By Marc Betesh, founder and CEO of Visual Lease While the commercial real estate industry has experienced many uncertainties during the pandemic, the industrial and logistics market continues to thrive. With the rapid acceleration of e-commerce in the wake of COVID-19, major online retailers are picking up large warehousing and manufacturing spaces to keep up with the surge in demand, which is ultimately responsible for industrial real estate experiencing vacancies at historic lows in 2020. The trend of moving operations online is likely to continue at a faster pace after the pandemic subsides. Major retail companies have taken notice and are starting to capitalize on available real estate, converting square footage in malls to last-mile delivery centers and buying up spaces in logistics parks. To accommodate the increase in tenant demand, the industrial real estate market has already started to adapt. However, with all of the additional leases that have occurred in the short-term, is there still opportunity for this sector to grow? Who Are Industrial’s Biggest Winners? According to the U.S. Commerce Department, during the first half of 2020, e-commerce sales rose by 44 percent relative to that period in 2019. This rate of growth marked the highest year-over-year …
On Nov. 12, Southeast Real Estate Business hosted “What is the Outlook for the Affordable Housing Sector in the Southeast.” Listen to hear how leaders in the industry are coping with challenges from both a developer/owner/investor perspective and a broker/lender perspective. See below for a brief list of topics covered by each panel. Panel One: Developer/Owner/Investor Rising costs for building affordable housing projects Low interest rates offsetting costs Alternative ways to grow the affordable housing stock Do’s and don’ts for general contractors and developers Capital sources Returns — what can affordable housing developers expect? Panel One: Broker/Lender Pandemic impact on existing affordable housing properties/plans for new development Investor appetite Sellers revise their expectations as new buyers enter market Impact of the election on the sector in 2021 Availability of capital for investments currently Developer/Owner/Investor Panel: Marc Padgett, Summit Contracting Group (moderator) Max Cruz, Housing Trust Group Nick Andersen, Development Dominium H. Granvel Tate, III, The Michaels Organization Ray Kuniansky, Columbia Residential Broker/Lender Panel Kyle Shoemaker, Affordable Housing Investment Brokerage (moderator) Derek DeHay, Newmark Eric Taylor, Greystone Real Estate Advisors Sheri Davis, Highland Commercial Mortgage Jeff Rodman, M&T Realty Capital Kevin Morris, Colliers Affordable Housing Group Webinar sponsors: Summit Contracting …
ATHENS, GA. — Landmark Properties has broken ground on four student housing developments in the Southeast worth $600 million in value. New projects include Phase II of The Mark at Athens near the University of Georgia (UGA); The Standard at College Park near the University of Maryland; Legacy at The Standard near the University of Florida (UF); and The Retreat at Kennesaw near Kennesaw State University (KSU) in metro Atlanta. Phase II of The Mark at Athens is located adjacent to the UGA campus and will offer studio, one-, two-, three-, four- and five-bedroom units alongside 19,000 square feet of ground-floor retail space. The project is set for completion in fall 2022. The Standard at College Park will offer 951 beds in studio, one-, two-, three-, four- and five-bedroom units. Community amenities will include a fitness center, sauna, computer lab and study lounge. The development is slated for completion in fall 2023. Legacy at The Standard is located three blocks north of UF’s campus and will offer 155 units totaling 543 beds. The community is scheduled for delivery in fall 2022 and will feature shared amenities including an outdoor pool and grilling area, a study lounge and café, computer lab and …
ALEXANDRIA, VA. — Hilco Redevelopment Partners, a division of Hilco Global, has acquired Potomac River Generating Station (PRGS), a 20-acre, shuttered coal power plant in Alexandria. Specific details were not released, but Hilco officials said they intend to redevelop the site into a mixed-use project, featuring housing, office space, retail and public open spaces. The site is situated along the Potomac River at 1400 N. Royal St., seven miles south of downtown Washington, D.C. Potomac Electric Power Co. (Pepco) sold the site for an undisclosed price. Pepco will retain a property interest and will continue to own and operate an electrical substation at the site. PRGS was decommissioned in 2012.
