STRONGSVILLE, OHIO — Scannell Properties is underway on the development of an 180,000-square-foot speculative industrial facility at Mills Business Park in Strongsville, a southern suburb of Cleveland. Peak Construction Corp. is the general contractor for the project, which will feature a clear height of 32 feet, 33 dock doors, three drive-in doors and parking for 198 cars. Peak is also completing a 70,000-square-foot interior buildout for an undisclosed e-commerce company. Other project team members include HSB Architects + Engineers and Weber Engineering Services. A timeline for completion was not disclosed.
CHICAGO — American Street Capital (ASC) has arranged a $5.1 million loan for the refinancing of an 18-unit multifamily building in Chicago’s Andersonville neighborhood. The borrower acquired the property in 2010 and fully remodeled it in 2012. Igor Zhizhin of ASC arranged the 20-year, nonrecourse loan with a correspondent agency lender. The loan features a 10-year fixed rate and a 10-year floating rate on a 30-year amortization schedule. The property was fully occupied at the time of loan closing.
INDIANAPOLIS — Arbor Realty Trust Inc. has provided a $4.1 million Fannie Mae loan for the refinancing of Fountains West Cooperative in Indianapolis. Built in 1972, the 350-unit affordable housing property features a mix of one-, two- and three-bedroom floor plans. Michael Jehle of Arbor originated the 15-year, fixed-rate loan. The borrower was undisclosed.
MORTON GROVE, ILL. — The Boulder Group has brokered the $1.5 million sale of a retail property net leased to Just Tires, a wholly owned subsidiary of Goodyear, in metro Chicago. The 4,600-square-foot building is located at 9246 Waukegan Road in Morton Grove. Just Tires has approximately 10 years remaining on its lease. Randy Blankstein and Jimmy Goodman of Boulder represented the seller, a local real estate investor. The buyer, also a local investor, completed a 1031 tax-deferred exchange.
Just over a decade ago, a booming Phoenix market experienced a confluence of trends — rampant overbuilding, followed by a national economic crisis that meant a spike in unemployment and a near halt in population growth. One of the biggest commercial real estate downturns in the region’s history soon followed. Ten years later, however, the picture was quite different. Prior to the COVID-19 outbreak, Phoenix multifamily metrics were solid through the first quarter of 2020 and supported by some of the strongest employment and household growth in the nation. In 2019, Phoenix added more than 82,000 new jobs — a 3.3 percent increase, the second highest job growth in the country.1 The economy today is much more diverse than it was 10 years ago during the last downturn. Workers can now choose among a variety of corporate, financial, education-based and tech employers while enjoying a lower cost of living than their peers in other metropolitan areas. Ultimately, Phoenix is better positioned than it was a decade ago; the Phoenix of today is grounded in a broader and more sustainable mix of favorable long-term market conditions. These characteristics, coupled with the region’s year-round sunshine, have made Phoenix an attractive place to …
LANSING, MICH. — The Michigan Strategic Fund (MSF) has voted to approve the brownfield and tax-increment financing (TIF) plan for the Red Cedar project, a $256 million mixed-use development along Michigan Avenue in Lansing. The approval gives the developer, Continental/Ferguson Lansing LLC, the green light to move forward with construction. The developer expects to break ground on 181 market-rate apartments as well as an assisted living and memory care facility late this summer. A 792-bed student housing component is scheduled for completion in fall 2021. Construction of two dual-brand hotels, Hyatt House and AC Hotel by Marriott, is set to begin next year. Plans also call for a restaurant, retail space and a public park with an amphitheater and connection to the Lansing River Trail. The 35.5-acre project will connect the Lansing State Capitol to Michigan State University and adjacent communities along the Michigan Avenue corridor. The project will redevelop the long-abandoned Red Cedar golf course site. The MSF rejected a previous version of the project in March, according to Lansing City Pulse. The Lansing Brownfield Redevelopment Authority approved the local portion of the plan last year. “The approval of the project is positive news, especially with the unforeseen economic …
NEW YORK CITY — Berkadia has arranged $22 million in equity for a six-property multifamily portfolio in Georgia and Florida. An undisclosed REIT partnered with the owner of the portfolio, Strategic Holdings. The four properties in Georgia are Belmont Crossing, a 192-unit complex in Smyrna; Sierra Terrace, a 135-unit community in Atlanta; Sierra Village, a 154-unit property in Atlanta; and Georgetown Crossing, a 168-unit asset in Savannah. The two properties in Florida are the 240-unit Park on the Square in Pensacola and the 328-unit The Commons in Jacksonville. Noam Franklin, Chinmay Bhatt and Cody Kirkpatrick of New York City-based Berkadia arranged the equity partner on behalf of the owner. Strategic Holdings acquired the properties from 2016 to 2019 and plans to use the funds to target more acquisitions throughout the Southeast.
ODESSA, FLA. — The Altman Cos. is on schedule to open Altis Grand at The Preserve, a 350-unit apartment community in Odessa, in early June. The property will feature one-, two- and three-bedroom floor plans ranging from 722 to 1,479 square feet. Preleasing has begun and the company is offering virtual tours to prospective residents. Each unit will feature spa-inspired bathrooms equipped with dual sink vanities, a soaking tub and clear glass shower enclosures. The kitchens will offer quartz countertops and energy-efficient appliances. Communal amenities include a game room with pinball, billiards and shuffleboard; a movie theater with a 120-inch high-definition screen; wellness room with access to a virtual doctor, blood pressure machine and thermometers; fitness center; and a heated saltwater pool with cabanas. The property is located at the intersection of Suncoast Parkway and State Road 54, 23 miles north of downtown Tampa.
BENTONVILLE, ARK. AND ATLANTA — Retailers Walmart and The Home Depot have reported increased sales during their respective first quarters. Bentonville-based Walmart, which operates on a fiscal year calendar running from Feb. 1 to Jan. 31, reported a spike of 74 percent in its e-commerce department, and an overall growth of 10 percent. Walmart’s total revenue reached $136.4 billion, which was 8.6 percent higher than first-quarter 2019. The uptick from e-commerce was mostly due to grocery pick-up and delivery services. Additionally, overall sales for Sam’s Club was up 12 percent and e-commerce demand for the Walmart-owned brand jumped 40 percent. The Home Depot, which is based in Atlanta, reported sales reached $28.3 billion, which was 7.1 percent higher than its first-quarter 2019. The Home Depot’s fiscal year ends Feb. 2. Despite the increased sales, the company’s revenue dipped by $300 million from first-quarter 2019 due to expanded benefits for its employees. Some of the benefits include extra time off for hourly employees, more still for associates 65 years of age and older, doubled overtimes rate, weekly bonuses for hourly employees and extended dependent care benefits and waived related co-pays.
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Vogel Realty has voluntarily implemented plans to install new heating and air conditioning systems designed to minimize airborne viruses and bacteria at Chelsea Gardens in Washington, D.C. The 105-year-old mixed-use building has been closed since D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser announced stay-at-home orders for the District. Vogel Realty also plans to install handwashing stations and anti-microbial surfaces in the building before it can reopen on Saturday, May 30. The new HVAC systems will limit airflow between workspaces, bring more fresh air into units and neutralize viruses and bacteria. Chelsea Gardens was originally built as an office building in 1905 and was renovated 20 years ago to include retail and residential space.