CHICAGO — Interra Realty has negotiated the $12 million sale of The Bel in Chicago’s Lakeview neighborhood. The property at 937-41 W. Belmont Ave. comprises 37 apartment units and two ground-floor commercial spaces. Built in 2019, the transit-oriented development consists of eight studios, 27 one bedrooms and two two-bedroom layouts along with two retail spaces totaling approximately 4,000 square feet. The commercial units are leased to Pedestrian Coffee and Devil Dawgs. Joe Smazal and Mark Dykstra of Interra represented the local private buyer. The duo represented the seller, a local private developer, along with colleague Lucas Fryman.
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BOSTON — CBRE has brokered the sale of the Joy Realty Portfolio, a collection of eight apartment buildings totaling 284 units in Boston. The four- and five-story buildings were constructed in the early 20th century and are located in the Fenway and Longwood Medical areas. The unit mix comprises studio through four-bedroom floor plans, and the portfolio has an average unit size of 550 square feet. Simon Butler, Biria St. John, John McLaughlin and Brian Bowler of CBRE represented the seller, a private family that had owned some of the assets for more than 100 years, in the transaction. The team also procured two separate buyers; an affiliate of Cambridge-based Forest Properties purchased six buildings totaling 222 units, and an undisclosed investor acquired the other two buildings totaling 62 units.
NEW YORK CITY — Blue Owl Capital has signed a 238,673-square-foot office lease extension and expansion at 375 Park Avenue in Midtown Manhattan. The global alternative asset manager first committed to 375 Park Avenue, which is known locally as The Seagram Building, in 2022 with a 137,600-square-foot lease across floors two through five. In 2023, Blue Owl added 31,597 square feet to its footprint via occupancy of the entire sixth floor. The latest lease expansion totals 70,076 square feet across floors 16 through 19. Mark Weiss of Cushman & Wakefield represented the tenant in the lease negotiations. A.J. Camhi and Paul Milunec represented the landlord, RFR Realty, on an internal basis.
MANAHAWKIN, N.J. — New Jersey-based developer Walters has begun leasing Cornerstone at Grassy Hollow II, a 34-unit affordable housing complex located in the coastal city of Manahawkin. The four-building property features one-, two- and three-bedroom units that are reserved for renters earning 60 percent or less of the area median income. Physical amenities include a fitness center, a children’s play area, basketball court and clubhouse with computer workstation. Residents also have access to services such as afterschool programs, special interest clubs and a food pantry program, as well as career readiness, eviction prevention and social services assistance.
EXTON, PA. — Locally based developer Hankin Group has completed Hamilton Passive House, a 32-unit multifamily project in Exton, a western suburb of Philadelphia. The four-story building offers one-, two- and three-bedroom units and represents the first phase of a larger, 156-unit development known as Hamilton at Eagleview. Amenities include a pool, golf and multisport simulator, fitness center, bark park, coffee bar, electric vehicle charging stations, business center with private workspaces and a clubhouse with an entertainment kitchen. Rents start at approximately $2,300 per month for a one-bedroom apartment. Hamilton Passive House will be the first apartment complex in Pennsylvania to have a Phius ZERO designation — a standard for net-zero energy design and the highest certification from Phius, an organization that certifies passive house projects in North America.
MINNEAPOLIS — Sleep Number will open three new stores in New Jersey and Delaware. The stores will be located within The Shops at the Crossings in Burlington, N.J.; The Marketplace at Garden State Park in Cherry Hill, N.J.; and The Christiana Mall in Delaware. Brian Wherty and Rob Samtmann of Equity Retail Brokers, in collaboration with Bialow Real Estate, represented Minneapolis-based Sleep Number in the lease negotiations. The expected opening dates were not disclosed.
