Private capital delivered several new investors to Kansas City in 2019 and the new year will undoubtedly see plenty of competitive bidding and elevated pricing. Overall, the investment market continues to be supported by Kansas City’s diversified economy, with job growth weighted on the Kansas side at 2.7 percent over Missouri’s 1.1 percent (as of August 2019). Targeting talent Kansas City’s low cost of living, educated workforce and business-friendly environment attracted several coastal employers to the Heartland. This trend will likely continue in 2020. The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced the relocation of two research agencies from Washington, D.C., representing a landmark win with 525 total jobs. Other wins in 2019 included Honeywell’s centralization of its operational offices from Seattle to Kansas City; Niagara Bottling moving 50 jobs from California; Hostess Brands relocating a distribution center from Illinois; and CarMax announcing 300 jobs for its Customer Experience Center after completing a nationwide search. Annual employment growth (as of August 2019) delivered nearly 20,000 jobs with additions in healthcare, biotech and business services, substantiating the selling point of a diversified economy capable of weathering future storms. Employers have found their fit, but more importantly, their talent is seeing reasons they can …
Midwest
INDIANAPOLIS — Mortgage banking company Merchants Capital has arranged a $59 million loan for the construction of Bottleworks District, a mixed-use project in the Massachusetts Avenue corridor of Indianapolis. Merchants Bank of Indiana provided the three-year loan on behalf of the borrower and developer, Hendricks Commercial Properties. The $300 million Bottleworks project involves the redevelopment of a former Coca-Cola bottling plant into retail, hotel and office space. Phase I is expected to open in September.
CHICAGO — Jameson Commercial has brokered the sale of a retail portfolio in Chicago’s South Loop for $21.9 million. The portfolio includes a single-tenant Chick-fil-A, a 7-Eleven gas station and an 8,000-square-foot retail building anchored by Aspen Dental. Mark Kishtow of Jameson represented the seller, GW Properties, as well as the buyer, Park 1 Chicago.
BATAVIA, ILL. — Winslyn Industries has signed a 50,651-square-foot industrial lease at 1850 Fabyan Parkway in Batavia, a western suburb of Chicago. The wholesaler of kitchen and bathroom products is expanding from a 32,000-square-foot facility in Bartlett. Winslyn’s new space is part of a 150,838-square-foot distribution center newly developed by Cratos Industrial Properties. Winslyn is scheduled to take occupancy this quarter. Jim Pietrarosso of Brown Commercial Group represented the tenant in the lease transaction. Kate Coxworth of Morken & Associates represented the developer.
CHICAGO — Law firm Querrey & Harrow has leased 13,618 square feet of office space at 120 N. LaSalle St. in Chicago. The firm will occupy the entire 26th floor and will relocate from 175 W. Jackson when its lease commences in mid-2020. Originally built in 1991, the 390,000-square-foot Class A office tower features a six-story parking garage, two restaurants, a new fitness center, tenant lounge and rooftop deck. Ascentris, in partnership with Lincoln Property Co., owns the 40-story building. Jason Kleiman and Sean Murphy of Cresa represented Querrey & Harrow in the lease.
DES MOINES, IOWA — NorthMarq has secured a $4.7 million loan for the refinancing of a Broadway Storage facility in Des Moines. The 728-unit property is located at 4933 E. Broadway Ave. Jason Kinnison of NorthMarq’s Omaha office arranged the loan with a life insurance company. Terms of the loan were undisclosed.
James P. Flynn, CEO of New York-headquartered Hunt Real Estate Capital, believes 2020 will continue to provide a strong environment for multifamily lending and transactions. Though this may be good news for borrowers, it does mean competition in the market will also remain strong. Flynn addresses these points and elaborates on ORIX USA’s acquisition of the Hunt Companies’ commercial real estate financing subsidiary in the Q&A below. Finance Insight: What commercial property sector will experience the most activity in 2020, and why? Flynn: Multifamily should continue to be the most active commercial real estate sector in terms of financing activity. The MBA forecasts that multifamily lending will top $395 billion in 2020, a 9 percent increase over 2019 activity. That figure represents nearly 60 percent of the total commercial real estate activity forecast for 2020. With the Fed signaling no change to borrower costs for the year, the consensus seems to be a continued period of interest rates near historic lows. Multifamily owners and operators will continue to take advantage of this environment to rehabilitate, refinance and refine their portfolios. Of course, the other side of the equation is the growth in multifamily demand drivers. These drivers have remained strong, …
Walker & Dunlop Provides $11M Bridge Loan for Acquisition of Supportive Living Community
by Jaime Lackey
AURORA, ILL. — Walker & Dunlop Inc. has provided $11 million in bridge financing for The Vistas Fox Valley, a 136-bed supportive living facility in Aurora. The borrower was Cascade Capital Group, which used the funds to acquire the community. Walker & Dunlop’s bridge lending program utilizes the company’s own balance sheet to offer short-term, non-recourse loans for properties that are being acquired or repositioned. Joshua Rosen and the bridge lending team structured the financing with a nine-month term, full-term interest-only payments and flexible prepayment options. The borrower plans to replace the loan with HUD financing before the end of the year. Supportive living is an Illinois program to offer assisted living services while still allowing for government reimbursement.
OAK PARK, ILL. — Kiser Group has brokered two condo deconversion sales in Oak Park for a total of $12.4 million. Regency Terrace Condominiums, a 56-unit property located at 922 North Blvd., sold for $8.8 million. Andy Friedman and Matt Halper of Kiser represented the seller, The Regency Terrace Condominium Association. Marco Cesario of Kiser represented the buyer, Goldman Investments. “Regency Terrace Condominiums is a prime example of how condo deconversions can be a win-win scenario for all parties involved,” says Friedman. “The property requires substantial and costly physical improvements. This deal saved residents from large special assessments.” Clarence Court, a 26-unit property located at 628 Harrison St., sold for $3.6 million. Friedman and Halper represented the buyer, Redpoint Capital Management, and seller, Clarence Court Condominium Association. “This property fits the most common mold for deconversions. Most of the owners purchased a starter condo in the mid-2000s,” says Friedman. “When the market crashed and was slow to recover, owners had two options instead of selling at depressed pricing. They either became accidental landlords and rented the unit out or were stuck living in the unit. These owners received 25 to 30 percent more in the deconversion than if they would have sold …
NORTHBROOK, ILL. — NAI Farbman Group, a full-service real estate company based in Southfield, Michigan, has launched FarbNET, a new metro Chicago-based division focused on selling net lease assets. National commercial real estate expert Mark Lewensohn leads the division, which focuses on the office, industrial, healthcare and retail sectors. The FarbNET office is located at 40 Skokie Blvd. in Northbrook. The decision to open a net lease division was based on “significant growth occurring in the net lease investment space,” says CEO Andrew Farbman.