PELL CITY, ALA. — Fairfield Asset Advisors has arranged the $15.8 million sale of a 50,400-square-foot medical office building located at 74 Plaza Drive in Pell City, roughly 24 miles east of Birmingham. Northside Medical — a Birmingham-based specialty practice — anchors the building, which was constructed in 2017. An undisclosed borrower acquired the asset from the developers, a physician group.
Birmingham’s multifamily market closed out 2017 with an average 7 percent vacancy rate and effective rents that flirted with the $900 per unit ceiling. On the investment side, multifamily assets in the market demonstrated some notable pricing trends through year-end 2017. The market outperformed the region and the nation in terms of value appreciation on a per unit basis. The average price per unit in Birmingham increased by more than 20 percent from fourth-quarter 2016 to fourth-quarter 2017. And, among these assets, garden-style properties stood out with a 36 percent increase in average price per unit. One explanation for this trend is the combination of value-add upgrades to garden-style properties in the market, as well as new construction that is lifting values in the market. To that end, Birmingham’s Highway 280 Corridor makes for a great case study. Stabilization of 280 Corridor What was a soft submarket in 2017, the Highway 280 Corridor in Birmingham has now rapidly tightened up in the first quarter of 2018. This one corridor spans various Birmingham submarkets ranging from urban Central City and Southside to Birmingham’s southeastern suburbs of Meadowbrook and Lake Purdy. According to Alabama Traffic Data (ATD), the average annual daily traffic …
It’s no longer a secret that Birmingham and its surrounding communities are confidently moving forward, bursting with festivals, arts, concerts, parks, reimagined spaces and a red-hot local dining scene. These revitalized spaces represent opportunities to find affordable housing, a vibrant social life and a place where all can participate in the community’s ongoing progress. Tourism is also on the rise, with a 50 percent increase in expenditures over the past 10 years as visitors flock to the region to dine at the restaurants of culinary legends, cheer on Minor League Baseball teams in a downtown stadium, attend the Sidewalk Film Festival, watch IndyCar racing at the Barber Motorsports Park, visit the historic Civil Rights Museum and enjoy live music venues throughout the area. With all of its history, charm and new amenities, Birmingham is no longer a pass-through; it is the destination. The greater downtown Birmingham area experienced a 40 percent increase in its multifamily inventory in 2017, which is nearly three times the amount added in 2015. These spaces are filling up quickly as the submarket’s occupancy rate is currently at 92.5 percent and climbing. Everyone from millennials who are marrying later and waiting longer to buy homes to …
HOOVER, ALA. AND WILMINGTON, N.C. — KeyBank Real Estate Capital has provided $37.4 million in financing for two multifamily properties in Hoover and Wilmington. In Hoover, KeyBank provided a $16.3 million Fannie Mae loan for the acquisition of Hawthorne at Wisteria, a 200-unit community. The property was built in 1978 and renovated in 2015. In Wilmington, KeyBank provided a $21.1 million Freddie Mac loan for the refinancing of Hawthorne at New Centre, a 301-unit apartment community that was constructed in 1998 and renovated in 2014. Tim DeWispelaere of KeyBank originated both 10-year loans with 30-year amortization schedules on behalf of the undisclosed borrowers.
HUNTSVILLE, ALA. — Matthews Real Estate Investment Services has arranged the $13.8 million sale of The Gallery Shopping Center, a 101,498-square-foot retail center located near the $350 million Mid-City mall redevelopment in Huntsville. A Florida-based private family office acquired the asset from Plaza Properties via a 1031 exchange. Jordan Powell and Scott Henard of Matthews arranged the transaction on behalf of both parties. The Gallery Shopping Center was 95 percent leased at the time of sale.
GLENVIEW, ILL. — Glenview-based Providence, the parent company of Providence Management Co. LLC, has sold its interest in a 14-property, 3,451-unit multifamily joint venture portfolio located throughout the Carolinas, Alabama, Georgia and Kentucky. In North Carolina, the portfolio included three properties in Charlotte and three properties in Greensboro. In South Carolina, the portfolio included three properties in Greenville and a property in Spartanburg. In addition, the portfolio included a property in Huntsville, Ala., Savannah, Ga., and Lexington, Ky. The sales price and specific property names were not disclosed.
FAIRHOPE, ALA. — Colliers International has arranged both the equity and construction financing for The Retreat at Fairhope Village, a $38 million apartment development in Fairhope, roughly 20 miles southeast of Mobile. Forrest Speed and Ron Cameron of Colliers International placed the loan through a pair of banks on behalf of the developer, a partnership led by Leaf River Group LLC. The Retreat at Fairhope Village will include 240 units with an average size of 1,062 square feet. Units will feature quartz countertops, stainless steel appliances, plank flooring and bay windows. The property site is located adjacent to The Shoppes at Fairhope Village, a Publix-anchored shopping center located on U.S. Highway 98. The partnership will begin site work later this month, and expects to deliver the community in mid-2019.
HUNTSVILLE, ALA. — RCP Cos. has signed Dave & Buster’s to its MidCity project, a $350 million mixed-use development under construction in Huntsville. The 140-acre project is a redevelopment of the former Madison Square Mall. Dave & Buster’s joins tenants such as Topgolf, which opened in December; High Point Climbing and Fitness, currently under construction; and Adrenaline Zone, which is expected to break ground this summer. The 26,500-square-foot Dave & Buster’s is expected to open in July 2019 and will be the entertainment retailer’s second location in Alabama. At full build-out, MidCity will include 345,000 square feet of street-level retail and restaurant space, 200,000 square feet of office space, 500 hotel rooms and 900 residences. In addition, the development will include a 38-acre public park.
MONTGOMERY, ALA. — SRS Real Estate Partners has arranged the $10.5 million sale of Twin Oaks, a 97,189-square-foot shopping center located at 2717-2787 Eastern Blvd. in Montgomery. Kyle Stonis and Pierce Mayson of SRS arranged the transaction on behalf of the seller, RCG-Montgomery LLC. PDQ Acquisitions Corp. acquired the asset. At the time of sale, Twin Oaks was 97 percent leased to tenants such as T.J. Maxx, Party City, Dollar General, Hibbett Sports, Catherines, Leslie’s Pool Supplies and Jackson Hewitt.
GADSDEN, ALA. — Berkadia has brokered the $6.4 million sale of two multifamily communities in Gadsden: Pine Ridge and Williamsburg. David Wilson and David Oakley of Berkadia arranged the transaction on behalf of the seller, an affiliate of Strategic Diversified Management Inc., which is based in California. Birmingham-based Abaco Partners LLC acquired the assets. Pine Ridge, a 112-unit community constructed in 1979, offers a mix of one- to three-bedroom units ranging in size from 680 to 1,160 square feet. Williamsburg, constructed in 1973, offers 60 two-bedroom townhomes averaging 1,200 square feet. Over 70 percent of the unit interiors at Williamsburg were renovated in the 18 months prior to the sale. Both properties feature swimming pools and on-site management.