ST. PAUL, MINN. — Marcus & Millichap has brokered the $5 million sale of Phalen Shores, a 53-unit multifamily property in St. Paul. Built in 1987, the five-story community features a fitness center, outdoor spaces and an underground heated garage. Abe Roberts and Michael Jacobs of Marcus & Millichap represented the seller and buyer, neither of which were disclosed.
ATLANTA — High Street Residential (HSR), the housing subsidiary of Trammell Crow Co. (TCC), has started construction of The Grace Residences. The 280-unit apartment tower will be located adjacent to Georgia Institute of Technology within the Science Square mixed-use project in Atlanta. Rule Joy Trammell + Rubio designed the 14-story building, which will offer one-, two- and three-bedroom floorplans, with 28 units designated as affordable housing. Amenities at the community will include a bike room; club room; an outdoor courtyard with fire pits, grilling areas and a pool; a fitness center; pet spa; package room; coworking spaces; and an indoor/outdoor sky lounge. Completion of the building is scheduled for May 2024. Preleasing will begin early next year. The tower will also feature 2,350 square feet of ground-floor retail space. Adrienne Crawford and Lily Heimburger of SRS Real Estate Partners will handle retail leasing for the development. Construction on Science Square began in 2022. The first phase includes a 364,740-square-foot lab/office tower that Perkins + Will designed.
JERSEY CITY, N.J. — Developer Milton Fantin has begun leasing Overlook Flats, a 297-unit apartment complex in the Journal Square area of Jersey City. Designed by Michels & Waldron with interiors by Builders Design, the 16-story building houses studio, one-, two- and three-bedroom units. Residences are furnished with stainless steel appliances, designer cabinetry and quartz countertops. Outdoor amenities include a rooftop deck with a pool, kitchen, lounge area, picnic areas, bocce ball court and a pet play area. Inside, residents have access to coworking spaces, a children’s playroom, fitness center, golf simulator and a package room. Rents start at $2,600 per month for a studio apartment.
MURFREESBORO, TENN. — Argyle Real Estate Partners has acquired Easton Place, a 184-unit multifamily community located in Murfreesboro, roughly 35 miles southeast of Nashville. Amenities at the property include a swimming pool, community firepit and clubhouse with a movie theater. The buyer plans to implement a capital improvement plan at the community, which Greystar will manage. This marks Argyle’s first acquisition in metro Nashville. The price and seller were not disclosed.
NEW YORK CITY — Locally based firm Douglaston Development has completed a 188-unit affordable seniors housing project in The Bronx. The 12-story building is adjacent to the New York Botanical Garden (NYBG) and represents Phase I of a larger development. Phase II will consist of 277 affordable seniors housing residences and 8,000 square feet of retail space. Units are reserved for households earning 50 percent or less of the area median income. Douglaston developed the project through a 99-year ground lease with NYBG. Stephen B. Jacobs Group designed the project, and Levine Builders served as the general contractor and construction manager.
ORANGE, N.J. — Locally based brokerage firm The Kislak Co. Inc. has negotiated the $1.4 million sale of a 12-unit apartment building located at 153 Pierson St. in the Northern New Jersey community of Orange. According to Apartments.com, the building was originally constructed in 1896 and offers one-bedroom units. Julie Gralla of Kislak represented the seller and procured the buyer, both of which were limited liability companies, in the deal.
No one in the multifamily sector needs a lecture on the difficulty of financing projects and deals these days. But, when there are challenges in the market, attention to detail and alternative financing can result in a better chance of finding solutions. Considering life insurance companies as viable investors is one example. Insurers often can provide needed liquidity as they search for yield, especially in the multifamily world. Multifamily fell to the same forces that have affected every other commercial real estate (CRE) class. After a buildup of easy money over more than a decade, the zero-interest rate policy in response to the pandemic collapse set asset investment on fire. Prices soared, opportunities were widespread and big leverage was in. “Starting in 2019/2020, you saw a lot of floating-rate bridge money,” says Susan Mello, executive vice president and group head of capital markets at Walker & Dunlop. But as loans came up for refinancing, quick and large Federal Reserve hikes of the benchmark federal funds rate kicked up loan costs everywhere and made penciling a deal difficult, if not impossible. “The rapid rise of interest rates put values in question across the board. That’s exacerbated by how much liquidity there …
GRAND PRAIRIE, TEXAS — Locally based investment firm S2 Capital has acquired Silverbrook, a 642-unit apartment complex located in the central metroplex city of Grand Prairie. According to Apartments.com, Silverbrook offers one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments and amenities such as a pool, business center, fitness center, resident clubhouse, tennis court, volleyball court and outdoor grilling and dining stations. Danny Baker and William Hubbard of CBRE represented the undisclosed seller in the transaction. Harry Krieger, also with CBRE, arranged acquisition financing through an undisclosed lender on behalf of S2 Capital.
THOUSAND OAKS, CALIF. — JLL Capital Markets has arranged $43.2 million in financing for Varenita of Westlake, an 86-unit assisted living and memory care community in Thousand Oaks, approximately 40 miles west of Los Angeles. JLL represented the borrower, Westlake Senior Living Center LLC, to secure the five-year loan from a regional bank. The Class A community consists of 58 assisted living units and 28 memory care units across three stories with surface and underground parking. The community features a mix of predominantly one-bedroom units, with some studios and two-bedroom units. Varenita of Westlake is located within walking distance of some of the nation’s largest retailers and less than four miles from The Oaks, an open-air and enclosed shopping center. Alanna Ellis and Ace Sudah led the JLL team.
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Community Preservation Partners (CPP) has purchased Mountain View II and III, two affordable multifamily properties in Albuquerque, for $22.8 million. CPP plans to renovate the properties, which share a contiguous block, and operate the assets as one development. The seller was not disclosed. Built in 1967 and 1968 respectively, Mountain View II and III are located at 1515 and 1333 Columbia Drive SE, approximately four miles from downtown Albuquerque. In total, Mountain View Apartments offers 241 studio, one-, two- and three-bedroom layouts spread across multiple two-story, garden-style buildings and townhouses. Community amenities include central laundry facilities, off-street parking, a picnic area, playground and on-site management. CPP’s total development investment is approximately $65.8 million, which includes the purchase price and estimated per-unit renovation cost of $95,078. Along with extensive work to repair a burnt building, the total site renovation will bring modernization, ADC compliancy, energy efficiency and improved security to the community. Renovations are scheduled for completion in December 2024. Project partners include New Mexico Mortgage Finance Authority; KeyBank, which secured construction and debt financing through Freddie Mac; and R4, which will provide equity financing.
