LITTLE ROCK, ARK. — Orion Capital Partners has begun construction on Cornerstone Clinic for Women, a 43,000-square-foot medical office building situated on the Baptist Health campus in west Little Rock. General contractor Bailey Construction and Consulting plans to deliver the asset in late summer 2017. Cornerstone Clinic will occupy the first floor of the building, and the second floor is still available for lease. Dr. Orman Simmons and Dr. Douglas Smith, founding partners of the clinic, were on-hand at the groundbreaking ceremony for the clinic, which represents the first new construction on the Baptist Health campus since 1999.
LITTLE ROCK, ARK. — Abode Properties, a subsidiary of Dallas-based Transcontinental Realty Investors Inc., has purchased Metropolitan, a 260-unit luxury mid-rise apartment community situated along Arkansas River in Little Rock. As part of the transaction, Abode assumed an existing HUD loan on the property. Metropolitan’s amenities include two resort-style pools, courtyards, a recreation and billiards room, 24-hour fitness center, internet coffee café, garage parking and onsite security. Each unit boasts granite countertops, alarm systems, walk-in closets and full-size washer and dryers. The seller and sales price were undisclosed.
MABELVALE, ARK. — Stan Johnson Co. has brokered the $31.6 million sale of a freestanding, 311,684-square-foot industrial facility located at 8 Industrial Parkway in Mabelvale, roughly 12 miles south of Little Rock. Situated at the I-30 and I-430 interchange, the newly built package sorting and distribution facility is leased to FedEx Ground Package System Inc. and features 34- and 39-foot clear heights and more than 1,000 trailer and auto parking spaces. Britton Burdette and Mollie Alteri of Stan Johnson Co. represented the seller, Saad Development Corp., in the transaction. Todd Blonsley of Marcus & Millichap represented the buyer, WilArk LLC.
ATLANTA — Skyline Healthcare LLC will execute a purchase option on the master lease for the nine Arkansas skilled nursing facilities it currently operates for AdCare Health Systems Inc. Skyline will purchase the properties for $55 million. Skyline was brought in as the new manager of the nine facilities on April 1. The company expects to complete the purchase by Aug. 1. AdCare, a publicly traded skilled nursing investor, will use $30 million of the proceeds to repay mortgage debt on the nine properties. The Atlanta-based firm will use the remaining money for general corporate purposes.
FAYETTEVILLE, ARK. — Grandbridge Real Estate Capital has provided a $12.2 million acquisition loan for Garden Park Apartments, a 246-unit apartment community in Fayetteville. Alan Tapie of Grandbridge originated the 10-year, non-recourse loan with a 30-year amortization schedule through Freddie Mac’s CME program. The loan was structured with an interest rate fixed below 4 percent and featured an interest-only period, according to Tapie. The non-student housing property is primarily occupied by University of Arkansas students and features a business center, swimming pool with sundeck, hot tub, fitness studio and a basketball court.
MAUMELLE, ARK. — Dominium, an apartment development and management firm based in Minneapolis, has purchased The Gables of Maumelle, a 120-unit apartment community located in the Little Rock metro area. Built in 2001, The Gables is Dominium’s first acquisition in Arkansas. Dominium will upgrade the property’s clubhouse and pool with new furniture, artwork, painting and a new fully equipped fitness room. All units will receive washers and dryers, and select units will receive new flooring, appliances and other improvements. The property will also receive updated signage, major landscaping and new lighting. The sales price and seller were not disclosed.
JONESBORO, ARK. — Arkansas State University (ASU), in a public-private partnership with Zimmer Development Co., is set to begin construction on two new on-campus residential complexes. The project will include a 350-bed undergraduate facility on the east side of the Arkansas State campus, and a 165-bed complex primarily for graduate students on the west side of campus. The undergraduate housing will feature four-bed apartments that are approximately 33 percent larger than the university’s current offerings. The graduate complex will offer one- and two-bedroom units. Both complexes will feature nine-foot ceilings, a washer and dryer in each unit, walk-in closets and private bathrooms. Construction is expected to begin after spring semester with completion scheduled for the fall 2017 school year. The 35-year land lease with Zimmer Development is the first of its kind for Arkansas State University, which owns and maintains the current inventory of 3,200 beds. The ASU System Board of Trustees approved the 35-year land lease with Zimmer Development on Feb. 26.
BENTONVILLE, ARK. — Bentonville-based Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (NYSE: WMT) is set to close 269 stores in the U.S. and globally. In total, the stores to be shuttered represent less than 1 percent of both global square footage and revenue. Wal-Mart Stores will close 154 locations nationally, including 102 of the company’s smallest format stores, Walmart Express. Click here for a full list of the stores set to close. Walmart intends to focus on strengthening the company’s Supercenters, optimizing Neighborhood Markets, growing e-commerce and expanding pickup services for customers. Also included in the closures are 23 Neighborhood Markets, 12 Supercenters, seven stores in Puerto Rico, six discount centers and four Sam’s Clubs. The company is closing 115 stores internationally, including 60 loss-making stores in Brazil and 55 primarily small, loss-making stores in other Latin American markets. Domestically, Wal-Mart intends to open 50 to 60 Supercenters and 85 to 95 Neighborhood Markets in fiscal 2017. Sam’s Club also intends to open seven to 10 new locations. The financial impact of these closures is estimated to be approximately 20 to 22 cents of diluted earnings per share from continuing operations, with approximately 19 to 20 cents expected to impact the fourth quarter of …
BENTON, ARK. — GBT Realty Corp. has signed a contract to acquire a 28.8-acre parcel along I-30 West in Benton for the development of The Shoppes of Benton. The 170,000-square-foot regional shopping center will be GBT Realty’s first development in Arkansas. The Brentwood, Tenn.-based developer plans to close on the land purchase by the end of the year and break ground in the first quarter of 2016. The city of Benton passed a resolution in September that established a partnership with Benton Public Utilities Commission for $1.4 million in infrastructure improvements at the site, including water, sewer and electrical services. Valued at $36 million upon completion, The Shoppes of Benton will feature two anchor tenants, space for three junior anchors, 32,000 square feet of small shop space and four outparcels. GBT is currently finalizing negotiations with several national retailers, some first-to-market. The company expects to announce the initial tenant line-up early next year and complete construction by spring 2017.
BENTONVILLE, ARK. — Newmark Grubb Arkansas has brokered the $6 million sale of two office buildings located at 700 and 702 S.E. 5th St. in Bentonville. The properties are situated on a 3.2-acre lot and span roughly 59,000 square feet. Bentonville-based Food Hub NWA LLC purchased the buildings from Dixieland Inc., which is also based in Bentonville. Paul Esterer of Newmark Grubb Arkansas represented Food Hub in the transaction. Steve Fineberg and Amy Mills of Steve Fineberg & Associates represented Dixieland.