Chad Thomas Hagwood of Hunt Real Estate Capital discusses growth opportunities in 2020 and the different drivers that make for a positive atmosphere, especially in secondary and tertiary markets around the country. Previously overlooked areas offer more opportunity to develop and less competition. Many secondary and tertiary markets are seeing corporate growth and increasing populations, which is driving more demand for multifamily housing. Limits on development include construction cost, scarcity of labor and shortages of materials, but uncertainty over the upcoming election is also keeping investors wary of planning too far in advance. People are waiting on the sidelines to see what happens, with some investors waiting until after November to create their four-year plans. Watch the video to hear more about what Hagwood expects to see in 2020. This video is posted as part of REBusinessOnline’s Finance Insight series, covering MBA CREF 2020. Click here to subscribe to the Finance Insight newsletter, a four-week newsletter series, followed by video interviews from MBA CREF.
DALLAS — JLL has negotiated the sale of The Union, an 866,273-square-foot mixed-use development in the Uptown neighborhood of Dallas. According to The Dallas Morning News, the property sold for $370 million. Completed by RED Development in 2018, the office tower at The Union was 94.2 percent leased at the time of sale to tenants including Salesforce, Akin Group and Weaver. Office amenities include a tenant lounge, fitness center and outdoor green space. The Union Dallas also features 85,000 square feet of retail and restaurant space anchored by a Tom Thumb grocery store and a 309-unit apartment building that was developed by StreetLights Residential. JLL represented RED Development, which will retain minority stake in the property, in the transaction. JLL also procured KB Asset Management, the investment arm of Korean conglomerate KB Financial Group, as the buyer and secured a five-year, fixed-rate acquisition loan through Goldman Sachs on behalf of the new ownership.
IRVING, TEXAS — Florida-based Benderson Development has purchased a ground-lease interest in the Pioneer Natural Resources headquarters campus in Irving for $218 million. The 1.1 million-square-foot, 10-story campus, which was developed by KDC, is located within Hidden Ridge, a public transit-served mixed-use development in the Las Colinas district. Additional terms of the deal were not disclosed.
FORT WORTH, TEXAS — Home furnishing retailer Pier 1 Imports has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in federal court in Richmond, Va., according to a report from The Wall Street Journal. The filing comes about six weeks after the Fort Worth-based retailer announced that it would close some 450 stores, about half of its total store count. The company is also closing two distribution centers. Pier 1 has entered into a plan support agreement with its term loan lenders, which include Bank of America and Wells Fargo, and is pursuing a sale of the company.
AUSTIN, TEXAS — NorthMarq has arranged a $64.5 million loan for the refinancing of SXSW Center, a 13-story office building located at 1400 Lavaca St. in downtown Austin. Designed by Pei Cobb Freed, the Class A property spans 143,998 square feet and features a fitness center, bike storage and electric car charging stations. WeWork occupies three stories at the building. Jim Lemos of NorthMarq arranged the loan, which carries a fixed interest rate and a 26-year term, through Pacific Life Insurance Co. The borrower was not disclosed.
NEW YORK CITY — Urban Edge Properties, a New York City-based REIT, has acquired Kingswood Center and Kingswood Crossing, a pair of adjacent mixed-use buildings in the Midwood neighborhood of Brooklyn, for $165 million. The two buildings comprise a total of approximately 335,000 square feet, including 134,000 square feet of Class A office space and 106,000 square feet of retail space. The properties also include 60,000 square feet of space available for office or residential development and 250 parking spaces. At the time of sale, retail tenants included Target, TJ Maxx and Marshalls. Visiting Nurse Services of New York was the anchor office tenant. A partnership between Infinity Real Estate and Nightingale Properties was the seller in the off-market transaction.
HOLMES AND BROOMALL, PA. — The Flynn Co. has brokered the $12.2 million sale of a five-building industrial portfolio in Pennsylvania. Velocity Venture Partners, a Philadelphia-based industrial developer, acquired the properties, which are all located in Delaware County, directly southwest of Philadelphia. Four of the buildings are situated within the Ridley Business Center at 500 Pine St. in Holmes. The other building is located at 620 Parkway in Broomhall. All of the buildings were fully leased at the time of sale. Colin Flynn and Ben Conway of The Flynn Co. represented Velocity Venture Partners in the transaction. Holmes Partners LP was the seller of the Ridley Business Center buildings and 620 Parkway Partners LLC was the seller of the building at 620 Parkway.
WEST HAVEN, CONN. — Arnold Peck’s Commercial World (APCW) has negotiated a 10,000-square-foot office lease in West Haven, a southwestern suburb of New Haven. Healthcare provider Cornell Scott Hill Health Center will occupy the freestanding building located at 410 Campbell Ave. on a 10-year lease. Mark Glassman of APCW represented Cornell Scott in the lease negotiations. Joel Nessno of Press/Cuozzo Commercial Services represented the landlord, Plimpton LLC.
NEW YORK CITY — Tri State Commercial has secured a 3,600-square-foot office lease in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn. Home care company Care Skills Home will occupy space on the third floor of an office building located at 1125 Fulton St. on a five-year lease beginning in March. Avi Akiva led a Tri State team that represented Care Skills Home in the lease negotiations. Akiva also represented the landlord, The Bawabeh Group.
CAMBRIDGE, MASS. — Montessori-inspired school Rock and Roll Daycare has signed a 3,500-square-foot retail lease in Cambridge. The school will be located in the retail space at The Rand, a 19-unit condominium adjacent to the Porter Square MBTA Red Line station at 1975 Massachusetts Ave. The school will provide high-end childcare to infant, toddler and preschool-aged children with a music-focused curriculum. Urban Spaces LLC completed The Rand using modular construction in 2017 and Prellwitz Chilinski Associates served as the architect of the project. A partnership of Urban Spaces LLC and StoneRiver Properties is the landlord of The Rand.