SAVANNAH, GA. — JLL has brokered the sales of two shopping centers located in Savannah in transactions totaling $63 million. Built in 1986, Savannah Centre comprises 186,514 square feet and was 81 percent leased at the time of sale to tenants such as T.J. Maxx, Bed Bath & Beyond, Shoe Carnival, JOANN Fabric and Crafts, Five Below, Rack Room Shoes and Chicken Salad Chick. Originally built in 1972, the 197,605-square-foot Chatham Plaza was renovated in 2001. Tenants at the center, which was 93 percent leased at the time of sale, include Ross Dress for Less, Ashley HomeStore, Pet Supermarket, Dollar Tree, Skechers, Chili’s, Longhorn Steakhouse and Starbucks Coffee. Brad Buchanan, Andrew Kahn and Andrew Michols of JLL brokered the sales on behalf of the undisclosed sellers. JBL Asset Management acquired both properties.
Georgia
PENDERGRASS, GA. — CBRE has arranged a $62.4 million acquisition loan for The Blakely, a 420-unit apartment community being built in phases in Pendergrass, about 57 miles northeast of Atlanta. ARC Multifamily Group is purchasing the partially developed community from developer Green River Builders for $88.4 million. The buyer is under contract to acquire each phase of The Blakely once it receives a certificate of occupancy. Charlie Clark and Blake Cohen of CBRE’s Debt & Structured Finance team arranged the bridge loan through an unnamed life insurance company on behalf of ARC Multifamily Group. Upon completion, The Blakely will include a mix of one-, two- and three-bedroom units ranging in size from 855 to 1,444 square feet. Community amenities will include multiple swimming pools, a theater room, package center, fitness center, game room, yoga pad, fire pit, playground and a beer garden featuring an outdoor kitchen with a bar top, outdoor TV and seating.
GAINESVILLE, GA. — Branch Properties has acquired 14 acres at the intersection of Limestone Parkway and New Holland Way in Gainesville, roughly 55 miles northeast of Atlanta, for the construction of Limestone Marketplace. Upon completion, the shopping center will comprise 76,764 square feet and feature a 54,964-square-foot Publix anchor store. The property will also include three outparcels ranging in size from one to three acres. Branch will break ground on the development in the spring, with completion scheduled for the second quarter of 2024. A sales price for the land was not disclosed.
Hodges Ward Elliott Arranges Sale of Boutique 17-Room Hotel in Savannah’s Historic District
by John Nelson
SAVANNAH, GA. — Hodges Ward Elliott (HWE) has arranged the sale of Hamilton-Turner Inn, a 17-room luxury boutique hotel located at 330 Abercorn St. in the Historic District of Savannah. Originally built in the late 1800s and repositioned for hospitality use in 1997, the inn features French Empire-style architecture and includes a parlor/sitting room, as well as a dining room that can serve up to 20 guests. Pete Dannemiller and Jeff Berkman of HWE brokered the sale on behalf of the undisclosed seller, which implemented a capital improvement plan at the property over the last several years. The buyer and sales price were also not disclosed.
Sam’s Club to Open More Than 30 New Locations, Five Fulfillment Centers in the United States
by John Nelson
BENTONVILLE, ARK. — Sam’s Club, a division of Bentonville-based Walmart Inc. and a leading membership warehouse club retailer, plans to open more than 30 new “clubs” across the United States over the next several years. The first store, which is planned for an undisclosed Florida city, is slated to open in 2024. The new clubs will span approximately 160,000 square feet, which is larger than most current locations. Most new stores will feature a seafood/sushi island, full-service floral and walk-in dairy and fresh coolers, as well as a larger healthcare space featuring a patient waiting area, health services suites, private consultation rooms and dedicated hearing and optical centers. Many of the new locations will also include fuel stations and liquor offerings. In addition to the new stores, the company has a multiple-year plan to invest in and modernize its supply chain through new distribution and fulfillment center locations across the country. Sam’s Club will launch five new supply chain fulfillment and distribution centers this year, with the first location planned in Georgia in the third quarter. Kathryn McLay, CEO of Sam’s Club, says the decision to invest in expanding the company’s physical footprint was motivated by historic comparable sales growth …
GID Signs Four New Retailers to Join $2B High Street Mixed-Use Development in Atlanta
by John Nelson
ATLANTA — GID Development has signed four new tenants to join High Street, a $2 billion mixed-use, transit-oriented development underway in Atlanta’s Central Perimeter submarket. Phase I of the development, which will span 10 city blocks near the Dunwoody MARTA station, is set to come on line in 2024. The new tenants joining High Street include three food-and-beverage concepts — Agave Bandido, Cuddlefish and Ben & Jerry’s — as well as boutique beauty salon Sugarcoat. Previously committed tenants at High Street include Puttshack and Hampton Social. In addition to 150,000 square feet of retail and restaurant space, the development will feature 90,000 square feet of new loft offices, 600 apartments and a signature park.
