ST. LOUIS — Northmarq has originated a $10 million Freddie Mac loan for the refinancing of The Vineyards, a 426-unit multifamily property in St. Louis. The community consists of 19 buildings that were constructed in 1973 and renovated in 2002. David Garfinkel of Northmarq secured the fixed-rate loan on behalf of the undisclosed borrower. Kohner Properties Inc. manages the community.
MANCHESTER, N.H. — CBRE has negotiated the sale of a 108-room Holiday Inn Express & Suites hotel in Manchester, located in the southern part of the Granite State. The location at 1298 S. Porter St. puts the hotel, which opened in 2003, within four miles of Manchester-Boston regional airport. Amenities include an indoor pool, fitness center and meeting/event space. Dave McElroy and Scott Hutchinson of CBRE represented the seller, a local family, in the transaction. Manchester Hospitality purchased the asset for an undisclosed price.
PLAINFIELD, ILL. — Marcus & Millichap has brokered the $2.3 million sale of a retail center in Plainfield, about 38 miles southwest of Chicago. NAPA Auto Parts signed a lease at the property in late 2022, taking a space formerly occupied by Mattress Firm. The center is now fully leased and occupied by four tenants. Mitchell Kiven of Marcus & Millichap represented the seller, a private real estate fund. The transaction closed at 96 percent of the asking price.
PHILADELPHIA — A partnership between Pennrose and the Philadelphia Chinatown Development Corp. (PCDC) has broken ground on 800 Vine Senior, a 51-unit seniors housing complex. The five-story project is being constructed at the site of a former parking lot and will house studio, one- and two-bedroom units. Six residences will be reserved for renters earning 20 percent or less of the area median income (AMI), and 20 units will be earmarked for households earning 50 percent or less of AMI. The remaining 25 units will be rented to seniors earning 60 percent or less of AMI. Amenities will include a community room, courtyard and onsite laundry facilities. Completion is slated for summer 2024.
NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y. — LA Fitness has opened a 36,000-square-foot gym at a freestanding building located at 75 Nardozzi Place in New Rochelle. The fitness operator will occupy most of the two-story building’s top floor. The gym houses a lap pool, whirlpool spa, locker rooms with saunas, group exercise studio and a multi-tiered indoor cycling studio. A partnership between Simone Development and G&S Investors owns the building.
By Jason Baker, principal at Baker Katz When a national retail or restaurant brand acquires another prominent national name, the move might initially seem to make a great deal of sense — especially when there are clear similarities between the two brands. Ultimately, however, what makes these high-profile transactions successful may turn out to be less about brand synergy and more about market dynamics and commercial real estate leverage. Accepting that premise in turn raises some interesting questions about the role that these types of acquisitions and brand conversions might play in an increasing competitive commercial real estate landscape. Those questions are especially relevant in places like Texas, where retailers looking to expand or move into new markets may view the acquisition and conversion of struggling retail brands as a viable strategy. From fitness concepts to coffee chains, there may be opportunities retailers can leverage to find quality retail spaces in otherwise occupied marketplaces. Some of these acquisitions have already taken place. However, questions remain about how much of a role these conversions may play in Texas markets. The phenomenon is hardly a new one, but it does seem like a noteworthy trend for industry analysts, retailers and brokers alike …
CORPUS CHRISTI, TEXAS — Developer Ashlar Development LLC and owner Diamond Beach Holdings LLC have broken ground on Whitecap NPI, an $800 million master-planned community on North Padre Island in Corpus Christi. The 240-acre development will serve as the first and only coastal luxury residential and resort destination on the island, according to the development team. Upon full build-out, Whitecap NPI will feature over 600 residential options, including single-family homes, villas, condos and cross-generational housing. The homes, many with canal access for boating and water sports, will be situated in island enclaves. Bridges, boardwalks and walking paths will connect the homes to the rest of the community. A public town center and mixed-use area will provide a variety of dining, entertainment and retail options. Plans also call for a resort-style hotel, dry stack marina, yacht club, cafés, shops, galleries, markets and the Whitecap Nature Preserve. “Whitecap sets a new standard for coastal living,” says Steve Yetts, president of Ashlar Development. “The focus is on building up, not out, and enhancing the feel of community through both canal- and street-level experiences.” The project team includes PLACE Designers Inc. as residential architect, Turner Ramirez Architects for amenity and commercial architecture, Cadence as …
ATLANTA — Toll Brothers Apartment Living, a subsidiary of Toll Brothers Inc., and PGIM Real Estate have topped out Momentum Midtown, a new 36-story high-rise apartment tower in Atlanta’s Midtown district. The 376-unit luxury property is located at 1018 W. Peachtree St., a site that formerly housed Ted Turner’s original broadcasting studio for TBS. Toll Brothers and PGIM expect occupancy to begin at Momentum Midtown in early 2024. Wells Fargo provided an undisclosed amount in construction financing for the project. Momentum Midtown will feature studio, one-, two- and three-bedroom floor plans, as well as a resort-style rooftop pool and lounge with cabanas, outdoor bar, dining room, exhibition kitchen, theater, indoor/outdoor game room, and a sky lounge. Other amenities will include a fitness center, coworking space, a club room with coffee bar, beer and wine taps, dog park and pet spa, high-speed Wi-Fi and a 435-space structured parking garage.
BRADENTON, FLA. — Wolfson BTR, an affiliate of Wolfson Development Co., has sold a build-to-rent (BTR) residential community in the Tampa Bay city of Bradenton for $59 million. The buyer was not disclosed, but Manatee County Property Appraiser files identify the buyer as an affiliate of New York-based JP Morgan Asset Management. The Tampa Bay-area community, known as Cantabria Bradenton, spans 184 three- and four-bedroom homes on 36 acres. The property comprises 172 attached townhomes and 12 detached single-family homes, each with attached garages and private, fenced yards. Community amenities include a clubhouse, fitness center, pool, walking trails and picnic areas. Wolfson Development has a pipeline of nearly 2,000 units, including Cantabria Bradenton, with a total exit valuation of nearly $1 billion. The sale was done in partnership with Transcendent Investment Management and Dan Armistead.
MANASSAS, VA. — Regional grocer Giant Food has opened an 82,000-square-foot e-commerce fulfillment center in Manassas. The new facility allows Giant to expand its delivery service to 140 zip codes across Northern Virginia and support 200 new jobs. Giant is offering free delivery for orders made Tuesday through Thursday and for a $3.95 charge on the weekends, according to Gregg Dorazio, director of e-commerce at Giant. The grocer will continue to operate its other existing fulfillment center in Hanover, Md. Giant is headquartered in Landover, Md., and operates 165 supermarkets in Virginia, Maryland, Delaware and Washington, D.C., with approximately 20,000 associates.
