SALISBURY, N.C. — Food Lion is investing $484 million to enhance the customer shopping experience with 153 remodeled stores. The stores were unveiled on Nov. 5 throughout the greater Charlotte market. Founded in Salisbury in 1957, Food Lion operates more than 1,100 stores throughout 10 Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic states. Additionally, Ahold Delhaize USA, the parent company of Food Lion as well as Giant Food and Stop & Shop, recently announced it is investing $860 million for its new East Coast distribution hub in Burlington, N.C.
Southeast
City of Memphis Acquires 600-Room Sheraton Memphis Downtown Hotel, Plans Redevelopment
by John Nelson
MEMPHIS, TENN. — The City of Memphis has acquired the Sheraton Memphis Downtown, a 600-room hotel located at 250 N. Main St. in downtown Memphis. The seller, an undisclosed institutional hotel investment firm, and the sales price were not disclosed, though local media outlets are reporting the asset traded for $22 million. Spencer Davidson and Tim Osborne of Hunter Hotel Advisors brokered the transaction. The city is partnering with Carlisle Development Group to overhaul and rebrand the property as Marriott Hotel Downtown Memphis. The hotel currently features 18,131 square feet of onsite meeting space, an indoor pool, fitness center and direct access via an enclosed skywalk to the 300,000-square-foot Renasant Convention Center, which recently underwent a $200 million modernization. Specific plans and construction timelines for the hotel redevelopment project were not released.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Swinerton, working on behalf of developer Space Craft, has topped out Cordo, a $111 million multifamily development located at 512 E. 21st St. in Charlotte’s Optimist Park neighborhood. The development, the fifth between Swinerton and Space Craft, will feature 287 studio, one-, two-, three- and four-bedroom units, as well as a rooftop terrace, resident lounge/game room with a full kitchen, meeting and coworking spaces, outdoor courtyard and fitness and wellness areas. Designed by Charlotte-based architecture firm Shook Kelley, the project will feature cross-laminated timber (CLT) decks, which will create exposed timber ceilings. Timberlab, sister company of Swinerton, prefabricated approximately 50,000 linear feet of wood wall framing and 185,000 square feet of CLT using pine, spruce and fir in its Greenville, S.C., facility for the development. The project team broke ground on Cordo last fall and expects to deliver the community by summer 2027.
WILLIAMSTON, S.C. — Farpoint has executed a new 10-year lease with BMarko Structures, a manufacturer of modular buildings, at 134 Long Road in Williamston. Farpoint recently delivered the 560,240-square-foot facility in Anderson County, a submarket in the Upstate South Carolina region. BMarko’s new corporate headquarters is expected to create 225 full-time jobs and tap into the skilled workforce and advanced manufacturing presence in the I-85 corridor, according to Farpoint. BMarko’s past projects include the popular Bal Harbour Shops pop-up in Miami, as well as prefabricated data centers.
Foundry Commercial Arranges Office Headquarters Lease at Interlock in Atlanta for AMX Logistics
by John Nelson
ATLANTA — Foundry Commercial has arranged a 20,299-square-foot office lease at Interlock, a mixed-use development in Atlanta’s West Midtown district, for AMX Logistics, an asset trucking and third-party logistics firm. The new corporate headquarters lease is expected to create 200 net new jobs for AMX by the end of 2026. Phil Costabile and Lawrence Gellerstedt IV of Foundry represented the tenant in the lease transaction. Aileen Almassy and Will Porter of Partners Real Estate represented the landlord, SJC Ventures.
