METHUEN, MASS. — Sunshine Retirement Living has broken ground on The Woods at Merrimack, a 140-unit seniors housing community in Methuen, approximately 30 miles north of Boston along the New Hampshire border. The 140,000-square-foot community will sit on 8.7 acres. Locke Mansion, built in 1913 on the site, will be preserved as part of the project. The development is scheduled to open in fall 2019. Partners on the project include Buildable Sites Development LLC and New Hampshire-based JSA Architects Interior Planners. Sunshine operates 20 seniors housing communities throughout the country.
DULUTH, GA. — Cushman & Wakefield has brokered the $52.1 million sale of The Marquis on Berkeley, a 323-unit apartment community in Duluth, approximately 30 miles northeast of Atlanta in Gwinnett County. Mike Kemether, Travis Presnell and Josh Goldfarb of Cushman & Wakefield arranged the transaction on behalf of the undisclosed seller. A local private operator acquired the property. The Marquis on Berkeley includes a mix of one-, two- and three-bedroom floor plans. Community amenities include a playground, sundeck, fitness center, garages, lighted tennis courts and a resort-style pool.
RICHMOND, VA. — Colliers International has arranged the $39.5 million sale of Axis 147, a 290-unit apartment community in Richmond. Will Matthews, Carter Wood, Jason Hetherington and Bruce Milam of Colliers International arranged the transaction on behalf of the seller, a joint venture between Lincoln Property Co. and Ritz Banc Group. Capital Square 1031 acquired the asset. Axis 147 features a pool, playground, pet play area, sundeck and private balconies or patios.
AUSTIN, TEXAS — Fort Worth-based Civitas Senior Living plans to open Double Creek Assisted Living and Memory Care in Round Rock and Tech Ridge Oaks Assisted Living and Memory Care in North Austin. These two communities, which offer 92 and 86 units, respectively, are the result of a partnership between Civitas Senior Living and Senior by Design. Civitas acquired the properties in July. Each community offers dining options, a beauty salon, theater, therapy gym, landscaped courtyards and daily activities to promote engagement and encourage social interaction. Civitas plans to open Double Creek on Oct. 25 and Tech Ridge Oaks on Nov. 8.
FAYETTEVILLE, ARK. — HFF has arranged the sale of Uptown Fayetteville Apartments+Shops, a 308-unit apartment community in Fayetteville. The eight-building property is located at 3959 N. Steele Blvd., roughly four miles north of downtown Fayetteville and the University of Arkansas. Steven Hahn Jr., Roberto Casas and Greg Toro of HFF arranged the transaction on behalf of the seller, Specialized Real Estate Group. In addition, Brian Carlton of HFF arranged a 10-year, fixed-rate acquisition loan through Freddie Mac on behalf of the buyer, Sun Holdings Group. The sales price and financing amount were not disclosed. Constructed in 2017, Uptown Fayetteville Apartments+Shops includes a mix of studio to two-bedroom units averaging 828 square feet, as well as 17,000 square feet of ground-floor retail. The LEED-certified community features a heated saltwater pool, outdoor gathering space, community garden, landscaped roof deck, outdoor grilling area, fitness center and direct access to the Razorback Regional Greenway, a 36-mile, multi-use trail.
GLENDALE, CALIF. — Champion Real Estate Co. has purchased a two-property apartment portfolio in Glendale. A private individual sold the portfolio for $14.1 million. The acquisition includes a 36-unit community located at 348 W. Chevy Chase Drive and a 26-unit community located at 1119-1123 E. Elk Ave. Champion South Glendale, a subsidiary of Champion, will immediately implement a $2.6 million comprehensive interior and exterior physical improvement and renovation program. The upgrade plan will also address significant deferred maintenance issues stemming from the previous long-term owner including seismic retrofitting on both properties. Built in 1963, 348 W. Chevy Chase Drive features four studio units, 20 one-bedroom/one-bath units and 12 two-bedroom/one-bath units. 1119-1123 E. Elk Ave. was built in 1961 and features 24 one-bedroom/one-bath units and two two-bedroom/one-bath units. With this acquisition, Champion now owns and operates more than 225 units in the Tri-Cities region, which also includes Pasadena and Burbank.
ATLANTA — The pace of seniors housing development has accelerated sharply in recent years. Approximately 396 seniors housing properties came online or opened in the top 100 metro areas in the country from the fourth quarter of 2016 to the fourth quarter of 2017, according to data from Plante Moran Living Forward, a senior living development consulting firm. During the two years prior, about 596 communities opened. What’s more, approximately 65 percent of those newly added properties were from operators that only had two or fewer properties, according to Dana Wollschlager, practice leader for the firm and moderator of the development panel at the 2018 InterFace Seniors Housing Southeast conference. The significant number of developments and new entrants to the seniors housing space were major discussion points for the panel, which took place on Wednesday, Aug. 29 at the Westin Buckhead in Atlanta. The one-day conference drew nearly 520 developers, lenders, investors and operators in the senior living space. Joining Wollschlager on the panel were Richard Ackerman, managing partner of Big Rock Partners; Jeff Arnold, chief operating officer of United Group of Cos.; Blanding Beatty, chief investment officer of Traditions Senior Living; Andy Isakson, managing partner of Isakson Living; and …
NEWARK, N.J. — KeyBank has provided $98.4 million Fannie Mae loan for the acquisition and rehabilitation of two affordable housing properties in Newark. The properties are Garden Spires Apartments, a 544-unit affordable housing complex built in 1963 and Spruce Spires Apartments, a 112-unit subsidized housing property built in 1920. Dirk Falardeau and Kyle Kolesar of KeyBank arranged the financing for borrower, Omni New York LLC. The financing breaks down in the following manner: a $59 million Fannie Mae Reduced Occupancy Affordable Rehab loan; a $23.8 million Economic, Redevelopment and Growth (ERG) bridge loan secured by Garden Spires Apartments; and a $15.6 million Fannie Mae Affordable Mortgage loan secured by Spruce Spires Apartments. Both properties will undergo rehabilitation, including renovating lobby areas, replacing and upgrading building mechanics, modernizing elevators, installing new roofs and doors, improving common areas and replacing boilers.
NORMAN, OKLA. — Student Quarters has acquired Millennium Student Apartments, a 698-bed student housing community located near the University of Oklahoma in Norman. The property offers studio, two-, four- and five-bedroom units with bed-to-bath parity. Each unit — which may be rented fully furnished — features a flat screen TV, keyless entry and a patio or balcony. Shared amenities include a resort-style swimming pool, sun deck, hot tub, grilling areas, a gated pet park, study lounges, a coffee bar and pool tables. SQ Caliber, a property management joint venture between Student Quarters and Caliber Living, will manage the property.
MUSCLE SHOALS, ALA. — Berkadia has arranged the $13.9 million sale of Arbor Village Apartments, a garden-style multifamily community in Muscle Shoals, a city in northern Alabama. David Oakley and David Wilson of Berkadia arranged the transaction on behalf of the seller, Engel Realty Co. In addition, Josh Finley of Berkadia secured a 10-year, $10.5 million acquisition loan on behalf of the buyer, Arbor Village Apartments LLC. The Fannie Mae loan features a fixed interest rate of 4.91 percent and a 30-amortization schedule. Arbor Village Apartments includes a mix of one- and two-bedroom units and features a fitness center, pool and an outdoor grilling area.