If you mention the phrase “retail apocalypse” to anyone in the Richmond market, you will immediately receive a puzzled look back. The Richmond retail market is about as far away from a retail apocalypse as any market in the country. Yes, we have seen the Toys ‘R’ Us, Sears, Macy’s and Kmart closures, but with close to 83 million square feet of retail space in the Richmond MSA, the current retail vacancy rate is below 5 percent. The vacancy rate is at, or near, a record low and demand for more space remains robust. New retail development projects are leasing quickly and several noteworthy redevelopment projects are in the works. In May 2016, Wegmans opened its first 120,000-square-foot Richmond store at Stonehenge Village along Midlothian Turnpike. In August of that same year, Wegmans opened its second store at West Broad Marketplace in Short Pump. Since those two openings, Richmond has received new attention from many national tenants, developers, and investors looking to enter the market. Market activity has been driven by the likes of Wegmans, Kroger, Publix, Aldi, Lidl and Whole Foods Market, as well as Gold’s Gym, Planet Fitness and Crunch Fitness. In 2016, Ahold announced it would sell …
ARLINGTON, TEXAS — Weitzman has negotiated the sale of Matlock Oaks, an 86,777-square-foot retail center in Arlington. Specialty grocer Indo Pak World Market anchors the center, which was renovated in 2014. Other tenants include Subway, Allstate Insurance and Matlock Family Dental. Kevin Butkus of Weitzman represented the seller, a Dallas-based joint venture. Michael Uhm of The Michael Group represented the buyer. Both parties requested anonymity.
PHOENIX — Hines has acquired a 1.5-acre site and received zoning approval from the City of Phoenix for the development of a 379-unit multifamily tower located on the northwest corner of Jefferson and Third streets in downtown Phoenix. Construction of the 25-story, 480,000-square-foot tower is slated to begin in the first quarter of 2019, with completion scheduled for the fourth quarter of 2020. The development will be Hines’ first multifamily project in the Phoenix area. Located near Talking Stick Resort Arena, the development will feature 75 studio, 179 one-bedroom and 125 two-bedroom residences. Amenities will include an outdoor, Olympic-size swimming pool; 2,800-square-foot fitness center; indoor great room with private and group seating; private conference areas; and community kitchen. Additional offerings will include elevated outdoor courtyards with an outdoor kitchen, firepits with group and private seating and landscaped gardens; a dog spa; bike storage; a coffee bar; concierge service; and 4,500 square feet of street-level retail or restaurant space. The site currently features three levels of underground parking, which will be used for residential parking. Hines also plans to renovate 10,000 square feet of existing office space and lease it. Hines represented itself in the site acquisition, while Jim Fijan at …
EUREKA, CALIF. — NAI Northern California has negotiated the $11.4 million sale of the Eureka Safeway, located at 2555 Harris St. in Eureka. Doug Sharpe of NAI Northern California represented the undisclosed buyer in the deal. Safeway occupies the 49,145-square-foot grocery store on a new 20-year, absolute triple-net lease with fixed rent increases. The name of the seller was not released.
MONTCLAIR, CALIF. — Epsteen & Associates San Diego and Progressive Real Estate Partners have arranged the sale of Shops at Mission Square, a retail center located at 4467 Mission Blvd. in Montclair. A San Diego-based private investor sold the property to a Yorba Linda-based private investor for $4 million, or $692 per square foot. Built in 2007, the 5,852-square-foot property is fully leased to four national retailers: Panda Express, Little Caesars, Dairy Queen and Boost Mobile. Joe Wojdowski of Epsteen & Associates and Greg Bedell of Progressive Real Estate represented the seller, while Scott Chang of 168 Realty represented the buyer in the all-cash transaction.
CARTER LAKE, IOWA — Kraus-Anderson Construction has completed the first phase of Prairie Flower Casino on behalf of the Ponca Tribe of Nebraska. The 9,500-square-foot gaming facility is located in Carter Lake, a northwest suburb of Omaha. The property will include 200 slot-style games and a full-service bar. Approximately 100 individuals will be employed at the casino. The Ponca Tribe of Nebraska has nearly 4,300 tribal citizens, with almost half of them residing in the states of Iowa and Nebraska. The name Prairie Flower has a special meaning to the Ponca Tribe of Nebraska. Standing Bear, a former tribe chief circa 1879, had a daughter named Prairie Flower who passed away during the tribe’s forced relocation to Oklahoma.
MCLEAN, VA. — Cohen Financial has secured a $12.5 million loan with Reinsurance Group of America for the acquisition of a retail property in McLean, about 10 miles west of Washington, D.C. Thomas Wiedeman of Cohen Financial secured the fixed-rate, non-recourse, 11-year loan with a 20-year amortization schedule and a 65 percent loan-to-value ratio for the borrower, a local commercial real estate investor. REI Tysons occupies the 32,857-square-foot, single-tenant property located at 8209 Watson St. in McLean.
PLANO AND MANSFIELD, TEXAS — SHOP Cos. has negotiated the sale of Plano Crossing Building 1 and Mansfield Commons, two retail centers totaling 39,711 square feet in Plano and Mansfield, two cities in the Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) metroplex. The properties are shadow-anchored by a Home Depot and Walmart Supercenter, respectively, and were both fully leased at the time of sale. Tim Axilrod and Tommy Tucker of SHOP Cos. represented the seller, California-based Black Lion Investment Group, in the Plano deal. The duo represented the buyer, a Texas-based limited liability company, in the Mansfield deal.
SUGAR LAND, TEXAS — Phoenix-based grocer Sprouts Farmers Market is nearing completion of construction of its 30,000-square-foot store in Sugar Land, a southwestern suburb of Houston. The official opening is slated for Jan. 16, 2019. The store, located at 13550 University Blvd., is expected to create approximately 140 new jobs upon opening.
GAHANNA, OHIO — PEBB Enterprises has purchased Hunter’s Ridge, a 93,743-square-foot shopping center in Gahanna, an eastern suburb of Columbus. The purchase price was not disclosed. The property is located at the intersection of South Hamilton and Morrison roads. Kroger and Planet Fitness anchor the center. Other tenants include restaurants, a beauty salon, dance studio and medical office. PEBB now owns and operates four shopping centers in Ohio.