BROOKSVILLE, FLA. — Housing Trust Group (HTG) has opened Freedom Gardens, an $18.5 million affordable housing community situated in the Central Florida city of Brooksville. Located at 932 Freedom Way, the 96-unit property is part of a two-phase development. The second phase of Freedom Gardens will provide an additional 94 units and is slated to break ground in the first quarter of 2018. Freedom Gardens offers one-, two- and three-bedroom units with rents ranging from $400 to $880 per month. Community amenities include a cyber café, swimming pool, after-school care, laundry facility, fitness center, walking path, community gathering area and a pet park. The property achieved a green building certification under the National Green Building Standard administered by the National Association of Home Builders.
Florida
WESTON, FLA. — Cushman & Wakefield has negotiated a 67,200-square-foot lease with VPX Sports within Weston Commerce Park, an industrial park located at 1951 N. Commerce Parkway in Weston, a town in Broward County roughly 23 miles west of Fort Lauderdale. Chris Metzger, Richard Etner Jr., Christopher Thomson and Matthew McAllister of Cushman & Wakefield represented Mississippi-based owner EastGroup Properties in the lease transaction. JLL represented VPX Sports, a health supplement manufacturer that sells products in brick-and-mortar stores throughout the U.S. and 37 other countries. The company will use the space for its warehouse and distribution needs. The 134,000-square-foot building features 30-foot clear heights, dock-high loading, drive-in doors, an ESFR fire safety system, T5 lighting, 40-foot by 40-foot column spacing and an 118-foot truck court. The building is located roughly one mile from VPX Sports’ 102,000-square-foot corporate headquarters at Weston Distribution Center. With the addition of VPX Sports, Weston Commerce Park is fully leased. The company is expected to move into the building in the third quarter.
KEY WEST, FLA. — Passco Cos., an Irvine, Calif.-based multifamily investment firm, has acquired Ocean Walk Apartments, a 297-unit multifamily community located at 3900 S. Roosevelt Blvd. in Key West, for $101.5 million. Hampton Beebe of ARA Newmark brokered the transaction on behalf of the seller, a partnership between Mast Capital and Rockpoint Group, and the buyer. Chris Black and Caleb Marten of KeyBank Real Estate Capital arranged acquisition financing for Passco through Fannie Mae. The property features a clubhouse, swimming pool with a sundeck, tennis courts and a basketball court. Prior to Passco’s acquisition, the majority of the unit interiors of Ocean Walk Apartments were renovated with granite countertops, stainless steel appliances and new cabinetry and flooring. Passco plans to renovate the remaining 10 percent of units that were not updated during prior ownership.
CINCINNATI — Cincinnati-based Phillips Edison & Co. has acquired three Publix-anchored shopping centers located throughout Florida and Georgia totaling 280,060 square feet. The portfolio includes St. John’s Plaza, a 117,507-square-foot center in Titusville, roughly 40 miles east of Orlando; Ormond Beach Mall, a 94,275-square foot shopping center in Ormond Beach, a Central Florida town near Daytona Beach; and Golden Park Village, a 68,278-square-foot shopping center in Buford, roughly 40 miles northeast of Atlanta. St. John’s Plaza is home to Hair Cuttery, Sally Beauty Supply, Dollar Tree and Cricket Wireless. Ormond Beach Mall features tenants including Wells Fargo and Dollar Tree. In addition to Publix, Golden Park Village houses Great Clips and The UPS Store. The sales price and seller of the portfolio were not disclosed.
DELRAY BEACH, FLA. — TH Real Estate, an affiliate of TIAA’s Nuveen, has acquired The Atlantic at East Delray, a 228-unit apartment community located at 650 Lavers Circle in Palm Beach County’s Delray Beach. The sales price was not disclosed, but the South Florida Business Journal reports the asset sold for $54 million. TH Real Estate purchased the property from a joint venture between Pollack Shores and its equity partner. Constructed in 1996, The Atlantic at East Delray features a swimming pool, dog park, business center, playground, fitness center, sand volleyball court and picnic areas with charcoal grills.
ORLANDO, FLA. — Colliers International has secured a 69,545-square-foot lease for Safemark Systems, a manufacturer of electronic safes for the hospitality industry, at Horizon Commerce Park in Orlando. With the new lease, Safemark Systems will combine its office and warehouse operations into one space. Richard Davis Jr. of Colliers International represented Safemark Systems in the lease transaction. Mike Borling of JLL represented the landlord, EastGroup Properties. Located at 200 W. Sand Lake Road, the property is situated roughly eight miles south of downtown Orlando, with access to State Road 528 and the Orlando Executive Airport.
PALM BEACH GARDENS, FLA. — Walker & Dunlop Inc. has brokered the sale of The Quaye at Palm Beach Gardens, a 340-unit, Class A apartment community located in South Florida’s Palm Beach County. The sales price was not disclosed, but the South Florida Business Journal reports an affiliate of PGIM Real Estate, the real estate arm of Prudential Financial, purchased the asset in July for $118.4 million. Greg Engler, Chris Conklin and Roberto Pesant of Walker & Dunlop’s investment sales team represented the seller, HG Management LLC, in the transaction. Constructed in 2015, The Quaye was designed to meet the National Association of Home Builders’ Gold Standard for a green project. The Quaye’s sustainable features include an almost 50 percent reduction in energy and water usage, cleaner air inside the home and outside, with the community being 100 percent smoke-free, reduced sound transmission with solid concrete walls and six-inch concrete floors and solar control windows that reduce solar heat and noise. Community amenities include a clubhouse, fitness center, kids’ playroom, dog park, swimming pool and a community kitchen.
TAMPA, FLA. — Berkadia has secured a $39.8 million acquisition loan through Fannie Mae for Landmark at Grand Palms, a 438-unit multifamily community located at 3831 Northgreen Ave. in Tampa. Electra America acquired the asset from Starwood Capital for an undisclosed price. The property will be rebranded as Northgreen at Carrollwood, and Electra America will invest approximately $3.5 million in capital improvements, including updated lighting and plumbing fixtures, plank flooring in common areas and amenity and clubhouse enhancements. Situated on 34 acres, Northgreen at Carrollwood includes one- and two-bedroom units and features a fitness center, four pools, tennis courts, children’s playground and a dog park. The property was 96 percent occupied at the time of sale.
RIVERVIEW, FLA. — Batson-Cook Development Co. (BCDC), in a joint venture with Dunphy Properties, has sold Rivercrest Commons, a Publix-anchored shopping center in Riverview, for $21.7 million. The 75,000-square-foot center is situated at the intersection of Symmes Road and US 301, roughly 13 miles southeast of Tampa. Colliers International represented Atlanta-based BCDC and Tampa-based Dunphy Properties in the transaction. RealNet Tampa Bay represented the buyer, Nicklaus of Florida. The property was 92 percent leased at the time of sale to tenants including Dunkin’ Donuts, Fast Track Urgent Care Center and Heartland Dental.
KISSIMMEE AND OAKLAND PARK, FLA. — Walker & Dunlop has arranged a combined $63.6 million in financing for two apartment communities in Florida. The financing included a $38.1 million loan for Caribbean Isle in Kissimmee and a $25.5 million loan for Forest Park in Oakland Park. Geoff Smith, Kimberly Riordan and Randy Efron of Walker & Dunlop secured the three-year, floating-rate mortgage with interest-only payments on behalf of the apartment owners, Pilgrim V and GRA Equities.