LOS ANGELES — Standard Communities, an affordable housing developer and investor based in Los Angeles, has acquired controlling interest in an affordable housing portfolio of approximately 3,200 units in Florida and Georgia. The seller and price were not disclosed. This is Standard Communities’ largest acquisition to date. The portfolio includes the firm’s first acquisitions in Florida and first affordable housing acquisitions in Georgia. “Standard is expanding its portfolio in the Southeast to foster more thriving communities in the region,” says Jeffrey Jaeger, co-founder and principal of Standard Communities. “High-quality, well-maintained affordable housing is crucial to the well-being and livelihood of so many people.” Standard Properties is partnered with Apartment Life, a Dallas-based nonprofit organization that works to increase renters’ access to education and healthcare, foster community engagement, reduce food insecurity and provide opportunities for economic mobility. The firm plans to invest $25 million in capital improvements across the portfolio. Apartment Management Consultants and Arco Management Corp. will manage the properties. Also in Georgia, Standard Communities recently broke ground on a project in Savannah that will convert a 1920s-era Atlantic Coast Line Railroad office building into a 219-unit market-rate apartment community. — Channing Hamilton
Georgia
ATLANTA — The University System of Georgia’s Board of Regents has approved a $117 million residence hall development on the Georgia Tech campus in Midtown Atlanta. The 191,000-square-foot community will offer 850 beds alongside collaborative learning spaces, community lounges and group kitchens. The project is being built to accommodate first-year student enrollment growth over the next 10 years, and to help relocate students during planned renovations to the university’s existing housing. The residence hall will be Georgia Tech’s first new construction since 2005 when 10th and Home opened according to Kasey Helton of Georgia Tech’s Campus Services division. Completion on the project is scheduled for fall 2026.
ATLANTA — Selig Enterprises has unveiled plans for the renovation and rebranding of Lenox Marketplace in Atlanta, now known as The Block at Phipps. Located in the Buckhead neighborhood at the confluence of Peachtree Road, Wieuca Road, Oak Valley Road and Prichard Way, the property comprises 9.4 acres. Renovations are scheduled to begin in the second quarter of this year. Capital improvements will include the addition of a 30-foot, open-air corridor to connect the sidewalk along Peachtree Road and the parking deck. Selig, which acquired the property with an investment partner in 2020, also plans to transform the space along Peachtree and Oak Valley roads with new façades, landscaping, programming and enhanced walkways. ASD|SKY is providing architecture and environmental design services for the project.
RINCON, GA. — Sewon America, a subsidiary of Korean-based automotive supplier Sewon Precision Industry Co., plans to invest $300 million for a new manufacturing facility in Rincon. Situated within the Grande View industrial park, the project is expected to support 740 new jobs in the Effingham County area. Sewon America’s new manufacturing location will produce electric vehicle body parts for automotive manufacturers, including Hyundai. Operations are expected to begin in 2025. The company opened a manufacturing facility in LaGrange, Ga., in 2008, which has since doubled in size. The Sewon America development is the latest in a string of automotive suppliers announcing projects around the Hyundai Metaplant in Bryan County, representing roughly $1.8 billion in investment to-date. This announcement fulfills Hyundai’s commitment to create jobs and investment in all four of the Savannah Harbor Interstate-16 Joint Development Authority (JDA) counties.
EAST POINT, GA. — Crown Bay Group LLC has purchased Cameron Run, a workforce housing community in East Point, for $35 million. Located at 4395 Washington Road, the property comprises 284 units in one-, two- and three-bedroom layouts. Originally built in 1972, the community recently underwent $1 million in capital improvements and features a gym, playground, artificial turf sports field and a dog park. Cameron Run was 93 percent occupied at the time of sale. Crown Bay Group plans to hold the property for three to five years and make capital improvements. The seller and sales price were not disclosed.
DECATUR, GA. — Colliers has arranged the sale of Sam’s Crossing, a 65,785-square-foot shopping center located in Decatur, a suburb northeast of Atlanta. Publix Super Markets anchors the center and was the buyer in the transaction. In addition to the new, 53,785-square-foot grocery store, tenants at the property include DECA Dental, Planet Smoothie, Jersey Mike’s and Jeremiah’s Italian Ice. Joe Montgomery, Scott Israel and Henry Kushner of Colliers’ Retail Investment Sales team represented the seller, Alliance Realty Services, in the transaction. The sales price was not disclosed.
