If you’ve spent time in quaint New England cottages, you know that unique indoor environment can conjure feelings of warmth, happiness and comfort. Exposed wood inside of houses provides sensations of coziness and security that have been emulated in biophilic design — a term referring to the human connection with nature — across America. So why hasn’t this warm and healthy feeling spread to America’s offices? We’ve seen the mill brick buildings and the steel and concrete office developments scattered along America’s highways and suburban areas. Some of us may have even worked in them. They are reliable, cost-effective and provide tenants with the basic amenities needed to get their work done. But the American office building is changing. Today’s companies demand more for their employees and are recognizing that comfortable offices with exceptional amenities are quickly becoming the new standard to attract top, young talent. According to Cushman & Wakefield’s 2019 “CRE Perspectives on Coworking” report, nearly two-thirds of companies are utilizing some form of coworking space. Look at the most popular coworking spaces in the country — many provide biophilic design elements to keep occupants happy. In early October, building owner Farley White, along with Cushman & Wakefield, …
From 2009 through 2015, Las Vegas renters were afforded the luxury of renting many of the high-rise condominiums around the Strip and Downtown Las Vegas. This was due to the massive amount of short sales and foreclosures during that time. There were about 7,876 condo units completed between 2006 and 2009. Shortly after the crash, these developments shifted to luxury rentals. During 2011, we tracked 785 condos that were rented with an average of $1.31 per square foot, or $1,838 per month. During that same time, we tracked sales prices of these high condos at an average of $154 per square foot, or $239,411 per unit. We also tracked 904 sales during 2011 that typically involved investors putting their inventory back into the “shadow inventory.” Fast forward to 2015, and resales of this same inventory were trading at an average of $238 per square foot. Rents of this inventory were at $1.45 per square foot, or $2,000 per month. The higher-end buildings like Mandarin Oriental (now Waldorf Astoria) were at $2.70 per square foot. The trend continues to today as sales prices continue to rise. Rents continue to go up and no new for-sale inventory is being delivered. Most of …
For decades, all classes of commercial real estate in Dallas enjoyed somewhat lopsided advantages over Fort Worth. Until about 15 years ago, Dallas, the main beneficiary of the job, housing and population growth coming to the metroplex, commanded the lion’s share of demand from commercial real estate users while also having more capital for new development. Retail was no exception. Today, the Dallas area has seen its retail scene push northward toward Plano and Frisco, the new hubs of corporate relocations and regional workforce consolidations. But the combination of a shortage of developable land and a tight vacancy rate within the Interstate 635 loop is pushing rents. On a triple-net basis, rates are now as high as $60 per square foot in top submarkets like Uptown, Lakewood and Deep Ellum and $90-plus per square foot in the tony Preston Hollow and Park Cities submarkets, according to HSM’s research. Our data also shows that the average retail vacancy rate within the Interstate 635 loop in Dallas is approximately 2.6 percent, while there is 205,000 square feet of new space under construction within this area. By contrast, the urban core of Fort Worth inside the Interstate 820 loop spans about half as …
CLEARWATER, FLA. — Cushman & Wakefield has negotiated the sale of The Vue at Belleair, a 339-unit multifamily community in Clearwater, 20 miles west of Tampa. Located at 1551 Flournoy Circle W., the property sold for $78 million, according to the Tampa Bay Times. Luis Elorza, Brad Capas, Robert Given and Michael Mulkern of Cushman & Wakefield’s Multifamily Advisory Group represented the seller and developer, Columbus, Ga.-based Flournoy Development Co., in the transaction. Suffern, N.Y.-based Castle Lanterra Properties acquired the community, which consists of 11 two- and four-story residential buildings. Built in 2019, Vue at Belleair offers one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments, as well as gated access, elevators, a rooftop terrace, clubhouse, coffee bar, two dog parks, car care center, saltwater pool, fitness center, fire pits and a business center with a conference room, video game room and a billiards table. The property was 93 percent occupied at the time of sale. The Vue at Belleair is located on the east side of U.S. Route 19.
