NEW YORK CITY — Urban Standard Capital has provided an $8.7 million construction loan for the completion of a 24-unit multifamily project in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn. The project is a redevelopment of a three-story building previously owned by Grace Baptist Church. The borrower, Spencer Developers, expects to complete the redevelopment in about three months. Seth Weissman, Charlie Brosens and Robert Levine of Urban Standard Capital originated the financing.
PARSIPPANY, N.J. — The Kislak Co. Inc., a New Jersey-based brokerage firm, has negotiated the $10.5 million sale of Troy Office Center, a 126,000-square-foot complex located in the Northern New Jersey community of Parsippany. The four-building property sits on a 10.5-acre site that includes 670 feet of frontage along U.S. Highway 46. Tom Scatuorchio of Kislak represented the seller, a private investor, in the transaction. Scatuorchio also procured the buyer, Shree Parsippany Developers LLC.
ST. LOUIS — Panera Bread has unveiled a new restaurant design featuring increased drive-thru and pick-up access, technological offerings including contactless meal pick-up and an updated dine-in experience in response to COVID-19. The company is the latest chain to announce a refreshed design adapted to the changing needs of consumers during the pandemic. The first next-generation Panera Bread is set to open in the St. Louis suburb of Ballwin this November and will include: An open kitchen with ovens in full view of restaurant guests; dual drive-thru and dedicated rapid pick-up lanes in order to enhance the dine-out process; the addition of contactless dine-in and delivery options with mobile notifications to guests when their meals are prepared; updated ordering kiosks and automated loyalty identification; a fully-digitized menu; the introduction of an updated Panera Bread logo; and an enhanced interior design with increased wayfinding to exterior seating at the cafe. “We’re doubling down on what has always made Panera unique — creating human connection through caring associates and a warm, inviting environment filled with the smell of freshly-baked bread — while continuing to be a leader in digital access for the off-premise world,” says Eduardo Luz, chief brand and concept officer at …
By Tom Graf, NAI FMA Realty Over the past decade, Lincoln has experienced sustained growth and earned a reputation as a place to be in the Midwest. Its low unemployment, stable economy, low cost of living, prospering tech scene as well as lifestyle and entertainment fitting of a big city with the feel of a small community has insulated Lincoln better than many cities of its size. Perhaps this is most compelling with the number of cranes spotted in the skies back in 2008 and again in 2020. Just as many cities were struggling, Lincoln built its way out of the Great Recession in 2008 and 2020 was no exception. Retail Throughout the economic uncertainty brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, Lincoln’s retail landscape fared well with vacancy holding at 7.1 percent for the year in 2020. New construction was active throughout the market despite store closures and bankruptcies making the national headlines. For some opportunistic retailers, vacant spaces opened the door to take advantage of the market and negotiate better terms for new locations. Retailers thriving in today’s market are the “daily needs” retailers — grocery, home improvement and discount concepts. Some niche online businesses, which have grown through …
By Jennifer Luoni, director of operations and architecture, and Lauren Nowicki, chief communications officer, Dacon Corp. From cultivation to curing, manufacturing cannabis is an exacting art that requires a careful, calibrated approach from selection, atmospheric, extraction and curing perspectives. The rapid rise in proposed health benefits from cannabis products has sparked interest in both pharmacological properties and extraction of phytocannabinoids. Former, free-flowing growing methods of the 1960s have been replaced with an exacting discipline amalgamating scientific rigor with natural farming practices and technological innovation. While seemingly antithetical in principle, this shift can result in a profitable, high-growth business model. Science Mimicking Nature Cultivation rooms — whether for leaves or flowers — are designed to mimic seasons via extensive control systems. High-growth rooms, such as those for leaves, create temperature and hydration conditions that simulate the summer climate. This is designed for volume production with leaf propagation stimulated within one month. Set between 70 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit, plants are exposed up to 18 hours of light and watered by pressure compensated drippers so that irrigation systems deliver oxygen directly to roots. For labs dedicated to flower cultivation, environmental conditions mimic autumn, with growth cycles falling between 60 to 70 days …
