CARY AND CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Raleigh-based HHHunt Corp. has broken ground on two apartment communities: Abberly Commons in Charlotte and Abberly Alston in Cary. The two communities total 617 apartments. Located at 10601 Harrisburg Road in Charlotte, Abberly Commons will include 287 apartments. Slated for completion by the winter of 2023, the property is expected to cost over $56 million to develop. The other property, Abberly Alston, will include 330 apartment homes with 41 built-to-rent townhomes located at 2124 Alston Ave. in Cary, a suburb of Raleigh. The project is expected to cost over $84 million to build and is slated for completion by winter 2023. Both communities will include one-, two- and three-bedroom apartment homes that offer granite countertops, stainless steel appliances and wood-style flooring. ADT is a partner on the project so all units will feature an assortment of smart home technology including smart hubs, smart thermostats, monitored security alarms and smart locks. Community amenities at both properties will include an adrenaline cardio and strength studio with separate studio space; private pool with sundeck and in water seating; outdoor entertainment area; bark park; car care center with car charging stations; valet trash removal; elevator access and a clubhouse …
Property Type
HOOVER, ALA. — SRS Real Estate Partners’ Investment Properties Group has brokered the sale of Stadium Trace Village, a 33,625-square-foot retail center in Hoover. MAP Development sold the property for $13.9 million to Liberty Retail Properties. Boris Shilkrot, Kyle Stonis and Pierce Mayson of SRS’ Atlanta office represented the seller. The buyer was self-represented in the transaction. Built in 2019, Stadium Trace Village is shadow-anchored by Aldi, Duluth Trading Co. and UAB Medicine. The center is fully occupied by retailers such as OHenry’s Coffee, Edgar’s Bakery, Mooyah Burgers, Cookie Cutters, Taco Mama and Super Chix. Located at 5220 Peridot Place, the property has access to Interstate 459 and is situated directly across from Brookwood Baptist Health Center. The property is part of a master-planned mixed-use development that was approved by Hoover’s City Council to be the city’s first open container entertainment district. The development is also set to include two hotels and a 1,000-seat amphitheater.
ORLANDO, FLA. — Stevens Construction has begun construction on PopStroke Orlando, a 13,712-square-foot experiential golf and casual dining concept. The project is slated for completion in spring 2022. PopStroke Orlando will be an interactive and competitive golf experience with food and beverage options, including an open-air restaurant with multiple open decks and covered dining areas and bars. The venue will also have a commercial kitchen, restrooms, covered playground, beer garden and lobby with retail space. The project will also include two 18-hole putting courses designed by TGR Design, and a jumbotron screen to display scores and sporting events. Located at 321 N. Alafaya Trail within Waterford Lakes Town Center, PopStroke Orlando will be the fourth PopStroke location to open in Florida. Stevens Construction is currently under construction on a Sarasota location and previously completed PopStroke Fort Myers in September 2020. Bruce Chartrand, Robert Koller and Corrie Cochran of Stevens Construction are overseeing development. MHK Architecture & Planning is the project’s architect.
MUNCIE, IND. AND FARMINGTON HILLS, MICH. — Muncie-based First Merchants Corp. (NASDAQ: FRME) and Farmington Hills-based Level One Bancorp Inc. (NASDAQ: LEVL) have signed a definitive merger agreement by which Level One will merge into First Merchants in a stock and cash transaction valued at approximately $323.5 million. The transaction is expected to close in the first half of 2022. The combined company, conducting its banking business as First Merchants Bank, expects to complete its system integration during the third quarter of 2022. First Merchants will have assets of roughly $17.6 billion and will remain the second largest financial holding company headquartered in Indiana. The combined company will operate 122 banking offices across Indiana, Michigan, Ohio and Illinois.
CHICAGO — Union Investment Real Estate has purchased 59-65 E. Oak St., a one-block stretch of high-end retail space in Chicago. The purchase price was $120 million, according to Crain’s Chicago Business. The price represents the largest amount paid for any retail asset sold in Chicago since 2016, according to CBRE. Keely Polczynski of CBRE Capital Markets represented both the buyer and the seller, Jenel Real Estate, which acquired two separate parcels in 2016, demolished them and rebuilt a 32,000-square-foot building that now houses high-end retailers Chanel, Van Cleef & Arpels, Moncler and Le Colonial. Based in Germany, Union Investment is an international investment manager specializing in open-ended real estate funds for private and institutional investors.
