Multifamily

ST. CHARLES, MD. — An affiliate of San Diego-based Strata Equity Group has purchased an 11-property multifamily portfolio in Suburban Maryland for $302 million. This is the first purchase in the Mid-Atlantic region for the privately held firm. Totaling 1,731 units, the properties are situated within St. Charles, a master-planned community roughly 30 miles south of Washington, D.C. The portfolio comprises Class A and B communities with an average unit size of 998 square feet. The buildings are 21 years old on average. Renovations have been ongoing since 2014, and Strata plans to complete all remaining interior rehabs while making other capital improvements. Each property is part of a neighborhood association that provides residents access to a community center and recreational facilities such as swimming pools, tennis courts and playgrounds. The seller, Federal Capital Partners (FCP), originally purchased the portfolio in 2009 for $43.6 million plus debt as part of its acquisition and privatization of American Community Properties Trust, which formerly traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol APO. That acquisition included 11,000 residential units and 5 million square feet of commercial development, mostly in St. Charles and Puerto Rico. FCP has been repositioning and selling portions …