ISLANDIA, N.Y. — Forte Construction, a locally based general contractor that specializes in public works projects, has opened its new corporate headquarters facility in the Long Island community of Islandia. The company purchased the 30,000-square-foot, three-story building at 1770 Motor Parkway in 2021 as part of a planned relocation and expansion from an 8,000-square-foot facility in Holbrook. The new facility supports about 300 employees between Forte and its sister companies, TAP Electric and BR Construction.
COMMERCE, CALIF. — 99 Cents Only Stores LLC has announced plans to close all 371 of its stores and wind down business operations. The company has entered into an agreement with Hilco Global to liquidate all merchandise and dispose of fixtures, furnishings and equipment at the stores. Sales under this agreement are expected to begin today. 99 Cents Only was founded in 1982 as a deep-discount retailer where every item cost less than a dollar. The company is headquartered in the southeast Los Angeles suburb of Commerce, and currently operates stores in California, Texas, Arizona and Nevada. The company consulted its financial and legal advisors to find a way to continue operating, but ultimately decided the wind-down was necessary and the best way to maximize the value of its assets. Hilco Real Estate will manage the sale of the company’s owned and leased real estate assets. The company has appointed Chris Wells, managing director at Alvarez & Marsal, as chief restructuring officer. Additionally, Mike Simoncic, interim CEO of 99 Cents Only and managing director at Alvarez & Marsal, will step down. “This was an extremely difficult decision and is not the outcome we expected or hoped to achieve,” said Simoncic. “Unfortunately, the …
— By Pat Swanson, executive vice president, Colliers International — As Orange County enters 2024, its multifamily market stands at the brink of transformation, confronting challenges like softened rents, affordability dynamics and the resilience required in the face of tenant-related complexities. In the midst of a robust economy, the region grapples with obstacles and opportunities that will significantly shape the future of its real estate sector. Orange County’s economic vitality is evident, with a 5.2 percent growth in U.S. GDP and a thriving job market. However, the looming shadow of interest rate fluctuations and inflation above 3 percent has briefly slowed down real estate transactions. While rates are predicted to stabilize, the potential for modest reductions later in the year signals a period of nuanced economic growth and sustained higher rates. In 2024, Orange County’s multifamily housing market is set for change, departing from previous trends of rent increases. The region anticipates modest growth that will be influenced by factors like slower job growth, an influx of 510,000 new units and the mounting challenge of finding qualified tenants. Affordability takes center stage, with rent-to-income ratios reaching 29.8 percent. The widening affordability gap between owning a home and renting is further …
DALLAS — Illinois-based developer Conor Commercial, in a joint venture with Globe Corp. and Origin Investments, has broken ground on The Flynn at Live Oak, a 327-unit multifamily project in Old East Dallas. Designed by Merriman Anderson Architects, the five-story building will house studio, one- and two-bedroom units. Amenities will include a pool, fitness center, courtyards, coworking space, a clubroom, dog park and a mini-mart grocery. Cadence McShane Construction, a division of Conor Commercial, is the general contractor for the project, which is slated for a spring 2025 delivery. Wintrust Bank provided construction financing for the project. Greystar will be the property manager.
EDEN, N.C. — Nestlé Purina PetCare has opened its newest pet food factory in Eden, about 36 miles north of Greensboro, N.C. Situated on 1,350 acres, the $450 million development is the first Nestlé factory in the state and features a vertical dryer, automated warehousing, cold storage and an experience center that showcases modern manufacturing practices for new and prospective workers. The new 1.3-million-square-foot Purina facility involved the repurposing of 80 percent of the former MillerCoors Brewing Plant. North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper says that the remainder of the brewery’s existing structure could be retrofitted for another manufacturer. Nestlé has hired 300 new positions at the Purina factory with more to come in the near future. Between 2020 and 2025, Nestlé is on track to invest $2 billion in the Eden property and capital expansion projects to enhance its manufacturing footprint. A 24th factory is currently under construction in Williamsburg Township, Ohio, and is expected to be fully operational in the next 12 months.
DALLAS — Los Angeles-based Banyan Residential, in partnership with Bridge Investment Group, has completed Banyan Flats, a 289-unit multifamily project located at 2022 N. Beckley Ave., just west of downtown Dallas. Floor plans feature micro, studio, one-, two- and three-bedroom units ranging in size from 415 to 1,425 square feet. Roughly half the units are reserved for households earning 80 percent or less of the area median income. Amenities include a pool, fitness center, clubhouse, dog wash and a rooftop deck. JHP Architecture designed the project, and J.P. Morgan provided construction financing. Rents start at $1,345 per month for a studio apartment.
IRVING, TEXAS — Sonnenblick-Eichner Co., a California-based financial intermediary, has arranged a $19.5 million loan for the refinancing of the Texican Court Hotel in Irving. The 152-room hotel was built in 2019 in the Las Colinas district and offers amenities such as a pool, fitness center, indoor and outdoor event space and an onsite restaurant. Sonnenblick-Eichner arranged the nonrecourse, five-year loan, which featured a 7.74 percent interest rate, through an undisclosed investment bank. The borrower was Valencia Hotel Group.
LAKELAND, FLA. — A joint venture between BBX Logistics Properties and FRP Development Corp. plans to develop BBX Park at Lakeland, a 213,500-square-foot logistics park in Lakeland. The 22.5-acre project will be located at 8255 State Road 33 N, which is directly north of I-4 and within 50 miles of both Tampa and Orlando. BBX and FRP plan to break ground on the park in the fourth quarter, with delivery and occupancy slated for 2025. The joint venture has tapped Kris Courier of CBRE’s Tampa office to market BBX Park at Lakeland for lease.
BELMONT, N.C. — Orlando-based Foundry Commercial has purchased Shopton Square, a 24,250-square-foot, unanchored retail center in Belmont, a southern suburb of Charlotte. The center was fully leased to 13 tenants at the time of sale. The seller and sales price were not disclosed. Shopton Square was originally developed and leased by the real estate arm of grocer Food Lion. The acquisition of Shopton Square marks the first for Foundry Commercial’s Retail Investment Platform, which was launched last year and prioritizes necessity-based retail properties.
MONTGOMERY, TEXAS — Versal, a self-storage brokerage firm with offices in Austin and Los Angeles, has negotiated the sale of a 64-unit facility in Montgomery, about 50 miles north of Houston. The facility, known as Spartan Storage, spans 19,998 net rentable square feet. Versal represented the buyer, Houston-based Lakewood Realty Investments, in the transaction. Ryan Dooley of CRD Realty represented the seller, a Texas-based limited liability company.