Washington and Northern Virginia are among the nation’s most expensive places to rent an apartment, which in part explains the billions of dollars being spent on apartment construction there. But Capital Area asset returns in the post-recession era haven’t clearly supported these decisions. From 2013 to 2018, rents in Washington and NoVA increased at respective compound annual rates of 3.2 percent and 2.6 percent, tabulating Reis data, materially slower than the 4.7 percent average growth recorded by the 50 largest U.S. apartment markets. Likewise, occupancy trends were no better than average, muted by heavy supply, suggesting that Washington NOI growth in most cases was measurably slower than in alternative markets. But everything changed last year. Although Washington has been a technology player for decades, the region’s strengths fell primarily in telecom and defense, markets in which proximity to government was a competitive advantage. But the region’s growing prowess in private applications of digital technology reached critical mass in 2019 with Amazon’s decision to site its East Coast headquarters in Northern Virginia, specifically with a view toward tapping its deep reservoir of high-tech talent. The impact on economic growth in the capital is only beginning and seems likely to fundamentally alter …
Property Type
Content PartnerDistrict of ColumbiaFeaturesLumentMarket ReportsMultifamilyRED Capital GroupSoutheastSoutheast Market ReportsVirginia
Public forums have painted a picture of Cook County residential owners carrying an unfair property tax burden, but the truth is that property taxes have increased for everyone. The culprit is not the institutional taxpayer, nor is it the valuation process; today’s oppressive property taxes are a symptom of a diseased system for funding municipal pensions. Clarity on inequity To understand where the inequity lies, it is important to first understand how Cook County values residential versus commercial real estate. Outside of Cook County, every property is assessed at a third of its market value, regardless of property type. Therefore, every $1 million property — residential and commercial alike — will have a taxable assessed value of $333,333. Multiplying that by the local tax rate (let’s use 7 percent) creates a $23,333 tax bill. By contrast, Cook County assesses every residential property for taxation at 10 percent of its market value, whether it be a single-family home, apartment building, condominium, co-op or the residential component of a mixed-use development. If the market value of a single-family home is $1 million, its assessed value is $100,000. Taxing entities multiply this by the state equalization factor, which hovers around 3.0 for an …
ORLANDO, FLA. — Newmark Knight Frank (NKF) has arranged the $44.1 million sale of Parke East, a 272-unit multifamily community in Orlando. Built in 1987, the property offers one-, two- and three-bedroom floor plans and was 94 percent occupied at the time of sale. The seller, Insula Cos., recently renovated Parke East. Community amenities include a clubhouse, cyber café, fitness center, two pools, dog park and a basketball court. Scott Ramsey and Patrick Dufour of NKF represented the seller in the transaction. Mitch Clarfield and Ryan Greer, also with NKF, originated a Freddie Mac acquisition loan on behalf of the undisclosed borrower.
ROGERS, ARK. — NorthMarq has provided a $42 million Freddie Mac refinancing loan for Woodland Park, a 427-unit apartment complex in Rogers, which is located in the northwestern part of the state. The loan features a 10-year term and a 3.72 percent interest rate. The community, which was 95 percent occupied at the time of refinancing, offers one-, two- and three-bedroom floor plans. Communal amenities include a playground, clubhouse and a swimming pool. Woodland Park is situated at 4000 S Dixieland Road, five miles south of downtown Rogers. Kyle Tucker of NorthMarq originated the loan on behalf of the borrower, Block Real Estate Services.
