FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA. — The Carlyle Group has acquired the Lauderdale Marine Center, the nation’s largest yacht repair facility in terms of volume capability. The project is located at 2001 S.W. 20th St. in Fort Lauderdale. The global asset manager purchased the 50-acre facility via Carlyle Realty Partners VII, a U.S. real estate investment fund. The facility features a boatyard, marina and marine service center with 19 covered sheds, three marine travel lifts and 156 wet slips. The marine center’s offices and work stations are leased to 60 on-site contractors that provide services such as fiberglass repair, electrical, painting, brokerage and insurance. The Carlyle Group plans to add more pavement to allow more yacht repair space, complete renovations to an adjacent boatyard to incorporate into the facility and develop a new management and leasing office on-site. Julie Fisher Berry of Stiles Realty represented the sellers, Selvin Passen and business partner Morio Mito, in the transaction. The sales price was not disclosed, but the Sun-Sentinel reports that the transaction could have totaled $140 million to $150 million.
Industrial
CHATTANOOGA, TENN. — Yanfeng USA Automotive Trim Systems, an automotive product supplier, has leased a 231,625-square-foot industrial property located at 7463 Bonnyshire Drive in Chattanooga. The lease term is 10 years for the Chattanooga facility, which is Yanfeng USA’s fourth U.S. location. L. Mason Capitani CORFAC International and its CORFAC affiliate in Nashville, Chas. Hawkins CORFAC International, represented Yangeng USA in the lease transaction.
ORLANDO, FLA. — McCraney Property Co. has secured a new lease for 99,214 square feet at Bent Oak Industrial Park in Orlando. The industrial park sits on 39 acres and consists of two Class A industrial buildings at 1701 and 1801 Boice Pond Road, spanning 703,920 square feet. Shepard Exposition Services, an Atlanta-based national event service enterprise, will occupy space at Building 200. With this transaction, the asset is close to 50 percent leased prior to construction completion. Matt Sullivan of Cite Partners represented McCraney Property Co. in the lease transaction.
EL PASO, TEXAS — Sealy & Co. has acquired a 101,983-square-foot industrial asset located at 9500 Plaza Circle in El Paso on behalf of the company’s investment offering, SSEP. The single-tenant building, developed in 2000, is a cross-dock facility that offers above average clear heights for the market and a large amount of excess trailer parking. The building is located 1.7 miles from the Zaragoza Bridge, a commercial international port of entry between Mexico and the United States.
HOUSTON — NAI Partners has represented Pexco LLC in the disposition of its 129,325-square-foot industrial office and warehouse facility on 11.9 acres located at 12955 Emmett Road in Houston. John Ferruzzo and Nick Peterson of NAI Partners represented the seller, Pexco, during the negotiations, while Barrett Gibson and Jason English with Colliers International represented the buyer, Parker-Hannifin Corp.
MANSFIELD, TEXAS — ARCO/Murray has completed a 186,700-square-foot expansion for Klein Tools. The facility is located in Mansfield and serves as the company’s manufacturing headquarters. The expansion included an 18,000-square-foot, two-story office and multiple crane bays. The space is fully air-conditioned and also features insulated tilt wall panels and a steel bar joist structure. Jason McLaughlin and Mark Klump of ARCO/Murray represented the construction team.
Johnson Development Secures $41.7M Loan from SunTrust for Rite Aid Distribution Center
by John Nelson
SPARTANBURG, S.C. — SunTrust Bank has provided $41.7 million in construction financing to Johnson Development Associates Inc. for the new Rite Aid Corp. distribution center in Spartanburg. The 900,000-square-foot facility will consolidate three existing distribution centers and is expected to employ roughly 600 new jobs once fully operational. Construction began on the distribution center in March and is expected to wrap up by this December. Johnson Development has also announced a 362,880-square-foot speculative building to be developed at Flatwood Industrial Park in Spartanburg. Construction is currently underway and is expected to wrap up by the end of the year.
PLYMOUTH, MINN. — The Opus Group is developing a 96,000-square-foot speculative industrial office and warehouse facility in Plymouth, about 13 miles west of Minneapolis. Construction will begin this month on the property, which is located on a site that offers access to I-494 from Highway 55. Designed for multi-tenant use, the property will feature 24-foot clear heights, ESFR sprinkler systems, five loading docks and parking for 204 cars. The building will be ready for occupancy by January 2016. The property will be owned by a joint venture partnership between Opus Development Co. and Founders Properties. Opus Development is the developer, Opus Design Build is the design-builder and Opus AE Group will be the architect and engineer of record. Matt Oelschlager of CBRE has been retained to lease the property.
DALLAS, HOUSTON AND SAN ANTONIO — Sealy & Co. has arranged the sale of an industrial portfolio that consists of 19 assets totaling 1.48 million square feet located in Dallas, Houston and San Antonio. The portfolio was part of Sealy’s joint venture holdings with global real estate investment management firm, AEW Capital Management. AEW owned the portfolio on behalf of AEW Partners VII LP, the seventh in AEW’s opportunistic fund series. The portfolio is 91 percent leased and consists primarily of multi-tenant, net-leased industrial facilities.
HOUSTON — NAI Partners represented Electro-Tech Industries in the acquisition of a 115,000-square-foot industrial building located at 303 W. Little York in Houston. Founded in 2000, Electro-Tech Industries (ETI) offers custom design, manufacturing, testing and field service for electrical power distribution equipment and systems. David Boyd and Greg Barra with Boyd Commercial represented the seller, EJKeith Commercial Properties LP, during negotiations. Chris Caudill of NAI Partners represented Electro-Tech Industries in the negotiations.