floating-rate bridge money,” says Susan Mello, executive vice president and group head of capital markets at Walker & Dunlop. But as loans came up for refinancing, quick and large Federal Reserve hikes of the benchmark federal funds rate kicked up loan costs everywhere and made penciling a deal difficult, if not impossible. “The rapid rise of interest rates put values in question across the board. That’s exacerbated by how much liquidity there …
NORTHBROOK, ILL. — Focus, together with development partner Fort Union, is scheduled to break ground on a new electric vehicle sales, service and distribution center for Tesla in Northbrook, a northern suburb of Chicago. Focus is hosting a groundbreaking event for the 50,000-square-foot project on Wednesday, Oct. 4. According to a press release, the project will assist the city in achieving the goals set in its 2021 Climate Action Plan.
MENASHA, WIS. — An affiliate of Phoenix Investors has unveiled plans to convert its industrial property at 2225 American Drive in Menasha into a self-storage facility. Comprising 65,000 net rentable square feet, the property will feature up to 600 self-storage units. There will also be more than 100,000 square feet of RV and boat storage parking and several executive office suites. Formerly operated as a call center, the property is situated near I-41. The single-story building was constructed in 1981 and underwent significant renovations in 1999 and 2020. The self-storage units are slated to be available by early 2024. Store Here Self Storage will operate the facility, marking its third in Wisconsin.
CINCINNATI — Advertising agency Curiosity has purchased a historic building near Cincinnati’s Over-the-Rhine neighborhood for an undisclosed price. The company plans to update the building, relocate its headquarters and add 32 new jobs. Founded in Cincinnati in 2012, Curiosity employs 68 full-time staff members. The building formerly served as the home of Chatfield College on Central Parkway. Cincinnati-based SHP will oversee architecture and design for the 16,200-square-foot project, which includes an expanded in-house content production studio. The Ohio Department of Development’s Ohio Tax Credit Authority approved a tax credit for the project. JobsOhio plans to provide assistance for the project after a final agreement is executed.
WOODHAVEN, MICH. — Marcus & Millichap has brokered the $4.6 million sale of a two-tenant retail property in Woodhaven, a southern suburb of Detroit. The asset is home to Office Depot and Five Below. Ashish Vakhariya, Seth Haron and Darin Gross of Marcus & Millichap represented the undisclosed seller. Dylan Wolf and Clayton Brown of Marcus & Millichap represented the cash buyer, which completed a 1031 exchange.