The apartment construction boom continues in Miami as rapid demographic and employment growth foster rental demand. Employers expanded staffs by 25,900 personnel year over year in February, roughly 6,900 more than in the preceding annual period, which has kept the unemployment rate below 4 percent for 12 consecutive months. Hiring during this period was led by the professional and business services sector, due in part to a growing tech sector. The relatively higher salaries in this segment helped boost the median household income 6.8 percent year-over-year in March, among the top five growth rates in the nation. Available employment is helping draw new residents and produce population growth above the national pace. Over the past 12 months, the metro has gained nearly 28,000 residents, generating a strong need for additional housing options, and many are opting to rent. These factors are contributing to robust apartment demand and maintaining minimal rental availability in several submarkets, including Downtown and North Central Miami, despite the increase in deliveries over the past few years. The rise in household income is providing demand for apartments with luxury amenities in walkable urban neighborhoods. During the first quarter of 2019, apartment deliveries remained above the five-year average …
FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA. — Harbor Group International has acquired 1340 Concord, a 100,710-square-foot, single-tenant office building in Fort Lauderdale, for $32.5 million. The buyer is planning for the property to undergo renovations, though details were not disclosed. The building, which technology firm Ultimate Software Group Inc. fully occupies, features three stories with flexible single-floor or whole-building floorplans. The seller was not disclosed.
PEMBROKE PINES, FLA. — KeyBank Real Estate Capital has provided a $34 million refinancing loan for Flamingo Pines Plaza, a 140,213-square-foot shopping center in Pembroke Pines. Flamingo Pines Plaza was 97 percent leased at the time of sale to 33 tenants, including anchor tenant Florida Technical College and junior anchor tenants United States Postal Service and Goodwill. The property comprises six single-story buildings and was built in 1987. JBL Asset Management acquired the property in December 2017 for $33.2 million. Meridian Capital arranged the loan on behalf of JBL.
TRINITY, FLA. — A partnership between two developers, Alabama-based Blackwater Real Estate and Tennessee-based Hutton, has completed The Village at Mitchell Ranch, a 161,000-square-foot shopping center near Tampa. A 30,0000-square-foot Sprouts Farmers Market anchors the property, which is located at the intersection of State Route 54 and Little Road in Trinity. Other anchors include HomeGoods, Michaels, Five Below, Skechers and Ulta Beauty. Restaurant users include Burger King, Chipotle Mexican Grill and Panda Express, with more to be announced in the coming months.
VIERA, FLA. — SRS Real Estate Partners has negotiated the $11.8 million sale of Viera Colonnade Shops, a 27,051-square-foot retail center comprising three buildings, in Viera. The asset is situated at 2328, 2338 and 2348 Citadel Way, 35 miles east of downtown Orlando. The property was delivered in 2017 and 2018. Viera Colonnade is fully leased to 14 tenants, including UPS, Jersey Mike’s, Great Clips, Mattress One and Blaze Pizza. Additionally, all 14 tenants recently signed brand new 10-year triple-net leases with extension options. Patrick Luther and Matthew Mousavi of SRS represented the seller, a developer based in Florida. The buyer, a private partnership comprising domestic and foreign investors, was self-represented. The property closed at a 6.85 percent cap rate.
POMPANO BEACH, FLA. — Cushman & Wakefield has negotiated six industrial leases totaling 132,798 square feet at Pompano Center of Commerce II, a warehouse and distribution campus in Broward County. Butters Construction & Development developed the property, the existing buildings of which are now at full occupancy. Tenants represented in the new leasing activity include Milestone Pavers (14,640 square feet), Empire Delivery (26,605 square feet), Larsen’s Manufacturing (17,436 square feet), Farco Plastics (17,381 square feet), Event Effects Group (37,786 square feet) and ATI Electrical Supply (18,950 square feet). Chris Metzger, Richard Etner, Christopher Thomson and Matthew McAllister of Cushman & Wakefield represented the landlord, a joint venture between Butters and an institutional capital partner, in all of the lease negotiations.
PALM BEACH GARDENS, FLA. — KBS has sold Financial Center at the Gardens, a 10-story, 188,950-square-foot office building in Palm Beach Gardens, for $71.8 million. KBS acquired the property in 2015 and spent more than $1 million in renovations, including a main lobby renovation with a new lounge and wine bar, as well as upgrades to the café, restrooms, corridors and elevators. Mike Davis, Dominic Montazemi, Rick Brugge and Scott O’Donnell of Cushman & Wakefield represented KBS in the transaction. New York Life Insurance Co. bought the property.
SEFFNER, FLA. — US Capital Development Co. and USAA Real Estate are partnering to construct a 303,006-square-foot speculative distribution center in Seffner. The facility will be located at 6337 County Road 579, 12 miles east of downtown Tampa. The center will offer tilt-up concrete walls with more than 60 dock positions, more than 300 auto parking spaces and 36-foot clear heights. Once complete, the building will serve as distribution/warehousing space for either one or two tenants. The partners expect to break ground in August with completion slated for the second quarter of 2020. The design team includes Edwards Construction as the general contractor, JRA Architecture as the architect and Landmark Engineering as the civil engineer. Clay Witherspoon and Trey Carswell of Avison Young are the leasing agents for the property.
ORLANDO, FLA. — Metro Storage LLC has acquired a two-story, 641-unit self-storage facility in Orlando. The building spans 62,607 square feet. It was delivered in February 2018 at 7500 W. Colonial Drive. The property offers interior climate-controlled units, exterior drive-up storage units, outdoor RV and boat/car parking, covered loading and unloading access, wide asphalt driveways, security cameras, and access keypad controls. Metro Storage now owns two facilities in Orlando and 24 in Florida. The seller and sales price were not disclosed.
CORAL GABLES, FLA. — BAC Florida Bank has signed a long-term lease to occupy 63,000 square feet and anchor The Plaza at Coral Gables beginning in 2022. The Plaza at Coral Gables is under construction and is expected to open in 2021. At full buildout, the property will comprise two Class A office towers totaling 447,675 square feet; a 242-room hotel with meeting space; 161,000 square feet of restaurants, entertainment and retail space; and residential townhomes and apartments. Patrick Duffy and Clay Sidner of Newmark Knight Frank represented BAC Florida Bank in the transaction. Tere Blanca, Danet Linares and Andres Del Corral of Blanca Commercial Real Estate represented the landlord, Agave Holdings.