FARMINGTON HILLS, MICH. — Friedman Real Estate has arranged the sale of a 28,640-square-foot industrial property in the Detroit suburb of Farmington Hills for $2.6 million. The facility is located at 24450 Indoplex Circle. Phil Konopitski of Friedman represented the undisclosed buyer.
NEW YORK CITY AND ST. LOUIS — New York City-based investment manager BlackRock Inc. (NYSE: BLK) has announced plans to acquire net-lease real estate investment firm ElmTree Funds. BlackRock has entered into a definitive agreement with ElmTree, which has $7.3 billion in total assets under management as of March 31. The transaction is expected to close in the third quarter of 2025, subject to regulatory approvals and customary closing conditions. Established in 2011 and based in St. Louis, ElmTree owns and operates real estate properties, with a focus on single-tenant, build-to-suit industrial assets. ElmTree’s portfolio includes investments in 122 properties across 31 states. Additionally, ElmTree’s portfolio includes six office locations. BlackRock’s upfront consideration will be paid primarily in stock, with the potential for additional consideration subject to ElmTree Funds’ performance over the next five years. Additional financial details were not disclosed. Upon closing of the deal, ElmTree will be integrated into Private Financing Solutions (PFS), a new platform created through BlackRock’s combination with HPS Investment Partners. (BlackRock completed its acquisition of investment firm HPS earlier this month.) “The net lease market is estimated at $1 trillion, and our continued belief in the industrial build-to-suit model is rooted in the mission-critical …
HARTLAND, WIS. — Continental Properties and Three Leaf Partners have opened Westrock Residences, a 267-unit townhome and apartment property in the Milwaukee suburb of Hartland. The community offers one-, two- and three-bedroom stacked flat apartments as well as two- and three-bedroom, two-story townhome-style residences. Amenities include a resort-style pool, clubhouse, fitness center, golf simulator, dog run, playground and more than two miles of walking paths. Monthly rents start at $1,890, according to the property’s website.
ALSIP, ILL. — Byline Bank has provided $17 million for the acquisition and future capital improvement of two industrial properties located at 5750 W. 118th St. and 11700 S. Central Ave. in Alsip. TradeLane Properties was the borrower. The manufacturing facility on 118th Street totals 366,869 square feet and was built between 1996 and 2000. It features exterior dock doors, existing bridge cranes, 480 expandable parking stalls and active multi-track rail service via Indiana Harbor Belt. TradeLane plans to reposition the asset by replacing the roof, paving, exterior and interior painting, landscaping and preparing the office space for lease. The second property is an 84,376-square-foot distribution center that is fully leased and situated on 4.5 acres. Constructed in 1990, the building features a 4,500-square-foot office space, 15 exterior dock-high doors, a drive-in door and 26 auto parking stalls. The acquisition marks the 14th transaction between Byline and TradeLane in the last five years.
BRISTOL, WIS. — Electric Research and Manufacturing Cooperative Inc. (ERMCO) has acquired a 158,000-square-foot industrial facility at Bristol Business Park in southern Wisconsin. ERMCO began leasing the property in May 2024 to prepare for operational readiness and officially commenced operations in April 2025. The site, located in Building 4, features a clear height of 32 feet, 30 expandable dock doors, 215 parking spaces and 4,000 amps of power. ERMCO continues to invest in advanced manufacturing to support the evolving needs of the energy sector. The Bristol facility will serve as the company’s dedicated amorphous hub, reinforcing its commitment to delivering high-efficiency transformer solutions that support grid modernization and long-term reliability. ERMCO now has two domestic sources of electrical steel (amorphous and grain-oriented). Sean Kropke and Keith Puritz of Cushman & Wakefield represented ERMCO in the sale.
COLUMBUS, IND. — Marcus & Millichap has arranged the $4.6 million sale of Holiday Center, a 26-unit retail center in Columbus, about 45 miles south of Indianapolis. The fully leased property totals 59,117 square feet across four buildings. Forest Bender and Joseph DiSalvo of Marcus & Millichap represented the Indiana-based seller. The new ownership plans to enhance income through strategic leasing and explore potential outlot development, according to Bender.
CHICAGO — Kiser Group has brokered the $2.6 million sale of a 36-unit apartment building located at 5201 W. Washington Blvd. in Chicago’s Austin neighborhood. The property was fully leased at the time of sale, with one recently filled vacancy. The asset received a full mechanical and cosmetic renovation, including individual furnaces and new plumbing and electrical systems. Noah Clark and Jack Petrando of Kiser represented the buyer and seller, neither of which were disclosed.
By Ben Azulay, Bradford Allen As summer approaches, I’m noticing Chicago’s downtown buzzing with renewed energy, and new signs that the Loop’s office market is heating up as well. In fact, research by my firm, Bradford Allen, suggests a Chicago office market nearing its bottom and poised for recovery. Improved leasing activity, strategic landlord adaptations and discounted sales are reshaping downtown Chicago’s market, particularly in high-demand submarkets like the West Loop and Fulton Market. Client certainty Office tenants in downtown Chicago are demonstrating increased confidence about their space needs, as reflected in significant expansion deals and long-term commitments. In fact, office expansions drove at least five of the 10 largest leases signed during the first quarter, including Stripe more than doubling its footprint at 350 N. Orleans from 45,000 to 89,000 square feet and Blue Owl’s second expansion at 150 N. Riverside from 27,000 square feet to 54,000 square feet. Large new leases included BP renewing 240,000 square feet at the CME Center, and Goldman Ismail signing a 43,000-square-foot deal at 191 N. Wacker. Leasing volume totaled 1.7 million square feet, up from 1.3 million square feet year-over-year, with the West Loop alone securing 916,760 square feet of leasing activity. …
CHICAGO — Chicago-based JLL Capital Markets has arranged $252.5 million in financing for the Lower Terra Industrial Portfolio, a collection of 21 light industrial properties totaling 3.6 million square feet across 17 markets in the U.S. Lucas Borges, Matthew Schoenfeldt and Tara Hagerty of JLL represented the borrowers, Brennan Investment Group and Farallon Capital, to secure the five-year, floating-rate loan through affiliates of Apollo. Located across 13 states in the East, West, Central and Southeast regions, the portfolio is 98 percent leased to 16 tenants. The average tenant tenure is more than 30 years.
VALLEY PARK, MO. — Mia Rose Holdings LLC will build 44 East, a $60 million luxury apartment development in the western St. Louis suburb of Valley Park. The project is situated on the site of the former Wet Willy’s, a hotspot from the 1980s and 1990s. Mia Rose closed on the land acquisition from Mercy Hospital in June. The community will feature 216 apartment units. As the sister project to 44 West Luxury Living, the development reflects community feedback by offering a greater mix of two- and three-bedroom units alongside one-bedroom options. Residents will enjoy coworking lounges and resort-style amenities. The project team includes equity partner Argos Capital Partner; debt partners Commerce Bank and First Bank; design partners Rosemann & Associates, Engenuity, The Sterling Co. and SCI Engineering; and building partners Karrenbrock Construction for sitework and Midas Building Group for vertical construction.
