MARSHALL, MICH. — Discount retailer Kmart is closing its final store in the state of Michigan, according to local media reports. The last remaining store is in Marshall, which is located just east of Battle Creek and about 45 miles south of Lansing. The store is expected to close in November. Kmart opened its first location in Garden City, Mich., in 1962. In its prime in the 1990s, Kmart operated more than 2,300 locations in the United States. The current parent company of Kmart, Transformco, also owns Sears, which recently unveiled plans to shutter its final store in the state of Illinois.
FISHERS, IND. — JVM Realty Corp. has acquired The Mark at Fishers District, a 260-unit luxury apartment community in Fishers, a northern suburb of Indianapolis. The company has also acquired Fishers District, an 18-acre development with 98,186 square feet of fully leased retail and restaurant space. A dual-branded Hyatt House and Hyatt Place hotel is also on the site but was not part of the sale. JVM plans to use its in-house management and marketing teams for the residential component, but will engage a national expert in retail services to assist with management of the retail portion. George Tikijian and Hannah Ott of Cushman & Wakefield represented the seller, Thompson Thrift. The sales price was not disclosed.
MINNEAPOLIS — The Opus Group has broken ground on Nordeast Business Center, a 130,440-square-foot speculative industrial building in Minneapolis. Located at the corner of University Avenue and 37th Avenue Northeast, the project will feature 136 vehicle parking stalls, 22 dock doors, two drive-in doors, 19 trailer parking stalls and a clear height of 32 feet. Completion is slated for summer 2022. Opus is the developer, design-builder, architect and structural engineer. John Ryden, Matt Oelschlager and Mike Bowen of CBRE are marketing the property for lease.
FLINT TOWNSHIP, MICH. — LRC Commercial has acquired Lux off Linden in Flint Township for $3.5 million. The 92-unit multifamily property is located at 1440 Linden St. LRC plans to update the units and add 90 storage units. Trinity AAA will manage the asset. Waller Group represented LRC in the transaction, which accounts for LRC’s fourth acquisition in the state of Michigan.
By Tim McFarland, Sansone Group It is hard to describe 2020 as anything other than a lost year. COVID-19 brought us quarantines, social distancing, masks and plenty of uncertainty. The pandemic pushed our healthcare system to the brink, stressed our supply chain and caused a global economic slowdown. The St. Louis commercial real estate market certainly felt the effects of COVID-19, with retail and hospitality being hit the hardest. The retail sector was turned upside down by lockdowns that transformed homes into virtual offices, mandates that forced the closure of non-essential businesses and capacity restrictions that required restaurants to learn how to survive without dine-in business for a large portion of the year. These factors have caused an increase in vacancy to nearly 5 percent, and average asking rates to soften to $13.02 per square foot, off by 15 cents per square foot from this time last year. Perhaps most intriguing was seeing trends in the retail market accelerated by COVID-19. E-commerce For years now there has been a trend toward e-commerce. That is true now more than ever as the pandemic has accelerated the drive to digital. More than five years of e-commerce adoption was compressed into a three-month …
AcquisitionsContent PartnerFeaturesLeasing ActivityLoansMidwestMultifamilyNortheastSingle-Family RentalSoutheastTexasWalker & DunlopWestern
Small-Balance Multifamily: Sizable and Resilient
While new-builds and top-of-the-line, large-scale developments typically attract the most buzz in the multifamily world, the vast majority of apartment properties in the United States have fewer than 100 units. These smaller properties play a vital role in delivering affordable and workforce rental housing inventory to the U.S. population. While the commercial real estate industry may refer to this sector of the multifamily market as “small,” make no mistake, “small” multifamily is not insignificant or inferior — it’s sizable and resilient. As other commercial real estate sectors paused during COVID-19, smaller multifamily properties and small-balance lending thrived. What does the future hold for this market? The Small Multifamily Market Defined The small multifamily market is highly fragmented with no clear definition of what constitutes “small” among capital sources. Generally, market statistics define the “small” multifamily sector by at least one of two measures: Unit count between five and 99 units; and/or Principal loan balance at origination between $1 million and $10 million[1] Strong Demand and Operating Fundamentals While the pandemic negatively impacted many areas of commercial real estate, with offices, retail shops and hotels largely shuttered across the U.S., the multifamily market remained resilient. Despite the past year’s challenges, multifamily …
CHICAGO — A groundbreaking ceremony took place yesterday, Sept. 28, for the Obama Presidential Center (OPC) in Chicago’s Jackson Park, which is located on the city’s South Side. “We chose this location for a few pretty good reasons,” said Obama during the ceremony. “It’s close to where Michelle grew up and where I started my political career. It’s surrounded by vibrant neighborhoods and a community where we can help make a difference.” The center will support thousands of jobs during and after construction. It is expected to bring as many as 750,000 visitors to the area each year, according to Obama. In addition to the center, plans call for the creation of a community recreation center and another branch of the Chicago Public Library. Construction costs are estimated at nearly $500 million, according to the OPC website. The Obama Foundation will bear 100 percent of the costs to construct and maintain the grounds and structures within the OPC site, turning over ownership to the city upon completion. To leverage the private investment in the area, the city plans to invest in infrastructure improvements throughout the South Side. An economic impact study concluded that the site will have a $3.1 billion …
CHICAGO, CINCINNATI AND MEMPHIS, TENN. — Colliers International has brokered the sale of a four-building industrial portfolio spanning 2.4 million square feet for approximately $200 million. The Class A assets are located in the Chicago, Cincinnati and Memphis markets. Jeff Devine, Steve Disse, Tyler Ziebel and Alex Cantu of Colliers represented the seller, IDI Logistics. Canadian-based Granite REIT was the buyer. The Chicago-area property is located in Antioch, Ill. Constructed in 2015, the building spans 454,276 square feet with a clear height of 36 feet, parking for 139 cars and 136 trailers. The property is fully leased to two tenants. The two Memphis-area assets are located just over the state border in Olive Branch, Miss. The first facility is located at 12577 Stateline Road and spans 408,197 square feet. Built in 2016, the property features a clear height of 32 feet and is fully leased. The second building is located at 8740 S. Crossroads Drive and spans 861,252 square feet. Built in 2014, the facility features a clear height of 32 feet and is fully leased to three tenants. The Cincinnati-area facility spans 678,363 square feet. The fully leased building was constructed in 2007 and offers a clear height of …
MOORESVILLE, IND. — JLL Capital Markets has negotiated the $43 million sale of Westpoint II, a 507,600-square-foot distribution center in the Indianapolis-area community of Mooresville. Deckers Outdoors Corp. (NYSE: DECK), a lifestyle and footwear retailer, fully occupies the facility. Completed this year, the building features a clear height of 36 feet and 50 dock-high doors. It is situated within Westpoint Business Park, a 550-acre development that will feature more than 9 million square feet of Class A industrial product upon full buildout. John Huguenard, Ed Halaburt and Brian Seitz of JLL represented the seller, Ambrose Property Group LLC. Cambridge Holdings was the buyer.
WARRENVILLE, ILL. — McShane Construction Co. has completed Everton Flats in Warrenville, a western suburb of Chicago. Atlantic Residential was the developer for the 259-unit luxury apartment project, which spans three buildings on a 10-acre site. Amenities include a community room, fitness center, pool, grilling area and playground. The development includes detached parking garages and surface parking lots. HKM provided architectural services.