SUWANEE, GA. ¬— Stratford Land, a land investment company based in Dallas, has sold two tracts of land at the Terraces at Suwanee Gateway in Suwanee, a northeast suburb of Atlanta in Gwinnett County. The lots were purchased by Main Event Entertainment, a bowling-anchored entertainment retailer, and Children’s Learning Adventure, an early childhood education provider. Main Event operates 25 entertainment centers that feature bowling lanes, laser tag, gravity ropes courses and interactive games, as well as a full bar for adults and dining areas. Operating in 11 states, Children’s Learning Adventure locations typically include a planetarium, multimedia room with a mock TV studio, library, technology center, art studio, indoor basketball court, bowling lanes, cooking stations, dance studio, ballet studio, outdoor playground and outdoor basketball and tennis courts. Terraces at Suwanee Gateway is bounded by I-85, Satellite Boulevard, Lawrenceville-Suwanee Highway and McGinnis Ferry Road. McDonald’s and Starbucks Coffee have recently opened stores at the mixed-use development after purchasing lots from Stratford Land in 2015. Since purchasing 113 acres at Suwanee Gateway in 2010 and 2011, Stratford Land has sold tracts for a 345-unit apartment community; Salude, a 64-bed skilled nursing facility; and a site for a future data center.
Georgia
ALPHARETTA, GA. — North American Properties (NAP), developer of the 86-acre, $600 million Avalon development in Alpharetta, has announced nine retailers coming to Phase II of Avalon, which is set to open in spring 2017. The new merchants include Hop City and The Spotted Trotter, which will work together to form a beer garden; Rumi’s Kitchen; Brine Fish House; The Boardroom Salon for Men; Lucky Brand; Brooks Brothers; Levi’s; and Urban Outfitters. In addition to the retailers, Phase II will include 550,000 square feet of office space, 276 multifamily units, a 330-key hotel and a 74,000-square-foot conference center. Five new retailers are set to open in Phase I of Avalon within the next six months: Tesla, AYA Med Spa, Farm to Ladle, Parisian Nail Salon and Café Intermezzo. Phase I of Avalon is fully leased and Phase II is 80 percent preleased, according to NAP.
OAK BROOK, ILL. — CenterPoint Properties has purchased a three-building, 1.2 million-square-foot portfolio of Class A warehouses located in Savannah, Ga.; Charleston, S.C.; and Mobile, Ala. All three buildings are fully leased and feature 32-foot clear heights, cross dock loading configurations, 50- by 52-foot column spacing and parking for trailers. All three buildings are also located near the Ports of Savannah, Charleston and Mobile. CenterPoint purchased the portfolio from Johnson Development Associates Inc. for an undisclosed price. Frank Fallon of CBRE represented the seller in the transaction.
NORCROSS, GA. — PointOne Holdings has sold Grove Point Apartments, a 312-unit multifamily community in the Atlanta suburb of Norcross for $27 million. The South Florida-based multifamily investor purchased the asset in January 2014 via Auction.com from special servicer CW Capital for approximately $12.8 million. PointOne Holdings invested more than $3 million in capital improvements to the property, including upgrades to unit interiors, overall repairs to building exteriors, replacement of mechanical, electrical and plumbing and improved curb appeal. The company also upgraded the amenities by adding a business center, dog park, fitness center, outdoor kitchens, playground and a Zen garden. During PointOne’s ownership of Grove Point, occupancy rose from 85 percent to more than 97 percent at the time of the sale. Average rents also increased an average of $200 per unit and the property’s net operating income per month increased by 77 percent.
ATLANTA — Regency Centers has inked a lease with Huff Harrington, a fine art gallery and home furnishings retailer, to lease 5,000 square feet of space at Buckhead Court, a 48,000-square-foot shopping center in Atlanta’s Buckhead district. The new store will offer art, design services, tableware, home décor and furnishings, accessories and jewelry. The retailer is expected to open for business at Buckhead Court in September. Other tenants at Buckhead Court include Superica, Range Boutique, DTOX and Buckhead Lash. Leslie Mintz of Regency Centers handles leasing responsibilities for Buckhead Court.
