NEW YORK CITY — The Joyce Theater Foundation has acquired a civic building located at 287 E. 10th St. in Manhattan’s East Village for $16 million. The seven-story, 58,000-square-foot building formerly housed a Boys & Girls Club facility, and the Joyce Theater plans to use the space for rehearsal, performance and administrative purposes. Paul Wolf of nonprofit advisory firm Denham Wolf Real Estate Services negotiated the sale of the building. The seller was not disclosed.
DETROIT — The University of Michigan (U-M) has broken ground on its Center for Innovation in downtown Detroit. The satellite campus will serve as a graduate school facility, offering masters’ degrees and workforce development programs that will focus on technology and innovation. The center will be funded by a $100 million gift from prominent U-M donor Stephen Ross, $100 million from the state of Michigan, a two-acre land donation from Olympia Development of Michigan, and an additional $50 million will be raised from donors. The project site is near the proposed $1.5 billion, 10-building mixed-use development in The District Detroit from Related Cos. and Olympia Development. Ross is a Detroit native, alum of U-M and chairman of Related Cos. Olympia Development is the real estate development business of the Ilitch family.
ARCADIA, RENSSELAER AND FOWLER, IND. — BWE has arranged $19.7 million in financing for the acquisition and rehabilitation of three affordable housing properties in rural Indiana. Lundat Kassa and Bob Morton of BWE arranged the financing on behalf of Vita Investment Holdings LLC, an Indiana-based developer of affordable and seniors housing communities. Vita acquired the properties to preserve their long-term affordability for residents. The financing consisted of two loans, including a construction loan from Fifth Third Bank. BWE also secured a $17.1 million loan through the USDA 538 Forward Permanent Loan program. The nonrecourse loan features a 40-year amortization schedule. Vita also utilized 4 percent Low-Income Housing Tax Credits to finance the project. The three properties include: Hamilton Place, which totals 54 units in Arcadia; Madison Cottage of Rensselaer, which includes 71 units in Rensselaer; and Madison Cottage of Benton County, a 51-unit building in Fowler. The developments will be preserved as affordable to residents who earn up to 60 percent of the area median income. All three properties will receive improvements to mechanical systems and the unit interiors will be enhanced. Community amenities will also be upgraded.
ROCKY HILL, CONN. — Locally based brokerage firm Chozick Realty has arranged the $11 million sale of Hillview Plaza, a 33,799-square-foot retail center located in Rocky Hill, roughly 10 miles south of Hartford. Tenants at the property, which was built in 1990 and was 97 percent leased at the time of sale, include Webster Bank, Salute Restaurant and Dunkin’. Tom Boyle and Jordan Pinto of Chozick Realty represented the seller and procured the buyer, both of which requested anonymity, in the transaction.
SCHAUMBURG, ILL. — Entre Commercial Realty has brokered the sale of a 111,594-square-foot industrial building located at 933 Remington Road in the Chicago suburb of Schaumburg. The sales price was undisclosed. The property, which features modern office finishes, is located within the Woodfield Business Center. Dan Benassi, Dan Jones and Sam Deihs of Entre represented the seller, a private investor who wished to sell the building in advance of a pending lease expiration in early 2024. Phil Reiff of JLL represented the buyer, NBS Corp., which plans to relocate from its current facility in Elk Grove Village.
BROOKLYN CENTER, MINN. — Colliers Mortgage has provided a $3.2 million HUD 223(f) loan for the refinancing of Ewing Square Townhomes in the Minneapolis suburb of Brooklyn Center. The 23-unit affordable housing community features three- and four-bedroom units, all of which are covered by a Section 8 HAP contract. Amenities include a playground and a clubhouse with a business center. Frank Hogan of Colliers Mortgage originated the 35-year loan, which features a 35-year amortization schedule. The borrower was Ewing Square Acquisition Partners LP, an affiliate of Vitus Group LLC.
SIOUX FALLS AND BROOKINGS, S.D. — Upland Real Estate Group has arranged the sale of two properties net leased to Arby’s in South Dakota for an undisclosed price. The buildings are located in Sioux Falls and Brookings. Arby’s has 20-year leases with 5 percent rent increases every five years on both properties. The tenant on the leases, DRM Inc., is one of the largest Arby’s franchisees and operates 109 Arby’s locations in seven Midwest states. Deborah Vannelli, Keith Sturm and Amanda Leathers of Upland represented the undisclosed seller. Both properties sold to cash buyers completing 1031 exchanges.
NEW YORK CITY — Locally based brokerage firm Ariel Property Advisors has negotiated the $4.5 million sale of a 39,130-square-foot multifamily development site in the Bedford Park area of The Bronx. The site at 3165 Villa Ave. is approved for up to 57 units of residential development. Victor Sozio, Benjamin Vago, Daniel Mahfar and Jason Gold of Ariel Property Advisors brokered the deal. The buyer and seller were not disclosed.
ATLANTA — Shortened attention spans and the desire for instant gratification are a couple of the changing consumer behaviors that impact the multifamily operations industry. Karen Key, a president with Houston-based Asset Living, said that 75 percent of consumers expect a response time in less than 24 hours from a business. Twenty percent expect a response time within minutes. “If you’re missing that mark and someone else is responding to them, whether it’s a client, prospect or resident, you’ve lost them. They’re gone.” Key’s remarks came during the operations panel at the 2023 InterFace Multifamily Southeast conference, which took place Thursday, Nov. 30 in Atlanta. France Media and Southeast Real Estate Business hosted the event at the Westin Buckhead hotel. Ed Wolff, president of California-based LeaseLock, moderated the panel, which was entitled “What’s Changed and What’s Not Changed in Terms of Occupancy, Rental Rates and Operations?” Key emphasized that many of these changes resulted from the COVID-19 pandemic. “When the pandemic happened, everyone got spoiled in terms of having everything at their fingertips. They were tied to a computer all day every day,” she said. As such, Asset Living’s use of social media as an advertising tool increased significantly ever …
— By Jason DuFault, Regional Managing Director – Southern California, KW Commercial — With a population of about 440,000, the City of Long Beach has grown substantially over the past two decades. This is due, in part, to the draw of its coastal location, public spaces, dining and nightlife, employment, the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, and its many tourist attractions, including the Queen Mary and the Aquarium of the Pacific. This all bodes well for the retail sector. However, over the past 18 months, the retail market has been inconsistent for success based on location. The city’s overall vacancy rate is currently around 4.3 percent, with the most challenged market being downtown Long Beach, which is currently at 4.6 percent. While the vacancy is still low by most standards, I believe it will likely increase before it gets better. Like many CBDs across the nation, Long Beach’s office vacancy has been high. The decline in the daytime population has retailers struggling. The most challenging projects to rent out retail-wise seem to be the newer vintage mixed-use properties. On the other hand, smaller submarkets in east Long Beach, such as Second Street and Naples, have been strong, giving …