BELMONT, MASS. — International developer Skanska has topped out Belmont Middle School, a 170,000-square-foot civic project on the western outskirts of Boston. In addition to dedicated classroom, recreation and administrative space, the middle school building will share the major facilities of the high school, including the kitchen and café, auditorium, pool and field house. Construction of the middle school marks Phase II of a larger project following the delivery of the 451,000-square-foot high school building. With that project, which was completed last September, Skanska renovated and expanded the building to include new academic and science wings, media and dining areas, administrative health suites and updates to the existing gymnasium and pool. Completion of the middle school building is scheduled for September 2023.
NEWARK, N.J. — SJP Project Solutions, a division of New York City-based development and investment firm SJP Properties, is nearing completion of the renovation of the 100,000-square-foot office of law firm McCarter & English in Newark. The firm occupies five floors within the 15-story Gateway Center building, which is owned by Onyx Equities. Other project partners include Francis Cauffman Architects and engineering firm Robert Derector Associates. Full completion of the project is slated for the fourth quarter.
EAST WINDSOR, N.J. — Marcus & Millichap Capital Corp. (MMCC) has placed a $13.5 million construction loan for a 121,500-square-foot industrial project in East Windsor, a suburb of Trenton, that is fully preleased to an undisclosed logistics firm. The loan was structured with a 3.75 percent interest rate and a 70 percent loan-to-cost ratio. The borrower was not disclosed. Construction is slated for a third-quarter completion. Gerald Kray of MMCC arranged the financing through an undisclosed lender.
MCKINNEY, TEXAS — De La Vega Capital and Development has unveiled plans for West Grove, a 600,000-square-foot mixed-use project being developed through a public-private partnership with the City of McKinney, located roughly 32 miles north of Dallas. Positioned at the southeast corner of U.S. Highway 380 and Custer Road, the 53-acre open-air development will include a mix of retail, restaurants and entertainment space anchored by Whole Foods Market; a 420-unit luxury residential complex; 55,000 square feet of office space; and a two-acre park. Architecture firm Gensler designed the project to promote outdoor gathering with open air paseos, outdoor decks, an experiential indoor/outdoor restaurant and entertainment space, and a central lawn that will feature live music, family movie nights and fitness classes year-round. “West Grove will be designed to bring people and a growing city together,” says Artemio De La Vega, president and CEO of De La Vega Capital. “A central green space and a mix of open-air, experience-driven retail and restaurant spaces will cultivate a sense of community, where visitors can connect meaningfully with each other and their natural environment.” A groundbreaking for the project is scheduled to take place during 2022. Dallas-based De La Vega Capital and Development is …
The industrial market will be forever changed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Before the pandemic, demand for industrial space was closely tied with gross domestic product (GDP), with demand rising and falling alongside the U.S. output of goods. The pandemic has accelerated an already shifting economy to an “on-demand” economy. This shift was created by technology companies fulfilling consumer demand via the immediate provisioning of goods and services, and has now led to industrial warehouse demand being more in line with consumer spending versus GDP. Consumer spending and personal income are at all-time highs, with e-commerce sales growing exponentially throughout 2020 and 2021. Companies have been leasing warehouse space at a meteoric rate, driven by the need to store goods to accommodate the demand and mitigate risk from supply chain complications that have been brought on by the pandemic. Over the past two years, millions of square feet of warehouse space in the Chicagoland area have been leased for e-commerce use to tenants such as Walmart, Wayfair, Hello Fresh, Imperfect Foods and, of course, Amazon. Additionally, as traditional brick-and-mortar retailers transition to greater online sales, they require more warehouse space for goods storage, which has led tenants such as Target, Walmart, …
ORLANDO, FLA. — Park Partners Residential and Independencia Asset Management have acquired The Commons, a 280-unit multifamily property in Orlando, for $77.8 million. The property was purchased from real estate funds managed by Ares Management. Jubeen Vaghefi, Denny St. Romain and Charles Crapse of Cushman & Wakefield brokered the sale. The joint venture between Boca Raton, Fla.-based Park Partners Residential and Miami-based Independencia Asset Management received a $58.5 million construction loan. American Real Estate Capital provided the loan, which will be used to fund a full renovation of the property’s 280 units, clubhouse and amenity spaces. The joint venture will renovate the pool, clubhouse and fitness areas along with the add a game room, co-working offices, dog parks and dog wash, a car washing station and outdoor activity deck with grill stations. Additions will also include an array of wellness-focused amenities including a gym, sports court and a basketball court along with a cardio gym with yoga and spinning areas. Located at 8050 Gables Commons Drive, The Commons is situated 16.4 miles from downtown Orlando. The property is also 2.3 miles from the Walt Disney World Resort.
