CLAYTON, MO. — U.S. Capital Development (USCD) has completed the lease-up of Forsyth Pointe, a 14-story office building totaling 226,000 square feet in the St. Louis suburb of Clayton. Emerson leased the remaining 105,000 square feet at the building as the new home for its global corporate headquarters. With the lease signing, the property will be renamed Emerson Tower. UMB Bank provided financing for the project. Amenities at Emerson Tower include a conference center and the Garden Terrace, which features one acre of green space, various seating areas, a putting green, fire pits and a 7,000-square-foot fitness center. USCD served as developer and Brentwood-Forsyth Partners 1 LLC is the owner.
KOHLER, WIS. — Mid-America Real Estate Corp. has arranged the sale of Deertrace Kohler in Kohler, a northern suburb of Milwaukee. The sales price was undisclosed. Managed by Pine Tree, the 171,366-square-foot shopping center features tenants such as T.J. Maxx, HomeGoods, Sierra Trading Post, Dollar Tree, Spectrum, Bath & Body Works, U.S. Cellular, Mattress Firm and JoAnn. Rick Drogosz and Dan Rosenfeld of Mid-America represented the seller, IRC Retail Centers/DRA Advisors. Chase Properties was the buyer.
ANN ARBOR, MICH. — SRS Real Estate Partners has brokered the sale of a 13,040-square-foot retail property occupied by CVS Pharmacy in Ann Arbor for $7.8 million. Originally constructed in 1930, the building is located at 209 S. State St. adjacent to the University of Michigan. John Redfield of SRS represented the seller, a northern California-based private investor. Michael Carter and Frank Rogers of SRS represented the buyer, a Michigan-based investment company completing a 1031 exchange. CVS has more than 14 years remaining on its triple net lease.
LAS VEGAS — Realty Income Corp. has signed a definitive agreement to acquire common and preferred equity interests from Blackstone Real Estate Income Trust Inc. (BREIT) for $950 million. The transaction forms a new joint venture that owns a 95 percent interest in the real estate assets of The Bellagio Las Vegas, a luxury hotel and casino on the Las Vegas Strip. Upon closing, Realty Income will invest approximately $300 million of common equity in the joint venture to acquire a 21.9 percent indirect interest in the property. BREIT will retain a 73.1 indirect interest. The operator of the property, MGM Resorts International (MGM), will retain a 5 percent indirect interest. Realty Income will also acquire a yield-bearing preferred equity interest in the joint venture for $650 million. The transaction is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2023. The Bellagio features approximately 4,000 guest rooms and suites across two towers, as well as 157,000 square feet of gaming space and 200,000 square feet of meeting and event facilities. The 77-acre campus also includes the Fountains of Bellagio and multiple Michelin Star restaurants. MGM operates The Bellagio on a triple-net lease with approximately 26 years of remaining term. The existing lease …
By Dan Spiegel of Coldwell Banker Commercial As we enter an age where online shopping dominates the retail landscape, a recurring discussion in commercial real estate is what part malls play in this new world, if any part at all. More and more malls are “dying out,” which creates a difficult challenge for property owners as conventional indoor malls are no longer a commodity due to constantly evolving shopping trends. My team and I work with retail property owners and buyers at Coldwell Banker Commercial to address these difficulties and help build a new future for successful mall properties. Thankfully, there are a few key strategies property owners can implement to save their shopping centers from becoming obsolete. One of these strategies includes renovating a mall to create new stores and experiences, repositioning the space as a social destination for recreation. Another involves transforming shopping centers into mixed-use spaces, adding apartments and multifamily units to increase foot traffic and provide people with access to shopping, housing and other essential services. Older Properties, New Market The Reno Public Market in Reno, Nev., is a great case study that demonstrates one of the ways in which property owners can adapt to current …
— By Kenny Houser and Mike Hale, Principals, Capacity Commercial — The industrial real estate sector has experienced a noticeable deceleration with a decline in leasing and sales activities. This trend is particularly evident in Portland where commercial property sales transactions have been steadily decreasing. There was a quarter-over-quarter decline of almost 29 percent in the second quarter of 2023, resulting in a sales volume of $3.4 billion, the lowest recorded since late 2014. The Federal Reserve’s decision to pause its rate hike campaign in response to inflation concerns has impacted the market. With borrowing costs fluctuating, the disparity between buyer and seller expectations has created challenges in determining agreeable property valuations. Simultaneously, leasing activity has also slowed, indicating a return to normalcy in Portland’s industrial market. Total deal volume in the first quarter of this year reached about 1.7 million square feet, a 35 percent decrease compared to the average of 2.6 million square feet per quarter over the previous two years. Despite the slowdown in leasing, the limited amount of industrial space under construction in Portland is expected to maintain a balance between supply and demand. The current construction activity accounts for 1.1 percent of the total inventory, …
