WASHINGTON, D.C. — An investment group led by Ocean West Capital Partners and Hana Asset Management Co. Ltd. has purchased Two Independence Square in Washington, D.C. The seller, Piedmont Office Realty Trust (NYSE: PDM), has invested roughly $50 million to renovate the building. Constructed in 1992 as the headquarters for NASA, the nine-story, 606,000-square-foot property is located at 300 E St. S.W., about three blocks off the National Mall in Washington’s Southwest submarket. Two Independence Square houses NASA leadership, who provide overall guidance and direction to the U.S. government. The building’s James E. Webb Memorial Auditorium hosts agency news conferences and social events. Designed by Kohn Pederson Fox Associates, NASA’s headquarters also feature a lending library, NASA Exchange store, the history office and archives and production facilities for NASA TV. The agency occupies 99 percent of the building and renewed its lease in 2011 with a lease term running through 2028. Hana Asset Management, a subsidiary of Hana Financial Group, is the largest financial group in Korea. The firm comprises 21 subsidiaries, including banks, securities, trusts, asset management firms, investment banks and life insurance companies. The company employs 23,000 professionals worldwide and manages $5 billion of assets throughout Asia, the …
District of Columbia
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Trammell Crow Co. (TCC), in partnership with Meadow Partners, has acquired an 80 percent condominium interest in the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) Building in Washington, D.C. Located at 888 16th St., the building sits adjacent to the Hay Adams Hotel and one block from the White House. TCC plans to transform the 50-year old property into a 150,000-square-foot office building featuring a rooftop lounge, fitness center and a terrace with views of the Washington Monument. The MPAA represents the six major Hollywood studios and administers the motion picture rating system. The organization retained a 20 percent condominium interest in the building and will occupy two of the eight floors upon completion of the renovation. The MPAA floors will feature modernized offices and a new theater and event space. Completed in 1969, the MPAA Building was designed by Vastimil Koubeck. Savills Studley brokered the transaction. Renovation on the property is slated for completion in summer 2019.
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Oxford Properties Group, in a joint venture with Norway-based-Norges Bank Real Estate Management, has acquired two office towers in Washington, D.C. — 900 16th Street N.W. and 1101 New York Avenue N.W. The nine-story, 122,000-square-foot 900 16th Street is LEED Gold-certified and features an outdoor terrace, fitness center and underground parking. The property, sold by The JBG Cos. and ICG Properties LLC, was 75 percent leased at the time of sale. The 12-story 1101 New York Avenue, developed in 2007, is LEED Gold-certified and features 180-degree panoramic views of the D.C. skyline, a fitness facility, rooftop terrace and underground parking. W. R. Berkley Corp., an insurance holding company, and Morgan Stanley Real Estate Investing sold the tower for an undisclosed price, according to media reports. The property was 99 percent leased at the time of sale. Toronto-based Oxford Properties Group will manage both office buildings.
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) has projected that commercial and multifamily originations will decline in 2017, ending the year at $478 billion—3 percent lower than volumes in 2016. For 2017, mortgage banker originations of just multifamily mortgages are forecast at $206 billion, with total multifamily lending at $245 billion. “Markets continue to move forward, but the rapid increases in property values, transaction volumes and other fundamentals that characterized the post-recession period have given way to more regular changes tied to the economy as well as changes in supply and demand,” says Jamie Woodwell, MBA’s vice president of commercial real estate research. “For many parts of the market, the downshift is a positive development.” Commercial and multifamily mortgage outstanding debt is expected to continue to grow in 2017, ending the year approximately 2 percent higher than at the end of 2016.
