HOUSTON — Local investment firm TriArc Properties has purchased Smart Living at Stuebner Airline, a 112-unit apartment property in north Houston. Built in 2015, the community features one- and two-bedroom units and amenities such as a fitness center, resident clubhouse, business center and an outdoor grilling area. Cortney Cole of HFF placed a five-year, floating-rate acquisition loan through Veritex Community Bank on behalf of TriArc Properties.
SAN DIEGO — While agency volume may decrease slightly in 2019 due to tougher energy conservation standards in green lending programs offered by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the multifamily debt market overall is expected to grow this year, according to a veteran mortgage banker. Jeff Burns, managing director at Walker & Dunlop’s Walnut Creek, Calif., office, spoke to REBusinessOnline at the MBA 2019 Commercial Real Estate Finance/Multifamily Housing Convention & Expo. The event, held at the Manchester Grand Hyatt San Diego, took place Feb. 10-13. Although the 10-year Treasury yield is down about 50 basis points since reaching 3.2 percent in early November, most economists expect long-term rates to rise in 2019. (Investor worries over trade conflicts, a volatile equities market and falling oil prices led to a precipitous drop in the yield on the benchmark Treasury note.) Burns, who is responsible for new loan origination in California and the western United States, discussed trends in agency lending as well as the state of the multifamily market. What follows are his edited responses: Rebusinessonline.com: What trends are you seeing in agency financing for the multifamily sector in the western region? Jeff Burns: Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac continue to …
DAVIS, CALIF. — A public-private partnership between the University of California, Davis and University Student Living has broken ground on a student housing complex that will add 3,300 beds to the university’s West Village neighborhood. The first 1,000 beds of the project are expected for completion in fall 2020. The joint venture recently announced the closing of $575 million in financing, which comes from the proceeds of a tax-exempt bond sale. The new complex, set on 34 acres, will comprise nine four-story apartment buildings along with indoor and outdoor community space and recreational fields. A 10,000-square-foot community building will house a fitness center, multipurpose room and student support services. The development team includes general contractor CBG Building Co. and architect Stantec. When complete, the new apartment communities at West Village will be owned by the non-profit Collegiate Housing Foundation, which will hold the ground lease from the University of California. University Student Living is the student housing arm of The Michaels Organization, a residential real estate firm with full-service capabilities in development, property management, finance and construction.
PHOENIX — Owner-Operator Life Care Services (an LCS Company) and general contractor The Weitz Company have started construction of a four-story independent living expansion at Sagewood, a continuing care retirement community in Phoenix. This is the largest expansion at the property since it opened in 2010.The 280,000-square-foot project includes 101 new units, 23,000 square feet of common space and a 156-stall underground parking garage. The independent living units will feature both one- and two-bedroom floor plans with a living room and full-size kitchen. New amenities will include an 18-hole putting course, chapel, top-floor lounge and guest suites. This phase of construction will also deliver new administration offices for the Sagewood operations staff; renovations to the existing Canyon Café and Palo Verde kitchen and dining hall; and a new dining venue. Designed by architect Todd & Associates, this phase of construction is scheduled for completion by the end of 2020. This will be the 14th project Weitz has built at Sagewood since originally constructing the 85-acre community, and the fourth since the start of 2017.
NEW YORK CITY — JLL has arranged a $22.7 million loan to convert a 13-story multifamily building into condominiums. The building is located at 42-14 Crescent St. in the Long Island City neighborhood of Queens. The property, which is called The Independent, currently consists of 32,102 square feet of residential space across 48 units. The property was completed in 2016 and is currently fully leased. JLL represented the borrower, Meadow Partners LLC, in the transaction. The lender was Sterling National Bank. Meadow Partners plans to begin sales of units at the property in March 2019.
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.
FALLS CHURCH, VA. — Mill Creek Residential has broken ground on Modera Founders Row, the multifamily component of Founders Row, a mixed-use project that will feature 394 apartment units and 90,000 square feet of retail space in Falls Church. The development team for Founders Row includes CrossHarbor Capital Partners, Lighthouse Real Estate Investments LLC and PNC Financial Services. Chris Wilkinson of JBG Smith is handling retail leasing for Founders Row. Studio Movie Grill and City Works Eatery & Pour House will be tenants in the retail component of Founders Row, which will span 4.5 acres at the corner of West Broad and North West streets, about 12 miles west of Washington, D.C. Modera Founders Row will offer 322 apartment homes and 72 apartment homes dedicated to age-restricted living for individuals 55 and older. The 322 units will be a mix of one- and two-bedroom floor plans. Shared community amenities for residents will include an expansive resident clubhouse, 24-hour fitness center, outdoor pool and sundeck, business center, game room, barbecue area, Zen garden, private demonstration kitchen, pet spa, controlled-access garage parking, self-serve package lockers and a coffee bar. The age-restricted community will feature an additional community room, fitness center and business …
NORCROSS, GA. — Alliance Residential has acquired the former WestRock office campus in the northeastern Atlanta suburb of Norcross. The vacant site has eight office buildings, of which two will be preserved and transformed into 90 residential units and coworking space in Alliance Residential’s planned Broadstone Norcross apartment community. Alliance Residential will construct two four-story buildings that will house 200 rental units. The project will also include a half-acre park. The 12-acre site is located at 504 Thrasher St., two blocks south of downtown Norcross and about 19 miles northeast of downtown Atlanta. The community is expected to be open to residents in 2020.
SOUTH BEND, IND. — Sinatra & Co. Real Estate and L5 Investments, along with Odyssey Properties Group Inc., have acquired Castle Point in South Bend for $56 million. The 740-unit multifamily property is comprised of 32 two-story buildings. A 25,000-square-foot amenity area features a fitness center, basketball courts, racket ball courts and pool. Sinatra & Co. plans to implement a value-add program, including unit and common area upgrades with a focus on fitness and technology. Sinatra & Co. Management will manage the property. Cushman & Wakefield brokered the sale. The seller was not disclosed. Pennybacker Credit I LP provided a preferred equity investment.
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 …