Annual RevPAR for U.S. Hotel Sector Declines for First Time Since 2020, Says CoStar and Tourism Economics
by John Nelson
ARLINGTON, VA. — Revenue per available room (RevPAR) was revised downward in the final performance projections for the U.S. hospitality sector in 2025, according to the latest forecast from CoStar Group and Tourism Economics, an Oxford Economics company. RevPAR is projected to finish the year at a decline of 0.4 percent (or negative 40 basis points) compared to a year ago. This would result in the first total-year decline since 2020 and only the second since 2009, both of which were years with major macroeconomic disruptions with the COVID-19 pandemic and Great Financial Crisis, respectively. CoStar and Tourism Economics also lowered occupancy projections to end the year at 62.3 percent, a decline from 63.1 percent at year-end 2024, while average daily rate (ADR) was held steady at +0.8 percent for the year. For 2026, occupancy is projected to decline by another 30 basis points, while ADR and RevPAR are projected to trend positive by 90 and 50 basis points, respectively (see chart). “We expect little change in the macroeconomic environment as unemployment and prices continue to rise,” says Amanda Hite, president of STR, a hospitality research firm owned by CoStar. “As a result, our hotel performance outlook for the remainder of …
Toyota Begins Production at $13.9B Battery Plant in North Carolina, Pledges Additional $10B Investment Over Next Five Years
by Abby Cox
LIBERTY, N.C. — Toyota (NYSE: TM) has begun production at its new $13.9 billion battery plant in Liberty, approximately 20 miles southeast of Greensboro, N.C. The 7 million-square-foot facility, which broke ground in 2021, is Toyota’s first and only battery plant outside of Japan and the company’s 11th U.S. plant. Toyota will also make an additional investment of up to $10 billion over the next five years to “support future mobility efforts,” according to company representatives. Toyota has invested nearly $60 billion since the company began its U.S. operations nearly 70 years ago. “Toyota is a pioneer in electrified vehicles, and the company’s significant manufacturing investment in the United States and North Carolina further solidifies our commitment to team members, customers, dealers, communities and suppliers,” says Ted Ogawa, president and CEO of Toyota Motor North America (TMNA). Toyota North Carolina is expected to create as many as 5,100 jobs. “This new facility will bring new opportunities and long-term growth to our state. It’s another sign that North Carolina continues to lead the way in manufacturing and innovation,” adds U.S. Representative Richard Hudson of North Carolina. The 1,850-acre site can produce 30 gigawatt-hours (GWh) annually at full capacity and will serve …
Gilbane, CBRE Underway on 763-Bed Student Housing Development Near University of Central Florida
by John Nelson
ORLANDO, FLA. — Construction is underway on VIBE, a 763-bed student housing project by Gilbane Development and CBRE Investment Management located at 3765 Quadrangle Blvd. near the University of Central Florida campus in Orlando. The partnership recently opened a temporary leasing office for the community at 12226 Corporate Blvd. The development is scheduled for completion in fall 2026. VIBE will offer 275 fully furnished units in one-, two-, three- and four-bedroom configurations with bed-to-bath parity. Each floor will offer private rooms for individual study, remote classes or quiet reflection. Additional shared amenities are set to include two courtyards; a resort-style pool with cabanas and a sun deck; clubhouse with a communal fire pit; outdoor kitchen with grills; pickleball courts; a 24-hour fitness center; sauna; coworking lounge; and a coffee bar. The community will also offer 712 parking spaces, as well as secured bicycle storage.
HDA Leads 325,000 SF Adaptive Reuse Project for Gulf Distributing in Downtown Mobile, Alabama
by John Nelson
MOBILE, ALA. — HDA has announced the completion of the new headquarters for Gulf Distributing in downtown Mobile. The project was an adaptive reuse of the vacant Press-Register Building, a 1950s-era printing press, into a 325,000-square-foot beverage distribution facility. HDA’s design included renovating 225,290 square feet of existing space, an 85,040-square-foot warehouse expansion, a new 4,960-square-foot vehicle maintenance facility and a 9,166-square-foot covered cooperage for the production of barrels and tubs. Other members of the project team were not released. Founded in 1973, Gulf Distributing is a beer distributor that operates across Alabama, the Florida Panhandle and Mississippi. The family-owned company employs approximately 1,300 people and partners with more than 140 suppliers.
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — Rise48 Equity has acquired LYV Chapel Hill, a 144-unit, Class B apartment community in Chapel Hill. The investment firm has rebranded the property as Rise Chapel Hill. The seller and sales price were not disclosed. Built in 1984, Rise Chapel Hill is situated near the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, as well as multiple tech and research firms that have established a presence in North Carolina’s Research Triangle. Rise48 plans to renovate all unit interiors with new washers and dryers, cabinetry, stainless steel appliances, countertops, flooring and lighting and plumbing fixtures. Exterior renovations will include paint, landscaping, signage and common area improvements.
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