CHICAGO — Cushman & Wakefield has conducted a global survey of more than 40,000 individuals to shed light on work-from-home experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic, including how employees are coping and what the new normal will look like as offices reopen. Survey respondents represent approximately 30 companies across nearly 20 industries. Results show that productivity generally remains strong and team collaboration has reached new heights through better leverage of remote technology, says Cushman & Wakefield. Three-quarters of respondents agreed or strongly agreed that they are collaborating effectively with colleagues in the current environment, up 10 percent from data gathered before COVID-19. In addition, 73 percent of respondents indicated they would like their companies to embrace long-term or permanent flexible working policies. “It’s imperative to recognize that the workplace will no longer be a single location, but an ecosystem of a variety of locations and experiences to support flexibility, functionality and employee well-being,” says Brett White, executive chairman and CEO. “That said, we expect current real estate footprint sizes to remain steady. Flexible working practices may result in fewer people in the office at any one time, but that space savings is offset by the need to accommodate social distancing in …
JOHNSBURG, ILL. — Joseph J. Duffy Co. is set to begin the conversion of the former James C. Bush Elementary School into a 68-unit affordable seniors housing project in Johnsburg, about 60 miles northwest of Chicago. General Capital Group is the developer and Hooker DeJong Architects Inc. is the project architect. Oakbrook Corp. will manage the property, which is reserved for ages 55 and older. Duffy will convert the administration and gym areas of the existing, one-story school into 14 apartment units, resident support facilities and office space. The contractor will then add a three-story wing housing 54 units. Each apartment will include a full bath and kitchen. Amenities will feature a patio area, playground and walking paths.
KANSAS CITY, MO. — Superior Moving & Storage has signed an 86,363-square-foot industrial lease at Copaken Brook’s Downtown Business Park in Kansas City. The property is located at 3177 Mercier St. A local moving company founded in 1914, Superior began leasing 35,000 square feet at the building in 2014 for storage purposes. The company sold a separate facility and consolidated all operations at the Mercier Street property.
CEDAR FALLS, IOWA — Arbor Realty Trust Inc. has provided a $10.4 million Fannie Mae loan for the refinancing of Thunder Ridge, a 180-unit multifamily community in Cedar Falls near Waterloo. Built in 1975, the property features one- and two-bedroom floor plans. Thunder Ridge includes a basketball court, putting green and fitness center. Joseph Charneski of Arbor originated the loan, which features interest-only payments for the full term.
DAVISON, MICH. — Domino’s Pizza has leased 3,000 square feet at Davison Village Shopping Center in Davison, about 10 miles east of Flint. Domino’s will occupy space that was formerly home to YaYa’s Chicken. The property, which is anchored by The Salvation Army, is located on State Road. Michael Murphy and Tjader Gerdom of Gerdom Realty & Investment represented Domino’s in the lease transaction.
DETROIT — Bedrock, the real estate development company created by Quicken Loans Founder Dan Gilbert, has implemented a program called Bedrock Relaunch, which will build off its rent relief program that began in March with three months of rent abatement. Through Bedrock Relaunch, the landlord will provide all eligible, operating restaurant and retail tenants with the option to waive all rent and fees for the month of June; waive base rent in favor of paying 7 percent of gross sales starting in July; and apply the security deposit toward reopening costs. The temporary lease amendments will span the remainder of 2020. “It is becoming clear that even when all businesses are able to reopen, it’s unlikely their sales volume will immediately return to pre-pandemic levels, and we want to make sure that rent payments aren’t a barrier to success,” says Matt Cullen, Bedrock CEO. “Dan Gilbert founded Bedrock 10 years ago on the principle that a landlord should be an invested partner with each tenant as well as a responsible corporate citizen. We are committed to doing everything we can to make sure we all come out of this together, including looking into experiential initiatives that will help drive traffic …
BROWNSBURG, IND. — JLL Capital Markets has arranged the sale of Eaglepoint Six, a new Class A industrial facility totaling 690,702 square feet in Brownsburg, located about 17 miles northwest of Indianapolis. The building is fully leased to Radial Inc., an e-commerce company that provides order management, payment processing, fulfillment and analytics services. Built in 2019, Eaglepoint Six features a clear height of 36 feet, four drive-in doors, 52 dock-high doors and office space. It is part of the fully leased Eaglepoint Business Park. John Huguenard, Ed Halaburt, Jake Sturman, Sean Devaney, Kurt Sarbaugh and Robin Stolberg of JLL represented the seller, a partnership between Washington Capital Management on behalf of a client and Becknell Industrial. Denver-based Black Creek Group purchased the asset.
IOWA — Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds has signed a new proclamation permitting the reopening of outdoor performance venues, casinos, bowling alleys, amusement parks, skating rinks, skate parks and outdoor playgrounds starting June 1. The proclamation enables bars, wineries, breweries, distilleries and social and fraternal clubs to reopen starting May 28 with the same public health measures that restaurants have put in place. Under the order, social or sports gatherings of more than 10 people are permitted if public health measures are implemented, including limiting attendance to 50 percent of capacity and maintaining six feet of distance between participants. The state has also extended the public health disaster emergency until June 25, extending regulatory relief to those affected by the pandemic.
CHICAGO — Ventas Inc. (NYSE: VTR), a Chicago-based REIT and one of the largest owners of seniors housing in the United States, has adjusted its corporate cost structure in response to the COVID-19 pandemic’s impact on the company. In mid-June, Ventas plans to eliminate roles representing over 25 percent of its corporate positions, excluding onsite field personnel, according to a May 27 SEC filing. In addition, for the second half of 2020, the company will reduce the base salary of CEO Deb Cafaro by 20 percent, while reducing the salaries of other executive officers by 10 percent. As a result of these actions, Ventas predicts third-quarter selling, general and administrative (SG&A) expenses will be $25 million to $30 million lower than during the same period in 2019. The move is a continuation of Ventas’ initiatives to conserve capital as the pandemic drives expenses up and revenues down. Though the company reported $3.2 billion in cash on hand during its first-quarter report issued in May, Ventas plans reduce capital expenditures this year by between $300 million and $500 million. The company has paused construction, offered rent deferrals to struggling communities and issuing free COVID-19 tests to its operators. Like most companies …
DANVILLE, ILL. — Cresco Labs has opened its sixth cannabis dispensary in Illinois in the city of Danville, which is located in the eastern part of the state near the Indiana border. The dispensary is located at 369 Lynch Drive. Sunnyside Danville spans 4,800 square feet and is open seven days a week. Additional Sunnyside dispensaries are located in Chicago’s Wrigleyville, Elmwood Park, Buffalo Grove, Rockford and Champaign. Cresco plans to open additional stores in Chicago as well as locations in South Beloit and Schaumburg.