Florida

As COVID-19 took hold in early 2020, the Orlando retail market only saw a modest dip in fundamentals where metro-wide rental rates fell by 5 percent and occupancy dropped 100 basis points during the second and third quarters. Beginning in the fourth quarter of 2020, rental and occupancy rates began an extraordinarily strong comeback, climbing 12 percent and 140 basis points, respectively, from the COVID-19 lows. According to data from CoStar Group, the metro’s average rental rate of $15.84 per square foot in the second quarter is more than 7 percent higher than the pre-pandemic peak. And occupancy rates are 40 basis point higher than the pre-COVID-19 peak, currently standing at 96.4 percent. With escalating land prices and shortages in raw materials and labor, we anticipate overall construction costs will continue to increase, stalling deliveries and further advancing rental and occupancy rates. Last year, some retail owners (sellers) and investors (buyers) focused on asset management within their portfolios and reevaluated the perceived investment risk due to the pandemic, which caused a sharp dropoff in 2020 investment activity, despite an abundance of capital available to invest. After a couple quarters of fundamentals bottoming out, owners and investors had confidence in their …

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Via Mizner

BOCA RATON, FLA. — Penn-Florida Cos. has received two loans totaling $335 million to finance the development of Via Mizner, a mixed-use development in downtown Boca Raton that will feature a hotel, apartments, golf course and retail space. Blackstone Mortgage Trust Inc. provided a $195 million senior loan for Via Mizner’s multifamily component, 101 Via Mizner Luxury Apartments. Romspen Investment Corp., a Canadian-based lender, provided a $140 million senior construction loan for the Mandarin Oriental Hotel and Via Mizner Golf & City Club. Via Mizner is a three-phase, three-building project. The first phase comprises the 101 Via Mizner, which is fully leased. The second phase is the Mandarin Oriental Hotel, Boca Raton, and the third phase includes the Residences at the Mandarin Oriental, Boca Raton. All three phases are expected to be completed by the end of 2022. “This closing represents the advancement of a very complex capitalization, which allowed us to significantly reduce our cost of capital as the first phase of the project achieved 100 percent occupancy and the Mandarin Oriental Hotel tower approaches completion,” says David Warne, chief operating officer of Penn-Florida. 101 Via Mizner is a tower that features 366 studio, one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments. …

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Max's Landing

MIAMI — Housing Trust Group (HTG) has opened Max’s Landing Apartments, a 76-unit affordable housing community located in the West Kendall neighborhood of Miami. The development cost was $25 million. Located at 8905 SW 169th Court, Max’s Landing Apartments is a three-story building with 56 one-bedroom, one-bath units and 20 two-bedroom, two-bath units. The property has 11,388 square feet of retail space on the ground floor, and residential units on the second and third floors. Units range in size from 688 square feet to 1,108 square feet, and feature washer and dryer hook-ups, wide plank flooring and balconies. Community amenities include an elevator, clubroom with a kitchen and lounge seating, fitness center, business and computer room, community garden, smart storage lockers, electric car charging stations and bicycle racks. Apartments at Max’s Landing are reserved for residents earning between 30 and 80 percent of area median income (AMI), with monthly rent for qualifying residents ranging from $401 to $1,443. HTG purchased the 2.7-acre site in March 2019 and broke ground on the project in Feb. 2020. Earlier this year, the developer began leasing the property, and Max’s Landing is already fully leased. The project team includes Modis Architects, HSQ Engineers and …

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Southeast Financial Center

MIAMI — JLL has arranged an office lease for Reed Smith, an international law firm, for 22,495 square feet within Southeast Financial Center in downtown Miami. Barbara Liberatore Black and Jeff Gordon of JLL represented Reed Smith in the lease negotiations. Eric Groffman and Cameron Tallon, also with JLL, represented the landlord, Ponte Gadea Biscayne. Reed Smith, which is moving from Miami’s Brickell district, will be located on the 26th floor of Southeast Financial Center. The law firm first came to Miami in 2017 and now has 30 offices worldwide. The firm’s Miami office is home to lawyers whose practices focus on commercial disputes, entertainment and media, finance, insurance recovery and international arbitration. Situated in Miami’s central business district (CBD), Southeast Financial Center spans 1.2 million square feet and 55 stories, making it the city’s largest office tower, according to JLL. The office tower features a 30,000-square-foot outdoor plaza and café and dining options. The tower is situated less than a mile from Interstate 95.

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The Julia

MIAMI — Trez Capital has provided a $78.2 million construction loan for The Julia, a 323-unit apartment building in Miami’s Allapattah neighborhood, just northwest of downtown Miami. Ben Jacobson of Trez Capital originated the non-recourse loan. Charles Foschini and Chris Apone of Berkadia secured the financing on behalf of the borrower. The financing is a 36-month loan, with a one 12-month extension option. Neology Life, a Miami-based development company, led by Lissette Calderon, is the borrower and developer. Construction has already begun, and the project is slated for completion by the middle of 2023. The development cost is $100 million, according to Neology Life Development Group. Located at 1625 NW 20th St., The Julia will feature a mix of one- and two-bedroom units ranging in size from 586 square feet to 892 square feet. Community amenities will include a pool with cabanas, rooftop garden, fitness and wellness center, coffee bar, dog park and virtual concierge. The Julia was named after Julia Tuttle, the founder of Miami. JAXI Builders Inc. is the general contractor for The Julia, while Behar Font Architects is the architect. Witkin Hultz Design is the landscape architect, and designBAR is in charge of interior design. Neology Life …

