EASTON, PA. — Life insurance company Thrivent Financial has provided a $20.5 million loan for the refinancing of two adjacent distribution buildings in Easton. The buildings range in size from 140,000 to 200,000 square feet, and both feature 32- to 36-foot clear heights, ESFR sprinkler systems and extra parking for vehicles and truck trailers. Proceeds from the fixed-rate, nonrecourse loan will be used to pay off existing construction debt. Shelley Magoffin and Max Sauerman of Bellwether Enterprise arranged the financing on behalf of the borrower, a private REIT based in Southern California.
VERNON, CALIF. — Gautier Land Co. has completed the disposition an industrial portfolio located in the Los Angeles County submarket of Vernon. The six buildings offer a total of 464,415 square feet of industrial space. Rexford Industrial Realty acquired the asset for $93.8 million. The buildings are fully leased to a variety of tenants and feature 20-foot to 30-foot clear heights and extensive dock-high loading. Situated on 20.9 acres, the portfolio includes: a 35,000-square-foot building at 1921-1931 E. 27th St.; a 40,437-square-foot facility at 2011-2025 E. 27th St.; a 98,389-square-foot building at 2031-2099 E. 27th St.; a 126,583-square-foot property at 2034-2040 E. 27th St.; a 63,318-square-foot facility at 2750 S. Alameda St.; and a building at 2800-2840 S. Alameda St. Michael Nubel, Jerry Sackler and David Freitag of Daum Commercial Real Estate Services represented the seller and procured the buyer in the transaction.
SEATTLE — Enterprise Housing Credit Investments has invested $57.5 million to create Seattle’s first affordable housing high-rise development located in the First Hill neighborhood. The 17-story building will feature 365 apartments and offer two entrances for tenants at 1400 Madison St. and 1014 Boylston Ave. The investment is the largest single Low-Income Housing Tax Credit equity deal in the company’s history. Plymouth Housing is developing the Bolyston supportive housing development, located on floors two through five, which will include more than 100 studio apartments. The development will serve homeless seniors who earn up to 30 percent of the area median income (AMI) and will offer supportive services to all residents. Service staff will provide individualized case management, daily living support, social engagement, outings and coordination of psychiatric care as needed. Developed by Bellwether Housing, Rise on Madison will occupy floors six through 17 and offer 250 apartments for workforce and family households earning up to 60 percent AMI. The development will feature 91 studios, 111 one-bedroom units, 22 two-bedroom layouts and 26 three-bedroom floorplans. Rents will range from $1,015 per month for a studio to $1,783 per month for a three-bedroom apartment. Bellwether will provide resident service coordinators to assist …
BERKELEY HEIGHTS, N.J. — JLL has arranged a $9 million loan for the refinancing of a 77,875-square-foot industrial facility in the Northern New Jersey community of Berkeley Heights. The property is situated on 4.6 acres near Interstates 78 and 287 and was fully leased at the time of the loan closing. Greg Nalbandian and Michael Lachs of JLL arranged the five-year, fixed-rate loan through First Bank on behalf of the borrower, a joint venture between Camber Real Estate Partners and an institutional investor.
PHOENIX — NorthMarq has brokered the sale of Meadows Apartments, a multifamily property located at 17602 N. Cave Creek Road in Phoenix. GFT Investments I LLC, an entity formed by trustee Roger Grove, sold the asset to Phoenix-based 3rd Ave Investments LLC, led by Zev Hendeles, for $25.5 million. Built in 1985, Meadows Apartments features 165 units in a mix of studio, one- and two-bedroom layouts. Trevor Koskovich, Jesse Hudson and Bill Hahn of NorthMarq’s Phoenix Investment Sales team represented the seller and buyer in the deal. Brandon Harrington, Bryan Mummaw and Tyler Woodard of NorthMarq’s Phoenix Debt and Equity team arranged a $18.9 million Freddie Mac acquisition loan for the buyer.
