DALLAS — Affiliates of Dallas-based Colony Capital have purchased a national portfolio of 54 light and bulk industrial buildings for $1.2 billion. The value-add portfolio is located across 10 U.S. markets, totaling 11.9 million square feet, and is 71 percent leased. A portion (48) of the buildings are last-mile light industrial assets and were acquired through Colony’s existing light industrial platform. The remaining six buildings are bulk industrial and were purchased through a newly formed joint venture, in which Colony Capital has 51 percent interest and a third-party institutional investor has 49 percent interest. Located in Northern and Southern California, Washington, Oregon, Nevada, Illinois and Pennsylvania, the light industrial portfolio totaling 7.7 million square feet and was 73 percent leased at the time of sale. The bulk portfolio totals 4.2 million square feet, with an average of 700,000 square feet per building, and was 67 percent leased to blue chip, international companies. CBRE National Partners represented the undisclosed seller in the deal.
As consumer shopping habits continue to evolve and shoppers get younger, retailers are trying to strike the right balance between their online and physical presence. Those that find this omnichannel harmony are thriving in cities across the United States. Philadelphia’s Center City, in particular, is capitalizing on its booming millennial population and attracting retail concepts that cater to this group. According to Center City District’s 2018 State of Center City Philadelphia report, millennials make up 40 percent of Philadelphia’s downtown population, one of the highest percentages in all U.S. cities. With millennials moving into the peak spending years of their lives, Philadelphia is experiencing a multitude of development with most of the focus being on mixed-use. Mixed-use development, which combines retail and residential, and sometimes office, is attractive to the millennial generation who are driven by convenience and want the ease of living, working, dining, and shopping all in one place. The largest retail development projects Center City is seeing right now are happening in the Midtown Village neighborhood, which had been largely neglected until recently when it comes to large mixed-use developments. A few notable projects here are The Collins, a residential community that features 90,000 square feet of retail …
When the Philadelphia Eagles were headed to the Super Bowl in 2018, they were the underdogs. The odds — and subsequently media headlines — were against them. But the team proved those predictions wrong, and went on to clinch its first championship. The retail market in Philadelphia, and nationwide, tackled similar challenges last year. As mature department stores shuttered and retailers filed for bankruptcy, the industry faced ongoing uncertainty. However, the rapidly changing dynamics represent vital opportunities for retail real estate owners to reimagine the mall experience. In Philadelphia, the high density of residents, workers, college students and visitors create a more than $1 billion retail demand annually, according to the Philadelphia Retail Report 2018 compiled by the Central Philadelphia Development Corp. In order to capture consumer interest, industry leaders need to evolve alongside the community’s changing needs and landlords and brands today have been transforming the conventional retail real estate model, carving a new path to success. Looking ahead, the future looks bright. Here’s a look at key trends driving the next level of retail real estate in Philadelphia. Innovative Concepts As habits of shoppers continue to evolve, brick-and-mortar space today can offer opportunities beyond traditional retail whereby real …
ALTOONA, PA. — Marcus & Millichap has brokered the $3.1 million sale of a 6,220-square-foot retail property in Altoona. Located at 100 Sheraton Drive, the property is currently net leased to Outback Steakhouse. Alan Cafiero and Ben Sgambati of Marcus & Millichap’s New Jersey office represented the buyer, a limited liability company, in the transaction. The seller was undisclosed.
HATBORO, PA. — Capital Funding, a Baltimore-based lender, has provided a $16.1 million loan for Luther Woods Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Hatboro, a small borough 15 miles north of Philadelphia. The HUD loan refinances existing debt on the 140-bed skilled nursing facility. The borrower was not disclosed. Capital Funding was the sole lender for the deal. Craig Casagrande, director of real estate finance, originated the mortgage.
