ROSWELL, GA. — A joint venture between ECI Group and Phoenix Capital has broken ground on Averly East Village, a $101 million luxury apartment and townhome community in the Atlanta suburb of Roswell. The developers expect to deliver the property in late 2024. Truist Financial provided construction financing for the project, which Rule Joy Trammell Rubio Architects designed. The multifamily project is part of a mixed-use redevelopment of East Village Shopping Center, and Ardent Cos. will continue to own the retail component. Amenities will include a pool with a sun shelf, pool deck with cabanas, two outdoor kitchens, clubroom, synthetic turf dog park and dog spa, two-story fitness center, outdoor gym, coffee lounge with individual work spaces and secure bicycle storage. At full buildout Averly East Village will include one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments and townhomes, as well as 75,000 square feet of retail space and a large central green space.
DORAVILLE, GA. — Gray Television Inc. has entered into an operations agreement with NBCUniversal Media LLC to lease and operate a new studio campus spanning 43 acres in metro Atlanta. The Assembly Studios facilities will be situated within Gray’s Assembly Atlanta project, a 135-acre mixed-use development in Doraville that once housed GM’s Assembly plant. NBCUniversal’s lease with Gray will include a suite of facilities needed to support TV and film production. The new facilities will include multiple soundstages, production office space, warehouses and mill space, as well as parking and other necessary amenities. Adjacent to the Assembly Studios complex is Third Rail Studios, a movie and TV production facility spanning seven acres that opened in 2016 and that Gray acquired in September 2021. NBCUniversal will manage all studios onsite, including Gray’s own studio facilities and Third Rail Studios. Construction began on roadways and infrastructure throughout Assembly Studios last summer, and construction began on studio buildings for Gray’s Swirl Films late last year. Construction on NBCUniversal’s facilities is expected to begin this summer. At that time, Gray expects over 1,200 individuals will be employed in construction jobs onsite and that the Assembly Studios complex will be completed in the second half …
ATLANTA — PMG and Toronto-based Greybrook Realty Partners have broken ground on Society Atlanta, a 31-story mixed-use development at 811 Peachtree St. in Midtown Atlanta. Designed by Cooper Carry, the mixed-use property will feature 460 residential units, 81,000 square feet of office space and 16,500 square feet of retail space. Juneau Construction Co. is serving as general contractor for project, which is slated to open in late 2024. Society Atlanta will offer traditional layouts alongside “rent-by-bedroom” (also known as co-living) options. Community amenities will include a rooftop pool and restaurant, a coworking lab with private conference rooms, a gym and a fitness studio. The property is the first of PMG’s Society Living multifamily platform to enter the Atlanta market.
NEW YORK CITY — Locally based brokerage firm Ariel Property Advisors has arranged the $9.9 million sale of a mixed-use building located in the Mount Hope area of The Bronx. The property comprises five market-rate apartments, 10,600 square feet of vacant office/community space and ground-floor retail space that is leased to T-Mobile and a regional pharmacy. Vanbarton Group sold the asset to an undisclosed buyer. Jason Gold, Victor Sozio and Daniel Mahfar of Ariel Property Advisors brokered the deal.
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Which Way is the Retail Pendulum Swinging?
Although the pandemic wreaked havoc on the retail sector in general, the culling of weak concepts has left space for strong retailers to flourish. The retail industry is seeing an explosion in experiential retail, medical/dental space is ubiquitous and non-traditional tenants are jumping at opportunities to secure prime locations. As a result, shopping centers have proven very resilient, says George Macoubray, vice president of retail brokerage with NAI Elliott in Portland, Oregon. “Today’s centers continue to evolve and to address what consumers need in terms of a place for people to congregate and participate in the activities that are important to them.” The entertainment sector was hit hard by the pandemic, he notes. “But now those operators seem to be out looking for locations, and they’re seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. People want to gather. They want to be entertained. They want to go out and do activities. Those kinds of experiences are happening more and more often in shopping centers — and you can’t buy those activities on Amazon.” Exciting new in-person experiences are helping to elevate shopping centers. “There’s an influx of experiential retail. From golf simulator experiences to ping-pong places to axe-throwing activities, …
HYATTSVILLE, MD. — Urban Investment Partners Inc. (UIP) has secured debt and equity financing for Canvas, a $112 million mixed-use development in downtown Hyattsville. The six-story project will be located at 5300 Baltimore Ave. and feature 285 one- and two-bedroom apartments, 31,660 square feet of ground-floor retail space and 681 parking spaces. Washington, D.C.-based UIP is financing the project using $27.1 million in equity, including $19.1 million from crowd-sourced capital raised on CrowdStreet from 422 individual investors. Other financing sources included a $42.3 million loan from Parkview Financial and $42.8 million in proceeds from a land sale-leaseback agreement with Safehold. Torti Gallas + Partners designed Canvas, which is expected to begin initial occupancy in the fourth quarter of 2023.
