There is a popular song from the HBO show Treme written and performed by Steve Earle titled “This City Won’t Wash Away”. Ten years ago the wind and water of Hurricane Katrina threatened to destroy almost a third of the multifamily market in metro New Orleans. After a decade of rebuilding, the multifamily market has emerged as one of the most dynamic and resilient markets in the country. For 10 straight years this world-class city has seen strong demand, increasing rents and stable occupancy. New Orleans is not only unique in its food, music and culture, but also its geography. The Crescent City is situated on the bend of the Mississippi River with Lake Pontchartrain to its north and wetlands to the east and west. The ability to increase inventory in Metro New Orleans is seriously impaired by a lack of land, as well as historic and demographic factors. Over the past 14 years the multifamily inventory in metro New Orleans has only increased by 10,500 units, an average of only 750 units per year. Included in that number is the rebuilding of existing inventory damaged by Hurricane Katrina. Fifty percent of the increase of inventory has been in downtown …
LOS ANGELES — A private investor has purchased the 21-unit Verona Villas condominium complex in the Los Angeles submarket of Toluca Lake for $14.7 million. The community is located at 10640 Woodbridge St. It was built in 2008. Matt Ziegler of Marcus & Millichap represented the buyer. The same firm’s Jeff Louks and Daniel Hirth represented the seller, the property’s developer.
DAVIS, CALIF. — HighBridge Properties has acquired a five-acre infill site in Davis for an undisclosed price. HighBridge intends to develop the site as rental housing for students at the nearby University of California, Davis. The site consists of 11 contiguous parcels along Olive Drive near the intersection of Richards Boulevard. Preliminary plans call for the construction of a mix of three- and five-story residential buildings with 120 to 140 student purpose-built rental units. The property is located within walking distance of both the UC Davis campus and the downtown business district. Sunny Gill of Habitat Investment Advisors brokered the transaction.
HOUSTON — Gill Dolan and Blake Willeford of Grandbridge Real Estate Capital have secured bridge financing for the acquisition and renovation of Monterra Park Apartments, a 392-unit apartment community in Houston. The financing was made on behalf of Tradewind Properties. The asset is located next to the White Oak Bayou Trail in northwest Houston, and planned improvements include a beautification initiative as well as amenity enhancements, rebranding and interior upgrades. The three-year loan includes two years of interest-only payments.
PRINCETON, MINN. — Lancaster Pollard has arranged a $6 million FHA loan to refinance Sterling Pointe Senior Living, a 57-unit independent living, assisted living and memory care community in Princeton, approximately 50 miles north of Minneapolis. The community was originally built in 2011. Ownership wanted to refinance its existing debt using FHA/HUD in order to benefit from the long-term low interest rates and nonrecourse feature, as well as pay off a TIF (tax increment financing) loan. Quintin Harris, senior vice president with Lancaster Pollard in Minneapolis, led the transaction.
NEW YORK CITY — Sugar Hill Capital Partners has acquired a four-building multifamily portfolio located in Manhattan’s Upper West Side. Benjamin Hadar and Leonard Solomon of Upwest Co. sold the properties for $65 million, or $1,050 per square foot. Located at 471-476 Central Park West, the properties feature a total of 125 apartments, most of which are rent-regulated units. Additionally, the portfolio site allows for the development of a 92,000-square-foot structure, with an additional 30,000 square feet in air rights. Lazer Sternhall and Peter Vanderpool of Cignature Realty represented the buyer and seller in the transaction.
NEW YORK CITY — Meridian Capital Group has arranged $35 million in permanent financing for a multifamily property located in Manhattan’s Gramercy Park neighborhood. The borrower is Woods Management. The 10-year loan, which was provided by a local balance sheet lender, features a 3.5 percent fixed rate and interest-only payment for the full term. Located at 200 E. 15th St., the property features 213 residential units and 11,900 square feet of commercial space. Avi Weinstock and Michael Farkovits of Meridian’s New York City headquarters negotiated the financing.
STATE COLLEGE, PA. — RSR EB-5 Regional Centers (RSR), an affiliate of Switzenbaum & Associates, has funded a $15.5 million loan for the financing of a ground-up construction mixed-use property in State College, through the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) EB-5 immigrant investor program. The interest-only loan is in conjunction with a $26.5 million senior construction loan from Fulton Bank, which provided the remainder of the required debt for the project. Originally structured for 30 investors, the project opened an additional spot due to increased demand. While USCIS requirements for EB-5 stipulate that a minimum of 10 new jobs must be created for every investor, this project’s construction and operation will create an estimated 521 jobs. The borrower, Fraser Partners, an affiliate of Real Estate Capital Management and Brickbox Enterprises, will use the funds to construct The Fraser Centre, a 265,000-square-foot mixed-use project on the crest of Pennsylvania State University’s main campus. Slated for completion this fall, the development will feature 50,000 square feet of retail space, a 165-room Hyatt Place Hotel and 26 residential condominiums.
TAMPA, FLA. — Atlanta-based Carter has begun construction on Nine15, a 23-story apartment tower located on North Franklin Street in Tampa. The project will feature 362 apartment residences and 8,000 square feet of street-level retail space. Community amenities will include a fitness center, eight-story parking garage and an amenity deck including a pool, garden area and clubroom. The design team includes DPR Construction and RJT+R Architecture. Carter expects to deliver the high-rise project in the fall of 2017.
OCOEE, FLA. — Doster Construction has broken ground on Arbours at Crown Point, a new 240-unit apartment complex in Ocoee, roughly 12 miles west of Orlando. The property will feature one-, two- and three-bedroom units in 10 buildings. Arbour Valley Development LLC is the developer of the project, which is slated to deliver in the first quarter of 2017. Doster delivered more than 1,000 multifamily units in 2015 and has another project in the works in Florida — Crossings at Milestone in Pensacola.