ATLANTA — Three new tenants have signed leases at Stella at Star Metals, the residential centerpiece of Allen Morris Co.’s $1.5 billion Star Metals mixed-use development in Atlanta’s West Midtown neighborhood. Skin care studio concept Skin Laundry, Atlanta-based health food chain Kale Me Crazy and med spa clinic Peachy are expected to open on the ground level of the apartment building later this year. The new tenant additions will accompany Michelin-recognized Italian eatery Füm and the second location of Ladybird Grove & Mess Hall, which fronts the complex. Stella at Star Metals includes 327 luxury apartments in studio, one- and two-bedroom floorplans, as well as penthouse suites, ranging in size from 414 square feet to 1,596 square feet, according to Apartments.com. The 22-story building features 25,000 square feet of ground-floor retail space, a 7,000-square foot pool deck with pergolas and an infinity pool, a 15-person screening room with surround sound and a two-story bar on the 17th floor.
DULUTH, GA. — The Urban Redevelopment Agency of Gwinnett County has approved the purchase of a former Sears department store at Gwinnett Place Mall, a struggling shopping mall situated off Pleasant Hill Road near the I-85 exit in metro Atlanta. Northwood Ravin will sell the 11.5-acre site to the county for $11.5 million, the same price the Charlotte-based multifamily developer paid for the property in 2018. With the Sears acquisition, Gwinnett County now owns a combined 87.5 acres at Gwinnett Place Mall. Plans for the mall redevelopment include a mixed-use destination that is “green and walkable.” The county and the mall’s redevelopment consultant, CBRE, will release a nationwide request for proposal (RFP) to developers later this month. The mall redevelopment will include the Gwinnett Place Transit Center, which the county’s board of commissioners approved in March and is funded largely by the Federal Transit Administration. The project will expand transit connection throughout the county and is projected to be completed in 2032.
BUFORD, GA. — A joint venture between Trammell Crow Co. and a consortium led by CBRE Japan has broken ground on Buford Creek Business Center, a three-building, 686,400-square-foot industrial park in metro Atlanta. Situated at the northeast corner of Lanier Islands Parkway and Big Creek Road in Buford, the park will sit three miles from I-985 and 30 miles northeast of Atlanta. The developers plan to deliver Buford Creek Business Center by third-quarter 2026. The design-build team includes architect Atlas Collaborative and general contractor The Conlan Co. CBRE is leasing the park, which will comprise Building 100, a 349,440-square-foot cross-dock warehouse with 40-foot clear heights, and Buildings 200 and 300, two identically sized rear-load buildings spanning 168,400 square feet each.
ACWORTH, GA. — Marcus & Millichap has brokered the $2.7 million sale of a newly built restaurant located at 3558 Cobb Parkway NW in Acworth, a northwest suburb of Atlanta. Whataburger occupies the freestanding restaurant, which features a double drive-thru, on a new 15-year corporate ground lease. Don McMinn and Andrew Koriwchak of Marcus & Millichap represented the seller, an unnamed developer based in Georgia, in the transaction. Mark Ruble, Chris Lind and Zack House of Marcus & Millichap procured the unnamed buyer. The 3,318-square-foot Whataburger restaurant was delivered in April and is adjacent to a Walmart Super Center and Super Target.
ALPHARETTA, GA. — Newmark has brokered the $40.2 million sale of a 251,729-square-foot industrial facility located at 3000 Marconi Drive in Alpharetta. Casey Keitchen, Collin BeVier, Barry Gabel, Chris Marchildon and C.J. Osbrink of Newmark represented the seller, JDM Partners, in the transaction. The buyer was not disclosed. The property offers 10 megawatts of power and was fully leased at the time of sale to a national property and casualty insurance provider, serving as one of the company’s national printing and imaging centers.
ATLANTA — The seniors housing sector stands at a “curious” crossroads in terms of the current real estate cycle, according to Chris Guay, CEO of Vitality Living. The Brentwood, Tenn.-based company is a seniors housing owner-operator with communities located across the Southeast and Texas. Guay asserts that on one hand, seniors housing owners and operators are still healing from the supply-and-demand shocks stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic. On the other, the sector is standing on the precipice of the prophesied “silver tsunami,” a phenomenon wherein the baby boomer generation is aging into needing senior living care. Editor’s note: InterFace Conference Group, a division of France Media Inc., produces networking and educational conferences for commercial real estate executives. To sign up for email announcements about specific events, visit www.interfaceconferencegroup.com/subscribe. The oldest baby boomers are now turning 80, and Guay says that even if developers met the output of the highest point of the previous cycle annually, it still wouldn’t be enough to satisfy the wave of demand coming. “The silver tsunami is actually here,” says Guay. “Right now is probably the most interesting time in the industry that I can remember.” Guay’s comments came during the “power panel” at InterFace Seniors …
ATHENS, GA. — Hunter Hotel Advisors has arranged the sale of Hyatt Place Athens, a 190-room hotel located at 412 N. Thomas St. in downtown Athens. The buyer, a local investor, purchased the hotel for an undisclosed price. Tim Osborne of Hunter Hotel Advisors brokered the transaction, while Pyramid Global Hospitality has been selected to manage the hotel. Paul Breslin of Horwath HTL and Andrew Cajka of Southern Hospitality Group, the hotel’s part-owner and operator, advised the seller, an entity doing business as HP Athens LLC. Built in 2017, Hyatt Place Athens features nearly 4,000 square feet of meeting space, a business center, 24-hour fitness center, breakfast bar and a lobby, as well as a rooftop bar. The hotel is also connected to The Classic Center, a mixed-use convention center and performing arts venue, and offers direct access to the Akins Ford Arena event hall.
SAVANNAH, GA. — GTIS Partners LP has acquired a 24-acre industrial site located within the Highway 21 corridor of Savannah, situated less than 10 miles from the Port of Savannah’s Garden City Terminal. GTIS will develop 297,163 square feet of Class A industrial space across two buildings at the site. This development marks the New York-based company’s 16th industrial investment.
MCDONOUGH, GA. — Bridge Logistics Properties, a subsidiary of publicly traded Bridge Investment Group Holdings Inc., has acquired a two-property industrial portfolio in McDonough spanning nearly 1.6 million square feet. Situated south of Atlanta via I-75, the properties in the portfolio include 150 Distribution Drive (760,256 square feet) and 201 Greenwood Court (800,000 square feet). Eastdil Secured brokered the sale. The seller and sales price were not disclosed. The properties were fully leased at the time of sale to four creditworthy tenants, including DHL Supply Chain (Exel Inc.), Caterpillar and Pregis. Each building features 30-foot clear heights, 184-foot truck courts, trailer and car parking, LED lighting and ESFR sprinkler systems.
ATLANTA — A joint venture between LV Collective, Kayne Anderson Real Estate, Pacific Life and JE Dunn Capital Partners has delivered Rambler Atlanta, a 798-bed student housing community located at 736 Peachtree St. NE in Midtown Atlanta. The 467,000-square-foot development offers 215 units in studio through six-bedroom configurations for students attending the Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech). The community rises 19 stories and features shared amenities, including an active lobby with a Daydreamer coffee shop; private study rooms and six conference rooms; a kitchenette with an outdoor terrace; a rooftop deck with a pool, hot tub and lounge seating; and a fitness center, sauna and yoga studio. The development team included Niles Bolton Associates, JE Dunn Construction, Archie Bolden, Michael Hsu Office of Architecture and Ironwood DDG.