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VA-Chattanooga

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Easterly Government Properties Inc. (NYSE: DEA) has entered into an agreement to acquire a 1.2 million-square-foot, 10-property portfolio of facilities leased to the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) for $635.6 million.  The properties will be purchased in a joint venture with an undisclosed global investor, with Easterly retaining a 53 percent stake in the portfolio. Two of the properties are open, while the other eight are currently under construction. Acquisitions include:  VA Chattanooga, a 94,566-square-foot Class A facility in Tennessee that was completed in November 2020. The property offers audiology, imaging, pathology, lab, dental and mental health services.  VA Lubbock, a 120,916-square-foot facility in Texas completed in December 2020. The facility is located on the Texas Tech medical campus and features an ambulatory surgery center as well as general health, dental, audiology, ophthalmology, MRI, radiology, pharmacy, lab, physical therapy and mental health services. VA Lenexa, a 31,062-square-foot facility in Lenexa, Kan., that was delivered in May 2021. The property offers primary and specialty care, including audiology, dental, pathology and lab services, as well as radiology.  VA San Antonio, a 226,148-square-foot development currently underway in Texas. The three-story facility will feature six patient aligned care team (PACT) modules …

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Sanctuary Doral

DORAL, FLA. — Shoma Group has sold Sanctuary Doral Apartments, a 226-unit, six-story apartment building in Doral. The buyer, Avanti Group, purchased the property for $102.5 million, or $453,539 per unit. Still Hunter of Walker & Dunlop represented the seller in the transaction. Built in 2020, Sanctuary Doral includes one-, two- and three-bedroom floorplans. Rental rates average $2,210 to $3,660 for a 12-month lease and $2,410 to $3,860 with a seven-month lease. Other community amenities include a gym with steam room and sauna, pet spa, pool, bike path, mini soccer field, yoga lawn and a two-story clubhouse. The apartment property was fully occupied at the time of sale. Located at 9400 NW 41st St., Sanctuary Doral is situated close to retailers and restaurants such as McDonald’s, Walgreens, Starbucks and Publix. The apartment community is also about 13.3 miles from downtown Miami and 17.7 miles from Miami Beach.

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Circa at FishHawk

LITHIA, FLA. — JLL Capital Markets has secured $53 million in acquisition financing for Circa at FishHawk Ranch, a 260-unit, garden-style multifamily community in Lithia, about 24.9 miles from Tampa. Elliott Throne, Brian Gaswirth, Jesse Wright and Kenny Cutler of JLL represented the New York-based borrower, GMF Capital, to secure the three-year, floating-rate loan through New York-based Sound Point Capital Management LP. Circa at FishHawk Ranch includes studio, one-, two- and three-bedroom units averaging 1,045 square feet. Built in 2015, the property spans four stories with the units featuring dishwashers, fireplaces and electronic thermostats. Community amenities include a fitness center, pool with cabanas, clubhouse, courtyard, pet play area, picnic area, business center, bike storage and conference rooms. The property also offers trash pickup services and onsite maintenance. Located at 13930 Spector Road, the property is close to several retailers such as Publix at Alafia Commons, Fishhawk Bagels, FishHawk Sporting Goods and Payaathai Cuisine. Circa at FishHawk Ranch offers connectivity near Fishhawk Boulevard, Lithia Pinecrest Road, Highway 301 and Interstate 75. Jared Frydman and Alejandro Ramirez led the GMF Capital team internally. Jordan Heller of South Point originated the loan.

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Signature Brands

OCALA, FLA. — Stan Johnson Co. has brokered the $20.7 million sale of a single-tenant industrial property in Ocala. A Florida-based developer sold the 193,750-square-foot build-to-suit property to LBA Logistics, an Irvine, Calif.-based developer and institutional fund manager. Craig Tomlinson of Stan Johnson Co. represented the undisclosed seller. Signature Brands, a specialty and seasonal decorations maker, has a long-term lease at the property. The company’s brands include Betty Crocker, PAAS and Cake Mate. Built in August 2021, the high-bay distribution warehouse will service Signature Brands’ adjacent production facility. Located at 1921 Southwest 44th Ave., the property is about 1.5 miles from the College of Central Florida Ocala Campus and 36.9 miles from Gainesville.

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Columbia Promenade

KISSIMMEE, FLA. — PMAT Cos. has sold Columbia Promenade, a 65,853-square-foot, Publix-anchored shopping center in Kissimmee, for $12.7 million. Danny Finkle, Brad Peterson, Eric Williams, Whitaker Leonhardt and Kim Flores of JLL represented the seller in the transaction. The buyer was not disclosed. Built in 2000, Columbia Promenade was 98.6 percent leased at the time of sale to tenants including H&R Block and MetroPCS. Situated on 9.7 acres at 1251 W. Columbia Ave., the property has frontage along John Young Parkway and is located about 24.1 miles from downtown Orlando and 11.9 miles from Walt Disney World Resort.

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