Property Type

Stevens Construction Begins 13,712 SF PopStroke Project in Orlando

by Julia Sanders November 4, 2021

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.

November 4, 2021

Acquisitions Indiana Michigan Midwest Retail

First Merchants Bank Agrees to Acquire Level One Bank for $323.5M

by Kristin Harlow November 4, 2021

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.

November 4, 2021

Acquisitions Illinois Midwest Retail

Union Investment Real Estate Purchases High-End Retail Property in Chicago

by Kristin Harlow November 4, 2021

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.

November 4, 2021

Development Midwest Minnesota Mixed-Use

Kraus-Anderson Breaks Ground on North Loop Green Mixed-Use Project in Minneapolis

by Kristin Harlow November 4, 2021

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.

November 4, 2021

Build-to-Rent Loans Midwest Northmarq Wisconsin

Northmarq Provides $12.2M Freddie Mac Loan for Build-to-Rent Community in Oak Creek, Wisconsin

by Kristin Harlow November 4, 2021

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.

November 4, 2021

Acquisitions Illinois Midwest Multifamily Student Housing

Friedman Brokers Sale of 269-Unit Off-Campus Housing Community Near Southern Illinois University

by Kristin Harlow November 4, 2021

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.

November 4, 2021

Build-to-Rent Content Partner Development Features Midwest Multifamily Northeast Southeast Texas Walker & Dunlop Western

Demographic, Economic Trends Likely to Sustain Build-For-Rent Sector’s Growth

by Sarah Daniels November 4, 2021

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, …

November 4, 2021

Acquisitions Industrial Top Stories

EQT Exeter Sells 328-Property, 70.5 MSF Industrial Portfolio for $6.8B

by Katie Sloan November 4, 2021

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. …

November 4, 2021

Illinois Market Reports Midwest Midwest Market Reports Office

Chicago Office Market: Should I Stay or Should I Go?

by Kristin Harlow November 4, 2021

A common question Chicago office brokers are hearing from clients these days is, “When is the best time to start negotiating with my landlord?” In fact, it is also a question brokers are asking themselves, contemplating when they should advise their clients to get into the market. The truth is: 1) it’s very hard to say, and 2) it depends on the situation. Let’s explore what we do know. This is a historically tenant-favorable office market. Vacancy rates have increased from 13.8 percent to start 2021 up to 17.7 percent currently. Concessions are far over-weighted with construction allowances and free rent packages 20 to 30 percent higher than they were pre-pandemic, and landlords are being more flexible on term lengths allowing tenants three- or five-year leases despite offering full buildouts. On the other side of the coin, gross rental rates (base rent plus real estate taxes and building operating expenses) have not declined. In fact, in the last quarter they increased from $42.34 to $42.57 per square foot. The trends and market conditions surrounding concession packages and rental rates haven’t really changed in the last 12 months or so. The above touches on what the market is doing, but what …

November 4, 2021

Development Hospitality Texas

American Liberty Hospitality Opens 300-Room Dual-Branded Hotel in Houston

by Taylor Williams November 3, 2021

HOUSTON — Locally based owner-operator American Liberty Hospitality has opened a dual-branded hotel at 6840 Almeda Road on the Michael E. DeBakey Veterans Affairs Medical Center campus in Houston. The combined Hilton Garden Inn and Home2 Suites by Hilton total 300 rooms and include a pool, fitness center, business center, dog run and 3,600 square feet of shared meeting and event space. Project partners included Houston-based design firm MCS Architects, general contractor Arch-Con Corp. and construction lenders Amegy Bank and United Missouri Bank.

November 3, 2021

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