This year is shaping up to be very exciting and productive for the Richmond retail market. The Richmond retail market has started at a brisk pace for the first half of 2015, similar to the end of 2014 as it absorbed 111,889 square feet. The vacancy rate has continued to decline over the past 12 months as well. The overall retail vacancy rate in Richmond tightened to 6.6 percent, a 50 basis point improvement over last year. The main drivers of retail activity throughout the Richmond MSA continue to be grocery stores, fitness centers and restaurants. Early this year we saw the commencement of construction at two Wegmans-anchored developments in Richmond, one in Short Pump and another in Midlothian. The Midlothian Wegmans will anchor the new Stonehenge Village and is on pace to open in early 2016. The Short Pump Wegmans will join Cabela’s in the new West Broad Marketplace, a 400,000-square-foot development on the western edge of Short Pump. There has also been solid activity in the market from several other grocers, including Walmart Neighborhood Market and Aldi. Each of these concepts has opened four new stores in the market. Another grocer poised to enter the market is LIDL, …
TEMPE, ARIZ. — Tesla Motors has agreed to lease a 42,281-square-foot facility in Tempe. The free-standing building is located at 2077 E. University Drive. This is Tesla’s second Phoenix Valley location, in addition to its retail showroom at Scottsdale Fashion Square. Wentworth Property Co. recently purchased the property for $3.6 million. Andy Markham of Cushman & Wakefield represented the buyer in the transaction. Dave Johnson and Jerry Marrell of Lee & Associates represented the seller, Essex-Scot LLC, a window manufacturer that previously occupied the facility until it outgrew the space.
NEW YORK CITY — Concord Hospitality and Choice Hotels has developed the 78,000-square-foot Cambria Hotel & Suites Times Square at 30 W. 46th St. in Manhattan. Designed by Gene Kaufman Architect, the 21-story, 196-room LEED-certified hotel is the largest Cambria hotel in the country. The guestrooms include private terraces for the second-floor rooms, and a refrigerator and flat-screen television. On-site amenities include a rear outdoor garden with lounge seating, a front outdoor area with tables and chairs, a 700-square-foot fitness center, a 24-hour business center, event facilities, dry cleaning and laundry services, and free WiFi. Additionally, the hotel features a 1,000-square-foot restaurant and a 500-square-foot bar/lounge designed by McGinley Design.
PORT TOWNSEND and BUCKLEY, WASH. — Lancaster Pollard has secured two HUD loans totaling $10.4 million to refinance San Juan Villa, a 32-bed memory care community in Port Townsend, and Heritage House, a 76-unit assisted living and memory care community in Buckley. Both towns are suburbs of Seattle. Oregon-based operator Caring Places Management manages both communities. Each loan is nonrecourse and features a 35-year term. The loans will provide annual debt service savings and fund replacement reserves for ongoing repairs at each property. Matt Lindsay led the transactions for Lancaster Pollard.
REDLANDS, CALIF. — Majestic Realty Retail, a division of Majestic Realty Co., has announced the grand opening of Mountain Grove at Citrus Plaza, a 67-acre retail and entertainment shopping center in Redlands. Scheduled for Dec. 5, the grand opening will include 24 businesses, ranging from fashion, food and fitness to health and beauty, entertainment and home goods. Mountain Grove tenants include Banana Republic, Buy Buy Baby, Justice, Nordstrom Rack, Old Navy, TJ Maxx, Lane Bryant, Bahama Buck’s, MOD Pizza, Yogurtland, Waba Grill, 24 Hour Fitness, ULTA Beauty, Harkins Theaters, Hobby Lobby, HomeGoods and Kirkland’s.
GRASS VALLEY, CALIF. — Pine Tree Commercial Realty has acquired Pine Creek shopping center in Grass Valley for an undisclosed price. Built in 1988, the 216,683-square-foot property is occupied by a 60,000-square-foot Raley’s grocery store, JC Penney, Petco, Dollar Tree, Starbucks Coffee, Carl’s Jr., International House of Pancakes, Jamba Juice, Sally Beauty and GNC. Jon DuBois of Core Commercial’s Sacramento office brokered the transaction. Goldman Sachs Mortgage Company provided acquisition financing. The name of the seller was not released.
NEW YORK CITY — Marcus & Millichap has brokered the sales of three multifamily properties in Brooklyn totaling $7 million. In the first transaction, a limited liability company purchased an eight-unit apartment building, located at 371 Irving Ave. in Brooklyn, for $2.2 million. Shaun Riney, Thomas Shihadeh and Daniel Greenblatt of Marcus & Millichap’s Brooklyn office represented the seller, a private investor, and the buyer in the transaction. In the second deal, a limited liability company purchased a six-unit apartment building, located at 235 Wyckoff Ave. in Brooklyn, for $2 million. Riney, Shihadeh and Greenblatt represented the buyer and the seller, a limited liability company, in the deal. In the final transaction, a private investor acquired a three-unit apartment property, located at 701-703 Grand St. in Brooklyn, for $2.8 million. Riney, James Saros and Michael Salvatico of Marcus & Millichap’s Brooklyn office represented the buyer and the seller, a private investor, in the transaction.
HOUSTON — CBRE and Unilev Management Corp. are now in the final phase of a multimillion-dollar renovation project at One Riverway in Houston. The 481,000-square-foot, 25-floor, Class A office building is located on the north side of the Galleria/Uptown area, directly adjacent to the Omni Hotel at Woodway Drive and South Post Oak Lane. Renovations include a new backup power generator, cooling towers, restaurant/deli, conferencing center, fitness facility, interior elevator cab upgrades and corridor upgrades. A lobby renovation will include a coffee/smoothie bar. Tenants at One Riverway include Northwestern Mutual, Texas Capital Bank, Regus Group, Thompson Coe Cousins, Wright & Close, EMC and PLS. Steve Rocher, Kristen Rabel and Parker Duffie with CBRE’s Houston office are the leasing representatives for One and Three Riverway. Unilev Management Corp. owns One and Three Riverway, provides on-site management and is also a tenant in the building.
CHATTANOOGA, TENN. — The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga has broken ground on a new 600-bed, $70 million housing complex. The 231,959-square-foot development on the west side of campus will also include classrooms, a bookstore outlet, dining facility and a demonstration kitchen to help students transition to apartment living. The structure will feature 648 new parking spaces for cars and 22 motorcycle parking spaces. Each room will be wired for gigabyte service, as well as wireless connectivity. The facility is projected to open in fall 2018.
PLANO, TEXAS — Aligned Data Centers, a division of Aligned Energy, has opened a new data center in Plano. The Aligned Plano data center, situated on a 19-acre campus at 2800 Summit Ave., offers 108,000 square feet and 12.5 megawatts of power. When complete, the site will provide 300,000 square feet and 30 megawatts.