Fueled by low interest rates, an abundance of available debt capital, and superb fundamentals, the demand for multifamily assets in the U.S. has exploded over the past few years. This increased demand has led to fierce competition between capital in the multifamily sector, and consequently, a dramatic compression of going-in cash yields. With rents in “top-tier” cities at peak levels, these markets look prohibitively expensive. As a result, foreign capital is beginning to explore new markets to find more attractive yields. Long considered a second-tier U.S. city by global capital, Philadelphia has historically been overlooked in favor of cities such as New York City, Washington D.C., Boston, Chicago, San Francisco, and Los Angeles. When evaluating Philadelphia in comparison to other major metropolitan regions, the slow and steady growth of the Philadelphia MSA did not differentiate it enough to attract the foreign investor. Instead, those capital sources targeted cities with higher population growth, job growth, and rent growth. In good times, that calculation paid off with higher yields and greater appreciation. However, today most investors conclude that we are in the late stages of this real estate bull market. Yet, they still have capital which needs to be deployed. Those divergent factors …
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Vie Management, Middle Eastern Investor Acquire 2,059-Bed Student Housing Portfolio in Six States for $134.6M
MIAMI— A joint venture between Miami-based Vie Management and a Middle Eastern asset manager have acquired a six-property student housing portfolio totaling 911 units and 2,059 beds. The purchase price was $134.6 million. The properties are located in six states and include: University Downs Apartments and Condos, a 222-unit property serving the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. University View, a 55-unit property serving Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton, Florida. Hillcrest Oakwood Apartments, a 224-unit property serving Ferris State University in Big Rapids, Michigan. Colonie Apartments, a 184-unit property serving the University at Buffalo in Amherst, New York. Southgate Apartments, a 151-unit property serving Penn State University in State College, Pennsylvania. Ella Lofts, a 75-unit property serving Texas State University in San Marcos, Texas. “These acquisitions are new canvases to us,” says Ari Rosenblum, CEO of Vie. “[The are] places to create experiential living environments where students can watch live music, study at a coffee shop, or work out at the best gym in town all within the confines of the community in which they live.” Claudio Sgobba of HFF represented the buyers in securing a $75.3 million loan in connection with the acquisition. The financing features a 10-year term, …
DALLAS — Colony Industrial has sold a light industrial portfolio spanning 2.3 million square feet across four states for $136 million. Nuveen Real Estate, a subsidiary of TIAA, purchased the properties. The sale includes 18 buildings in Atlanta, five in Dallas, five in Houston and six buildings spread across Pennsylvania and New Jersey. CBRE National Partners represented Dallas-based Colony Industrial in the sale. Colony Industrial is the industrial platform of Colony Capital Inc. (NYSE: CLNY), a real estate investment firm with $44 billion of assets under management. “We’ve owned and operated these assets for some time and the portfolio value had achieved Colony Industrial’s targets,” says Lew Friedland, managing director at Colony Capital and head of Colony Industrial. “We reevaluate the portfolio as opportunities arise, and this sale to Nuveen enables us to rebalance our property mix to align with our long-term strategic plans.” Nuveen is an investment manager that maintains its international headquarters in New York. — Kristin Hiller
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Rubenstein Properties Sells 28 Industrial Properties for $197M
LITTLE FALLS, N.J. — Rubenstein Properties has sold 28 industrial properties totaling more than 5 million square feet across six states for $197 million. Bernards Township, N.J.-based Silverman Group acquired 27 buildings for $183 million. Properties are located in New Jersey, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Iowa, Indiana and Alabama. The portfolio was 95.8 percent leased at the time of the sale. Locations include: New Jersey 10 Park Place, Butler; 20-21 Wagaraw Road, Fair Lawn; 39 Avenue C, Bayonne; 101 E. Main St., Little Falls; 114 Beach St., Rockaway; and 1578 Sussex Turnpike, Randolph, N.J. (units 2 through 5). Connecticut 20, 50 and 80 Utopia Road, Manchester; 118 Sanrico Drive, Manchester; 135 Sheldon Road, Manchester; 428 Hayden Station Road, Windsor; Alabama 207 Jacintoport Blvd., Saraland. Indiana 2190 Summit St., New Haven, Ind. Further details about the properties were not disclosed. In addition, a tenant occupying 1055 Crossroads Blvd. in Muhlenberg Township, Pa., acquired the asset for $14 million. “The properties are all strategically located within infill locations in order to take advantage of consistently improving industrial leasing fundamentals and increasing demand with extremely limited supply,” said Brian Fiumara, executive vice president of CBRE. “Rubenstein Properties’ portfolio provided the buyer with an exceptional opportunity …
MECHANICSBURG, PA. — CBRE has arranged the sale of two office buildings totaling 76,972 square feet in Mechanicsburg. The sales price was undisclosed. The two properties are located at 4999 Louise Drive and 5053 Ritter Road and total 56,494 square feet and 20,478 square feet respectively. Michael Curran of CBRE represented the buyer, Linlo Properties, in the transaction. The seller was Members 1st Federal Credit Union, which will lease back a portion of both buildings as it searches for a new corporate headquarters.