FAYETTEVILLE, ARK. — A joint venture between Strategic Asset Management (SAM) and Virtus Real Estate Capital has acquired YOUnion@Fayetteville, a 589-bed student housing development located near the University of Arkansas campus in Fayetteville. The project was acquired from Strategic Student & Senior Housing Trust Inc. — a public, non-traded REIT sponsored by SAM — for $72.3 million. An undisclosed affiliate of SAM will serve as property manager on behalf of the joint venture. TSB Capital Advisors consulted on the joint venture and arranged acquisition financing on behalf of SAM and Virtus. YOUnion@Fayetteville offers 198 fully furnished units in one-, two-, three- and four-bedroom configurations. The property is fully leased for the 2024-2025 academic year.
Multifamily
Hamilton Zanze, Lionstone Investments Purchase 19-Story Morris Apartments in Nashville
by John Nelson
NASHVILLE, TENN. — A joint venture between Hamilton Zanze and Lionstone Investments has purchased The Morris, a 19-story apartment tower located at 818 19th Ave. S in Nashville’s Music Row district. Hamilton Zanze sponsored the transaction through HZ Capital Partners Fund I, making it the fifth sponsored for the San Francisco-based investor this year. The seller and sales price were not disclosed. Mission Rock Residential, an affiliate of Hamilton Zanze, has assumed management of the 344-unit property. Built in 2017, The Morris offers studio, one- and two-bedroom apartments that range in size from 557 to 1,104 square feet. Amenities include a rooftop pool with glass overlook, music studio, rooftop performance venue, a 19th-floor sky lounge, fitness center, private yoga studio, concierge services, EV charging stations, pet spa, lounge, coffee bar and indoor bike racks. The property is named for being the longtime site of the offices for Dale Morris, a country music agent to stars including Kenny Chesney and Martina McBride.
NAPLES, FLA. — JLL Capital Markets has secured $234 million in construction financing for the development of Rosewood Residences Naples, a condominium project in Naples. Affiliates managed by Apollo provided the loan to the borrowers, The Ronto Group and Wheelock Street Capital. Steven Klein, Brian Gaswirth, Paul Adams and Shane Ciacci of JLL secured the financing on behalf of the borrowers. Scheduled for completion in the third quarter of 2026, the 42-unit property will feature three- and four-bedroom residences averaging 5,175 square feet in size and penthouses ranging from 5,170 to 9,601 square feet. Amenities at Rosewood Residence Naples will include a sundeck with a swimming pool, zero-edge lap pools, spas, game rooms, lounges and gated beach access.
Partnership Tops Out First Residential Tower at $5B Centennial Yards Development in Atlanta
by John Nelson
ATLANTA — Centennial Yards Co., a partnership between an affiliate of CIM Group and a group led by Tony Ressler, has topped off the first residential tower located within the $5 billion Centennial Yards development in downtown Atlanta. Dubbed The Mitchell and designed by TVS Architecture + Design and Goode Van Slyke Architects (GVSA), the building totals 19 stories and will feature 304 apartment units with studio, one-, two- and three-bedroom layouts. Amenities will include a pool with an event lawn and grilling stations, coworking spaces, a dog run and pet spa, fitness center and 16,000 square feet of ground-floor retail space. Construction is scheduled for completion next year, with move-ins expected to begin in summer 2025. The Mitchell is situated across from a planned Sports and Entertainment District that will offer 470,000 square feet of entertainment, retail, restaurant and hospitality space. Cosm recently announced plans to open a 70,000-square-foot immersive entertainment venue at the district. Upon completion, Centennial Yards will span 50 acres and total 8 million square feet of commercial and residential space. Mercedes-Benz Stadium and State Farm Arena shadow anchor the development, which is located with proximity to Centennial Olympic Park and downtown Atlanta attractions including the …
Cushman & Wakefield Arranges $77M Refinancing for Student Housing Community at UNC Charlotte
by John Nelson
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Cushman & Wakefield has arranged $77 million in refinancing for Junction 49, a newly developed student housing community serving the University of North Carolina at Charlotte (UNC Charlotte). Gideon Gil, Zach Kraft, Dale Braverman and Travis Prince of Cushman & Wakefield represented the borrower, SR Real Estate Partners and Circle Squared Alternative Investments, in securing the loan. Macquarie Capital Principal Finance provided the financing. Located at 7600 University City Blvd., the 370,883-square-foot property totals 754 beds and 12,396 square feet of amenity space. Junction 49 features private and group study rooms on each floor, a lounge area, game room, market, 24-hour fitness center, swimming pool, hot tub, poolside cabanas, outdoor grilling stations and two courtyards.