BETHESDA, MD. — Government Properties Income Trust (NASDAQ: GOV) has agreed to purchase all of the outstanding shares of First Potomac Realty Trust (NYSE: FPO) in a deal that is valued at $1.4 billion. The all-cash transaction, which includes the assumption of debt, is expected to close before the end of 2017. First Potomac shareholders will receive $11.15 in cash per share, or about $683 million in aggregate, at the close of the transaction. This represents a premium of about 9.3 percent to First Potomac’s 30-trading day volume weighted average price, based on a period ending April 24, 2017. The remaining transaction value includes the expected repayment of about $418 million of FPO debt and an assumption of about $232 million of FPO mortgage debt, as well as the payment of transaction fees and expenses. FPO has agreed it will not pay any distributions to its shareholders before the transaction closes. GOV’s distributions to its shareholders will not be impacted by the transaction. First Potomac maintains an office and industrial portfolio of properties that are located primarily in the metropolitan Washington, D.C., area. FPO’s portfolio includes 39 properties (74 buildings) with about 6.5 million square feet that was 92.2 percent …
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Natixis has provided a $39 million floating-rate, first mortgage loan to Washington, D.C.-based Excel Group for the acquisition of the 200-room Hyatt Place hotel located in the NoMa neighborhood of Washington, D.C. The 14-story, LEED Silver-certified hotel was constructed in 2014. Designed by Cooper Carry Inc., the property features a restaurant and lounge, 1,600 square feet of meeting space, an outdoor pool, fitness center and a business center. Excel’s current portfolio consists of 18 hospitality assets totaling over 2,200 rooms located throughout the eastern United States.
WASHINGTON, D.C. — CapitalSource has provided a $100 million loan for the construction of Portals Residential Phase V Building, located in downtown Washington. The 373-unit multifamily property will be 13 stories tall. Units will range in size from 506 square feet to 3,400 square feet. Portals Residential Phase V Building is part of the final phase of a 3 million-square-foot development project that includes the Mandarin Oriental Hotel and three Class A office buildings. The building design includes a sky terrace level with multiple living and meeting rooms, and an infinity pool overlooking the Jefferson Memorial and Tidal Basin National Parks. The rooftop area includes a 1,100-foot walkway around the entire building. Other property amenities include a fitness facility, enclosed garden, dog grooming rooms, interior lounges and meeting rooms. The borrower is an affiliate of Republic Properties Corp., part of the Republic Family of Companies and a full-service real estate development and management firm. Parse Capital provided mezzanine financing, while CBRE brokered the loan transaction. CapitalSource, a division of Pacific Western Bank, provides commercial loans to small and middle-market businesses. Los Angeles-based Pacific Western Bank maintains over $21 billion in assets. — Kristin Hiller
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Roadside Development and North America Sekisui House LLC (NASH) have inked a deal with supermarket chain Wegmans to anchor the redevelopment of the former Fannie Mae headquarters at 3900 Wisconsin Ave. in Washington, D.C. The redevelopment includes the original brick buildings that were constructed by Equitable Life Co. in 1958 and 1962, as well as nearly 10 acres surrounding the buildings. The redevelopment will feature retail, residential, cultural arts, hospitality and commercial space. The development team includes Shalom Baranes Associates and Michael Vergason Landscape Architects. A timeline for the project has yet to be announced.
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Citizens Bank has led the financing on two deals in the metropolitan Washington, D.C., area with The JBG Cos. totaling $90 million. The financing included the $49 million refinancing of Georgetown Center, two office buildings at 2115 and 2121 Wisconsin Ave. in D.C.’s Georgetown district, and a $41 million loan to finance the Old Centerville, a 171,631-square-foot, H-Mart-anchored shopping center on Braddock Road in Centerville, Va. Citizens was the administrative agent and sole lead arranger for both transactions.
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Newmark Grubb Knight Frank (NGKF) has arranged three lease deals totaling 26,332 square feet at a 10-story office building located at 1100 New Jersey Ave. S.E. in Washington, D.C.’s Capitol Riverfront district. The new tenants include The African Wildlife Foundation (AWF), law firm Watkinson & Miller and defense and government contractor Assett Inc. AWF has leased 15,024 square feet on the ninth floor, relocating from 1400 16th Street N.W.; Watkinson & Miller leased the remaining 8,630 square feet on the ninth floor, relocating from One Massachusetts Avenue N.W.; and Assett Inc. leased the remaining 2,678 square feet on the seventh floor. Owned by WC Smith, the newly renovated office building overlooks the Potomac River, U.S. Capitol, Canal Park and Nationals Park. WC Smith’s recent renovations at the Class A building include a new fitness center, bicycle storage and a new conference center. Brendan Owen, Rafael Notario and Morgan Monroe of NGKF represented WC Smith in the lease negotiations. Bill Zonghetti and David Hardcastle of NGKF represented AWF, Terry Amling of Lincoln Property Co. represented Watkinson & Miller and Neil Narcisenfeld and Sarah Frick of Ezra Co. represented Assett Inc.