HOUSTON — Hines Global Investment Trust (HGIT), a real estate investment trust (REIT) sponsored by Houston-based global asset manager Hines, has acquired three industrial assets located on the East Coast for a total $309 million. The acquired properties include two distribution facilities situated within the Georgia International Trade Center (GITC) in the Savannah market and two warehouse/distribution facilities located in Upton Crossing, a warehouse campus in Wilmington, Mass. The Davis Cos., a real estate investment and development firm based in Boston, sold both assets, which total 2.5 million square feet. Additionally, HGIT acquired I-85 Logistics Center, an industrial property in the Greenville-Spartanburg metro in South Carolina’s Upstate region. The seller of I-85 Logistics Center was not disclosed. The properties in Savannah total 2.2 million square feet and were fully leased at the time of sale. A joint venture between Davis and Atlanta-based Stonemont Financial Group developed GITC, which comprises a total 7.7 million square feet of manufacturing and warehouse space across 10 buildings. The site is located roughly 10 miles from the Port of Savannah. Totaling 215,000 square feet, the properties at Upton Crossing in Wilmington were 81 percent leased at the time of acquisition. Davis acquired Upton Crossing in …
Georgia
Affordable Housing Developers Aim to Control What They Can Control, Say InterFace Panelists
by John Nelson
ATLANTA — Interest rates. Tariffs. Natural disasters. These three factors alone frighten any developer, let alone those who are tasked with delivering our nation’s affordable housing supply. Just to get to the ribbon-cutting ceremony, developers have an uphill climb. They have to obtain the land outright or in a ground lease agreement, navigate the permitting and entitlement processes, overcome any neighborhood pushback, raise equity and borrow the necessary capital and then build these communities on time and on budget. 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. “We try to stay in control of what we’re in control of,” said Christopher Byrd, Southeast region development director of LDG Development, an affordable housing developer based in Louisville, Ky. “As long as we are in the right markets with the right growth and the right partners, we are safe and insulated.” Byrd’s comments came while on stage during the development panel at InterFace Affordable Housing Southeast, a networking and information conference held at the Cobb Galleria Centre in Atlanta on Tuesday, May 7. Kelly Williams, vice president of …
The last four quarters in the Atlanta industrial market were something akin to a good old-fashioned roller coaster ride at the historic Southeastern Fairgrounds! The absorption, activity and new construction sectors all went for a somewhat bumpy ride this past year. What’s happening? First, the quarterly absorption numbers for the Atlanta industrial market have been anything but steady. Eight quarters ago there was 7.9 million square feet of positive net absorption, followed by five negative quarters in a row (totaling 13.2 million square feet), then came two positive quarters (totaling 7 million square feet) and then back down to 2.8 million square feet of negative net absorption for the first quarter of 2025. The annual absorption numbers were up and down as well. The last four quarters yielded 2.2 million square feet of positive net absorption, but a year ago, at this same time, the absorption numbers plummeted down to a negative 11.3 million square feet. Two years ago, the industrial market experienced 32.5 million square feet of positive net absorption. Second, the activity numbers also were up and down. The second quarter of 2024 recorded 14.4 million square feet of activity, but that number dropped to 13.6 million …
ATLANTA — Atlanta-based Lalani Ventures, in partnership with Ravine, will open a 181,000-square-foot live music and performance venue at Underground Atlanta, a shopping and entertainment district situated in the Five Points neighborhood of south downtown Atlanta. Following the closure of its former location in 2021, Ravine’s new location, Ravine at Underground, will feature two stages with covered indoor and outdoor event space. One stage will accommodate 6,000 guests, while the other stage will accommodate 2,500 patrons. Ravine at Underground will join additional entertainment venues at Underground Atlanta, including The Masquerade, a four-hall concert venue; The Frisky Whisker, a sound gallery and art space that includes a cat research and therapy center; and a 30,000-square-foot event hall.
POWDER SPRINGS, GA. — CenterPoint Properties has acquired a 347,013-square-foot industrial property located at 4795 Innovative Way in Powder Springs, a western suburb of Atlanta. The newly built facility is situated three miles from a Norfolk Southern intermodal terminal and 14 miles from I-285 via I-20. The metro Chicago-based investor purchased the facility, which was delivered in third-quarter 2024 and fully leased to two tenants, for an undisclosed price. CBRE brokered the off-market transaction. The facility covers less than a quarter of the 36-acre site and features 36-foot clear heights, 68 dock-high doors, two drive-in doors and parking for 210 cars and 77 trailers. CenterPoint now owns 90 assets comprising more than 18.5 million square feet in its East Region markets of New York/New Jersey, Lehigh Valley, Charleston, Savannah, Atlanta and South Florida.
