MIAMI — Inter Miami FC has begun construction on Miami Freedom Park, the Major League Soccer (MLS) club’s new 131-acre entertainment district, the centerpiece of which will be a 25,000-seat stadium. The project is a redevelopment of the former site of the Melreese Country Club in the city’s Grapeland Heights neighborhood. In addition to the stadium, Miami Freedom Park will feature a 58-acre public park that will have soccer and youth athletic fields for the community, as well as office, hospitality, retail and restaurant uses. Leasing campaigns for the retail and restaurant components are already underway, as are efforts to cultivate corporate partnerships. Crews are now performing preliminary earthwork and sitework that will overlap with the start of vertical construction. A formal groundbreaking ceremony will take place later this year, and the development is slated for a 2025 completion. Redevelopment plans were previously approved by voters and the City of Miami Commission. A major impetus behind the development has been the club’s signing of international superstar Lionel Messi. The Miami Herald reports that the club intends for Messi, who previously signed a 2.5-year, $150 million deal that includes a future ownership stake in the team after he retires, to play at …
Mixed-Use
NEW YORK CITY — Derby Copeland Capital, a locally based lending and investment firm, has provided a $9.8 million acquisition loan for 414-416 West Broadway, a 13,396-square-foot, mixed-use property in Manhattan’s SoHo district. The borrower was not disclosed. The four-story building consists of four newly renovated apartments, one unrenovated apartment, one office suite and a ground-floor retail space with a contiguous basement. Marcus & Millichap brokered the $13.2 million sale of the property on behalf on behalf of the seller, Valroge Corp.
University of South Carolina, Greystar Open $240M Campus Village Student Housing Project in Columbia
by John Nelson
COLUMBIA, S.C. — A public-private partnership between the University of South Carolina and Greystar has opened Campus Village, a $240 million residence hall development. Construction on the project, which includes four buildings offering 1,800 beds, began in May 2019. Each six-story building is connected by pedestrian promenades that run alongside green space, courtyards and a clock tower. Beds are offered in pod-style units alongside shared amenities including study and classroom spaces and community kitchens. Campus Village also features a 14,000-square-foot dining hall that seats 650 students; a sundry shop dubbed The Gamecock General Store; retail space leased to Jimmy John’s and Starbucks Coffee; and shuttle service to and from central campus. The development is home to several living-learning communities, including those for information, design and computing; engineering and computing; and entrepreneurship and innovation. The development team for Campus Village included Contract Construction, Juneau Construction and WDG.
ATLANTA — Trammell Crow Co. and partner Georgia Advanced Technology Ventures (GATV) have topped out Science Square Labs, a 13-story research-and-development (R&D) facility located adjacent to the Georgia Tech campus in Atlanta. GATV is a cooperative organization of Georgia Tech. The 368,258-square-foot building is part of the first phase of Science Square, an 18-acre mixed-use development that will offer laboratory, R&D offices, dining options and residences. Brasfield & Gorrie is the general contractor on Phase I of Science Square. Also part of the first phase is a 280-unit residential tower by High Street Residential, an affiliate of Trammell Crow Co. The developers aim to deliver Phase I in the first quarter of 2024. Designed by Perkins & Will, Science Square Labs will feature wet and dry laboratories, collaborative spaces, food-and-beverage outlets, a fitness center, interactive conference rooms, indoor/outdoor lounge, catering kitchen and six “graduator” speculative lab/office suites that will accommodate growing life sciences firms. Additionally, Cherry Street Energy is installing a 38,000-square-foot solar panel array atop the parking garage. The design-build team is aiming for Science Square to achieve LEED Gold and WELL certifications. In addition to the topping out, the ownership group has signed the first tenant at Science …
Atlanta BeltLine Inc. Completes $13.3M Land Purchase Along Southside Trail in Southwest Atlanta
by John Nelson
ATLANTA — Atlanta BeltLine Inc. has purchased 13.7 acres along the BeltLine’s Southside Trail in southwest Atlanta for $13.3 million. Situated at 356 University Ave., the property is situated adjacent to the Pittsburgh Yards adaptive reuse development. This acquisition marks the continuation of the BeltLIne’s mission to procure land along the trail loop. AECF Atlanta Realty, a subsidiary of the Annie E. Casey Foundation, manages Pittsburgh Yards and was the seller. SouthState Bank provided acquisition financing for the transaction. The BeltLine will conduct a community engagement process to determine best uses for the site. After incorporating the vision of adjacent residents and local businesses into the plans, the organization will issue a Request for Proposals (RFPs) to invite developers to submit proposals to redevelop the site.