Wheeler REIT Buys Shopping Centers in South Carolina, Georgia from Piggly Wiggly for $71M
by John Nelson
VIRGINIA BEACH, VA. — Wheeler Real Estate Investment Trust Inc., a Virginia Beach-based retail REIT, has acquired 14 shopping centers in South Carolina and Georgia for $71 million, making it the REIT’s largest portfolio purchase to date. Wheeler REIT purchased the portfolio from Mount Pleasant, S.C.-based Piggly Wiggly Carolina Co. KeyBank Real Estate Capital provided the bulk of the acquisition financing on behalf of Wheeler REIT, and Dallas-based Revere Capital provided an $8 million loan. Brian O’Flanagan of Revere Capital’s Dallas office originated the loan. The acquired portfolio consists of 603,142 square feet and has a combined occupancy of 92 percent with grocery-anchored tenants that include Harris Teeter, Bi-Lo and Piggy Wiggly. The Shoppes at Litchfield Market Village in Pawleys Island, S.C., is one of the properties. The others include a Piggly Wiggly-anchored center in Georgetown, S.C., as well as locations in Greenwood, Mullins, Bluffton, Lexington, St. Matthews, Columbia and Ridgeland in South Carolina and one location in Darien, Ga. Kyle Stonis and Pierce Mayson of SRS Real Estate Partners’ Atlanta office brokered the transaction.
MARIETTA, GA. — Atlanta United FC, Major League Soccer’s (MLS) 22nd franchise, has released details and renderings for its $60 million training facility underway in Marietta, a northern suburb of Atlanta. Designed by Atlanta-based tvsdesign, the project will include six playing fields and a 30,000-square-foot facility that will house both the professional and academy teams for the club, which will begin its first MLS season in 2017. Located along Marietta’s Franklin Road on a 33-acre site, the training facility will be used by professional and soccer academy players, along with the club’s executive and soccer operations staff. The project is expected to bring 80 high-paying jobs to the area. Atlanta United will play in the new Mercedes-Benz Stadium currently under construction in downtown Atlanta. The team is owned by Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank and is led by club president Darren Eales.
CARTERSVILLE, GA. AND RIVERVIEW, FLA. — Phillips Edison Grocery Center REIT II Inc. has purchased two grocery-anchored shopping centers in Cartersville and Riverview. The properties include the 375,067-square-foot Bartow Marketplace in Cartersville and the 78,442-square-foot Bloomingdale Hills in Riverview. Bartow Marketplace’s tenant roster includes a 204,170-square-foot Walmart Supercenter, and a 130,497-square-foot Lowe’s Home Improvement. Other tenants include Cricket Wireless, CPR Cell Phone Repair, Rue 21, World Finance Loans, Dollar Tree, Metro PCS, Pearle Vision, Gamestop, Peachstate Auto Insurance, Sally Beauty Supply and Payless Shoe Source. Bloomingdale Hills’ tenant roster includes a 57,756-square-foot Walmart Neighborhood Market, Happy’s Home Centers, Great Clips and Great Expressions Dental. As of April 14, 2016, Phillips Edison Grocery Center REIT II owns and manages 66 grocery-anchored centers totaling roughly 7.9 million square feet.
New York Life Real Estate Investors Provides $29.6M Loan for Two Office Buildings in Alpharetta
by John Nelson
ALPHARETTA, GA. — New York Life Real Estate Investors has provided a $29.6 million for Brookside I and II, two Class A office buildings in Alpharetta totaling 267,000 square feet. Cushman & Wakefield’s Washington, D.C., office arranged the loan through New York Life on behalf of the borrower, Equus Investment Partnership X LP, a discretionary fund managed by Equus Capital Partners Ltd. The floating-rate loan features a five-year term.
CARTERSVILLE, GA. — Pattillo Industrial Real Estate has wrapped up construction on a 265,200-square-foot spec industrial facility within Cartersville Business Park. The building is situated on 34 acres at 731 Cassville White Road in Cartersville, a northwest suburb of Atlanta. The facility is roughly a half-mile from I-75 and features 30-foot clear heights, a white reinforced TPO roof system, 185-foot truck court, 24 dock high doors, an ESFR sprinkler system, T5 fluorescent lighting and 61 spaces for trailer parking.