Demand for Orange County industrial space remained healthy in 2019 as vacancy rates ended another year in record-low territory at 2.9 percent, fueled by a strong second-half net absorption. The movement in the second half of 2019 was largely a result of the Fed’s decision to keep interest rates low, which provided assurance for buyers that had been on the fence. The attractive interest rates have led to steady price increases, however, adaptation has been slow. The average time on the market has increased by roughly 30 to 60 days from 2018. Many buyers also struggled with post-close deferred maintenance. With the typical industrial building in Orange County being construction in 1985, buyers are often challenged with renovation costs adding to their bottom lines. Meanwhile, landlords in 2019 became more conservative in rent demands as average gains in asking full-service rents fell to 4.2 percent countywide, compared to 4.9 percent in 2018. Leasing activity remained steady with an average asking rate across Orange County of about $1 per square foot, triple net. A handful of notable new construction projects advanced in 2019. In the fourth quarter, 10 buildings totaling nearly 1.2 million square feet were completed in North Orange County, …
DUNCAN, S.C. — CRG, Clayco’s real estate division, has delivered and sold a 1.3 million-square-foot distribution center within The Cubes at Inland 85 in Duncan. Situated less than two miles from Inland Port Greer, the facility was originally designed as a 500,280-square-foot speculative building but was expanded to fit the needs of the new tenant, an undisclosed Fortune 500 company. An affiliate of Lexington Realty Trust acquired the asset for an undisclosed price. The building features a cross-dock configuration with 36-foot clear heights and an ESFR sprinkler system. Lamar Johnson Collaborative designed the property, and Clayco served as the general contractor. CRG is the main developer of The Cubes. This is the first building to be delivered within The Cubes.
FREDERICK, MD. — The Kroger Co. and Ocado, an online grocer based in England, will develop a 350,000-square-foot customer fulfillment center in Frederick. The new automated warehouse facility will service several nearby markets such as Baltimore, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C. When fully operational, the facility will house 400 employees and feature digital and robotic capabilities. The site is located at 7106 Geoffrey Way, 55 miles west of downtown Baltimore and 65 miles north of downtown D.C. The companies expect the facility to open 24 months after groundbreaking, a timeline for which was not disclosed.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Alliance Residential Co. has acquired 15 acres in south Charlotte to develop Broadstone Ayrsley, a planned 320-unit multifamily community. Alliance Residential will begin construction this year and expects to welcome its first residents in 2021. Named Broadstone Ayrsley, the property will comprise one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments and townhomes averaging 939 square feet. Amenities will include a pool, clubroom, fitness center, dog park and a walking path on property. Broadstone Ayrsley will be situated at 2215 Silver Crescent Drive, nine miles south of downtown Charlotte. Cline Design Associates served as the architect.
ORLANDO, FLA. — Seefried Industrial Properties and MDH Partners LLC have purchased 20 acres in east Orlando to construct Narcoossee Logistics Center, a two-building industrial campus. The first building will span 160,000 square feet and the second will total 120,000 square feet. Both buildings will feature 32-foot clear heights, 130-foot concrete truck courts, an ESFR sprinkler system and a combined 71 dock high doors. The site is situated near State Road 528 and Narcoossee Road, about five miles east of Orlando International Airport. MacGregor Associates is the project architect, and Kimley Horn is the civil engineer. Lee Morris of Colliers International will lead leasing efforts for the project, which is slated for completion by the end of the year.
ROYAL PALM BEACH, FLA. — JLL has arranged the $39.5 million sale of Coral Sky Plaza, a 232,727-square-foot retail center in Royal Palm Beach. BJ’s Wholesale Club anchors the property, which was 96 percent leased at the time of sale to tenants including Ross Dress for Less, buybuy Baby, Bed Bath & Beyond, Five Below, IHOP and Famous Footwear. The property is located at 510-590 State Road 7, 11 miles west of downtown West Palm Beach. The seller was not disclosed, although multiple media outlets report Claion Partners sold the property. Danny Finkle, Luis Castillo and Eric Williams of JLL represented the seller in the transaction. Additionally, Chris Drew, Maxx Carney, Jesse Wright and Reid Carleton of JLL arranged a $26.1 million acquisition loan through Morgan Stanley Bank on behalf of the buyer, which was also not disclosed, but media outlets report it was Coral Sky Plaza LLC, managed by Kenneth R. Silverman in Key West.
HOUSTON, TULSA AND OKLAHOMA CITY— The RADCO Companies, a value-add multifamily investment firm based in Atlanta, has sold a portfolio of 10 apartment properties totaling 2,769 units in Texas and Oklahoma. The communities were built in the 1970s and 1980s and are located in Houston, Tulsa and Oklahoma City. Shea Campbell, Colleen Hendrix and Ashish Cholia of CBRE’s Southeast Multifamily team worked with CBRE’s Clint Duncan and Matt Phillips in Texas and Brian Donahue in Oklahoma to arrange the sale. The buyer was Wisconsin-based MLG Capital.
HOUSTON — Fidelis Realty Partners is underway on construction of Brookhollow Marketplace, a 200,000-square-foot retail power center that will be located at the site of the former Exxon campus in Houston. Fidelis acquired the site in 2016 and has now completed demolitions. Located at the corner of Highway 290 and Dacoma Street, Brookhollow Marketplace will house retailers such as Burlington, Michaels, Ross Dress for Less, T.J. Maxx, Ulta, Old Navy, Rack Room Shoes and Five Below. Store openings are slated for this fall. An 80,000-square-foot Floor & Décor is also scheduled to open to the east of the center.
SAN MARCOS, TEXAS — Chicago-based investment firm Harrison Street has acquired The Lyndon at Springtown, a 515-bed student housing community located near Texas State University in San Marcos. The 233-unit property features one-, two- and four-bedroom units and amenities such as an indoor and outdoor fitness center, pet park, pool and a recreation room. Kevin Larimer, Greg Gonzalez, Kelly Witherspoon, Justin Cole and Michael Gonzalez of Berkadia represented the seller, Austin-based Endeavor Real Estate Group, in the transaction.
SPRING, TEXAS — Tampa-based SkyView Advisors has brokered the sale of Regal Self Storage, a 278-unit facility located in the northern Houston suburb of Spring. The property is situated on 1.8 acres and features 43,025 net rentable square feet. Zack Urow and Ryan Clark of SkyView Advisors represented the seller in the transaction. The buyer and other terms of sale were not disclosed.