ALTOONA, PA. — Commercial finance and advisory firm Axiom Capital Corp. has arranged an $11 million loan for the refinancing of a 222,139-square-foot, single-tenant retail property in Altoona, about 100 miles east of Pittsburgh. Walmart occupies the property, which houses a grocery store, auto care center, pharmacy and a hair salon. The names of the borrower, a private investment group, and direct lender, a bank, were not disclosed.
— Brad Umansky, President, Progressive Real Estate Partners — The retail vacancy rate for the Inland Empire has dipped below 6 percent for the first time since 2008. But there is a dramatic difference between then and now. From 2006 to 2008, there was about 20 million square feet constructed, compared to only 2.8 million square feet from 2020 to 2022. Using Costar’s data, retail rents rose 5.7 percent in the past year, which was just under the 6 percent rent growth in 2021. These are the two highest years of rent growth in the past 15 years. In my opinion, the market has regained equilibrium, which is about where we were at in 2019 before the bottom fell out the following year. The substantial development of the early 2000s required almost a decade to fully absorb. COVID then created 1.5 million square feet of negative absorption in 2020, which has all been fully absorbed, plus another 3.3 million square feet of net absorption in 2021 and 2022. The Inland Empire added more than 74,000 jobs in the past year, and the region’s population continues to grow despite the decline in California’s overall population. People are attracted to the employment opportunities, lower cost of …
O’FALLON, MO. — Hanley Investment Group Real Estate Advisors has brokered the sale of a 20,400-square-foot retail property in O’Fallon within metro St. Louis for an undisclosed price. Named Shops on K, the center is located at 2376-2400 Highway K. The property is fully leased to Aaron’s, Advance America Cash Advance, American Family Insurance, Cloud 9 Massage, Stallone’s Formal Wear, Pottery Hollow, a dance academy, dog groomer and fitness center. Constructed in 1997, the building is situated next to a Target and Kohl’s-anchored shopping center. Jeff Lefko and Bill Asher of Hanley, in association with ParaSell Inc., represented the seller, a St. Louis-based private owner. The buyer was a private investor from metro Nashville.
COLUMBUS, OHIO — CASTO has unveiled new retail tenants for the Hamilton Quarter mixed-use development in Columbus. The new tenants include DiBella’s Subs, Torchy’s Tacos, KEMBA Financial Credit Union and Bath & Body Works. Located at the interchange of Hamilton Road and State Route 161, Hamilton Quarter is a 200-acre project. Plans call for 600,000 square feet of office space, 1 million square feet of retail, restaurant and entertainment space, and a hotel. The project is a joint venture between Casto, Daimler, The New Albany Co. and Capitol Square Ltd.
SANTA ANA, CALIF. — Orange County-based Red Mountain Group has acquired 20 empty fee-simple former Big Lots stores from Big Lots for $47.5 million in an off-market transaction. The portfolio includes 463,427 square feet of retail space and 3.5 acres of land for future pad development. The empty big box properties are located throughout 20 cities and four states in the United States, with most of the sites in Northern and Southern California.
KENT AND KENNEWICK, WASH. — Newmark has arranged the sales of two retail properties, totaling 124,660 square feet, in Kent and Kennewick. The assets sold for undisclosed amounts. One property is a 67,240-square-foot vacant former Tops Foods Grocer, located at 26000 100th Pl. SE in Kent. The asset is part of the Canyon Ridge Shopping Center, which is shadow-anchored by Target, Ross Dress for Less, Old Navy and Petco. Located at 6603 W. Canal Drive in Kennewick, the second building is a 57,420-square-foot, single-tenant property that is triple-net leased to Sportsman’s Warehouse. The property is within the Colonnade Shopping Center, which includes Ross Dress for Less, Best Buy, PetSmart and Michaels. Sportsman’s Warehouse has operated at this location for more than 20 years and recently extended its lease. Paul Sleeth and Billy Sleeth of Newmark represented the private sellers in both transactions. Kent is a suburb of Seattle, while Kennewick is located in the southeast quadrant of the state.
HARTSVILLE, S.C. — Marcus & Millichap has brokered the $5 million sale of a 14,450-square-foot store at 901 S. 5th St. in Hartsville that is net-leased to Walgreens. The drug store chain has a little less than 11 years left on the lease, as well as 50 one-year extension options. A buyer based on the East Coast purchased the store in an all-cash deal from the seller, a limited liability company. Both parties requested anonymity. Bruce Cowley and Lisa Sickinger of Marcus & Millichap represented the seller in the transaction. Ben Yelm, Marcus & Millichap’s South Carolina broker of record, assisted in the deal.
CHICAGO — Baird & Warner has brokered the sale of a nearly 29,000-square-foot office and retail building in Chicago’s Streeterville neighborhood for $6.2 million. Located at 212 E. Ohio St., the property is one block east of the city’s Magnificent Mile. Originally constructed in 1965, the five-story building is fully leased to tenants such as @properties Christie’s International Real Estate and Central City Productions. Brant Sichko of Baird & Warner represented the undisclosed buyer. Mike Rourke and Dan Stratis of @properties represented the sellers, Theus Property Holdings LLC and Miden Property Holdings LLC.
ROSEVILLE, CALIF. — LRE & Cos. and American Hospitality Services have unveiled full plans for Roseville Junction, a new mixed-use development in Roseville. The property will feature two hotels, three restaurants, an entertainment and sports complex and an outdoor gathering space. Roseville Junction will be built on an 11-acre site that is 20 miles northeast of Sacramento. The site is adjacent to Highway 65 near Interstate 80, and is located nearby many of the area’s vineyards and wineries, as well as new retail and shopping amenities such as the Roseville Galleria. A timeline for completion was not disclosed. The family- and pet-friendly outdoor gathering space will be called Social Connection and will offer guests a variety of food and beverage options, including craft brewery Fieldwork Brewing Co. The restaurants leases are currently under negotiation. The project’s entertainment and sports complex, The Electric Pickle, will include a bocce ball court and 10 pickleball courts. The Electric Pickle will also offer food options such as wood-fired pizzas, tacos, burgers and more. Guests will be able to place food and beverage orders through an app and have their food delivered by “food ambassadors” moving throughout the property. The two five-story, select-service hotels will be …
By Evan Lyons, Encore Real Estate Investment Services Looking back on 2022, it could be said that Detroit’s economic performance last year mirrored that of the city’s tenacious Detroit Lions’ football season. Both were mired in doubt, plagued by volatility and sustained by grit, yet beyond all expectation, when the clock ran down, both proved the naysayers wrong. Just as the Lions surprised doubters by finishing their season at 9-8 and beating their divisional rivals, the Green Bay Packers, Detroit surpassed expectations by outpacing the national jobs growth rate of 5.8 percent at mid-year 2022 with a rate of 8.6 percent year-over-year. Gains in employment and wages are expected to continue over the next few years, according to a University of Michigan study. The city bolstered its “offensive line” with new store openings and new construction throughout the urban core. Stadiums and parks were filled again, fueled by crowd-pleasing events and programing, including Belle Isle parks’ notorious, over-waxed giant slide, which went viral and gained infamy last year for catapulting riders who dared venture a ride. Detroit also scored points in visits to leisure and hospitality establishments during the past 12 months. Visits increased by 50 percent from June …