SUGAR LAND, TEXAS — A report from SmartAsset, a personal finance technology company, ranks Fort Bend County, a county in the Houston metropolitan area, as No. 1 in Texas and No. 5 in the United States as the area with the most incoming investments. The data, aggregated from various sources including the U.S. Census Bureau, showed that the county ranked highly in several further categories including gross domestic product (GDP) growth, new building permits and municipal bonds. The county ranked No. 10 in Texas with a GDP growth of over $3.5 million from 2013 to 2014. Fort Bend also ranked No. 1 in Texas and No. 2 in the United States for the highest number of new building permits granted per 1,000 homes. From 2013 to 2014, the county had a municipal bonds index of 2.13, earning the No. 8 spot in Texas. These bonds have been used to enhance quality of life such as mobility, water and safety, and are responses to the high growth in employment and residential opportunities available in the county.
DALLAS — CBRE Capital Markets has arranged the sale of Brandywine Apartments, a 100-unit, value-add multifamily community in Dallas. 4710 Lake LLC purchased the complex from Brandywine Investments LLC. Chris Deuillet of CBRE’s Dallas office represented the seller. The property is located at 4710 Lake Ave., east of Parkland Hospital and the Dallas Medical District, and is 95 percent occupied. Current growth at Parkland Hospital and in Uptown Dallas is driving demand for upper end and workforce-level housing in the area. Planned improvements could support increased rental rates and property value. The average rental rate at Brandywine is approximately 23 percent less than the average rental rate in the immediate area.
NEW YORK CITY — Cushman & Wakefield has arranged the sale of two contiguous mixed-use properties at 1703-1705 Second Ave. on Manhattan’s Upper East Side. The two five-story buildings sold for $22.2 million, or $1,498 per square foot, in an all-cash transaction. Previously home to Elaine’s restaurant, the properties, which total 15,350 square feet, feature one store unit and 16 market-rate residential units. The apartment units, which recently underwent renovation, feature stainless steel appliances, new hardwood floors, washers/dryers, new windows and new electric service. Thomas Gammino Jr. of Cushman & Wakefield handled the transaction. The names of the seller and buyer were not released.
BOSTON — Fantini & Gorga has arranged a $13.4 million construction loan for the development of a multifamily property located at 900 Beacon St. in Boston’s Audubon Circle neighborhood. Upon completion, the property will feature 28 market-rate apartments and four affordable units, as well as 4,340 square feet of ground-floor retail space. Additional on-site amenities include underground parking for 30 vehicles and an outdoor patio area to be used by the commercial tenants. Casmir Groblewski, Tim O’Donnell and Despina Hatzipetrou of Fantini & Gorga arranged the financing for the undisclosed developer. The lender is a Massachusetts-based financial institution.
EATONTOWN, N.J. — Holliday Fenoglio Fowler (HFF) has secured $10 million in refinancing for West Ridge Corporate Center in Eatontown. HFF placed the 10-year, fixed-rate loan with Principal Commercial Capital for the borrower, Bollerman Real Estate Services Inc. Located at One Industrial Way West, the five-building, 113,715-square-foot office/flex complex is currently 96 percent leased. Michael Klein led the HFF team representing Bollerman in the financing.
NEW YORK CITY — Ariel Properties Advisors has brokered the sale of two multifamily properties in Northern Manhattan totaling $9.4 million. In the first transaction, a 14,010-square-foot walk-up property, located at 532 West 152nd St., sold for $6.7 million, or $335,000 per unit. The building features one one-bedroom unit, eight two-bedroom units and 11 three-bedroom units. In the second deal, a 9,345-square-foot multifamily property, located at 273 West 140th St., sold for $2.7 million, or $270,000 per unit. The property features six one-bedroom units and four two-bedroom apartments. Victor Sozio, Michael Tortorici, Josh Berkowitz, Matthew Gillis and Samuel Atlas of Ariel Properties represented the sellers and buyers in both transactions. The names of the sellers and buyers were not released.
NEW YORK CITY — Akelius US LLC has acquired a six-building residential portfolio in Brooklyn for an undisclosed price. With properties in Crown Heights, Flatbush and Prospect Lefferts, the portfolio consists of 378 apartments. This is the sixth acquisition by the Swedish real estate company, Akelius, in the United States. The company now owns two properties in Manhattan and nine in Brooklyn.
JOLIET, ILL. — Amazon.com Inc. has unveiled plans to open a nearly 500,000-square-foot fulfillment center in Joliet, Ill., located about 45 miles southwest of Chicago. Baltimore, Md.-based GLP Development Co. is the project developer. The fulfillment center, which is expected to create 1,000 full-time jobs when it opens, will be the company’s first in the state. Amazon employees at the fulfillment center will process smaller items such as books, electronics and consumer goods. “We are thrilled that Amazon has chosen Joliet as the location for its new Illinois fulfillment center,” says Joliet Mayor Bob O’Dekirk. “The company is not only the leader in the e-commerce sector, but it also will create quality jobs for a diverse community throughout Joliet and Will County.” According to the Chicago Tribune, Amazon is already advertising for $13-an-hour and $14.95-an-hour jobs at the facility. The newspaper adds that Amazon has invested heavily in warehouses nationwide during the last three years as it faces increasing competition on speed from Walmart.com, eBay, Google and other online retailers.
INDIANAPOLIS — HREC Investment Advisors has arranged the sale of the 82-suite TownePlace Suites Indianapolis Keystone and the 94-suite TownePlace Suites Indianapolis Park 100, both Marriott-branded properties. The purchase price of the hotels was not disclosed. The TownePlace Suites Indianapolis Keystone is located on the north side of Indianapolis in the city’s most prestigious area, Keystone at the Crossing. The hotel is situated minutes from downtown Indianapolis and the Indianapolis International Airport. The TownePlace Suites Indianapolis Park 100 hotel is situated on the northwest side of Indianapolis. Local demand generators include downtown Indianapolis, Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Traders Point shopping and Eagle Creek Park. Ted Anka, vice president in HREC Investment Advisors’ Chicago and Miami offices, worked with both the buyer, Arbor Lodging Partners, and seller, First Hospitality Group (FHG), to complete the transaction. Chicago-based Arbor Lodging Partners is a national debt and equity investor in the hospitality industry. FHG, based in Rosemont, Ill., specializes in hotel management, acquisitions and development throughout the Midwest.
GLENVIEW, ILL. — Marcus & Millichap has brokered the sale of 1941-2019 Johns Drive, a 68,075-square-foot industrial building located in Glenview, a northern Chicago suburb. The purchase price was $3.87 million. Built in 1980, 1941-2019 Johns Drive is a combined two-building portfolio. The one-story multi-tenant asset includes 68,075 square feet of rentable space and is currently operating at 81 percent occupancy. Stephen Lieberman and Paul Tesdal, investment specialists in Marcus & Millichap’s downtown Chicago office, marketed the property on behalf of the seller, a local private investor. Lieberman and Tesdal also secured and represented the buyer, a local investor, in the transaction.