WASHINGTON, D.C. — The National Multifamily Housing Council (NMHC) has reported that 79.3 percent of apartment households have paid August rent as of Aug. 6. NMHC surveyed its network of 11.4 million professionally managed units as part of its Rent Payment Tracker metric. The latest figure is a decrease of 233,000 households, or 1.9 percent, from August 2019. However, the total number of those paying rent is an increase from July 6, 2020, in which 77.4 percent paid rent. President Donald Trump over the weekend signed an extension of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act that provides unemployment benefits for citizens who have lost their jobs due to the COVID-19 outbreak. David Schwartz, NMHC chairman and CEO and chairman of Chicago-based Waterton, says that the CARES Act has been instrumental in helping millions of renters pay their rent. “Over the past few months apartment residents have largely been able to meet their housing obligations,” says Schwartz.
LOS ANGELES — Gaw Capital USA, a Hong Kong- and Los Angeles-based real estate private equity firm, and DJM, a San Jose- and Los Angeles-based private equity real estate developer, have released plans for transforming the shopping center at Hollywood & Highland into Ovation Hollywood. Upon completion in late 2021, Ovation Hollywood will be a mixed-use project offering 135,000 square feet of retail space, two floors of nearly 100,000 square feet of creative office space, 85,000 square feet of restaurant space, 65,000 square feet of entertainment space and 40,000 square feet of event space. Gensler is providing design and architectural services to update the property’s physical appearance, including a simplified façade and color scheme, new concept for the tower, an easier to navigate layout, updated landscape design, new art pieces and enhanced outdoor space. In addition to physical upgrades, the project team is focusing on refreshing the property’s tenant mix. Renovations are slated to begin later this year, with completion scheduled for late 2021.
FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA. — New York Life Real Estate Investors has provided a $38.3 million refinancing loan for 261 North University Drive, a 172,959-square-foot office building in Fort Lauderdale. The borrower, Encore Capital Management, recently completed a $15 million renovation of the property, including redesigning the lobby, modernizing the elevators, adding new bathrooms and overseeing new tenant buildouts. The asset is situated eight miles west of downtown Fort Lauderdale. Furthermore, the property will be part of a mixed-use development that is set to feature 760 multifamily units, 150,000 square feet of retail space and 400 hotel rooms delivering in two phases by 2022. Kevin O’Grady of Concord Summit Capital and Eric McGlynn of Walker & Dunlop arranged the loan on behalf of Fort Lauderdale-based Encore, and Ryan Doyle and John Lippmann of New York Life originated the loan.
JACKSONVILLE, FLA. — During its second-quarter earnings call, Regency Centers Corp. (Nasdaq: REG) reported same-property net operating income of $162.3 million for the three months ending June 30, a 20.1 percent year-over-year decrease. The Jacksonville-based company says all 415 of its shopping centers nationwide have remained open during the COVID-19 pandemic, with 95 percent of its tenants being open as of July 31. Regency Centers collected 72 percent of base rents for the quarter and has agreed to more than 600 lease rent deferrals. The shopping center REIT estimates that 96 percent of deferred rents will be collected by the end of 2021.
PADUCAH, KY. — Dippin’ Dots, maker of flash-frozen beaded ice cream, has opened a $3.2 million, 6,000-square-foot industrial facility in Paducah. The property houses 45 employees and will support Dippin’ Dots Cryogenics LLC, a division of the company that was launched in 2018 and applies the patented flash-frozen technology to other industries. The building is situated at 3865 Industrial Drive, one mile from Interstate 24.
STOUGHTON, MASS. — An affiliate of multifamily investment and management firm Bell Partners has sold Bell Stoughton, a 240-unit apartment community in Stoughton, a southern suburb of Boston. Built in 2012, the property offers one- and two-bedroom units averaging 958 square feet and amenities such as a pool, fitness center, business center and theater room. Simon Butler, Biria St. John and John McLaughlin of CBRE represented the seller in the transaction and procured the buyer, Bell Stoughton LLC.
MEDFORD, N.J. — NAI Mertz has brokered the sale of a 63,000-square-foot industrial complex located east of Philadelphia in New Jersey. The property was originally built in the 1970s and consists of five buildings on a 9.7-acre tract. Jonathan Klear of NAI Mertz represented the seller, Medford Industrial Park, which will lease back a portion of the space. An affiliate of Philadelphia-based investment firm Velocity Venture Partners purchased the property, which was fully leased at the time of sale, for an undisclosed price.
NEW YORK CITY — Mother, a creative advertising agency with offices in London, Shanghai and South America, has signed a 61,000-square-foot office lease in the Gowanus area of Brooklyn for its new headquarters in New York City. The company signed a 15-year lease to occupy space at Roulston House, a redeveloped office building that originally served as a warehouse for Roulston, a grocery chain founded in the 1880s. Michael Schoen, Marc Schoen and Harrison Katzman of The Schoen Group, a division of New York City-based Savitt Partners, represented Mother in the lease negotiations. Joseph Hamway and Josh Sloan represented the landlord, ICP Realty, on an internal basis.
NEW YORK CITY — Ariel Property Advisors has arranged the $5.8 million sale of a 24-unit multifamily portfolio located at 1130-1134 and 1142 Bryant Ave. in the Foxhurst neighborhood of The Bronx. The three buildings that comprise the assemblage were recently renovated. The seller was local operator Jerome Avenue Associates and the buyer was a private investor that has been active in the market for the past two years. Jason Gold, Shimon Shkury, Daniel Mahfar and Oliver Elihu of Ariel Property Advisors brokered the deal.
PORTLAND, MAINE — Locally based brokerage firm Cardente Real Estate has negotiated a 5,618-square-foot office lease at 11 Baxter Blvd. in Portland. Matthew Cardente of Cardente Real Estate represented the landlord, the William C. Rowell Family LP, in the lease negotiations. Derek Miller of The Boulos Company represented the tenant, behavioral healthcare provider LifeStance.