UNION CITY, N.J. — Berkadia has provided a $26 million permanent loan for the refinancing of an affordable seniors housing property in the Northern New Jersey community of Union City. Bella Vista Senior Apartments consists of 231 Section 8 housing units in a 24-story building. Laura Smith of Berkadia originated the 35-year loan through HUD’s 223(f) program on behalf of the borrower, Orlando Partners LLC.
CHICAGO — Greystar has broken ground on its first high-rise apartment development in downtown Chicago. Located at 166 N. Aberdeen St., the 20-story building will include 223 units, 23 of which will be designated as affordable housing. Plans call for a third-floor amenity level with a 5,650-square-foot outdoor deck that will include a pool, lawn and lounge areas as well as access to the coworking and fitness area. An outdoor lounge on the 14th floor will offer views of the Chicago skyline. Completion is slated for March 2023. SCB is the project architect. Associated Bank arranged a $59.7 million loan for the project through ServisFirst Bank and Old Second National Bank.
BEDFORD PARK, ILL. — MDH Partners has acquired a 1.3 million-square-foot industrial portfolio in Bedford Park, an industrial suburb of Chicago. The purchase price was undisclosed. The portfolio comprises six buildings and one trailer lot. The buildings range in size from 120,000 to 380,000 square feet and feature clear heights from 22 to 28 feet. The portfolio is 96 percent leased to seven tenants, including Heligear Acquisition Co., Trimark Marlinn, Power Stop, Nexus Distribution, Westrock CP and Bus & Truck of Chicago Inc. FedEx Ground Package Systems Inc. leases the 150-stall trailer lot. The acquisition represents MDH’s entrance into the Chicago market. Houston Hawley led the acquisition for MDH. CBRE represented the undisclosed seller.
MADISON, WIS. — M&R Development has opened Elevate, a 270-unit luxury apartment complex located at 5022 American Parkway in Madison. Elevate marks M&R’s second apartment project to open in Wisconsin this year, following the completion of 42 Hundred On The Lake in St. Francis this summer. Units at the four-story Elevate measure 590 to 1,254 square feet. Monthly rents range from $1,205 to $3,199. The centerpiece of the community is a two-story clubhouse, complete with an outdoor pool, grilling stations, fire pit and lounge seating. Inside, the clubhouse includes an entertainment kitchen, coffee bar, fitness center, yoga room, business center, pet washing station and package room. The project team included Stevens Construction and Poole & Poole Architecture. M&R co-developed Elevate with Campbell Capital Group LLC. RMK Management is overseeing leasing and property management.
CLEVELAND — Kennametal, a supplier of tooling and industrial materials, has leased a 125,000-square-foot warehouse at 18105 Parkway in Cleveland. Christopher Livingston, Jonathan Elson and Brad Totten of Avison Young represented the tenant in the lease transaction. Chelm Properties Inc. is the landlord. Kennametal’s headquarters are in Pittsburgh, but the company has operated in Cleveland for 22 years.
ST. LOUIS — St. Louis-based ElmTree Funds LLC has closed its largest commingled fund to date. Known as Net Lease Fund IV LP, the fund raised $888 million of investor commitments. Fund IV has approximately $2.5 billion in immediate investment capacity, of which roughly $800 million has been committed and deployed. The fund’s investor base is comprised of public and private pension plans, insurance companies, endowments and foundations. Fund IV targets investments in industrial and logistics assets across the United States. Annie Hsieh of ElmTree led the fundraising effort for Fund IV.