CHANDLER, ARIZ. — Cohen Asset Management has completed the disposition of a single-tenant light industrial property located in Chandler. An affiliate of Boston-based STAG Industrial acquired the building for $14.2 million. Situated on 8.5 acres at 464 E. Chilton Drive, the 104,352-square-foot building features 28-foot clear heights, ESFR sprinklers, five dock-high doors, four grade-level doors, low office finish and ample parking. Phoenix Packaging Operations, a subsidiary of Grupo Phoenix, occupies the property on a triple net-lease basis. The tenant has made significant improvements to the building, which was originally constructed in 2000, in both 2011 and 2017, including the installation of two additional cranes. Mark Detmer, Ryan Sitov, Steve Larsen and Bill Honsake of JLL Capital Markets represented the seller in the deal.
LAGUNA HILLS, CALIF. — Faris Lee Investments has arranged the sale of Moulton Parkway Auto Spa, a full-service car wash and gas station located in Laguna Hills. The retail property is located at the intersection of El Toro Road and Moulton Parkway. A Newport Beach, Calif.-based seller sold the asset to an undisclosed buyer for $5 million. Moulton Parkway Auto Spa is the only full-service hand car wash in Laguna Hills. Tom Chichester and Nick D’Argenzio of Faris Lee Investments represented the seller in the deal.
The retail investment sales market in the Washington, D.C.-Baltimore metro area, just like the rest of the United States, has been detrimentally impacted by COVID-19. Multi-tenant retail investment markets have essentially shut down, sellers and buyers are unable to come to pricing conclusions and most investment opportunities have shifted into urban areas that are experiencing more immediate distress. As COVID-19 cases continue to spike, and with further tightening of lockdown policy likely forthcoming, this trend will continue as the restaurant and entertainment industry bears the brunt of winter. This will present investors with the opportunity to purchase fundamentally solid urban real estate at a discount as the market for larger shopping centers waits to reset. It comes as no surprise that shopping center investment sales are anemic. Over the trailing three months in the D.C.-Baltimore area, there has been a paltry $49 million in sales volume across three transactions for retail centers exceeding $10 million. This compared to $196 million across nine transactions in the same period last year, a 75 percent decrease in volume. Further, of these transactions, two of them — Bel Air Town Center, purchased by JCR Cos. for $21 million, and Hagerstown Shopping Center, purchased by …
SEATTLE — Skanska has sold a 95 percent stake of 2+U, a 38-story mixed-use tower in downtown Seattle. South Korea-based Hana Alternative Asset Management and parent firm Hana Financial Group purchased the majority interest from the Swedish developer for $669 million. According to Skanska, the sale of 2+U is the largest single-property commercial real estate transaction in the United States since the pandemic began. Office tenants at 2+U include job search giant Indeed.com, tech firm Dropbox, coworking operator Spaces and customer experience firm Qualtrics. Retail tenants include Italian eatery Ethan Stowell Tavolàta and Seattle-based specialty coffeeshop Caffe Ladro. Hana has hired Houston-based Hines to manage 2+U. The development is situated near Seattle Art Museum, Waterfront Park, Benaroya Hall, Pike Place Market and downtown’s Pioneer Square neighborhood. Skanska delivered the 701,000-square-foot office component of 2+U, which is named after its location at Second Avenue between Union and University streets, in late 2019. The office tower is raised 85 feet off the ground and the retail component, which is still under development, is tucked underneath the podium. 2+U also includes nearly a half-acre of open space for tenant and community gatherings. Skanska will retain a 5 percent interest in 2+U and is …
By Sean Sorrell, senior managing director, JLL As we enter 2021, there’s no doubt that we are emerging from one of the most unique and trying years that our modern civilization has ever confronted, and we all likely agree that we will never again endure a pandemic of this scale. As of the writing of this article, the first vaccines have arrived in Austin; our first responders have begun administering it to the public and we can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel. In the face of these challenges, Austin continues to flourish, at least on a relative basis, and its real estate industry is poised to take a firm lead as one of the strongest real estate markets in the nation, if not the world. A key discipline within the industry is the apartment rental market, which is currently facing obstacles but continues to successfully navigate market conditions all the same. The metro Austin apartment inventory is now approaching 200,000 units — a growth rate of 75 percent over the last eight years. While many cities would wilt under the pressure of this ongoing development surge, this market has flourished. The ongoing supply has marginally …