NORWALK, CONN. — Atlantic Capital Partners, the capital markets advisory division of regional brokerage firm Atlantic Retail, has arranged a $23 million loan for the refinancing of a retail building located in the southern coastal Connecticut city of Norwalk. The building at 100 Connecticut Ave. is ground-leased to Lowe’s Home Improvement on a long-term basis. Stephen Joseph and Stephen Hassenflu arranged the fixed-rate loan on behalf of the owner, Hall Investments. The direct lender was not disclosed.
LENEXA, KAN. — Owner Copaken Brooks has unveiled two new tenants joining the District at Lenexa City Center — NEAT. Cocktail Bar and The Groom Gallery. The cocktail bar will open in winter 2025 in a 1,250-square-foot space that was formerly home to Savoy Tea. Block & Co. Inc. Realtors represented Neat Craft Cocktails in the lease. The Groom Gallery, a full-service pet grooming concept with six locations throughout the metro area, signed a lease for 1,312 square feet and anticipates opening in the first quarter of 2026. The District location will serve as a relocation of the company’s existing Lenexa site. Peak Real Estate Partners represented the tenant. Erin Johnston of Copaken Brooks was the landlord representative on both deals.
LOUISVILLE, KY. — Berkeley Capital Advisors has negotiated the sale of Westport Village, a 170,249-square-foot shopping center located at 1315 Herr Lane in Louisville. An affiliate of Richmond-based Hackney Real Estate Partners purchased the center from an affiliate of Savannah, Ga.-based Wicker Park Capital Management LLC for $39 million. David Webb, Alex Quarier and Alex McDonald of Berkeley Capital Advisors represented the seller in the transaction. Situated on 13.4 acres roughly 10 miles west of downtown, Westport Village houses 45 tenants, including Apricot Lane Boutique, Bend and Zen Hot Yoga, BoomBozz Pizza & Watch Party, Deka Lash, F45, North Lime Coffee & Donuts, Q’doba Mexican Grill, Steak & Bourbon, StretchLab, The Comfy Cow, The Wedding Studio, Westport Whiskey & Wine and Wild Eggs, among others.
ATLANTA — Coro Realty has sold a newly constructed restaurant located at 3234 Peachtree Road NE in Atlanta’s Buckhead district. Chick-fil-A occupies the property on a 15-year, corporate-guaranteed ground lease. The buyer and sales price were not disclosed. Chris Bosworth and Matt Karempelis of CBRE brokered the transaction. The 5,200-square-foot restaurant is situated on 1.4 acres near the intersection of Peachtree and Piedmont roads. The Chick-fil-A, which opened in May, serves as an outparcel at Buckhead Place, a mixed-use campus that houses Marshalls, LA Fitness, Five Below, Salon Studios Beauty Mall, Amalfi Pizza and Red Phone Booth. Upcoming components at Buckhead Place include the 20-story Tower on Piedmont apartments, 171-room Hyatt Place hotel, 186-room Hampton Inn hotel and the recently delivered, 291-unit Beverly by Alta apartment community that features a three-story parking deck.
BOWLING GREEN, KY. — Marcus & Millichap has brokered the $3.6 million sale of a two-property Dollar General portfolio in Bowling Green. Each retail property occupies 10,640 square feet on a 15-year corporate guaranteed lease with Dollar General Corp. Don McMinn and Andrew Koriwchak of Marcus & Millichap represented the seller, a Kentucky-based developer, in the transaction. The buyer was not disclosed. Grant Fitzgerald was Marcus & Millichap’s broker of record in Kentucky.
PHOENIX — Vestar has received approval from the Village Planning Committee to develop Laveen Towne Center, an open-air shopping center in Phoenix’s southwest submarket of Laveen. Set to break ground in summer 2026 with grand opening targeted for winter 2027, Laveen Towne Center will feature 500,000 square feet of retail, dining and entertainment space on 90 acres. Vestar plans to preserve the character and charm of the area through the project’s design and programming. The development will reuse existing materials and features found onsite, including from Hudson Farmhouse and informational plaques will inform visitors about the site and Laveen’s agrarian heritage. Additionally, the project will include a landscaped community space named Laveen Village Green that will host seasonal events, outdoor entertainment and public gatherings throughout the year. Laveen Towne Center is one of five ground-up projects that Vestar has brought to the Phoenix metro area since 2020, with an additional 1.5 million square feet of new projects in pre-development, set to be completed by 2031.
CARLSBAD, CALIF. — Archway Capital has provided a $42.9 million loan to Steerpoint Capital for the acquisition of a major portion of The Shoppes at Carlsbad. Steerpoint purchased a 727,000-square-foot portion, which is 74 percent occupied by Yard House, The Cheesecake Factory, Hollister, American Eagle Outfitters, Dave & Busters, 24 Hour Fitness and Regal. The acquired property is part of a 1.1 million-square-foot retail asset located at 2525 El Camino Real in Carlsbad. The borrower allocated and capitalized $4 million for improvements to the property, including upgrading the entrances, enhancing common area seating, adding digital signage and bathroom renovations. The Shoppes at Carlsbad was renovated in 2017.
OHIO — In a sale-leaseback transaction, CrownPoint Partners has sold a five-property dental real estate portfolio in Ohio for $5.5 million. A Midwest-based private investment fund focused on healthcare real estate was the buyer. The assets are located in Mansfield, Warren, Sidney, Akron and Eaton.
CHICAGO — Lee & Associates of Illinois has negotiated a 4,500-square-foot restaurant lease at 2535 N. Milwaukee Ave. in Chicago’s Logan Square neighborhood. The tenant, ManSun, is an authentic Korean restaurant. This will be the proprietor’s second restaurant, following New Village Gastro Pub in Northbrook. Rick Scardino and Michael Petrik of Lee & Associates represented the tenant in the lease. Amanda Shafer of Emerging Concepts represented the landlord, an entity doing business as 2M Square FB LLC.
ATLANTA AND CHICAGO — Convenience retailer RaceTrac Inc. has entered into a definitive merger agreement to acquire all outstanding shares of fast-casual sandwich chain Potbelly Corp. (NASDAQ: PBPB) for $17.12 per share. The all-cash transaction is valued at roughly $566 million, representing a premium of approximately 47 percent to Potbelly’s 90-day volume-weighted average price as of Sept. 9. The acquisition is expected to close in the fourth quarter, subject to customary closing conditions and regulatory approvals. Founded more than 40 years ago in Chicago, Potbelly sells toasted sandwiches, salads, soups and hand-dipped milkshakes. The sandwich shop chain currently maintains more than 445 company and franchise-owned locations across the United States, with a long-term goal of reaching 2,000 shops. “We have positioned Potbelly for accelerated franchise-led growth in recent years, and this transaction fortifies our path while delivering certain and immediate value to our shareholders,” says Bob Wright, president and CEO of Potbelly. Wright, a former Wendy’s executive, led a turnaround of Potbelly during the pandemic, according to Crain’s Chicago Business. Expanding the franchisee base was a major part of the strategy. Atlanta-based RaceTrac, one of the largest privately held companies in the United States, operates more than 800 convenience stores …