WASHINGTON, D.C. — Divco West Real Estate Services (DivcoWest), a real estate investment firm based in San Francisco, has opened an office in Washington, D.C. Located at 1620 L St. N.W., the new location joins the firm’s roster of offices in Boston, Los Angeles and New York. Additionally, DivcoWest has acquired Avalon Woodland Park, a 392-unit apartment community in Herndon, Va., for an undisclosed price. The company purchased the asset in partnership with Arlington, Va.-based Blackfin Real Estate Investors and renamed the property as Adara Herndon. The gated community features a fitness center, resort-style pool, picnic tables and park benches, sand volleyball court, children’s playground and private garages.
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Maryland-based REIT JBG Smith Properties (NYSE: JBGS) has sold the Lion Building, a 154,384-square-foot office property in Washington, D.C., for $65 million. The Lion Building, which is located at 1233 20th St. near Dupont Circle, houses the embassies of Vietnam and South Sudan. The location puts the property within walking distance of three different Metrorail stations, 500 retail stores and restaurants and eight hotels. Jim Meisel, Andrew Weir, Matt Nicholson and David Baker of HFF represented JBG Smith in the sale. This quartet of investment advisory professionals also procured the buyer, a joint venture between private investment manager GreenOak Real Estate and Mid-Atlantic investment firm MRP Realty. Cary Abod, Dan McIntyre and Robert Carey of HFF arranged $47.6 million in acquisition financing for the transaction. The lender and loan terms were not disclosed. JBG Smith’s stock price closed at $37.10 per share on Friday, October 26, up from $31.26 per share a year ago. The company, which is listed on Standard & Poor’s MidCap 400 Index, owns and operates assets in infill markets around the Washington, D.C. area. — Taylor Williams
ARLINGTON, VA. — LCOR has opened Altaire, a 451-unit luxury multifamily community located in the Crystal City neighborhood of Arlington, roughly five miles south of Washington, D.C. The $200 million community comprises two buildings offering studio, one-, two- and three-bedroom units, alongside a selection of high-end penthouses and townhouses titled The Collection. These units offer larger floor plans with upgraded finishes, a superior appliance package and private, individual rooftop terraces on the 20th floor. Shared amenities at the property include a sky lounge with a rooftop terrace; landscaped courtyard with a swimming pool, grilling stations and fire pits; game room; business center and flexible work area with conference capabilities; secured parking garage with bike storage; and professional-style pet washing area. The community also boasts an extensive fitness center with personal training rooms, as well as a bike training facility where residents can virtually train and use a sports simulator. The LEED-Gold certified property offers views of Washington, D.C., Arlington and the Potomac River, as well as easy access to both cities, The Pentagon and Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. The starting rent for a studio apartment is $2,011 per month. “Crystal City is an active, lively neighborhood with an exciting arts …
WASHINGTON, D.C. — London-based investment firm Queensgate Investments (QI) has acquired the 148-room Courtyard by Marriott Washington D.C. for $54.1 million. QI purchased the property from affiliates of local builders Quadrangle Development Corp. and Capstone Development. The new ownership will rebrand the hotel as a Generator hotel, a line of hospitality properties featured in major European cities like Dublin, Paris, Barcelona and Amsterdam. Generator opened its first U.S. property in Miami in September. The hotel is located near Dupont Circle and offers amenities such as an outdoor pool, rooftop terrace and an onsite restaurant. Crestline will continue to manage the asset through 2019 as the rebranding effort unfolds. “The acquisition of the Washington D.C. asset marks the next step in Queensgate’s U.S. ambitions as we look to acquire both additional hotel assets to expand Generator as well as work on the acquisition of new standalone real estate platforms of significant scale,” says Jonathan Millet, head of acquisitions of QI. Brown Rudnick LLP, Ernst & Young and Rockwell Acumen advised Queensgate and Generator in the transaction. — Taylor Williams
WASHINGTON, D.C. — SIOR Foundation has announced Aaron Barnard as its new president for the 2018-2019 term. The transition from current president Bill Ginder to Barnard occurred last week at the Society of Industrial & Office Realtors (SIOR) Fall World Conference in Denver. Barnard is a veteran broker in Minneapolis with Cushman & Wakefield and specializes in investment analysis, tenant and landlord representation. Additional 2018-2019 SIOR Foundation officers are President-Elect Chris Curtis (Nugent Curtis Real Estate), Vice President Albert McNeel (Endura Advisory Group) and Treasurer Stan Kleweno (Transpacific Investments). New SIOR Foundation Trustees who began three-year terms at the latest conference include Nancy Morse (Newmark Knight Frank), Jack O’Donoghue (Grant Street Associates/Cushman & Wakefield Alliance), Adrian Arriaga (AAA Real Estate & Investments), Robert Horn Jr. (JLL), Jesse Laikin (Lee & Associates) and Peter Richardson (Primera Cos.). As the largest association of commercial real estate brokers, Washington, D.C.-based SIOR Foundation promotes and funds programs that advance the real estate profession through educational scholarships, research projects, publishing and development of real estate curricula for higher education.
