GREENBELT, MD. — Eastern Equity Advisors has arranged $12 million in equity on behalf of Blue Ocean Realty, a Maryland-based management company, for the acquisition of The Hanover Apartments, with securities offered through Palladium Capital Advisors. Located at 7232 Hanover Parkway in Greenbelt, Md., a northeastern suburb of Washington, D.C., the garden-style property has 320 units. Marc Belsky of Eastern Equity arranged the equity. Meridian Capital sourced an undisclosed amount of financing from Capital One for the transaction. The purchase price was not disclosed.
District of Columbia
COLUMBIA, MD. — Phillips Realty Capital has structured $26.5 million in permanent financing for The Evergreens at Columbia Town Center, a 156-unit apartment development in Columbia, roughly midway between Washington, D.C. and Baltimore. Adam Bieber of Phillips arranged the financing on behalf of RMJ Development Group, a firm based in McLean, Va. PGIM Real Estate Financing, a division of Prudential Financial Inc., provided the funds.
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Natixis has provided a $24 million loan for the repositioning of an 11-story office building in Washington, D.C.’s Capitol Riverfront neighborhood. The borrower, Douglas Development, will use the floating-rate financing to pay off existing debt and convert the asset into a 415-unit apartment building with 17,238 square feet of retail space and parking. Douglas Development plans to break ground on the project in 2017 or 2018. The property is situated along the Anacostia River and is within walking distance of Washington Nationals Park and the DC United Stadium, a soccer stadium that is currently under construction.
Skanska Completes Excavation Work at 99M Office Building in D.C.’s Capitol Riverfront Area
by John Nelson
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Skanska has completed the excavation and foundation work for 99M, an 11-story, 234,000-square-foot office building under construction in Washington, D.C.’s Capitol Riverfront neighborhood. The building will be situated at the corner of 1st and M streets within walking distance of Nationals Ballpark and Navy Yard-Ballpark Metrorail entrances and seven blocks from the U.S. Capitol. Set to open in 2018, the asset will feature about 11,000 square feet of retail and restaurant space, with two committed restaurants in place: CIRCA and Open Road. The property will also feature a green roof, rooftop terrace, fitness center, bicycle storage and four levels of underground parking. The excavation work began in November 2015. Skanska has five other development projects underway in the greater D.C. area: 2112 Pennsylvania Ave., RESA at Tyber Place, the First Street Tunnel, the headquarters facility for the District of Columbia Water and Sewer Authority and American University’s East Campus project.
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Rock Creek Property Group has broken ground on the repositioning of the historic Takoma Theatre located at 6833 4th St. N.W. in Washington, D.C.’s Takoma neighborhood. Situated two blocks from the Red Line’s Takoma Metro station, the theater opened in the 1920s and was one of the first theaters in the area to feature talking movies. Since its opening, the venue has hosted several performances and events, including an HBO comedy special by Chris Rock in 1996. Rock Creek plans to convert the asset into 23,000 square feet of office and retail space with 15- to 20-foot ceilings. The design team, including Cunningham | Quill Architects and Eichberg Construction, will open the new project this summer. Washington, D.C.-based Rock Creek has more than $100 million of ongoing projects in all stages of the development cycle.
