SANTA ANA, CALIF. — CenterPoint Properties has purchased an industrial asset situated on 10.5 acres at 3201 S. Susan St. in Santa Ana for an undisclosed price. This is the company’s second acquisition over 200,000 square feet in Orange County this year. The acquisition price was not released. The 202,522-square-foot property features 24-foot clear heights, drive-around access, several points of entry and 195-foot deep truck courts. The transaction includes a lease-back with The Dixie Group, a carpet and flooring manufacturer. Adam English, Adam Baxter and Jonathan Wolfe of STREAM Capital Partners represented the undisclosed seller in the sale.
NEW YORK CITY — The We Co., parent company of coworking office space operator WeWork, and SoftBank Group Corp. have reached an agreement under which SoftBank will provide $5 billion in new financing and a tender offer of up to $3 billion for existing WeWork shareholders. SoftBank, a Japanese technology conglomerate, will also accelerate an existing commitment to fund $1.5 billion. WeWork chose the rescue offer from SoftBank over a competing proposal from JPMorgan Chase & Co. The announcement comes after well-documented concerns about the coworking giant’s cash flow and leadership. The company’s valuation plunged after it scrapped its initial public offering. WeWork founder Adam Neumann was forced out of his chief executive position after pushback from prospective investors. “It is not unusual for the world’s leading technology disruptors to experience growth challenges as the one WeWork just faced,” says Masayoshi Son, chairman and CEO of SoftBank. “Since the vision remains unchanged, SoftBank has decided to double down on the company by providing a significant capital infusion and operational support.” After closing and following the tender offer, SoftBank’s economic ownership stake in WeWork will be approximately 80 percent, up from about one-third currently. Since SoftBank will not hold a majority …
Employment growth in New Jersey continues to trend higher. Since the low point of the last recession in 2010, the state’s private sector has seen almost 409,000 new jobs added (through July). Of the office-using industries, professional and business services have shown healthy annual job growth — up 13,900 jobs — while financial services jobs have recorded declines over the past year. Meanwhile, the state’s unemployment rate continued to tick lower to 3.3 percent (as of July), the lowest in its recorded history. Within this context, the fundamentals of the New Jersey office market remain healthy as we enter the final quarter of 2019, with absorption totals remaining in the black, vacancies sinking lower and asking rents trending upward. Regional Discrepancies Northern New Jersey’s vacancy rate had dropped to 18.3 percent by the middle of 2019, the lowest point since the end of 2012, while central New Jersey checked in at 15.5 percent, marking four consecutive quarterly decreases. Space has tightened in some key submarkets, making landlords increasingly bullish. As a result, asking rents in Northern New Jersey have risen to $31.62 per square foot — an all-time high and a jump of 17.8 percent over the last four years. …
KNOXVILLE, TENN. — Passco Cos. has acquired Tapestry at Turkey Creek, a 220-unit multifamily community in Knoxville, for $40.4 million. The seller, Arlington Properties, developed the property in 2018. The community offers one- through three-bedroom floor plans. Communal amenities include a saltwater swimming pool, dog park, fitness center, coffee bar and a game room. Tapestry at Turkey Creek is located at 810 Tapestry Way, 16 miles west of downtown Knoxville and 15 miles west of the University of Tennessee.
BIRMINGHAM AND PHENIX CITY, ALA. — Berkadia has arranged the sales of two apartment complexes totaling $39.5 million in Alabama: The Park at Alloa in Birmingham and Steeple Crest in Phenix City. Peak Capital Partners acquired The Park at Alloa, a 270-unit complex in Birmingham’s Avondale Entertainment District, from Blue Magma Residential for $21 million. The Park at Alloa offers one-, two- and three-bedroom floor plans. Communal amenities include a breakfast bar, business center, car care area, fitness center, swimming pool and a playground. In the other deal, Pillar Income Asset Management acquired Steeple Crest from its original developer for $18 million. Located near Columbus, Ga., the 200-unit property offers one- through three-bedroom floor plans. Community amenities include a car wash area, pet play area, business center, clubhouse, tanning salon and outdoor grilling areas. David Oakley, David Wilson, Caleb Frizzell and Jay Briley of Berkadia represented the sellers in both transactions.
WELLINGTON, FLA. — SunTrust Bank has provided $39 million in construction financing for Wellington Bay, a seniors housing development in Wellington. The borrower is a joint venture between Liberty Healthcare, ZOM Holdings and Ares Management. The first phase of construction, scheduled for completion in mid-2021, will feature 283 independent living, assisted living and memory care units, plus a two-story, 65,000-square-foot clubhouse and amenity building. Upon full buildout, Wellington Bay will total 424 units, including apartments, single-story villas with garages and three-story garden flats. Development costs were estimated at $180 million. The developers purchased 46 acres for the project in 2018. The site is located adjacent to 400,000 square feet of retail and restaurants, including The Mall at Wellington Green. LS3P Architects and MSA Architects are providing design and architectural services for Wellington Bay, while Balfour Beatty was selected as general contractor.
ORLANDO, FLA. — Centennial Bank has originated a $21 million construction loan for Phase II of Celebration West, a planned 84,000-square-foot retail center in Orlando. The property is located at the intersection of Interstate 4 and World Drive, five miles from Walt Disney World. The borrower, Unicorp National Developments Inc., acquired the site in April 2019 from Disney. Dave & Buster’s and a regional grocery chain will anchor Celebration West. Other tenants will include Dunkin’, Walgreens and Burger King, bringing the property to 56 percent preleased. A timeline for Phase II was not disclosed. Robby Barrows of Centennial Bank originated the loan on behalf of Unicorp, which is also underway on a $1 billion mixed-use development in Orlando known as O-Town West.
ATLANTA — Chick-fil-A has signed an office lease to occupy the sixth floor of 725 Ponce, a new mixed-use development located on Atlanta BeltLine’s Eastside Trail adjacent to Ponce City Market. The 40,000-square-foot space will house 250 corporate employees and will be an extension of the company’s support center south of Atlanta. Chick-fil-A is expected to move into the new space in summer 2020 when the buildout is complete. A 60,000-square-foot Kroger recently opened at the base of 725 Ponce. Jon Mayeske and Janelle Beasley of Cushman & Wakefield represented the tenant in the lease negotiations. Aileen Almassy, also of Cushman & Wakefield, represented the landlord, New City Properties.
JERSEY CITY, N.J. — A joint venture between KRE Group and Northwestern Mutual is underway on development of 351 Marin, a 507-unit multifamily building in Jersey City. The building will feature 8,000 square feet of commercial space, a 4,500-square-foot public plaza and two floors of amenities for residents. The property is located in close proximity to numerous retail and restaurant options, as well as the Grove Street PATH transit station. Leasing is slated to begin in fall 2021.
NEW YORK CITY — Avison Young has negotiated the leasing of over 45,700 square feet of office space at 1140 Avenue of the Americas in Manhattan. Vatic Labs, a trading technology firm, signed a 12,750-square-foot new lease for its New York City headquarters. Real estate investment firm Almanac Realty Investors signed a 12,750-square-foot office lease extension and expansion, and PSL Group, a pharmaceutical research, medical education and publishing firm, signed a 12,750-square-foot office lease extension. Grace Beauty, a marketer, investor and distributor of beauty products, signed a 7,466-square-foot office lease renewal. Todd Korren, Brooks Hauf and Peter Johnson of Avison Young represented the landlord, New York City-based REIT, in each of the four lease negotiations.