LITTLETON, COLO. — Walker & Dunlop (NYSE: WD) has arranged the $134 million sale of Griffis Marston Lake, a 332-unit multifamily community in Littleton. Built in 2002, the garden-style community was marketed as a value-add investment. The property offers a mix of one-, two- and three-bedroom units near major employers including the Swedish Medical Center, Denver Federal Center and Lockheed Martin. The community is also located roughly 10 miles south of downtown Denver and the Denver Tech Center. Dan Woodward, David Potarf, Matt Barnett and Jake Young of Walker & Dunlop brokered the transaction on behalf of the seller, a partnership between Denver-based Griffis Residential and Pacific Coast Capital Partners. Trevor Fase, also of Walker & Dunlop, secured fixed-rate, interest-only acquisition financing through Fannie Mae on behalf of the buyer, Kennedy Wilson. This transaction follows a number of major multifamily deals in the Denver area during the month of October, including the sale of a five-building multifamily portfolio in Aurora; the funding of a 252-unit development and the $64.5 million sale of Mesa Verde Apartments in Arvada; and the $108.2 million acquisition of Neon Local Apartments in Denver. Griffis Residential owns a portfolio of multifamily communities across Colorado, Texas, Oregon, Washington …
By Ryan Kirby, Village Green In the understatement of all understatements, the COVID-19 pandemic has changed a few things in the housing market. Supply chain disruptions, labor shortages and the astronomical rise in the price of lumber have all exacerbated the steady decline in new home construction. For more than a year, home prices have been on the rise, making purchasing a home a challenge — or even an impossibility — for many. As a result, the rental market is booming, but that’s not entirely due to COVID. In fact, the rise in rentals began taking shape long before COVID made its impact on the world. Then, new challenges and norms created by the pandemic accelerated these existing trends. Ultimately, more Americans are choosing to rent due to generational, financial and practical factors, not just situational factors related to COVID. That said, the pandemic has fundamentally changed what renters are looking for in a rental unit, and these preferences are likely to continue long after the coronavirus is a distant memory. For property managers, this means playing into the trends of what today’s renters are looking for. Keeping these renter preferences in mind won’t just make your properties more attractive …
Emerging Trends 2022 Report: Flexibility, Resilience to Drive Commercial Real Estate for Next Decade
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Flexibility, convenience and ultimately commercial real estate’s resilience will drive the industry over the next decade as owners respond to and recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. That’s according to Emerging Trends in Real Estate 2022, an annual report jointly produced by PwC US and the Urban Land Institute (ULI). The report includes proprietary data and insights from nearly 1,700 leading real estate industry experts, gathered both through in-person interviews and a survey. Consumer expectations of traditionally designed spaces have changed, and there will likely be a massive shift in the functionality of homes, offices, shopping centers and healthcare spaces, according to Washington, D.C.-based ULI. Property markets that were once predictable will likely remain in a bubble of uncertainty, but decision-making confidence has improved since last year, the report found. Three-quarters of respondents in the 2022 survey report feeling confident making those same long-term strategic decisions compared to less than half in the 2021 survey. Property investment is top of mind for institutional investors in both traditional and alternative sectors as risk remains low and interest rates stay attractive. Urban landscapes are facing change as new land uses and updated zoning allow markets to evolve. All these factors …
NEW YORK CITY — Cushman & Wakefield (NYSE: CWK) and Greystone have announced a strategic joint venture to deliver advisory services and capital solutions to existing, joint and new clients of both firms nationwide. Under the terms of the agreement, Cushman & Wakefield will make a strategic investment of $500 million to acquire a 40 percent stake in Greystone’s agency, HUD and servicing businesses. Greystone intends to use the capital to create new product offerings. The joint venture transaction is slated to close in the fourth quarter of 2021, subject to customary closing conditions. Greystone is a multifamily lender focused on bridge, Fannie Mae DUS, Freddie Mac Optigo and HUD loans. The joint venture will allow Cushman & Wakefield to access a broader range of debt products for property acquisition, refinancing, rehabilitation and new construction. “We’re excited to offer a new integrated capability to our investor clients with more direct access to Greystone’s balance sheet and capital solutions, including debt financing with Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and HUD,” says Andrew McDonald, Cushman & Wakefield’s chief executive, Americas. This investment expands Cushman & Wakefield’s presence in the multifamily sector. In early 2020, the firm acquired Pinnacle Property Management Services LLC, the …