MESQUITE, TEXAS — Locally based developer Palladium USA has broken ground on a $79 million project in the eastern Dallas suburb of Mesquite. Palladium Carver Living will be situated on a 10-acre site and will consist of 288 apartments in one-, two- and three-bedroom layouts. A portion of the units will be set aside for individuals earning 60 percent of the area median income. Amenities will include a pool, fitness center, conference center, clubroom, dog park, computer lounge and a children’s playroom. M Arrive Architecture Group designed the property, and BBL Building Co. is the general contractor. Preleasing is slated to begin by the fourth quarter of 2025. The Mesquite Housing Finance Corp. issued $37 million in tax-exempt bond financing for the project, and Regions Bank provided more than $34 million in equity, as well as a $36 million permanent loan. Additionally, the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs issued $38 million in 4 percent Low-Income Housing Tax Credits.
SAN ANTONIO — Locally based developer The Lynd Group is nearing completion of Potranco Commons, a 360-unit mixed-income project in San Antonio’s Far West Side submarket. Residences come in one-, two- and three-bedroom formats, range in size from 541 to 1,355 square feet and are housed across 15 three-story buildings. Approximately 40 percent of the units are reserved for renters earning 80 percent or less of the area median income. Amenities include a clubhouse, pool, fitness center, outdoor grilling and dining stations, multiple open green spaces and a DJ booth. Lynd Group partnered with Santikos Enterprises and the San Antonio Housing Authority on the project. Move-ins began earlier this year, and the property is now 53 percent leased. Rents for market-rate units start at $1,181 per month. Construction began in summer 2022.
CHICAGO — Lendlease is nearing the lease-up of The Reed at Southbank, a 41-story apartment tower located at 234 W. Polk St. in Chicago’s South Loop. The rental units are now 95 percent occupied. Located along the Chicago River immediately south of the Loop, The Reed is the second high-rise completed in the seven-acre Southbank master plan. The property includes 226 units in a mix of studio, one-, two- and three-bedroom floor plans in addition to 214 condominiums on the upper floors. The tower’s eighth-floor amenity suite includes a 15,000-square-foot outdoor deck with a resort-style pool and cabanas, sunning lawn, fire pits, kitchens and dining areas. Additional amenities include a wet lounge adjacent to the pool deck, indoor-outdoor fitness center, show kitchen, lounge room, virtual sports simulation room, salon, massage room and media room. The Reed is immediately adjacent to Southbank Park, a two-acre green space privately developed by Lendlease as a public amenity. Designed by Hoerr Schaudt, whose plan was implemented by Confluence, the park features a central lawn, natural stone amphitheater and meandering walkways that connect to a new riverwalk. The Reed holds LEED Gold, Fitwel and Energy Star certifications. Green initiatives at the property include the use …
CHICAGO — GREA has brokered the sale of a high-rise apartment building with 139 units in Chicago’s Lakeview East neighborhood for an undisclosed price. With separate lobbies at 535 W. Cornelia Ave. and 534 W. Stratford Place, the property contains a mix of studio, one-, three- and four-bedroom units. The studio and one-bedroom layouts range in size from 278 to 904 square feet and are located on the Cornelia side of the building, while the three- and four-bedroom units range in size from 2,260 to 2,959 square feet and are situated on the Stratford side. Bill Montana and Chris Sackley of GREA represented the private owner in the sale. The asset sold to a local family with an established portfolio of apartment properties throughout the northside neighborhoods of Chicago.
High interest rates and stubborn inflation have somewhat hindered the days of excess — for both student housing developers and their residents. Yet, the need for more student housing units continues. Student accommodations booking platform Amber notes that the 175 largest U.S. universities can only provide housing for 22 percent of their undergraduates. New deliveries have also slowed, with the average annual number of new bed deliveries coming in at 33,700 between 2021 and 2023. The average number of beds delivered annually between 2013 and 2020 was 56,200, according to JLL Capital Markets. This has led some colleges and universities to get creative when housing is scarce and development is not only cost consuming, but time consuming. “In some cases, universities lease all or a portion of our neighboring communities when they need more housing inventory than presently available on campus,” says James Wilhelm, chief development officer at American Campus Communities (ACC). “In addition, some universities have approached us to purchase our off-campus assets to grow and expand their upper-division student housing offerings. The purchase of our communities is generally fueled by a desire to add beds on an expedited timeline at a fraction of the cost of new construction.” …