KANSAS CITY, KAN. — Block & Co. Inc. Realtors has arranged the sale of a 55,250-square-foot warehouse in Kansas City for an undisclosed price. Spicin Foods fully occupies the facility for its bottling and distribution operations. The property sits on nearly 2.5 acres at 111 Southwest Blvd. and includes a factory retail store. Spicin Foods, formerly known as Original Juan, is a specialty foods manufacturer that creates specialty sauces, salsas, snacks and dips. David Block and Max Kosoglad of Block brokered the sale. A local investment group purchased the building from an undisclosed seller.
The Kansas City industrial real estate market recorded very healthy maturation in 2019. When surveying the strength of our market, we typically consider how many new tenants or users entered the market with major investments and how many development deals were announced. Diving into the analytics, it is exciting to see some disciplined characteristics of a solid industrial market, including a slight slowdown in the pace of market expansion, a diverse group of business types demanding space, and the swift adjustment to appropriately balance supply and demand. Users entering the market The highlight reel of industrial deals in 2019 was impressive. Notable transactions include a new 420,000-square-foot water bottling plant for Niagara in South Kansas City, a 2 million-square-foot logistics hub expansion for Kubota Tractor Corp., and a 765,000-square-foot food distribution center for Hostess Brands. Additionally, Walmart just announced plans for a 1.8 million-square-foot distribution center to add to its existing three distribution centers in the area. A variety of new auto suppliers have absorbed over 1 million square feet of space to serve the Ford and General Motors automotive plants. I’m often asked what industries are moving to Kansas City and my response is all of them. The type …
ST. LOUIS — ElmTree Funds has sold a majority position in a portfolio of predominantly industrial and office properties to Guggenheim Investments. The gross asset value of the 18-property portfolio is approximately $900 million. St. Louis-based ElmTree began acquiring and developing the properties in 2016. The build-to-suit, net-leased assets are located in fast-growing metropolitan areas across the United States. ElmTree will manage the assets for Guggenheim and maintain a small equity portion. Notable properties in the portfolio include a 1.5 million-square-foot industrial facility in Dallas net leased to a confectionary manufacturer and a 500,000-square-foot industrial building in St. Louis net leased to a courier delivery services company.
ST. LOUIS — McCarthy Building Cos. has completed construction of the St. Louis Aquarium at Union Station. The 120,000-square-foot, two-story attraction is situated inside a nearly 500,000-square-foot, 19th-century train shed designated as a national landmark. Featuring 1.3 million gallons of water and thousands of aquatic animals, the aquarium is the centerpiece of a $160 million family entertainment complex developed for Union Station by Lodging Hospitality Management. PGAV Destinations designed the project. ZoOceanarium Group will operate and manage the aquarium.
MILWAUKEE — Draper and Kramer’s Commercial Finance Group has arranged a $60 million refinancing for an eight-property, 1.6 million-square-foot industrial portfolio located in metro Milwaukee. Dallas-based Westmount Realty Capital LLC owns the portfolio. All of the properties are situated near major regional highways and the General Mitchell International Airport. Westmount acquired the portfolio in 2015 and implemented a capital improvement program, helping push occupancy to nearly 100 percent. Mark Perkowski and Matthew Wurtzebach of Draper and Kramer arranged the nonrecourse loan with a national bank.
WHEELING, ILL. — Foxboro Apartments in Wheeling has traded hands for $54.2 million. The 402-unit apartment property is located at 470 Foxboro Drive. Built in two phases in the late 1970s, Foxboro Apartments is a five-building complex offering one- and two-bedroom units. Amenities include a coffee bar, resident lounge, business center, pool, picnic area, sand volleyball court and three-acre lake. Sean Connelly of 33 Realty represented the buyer, Marquette Cos. Tara Mathew, a Chicago-based independent broker, assisted Connelly in the transaction. Partnership Concepts was the seller.
CHICAGO — American Street Capital (ASC) has arranged a $7 million bridge loan for the acquisition of a 45-unit multifamily property in Chicago’s Logan Square. Originally built in 1928, the asset was recently renovated. Floor plans range from one- to three-bedroom units. Amenities include a bike storage room, Wi-Fi and common laundry area. Igor Zhizhin of ASC arranged the 12-month loan with Freddie Mac. The loan was later converted to a 10-year, fixed-rate loan with a 30-year amortization schedule. The borrower was undisclosed.
MILWAUKEE — Wisconsin Center District has selected Gilbane Building Co. and CD Smith (Gilbane Smith) to serve as construction manager for the expansion of the Wisconsin Center convention hall. Gilbane Smith and the architecture team of tvsdesign and EUA will immediately begin working together to formulate the design and determine a cost estimate for the project. However, the Milwaukee Business Journal estimates project costs at $300 million. Renderings are expected early in the second quarter. The Wisconsin Center District Board is expected to vote on a financing package for the project at a meeting on Thursday, April 2. The district owner’s representative is CAA/ICON. Wisconsin Center District is a government body created in 1994 to fund, build and operate the Wisconsin Center.
ANN ARBOR, MICH. — Michigan Union at the University of Michigan has reopened following an 18-month, $85.2 million renovation. The project included electrical, mechanical and plumbing system improvements; elevator replacements and upgrades; replacement of the roof and windows; and restroom upgrades. The building now features more social space, meeting options and a newly created IdeaHub. Project architects included Integrated Design Solutions, Workshop Architects and Hartman Cox Architects. Walbridge Aldinger served as construction manager and contracted Full Spectrum Stained Glass to complete a preservation of the century-old windows. Originally built in 1919, the building spans 250,000 square feet. There are more than 44,000 enrolled students at the university.
CHICAGO — Fundamental Advisors has sold The Clare, a 53-story, 338-unit continuing care retirement community in downtown Chicago, to LCS for an undisclosed price. Fundamental partnered with Senior Care Development and LCS to acquire the community out of bankruptcy in 2012. A renovation plan was implemented that expanded the health center and augmented programs and services for residents. Additionally, Life Care Services, the management arm of LCS, was brought in to operate the community. During the years since the acquisition, occupancy increased from 34 percent to 98 percent. Located at 55 E. Pearson St. within the Gold Coast neighborhood, The Clare was developed in 2008 and features 248 independent living units, 26 assisted living units, 14 memory care units and 50 skilled nursing beds. Allen McMurtry and David Kliewer of Cushman & Wakefield represented the seller in the transaction.