Northmarq Arranges $15.2M Sale of Westpark Walk Shopping Center in Peachtree City, Georgia
by John Nelson
PEACHTREE CITY, GA. — Northmarq has arranged the $15.2 million sale of Westpark Walk, a 73,847-square-foot shopping center located at 400 Commerce Drive in Peachtree City, a southwest suburb of Atlanta. Jeff Enck and Emery Shane of Northmarq represented the seller, an unnamed private investment firm based in Washington, D.C. The buyer was an undisclosed partnership based in Atlanta. Westpark Walk was fully leased at the time of sale to 21 tenants, including Tuesday Morning, Verizon Wireless, State Farm, Firehouse Subs, Hotworx and local service providers and retailers, including Ranchero Mexican Grill, which has been a tenant at the shopping center for more than 33 years.
ATLANTA — Accel-KKR, a private equity tech firm based in Silicon Valley, has signed an office lease expansion at Galleria 300, a 20-story office building in Atlanta’s Cumberland-Galleria submarket. Andrew Walker of Colliers represented the tenant in the lease negotiations with the owner, Piedmont Office Realty Trust. Situated within walking distance of The Battery and Truist Park, Accel-KKR’s new office footprint will total approximately 24,000 square feet. The firm will occupy the entire 19th floor and will triple its staff at the property, which serves as the company’s East Coast headquarters. Other tenants of Galleria 300 include Cumberland Group, TSCG, Childress Klein and PowerPlan.
Marcus & Millichap Brokers Sale of 3,369-Unit Self-Storage Portfolio in the Southeast
by John Nelson
COLUMBUS, OHIO — Marcus & Millichap has arranged the sale of a self-storage portfolio comprising 10 Boardwalk Storage facilities located in Alabama, Georgia and Tennessee. The properties total 3,369 units across 569,530 square feet. Gabriel Coe, Nathan Coe and Brett Hatcher of Marcus & Millichap arranged the sale on behalf of the undisclosed seller and procured the buyer, which was also not disclosed. At the time of sale, the portfolio, which includes a mix of climate-controlled and non-climate-controlled units, was 64 percent leased. The Alabama property is located in the city of Opelika, with the Georgia properties located in Dahlonega, Clermont, Loganville, Perry and Jasper. In Tennessee, the facilities are situated in Ooltewah, Chattanooga and Soddy-Daisy. Marcus & Millichap’s brokers of record in Alabama, Georgia and Tennessee are Eddie Greenhalgh, John Leonard and Jody McKibben, respectively.
As port authorities around the country invest billions of dollars in infrastructural improvements, industrial users are taking notice and looking for sites near all the action. In the Southeast, the elevated demand for new industrial space near the Port of Savannah and Port of Charleston is pushing the boundaries as far as what’s considered normal levels for property performance indicators such as new construction, rent growth and leasing activity. “It’s hard to say that anything is ‘normal’ right now — there are a lot of new phenomena out there,” says Robert Barrineau, senior vice president of CBRE’s Charleston office. “We are seeing nationally now that a tie to a seaport as being key for economic growth and for operational efficiencies for companies.” In one of the bigger announcements in 2022, Hyundai Motor Group chose a 3,000-acre site in Bryan County, which is close to both the Port of Savannah and Interstate 95, for its $5.5 billion manufacturing plant. Construction is already underway, and the facility should be operating at full capacity, which entails production of 300,000 units annually, by the first half of 2025. The South Korean automotive giant intends to use a combination of local labor and AI technology …