DETROIT — Metro Commercial Real Estate has negotiated two new locations for The EDGE Fitness Club in metro Detroit. The fitness club will occupy 37,000 square feet in Farmington Hills in a space formerly occupied by Kohl’s. The opening is scheduled for the fourth quarter of 2019. In Sterling Heights, EDGE will occupy 36,676 square feet in a space formerly occupied by Kroger. The opening is also slated for the fourth quarter of 2019. Brandon Anapol of Metro led the leasing team. EDGE facilities are accessible at all hours. Fitness classes, training, nutrition and weight loss support are available.
WASHINGTON, D.C. — London-based investment firm Queensgate Investments (QI) has acquired the 148-room Courtyard by Marriott Washington D.C. for $54.1 million. QI purchased the property from affiliates of local builders Quadrangle Development Corp. and Capstone Development. The new ownership will rebrand the hotel as a Generator hotel, a line of hospitality properties featured in major European cities like Dublin, Paris, Barcelona and Amsterdam. Generator opened its first U.S. property in Miami in September. The hotel is located near Dupont Circle and offers amenities such as an outdoor pool, rooftop terrace and an onsite restaurant. Crestline will continue to manage the asset through 2019 as the rebranding effort unfolds. “The acquisition of the Washington D.C. asset marks the next step in Queensgate’s U.S. ambitions as we look to acquire both additional hotel assets to expand Generator as well as work on the acquisition of new standalone real estate platforms of significant scale,” says Jonathan Millet, head of acquisitions of QI. Brown Rudnick LLP, Ernst & Young and Rockwell Acumen advised Queensgate and Generator in the transaction. — Taylor Williams
While there has been a strong demand for investment properties in Richmond, there remains a limited availability of both freestanding facilities and portfolio deals. In recent investment activity, the Byrd Corporate Park in eastern Henrico County sold to a joint venture between Dreyfuss Investments and Wells Holding Group for $31.3 million after previously transferring in 2011 for $26.3 million. The 10-building flex complex spans 475,783 square feet and was 80 percent leased at the time for sale. The three-building Interport Business Center, also located in eastern Henrico, sold at the end of 2017 to MDH Partners, adding to its Richmond International Airport area holdings. Containing 620,296 square feet total, the complex sold for $29 million and is now fully leased. Leasing Buoys Occupancy Local expansion has remained strong, a trend consistent with the Richmond market, and regional and national companies with an existing presence in the area have also announced expansions. The metro area has also seen the introduction of new manufacturers with large industrial footprints, further evidencing the benefits of the area’s location and infrastructure. At the mid-year mark, the Richmond area’s industrial market has continued to strengthen, closing with an overall occupancy rate of 94 percent in the …
NEW YORK CITY — Madison Realty Capital has provided a $36.1 million construction loan for a mixed-use development in the Upper West Side neighborhood of Manhattan. Located at 214 W. 72nd St., a vacant, five-story building currently occupies the property. The borrower, a partnership between Scott Shnay of SK Development and Charles Blaichman of CB Developers, is planning to construct a 21-story, 38,000-square-foot mixed-use project on the site that will include both residential and retail uses.
PITTSBURGH — Greystone has provided $19.5 million in bridge financing for the acquisition of Squirrel Hill Center for Rehabilitation and Health in Pittsburgh. The borrower is Squirrel Hill PA Realty LLC. The property is an eight-story, 178-bed skilled nursing facility, and will be renamed The Squirrel Hill Wellness & Rehabilitation Center. It was originally built in 1964 and is currently undergoing refurbishing and improvements. Fred Levine of Greystone originated the non-recourse, floating-rate loan. The financing features a 24-month term, two six-month extension options and interest-only payments for the life of the loan. The borrower intends to refinance the bridge loan with a fixed-rate, HUD-insured permanent takeout loan.
HOUSTON — WGC Development, in conjunction with an undisclosed institutional investor, has broken ground on Tower 5040, a 405-bed student housing community located near the University of Houston. The eight-story building will offer one-, two- and four-bedroom units. Select apartments will feature large balconies with fire pits. Shared amenities will include a swimming pool with an adjacent movie screen, a fitness center, conference room, business center, private study rooms, a game room, indoor and outdoor socializing areas and a dog park. Humphreys & Partners Architects designed the community, and Arch-Con Construction will handle construction. Nick Gonzalez of GRC Capital arranged equity and debt financing on behalf of the partnership. The property is set to open in summer 2020.
CAMBRIDGE, MASS. — Newmark Knight Frank has arranged the $10.7 million sale of a 12,128-square-foot retail strip center in Cambridge. Located at 351-359 Fresh Pond Parkway, the property is fully leased to a tenant roster that includes Bank of America, AT&T, Sherwin Williams, Sleep Number and The Vitamin Shoppe. The retail center was built in 2013. NKF represented the seller, a joint venture between Spellman Ventures and Sydney Associates, in the transaction. The buyer was an affiliate of The Grossman Companies.
COLLEGE STATION, TEXAS — Texas-based Sodalis Senior Living will build Sodalis College Station a 73,777-square-foot assisted living and memory care community that will be located less than three miles from Texas A&M University. The number of units was not disclosed, but the property will offer a mix of one-bedroom and studio residences. The official groundbreaking will take place on Wednesday, Oct. 24, and the opening is slated for late 2019.
RICHMOND, TEXAS — Sporting goods provider Slater Sports LLC has sold 727 Plantation Drive, a freestanding, 62,132-square-foot industrial asset located in Richmond, a southwestern suburb of Houston. Burdette Huffman and Josh Jacobs of EDGE Realty Capital Markets represented Slater Sports in the transaction. Other terms of sale were not disclosed.
AUSTIN, TEXAS — Coworking firm Spaces will open a 53,000-square-foot space at 501 Congress Ave. in downtown Austin. Kelly Woodruff and Mike Cleary of CBRE represented Spaces in the lease negotiations. Brent Powdrill of JLL represented the landlord, AFIAA U.S. Investment Inc. The space, which is the company’s first in Austin, will officially open during the third quarter of 2019. Spaces is a brand owned by Regus PLC, a Luxembourg-based coworking office operator with more than 3,000 business centers in 120 countries.