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Walker & Dunlop has structured $61 million in financing for the recapitalization of The Shops at Dakota Crossing, a trophy retail center in Washington, D.C. Jamie Butler of Walker & Dunlop led the team that replaced the existing construction financing with a senior bridge loan, which also provides for future funding based on additional leasing and capital costs. Located on New York Avenue, the 140,000-square-foot shopping center is 98 percent pre-leased to national and local tenants, including the city’s first Costco, Lowe’s Home Improvement Warehouse, Dick’s Sporting Goods, Marshalls, PetSmart, Chick-fil-A and Starbucks Coffee.
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Paramount Group Inc. has completed the sale of 425 Eye Street, an office building located in the NoMa submarket of Washington, D.C. Saban Real Estate acquired the seven-story property for $157 million. As of June 30, 425 Eye was 98.7 percent leased with weighted average in-place gross annualized rents of $46.16 per square foot. The U.S. government leases 90 percent of the office space at the 372,552-square-foot building. Jim Meisel of HFF represented the seller in the transaction. Cary Abod led the HFF team in securing acquisition financing through EagleBank. Additionally, Paramount has completed the previously announced sale of 2099 Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, D.C., for $220 million.
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Aria Development Group has purchased a land parcel located at the corner of Florida Avenue and North Capitol Street N.E. in Washington, D.C., for an undisclosed price. The buyer is planning to develop a mixed-use building, including residential space, on the 25,000-square-foot site. The purchase represents the culmination of three years of assemblage activity to connect tree-lined P Street N.E. with Florida Avenue and North Capitol Street. Additional details of the transaction were not released. This acquisition represents Aria’s eighth multifamily or mixed-use investment in Washington, D.C.
WASHINGTON, D.C. — JBG Smith has sold Executive Tower, a 130,000-square-foot office building in Washington, D.C. Exan Capital acquired the asset for $121.4 million. The 11-story building is located at 1399 New York Ave. in D.C.’s East End submarket. Collins Ege and Nicholas Pappas of Eastdil Secured arranged the transaction on behalf of JBG Smith. Executive Tower was 93 percent leased as of June 30.
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Federal Capital Partners (FCP) and Level 2 Development have sold Takoma Central, a 150-unit apartment community in Washington, D.C., for $50.6 million. The partnership completed construction on the community in 2015. Located at 235 Carroll St. N.W. in the city’s historic Takoma neighborhood, Takoma Central includes a mix of one- and two-bedroom units and is situated adjacent to the Takoma Metrorail station. Community amenities include a business center, clubhouse, fitness center, storage lockers, barbecue area and a resident lounge. In addition, the community includes 9,000 square feet of ground-floor retail currently leased to tenants such as Busboys & Poets, Yoga Heights and S&A Beads. Dave Nachison and Brenden Flood of Eastdil Secured represented FCP and Level 2 in the transaction. The name of the buyer was not disclosed. The Bozzuto Group has been retained to manage the community.