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, …
Mixed-Use
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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 …
Akridge, National Real Estate Development Break Ground on Stacks Residential Project in D.C.
by John Nelson
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 …
ATLANTA — Clarion Partners and Westbridge have broken ground on 926 Brady, an adaptive reuse project in Atlanta’s West Midtown district. The project will repurpose a 1930s-era warehouse into 36,000 square feet of creative office space, including a second-floor addition that gives the property a rooftop terrace. Architectural firm ai3 is the design lead for 926 Brady, and Gay Construction Co. is serving as the general contractor. The Transwestern team of Zach Wooten and Stephen Clifton is managing leasing. Construction is currently underway, with an estimated delivery in the second quarter of 2023. 926 Brady sits at the corner of 10th Street and Brady Avenue within Stockyards Atlanta, an adaptive reuse of the former stockyard and meatpacking plant called Miller Union Stockyards. Westbridge redeveloped the campus in 2017 and brought in a diverse tenant base, including Red Bull, Fitzco, Mannington Commercial, Painted Duck, Baffi Atlanta and Nick’s Westside.
Aztec Group Arranges $81M Construction-to-Perm Loan for Metro Miami Mixed-Use Development
by John Nelson
HIALEAH, FLA. — Aztec Group has arranged an $81 million construction-to-perm loan for the development of Residences and Shoppes of Highland, a mixed-use development underway in the Miami suburb of Hialeah. The developer/borrower is an affiliate of South Florida-based Dacar Management, a development firm led by Alberto Micha. An affiliate of New York Life Insurance Co. provided the non-recourse, fixed-rate loan, which has an initial three-year term and converts to a 27-year self-amortizing loan. Upon completion, Residences and Shoppes of Highland will feature 244 garden-style apartments in four- and five-story buildings and a shopping center spanning 190,000 square feet. The retail component will house a Publix grocery store and Publix Liquors, HomeGoods, dd’s Discounts, Burlington, Five Below, Famous Footwear and Taco Bell, among others. Sitework has already commenced on the 70-acre project, which is scheduled for completion in the third quarter of 2023.
DREXEL HILL, PA. — JLL has arranged a $43 million loan for Drexeline Town Center, an office and retail redevelopment project located on the western outskirts of Philadelphia. The 18.5-acre site currently houses five retail and office buildings that were originally constructed between the early 1950s and 2000s. The borrower, a partnership between Baltimore-based MCB Real Estate and New Jersey-based Hampshire Cos., plans to redevelop the center into a mixed-use destination. Initial plans call for a 172-unit apartment complex, a 120,000-square-foot self-storage facility, a 72,000-square-foot ShopRite grocery store, a PNC bank branch, a Wawa convenience store and fuel station and 20,440 square feet of pad and inline retail space. Jon Mikula, Michael Klein and Michael Lachs of JLL placed the loan through Investors Bank, a division of Citizens Bank.
ISLIP, N.Y. — A public-private partnership between The Town of Islip, Suffolk County and JLL has unveiled plans for Midway Crossing, a $2.8 billion mixed-use project that will be located on Long Island. The Long Island Regional Planning Council approved the project, which will be the largest commercial or residential development on Long Island in the last 50 years, on the evening of Thursday, May 12. Midway Crossing will span approximately 2.7 million square feet across 179 acres. Plans currently call for a variety of uses, including life sciences, healthcare and hospitality, as well as a convention center and traditional retail, restaurant and entertainment space. The development team expects these uses to collectively generate more than $4.5 billion in annual economic impact upon completion. The location is near Long Island MacArthur Airport, as well as the Ronkonkoma Station of the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR), establishing Midway Crossing as a multimodal transit hub. Under the current development plan, the airport and train station would be connected via an 1,800-foot corridor. The development team also plans to make various infrastructural improvements at the airport that could have as much as $1.9 billion in additional economic impact. Beyond the economic benefits, the …