BOCA RATON AND WEST PALM BEACH, FLA. — Tricera Capital has secured one lease expansion and two new leases totaling 42,029 square feet in South Florida. The deals include Wells Fargo expanding its lease by 19,000 square feet at Tricera’s 1675 Midtown office building at 1675 N. Military Trail in Boca Raton, bringing the bank’s total footprint to 45,000 square feet. Built in 2008, the building totals roughly 70,000 square feet. The other deals include PMP Marketing Agency signing a 5,100-square-foot lease and Palm Beach Atlantic University leasing 17,929 square feet at Workspaces at the Press in West Palm Beach, which totals 120,000 square feet and is situated within the mixed-use The Press development. John Criddle, Joe Freitas and Christ Smith of CBRE manage leasing at 1675 Midtown, and Jon Blunk, Cristina Glaria, Connie Thomas and Laurel Oswald of TCRE overseeing leasing at Workspaces at The Press. Robert Anderson of Tortoise Realty Group represented the university in the lease negotiations.
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Improved Land Surveys, Due Diligence Can Ensure Development Project Success
Due diligence — particularly land surveying — can be a slow, cumbersome process if a project lacks strong guidelines based on the owner or developer’s particular needs. It can be easy to overprepare for the wrong site or underprepare for the succession of steps needed for the right site. REBusiness spoke to two land surveying experts, Billy Logsdon, divisional director of surveying, and Tom Teabo, associate and regional survey manager. Both work for Bohler, a land development consulting and site design firm, and both have strong insights on how to incorporate each step in the due diligence process elegantly within a well-planned approach. Due diligence such as American Land Title Association (ALTA) surveys and gathering topographic information can be time-consuming and expensive steps — making it beneficial to fit their timing into the larger project in a way that reflects the client’s needs — from the purchase of land to development completion. Logsdon and Teabo highlight the importance of streamlining the survey process and getting owners and developers better results based on their desired outcomes, often starting with the information already available about the site early in the process. REBusiness: What is slowing down survey due diligence, in your experience, and do …
Solar Energy Company Signs Office Lease at Brickworks in Atlanta for New Headquarters
by John Nelson
ATLANTA — Cherry Street Energy, an Atlanta-based solar energy company, has signed a new office lease at Brickworks, a 194,000-square-foot mixed-use development in Atlanta’s West Midtown district. The landlord, Asana Partners, signed the tenant to a 13,600-square-foot lease. Cherry Street Energy is relocating its headquarters to the Brickworks location and will bring over 50 employees, as well as install solar panel and electric vehicle charging stations. The firm, which previously occupied 1,500 square feet, recently received a $40 million investment to expand its footprint and hire new staff. Cherry Street Energy will utilize the space at Brickworks for both office space and research-and-development. Joey Kline and Terry McGuirk of JLL represented Cherry Street Energy in the lease negotiations. Bennett Gottlieb of Capital Real Estate Group represented Asana Partners.
LOS ANGELES — Reuben Brothers, a private equity and real estate investment firm, has completed the development of Century Plaza, a $2.5 billion mixed-use project in the Century City area of Los Angeles. Sales and marketing of the development’s two 44-story residential towers totaling 268 for-sale residences will commence this fall. Designed by Pei Cobb Freed & Partners, the buildings offer residential amenities such as a pool, business center, outdoor dining spaces, a dog park and a children’s playroom. Century Plaza also features the reimagined Fairmont Century Plaza hotel, which comprises 400 guestrooms and 85 suites, as well as amenities such as a pool, spa and a fitness center. The hotel also houses multiple food-and-beverage options. The development’s retail component, The Shops at Century Plazas, consists of 100,000 square feet of shopping, dining and entertainment space. This piece of the development also includes a landscaped promenade and public green spaces with art installations. Additional updates on leasing activity within the retail component will also be announced this fall. “With its combination of luxury residences, trend-setting retail spaces and the iconic Fairmont Century Plaza at its core, the team is not only transforming Century Plaza but establishing LA’s newest luxury enclave,” says …
Rouler Advisors Buys 108,897 SF Westgate Centre Mixed-Use Property in Lakewood, Colorado
by Amy Works
LAKEWOOD, COLO. — Rouler Advisors, through an affiliate, has purchased Westgate Centre, a mixed-use property in Lakewood. Avatar Westgate LP, a special purpose company that originally acquired the asset in late 2014, sold the property for an undisclosed price. Located at 3225-3265 S. Wadsworth Blvd., Westgate Centre features 108,897 square feet of mixed-use space. Rouler Advisors also controls the Mission Trace Center, a retail and office asset adjacent to Westgate Centre. The combined properties offer more than 16 acres of commercial property totaling 275,000 square feet along Wadsworth Boulevard. Rouler plans to implement several upgrades, including a new parking lot, landscaping, lighting and other improvements, at the new property.