MINNEAPOLIS — Kraus-Anderson has broken ground on North Loop Green, a mixed-use development in the North Loop neighborhood of Minneapolis. Hines, along with partners AFL-CIO Building Investment Trust and Marquee Development, are the developers. Plans call for 350,000 square feet of office space, 350 residential units, 100 hospitality units and 17,000 square feet of retail and restaurant space. A key feature of the project will be The Green, a one-acre green space that will host community events. The project architect, ESG Architects, plans to move its office to the development. Completion is slated for spring 2024. Brent Robertson of JLL will lead leasing efforts for the office component.
OAK CREEK, WIS. — Northmarq has provided $12.2 million in construction takeout financing for the recently completed first phase of Residences at Oak View in Oak Creek, just south of Milwaukee. The build-for-rent community, located at 10730 S. Howell Ave., includes 42 rental homes. Residents have access to a clubhouse with a fitness center, game room, community room and outdoor pool. The property was fully pre-leased within two months of the first home delivery and achieved occupancy stabilization within five months. Construction on a 41-home second phase is currently underway, with completion slated for summer 2022. Brett Hood of Northmarq arranged the 10-year loan, which features five years of interest-only payments followed by a 30-year amortization schedule. Northmarq originated the financing for the borrower, ModHomes, through its status as a Freddie Mac Optigo lender.
CARBONDALE, ILL. — Friedman Real Estate has brokered the sale of University Village in Carbondale for an undisclosed price. The 269-unit apartment community, situated on nearly 17 acres, is located about a mile from Southern Illinois University. Below-market rents at the property, built in 1973, present a value-add opportunity for the undisclosed buyer. Rich Deptula and Kellen Duggan of Friedman advised both parties in the transaction.
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Demographic, Economic Trends Likely to Sustain Build-For-Rent Sector’s Growth
Institutional investors have been increasingly interested in the build-for-rent (BFR) space over the last five years. But the pandemic poured gasoline on an asset class that offers tenants space, privacy and the flexibility of renting. Now that COVID appears to be receding in some areas, can the BFR sector maintain its growth? Paul Garner, director at Walker & Dunlop, believes that demographic and economic trends will maintain the demand for BFR, especially in the Sun Belt states, for the near future. Opportunities for Growth and a Focus on the Sun Belt Garner sees the most potential for BFR growth in suburban areas — particularly those located 15 to 20 minutes outside of a metropolitan statistical area. The economic growth and increasing populations of nearby cities determine whether suburban BFR setups will attract tenants. According to Garner, the dedicated BFR/single-family rental (SFR) team at Walker & Dunlop has started to see a lot of action similar to what they saw on the West Coast (especially in Arizona) four or five years ago. He notes, “BFR properties are becoming increasingly popular all throughout the Sun Belt states, especially Florida and the Carolinas. There’s a potential in this area to get land very, …
CONSHOHOCKEN, PA. — EQT Exeter has sold a portfolio of 328 industrial properties for $6.8 billion on behalf of its private real estate funds, EQT Exeter Industrial Value Fund IV and related investment vehicles. The properties span 70.5 million square feet across the state of New York; Dallas; Atlanta; Chicago; Los Angeles; Memphis, Tenn.; Indianapolis; Columbus, Ohio; and Louisville, Ky. The portfolio consists primarily of logistics properties serving major corporations, including facilities for big box regional distribution, e-commerce fulfillment and last-mile distribution. EQT Exeter — which was formed earlier this year when Swedish private equity firm EQT AB acquired Exeter Property Group for $1.9 billion — assembled the portfolio through a mix of development and acquisitions. The company developed 15 million square feet of the portfolio, with 7 million square feet still under construction, and acquired the balance through 100 transactions over the course of the past three years. The portfolio was 95 percent occupied at the time of sale. The buyer — an undisclosed group led by an Asian sovereign-wealth fund, according to reports by The Wall Street Journal — was procured by Eastdil Secured. EQT Exeter will continue to operate and manage the properties as part of the transaction. …