MILFORD, CONN. — Private equity firm Roark Capital has entered into a definitive agreement with Subway to acquire the Milford-based restaurant chain. The price was not disclosed, but according to CNBC, Subway previously sought $10 billion, and The Wall Street Journal reported on Monday that Roark offered $9.6 billion. According to CNBC, other bidders reportedly included TDR Capital and Sycamore Partners. Founded more than 50 years ago by Peter Buck and Fred DeLuca, Subway boasts 36,592 restaurants globally, according to the company website. Market-research firm Technomic has reported that the chain garnered $9.8 billion in domestic sales across 20,810 stores last year. The DeLuca and Buck families have continued to own the company, with this acquisition marking the first departure from family ownership. Atlanta-based Roark currently has $37 billion in assets under management, with a focus on consumer and business service companies and a specialization in franchise and multi-location businesses in the retail and restaurant sectors. The firm backs Focus Brands Group, which owns Auntie Anne’s, Carvel, Cinnabon, Jamba, McAlister’s Deli, Moe’s Southwest Grill and Schlotzsky’s. “This transaction reflects Subway’s long-term growth potential, and the substantial value of our brand and our franchisees around the world,” says John Chidsey, who has served as chief executive officer …
University of South Carolina, Greystar Open $240M Campus Village Student Housing Project in Columbia
COLUMBIA, S.C. — A public-private partnership between the University of South Carolina and Greystar has opened Campus Village, a $240 million residence hall development. Construction on the project, which includes four buildings offering 1,800 beds, began in May 2019. Each six-story building is connected by pedestrian promenades that run alongside green space, courtyards and a clock tower. Beds are offered in pod-style units alongside shared amenities including study and classroom spaces and community kitchens. Campus Village also features a 14,000-square-foot dining hall that seats 650 students; a sundry shop dubbed The Gamecock General Store; retail space leased to Jimmy John’s and Starbucks Coffee; and shuttle service to and from central campus. The development is home to several living-learning communities, including those for information, design and computing; engineering and computing; and entrepreneurship and innovation. The development team for Campus Village included Contract Construction, Juneau Construction and WDG.
LOUISVILLE, KY. — Contegra Construction Co. is nearing completion on a 1 million-square-foot gigafactory in Louisville for Fremont, Calif.-based EnerVenue. The tenant will manufacture its proprietary Energy Storage Vessels at the facility, which are batteries based on nickel-hydrogen technology originally developed for NASA in the 1980s and refined at Stanford University in 2017. EnerVenue emerged through the university’s business accelerator program in 2020. The gigafactory will be located within Flint Development’s I-64 Logistics Center, a 115-acre industrial park situated at Logistics Drive and Taylorsville Road. The Kansas-based developer is targeting a late-summer completion for EnerVenue’s new plant, and the tenant will begin operations in 2024. The tilt-wall facility will feature a TPO roof, 40-foot clear heights, five dock doors, four drive-in doors and 300 trailer parking spaces. Contegra is also constructing a 478,000-square-foot, multi-tenant distribution center on behalf of Flint within I-64 Logistics Center. Also set to come on line later this summer, the property will feature 36-foot clear heights, 48 dock doors, four drive-in doors and 115 trailer parking spaces.
FAIRFAX, VA. — San Francisco-based Stockbridge has sold Arbors at Fair Lakes, a 282-unit apartment community located at 4408 Oak Creek Court in Fairfax. GID purchased the value-add community for $85.6 million. Bret Thompson and Robert Jenkins of JLL represented the seller in the transaction. Built in 1987, Arbors at Fair Lakes comprises one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments with an average unit size of 920 square feet. Amenities include a 24-hour fitness center, resort-style swimming pool, business center, tennis court with perimeter running track, outdoor grill/lounge area, and a half-mile nature trail throughout the property.