A combination of short sales, declining occupancy rates, loan concerns and migration to suburban offices contribute to uncertainty in the New Orleans office market. As we approach the fourth quarter of this year and begin to reflect back on the market in 2024, the challenges unfortunately outweigh the opportunities. Two notable cases include The DXC Technology Center and The Energy Centre. The DXC Technology Center, located at 1615 Poydras St. in the Central Business District (CBD), a once-prized office tower anchored by Freeport McMoRan, sold for less than $37 per square foot. The building, over 500,000 square feet, traded for $18.5 million, significantly below the remaining debt on the property. The New Orleans Police Department recently signed a lease to occupy approximately 45,000 square feet in the building, which lessens the steep decline in the building’s value. The Energy Centre, located at 1100 Poydras St., is one of the most desirable and best-performing Class A towers in the CBD. It entered receivership, but the building is back on track and is rumored to be nearing a sale. The building owner, The Hertz Group, controls four additional Class A office towers on Poydras St. (400, 650, 701 & 909 Poydras St.), …
CoreWeave to Invest $1.2B for New Data Center Facility at NEST Campus in Kenilworth, New Jersey
by John Nelson
KENILWORTH, N.J. — CoreWeave, a data center owner and operator based in Roseland, N.J., plans to invest $1.2 billion into the development of a new data center facility in Kenilworth, roughly 20 miles outside New York City and 35 miles from Princeton, N.J. The facility marks CoreWeave’s first data center in New Jersey, despite the state housing the company’s corporate headquarters. The company — which trademarks itself as “the AI Hyperscaler” — has signed a full-building industrial lease at 11 NEST, a 280,000-square-foot former lab and manufacturing building within The Northeast Science & Technology (NEST) Center. CoreWeave will convert the industrial building into a new hyperscale data center. “CoreWeave’s commitment to invest over $1 billion at the NEST campus demonstrates New Jersey’s leading role in artificial intelligence (AI), and our innovation strategies are working,” says New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy. “Through collaboration with utilities, government, investors and real estate developers, we’re committed to attracting businesses that will build an innovation economy for the future.” A partnership between Onyx Equities, Machine Investment Group and Pivot Real Estate Partners owns NEST. The partnership plans to invest $50 million for the new data center project, which will be powered by utility provider PSE&G. A construction timeline was …
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Emerging Trends Report Predicts Rebound in Transaction Volume in 2025 as Capital Markets Are ‘Poised for Recovery’
by John Nelson
LAS VEGAS — At the September meeting of the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC), the Federal Reserve lowered the federal funds rate by 50 basis points, which is the first easing of monetary policy in four years. This move lowered the short-term interest rate to a target range of 4.75 to 5 percent. Elevated borrowing costs have stifled commercial real estate transaction volumes the past couple years as buyers and sellers found that values were a moving target. Now with a reduction in interest rates, many real estate professionals expect transaction volume to rebound at least moderately. “In 2025, we expect lower interest rates will reduce borrowing costs, aid in price discovery and ultimately encourage an uptick in [commercial real estate] transactions,” said Angela Cain, global CEO of the Urban Land Institute (ULI). Cain’s comments came in a prepared statement to summarize the findings of Emerging Trends in Real Estate 2025, an annual report jointly produced by PwC US and ULI. The report was published in conjunction with ULI’s Fall Meeting, which is taking place this week at Resort World Las Vegas. Cain said that the real estate professionals surveyed for the report relayed that sentiment is improving, though many remain cautious. …
Colliers Brokers Sale of New 1 MSF Industrial Building in Metro Louisville Leased to Canadian Solar
by John Nelson
SHELBYVILLE, KY. — Colliers has brokered the sale of I-64 Commerce Center, a 1 million-square-foot industrial building located in Shelbyville, approximately 30 miles outside Louisville. W. P. Carey Inc. acquired the facility from Flint Development for an undisclosed price. Canadian Solar, the world’s largest solar and renewable energy company, fully occupies the property, which is situated at 139 Logistics Drive. Delivered in 2023, the building facility features 40-foot clear heights, an ESFR sprinkler system, 348 car parking spaces, 230 trailer parking spaces and full circulation. Canadian Solar plans to invest up to $500 million into the property to develop its principal United States battery assembly facility. Alex Cantu, Alex Davenport, Jeff Devine and Steven Disse of Colliers represented the seller in the transaction.