NORTON, MASS. — On behalf of NorthBridge Partners, CBRE/New England’s Debt & Structured Finance team has arranged $19 million in acquisition financing for a warehouse and distribution facility located at 192 Mansfield Ave. in Norton. The 347,000-square-foot property is fully leased to Advance Auto Parts Inc. Kyle Juszczyszyn, Chris Coutts and Lenny Pierce of CBRE/NE secured the financing for the borrower.
STAMFORD, CONN. — Henkel Consumer Goods Inc. has leased 135,000 square feet of office space at 200 Elm St. in downtown Stamford. The tenant will use the newly renovated space as headquarters for Henkel in North America. The building is part of BLT Financial Centre, which also includes 695 E. Main St. in Stamford. Building and Land Technology (BLT) acquired the property in 2012 and recently completed a multi-million-dollar renovation to transform the vacant corporate property into an amenity-rich, fully modernized office asset.
NEW YORK CITY — Cushman & Wakefield has appointed Bruce Mosler, chairman of Global Brokerage, as chair of the firm’s Veterans Initiative. In this role, Mosler will oversee a comprehensive program aimed at hiring U.S. veterans into various service lines and geographies at the Cushman & Wakefield. In order to meet its goal of hiring additional veterans to its workforce, the company will leverage existing relationships with partner veteran-focused organizations, like Syracuse University’s Institute for Veterans and Military Families and the Fisher House Foundation. Additionally, the firm will work closely with the Veterans Jobs Mission, a coalition of more than 230 companies that have collectively employed 348,000 veterans.
LOMBARD, ILL. — Berkadia has brokered the sale of Westmore Apartments, a multifamily property in the Chicago suburb of Lombard, for $29.2 million. Built in 1968, the property is located at 1049 S. Westmore Ave. The 230-unit apartment building features one-, two- and three-bedroom units. Ralph DePasquale of Berkadia arranged the sale. A Chicago-based private seller sold the property. Axiom Westmore LLC was the buyer.
EAST ST. LOUIS, ILL. — St. Clair County has started construction on the $8.1 million River Bridge District project. The project is focused on transforming a key section of the East St. Louis Riverfront to draw industry and jobs. This is the final piece of highway infrastructure improvements already made by state and federal partners, including the relocation of Illinois Route 3. A comprehensive overhaul of Front Street from Trendley Avenue in East St. Louis to where the road ends in Fairmont City is planned, as well as improvements to connecting roadways.
WOODBRIDGE, ILL. — Venture One Real Estate has acquired a 51,773-square-foot industrial building in Woodridge, a suburb of Chicago. The sales price was not disclosed. The building, located at 10321 Werch Dr., is 75 percent occupied. Venture One acquired the building through its acquisition fund, VK Industrial III LP, a partnership between Venture One and Kovitz Investment Group. Jim Estus of Colliers International represented the seller in the transaction.
CHICAGO — Square Mile Capital Management LLC has originated a $15.2 million mezzanine loan secured by a mixed-use project to be developed by Russland Capital Group-South Loop LLC. Located at 1411 S. Michigan Ave. in Chicago’s South Loop, the property will consist of a 15-story building comprising 199 apartment units and 43,148 square feet of commercial space upon completion. Rush University Medical Center will lease approximately 41,500 square feet of office space. Russland Capital Group has teamed up with LendLease and Boarman Kroos Vogel Group to develop the project. Michael Lavipour of Square Mile originated the loan.
TROY, MICH. — Colliers International has arranged the sale of a 16,848-square-foot industrial facility located at 2701 Industrial Row Dr. in Troy. The sales price was not disclosed. The facility will serve as the new corporate headquarters for Goldfish Swim School Franchising LLC, a swim school expanding across the United States. Solid Concepts previously used the building as a manufacturing facility. Peter E. Kepic, Peter J. Kepic, Robert Badgero and Steven Badgero of Colliers International Detroit represented the buyer, Goldfish Swim School Franchising.
JACKSONVILLE, FLA. — Jacksonville-based Regency Centers Corp. (NYSE: REG) has agreed to acquire Equity One Inc. (NYSE: EQY), creating one of the largest shopping center REITs in the U.S. The all-stock merger will convert each share of Equity One stock into 0.45 shares of Regency stock. Based on Regency’s closing stock price on Monday, Nov. 14, that equates to $31.44 per share, for a total acquisition price of nearly $5 billion, according to the Wall Street Journal. At the close of the deal, Regency shareholders are expected to own approximately 62 percent of the combined company’s equity, and former Equity One shareholders are expected to own approximately 38 percent. The company will retain the Regency name and will continue to trade under the ticker symbol REG. The headquarters will also remain in Jacksonville. The combined company is expected to have a total market capitalization of $15.6 billion, making it the largest REIT by equity value in the shopping center index. The merger will create a national portfolio of 429 properties encompassing more than 57 million square feet. Regency’s Board of Directors will be increased from nine to 12 members, including two directors designated by Equity One and one director designated …
Strong renter demand for affordable apartments in affluent suburbs easily outstrips the available inventory of such properties. This supply and demand imbalance creates a big gap in the market that renovated older buildings can fill. These undervalued multifamily buildings also provide a healthy investment opportunity. Cranes dot the skylines of many American cities today, and much of the development is new luxury multifamily communities. For the last 10 years, the majority of the new apartments built have been high-end apartments, often in downtown areas. Underlying reasons Two main factors are driving developers’ preference for luxury urban apartments. First, developers are turning to urban areas because many suburbs are using zoning density restrictions to prevent multifamily construction. Developers may want to build in the suburbs, but suburban communities want to maintain the relatively small class sizes in their schools and the low crime rates associated with low-density areas, so they are not granting permits for new construction. Cities, on the other hand, are eager to welcome new residents to grow their tax bases, so they’re quick to provide permits for new multifamily construction. The second factor is rising construction costs. Excluding land costs, construction costs have risen 23 percent since 2010, …