ATLANTA — C3 (Creating Culinary Communities), a food technology platform, and Legends have announced plans for Citizens Market, a 25,000-square-foot food hall set to open at Phipps Plaza in Atlanta in April. Featured eateries at the food hall will include Umami Burger, Krispy Rice, Sam’s Crispy Chicken, Kumi, Sa’Moto, EllaMia, Cicci di Carne, Plant Nation, El Pollo Verde, Stonie Bowls, Frankly by Snap-O-Razzo, Tastemade Me Tacos and Citizens Pizza. The joint venture also has culinary markets planned for this year in Chicago and Miami, as well as a food hall set to open in London next year.
Coro Realty, Pope & Land Sell Three Metro Atlanta Shopping Centers Totaling 120,000 SF
by John Nelson
ALPHARETTA, KENNESAW AND ROSWELL, GA. — Coro Realty and Pope & Land Enterprises have sold three shopping centers totaling 120,000 square feet in metro Atlanta in recent months. The joint venture acquired the properties as a portfolio in February 2020, purchasing them from Muntzing-Sattele. Most recently, the partnership completed the disposition of Brookside Station, a 23,500-square-foot retail center located on Old Milton Parkway in Alpharetta, a northeast suburb of Atlanta. Zach Taylor of Institutional Property Advisors (IPA), a division of Marcus & Millichap, represented the sellers in the transaction. The buyer was Last Mile Investments. In August 2022, Coro Realty and Pope & Land sold Town Center Oaks, a 52,000-square-foot shopping center in Kennesaw, roughly 30 miles northwest of Atlanta. Additionally, Mimms Enterprises acquired Mansell Oaks, a 43,000-square-foot property located in Roswell, from the partners in November 2022. Taylor represented Coro Realty and Pope & Land in all three transactions, which totaled more than $29 million. “In each sale, the sellers secured compelling cap rates and the buyers added well-located, north Atlanta centers with upside to their portfolios,” says Taylor. “It was a true win-win.”
Northmarq Arranges $3.3M Sale of Governor’s Walk Shopping Center in Peachtree City, Georgia
by John Nelson
PEACHTREE CITY, GA. — Northmarq has arranged the $3.3 million sale of Governor’s Walk, a 21,280-square-foot shopping center located at 1980 GA Highway 54 in Peachtree City. The property was fully leased at the time of sale to Car Wash, Donut Shop, Peachtree Pawn, Fresh Smoothie Café, Mary Nails, Curves, Carolina Hemp Co., Southern Crescent Spa, Peachtree Wax Studio, La Plaza R&R Inc., Flooring Store, Men’s World Barber, Rene’e Paige Salon and M&R Alterations. Jeff Enck of Northmarq represented the Florida-based seller in the transaction, as well as the California-based 1031 exchange buyer.
The self-storage sector has historically been considered resilient and recession-resistant. This year, key trends are already emerging that will contribute to the health and performance of this $80 billion industry. Despite risks of oversaturation in some urban markets, 2023 promises to be a strong year for self-storage investments. Shined-up facilities What started in early 2000s continues to today. Where decrepit, one-story metal buildings with chain-link fences were the standard, now high-caliber, well-designed and polished facilities dot the landscape. Today, new development is almost exclusively Class A product. Intown and suburban communities demand it. And customers now expect professional lobbies with music and complimentary snacks and beverages, staffed by knowledgeable and skilled managers selling space that is clean, bright and secure. The once red-headed stepchild of commercial real estate is now the belle of the ball. The proof can be seen in the fervent attention from public REITs and private equity firms. Blackstone Real Estate Income Trust grabbed headlines in 2020 with its acquisition of Simply Self Storage for $1.2 billion. Smaller, yet just as notable, transactions also support increased valuation. In 2022, Space Shop Self Storage, one of the top 20 self-storage operators in the United State, sold two portfolios …