ATLANTA — Papa John’s International Inc. has selected Three Ballpark Center at The Battery Atlanta for its new regional headquarters. The Louisville, Ky.-based pizza chain expects to add 200 jobs at the 60,000-square-foot office space, which is expected to open summer 2021. Papa John’s will move its menu innovation; marketing; customer experience; human resources; diversity, equity and inclusion; communications; and development departments to The Battery. The corporate headquarters, IT, supply chain and legal teams will remain in Louisville. Located in Atlanta’s Cumberland/Galleria submarket, The Battery Atlanta is a 1.5 million-square-foot mixed-use development in Cobb County that surrounds Truist Park, home ballpark of the Atlanta Braves that opened in April 2017 as SunTrust Park. Papa John’s will be the third office headquarters within the development, joining Comcast and Thyssenkrupp North American. Braves Group, a subsidiary of Liberty Media, owns The Battery Atlanta.
KNOXVILLE, TENN. — Mallory & Evans Development and its property management company Caliber Living will open Flagship Kerns, a two-building, 310-unit co-living project in Knoxville. Leases will start at three months and prospective tenants can lease by the unit or the bedroom. Co-living properties are designed as affordable housing options for renters seeking flexible leasing arrangements and shared common areas with other residents. Flagship Kerns’ units will include granite countertops, walk-in closets, stainless steel appliances, in-unit washers and dryers, smart home units with smart locks, smart TVs and Ecobee thermostats. Communal amenities will include a pool, 24-hour fitness center, work/study pods and a conference area. Atlanta-based Mallory & Evans expects to open the community in January. Flagship Kerns will mark Phase I of three to open at the historic Kern’s Bakery. The other phases will comprise a 75,000 square-foot redevelopment of Kern’s Bakery to include a food hall, retail and office spaces, event venues and a brand-name hotel. Kern’s Bakery was originally built in 1929 and has been added to the National Register of Historic Places.
WAKE FOREST AND CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — Wegmans will open two new grocery stores in 2021 in Wake Forest and Chapel Hill. The New York-based grocer plans to add 500 full-time jobs and nearly 900 total jobs at the two stores. The store in Wake Forest will span 104,000 square feet and will house 200 full-time employees. The property, located at 11051 Ligon Mill Road, is expected to open in May. The asset in Chapel Hill is expected to open in late February and will house 300 full-time jobs. The store will span 99,000 square feet and is situated at 1810 Fordham Blvd. Also, in North Carolina, a Wegmans in Cary recently sold for $34.9 million.
IRVING, FARMERS BRANCH AND GRAPEVINE, TEXAS — Locally based developer JPI has sold three apartment communities totaling 1,174 units in the Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) metroplex to an affiliate of Dallas-based Lone Star Funds. The properties include Jefferson Promenade in Irving, Jefferson 1900 in Farmers Branch and Jefferson Silverlake in Grapevine. All of the communities offer pools, fitness centers, resident lounges and high-end interior finishes. The sales price was not disclosed.
NEW BRAUNFELS, TEXAS — Chicago-based investment firm Sherman Residential has acquired Avenues at Creekside Apartments, a 395-unit multifamily community located just outside San Antonio in New Braunfels. The 32-building property was constructed in 2013 and features one-, two-, three- and four-bedroom units with attached garages or assigned carports and personal patios/balconies. Amenities include a pool, fitness center, business center, playground and a pet park. The seller was not disclosed.
KATY, TEXAS — Alliance Residential has opened Prose West Cypress, a 336-unit apartment community located in the western Houston suburb of Katy. Prose West Cypress features one- and two-bedroom units with island kitchens, wood plank-style flooring and granite countertops. Amenities include a fitness center, game room and a playground. Rents start at $1,030 per month for a one-bedroom unit with a move-in special of one month of free rent, according to Apartments.com.