GRAND RAPIDS, MICH. — NAI Wisinski of West Michigan has negotiated the sale of Grand Central Plaza in Grand Rapids for an undisclosed price. The 91,225-square-foot shopping center is home to Buffalo Wild Wings, Bluff Banquet, Rent-A-Center and Capital Cities Hobbies. Russ Bono, Todd Leinberger and Cameron Timmer of NAI Wisinski represented the buyer, a Michigan-based investor, and the seller, California-based SDLT Investments VII LLC.
MINNEAPOLIS — Sumitomo Corp. of Americas, a New York City-based subsidiary of Japanese general trading firm Sumitomo Corp., has acquired SPS Tower, a 31-story office building located in Minneapolis’ central business district. The seller was not disclosed, but The Minneapolis Star Tribune reports that the sales price was $144 million. The building, which totals 655,070 square feet of rentable office space, was 84 percent occupied at the time of sale. SPS Commerce, a provider of cloud-based supply chain management software, and Accenture LLP, a global management and consulting firm, serve as the anchor tenants. Amenities at SPS Tower include a fitness center and conference facilities, as well as banking, dry cleaning and concierge services. The property is connected to three adjacent buildings via a pedestrian skyway and sits atop a 630-space underground parking garage. “This is our first real estate investment in Minneapolis,” says Yurika Sugimoto, real estate manager at Sumitomo Corp. of Americas. “We believe the expertise we’ve cultivated throughout our several years within the U.S. real estate market will allow us to bring insights and improvements related to building management and tenant relationships.” — Taylor Williams
In 2018, the Detroit real estate market had a banner year for transactions, new developments and big headlines. Chief among these was Ford Motor Co.’s acquisition of the vacant Michigan Central Station, a major media event that attracted attention from all over the world. Other notable news stories predominantly revolved around Quicken Loans founder Dan Gilbert and his Bedrock Real Estate Services. In 2018 alone, Bedrock delivered the 129-key Shinola Hotel, began construction on the 847,000-square-foot Monroe Blocks and laid the foundation for the 912-foot tall Hudson’s tower. The combined costs of these projects exceed $2 billion. From a brokerage standpoint, it also was a successful year. Q10|Lutz Financial Services, a Birmingham-based commercial mortgage banking firm, had its best year on record. Similarly, Farmington Hills-based Friedman Real Estate’s investment sales division had transaction volume of a half-billion dollars, according to the firm’s manager of opportunities, Jared Friedman. Some highlights and market insights into the Great Lakes State’s commercial real estate market are below. Multifamily redevelopment Downtown Detroit has received most of the notable press this cycle, in particular for the flock of millennials and young professionals who up-ended trends and brought their skinny jeans and electric scooter habits to …
NEW YORK CITY — Saks Fifth Avenue has opened the new 53,000-square-foot main floor of its Manhattan flagship store. The floor is part of a $250 million renovation of the location. The renovated section triples the handbag department selling space, which includes more than 50 brands. The beauty floor above the main was renovated last year and is already open. The two floors are connected via a new atrium that features a large-scale multimedia installation centered around a 60- by 20-foot LED screen as well as custom terrazzo flooring from Italy. The Vault, a high-end jewelry experience, will be unveiled on the lower level of the store later this year.
NEW YORK CITY — Cushman & Wakefield has secured a 26,206-square-foot lease for The Wallace Foundation at 140 Broadway in downtown Manhattan. The private foundation will occupy the entire 49th floor of the building. Andrew Chase, Carri Lyon and Wes Rudes of Cushman & Wakefield represented The Wallace Foundation in the transaction. Robert Constable, Myles Fennon and Edward Mombello of Cushman & Wakefield represented the landlord, 140 BW LLC. The Wallace Foundation’s mission is to foster learning and enrichment for disadvantaged children and the vitality of the arts.
MELVILLE, N.Y. — NorthMarq has arranged a $3.7 million cash-out refinancing for a 71,000-square-foot industrial building in Melville. The non-recourse financing included a 10-year term, fixed rate of 4.33 percent and a 25-year amortization schedule. Charles Cotsalas of NorthMarq’s Long Island regional office secured financing on behalf of the borrower, 100 Marcus Drive Associates. The lender was 40 | 86 Mortgage Capital Inc., a life insurance company.
PLANTATION, FLA. — Kaufman Lynn Construction has broken ground on Phase I of Encore Capital Management’s Plantation Walk, a $350 million mixed-use development in Plantation. Phase I is set to include a seven-story building with 171 multifamily units, 63,000 square feet of retail and restaurant space and 12,000 square feet of amenity space. At full build-out, Plantation Walk will include 700 apartment units, 160,000 square feet of office space and 200,000 square feet of retail space. The site is situated at the former Plantation Fashion Mall at 321 N. University Drive, about eight miles west of downtown Fort Lauderdale. Completion is slated for April 2020.
ORLANDO, FLA. — CBRE has arranged the $64 million sale of Island Club, a 472-unit multifamily community in Orlando. The asset is situated at 1401 Kirkman Road, about six miles west of downtown Orlando. Built in 1990, Island Club offers one-, two- and three-bedroom floor plans. Amenities include a car care center, tennis court, volleyball court, two lake-side swimming pools, playground, game room and fitness center. Shelton Granade, Luke Wickham and Justin Basquill of CBRE represented the undisclosed seller in the transaction. Brian Eisendrath of CBRE originated a 10-year Freddie Mac loan on behalf of the buyer, TruAmerica Multifamily. The acquisition loan features five years of interest-only payments.
SPRINGDALE, ARK. — Apex Tool Group LLC has sold its 242,000-square-foot manufacturing facility in Springdale to Trickling Creek Properties LLC. The buyer plans to look for new tenants for the building. The facility sits on 52.8 acres less than a mile from the Springdale Municipal Airport, and about 10 miles north of downtown Fayetteville. The building includes eight- to 10-inch reinforced concrete floors, seven-inch concrete block walls, ceiling heights ranging from 20 feet to 32 feet, approximately 24,000 square feet of air-conditioned office space, four eight-by-10-foot and two eight-by-eight-foot dock-high loading doors, and paved and lighted parking for approximately 430 vehicles. Holmes Davis of Binswanger represented the seller in the transaction. Marshall Saviers of Sage Partners represented the buyer. The price was not disclosed.
LAKELAND, FLA. — Cushman & Wakefield has arranged the $50 million sale of Victoria Landing, a 352-unit apartment complex in Lakeland. Tampa-based Blue Roc Premier purchased the asset and has rebranded it as The Park at Palazzo. The asset totals 383,212 square feet across 12 buildings on 24 acres. The Park at Palazzo offers one-, two- and three-bedroom floor plans and was 98 percent occupied at the time of the sale. Amenities include a resort-style swimming pool, hot tub, athletic facility, business center, sand volleyball court, car care facility, game room, playground, indoor basketball and racquetball courts, two dog parks and a pet washing station. Brad Capas, Luis Elzora and Robert Given of Cushman & Wakefield represented the seller, Minnesota-based Mercury Investment, in the transaction.