Interviews conducted by Taylor Williams During the 10-year expansionary cycle, San Antonio posted one of the highest rates of population growth in the country, bringing new development of luxury apartment communities, modernized e-commerce facilities, bustling entertainment destinations and a landmark Class A office building. While some short- and long-term pain from COVID-19 is inevitable, there is also some optimism on the horizon. Industrial broker Cody Woodland of NAI Partners, multifamily developer David Lynd of LYND Co. and retail investment sales specialists Kevin Catalani and Price Onken of CBRE share thoughts on what’s happened and what’s coming in the Alamo City. Texas Real Estate Business: In terms of your sector, what have you seen in the San Antonio market in response to COVID-19? Cody Woodland: Much like other industrial markets, we’ve seen many tenants put their requirements on hold, including some sizable leases near execution. Most of these resulted in short-term extensions that should resurface in 2021. We’ve also seen numerous deals with essential users requiring immediate short-term space for storage purposes due to fluctuations in supply chains, primarily in the grocery and medical product sectors. Even during the pandemic, some long-term leases have still transacted, such as Dollar General’s 285,000-square-foot …
Industrial
BLT Enterprises Acquires Industrial Life Sciences Facility in Southern California for $40.4M
by Amy Works
CARLSBAD, CALIF. — BLT Enterprises has purchased an industrial life sciences property located at 2827 Whiptail Loop West in Carlsbad. RPG sold the asset for $40.4 million. Completed in 2019, the 146,100-square-foot property features 30-foot clear heights, eight dock-high doors, four grade-level doors, 4,000 amps of power, Grade B, C, D classification clean rooms, a dedicated lab exhaust system, a vacuum pump system and a PH neutralization system. SAFC Carlsbad Inc. fully occupies the property. The tenant is a subsidiary of Merck KGaA, a multinational pharmaceutical, life sciences, research and development company headquartered in Darmstadt, Germany.
MILWAUKEE — Bell Ambulance Inc. has signed a 10-year, 25,000-square-foot industrial lease at 2842 S. 5th Court in Milwaukee. Bell will primarily use the space as a central location for the servicing of its fleet of vehicles, as well as office and storage use. The company, which began operations in 1973 with three ambulances in one location, has grown to over 65 ambulances in multiple locations. David Ferron of Cushman & Wakefield | Boerke negotiated the lease, which fills the remaining vacancy at the 48,862-square-foot property. ATWU LLC is the landlord. Mercy Hill Church is the other tenant.
FLOWER MOUND, TEXAS — Engineering and logistics firm Communication Test Design Inc. (CTDI) has signed a 185,344-square-foot industrial lease at Lakeside Ranch 1001 in the northern Fort Worth suburb of Flower Mound. The deal brings the 634,564-square-foot building to full occupancy. Ken Wesson of Lee & Associates and John Morrissey of Jackson Cross represented the tenant in the lease negotiations. Matt Hyman handled negotiations internally for the landlord, Duke Realty, with JLL’s Craig Jones, Tom McCarthy and Fred Ragsdale serving as listing agents for the property.
SOUTH BRUNSWICK, N.J. — Metro Storage LLC, a privately owned self-storage developer and manager, has opened a 688-unit facility at 3963 U.S. Route 1 in South Brunswick, a northern suburb of Trenton. The property features 75,000 net rentable square feet and consists of one climate-controlled building and three non-climate-controlled buildings. The facility is Metro Storage’s seventh in New Jersey.
STOUGHTON, MASS. — Stubblebine Co., a locally based brokerage firm and member of CORFAC International, has arranged the $4.2 million sale of a 78,000-square-foot industrial portfolio in the southern Boston suburb of Stoughton. The portfolio consists of three buildings that are primarily leased to Peak Party Rentals. David Stubblebine, James Stubblebine and David Skinner represented the buyer, Tosca Drive LLC, in the transaction. Mark Donahue of Donahue Associates represented the seller.
PFLUGERVILLE, TEXAS — Amazon has announced plans to open an 820,000-square-foot fulfillment center in the northern Austin suburb of Pflugerville, a move that is expected to bring about 1,000 full-time jobs to the area. The facility is expected to open some time in 2021. Pflugerville has long been rumored to be a landing spot for the Seattle-based e-commerce giant. But only recently did the Pflugerville City Council approve an agreement authorizing the city’s economic development department to offer up to $3.8 million in incentives to Amazon. These funds will be earmarked for offsite road infrastructure improvements and for other capital investment and job creation measures.
EL PASO, TEXAS — Developer VanTrust Real Estate has launched a 994,639-square-foot speculative industrial project in El Paso. The site spans 59 acres and is located within five miles of the Zaragoza Bridge, an international port of entry. Phase I of the project will consist of four buildings totaling 514,135 square feet and is expected to be complete in early 2021. Phase II, which will commence upon completion of Phase I, will consist of two buildings totaling 480,504 square feet. The project is one of several major speculative industrial developments to be announced in El Paso in recent weeks, along with Hunt Southwest’s 370,000-square-foot Rojas East Distribution Center and Equity Industrial and Raith Capital’s 123,966-square-foot project at 9541 Joe Rodriguez Drive.
BLUE ANCHOR, N.J. — Innovative Industrial Properties (IIP), a publicly traded investment firm focused on the cannabis industry, has acquired a 111,000-square-foot facility in Blue Anchor for cultivation and processing. The sales price was $5.5 million. IIP has signed operator and grower Curaleaf to a long-term, triple-net lease at the property, which is located south of Philadelphia. New Jersey has taken steps in recent years to expand access to medical cannabis, such as introducing oil-based formulations and adding qualifying conditions. In addition, the prospective legalization of adult-use cannabis is on the ballot for residents via the New Jersey Marijuana Legalization Amendment in November.
LOUISVILLE, COLO. — Berkeley Partners has acquired a multi-tenant industrial building located at 333-335 Centennial Parkway in Louisville. DPC Cos. and Long Wharf Capital sold the asset for $49 million. Situated on 24.9 acres, the 411,485-square-foot building features dock-high and drive-in loading, heavy power, sprinklers, 28-foot clear heights, ample parking and fiber connectivity. At the time of sale, the building was fully leased to six tenants. Last year, the property underwent building improvements, including a new roof, improved entries, an updated façade and new monument signage. The building was originally constructed in 1995. Tyler Carner, Jeremy Ballenger, Jim Bolt, Jessica Osternick and Jeremy Kroner of CBRE’s Denver and Boulder, Colo., offices represented the sellers.