ORLANDO FLA. — Miami-based investment firm Black Salmon has acquired a 245,201-square-foot office building located at 111 N. Orange Ave. in Orlando for $68 million. The 21-story building is 94 percent leased to tenants including Regions Bank, UBS, Geico and coworking space provider Regus. Located at the corner of North Orange Avenue and East Washington Street, 111 North Orange is near the LYNX Central and Church Street SunRail stations. The building’s amenities include access to the free LYMMO shuttle service, building security, a common conference center, Nature’s Table Cafe in the building and a fitness center. Ron Rogg of CBRE represented the undisclosed seller in the transaction.
DORAL, FLA. – Miller Construction Co. has completed two buildings for Orlando-based Foundry Commercial, creating 318,043 square feet of industrial space within the Miami Central Commons business park. Located at 2301 NW 107th Ave. in Doral, 11 miles northwest of Miami, Building 1 contains showroom space and Building 2 contains industrial space. Foundry Commercial purchased the business park in 2017 and began the major demolition, renovation and expansion in fall 2018. Designed by RLC Architects, Buildings 1 and 2 provide 32-foot clear heights, 54-foot column spacing and a 60-foot speed bay. Puga & Associates served as mechanical, electrical and plumbing engineers, and Kimley-Horn served as civil engineer. Coral Gables, Fla.-based Fairchild Partners is the property’s exclusive leasing agent.
HATTIESBURG, MISS. — Berkadia has arranged the sale of The Met Apartments, a 288-unit multifamily property in Hattiesburg, approximately 70 miles north of the Mississippi Gulf Coast. David Oakley, David Wilson, Jay Briley and Gregg Cordaro of Berkadia completed the sale on behalf of the seller, Texas-based NNI Development. Mississippi-based Heritage Properties Inc. bought the property for an undisclosed amount. Located at 27 Lake Forgetful, The Met Apartments was completed in 2018. The complex has convenient access to U.S. Route 98, Shadow Ridge Golf Club and Turtle Creek Mall. The property features one-, two- and three-bedroom floor plans with a fitness center, pool, pet park, entertainment lounge, office space and elevator access in each building.
GREENWOOD, S.C. — Marcus & Millichap has brokered the $9.5 million sale of the Emerald Place shopping center in Greenwood, approximately 25 miles from the Georgia-South Carolina state line. Kohl’s, Ross Dress for Less and Rack Room Shoes anchor Emerald Place, which is located at 259 Hospitality Blvd. Private investor George Snelling purchased the 107,616 –square-foot property from Cole MT Greenwood SC LLC. Marcus & Millichap’s Zach Taylor, Brian Munn and Don McMinn brokered the sale on behalf of both the seller and the buyer. The buyer, who typically invests in self-storage assets, purchased Emerald Place as it provided a more attractive yield than other self-storage options, according to Taylor.
MINNEAPOLIS — Owners DRA Advisors and Wildamere Capital Management plan to renovate and rename the office towers located at 900 and 920 S. Second Ave. in downtown Minneapolis. Previously known as Oracle and International Centre, the new name for the 622,173-square-foot property will be Forum. Plans call for an overhaul of the multi-story atrium and construction of a new skyway lounge with conference facilities and spec suites. Construction is expected to begin before the end of the year and be completed in 2020. Katie Tufford, Peter Fitzgerald, Tom Tracy and Courtney Rosoff of Cushman & Wakefield are the leasing agents. DRA Advisors and Wildamere purchased the towers in March.
COLUMBUS, OHIO — M+A Architects has completed the interior design work of the new 80,000-square-foot home office for White Castle in Columbus. The office design incorporates shared workspaces and tributes to the hamburger chain’s history. Located at 555 W. Goodale St., it features a library, café, indoor fitness area, mother’s nursing suite and a spiral slide connecting the second floor to the first floor. The project team also included Architectural Alliance, POD Design and Elford.