BELMONT, CALIF. — Sares Regis Group of Northern California (SRGNC) has closed escrow on the retail portion of The Ashton in Belmont. Terms of the transaction, including acquisition price and buyer, were not disclosed. The one-story, 4,900-square-foot retail center is fully occupied by three tenants: Bank of America, Row House and Apizza. Developed by SRGNC affiliate Regis Homes Bay Area, The Ashton features 74 for-sale residences spread across two four-story residential buildings. The transit-friendly property is located in Belmont’s City Center neighborhood at the corner of Davey Glen Road and El Camino Real, near Highway 101 and within walking distance of the Belmont Caltrain station. The development team included Tricon Capital, Dahlin Group, BKF Engineers, Nishkian Menniger and Regis Contractors Bay Area.
Retail
CHICAGO — JLL has negotiated the sale of a 9,794-square-foot, single-tenant retail building in Chicago for an undisclosed price. The property is triple net leased to Walter E. Smithe, a family-owned and operated local furniture business. Located at 2009 N. Clybourn Ave., the building is one of the tenant’s 10 Chicagoland showrooms. Nicholas Kanich and Alex Sharrin of JLL represented the seller, a Chicago-based private partnership. JLL also procured the buyer, a California-based family office, which purchased the asset while completing a 1031 tax-deferred exchange.
ROUND ROCK, TEXAS — NAI Partners’ Investment Fund III has acquired Triangle Center, a 58,929-square-foot retail center situated on 4.9 acres in the northern Austin suburb of Round Rock. According to LoopNet Inc., the property was built in 1984. Andrew Pappas and Adam Hawkins of NAI Partners negotiated the deal with Matt Fain of Equitable Commercial Realty, who represented the undisclosed seller. Veritex Community Bank provided acquisition financing.
Pupcakes and Pawstries Barkery Signs 2,500 SF Retail Lease in Bridgewater, New Jersey
by Alex Patton
BRIDGEWATER, N.J. — Pet supplies retailer Pupcakes & Pawstries Barkery and Shoppe has signed a 2,500-square-foot retail lease in Bridgewater, located approximately 40 miles west of New York City. The space is situated within Somerset Shopping Center, a 219,000-square-foot retail center with tenants including Barnes & Noble, Gap and Men’s Wearhouse. The company has already relocated from its previous space in Basking Ridge, New Jersey. Vanessa Fernandez-Kelty of Levin Management Corp. internally represented the landlord in the lease negotiations.
MANASSAS, VA. — KLNB has brokered the $21 million sale of Maplewood Center, a 135,674 square-foot grocery-anchored retail center located at 8300-8370 Centreville Road in Manassas. Andy Stape, Vito Lupo and Stephen Porter of KLNB’s Retail Investment Sales Group represented the undisclosed seller and procured the unnamed purchaser for this transaction. Anchored by Megamart Supermarket, a Mid-Atlantic supermarket chain, Maplewood Center was 98 percent leased at the time of sale. Other notable tenants include Dollar General, McDonald’s, Popeyes and Pizza Hut.
QUITMAN, MISS. — Investment real estate service firm The Boulder Group has arranged the $1.6 million sale of a single-tenant store leased to Dollar General located at 403 S. Archusa Ave. in Quitman, 25 miles south of Meridian. The 12,596-square-foot property is located along Mississippi Highway 18. Randy Blankstein and Jimmy Goodman of The Boulder Group represented the seller, a commercial real estate investment firm based in the Southwest United States, in the transaction. The buyer, a private West Coast investor, purchased the store in a 1031 exchange. The property was built in 2013 and Dollar General has nine years remaining on the lease, expiring in 2028. The lease features rental escalations in year 11 and in each of the five 5-year renewal option periods. The absolute triple-net lease has zero landlord responsibilities, according to Boulder Group.
PARAMUS, NJ. — Toys ‘R’ Us has opened a 6,500-square-foot retail store at the Westfield Garden State Plaza Mall in Paramus, a western suburb of New York City. The new store, which opened on Saturday, Nov. 4, marks the first brick-and-mortar store the company has opened since it filed for bankruptcy in 2017 and closed all of its stores in 2018. Compared to the retailer’s previous big box stores, the new store follows an experience-driven format with playscapes, Lego sets and other interactive activities. Customers can purchase items in-store or access an online directory of additional inventory through touch screen displays. Toys ‘R’ Us plans to open a second store of similar design in Houston, Texas, on Saturday, Dec. 7.
PHILADELPHIA — Gobrands Inc. has signed two separate leases totaling 7,560 square feet for adjacent buildings in Aramingo Village, a shopping center in Philadelphia. The buildings will house the company’s digital convenience delivery service goPuff, utilizing 6,060 square feet for warehouse and distribution space and 1,500 square feet as a beer retail store. Richard Soloff of Soloff Realty & Development Inc. represented Gobrands in the lease negotiations. Soloff also represented the undisclosed landlord.
GARFIELD HEIGHTS, OHIO — Industrial Commercial Properties (ICP) has purchased a building formerly occupied by a Kmart store in Garfield Heights, a suburb of Cleveland. The purchase price was not disclosed. The 89,300-square-foot property is located at 12501 Rockside Road and is situated on 9.3 acres. ICP plans to update the building and repurpose it into industrial space.
Meridian Capital Arranges $52M in Construction Financing for Mixed-Use Project in Los Angeles
by Amy Works
LOS ANGELES — Meridian Capital Group has arranged $52 million in non-recourse construction financing for Produce LA, a speculative mixed-use development located in Los Angeles. The three-year loan, which a balance sheet lender provided, features a floating rate, two one-year extension options and full-term interest-only payments. Seth Grossman and Sarah Kuebler of Meridian negotiated the financing for the undisclosed borrower. Located at 640 S. Santa Fe Ave., the 71,400-square-foot development site is located within an Opportunity Zone in the Arts District of downtown Los Angeles. When complete, the four-story, 113,600-square-foot property will feature Class A creative office space with ground-floor restaurant and retail space and a 4,300-square-foot rooftop terrace. Additionally, the project will sit above two levels of subterranean parking and include an adjacent 64-stall surface lot, totaling 216 parking spaces for the property. Produce LA is also located adjacent to the Sixth Street Viaduct project, a new bridge and 12-acre park slated to open in 2020, as well as the proposed Sixth Street metro station.