ORLANDO, FLA. — Crescent Communities has sold Novel Lucerne, a 375-unit apartment community in Orlando, to Knightvest Capital and funds managed by Oaktree Capital Management LP. Newmark brokered the transaction, the sales price of which was not disclosed. Floor plans at Novel Lucerne come in a mix of one-, two- and three-bedroom configurations. Amenities include a resort-style pool with grilling stations; resident lounge with event kitchen and workspaces; fitness center with a separate group and spin fitness room; dog park; and resident art gallery. Ground-floor retail tenants include natural grocery chain Earth Fare and fitness concept Eat the Frog Fitness. Located at the intersection of Orlando’s SoDo and downtown neighborhoods, Novel Lucerne provides residents with access to shopping, dining and parks. The area is also within walking distance of the Orlando Health Campus, Lake Lucerne and the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts. Development Partners included general contractor Brasfield & Gorrie, architectural firm The Preston Partnership, civil engineer GAI Consultants, landscaping architect Dix.Hite Partners and interior designer Vignetter. Novel Lucerne is one of 10 multifamily communities that Crescent has developed in Florida.
Partnership Breaks Ground on 16.2 MSF Mixed-Use Redevelopment of Suffolk Downs Racetrack Near Boston
REVERE, MASS. — The HYM Investment Group, Cathexis and National Real Estate Advisors have broken ground on the redevelopment of the former racetrack site at Suffolk Downs in Revere, about five miles north of Boston. The project will ultimately span 16.2 million square feet of development, including 10,000 apartments and condominiums; 5.2 million square feet of life sciences and office space; 450,000 square feet of retail and civic space; and 40 acres of parks and open space. The Suffolk Downs thoroughbred racetrack opened in 1935 and was shuttered in 2019. HYM purchased the property in 2017. The 161-acre redevelopment project will connect Revere to the East Boston neighborhood. The groundbreaking marks the official launch of a joint venture partnership between HYM and National on the initial residential components of the redevelopment project. According to a news release, National’s equity participation will enable the delivery of nearly 4 million square feet of residential development (or 4,200 units) to be built at Suffolk Downs over the next eight years. The Boston Globe reports that National committed $775 million in equity financing. The first phase of construction includes a life sciences and biomanufacturing facility as well as a residential building. Named 100 Salt …
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Akridge and National Real Estate Development have broken ground on Phase I of The Stacks, a residential development in Washington, D.C.’s Buzzard Point neighborhood. Situated along the Anacostia River in the city’s Capitol Riverfront district, The Stacks will comprise three towers featuring 1,100 apartments and 35,000 square feet of ground-floor retail space. More than 10 percent of the apartments will be income-restricted. Bank OZK provided construction financing for Phase I, which is slated to deliver in 2025. The developers tapped general contractor Clark Construction Group to build Phase I and engaged Gensler, Morris Adjmi Architects, Handel Architects, Eric Colbert & Associates, West 8, Lee & Associates, DXA, HOK and Hickok Cole for the project’s overall design. The Stacks is jointly owned by Akridge, Bridge Investment Group, Blue Coast Capital and institutional funds managed by National Real Estate Advisors, parent company of National Real Estate Development.
NEW YORK CITY — Avanath Capital Management, a private real estate investment management firm, has purchased two multifamily communities in Brooklyn. The Irvine, Calif.-based company purchased the two properties, which total 601 apartments and 42,643 square feet of ground-floor retail space, for $315 million. The properties also include 82,681 square feet of parking. The seller was not disclosed, but multiple outlets report the seller as Greenland USA, a residential and commercial real estate developer based in China. Located at 38 6th Ave. and 535 Carlton Ave., the two communities are situated adjacent to Barclays Center, the home arena of the Brooklyn Nets NBA franchise. A little over one-third of the units are reserved for residents with incomes between 40 percent and 100 percent of area median income (AMI). The buildings were constructed in 2017 as part of the ongoing Pacific Park New York Development initiative, which Avanath Capital says is Brooklyn’s largest development project to date. In addition to the two multifamily properties, at full completion the site will host eight acres of public open space, a new public middle school, 13 other residential buildings and more than 7.3 million square feet of residential, commercial and retail space. Amenities at …