WATERVILLE, MAINE — Fantini & Gorga has secured $7.5 million in acquisition financing for a freestanding Rite Aid Pharmacy in Waterville. Constructed in 2009, the 14,673-square-foot property features a drive-thru canopy and a high-volume pharmacy layout. Chris Miller and Casimir Groblewski of Fantini & Gorga arranged the financing for Wells Realty LP through a leading regional financial institution.
The retail market in Southern Maine remains strong through mid-year 2015. Retail vacancy rates are low, investment sales are up, new retail projects are actively under construction, and plans for new retail developments are on the horizon. Positive trends in Maine’s retail sector have been evident for several years now, indicating that the market has stabilized and there is strong potential for further commercial growth over the next several years. According to Malone Commercial Brokers’ 2014 State of the Market Retail Survey, the Greater Portland retail vacancy rate for 2014 was 3.68 percent, compared to 10.8 percent in 2009. The vacancy rate has consistently dropped every year since 2009, with 2014 marking the lowest vacancy rate in Greater Portland in six years. Initially, annual retail vacancy rate declines in Southern Maine were related to the absorption of empty big boxes and retail centers located in the Maine Mall District in South Portland, as well as the newly created retail hubs built along the Maine Turnpike corridor during the construction boom in the early 2000s. By 2012, one of these new retail hubs located in the City of Biddeford saw Lowe’s, Linen ’N Things, Old Navy, and Best Buy close their …
BATH, MAINE — JHR Development of Marblehead, Mass., recently completed Mid Coast Hospital’s new medical practice in downtown Bath. The 20,000-square-foot, two-story healthcare center is valued at $6 million. The property is located at 108 Centre Street and will provide preventive and chronic disease care as well as integrated behavioral health counseling. JHR Development is also in the planning process for a 40-unit condominium community on the Kennebec River in Bath.
SOUTH PORTLAND, MAINE — Fantini & Gorga has arranged $6.6 million in permanent financing for a multifamily property located in South Portland. Originally built in 1943 as World War II housing, the property features 24 two-story buildings offer a total of 95 one-bedroom apartments. Derek Coulombe, Tim O’Donnell and Jason Cunnane of Fantini & Gorga arranged the financing for the undisclosed borrower.
PORTLAND, MAINE — North River Co., an affiliate of Waterfront Maine, has acquired Portland Square in downtown Portland for $66 million. Located at One and Two Portland Square, the two-building property features 260,000 square feet of office and retail space as well as adjacent and underground parking areas. Originally constructed in the late 1980s, the property is currently 97 percent leased to a variety of tenants, including TD Bank, Wells Fargo, Prudential and Stone Coast Fund Services. Drew Sigfridson of CBRE | The Boulos Company represented the buyer in the transaction. The seller was a REIT that had owned the property for nearly a decade.
PORTLAND, MAINE — Marblehead, Maine-based JHR Development has completed the sale of an industrial building located at 56 Milliken St. in Portland. Plymouth Industrial REIT Inc. purchased the 200,625-square-foot facility, which is situated on 30 acres, for $10.5 million. Milliken Portland Partners LLC, a subsidiary of JHR, originally purchased the facility in December 2011 for $6.5 million. The firm significantly improved the property to accommodate the needs of the tenants, AdvancePierre Foods and Paradigm Windows. CBRE|The Boulos Company’s Portland office brokered the transaction.
SOUTH PORTLAND, MAINE — Marcus & Millichap has brokered the sale of a Napa Auto Parts retail store in South Portland. A New England-based investor purchased the property for $1.65 million in a 1031 exchange. Located at 65 Market St., the property is located between the Mill Creek Shopping Center and a Shaw’s Supermarket-anchored shopping center. Laurie Ann Drinkwater and Seth Richard of Marcus & Millichap represented the buyer, while Marcus & Millichap’s San Francisco office represented the institutional seller. Adrian Harris, also of Marcus & Millichap, is the firm’s broker of record in Maine.
CLINTON, MASS., AND BELFAST, MAINE — The Boulder Group has brokered the sale of a Walgreens portfolio of five single-tenant, net-leased properties. The properties sold for $39 million. Randy Blankstein and Jimmy Goodman of The Boulder Group represented both the buyer, a Midwest-based institutional investment firm, and the seller, a Midwest-based private partnership, in the transaction. The portfolio is comprised of 720 Main Street, Clinton, Mass.; 32 Main Street, Lakeville, Mass.; 268 Main Street, Belfast, Maine; 1112 Civic Center Drive, Rochester, Minn.; and 1537 Charleston Highway, West Columbia, S.C.
Home to many of the fastest growing communities in Maine, the Sebago Lakes region is continuing its rebound from the Great Recession. Recent Census data puts Windham as the second-fastest growing Maine community, just behind our neighboring town of Gorham. All six of Windham’s bordering towns are in the top 30 fastest growing communities, including four in the top 10. Windham acts as the marketplace and service center for the region and serves a primary trade area population of 61,000 residents, and a secondary trade area of 80,000 people. The four-season nature of the region draws 500,000 visitors annually. Retail sales have rebounded from recession lows — and with 50 percent of the region’s sales, Windham leads the way. Construction of Single-Tenant Retail Remains Steady Tractor Supply (19,000 square feet), Goodwill (17,800 square feet) and Dollar Tree (10,000 square feet) have added to the 1.5 million square feet of retail space since 2012. AutoZone recently submitted plans for a 7,500-square-foot building to be constructed in the center of our retail district, and other retailers are showing interest in locations south of the retail center along U.S. Route 302. Vacancy Rates Remain Low Windham’s retail vacancy rate continues to remain low, …
The Southern Maine retail market is rebounding. According to Malone Commercial Broker’s retail survey, Greater Portland’s vacancy rate was at a 10-year high of 10.8 percent in 2009 but dropped down to 6.24 percent in 2011. We are seeing absorption of some empty big boxes, and new retailers are entering Maine’s marketplace. Last year, Buffalo Wild Wings opened its first Maine restaurant in South Portland and then opened a second location in Auburn. Five Guys opened its first Maine location in Portland in 2011, and Elevation Burger opened in South Portland at the beginning of 2012. Despite national headlines that Urban Outfitters is struggling, in 2011 the trendy chain leased approximately 10,000 square feet on Middle Street in Portland. Other retailers new to Maine’s marketplace over the last year include Aveda, BAM! Books-A-Million, J. Jill and White House Black Market. In addition to new retailers entering Maine, some existing national and regional retailers are expanding. To name a few: ACE Hardware has opened a new location in Falmouth; Subway has opened additional locations in Scarborough, Westbrook, and Lewiston; and Verizon opened a flagship store off of Franklin Arterial in Portland. Maine banks and credit unions are expanding as well. Norway …
