KANSAS CITY, MO. — Hunt Midwest has unveiled plans to build out an additional 700,000 square feet of Class A space in SubTropolis, the world’s largest underground business complex, located in Kansas City. The expansion, built on a speculative basis, will provide tenants with space for warehousing and distribution operations. With more than 7 million square feet of industrial space, SubTropolis offers lower operations and leasing costs than traditional above-ground industrial buildings, according to Hunt Midwest. It also offers a naturally temperature-controlled climate, helpful for storing inventory with a limited lifespan or specific temperature needs. A substantial portion of the business complex is currently utilized for e-commerce; archival and document storage; pharmaceutical and animal health facilities; and food distribution.
Midwest
CHICAGO — Hotel Essex, a luxury hotel located on Chicago’s Michigan Avenue adjacent to Grant Park, has been rebranded as Le Méridien Essex Chicago. Oxford Hotels & Resorts LLC owns the asset in joint venture with Quadrum Global. The property will continue to operate as an independent hotel until it officially joins the Marriott Bonvoy family this summer. The property reopened in 2019 after undergoing a multimillion-dollar transformation from Essex Inn into Hotel Essex. Each of the 274 guestrooms include a workstation, 55-inch smart TV, refrigerator and luxury linens. The onsite fitness center features workout equipment by Peloton, Star Trac, Life Fitness and Powermill. Guests can dine at Grant Park Bistro, a modern French grill, or SX Sky bar, a lounge with space for meetings and events. A Marriott brand, Le Méridien features a European flair and mid-century modern design aesthetic. “We’re always looking for ways to optimize the performance and value of our hotels and as leisure and business travel regains momentum this year, and in the years ahead, we felt combining forces with Le Méridien was a prudent, strategic move,” says John Rutledge, founder, president and CEO of Oxford.
OAK BROOK, ILL. — Clear Height Properties has completed a more than $55 million recapitalization of a 15-property industrial portfolio through the formation of a joint venture partnership with Harbert U.S. Real Estate. The transaction provides capital for Clear Height to utilize in pursuing its goal of doubling in size over the next 12 months, according to a news release. The portfolio totals more than 1 million square feet throughout metro Chicago and is home to 130 tenants. Most of the properties are multi-tenant facilities that are approximately 90 percent leased. Oak Brook-based Clear Height owns more than $250 million of industrial and office assets. Kurt Sarbaugh, Christopher Carroll and Robin Stolberg of JLL arranged the recapitalization.
MAYWOOD, ILL. — Interfaith Housing Development Corp. has opened Fifth Avenue Apartments in Maywood, a western suburb of Chicago. The 72-unit affordable housing project is situated at 800 S. 5th Ave., a site purchased from the Village of Maywood in 2019. A 5,500-square-foot retail space on the ground floor is slated for grocery store use. Of the apartment units, 19 are set aside for special needs populations, eight for homeless veterans and 11 for residents from the Illinois State Referral Network. The building’s first occupants are being selected based on their ability to meet the federal income criteria for affordable housing programs. Maintaining its affordability status for a minimum of 40 years, the five-story development will provide housing for households at or below 60 percent of the area median income. HED was the project architect and McShane Construction Co. was the general contractor. Additional project team members include SITE Design for landscape architecture and Ericksson Engineering for civil engineering. Interfaith Management Services will serve as property manager. Financial partners for the project included Illinois Housing Development Authority, the Cook County Department of Planning and Development, the Richman Group Affordable Housing Corp. and Bank of America. The Chicago Community Loan Fund …
BLOOMFIELD HILLS, MICH. — L. Mason Capitani CORFAC International has brokered the sale of Stoneridge II, an office building located at 40950 Woodward Ave. in Bloomfield Hills. The sales price and seller were undisclosed. The 110,000-square-foot property was recently renovated and was fully leased at the time of sale. Mason L. Capitani of the brokerage firm represented the buyer, LREH Michigan LLC.