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Duke Energy will open its new corporate headquarters at Duke Energy Plaza, a 40-floor office tower currently under construction in Uptown Charlotte. Formerly known as Metro Tower, Duke Energy Plaza will house approximately 4,400 employees. Childress Klein Properties is the developer of Duke Energy Plaza, which will have 25,000 square feet of retail square footage and seven levels of above-ground parking totaling 1,100 spaces. Construction on the new Duke Energy Plaza is on schedule to be completed by the end of 2022 with interior work extending into 2023. Approximately 1,000 craftsman and trade workers will be employed during the three-year construction period. Duke Energy plans to exit its Charlotte offices, including Duke Energy Center located at 550 South Tryon St. and Piedmont Town Center in South Park. Once the new tower is complete, the company plans to sell its 526 Church St. and 401 College St. facilities and exit the 400 South Tryon St. facility. The plan is to consolidate the spaces the company occupies in the Charlotte area from approximately 2.5 million square feet to approximately 1 million square feet. The company expects this decision will result in $85 million to $90 million in savings over …
MIAMI — Developers 13th Floor Investments and Adler Group have opened leasing for CORE Link at Douglas, a new 312-unit residential tower underway in Miami. Slated to open in August at 3060 SW 37th Ave., CORE will become the first tower to open at Link at Douglas, a seven-acre mixed-use development located adjacent to Miami’s Metrorail and The Underline linear park. Global investment manager Barings is a partner on the project. Located along US-1 and Douglas Road, CORE is situated between Coral Gables and Coconut Grove. The property is less than two miles away from the University of Miami. The 22-story residential building will feature studios, one- and two-bedroom apartments. Leasing rates will start at $1,690 for studios, $2,090 for one-bedrooms and $2,790 for two-bedrooms. Community amenities will include a rooftop pool deck, poolside grilling and private cabanas, as well as a fitness center with a yoga studio, business center and media room. A social lounge will come complete with billiards, shuffleboard, ping pong and a furnished seating area centered around a fireplace. Other amenities will include secured package room, bike storage and Wi-Fi in all common areas. Apartments will feature private balconies, floor-to-ceiling windows, granite countertops, modern kitchen hardware …
ALPHARETTA, GA. — Hanley Investment Group Real Estate Advisors has brokered the $24.6 million sale of Alpharetta Commons, a 94,500-square-foot shopping center located in the Atlanta suburb of Alpharetta. Publix anchors the property, which is 98.7 percent occupied by tenants including Sports Clips, T-Mobile, a nail salon, dry cleaners, a liquor store and restaurants. Ed Hanley and Kevin Fryman of Hanley Investment Group, along with ParaSell Inc., represented the 1031 exchange buyer, a private investor based in Southern California. Chris Decouflé, Kevin Hurley and Matt Karempelis of CBRE represented the seller, an undisclosed institutional real estate owner, operator and developer.
KISSIMMEE, FLA. — The Dowd Cos. has arranged the $4.1 million sale of Offices at Sunset Walk, a 19,603-square-foot office building located at 8011 Fins Up Circle in Kissimmee. The property is part of Sunset Walk, an $800 million mixed-use development near Orlando. The 100 percent leased building was built in 2018 and is located adjacent to the Margaritaville Resort Orlando. The building is located close to the shops and restaurants at the Promenade at Sunset Walk, a new entertainment retail center and water park. The buyer, Bet on the Mouse LLC, is an out-of-state investor. The seller was Rolling Oaks Splendid LLC. John Dowd and Theresa Johnson of The Dowd Cos. represented both the buyer and seller in the transaction. The Dowd Cos. is a boutique investment sales firm based in West Palm Beach. The company focuses mainly on triple-net-leased retail assets, office properties and vacant land.
MESQUITE, TEXAS — The City Council of Mesquite, located east of Dallas, has passed a resolution to approve terms and conditions for the development of a $60 million industrial project that will be known as Mesquite 635. A partnership between Phoenix-based investment and development firm Creation Equity and a fund advised by Crow Holdings Capital is developing the 555,000-square-foot project. Mesquite 635 will be situated about 11 miles east of Dallas at the southeast corner of Interstate 35 and U.S. Highway 80 and will consist of two rear-load buildings and one front-load building. LGE Design Group and its affiliate, LGE Design Build, are respectively serving as the architect and general contractor for the project. Construction is expected to begin in the fourth quarter and to be complete by late 2022/early 2023.