ST. LOUIS — The St. Louis Regional Convention and Sports Complex Authority (RSA) has contracted Kwame Building Group Inc. (KWAME) to provide project management support to John Loyd, RSA’s developer’s representative, for the proposed NFL stadium on the St. Louis riverfront. The RSA contracted John Loyd as its developer’s representative to consult on stadium design and construction. The Hunt Construction Group/Clayco (HCKL) construction management team will report to Loyd. Hunt Construction, in association with Kwame Building Group, served as the design-build contractor on the $270 million Busch Stadium in downtown St. Louis, with Loyd as the owner’s representative. Construction of the new stadium would create more than 5,000 construction jobs over a four-year period, in addition to retaining a major regional employer and more than 2,400 game-day jobs.
Retail
LOS ANGELES – Black Equities has purchased a retail center at 7300 Melrose Ave. in Los Angeles for $5.3 million. The center is home to Floyd’s Barbershop and the Dark Room bar and restaurant. The seller, Ness Holdings, purchased the center for $3.8 million in 2013. At that time, the firm renegotiated the anchor tenants’ leases and re-tenanted the additional spaces. The repositioning program was completed and the asset was sold in less than two years.
WELLINGTON, FLA. — HFF has brokered the $53.5 million sale of Wellington Green Commons, a Whole Foods-anchored retail center in Wellington, a village in South Florida’s Palm Beach County. Built in two phases in 2008 and 2010, the 112,354-square-foot center was 98.5 percent leased at the time of sale to tenants such as AT&T, Chili’s Grill & Bar, Macaroni Grill, Jason’s Deli, Moe’s Southwest Grill, Massage Envy Spa, Orange Theory Fitness, AmTrust Bank, Posch Boutique, My Community Pharmacy and BP Amoco/Dunkin’ Donuts. Daniel Finkle, Luis Castillo, Nat Scarmazzi and Kim Flores of HFF represented the seller, Schmier & Feurring Properties, in the transaction. The buyer was Weingarten Realty Investors.
KENNESAW, GA. — Atlanta-based shopping center owner RCG Ventures has formed a joint venture with DRA Advisors to purchase Cobb Place, a 335,190-square-foot shopping center located along Ernest Barrett Parkway in Kennesaw, a northern suburb of Atlanta. The joint venture acquired the center from an undisclosed seller for $46.5 million. The property’s tenant roster includes Bed Bath & Beyond, Cost Plus World Market, DSW Shoe Warehouse, Ashley Furniture and American Signature Furniture. CBRE represented the seller in the transaction, and RCG Ventures was represented internally by Matt Klump.
WARRINGTON, PA. — Metro Development Co. has added new tenants to the roster at Valley Gate, the under-construction mixed-use development in Warrington. Buffalo Wild Wings, Darianna Bridal & Tuxedo, General Nutrition Center (GNC), Hair Cuttery, Luxury Nails, McDonald’s, Pet Valu, Red Robin, U-Swirl Yogurt and VisionWorks are now opened or expected to open at the Walmart-anchored center during the second and third quarter of this year. Metro Development broke ground on the 67-acre development in fall 2013. Upon completion, the development will feature a hotel, a 155,000-square-foot Walmart Supercenter, a freestanding McDonald’s, and Warrington Pointe, an 81-unit townhome community constructed by Pulte Home Builders. The Walmart is slated for completion this fall and the commercial center will be fully opened for business prior to the opening of Walmart. US Realty Associates Inc. is exclusive leasing agent for the property.
The retail market in Utah continues to build steam and has expanded over the past 12 months. With these gains, tenants are in abundance and new construction is on the rise. Vacancy continued to improve through 2014, as the overall vacancy rate declined by 0.7 percentage points on a year-over-year basis to end at 6.2 percent. This represents the lowest vacancy rate of the past decade. With supply constrained and demand improving, average asking lease rates jumped by 9 percent on a year-over-year basis, to $18.98 per square foot. New construction continued across the valley, with 548,577 square feet of space added to the market. The local housing market drives retail development in Utah. About 18,573 building permits have been issued throughout the state in the past two years, including multifamily projects. This construction pushed many retailers into expansion mode, looking to take up shop in locations that cut off the competition. This is particularly true in one segment of the market that now stands supreme in the Utah retail ecosystem: grocery. Grocers have expanded at a breakneck rate. Sprout’s Farmers Market opened new stores in Holladay and South Jordan. A Smith’s Marketplace opened its doors in West Jordan at …
CLUTE, TEXAS — Cencor Realty Services has broken ground on Woodshore Marketplace, a 140,000-square-foot shopping center at the southeast corner of Oyster Creek Drive and Dixie Drive within the master-planned Woodshore community near Houston. A 123,000-square-foot Kroger Marketplace will anchor Woodshore Marketplace. The Kroger Marketplace is projected to open in December. In addition to the Kroger, Woodshore Marketplace will also include 16,450 square feet of in-line space, along with three pad sites for freestanding concepts. Steve Chandler of Cencor is directing development of the community center. Woodshore Marketplace is set for completion in later this year.
MERRILL, WIS. — Cohen Financial has arranged a $6.3 million refinancing loan for Merrill Ridge Plaza, a mixed-use retail and office center located at 3404-3500 East Main Street in Merrill. Merrill Ridge Plaza is a 122,919-square-foot property that’s 97 percent leased. Anchor tenants include Piggly Wiggly, Dollar Tree and Church Mutual Insurance Co. Don Trossman of Cohen Financial’s Chicago office secured the fixed-rate loan that includes a 20-year amortization schedule with River Valley Bank, a regional bank. Martin Graff of M.H. Graff & Associates represented the borrower, Focused Retail-Merrill Ridge LLC.
DES PLAINES, ILL. — Quantum Real Estate Advisors has brokered the $710,000 sale of retail building located at 804 S. Elmhurst Road in Des Plaines. Jewel-Osco and Fifth Third Bank shadow anchor the shopping center. A Bartlett, Ill.-based real estate investor sold the property. The buyer was a private real estate investor based in Northbrook, Ill. Chad Firsel of Quantum was the sole broker in the transaction.
DAVIE, FLA. — Avison Young has brokered the $5.4 million sale of Flamingo Commons, an 18,000-square-foot strip center and outparcel located at 4401 S. Flamingo Road in Davie. The property was 87 percent leased at the time of sale to tenants such as SunTrust Bank and Dunkin’ Donuts. Michael Fay, John Crotty and Joshua Ladle of Avison Young represented the seller, LNR Partners, in the transaction. The Avison Young team found potential buyers using Auction.com. The buyer, JDV Properties LLC, has retained Avison Young for leasing and management services.