HOUSTON — The J. Beard Real Estate Co. has brokered the sale of two office/warehouse properties totaling 119,675 square feet in Houston. The flex properties are situated on 16.7 acres at 12450 and 12452 Cutten Road. Jeff Beard of The J. Beard Co. represented the buyer, Downhole Technology, a provider of hydraulic fracturing plugs. Cape Bell and Allison Hall of Cushman & Wakefield represented the seller, Northwest Real Estate Holdings LLC.
DALLAS — Metropolitan Capital Advisors Ltd. (MCA) has arranged $10.5 million in refinancing for La Hacienda Apartments, a multifamily community located at 1198 N. St. Augustine Drive in Dallas. Justin Laub of MCA arranged the 12-year Fannie Mae loan, which features a 30-year amortization schedule, on behalf of the undisclosed borrower. The loan proceeds will provide a cash-out of the borrower’s equity in the asset.
WESTMONT, ILL. — CBRE has arranged the sale of Oakmont Corporate Center and One Oakmont Plaza in Westmont, located about 23 miles west of Chicago, for $18.9 million. Oakmont Corporate Center is a four-story, 74,279-square-foot office building that is currently 95 percent leased. One Oakmont Plaza is a six-story, 117,841-square-foot office building that is currently 100 percent leased. Both properties are situated on five-acre sites and feature recently renovated lobbies. Bill Novelli, Derek Fohl and Pete Adamo of CBRE represented the undisclosed seller. Valley Equity Group purchased the portfolio.
DOWNERS GROVE, ILL. — Rexnord Corp. will build a new manufacturing facility and aerospace headquarters in Downers Grove, about 20 miles west of Chicago. Rexnord will replace its existing 200,000-square-foot facility, built in 1956 and located at 2400 Curtiss St. within the Ellsworth Business Park. The 248,000-square-foot facility is slated for completion by 2019. The Downers Grove Economic Development Corp. worked closely with the project’s consulting firm, Cushman & Wakefield. Milwaukee-based Rexnord manufactures motion control, aerospace and water management products.
EAGAN, MINN. — Minnesota Autism Center (MAC) has unveiled plans to expand its campus in Eagan by adding a new, 20,000-square-foot building. Peter Fitzgerald of Cushman & Wakefield represented the nonprofit organization in its purchase of nearly four acres adjacent to the current campus. Minneapolis-based Ryan Cos. US Inc. will construct the new building, and RSP Architects (RSP) will serve as architect. Cushman & Wakefield, Ryan Cos., RSP and several subcontractors have contributed various donations to support the newest development within MAC’s therapy campus, which will now include three buildings offering a variety of specialized autism services. Ryan Cos. broke ground on the new building in June, with completion slated for the end of the year. The original, 38,000-square-foot MAC opened in 2007.
CINCINNATI — Azelis, a specialty chemicals distributor, has signed a 13,000-square-foot office lease at Pictoria Tower in Cincinnati. The 253,000-square-foot, Class A building is located at 225 Pictoria Drive. Other tenants include First Financial Bancorp, Northrup Grumman Corp., Ameriprise Financial, Yusen Logistics and Ultimus Fund Solutions. Pictoria Tower features a seven-story parking deck, two-story lobby and multimedia conference center that can accommodate 100 people. Roddy MacEachen of SqFt Commercial represented Azelis in the lease transaction. Rusty Meyers of JLL represented the landlord, Fairbridge Properties.
BROOKFIELD, WIS. — MBH Investment Real Estate LLC has arranged the sale of Triangle Plaza in Brookfield, a suburb of Milwaukee, for $1 million. The 11,567-square-foot retail center, built in 1984, is located at 13805 W. Capitol Drive. The property is 100 percent occupied by seven tenants. Matson Holbrook of MBH represented the seller, Keren Properties 9 LLC. A private investor purchased the property.
BALTIMORE — Natixis has served as lead arranger for a $125 million senior loan for the construction of an 800,000-square-foot mixed-use property in Baltimore. Natixis, M&T and CIT are providing the capital. In addition, HFF arranged $44 million in mezzanine financing through Bridge Investment Group Holdings. The HFF debt placement team representing the borrower included Mark Remington, Brian Crivella and Drake Greer. Madison Marquette is developing the property, which is named One Light Street. The building will be 28 stories tall and feature 280 apartment units. The Class A property will also feature 252,243 square feet of office space, over 5,000 square feet of street-level retail and 646 parking spaces. M&T Bank is the lead tenant. The property is located near to the Inner Harbor, the Baltimore Ravens M&T Bank Stadium and Oriole Park at Camden Yards. “Downtown Baltimore is undergoing major urban renewal, from renovations of older buildings by local real estate investors to billion-dollar development projects by direct users like universities and corporations,” says Greg Murphy, head of Natixis Real Estate Finance Americas. “One Light Street will further add to downtown’s revitalization.” Madison Marquette is a real estate investment manager, developer, operator and service provider headquartered in Washington, D.C. …
As the flooding in Houston from Hurricane Harvey begins to recede and more properties become accessible, commercial real estate firms are beginning the long, tedious process of figuring out the full magnitude of the destruction. It will likely be months before the full extent of the property damage throughout Houston is known. But the fortunes of certain classes of commercial real estate are already coming into focus. Metro Houston’s industrial market, which according to CoStar Group has experienced positive net absorption for 10 consecutive quarters, appears to be an immediate beneficiary of the storm. With recovery and restoration projects now fully underway across the metro area, demand for construction materials — wood, sheet rock, concrete — is set to rise. These products will need to be stored in warehouses and distributed throughout the metro area. This influx will likely put a dent in industrial vacancy, which rose from 5.3 percent to 5.6 percent between the first and second quarters. Rents for warehouse assets, which declined by 1 percent during the second quarter, should also rebound from the recovery effort. “On the industrial side, our people have seen a spiked level of demand that will result in more absorption,” says Tim …
ATLANTA — By offering paid internships, educational programs, community events and flexible hours, seniors housing leaders hope to combat the well-documented labor shortage and entice younger workers. There simply aren’t enough employees to keep up with the pace of development, and the industry is plagued by high turnover rates as well. That’s according to speakers during an operations update at InterFace Seniors Housing Southeast on Aug. 23 in Atlanta. The conference, held at the Westin Buckhead in Atlanta, attracted over 400 industry professionals. Lisa Welshhons, senior vice president of human resources company Aureon, noted the distinct gap between the number of workers needed and actual employees working. As moderator, she asked the panel of operators how the labor shortage is changing the way they are staffing their communities, as well as recruiting and retention strategies. “We’re often asked by our peers and partners what number of communities is our goal, but it’s not about a number of communities. It’s really about continuing to develop as long as we’re able to attract the best-in-class employees,” said Sarabeth Hanson, COO at Harbor Retirement Associates, a regional senior living development and management company in Vero Beach, Fla. Already a concern, the demand for new …
