DALLAS — Marcus & Millichap has arranged the sale of Cockrell Hill Apartments, a 32-unit apartment property located in Dallas. Robert Denninger of Marcus & Millichap’s Dallas office marketed the property on behalf of the seller, a limited liability company. An outside broker represented the buyer, a limited liability company. Cockrell Hill Apartments is located at 4355 Division St., just off North Cockrell Hill Road. The Class C asset is situated on nearly three acres and consists of eight two-story buildings with four one-bedroom/one bath-units and 28 two-bedroom/two-bath units. Since 2009, the asset has undergone renovations that have included the addition of a new roof, a parking lot expansion, HVAC replacements, both exterior and interior improvements and the implementation of a washer/dryer program.
CHICAGO —Leopardo Cos. has completed a multiphase project for the Illinois College of Optometry, an optometric institution. The 28,000-square-foot interior renovation included modernizing aspects of an existing library and converting administrative space to make room for a new elderly eye care center. The library renovations added individual study areas, administrative and academic offices, as well as high-tech conference and student study rooms. The Alfred and Sarah Rosenbloom Center on Vision and Aging is a new elderly eye care facility to be used by the Illinois Eye Institute, a non-profit eye clinic providing eye care, outreach programs and research. Leopardo served as general contractor on the project. Chicago-based architect Jensen & Halstead provide architectural services.
CHICAGO — Essex Realty Group has brokered the $7.6 million sale of 3808-16 N. Sheffield Ave. in Chicago. The 31-unit courtyard building is located in Chicago’s Lakeview neighborhood. The building was converted to condominiums in 2008. Doug Imber and Kate Varde of Essex Realty represented the undisclosed seller and buyer.
LINCOLN, NEB. — HREC Investment Advisors has brokered the sale of the 231-room Holiday Inn Downtown located in Lincoln. AJ Capital Partners purchased the property for an undisclosed sales price. The hotel is located within the historic Haymarket District of downtown Lincoln and is in walking distance to the University of Nebraska and the Nebraska State Capitol. The 16-story Holiday Inn Lincoln was built in 1974 and will undergo a major renovation. Geoff Davis, Patrick Culligan and Scott Kaniewski of HREC Investment Advisors represented the seller, Rick Takach of Vesta Lincoln Partners LLC, in the sale. Rick Takach and Vesta Hospitality Services will continue to manage the property.
PROSPER, TEXAS — Dallas-based Tribute Senior Living will begin construction this spring on an advanced memory care and seniors living community at the corner of Preston Road and Broadway in Prosper, Texas. Upon completion in 2016, the 60,000-square-foot community will be home to 100 residents. “There are more than 5.2 million people living with Alzheimer’s disease in the United States,” says Charles Hodges, a partner with Tribute. “That number is expected to grow to more than 16 million by 2050. Those are very real numbers and when you also consider the family and friends touched by this horrible disease, we are talking about hundreds of millions of people affected in one way or another.” Sodalis Elder Living principal and Tribute Senior Living partner Mark Rushing will serve as the operating partner. The team has formally partnered with Dr. Paula Grammas, former executive director of the Garrison Institute on Aging and tenured professor of neurology at the Texas Tech University School of Medicine, to ensure that the communities utilize every environmental and care advantage in treating Alzheimer’s and dementia.
ORLANDO, FLA. — HFF has arranged $110 million in mortgage financing for a seven-property, 2,566-room hotel portfolio in Florida, California, Virginia, Ohio and New Mexico. The hotels include the 266-room Sheraton Tampa East in Tampa; the 382-room Sheraton Orlando North in Orlando; the 718-room Radisson Orlando Celebration in Orlando; the 329-room Hilton Concord in Concord, Calif.; the 295-room DoubleTree Williamsburg in Williamsburg, Va.; the 300-room Crowne Plaza Columbus North in Columbus, Ohio; and the 276-room Sheraton Albuquerque Airport in Albuquerque, N.M. Michael Weinberg, Dan Peek, Trey Morsbach and Preston Reid of HFF arranged the five-year, floating-rate laon through CCRE on behalf of the borrower, a joint venture between Varde Partners Inc., Interstate Hotels & Resorts and Waramaug Hospitality Management. Loan proceeds will be used to refinance existing debt on the properties.
TALLAHASSEE, FLA. — NorthMarq Capital has arranged $13.5 million in refinancing for University Village, a 152,104-square-foot retail center located at 2020 W. Pensacola St. in Tallahassee. The property’s major tenants include Gold’s Gym and the Post Office. Lee Weaver of NorthMarq Capital’s Tampa office arranged the 10-year loan with a 30-year amortization schedule through an unnamed CMBS lender.
ORLANDO, FLA. — NAI Realvest has brokered the $3.7 million sale of three industrial facilities totaling 63,000 square feet at the Airport Industrial Center. The assets, which are located at 7452-7466 Narcoossee Road in southeast Orlando, were fully leased at the time of sale. The purchase also included outdoor storage space. Drew Saphos, Christie Alexander, George Livingston, Michael Heidrich and Kristen Kemp of NAI Realvest represented the seller, Boston-based BIEL, REO LLC, in the transaction. The buyer was San Francisco-based IC BP III Holdings XII LLC.
SANDY SPRINGS, GA. — Coro Realty Advisors LLC has brokered the sale of Sandy Springs Crossing, a 133,324-square-foot retail center located at the intersection of Roswell and Abernathy roads in Sandy Springs, a suburb of Atlanta. LA Fitness anchors the center, and other tenants include Rockler Woodworking, Salons by JC, Gwinnett College, Hinton’s Wines, Bride Beautiful and Nori Nori Japanese Restaurant. G&I VII RCG Sandy Springs LLC, an investment fund advised by RCG Ventures, purchased the property for an undisclosed amount. Joe Montgomery and Tony D’Ambrosio of Colliers International represented the unnamed seller in the transaction. RCG Ventures was represented internally by Matt Klump.
The big story in the St. Louis office market is that available Class A space continues to become more scarce. As we watch the larger blocks of space being absorbed, and as Class A asking rates continue to increase, the probability for new development seems inevitable, leaving some property owners wondering if they should move forward and build. Although little new office construction is underway, the tightening market has undoubtedly prompted conversations. Expect projects to surface once developers land their first major tenant. The most likely submarkets for new development are in Clayton and West County, where many tenants requiring more than 25,000 contiguous square feet of office space are looking. You cannot have a full recovery for office occupancy until employment increases and the abundance of empty desks is absorbed. The local unemployment rate reached its peak of 10.9 percent in February 2010. The good news is that the unemployment rate hit a six-year low of 5.4 percent in October 2014. This significant drop can be attributed to the gain of over 11,000 jobs since January 2014 in the professional and business services sector. The St. Louis office market ended the year at a 10.5 vacancy rate, with Class …