ALEXANDRIA, RICHMOND AND COLONIAL BEACH, VA. — Tryko Partners has acquired three skilled nursing facilities in Virginia as part of a planned geographic expansion in the Mid-Atlantic for the Brick, N.J.-based private equity investment firm. The facilities, which were part of the Cambridge Healthcare Portfolio, include the 307-bed Woodbine Rehabilitation & Healthcare in Alexandria, the 190-bed Lexington Rehabilitation & Healthcare in Richmond and the 66-bed Westmoreland Rehabilitation & Healthcare in Colonial Beach. Each property provides post-hospital care, short-term rehabilitation and long-term residential care. Tryko plans to invest nearly $9 million in renovations and programming enhancements at the facilities. Woodbine has the largest licensed capacity in Virginia, according to Tryko. The 94,000-square-foot facility, situated on a nearly four-acre parcel, consists of two interconnected buildings offering both private and semi-private rooms, as well as a dedicated ventilator unit. Lexington, which has been rebranded as Canterbury Rehabilitation & Healthcare Center, is a 69,358-square-foot, two-story building on a five-acre parcel. The facility offers both private and semi-private rooms. Westmoreland is the only licensed nursing facility in Westmoreland County. Situated on approximately four acres, the one-story, 25,000-square-foot building includes three patient wings with private and semi-private rooms, including a rehabilitation wing. Tryko has retained the …
FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA. — Cushman & Wakefield has negotiated the $18.2 million sale of Courthouse Place, a 66,246-square-foot office building in Fort Lauderdale. The property is situated at 12 SE 7th St., one block from the 20-story, 730,000-square-foot Broward County Courthouse. The seller, a joint venture between Highline Real Estate Capital and Sefire Capital, acquired the property three years ago and implemented building upgrades and a speculative leasing program targeting law firms and associated businesses that were attracted to the building’s proximity to the Broward County Judicial Complex, according to Highline president David Moret. Notable tenants at the time of sale included law firm Krupnick Campbell Malone Buser Slama Hancock, the Florida State Attorney’s office, Legacy Bank of Florida and the Law Firm of Gary M. Singer. Scott O’Donnell, Greg Miller, Dominic Montazemi and Miguel Alcivar of Cushman & Wakefield represented the seller in the transaction. New Haven, Conn.-based ABCD Courthouse Place LLC acquired the asset for $274 per square foot.
SANDY SPRINGS, GA. — InvenTrust Properties Corp. has purchased Trowbridge Crossing, a 62,600-square-foot, Publix-anchored shopping center in Sandy Springs, for $11 million. The property was fully leased at the time of sale to tenants including the U.S. Postal Service, Great Clips, T-Mobile and Domino’s Pizza. The center was also recently upgraded to include new LED lighting to improve energy efficiency and provide better illumination for the center. Trowbridge Crossing is situated at 7531 Roswell Road, 18 miles north of downtown Atlanta. The seller was not disclosed.
PATCHOGUE, N.Y. — Renaissance Management, a New York-based investment firm, has acquired La Bonne Vie, a 915-apartment community on Long Island for $232.5 million. The property features 626 market-rate apartments and 289 age-restricted (55-plus) apartments and amenities such as indoor and outdoor pools, a gym, libraries and tennis courts. The buildings were completed in the mid-1970s and 1980s and have been preserved in their original conditions. Jeffrey Dunne, Jeremy Neuer and Gene Pride led a CBRE team that represented the building owners, an undisclosed consortium of partnerships, in the transaction. Shawn Rosenthal, Jason Gaccione and Thomas Didio of the Midtown Manhattan Debt & Structure Finance group arranged the financing for Renaissance Management’s acquisition and future planned renovations of La Bonne Vie. The team secured a $200.7 million senior loan from TPG Real Estate Finance. The three-year loan includes the option for three one-year extensions.
CEDAR PARK, TEXAS — Locally based developer RedLeaf Properties has entered into a public-private partnership with the City of Cedar Park, located north of Austin, to redevelop an area along Bell Boulevard into a mixed-use destination. The project, which will be branded The Bell District, is expected to have a total price tag of $350 million. The first phase of development is expected to include multiple acres of communal green space integrated with the new public library and restaurants, as well as two blocks of high-density residential buildings with ground-floor retail space. The second phase will feature residential and office development. RedLeaf plans to begin demolishing the existing structures on the site following the completion of the realignment of a section of U.S. Highway 183, a project that is expected to run through 2021.
HOUSTON —A joint venture between Dallas-based Trammell Crow Co. and New York-based Clarion Partners has begun construction on Rankin 45 Distribution Center, a 352,000-square-foot industrial project in Houston. Designed by Powers Brown Architecture, the Class A property will be located at the northeast corner of Rankin Road and Interstate 45 on the city’s north side. Building features will include 32-foot clear heights, 259 parking spaces and 23 trailer parking spaces. Other project partners include A&F General Contractors and CBRE as the leasing agency. Completion of Rankin 45 Distribution Center is scheduled for August.