SAN DIEGO – An 18-unit apartment building in San Diego has sold to Allen Properties Group 43 for $6.2 million. The community is located at 1941 Columbia Street. Peter Scepanovic and Corey McHenry of Colliers International’s Multifamily Advisory Group represented both the buyer and seller, Westventures LP, in this transaction.
PORTLAND, ORE. – GBD Architects has renewed its lease and expanded its space at the Brewery Blocks II in Portland. The five-block retail and office center is located at 1477 Northwest Everett Street in the city’s Pearl District. GBD was represented by Chris Johnson, MaryKay West and Carter Beyl of NAI Norris, Beggs & Simpson. The landlord, MEPT Brewery Block 2 LLC, was represented by Eric Haskins of Jones Lang LaSalle.
DENVER — The Confluence, a 288-unit residential development in Denver, has received $79 million in financing. The project is located at the southwest corner of 15th Street and Little Raven Street, in the Riverfront Park area of the city’s Lower Downtown (LoDo) district. The 34-story tower will include 10,000 square feet of retail space and a 300-space underground parking garage. Community amenities will include a fitness center, swimming pool with lounge and cabanas, spa, fire pit, game room, clubhouse and business center. The Confluence is being developed by PM Realty Group and National Real Estate Advisors. The construction loan was arranged by HFF’s Rob Rizzi, Josh Simon, Colin Oberg, Leon McBroom and Matt Gangawar through a national bank. It features a 48-month term at 65 percent loan-to-cost. HFF also arranged the joint venture partnership in 2013.
SEATTLE — Seattle Design Center, a 410,000-square-foot, high-end home furnishings and design services center, has received $40 million in financing. The two-building center is located at 5701 6th Ave. S. The center first opened in 1973. Its two buildings are connected via a skybridge walkway. Seattle Design Center also contains 400 parking spaces. The borrower will use the floating-rate loan to acquire and reposition the center. It features a three-year initial term and two, one-year extension options. A debt fund provided the loan. Jordan Roeschlaub and Daniel Fromm of NGKF Capital Markets served as the exclusive advisor to the Los Angeles-based sponsor.
PHOENIX — MG Properties Group (MGPG) has acquired the 270-unit Trillium Papago Apartments in Phoenix for $36.2 million. The community is located at 4950 E. Van Buren Street. The property is situated northeast of Phoenix Sky-Harbor Airport. It was built in 2007. Common-area amenities include a resort-style pool and spa, modern fitness center, movie theater and pool room. MGPG plans to rebrand the property as Ascent at Papago Park. This is the firm’s fourth acquisition in the past six months. MGPG is targeting further acquisitions in Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, Oregon and Washington. The acquisition was financed with a 10-year, fixed-rate mortgage from Fannie Mae that was arranged by CBRE. The seller was Trillium Residential.
LOS ANGELES — Acclaimed architect Frank Gehry has been selected to design a new mixed-use project in Los Angeles. The new project will be located at 8150 Sunset. The development will be situated on one of the largest contiguous parcels of land on the Sunset Strip, at the intersection of Crescent Heights Boulevard. The development will contain 249 units, in addition to ground-floor restaurant and retail space and open-air space on the rooftop. Extensive open spaces will also connect to a central plaza, which will have pedestrian and bicycle access. Gehry has started the initial design development process. Plans are expected to be released this spring. The site of the new development was formerly home to the Garden of Allah hotel, which was demolished in 1959. The master site plan was developed in 2013 by Hart Howerton. The firm established the initial design principles focused on environmental sustainability, open spaces, and pedestrian and public transit accessibility. Last year, the development became the first project in Los Angeles County to be designated a California Environmental Leadership Development Project (ELDP)—and the only mixed-use project in California to receive that designation. To qualify as an ELDP, a project must include an investment in …
PHOENIX – Smart & Final has opened three new stores in the Phoenix Valley. The expansion includes a 28,985-square-foot space at the northeast corner of 35th Avenue and Greenway Road; a 28,280-square-foot space at the northeast corner of Tatum Boulevard and Thunderbird Road; and a 35,949-square-foot space at the southwest corner of Gilbert Road and Guadalupe Road in Gilbert. The grocer was represented by Martin Leon and Chris Corso of De Rito Partners in all three transactions.
THE WOODLANDS, TEXAS — Newcor Commercial Real Estate has arranged the sale of a 13,000-square-foot office warehouse building in The Woodlands. The property is situated on two acres located at 33219 Forest West Drive near the intersection of FM 1488 and FM 2978. Rick Stallings of Keller Williams represented the buyer, Pilates Place. Rob Banzhaf and Krissie Vanyo of Newcor represented he seller, Zinterests LLC.
HOUSTON — CPR Money has provided a $4.2 million acquisition loan for a 16-story vacant office building in Houston’s central business district. During the loan term, the borrower will finalize pre-development plans for a conversion to a 154-room Hyatt Place Hotel, with construction expected to begin in nine to 12 months. The property is located near the George Brown Convention Center, Toyota Center, Minute Maid Park and the Houston Pavilions.
HOUSTON — Resource Real Estate Opportunity REIT Inc., a non-traded real estate investment trust sponsored by Resource Real Estate Inc., has sold Cityside Crossing Apartments in Houston. Opportunity REIT acquired the 360-unit multifamily residential community in December 2012. The property benefited from a value-add strategy, professional management and capital enhancements. As a result, the sale of Cityside Crossing produced a cash profit of $10.7 million, and an average annual return of 28.4 percent.