BALTIMORE — Byrnes & Associates Inc. has brokered the sale of 210 North Charles St., a 15-story, 232,000-square-foot office tower in downtown Baltimore. An entity known as 210 N. Charles Owner LLC, a joint venture partnership formed by Baltimore-based residential developer Trademark Properties and local investor Prab Thangarajah, has acquired the property for $6 million. Artemis Properties sold the property. Brad Byrnes of Baltimore-based Byrnes & Associates represented the buyer in the transaction. Built in 1894, 210 North Charles St., also known as The Fidelity & Deposit Building, will be converted into a multifamily property with about 220 apartment units. The property’s new ownership group intends to start the renovation process next month. The project will have a mix of studio, one- and two-bedroom floorplans ranging from 500 to 2,000 square feet. Construction is slated to be completed by spring 2024. The development cost is expected to be $34 million. The project will also feature a street-level restaurant component, featuring a corner vault room complete with an outdoor seating area that overlooks Center Plaza. In addition, two or three retail spaces will be carved out of the street-level and leased to end users, and the project will have underground parking …
NORTHPORT, ALA. — Cushman & Wakefield has arranged the $14.9 million sale of Publix at Bristol Park, a 58,887-square-foot, grocery-anchored shopping center in Northport, about 1.6 miles from Tuscaloosa. The sales price was $14.9 million, or $254 per square foot. Margaret Jones and Lane Breedlove of Cushman & Wakefield represented the seller, Watkins Real Estate Group, in the transaction. The buyer was not disclosed. Publix at Bristol Park was 96 percent leased at the time of sale. Built in 2019, the property includes a Publix, which occupies most of the shopping center. Other tenants at the property include Great Clips, Dos Amigos Mexican Restaurant, a nail salon and a wine and liquor store. Located at 13556 Hwy 69 North, the property is close to the intersection of Ala. Highway 69 and Mitt Larry Road. The property is also 8.3 miles from the University of Alabama.
MIAMI SPRINGS, FLA. — MV Group USA, a Miami-based full-service construction company, has plans to redevelop two retail centers in downtown Miami Springs. The redevelopments, which will exceed 30,000 square feet of retail space, are slated to be fully completed by the end of the year. The redevelopment projects include a modern redesign of the two retail centers, with the addition of new features such as outdoor seating and retail and restaurant spaces. The renovated retail spaces will feature some of the existing tenants that have renewed their long-term leases. Additionally, national restaurants will be joining the lineup starting fall 2022. MV Group has worked on other redevelopment projects including the development of Flagler Ponce Shops located at 3631 W. Flagler St. Other redevelopment projects the firm has completed include 4136 N. Miami Ave. and 9901 Bird Road.
GRAPEVINE, RICHARDSON AND CARROLLTON, TEXAS — A fund backed by Mexico City-based private equity firm Eagle Property Capital Investments has acquired a trio of apartment communities totaling 840 units in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex. Mustang Villas is a 246-unit property in Grapevine that was built in 1974 and offers one-, two- and three-bedroom units that range in size from 530 to 1,310 square feet. Prestonwood Apartment Homes in Richardson was constructed in 1979 and offers 194 residences in one- and two-bedroom floor plans ranging between 788 and 1,222 square feet. Bella Vista, which is located in Carrollton and was built in 1981, features 400 units in one- and two-bedroom formats spanning between 600 and 1,189 square feet. Amenities at Mustang Villa include a business center, fitness center, community room, playground and a sports court. Prestonwood Apartment Homes and Bella Vista have amenity packages that include pools, fitness centers and outdoor picnic and grilling areas, while Prestonwood features a playground and Bella Vista a sports court. The new ownership plans to invest in various capital improvements throughout the three properties.Brad Williamson, Mitch Sinberg, Matt Robbins and Abigail Beauchamp of Berkadia secured acquisition financing on behalf of the buyer.