CHICAGO — Mission Capital Advisors has arranged a $170 million loan for the construction of Essex on the Park in Chicago. The 56-story, 479-unit luxury apartment building will be located at 808 S. Michigan Ave. As part of the project, the adjacent Essex Inn will be expanded to 271 rooms and repositioned as the Hotel Essex. Opening of the entire project is slated for 2019. The apartments will include a mix of studios, convertibles, and one-, two- and three-bedroom units. The top two residential floors of the building will include four penthouse duplexes. Jordan Ray, Ari Hirt, Steven Buchwald and Jamie Matheny of Mission Capital advised ownership and sourced the financing from a global investment bank. Oxford Capital Group LLC and Quadrum Global are co-developing the project.
CHICAGO — Crescent Heights has broken ground on One Grant Park in Chicago’s South Loop. The 76-story apartment building, located at 1200 S. Indiana Ave., will include 792 luxury apartments. Completion is slated for early 2019. Rafael Viñoly designed the tower, and Rockwell Group will design the interiors of the units. The building will include a mix of studio, one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments. S. Loop Chicago Development LLC purchased the three-acre site in 2012.
MERRIAM, KAN. — Block & Co. Inc. Realtors has acquired the former Kmart shopping center in Merriam, located about 10 miles southwest of Kansas City. The center sits on 11.8 acres at 8703 Shawnee Mission Parkway. Block & Co. plans to redevelop the property as a mixed-use development with restaurants, retail, entertainment and hotel sites. Block & Co. will handle all phases of the development including the leasing, property management and construction management. David M. Block of Block & Co. negotiated the sale on behalf of Block & Co. Bob Johnson of RH Johnson Co. negotiated the transaction on behalf of the undisclosed seller.
MILWAUKEE — Marcus & Millichap has arranged the sale of a retail building net leased to Whole Foods on Milwaukee’s east side for $22.2 million. The 53,875-square-foot store is located at 2305 N. Prospect Ave. Adam Connor of Marcus & Millichap represented the seller, Irgens. The buyer was a Seattle-based private investor. Irgens is a Milwaukee-based real estate developer.
KANSAS CITY, MO. — In a joint venture deal, the Community Development Trust (CDT) and The Millenia Cos. have acquired Kensington Heights Apartments in Kansas City. The nine-story apartment complex includes 126 units and serves low-income senior citizens and people with disabilities. Kensington Heights Apartments is located near Interstate 70 and U.S. Highway 40, and is approximately 10 minutes from downtown Kansas City. The complex serves residents who earn 60 percent of the area median income. The equity investment totaled $1.8 million, and CDT and Millenia will complete $580,000 of capital improvements to ensure the apartments are maintained as high-quality affordable housing for elderly and disabled residents. CDT is a national investor in affordable housing. Millenia is a Cleveland-based real estate company specializing in the acquisition, rehabilitation and management of affordable and market rate properties.
MIAMI — Related Development LLC, a Miami-based mixed-use and multifamily developer and affiliate of The Related Group, has six projects set to begin construction in Tampa, Orlando, Palm Beach County and Atlanta. The Florida projects include the 399-unit Tampa Tribune, a waterfront apartment community located at 202 S. Parker St. in Tampa; Town at Westshore Marina District, a 396-unit mid-rise apartment community located in Tampa’s Westshore district; Town Maitland at Trelago, a 350-unit townhome and Big House multifamily development located in Orlando; and Town Southern, a 392-unit garden-style apartment community located on Southern Boulevard in Royal Palm Beach. In Atlanta, Related Development has two projects planned in Atlanta’s Midtown and Buckhead districts. The developments include a 77,000-square-foot Whole Foods Market, which is Phase II of Related’s 390-unit Apogee Midtown development; and Apogee Buckhead, a 35-story high-rise comprising 362 residential units above three levels of retail and office space.
ORLANDO, FLA. — Jacksonville, Fla.-based Regency Centers Corp. and its co-investment partner have purchased Plaza Venezia, a 201,000-square-foot, Publix-anchored shopping center in Orlando. The seller and sales price were undisclosed, but Orlando Business Journal reports that U.S. Cities Fund Operating LP, an affiliate of New York-based Team Core Property Funding Operating LP, sold the asset to Regency Centers for $92.5 million. Plaza Venezia is situated along Orlando’s “Restaurant Row,” one of the top trade areas in the market for investors. Plaza Venezia serves the nearby Doctor Phillips and Bay Hill submarkets. In addition to Publix, existing tenants at Plaza Venezia include Eddie V’s Prime Seafood, Starbucks Coffee, Tijuana Flats, Sylvan Learning Center, Majestic Cleaners, State Farm Insurance, Supercuts, Scottrade, T-Mobile and Orlando Family Dentistry.
INGLEWOOD, CALIF. — NewMark Merrill Cos. has completed the first phase of the $15 million redevelopment of Crenshaw Imperial Plaza in Inglewood. The 304,755-square-foot shopping center is located on the southwest corner of Crenshaw Boulevard and Imperial Highway. The first phase includes the remodel of the dd’s Discount and 99¢ Only Stores; converting the ground floor of the office building into retail space; and infrastructure improvements. The second phase will include the remodel of the remainder of the retail center and office building, which will be home to the 15,000-square-foot Mission View Charter School. The second phase is slated for completion by February. The firm has also started on the final phase of redevelopment, which includes the demolition of an obsolete two-story building and the construction of a Planet Fitness and a 14,215-square-foot building that is 100 percent pre-leased. Additionally, NewMark Merrill has secured a $34.4 million senior loan for the recapitalization of the project. PCCP provided the loan, which David Pascale of George Smith Partners arranged.
DORAL, FLA. — Publix Super Market has broken ground on a new location at Downtown Doral, a mixed-use development by master developer Codina Partners located roughly 15 miles outside Miami in Doral. The Downtown Doral location will feature an enhanced selection of freshly prepared foods, as well as a large selection of natural and organic food. The new store will be designed with LED lighting technology and energy-efficient refrigeration and air conditioning. An expected opening has yet to be announced. Upon completion, Downtown Doral will feature 70 retail stores and restaurants, 400,000 square feet of Class A office space, 2,840 residential units, a charter elementary school and public green space.
HENDERSONVILLE, N.C. AND SPARTANBURG, S.C. — Greystone Real Estate Advisors has closed the sale of Brookdale Hendersonville in North Carolina and Brookdale Skylyn in South Carolina. A private equity group purchased both properties from Brookdale Senior Living Inc., the largest owner and operator of seniors housing communities in the United States, for $33 million. Brookdale Hendersonville, located in the Asheville suburb of Hendersonville, offers independent living cottages, an independent living clubhouse, an administrative office building and a separate memory care building. Built in 1985 and 1993, the community sits on a total of 21.4 acres of land. Brookdale Skylyn, located in Spartanburg, is an independent living, assisted living, memory care and skilled nursing community. The property consists of two senior living buildings and one skilled nursing building. Built in 1986, the community sits on 17.6 acres of land. Mike Garbers and Cody Tremper of Greystone represented Brookdale Senior Living in the transaction.