STAMFORD, CONN. — New Jersey-based development and investment firm KABR Group has acquired The Verano and The Moderne, two apartment communities totaling 116 units in the southern coastal Connecticut city of Stamford, for $41.3 million. Both communities feature one-, two- and three-bedroom units with stainless steel appliances, granite countertops and individual washers and dryers. Amenities include fitness centers, theater rooms, lounges and rooftop decks. Steve Simonelli, Jose Cruz, Steve Rutman, Chris Hew, Michael Oliver, Kevin O’Hearn and Austin Pierce of JLL represented the seller, Navarino Capital Management LLC, in the transaction. KABR Group acquired the properties via a joint venture with an undisclosed private family office. Jared Kaufman of Greystone originated acquisition financing for the deal. The new ownership plans to implement value-add programs and rebrand the properties.
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MONTCLAIR, N.J. — Locally based brokerage firm Gebroe-Hammer Associates has negotiated the $38 million sale of Hawthorne Towers, a 133-unit multifamily building in the Northern New Jersey community of Montclair. The property, which was originally built in 1962 and renovated multiple times over the years, offers studio, one- and two-bedroom units and amenities such as a pool and outdoor grilling and dining areas. Joseph Brecher and Ken Uranowitz of Gebroe-Hammer represented the seller, Hawthorne Towers LLC, in the transaction. David Oropeza, also with Gebroe-Hammer, procured the buyer, Rockledge Ventures LLC. Brad Domenico of Progress Capital arranged acquisition financing.
SOMERS, WIS. — Lee & Associates has negotiated the sale of 132 acres of land located at 1735 120th Ave. in Somers, about 30 miles south of Milwaukee. The sales price was undisclosed. The buyer, Becknell Industrial, plans to build Somers Logistics Center. The development will consist of a 795,471-square-foot speculative industrial building with a clear height of 40 feet, 148 loading docks and 184 trailer parking spaces. Completion is slated for the fourth quarter. Tom Boyle of Lee & Associates represented Becknell in its purchase from a private owner. Lee & Associates will also market the project for lease.
AMES, IOWA — Pierce Education Properties has acquired The Madison, a 540-bed student housing property serving Iowa State University in Ames. The community was built in 2001 and offers 144 units in a mix of three- and four-bedroom configurations. Shared amenities include a 24-hour fitness center, clubhouse, resort-style swimming pool and hot tub, a sand volleyball court, dog park, lighted basketball courts, a computer lab, coffee bar, tanning bed and a picnic and grilling area. The seller and terms of the transaction were undisclosed. Regions Bank provided acquisition financing.
EDEN PRAIRIE, MINN. — Redwood Capital Group, in a joint venture with an affiliate of Heitman LLC, has acquired ReNew Eden Prairie, a 375-unit apartment complex located at 13905 Chestnut Drive in suburban Minneapolis. The purchase price was undisclosed. Keith Collins, Abe Appert and Ted Abramson of CBRE represented the seller, FPA Multifamily, which completed some unit upgrades and amenity enhancements. The property was built in 1986. Amenities include three pools, basketball courts, a clubhouse, fitness center and playground.
JACKSON, MICH. — Grandbridge Real Estate Capital has arranged the recapitalization of Vista Grande Villa, a 318-unit senior living campus in Jackson, about 35 miles west of Ann Arbor. Vista Grande Villa is an approximately 20-acre campus comprising 32 cottage homes, 181 independent living apartments, 46 assisted living units, 23 memory care units and 36 skilled nursing units. The recapitalization plan consisted of restructuring approximately $22 million of prior debt, together with new committed funding of roughly $8 million to put toward capital investment and stabilizing the community. Jay Jordan and Dave Kliewer of Grandbridge arranged the financing through Lapis Advisers. Kauhale Health is managing operations.
INDIANAPOLIS — Marcus & Millichap has brokered the sale of Thompson Commons in Indianapolis for $3.9 million. The 21,125-square-foot retail property, located at 5202 E. Thompson Road, is home to a five-tenant building as well as a freestanding urgent care building. Joel Dumes and Kyle Teets of Marcus & Millichap represented the seller, a limited liability company. The duo also secured and represented the buyer, an out-of-state limited liability company.
NEW YORK CITY — TPG Architecture has signed a 40,431-square-foot office lease renewal at 132 West 31st Street in Midtown Manhattan’s Penn Plaza district. The lease term is seven years. The property was built in the 1920s and recently renovated to feature an upgraded lobby, meeting rooms and elevators, as well as new food and beverage concepts. Mitchell Konsker, Matthew Astrachan, Kyle Young and Thomas Swartz of JLL represented the landlord, Vanbarton Group, in the lease negotiations. CBRE’s Mark Ravesloot, Michael Monahan and William Iacovelli represented the tenant.
BETHESDA, MD. AND COSTA MESA, CALIF. — Bethesda-based retail real estate owner First Washington Realty (FWR) has purchased Donahue Schriber Realty Group Inc., a shopping center owner based in Costa Mesa. An affiliate of FWR acquired the private retail REIT and its portfolio of grocery-anchored, open-air centers from institutional investors advised by J.P. Morgan Global Alternatives. The transaction adds 47 shopping centers, as well as one DSRG-owned office property, for a combined 6 million square feet to FWR’s holdings. The sales price was not disclosed, but Bloomberg reported in February that the negotiations for the deal valued DSRG and its assets at north of $3 billion. The news outlet also reports that the California Public Employees’ Retirement System (CalPERS) was an equity partner with FWR on the deal and that JPMorgan Asset Management and the New York State Teachers’ Retirement System (NYSTRS) were among DSRG’s largest investors. For FWR, the deal expands its presence on the West Coast, including in high-profile markets such as the Bay Area, Orange County, Seattle, Portland, San Diego and Sacramento. The deal also expands FWR’s corporate base on the West Coast, as its executive management team now oversees DSRG’s existing offices in Orange County, San …
With each year that passes in the current cycle, industrial real estate, along with multifamily, becomes more deeply ingrained as a darling asset class among commercial developers, lenders and investors. For all the talk about Americans being social creatures, there remains a massive contingent of the population that, when it comes to shopping, overwhelmingly prefers the convenience and relative anonymity of e-commerce. What started out as pandemic-related justifications for buying goods online as opposed to in-person has given way to a full-fledged, tacit acknowledgement of a trend that was already in place prior to February 2020. As such, demand for facilities — not just traditional, pure-play industrial spaces — that can function as e-commerce fulfillment and distribution centers continues to skyrocket. This trend is even more pronounced in markets with surging populations like those of major Texas cities. Industrial brokers are the ones who see it all. These professionals talk to tenants about acute real estate needs that are critical to serving customers without accruing exorbitant transit costs. Brokers work with developers who must build and price their spaces in accordance with their own escalating cost structures for land and construction. The deals that industrial brokers execute form the backbone …