TAMPA, FLA. — Atlanta-based Cousins Properties has acquired Heights Union, a 294,000-square-foot office property in downtown Tampa, for $144.8 million. Atlanta-based TPA Group and Heights master developer SoHo Capital were the sellers, according to the Tampa Business Journal. Built in 2020, Heights Union features two six-story buildings with parking provided. The office property is currently 93.4 percent leased with life sciences users representing 66 percent of the rent roll. Pfizer leases 106,000 square feet for a Global Capability Hub, and Axogen leases 75,000 square feet for its second headquarters and lab space. Additionally, White & Case leases 40,000 square feet for a mission critical global operations center. The office property is located within The Heights neighborhood, which is a live-work-play district located near the 2.6-mile Tampa Riverwalk that runs alongside the Hillsborough River. The district is also anchored by Armature Works, an adaptive reuse project of the former Tampa streetcar facility that includes 73,000 square feet of mixed-use space and over 20 restaurants and bars.
MIAMI — Three retailers have signed leases to join the tenant lineup at Miami Worldcenter, a $4 billion, 27-acre mixed-use development underway in downtown Miami. The three retailers are Sephora, a beauty and make-up retailer; Lucid Motors, an electric car company; and Bowlero, an entertainment retailer that offers bowling, interactive arcades and dining. The retailers, which are taking a combined 60,000 square feet, will open at Miami Worldcenter in 2022. CIM Group and Miami-based The Comras Co. are leading retail leasing on behalf of Miami Worldcenter Associates, the master developer of Miami Worldcenter. Sephora will occupy more than 6,000 square feet at the World Square Plaza, a 20,000-square-foot public plaza and park that will run along Miami Worldcenter’s 7th Street Promenade. Lucid Motors plans on taking about 23,000 square feet and developing a multi-use facility. The retailer will have a Lucid Studio, which will allow customers to experience the brand and its lineup of luxury electric vehicles. The location will also serve as a service facility and a delivery center. The facility will be located along 1st Avenue and 10th Street. Bowlero will occupy more than 31,000 square feet within Miami Worldcenter’s 78,000-square-foot “Jewel Box” retail building. The venue will …
FORT PIERCE, FLA. — Miami-based Frontier Cos. has broken ground on a new retail development located in Fort Pierce. Located 5000 Okeechobee Road, the 10,750-square-foot retail center will include a 3,750-square-foot Aspen Dental, a 3,500-square-foot CareNow urgent care clinic and another 3,500-square-foot space for a future tenant. The plaza is being built on a 1.6-acre lot and will include 87 parking spaces. A Cowboys BBQ & Steak restaurant previously occupied the development site.
Orlando’s industrial market emerged from the early panic of 2020 in solid shape, and both occupier and investment activity have continued in earnest ever since. While the preceding year has brought its share of pandemic-induced challenges to the Orlando market, the industrial sector itself has not been adversely affected, other than by labor shortages and the escalating prices of construction materials for new development. Sector fundamentals remain strong, with healthy leasing and positive net absorption of space, robust tenant activity and continued speculative development that is focused primarily along the 429 Corridor and in the Orlando Central Park and Airport/Southeast submarkets. Economic fundamentals are also sound. The unemployment rate in Orlando as of June 2021 was 6 percent, down an impressive 1,300 basis points from the height of pandemic unemployment in May 2020. Oxford Economics projects that Orlando is expected to see job growth of 2.1 percent in 2021, 9.1 percent in 2022 and should recover all of its lost jobs by third-quarter 2022, a majority of which are in the leisure and hospitality sector. Central Florida is the state’s fastest-growing region, and the U.S. Census Bureau expects its growth to outpace South Florida by a factor of two to …
DELRAY BEACH, FLA. — Mesa West Capital has provided a $77 million loan for the acquisition of Alta Congress, a 369-unit multifamily property in Delray Beach. The borrower is an undisclosed, privately held real estate management and development firm. Built in 2013, Alta Congress, which has been rebranded as Congress Grove Apartments, is a four-story apartment community. The asset offers studio, one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments with stainless steel appliances, hardwood style plank flooring, breakfast bars, granite countertops, walk‐in closets, in‐unit stackable washers/dryers and hurricane impact-resistant windows. Community amenities include a fitness center, clubhouse, lounge, dog park, green courtyards, package room and a heated pool with cabana seating. Located on 9.3 acres at 250 Congress Park Drive, the property was 96 percent leased at closing. The property is 8.9 miles from Boca Raton, seven miles from the Boca Raton Airport and 12.3 miles from Deerfield Beach. Purvesh Gosalia of Newmark Knight Frank arranged the five-year, floating-rate, non-recourse loan.