Cordish Cos. to Break Ground on Two Multifamily Developments in Kansas City’s Power & Light District
by Katie Sloan
KANSAS CITY, MO. — The Cordish Cos. has announced plans to break ground on two multifamily developments in Kansas City’s Power & Light District. Projects include Three Light Luxury Apartments, a $140 million, 26-story tower set to offer 288 units at the corner of Truman Road and Main Street; and Midland Lofts, a repositioning of the historic Midland office building to offer 139 affordable housing units. Three Light Luxury Apartments will feature 19 floors of studio, one- and two-bedroom units alongside penthouse-style apartments; a seven-story garage with 472 parking spaces; and 7,600 square feet of ground-floor retail. Amenities are set to include a deck overlooking 14th Street, an infinity pool, bar, demonstration kitchen, theater room and a sky bridge above Walnut Street linking to the company’s Two Light multifamily community, allowing residents of both towers to share building amenities. The groundbreaking for the project to be built by JE Dunn Construction is scheduled to take place this May, with completion slated for May 2023. The Midland office building has been vacant for more than 20 years. Following renovations, Midland Lofts will offer a mix of studio and one-bedroom units with rents starting at $700 per-month. Amenities will include a coffee …
By Allen Rogoway, Cresa Chicago Over the past seven years, the Fulton Market office submarket has changed the landscape, and boundaries, of Chicago’s central business district (CBD) and what a “live-work” ecosystem can look like. Whereas the River North office submarket evolved over 30 years to become a low-cost alternative to the Loop for creative, boot-strapped companies requiring mostly small footprints, Fulton Market was developed for tech-centric, multinationals willing to pay “Trophy Tower” prices to attract and retain the very best talent. Employees didn’t mind adding a Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) transfer or 20 extra minutes to commute times each way in order to be in a neighborhood that was developed by big money yet felt authentic. Much of the architecture was preserved, and new construction was held to standards whereby the new mostly blended in with the area’s former produce, cold storage and century-old warehouses that had been converted for office use. Then old-guard companies and industries from accounting, consumer products and even law, started to set up shop in buildings that provided people with a very different workplace experience than what they were used to. Ownerships thoughtfully invested in tenant amenity spaces and retail pairings that matched with …
CHICAGO — Meridian Capital Group has arranged a $57 million loan for the refinancing of The Residences at Eagle Building, a residential and commercial building in Chicago’s Lakeview neighborhood. Completed in 2019, the asset includes 134 apartment units and 20,000 square feet of commercial space that is leased to Starbucks, Smylie Brothers and Lakeview Food Pantry. The geothermal property rests on top of 60 wells that extend 500 feet below ground, supplying heat and cooling for the building. Additionally, 130 solar panels on the roof help generate electricity. The Residences at Eagle Building is a LEED Gold property. An insurance company provided the 15-year loan, which features an interest rate of 3 percent. Gershon Friedman of Meridian’s Chicago office arranged the loan on behalf of the borrower, Dave Gassman of DLG Management. Of the $57 million total loan amount, the lender has disbursed $47 million to the borrower. The remaining $10 million will be disbursed once the property reaches stabilization.
CHESTERFIELD, MO. — KeyBank Real Estate Capital has secured $54 million of fixed-rate Fannie Mae financing for the acquisition of The Parq at Chesterfield in suburban St. Louis. Irvine, Calif.-based Passco Cos. was the borrower. Built in 2019, the 345-unit apartment complex spans three buildings on 13 acres. Amenities include a pool, spa, fitness center, business center, clubhouse and corporate suites. Caleb Marten and Chris Neil of KeyBank structured the financing.
WHITELAND, IND. — Mohr Capital, a Dallas-based privately held real estate investment firm, has started construction on a new speculative industrial development within Mohr Logistics Park in Whiteland. The 827,000-square-foot development will feature a clear height of 32 feet. Mohr is also scheduled to break ground on a 1 million-square-foot project within the logistics park in the next 60 days. The 827,000-square-foot building is slated for completion in October, while the 1 million-square-foot project is scheduled to wrap up in January.