WILLIAMSVILLE, N.Y. — Wendel, a design and construction firm, has signed a lease to expand and relocate its Amherst, N.Y., corporate headquarters to Centerpointe Corporate Park in Williamsville. The design firm will occupy approximately 37,000 square feet at 375 Essjay Road in Centerpointe Corporate Park, Ciminelli’s flagship corporate park. Wendel expects to take occupancy in April 2015. This relocation will expand the firm’s office space by 10,000 square feet. Timothy Malchow of Ciminelli Real Estate Corp. represented the owner, Centerpointe Corporate Holdings LLC, in the transaction.
DALLAS — The nation’s apartment market continued to gain strength in the third quarter of 2014, according to early release figures from Axiometrics, a Dallas-based apartment market research company. Annualized rent growth reached 4 percent for the first time in almost two years, while quarterly effective rent growth increased over the third quarter of 2013. Occupancy also increased, to 95.1 percent, higher than the 95 percent mark reached last year, which had been the highest since the first quarter of 2001. Landlords Continue Pushing Rents Effective rent growth increased by 1.6 percent over the second quarter of 2014 on a quarter-by-quarter basis, an improvement on the 1.2 percent quarterly growth of the July-September period last year. Each quarter this year has seen improved rent growth from the same quarter last year. “That 1.6 percent growth is great for the summer season,” says Jay Denton, Axiometrics senior vice president. “The quarterly numbers this year show a stronger apartment market than we anticipated at the start of the year.” While effective rent growth for the third quarter was lower than the 2.7 percent rate measured in the second quarter, the decrease between the second (2.7 percent) and third quarters (1.6 percent) is …
FARMINGTON HILLS, MICH. — Agree Realty Corp. has acquired four net lease retail properties with an aggregate purchase price of approximately $16.4 million. The properties include a Firestone Auto Care store in Columbus, Ohio; a 24 Hour Fitness gym in Littleton, Colo.; a Golden Corral restaurant in Rockford, Ill.; and a Giant Gas station in Limerick, Penn. Agree Realty Corp. funded the acquisition and development activity with cash on hand, draws on its revolving credit facility and the assumption of a $5.7 million mortgage note due September 2023 that is secured by the 24 Hour Fitness property. The properties were acquired at a weighted-average cap rate of 8.14 percent and have a weighted-average remaining lease term of approximately 15.9 years.
LINCOLN, NEB. — NorthMarq Capital has arranged the $16.4 million refinancing of six Big Red Self Storage properties in Lincoln. The properties include a combined 2,750 units. John Reed of NorthMarq Capital structured the 20-year, fixed-rate loan with a 20-year amortization schedule. NorthMarq arranged financing for the borrower through its correspondent relationship with a life insurance company.
THE COLONY — Rapid Med Urgent Care Center has leased 6,692 square feet of retail space in Colony Plaza Retail, a retail center located at 3800 Main Street at Memorial Drive in The Colony. Matthew Rosenfeld of The Weitzman Group’s Commercial Retail Division handled negotiations as tenant representative for the urgent care center. Rapid Med offers primary care, urgent care, occupational medicine, concussion care management, vaccinations and other services. The company plans to open two more locations in the next six to nine months.
ROMEOVILLE, ILL. — Meridian Design Build has begun construction on a new 188,166-square-foot cold storage facility in Romeoville. The build-to-suit facility is situated on a 35-acre site located at Airport Road just west of Southcreek Parkway. The property will include office space, dry storage, a refrigerated palletizing area and a -10°F freezer sized to accommodate 21,000 pallet positions. The new building will also include 36 loading docks, 75 exterior trailer stalls and 177 auto parking positions. A refrigerated elevated building link will be constructed to accommodate conveyance of product from an adjacent production facility. WBS Equities LLC and Abbott Land & Investment are providing development services for the project. Meridian has retained Ware Malcomb to provide architectural and structural design services for the project. Jacob & Hefner Associates will provide civil engineering services.
SAN JOSE, CALIF. — Lowe Enterprises Investors (LEI) has acquired the 100-room Hotel De Anza in San Jose for an undisclosed sum. The hotel is located at 233 W. Santa Clara Street in the city’s downtown area. The hotel originally opened in 1931. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Hotel De Anza was designed by famed architect H.H. Weeks. Notable guests have included Eleanor Roosevelt, The DuPonts, Henry Kaiser, Jack Dempsey, Susan Hayward, Paulette Goddard and Fred MacMurray. The AAA-Four Diamond hotel was last renovated in 1990. LEI plans to further renovate the property next year. De Anza LLC has owned and operated the property for the past 24 years. The current iteration features La Pastaia Italian restaurant, Caffe La Pastaia grab-and-go concept, and the Hedley Club, which offers live jazz music and 5,800 square feet of meeting/function space. LEI acquired the hotel on behalf of an investment client. Destination Hotels, an LEI affiliate, will continue to operate the property as an independent, boutique hotel. De Anza LLC was represented by CBRE Hotels.
SAN ANTONIO — An unnamed buyer has purchased the 648-acre Black Buck Ranch in northwest San Antonio. The property will be developed into a master-planned community and features elevated land with views of downtown San Antonio and the surrounding area. The property borders the Palmira & Anaqua Spring Ranch developments. Taylor Schmidt and Reed Vestal of TNRG represented the buyer. Asher Reilly of Land Advisors Organization represented the seller.
KAPOLEI, HAWAII – A partnership between Angelo Gordon & Co. and Metric Holdings has acquired Kapolei Trade Center, a 221,000-square-foot industrial center, for $35 million. The property is located at 2045 Lauwiliwili Street inside the Kapolei Business Park in Kapolei. The center includes 17 detached industrial buildings on 11.8 acres. It was built in 2008. Kapolei’s seller, iStar Financial, initially acted as the project’s lender, taking control of the center in 2010. It was stabilized before iStar’s decision to sell the asset. The center’s listing agents are Guy Kidder and Scott Mitchell of Colliers International. The partnership, called AG-Metric KTC Holdings, has previously acquired the former Hawaii Raceway, now known as Malakole Industrial Park.
MISSOURI CITY, TEXAS — Coldwell Banker Commercial united Realtors has arranged the sale of a 22,203-square-foot shopping center located on three acres at 4225 Sienna Parkway in Missouri City. The center, called Market at Bees Creek, is located just south of Houston. Mark McGinley of Coldwell Banker represented the seller. James Lee of Gulf South Investments represented the buyer, a local investment group.