SAVANNAH, GA. — McCraney Property Co. has obtained $84 million in senior financing for Phase I of Logistics 16 at Ottawa Farms, a 1 million-square-foot industrial development in Savannah. The three-building property is situated approximately 16 miles from the Port of Savannah. Melissa Rose, Michael DiCosimo and Nicole Barba of JLL arranged the financing package, which includes a three-year, floating-rate loan through Truist. McCraney delivered the three rear-load distribution buildings in 2024. The facilities, which were nearly 85 percent leased at the time of financing, feature 32- to 36-foot clear heights, dock doors and ESFR sprinklers. Logistics 16 at Ottawa Farms is expected to span 4.4 million square feet across nine buildings at full build-out.
DORAVILLE, GA. — A partnership between RangeWater Real Estate and North America Sekisui House (NASH) has opened Camino at BuHi, a 303-apartment community located at 3712 Stewart Road in Doraville, an eastern suburb of Atlanta. The new development is situated at the intersection of Buford Highway and Jess Norman Way. Camino at BuHi offers a mix of studio, one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments and townhomes ranging in size from 474 to 1,411 square feet. Monthly rental rates range from $1,387 to $3,254, according to Apartments.com. Amenities include a dog park and spa, resort-style pool courtyard, coworking offices with dedicated podcast recording space, an outdoor grilling station, fitness center, rooftop lounge and a private speakeasy.
ATLANTA — HR solutions company TriNet has signed a 150,000-square-foot office lease at High Street, a $2 billion mixed-use district located within the Central Perimeter neighborhood of Atlanta. TriNet’s move is expected to create 750 jobs over the next five years. Jeff Taylor and Adam Viente of JLL represented the landlord, while Tony Guglielmi, Rich Branning, Josh Hirsh, Dom Wyant, Terry McGuirk and Brennan Koslow of JLL represented the tenant in the lease negotiations. GID Development Group recently completed its $415 million Phase I at High Street, which includes two luxury apartment buildings, 320,000 square feet of office space, 150,000 square feet of retail, restaurant and entertainment space and a central lawn for residents, workers and visitors. Upon full buildout of High Street, the 36-acre development will feature 672,000 square feet of office space, a 400-room hotel, 400,000 square feet of retail, dining, fitness and entertainment space and 3,000 residential units.
RIVERDALE, GA. — Atlanta-based RADCO has acquired a 615-unit multifamily community located at 750 Chateau Lane in the Atlanta suburb of Riverdale. Formerly known as Legacy at Riverdale, Rhythm at Riverdale offers studio, one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments spread across 57 low-rise residential buildings. Amenities at the property include multiple swimming pools, tennis and pickleball courts, laundry facilities and grade-level parking. The property rebrand was overseen by Unmaker Studio, RADCO’s internal full-service branding agency. Rhythm at Riverdale is the first property in RADCO’s portfolio to employ the Rhythm name, which is the company’s new brand for value-add properties. RADCO plans to complete capital improvements at the property, including renovations to the apartment units, exterior upgrades, building and mechanical repairs and enhancements to the common areas. Matt White and Scott Bray of Berkadia represented the undisclosed seller in the transaction. The sales price was also not disclosed.
Atlanta’s retail market is proving it knows how to adapt, evolve and outperform, even in the face of macroeconomic headwinds. Despite a moderation in leasing and investment sales activity in recent quarters, the city’s fundamentals remain strong. Vacancy rates are at historic lows, rent growth is outpacing the national average and population and income growth continue to fuel long-term demand. Demand and demographics With vacancy rates consistently under 4 percent, Atlanta remains one of the tightest retail markets in the country. The appetite for well-located retail space hasn’t waned, even as broader economic uncertainty has slowed transaction velocity. In fact, strong absorption numbers and a limited supply pipeline have bolstered landlord confidence and pricing power across the metro. What’s driving this resilience? A booming population, rising household incomes and a steady influx of corporate relocations. Employers like Microsoft, Google and Cisco are expanding their footprints, bringing with them jobs, workers and spending power. Some of this growth has been particularly noticeable in Midtown. Redevelopment playbook Instead of ground-up development, Atlanta’s growth strategy has increasingly focused on reinventing aging retail centers in prime locations. With construction costs high and land increasingly scarce, developers opt to reimagine what already exists. These projects …