KISSIMMEE, FLA. — Parkview Financial has provided a $28.5 million loan to CS-ICM 5 LLC for the firm to convert a former 436-room hotel and resort property into a 351-unit apartment complex with retail and restaurant space in Kissimmee. The loan has an 18-month term and is non-recourse. Located at 8660 W. Irlo Bronson Highway, the property will be situated near employment centers, including Disney World, which is 5.8 miles away. Construction is underway, with completion slated for summer 2022. Originally built in 1977, the property is situated on 16 acres and includes 11 two-story buildings, three swimming pools, a fitness room, patios, garden areas, a seven-acre nature preserve and a 7,000-square-foot commercial building that has frontage along HWY 192. Phase I of the project will be the conversion of the existing hotel room buildings into an apartment complex that will feature 251 studios averaging 350 square feet and 100 one-bedroom units averaging 700 square feet. The units will feature new kitchens with stainless steel appliances, granite counter tops and stainless steel sinks; walk-in closets for the one-bedroom units; new bathrooms; vinyl plank flooring in living areas; and carpeting in the bedrooms. The second phase will include the conversion of …
CLEARWATER BEACH, FLA. — Trez Capital has funded a $21.5 million construction loan for Azure, a 46-unit bayside condominium project in Clearwater Beach. Construction is now underway on the project, and is slated for completion by the second quarter of 2023. Located on a 1.4-acre waterfront parcel at 415 Island Way, Azure will feature residences with prices ranging from the $600,000 to $1.1 million. The four-story building is approximately 70 percent sold. The property will offer three- and four-bedroom units that range in size from 1,552 square feet to 2,608 square feet. The units will offer smart thermostats and lighting fixtures. Community amenities will include a sun deck with swimming pool and spa tub, a gym/yoga studio and a private meeting room. There is also a private marina with 15 boat slips for sale. Brett Forman and Scott Mehlman of Trez Capital arranged the loan for the borrower, Azure Development Group LP.
MIAMI BEACH, FLA. — Walker & Dunlop has secured $164 million in financing for The Goodtime Hotel in Miami Beach. Groot Hospitality opened the hotel in April 2021. The Goodtime Hotel has 266 rooms, two restaurants, a 30,000-square-foot pool club, 45,000 square feet of ground-floor retail, a gym, library and 242 parking spaces. Aaron Appel, Keith Kurland, Jonathan Schwartz, Adam Schwartz, Ari Hirt and Sean Bastian of Walker & Dunlop arranged the financing. JP Morgan is the lender for the three-year, interest-only bridge loan with two one-year extension options. The borrower is Dreamscape.
TAMPA, FLA. — Tampa-based Carter Funds has sold 16 multifamily properties in the Southeast for a total of $394 million. The company purchased the properties throughout 2019 for $274 million. The buyer was not disclosed. Carter Funds completed exterior and interior unit renovations to the assets. Exterior renovations included enhancements to community amenities, including the addition of sports courts and gaming areas, updated pool decks, new seating areas and outdoor kitchens. Interior renovations included installing kitchen finishes, new flooring, bathroom remodels and upgraded appliances and lighting.
PLANTATION, FLA. — South Florida-based development firm, Merrimac Ventures has broken ground on Merrimac Plantation, a multifamily development in Plantation. Located at 1711 N. University Drive, Merrimac Plantation will total 293,945 square feet with 306 apartments across two six-story midrise buildings. Construction is slated for completion in 2023. The apartment units will range from one- to three-bedroom layouts, featuring stainless-steel appliances, quartz countertops and smart locks and thermostats. Community amenities will include a double-height lobby; club room; pool; covered terrace; barbecue grilling stations; two exterior courtyards; fitness center; co-working and business center with private offices and conference rooms; resident lounge; dog park and dog spa; electric vehicle charging stations; and Wi-Fi connectivity throughout the property. Merrimac Plantation will be adjacent to the Plantation Midtown Business District, an 860-acre, master-planned development featuring 2.5 million square feet of retail and restaurants as well as 3 million square feet of office space. The apartment community is also near Plantation Pointe Office Park, Westside Regional Medical Center, the Plantation Walk mixed-use redevelopment, the 1 million-square-foot Fountain Shoppes lifestyle center, the 2.4 million-square-foot Sawgrass Mills and Plantation’s 103-acre Central Park.