There are many things to be optimistic about in metropolitan Washington, D.C.’s multifamily market. Here are some facts to consider: — The D.C. metro multifamily vacancy averages 3.4 percent compared to the national average of 4.5 percent. — The D.C. region has seen $3.174 billion in multifamily sales activity year-to-date with an average cap rate of 5.2 percent. — Private investors are leading multifamily sales activity in the D.C. metro region and responsible for 64 percent of the deal flow. — Multifamily investment sales are up by 4.5 percent compared to the first half of 2015. — An influx of new workers to fill the 92,500 new jobs added in the last year has heightened demand for multifamily units despite an abundance of new supply. With a low unemployment rate of just 4.1 percent and job growth far exceeding the national average, and at its highest point since December 2000, the Nation’s Capital is humming with activity. Last year, D.C.’s multifamily market saw staggering amounts of new construction deliver with net absorption levels that surpassed all expectations. Many of the young workers are interested in an urban live-work-play environment ripe with amenities and relish the opportunity to decrease commute times …
The building height restriction — enacted in Washington, D.C. to preserve picturesque views of the United States Capitol Building and the Washington Monument — helps provide clear and exceedingly stunning views of the multitude of construction cranes that currently dot the vertical landscape of the District of Columbia. The majority of these yellow-steeled economic generators are being used to develop new residential and mixed-use projects, ranging from the NoMa district to the southeast Waterfront area and weaving through the neighboring suburbs, including Loudoun, Va., and Bethesda, Md. And, where new residential goes, supporting retail always follows, including the trendiest grocery store chains and hottest fast-casual and dine-in restaurant concepts. In addition, the area’s ever-expanding transportation network that provides a daily lifeline to D.C. and suburban workers is also paving the way for new retail opportunities as our Nation’s Capital continues to retain its reputation as among the most prolific retail locations in the country. Downtown Core Residential-only or mixed-use projects currently underway in the District are too numerous to mention, but here is a glimpse into the frenetic activity as there appears to be a bottomless appetite for new housing, particularly among Millennials. MRP Realty is developing the 1,600-unit Rhode …
WASHINGTON, D.C. — A partnership between KeyBank Real Estate Capital and an affiliate of Walton Street Capital LLC has originated a $204.1 million first mortgage loan for The Woodies Building in Washington, D.C.’s East End. The 10-story, 497,000-square-foot property was constructed in 1897 and was fully redeveloped in 2005. Scott Bois of KeyBank’s Commercial Mortgage Group arranged the financing on behalf of the borrower, Douglas Development Corp. The 12-year loan features a 10-year interest only period and a 30-year amortization schedule. KeyBank and Walton Street Capital previously closed a $196.3 million first mortgage loan on behalf of Douglas Development for the Atlantic Building, also in Washington, D.C.
Meridian Group Purchases Office Building in Downtown D.C. from New York Life for $75M
by John Nelson
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Meridian Group, a Bethesda, Md.-based real estate investment and development firm, has purchased 1901 L Street, an eight-story office building located in downtown Washington, D.C.’s central business district. Meridian purchased the 132,372-square-foot property from New York Life in an off-market transaction for $75 million. At closing, the building will be 73 percent leased to two retail tenants — Staples and Sweetgreen — and a mix of 15 office tenants. Meridian is planning an extensive renovation of 1901 L that will add three new floors of trophy space to the top of the building. The renovation will also include a new lobby with high-end finishes, new façade and new HVAC and elevator systems, as well as a tenant-only indoor/outdoor penthouse space, fitness center and a conference center. The renovation will increase the size of the building to 206,000 square feet. Meridian selected Fox Architects to design the new building. The purchase is the fifth acquisition for an affiliate of Meridian — Meridian Realty Partners II LP, a $231.6 million discretionary fund.
The Washington, D.C., metropolitan industrial market, spreading from Frederick County, Maryland to the north, Prince William County, Virginia to the south and as far west as Loudoun County, Virginia is ideally situated between I-95 and I-81 — major transportation corridors that allow shipments to easily reach much of the country. The industrial market has improved more quickly than other sectors and fairly dramatically to the point where much of the region can be described as land-constrained and under-supplied. Certain industrial sub-segments, such as data centers, have impacted the availability of warehouse and distribution space in key locations for optimal supply chain design. As of the third quarter of 2016, the area’s industrial market totaled 190 million square feet (inclusive of flex space), divided almost equally between the markets of Suburban Maryland (90.6 million square feet) and Northern Virginia (90.2 million square feet). The District of Columbia comprised 9.2 million square feet, and 1.5 million square feet was under construction region-wide. Approximately 4.2 million square feet has been absorbed year-to-date, and vacancy was 7.9 percent — a 250-basis point decrease from 10.4 percent reported as recently as year-end 2013. In comparison, the office market has ranged from 14 to 14.9 percent …