In 2018, Louisville saw a record year with more than 10 million square feet of net absorption in its industrial sector. This is a huge absorption number for any of the Midwest markets and represents more than three times Louisville’s previous record. Louisville was second only behind Chicago out of the Midwest markets tracked by CBRE. The absorption follows a record year for speculative construction as well, as close to 4 million square feet was delivered in 2018. User demand came from all sectors, including automotive, e-commerce, third-party logistics firms (3PLs), manufacturing and medical. Automotive and manufacturing were particularly strong performers. The more notable automotive and manufacturing transactions in 2018 were three Ford Motor Co. leases totaling more than 1 million square feet, as well as New Flyer’s 315,000-square-foot, $30 million transit bus and motorcoach parts fabrication facility in Bullitt County. Additionally, Denso leased 311,000 square feet in Southern Indiana and KCC opened another 224,000-square-foot plant to expand production capacity of its HVAC equipment line. Distribution remains strong in Louisville due to its central location and available workforce. According to a recent report from CBRE’s Labor Analytics Group, Louisville has the highest distribution labor score among the Midwest markets. As …
LOUISVILLE, KY. — Brookview Realty Group has purchased Echelon at Middletown, a 210-unit, garden-style apartment complex in Louisville’s Middletown neighborhood, for $38 million. The property offers one-, two- and three-bedroom floor plans averaging 1,080 square feet. Community amenities include a swimming pool, spa, 24-hour fitness center with a yoga studio, pet park, internet café and a business center. The community is located at 400 Echelon Way, 17 miles east of downtown Louisville. Wick Kirby, Marty O’Connell, Kevin Girard and Kyle Butler of JLL represented the seller, The Garrett Cos., in the transaction. Dave Keller and Nelson Almond, also with JLL, originated a 10-year, fixed-rate, Fannie Mae acquisition loan on behalf of the buyer.
LOUISVILLE, KY. — Kentuckiana Curb Co. Inc., which makes HVAC products and does business as KCC Manufacturing, plans to develop a 300,000-square-foot, $50 million facility in Louisville that will house corporate offices and manufacturing space. KCC acquired 20 undeveloped acres at 2706 Blankenbaker Road for the project, which is 14 miles east of downtown Louisville. The Kentucky Economic Development Finance Authority (KEDFA) will provide KCC with $6.5 million of tax incentives if the company adds 400 jobs over the next 10 years and pays an average hourly wage of $29 across those jobs, including benefits. Production at the new facility will include the design and manufacturing of HVAC equipment and sheet metal products. KCC currently houses 512 employees at its existing Louisville facility, which is located at 2716 Grassland Drive, two miles from the planned property. A timeline for construction was not disclosed.
LOUISVILLE, KY. — Churchill Downs Inc. will invest $300 million to add 5,500 reserved seats, a 156-room hotel and 900 historical racing machines at Churchill Downs, home of the annual Kentucky Derby horse race in Louisville. A historical racing machine is an electronic gambling system that allows players to bet on horse races or dog races that have already been run. The seven-story hotel will include 900 historical racing machines, a 27,000-square-foot ballroom, dining room overlooking the track, 92 trackside suites, four trackside presidential suites and multiple dining options. The project is expected to create 600 construction jobs and 300 permanent jobs upon completion. Churchill Downs Inc. expects the expansion to be complete in November 2021.
LOUISVILLE, KY. — A 12-story, dual-branded Hotel Distil and Moxy has opened on Louisville’s historic Whiskey Row. Poe Cos., White Lodging and REI Real Estate Services jointly developed the 315-room project. Louisville Business First reports project costs of roughly $100 million. The 205-room Hotel Distil is part of Marriott’s Autograph Collection Hotels, a portfolio of independent and upscale hotels comprising more than 180 properties. Many of Hotel Distil’s design cues are taken from bourbon barrels and the distilling process, with the intent of paying homage to Louisville’s bourbon heritage. Examples include wood tones, staves, black metal accents and copper fixtures. The hotel design incorporates an original 1860s-era façade, which was saved following a fire in 2015 and served as the original location and barrel house for J.T.S. Brown & Sons, a Kentucky bourbon whiskey produced by the Heaven Hill Distillery company. Hotel Distil will offer guests a nightly celebration of Prohibition. Guests will receive an invitation at check-in to join the hotel’s lobby for a nightly toast at 7:33 p.m., which is 19:33 Universal Time, the year Prohibition was repealed. Attendees will receive a celebratory whiskey cocktail. The hotel’s event space totals more than 11,000 square feet across its ballroom, three meeting rooms and …
BOONE COUNTY, KY. — IDI Logistics has sold Building I within its Park South at Richwood Industrial Park. Building I spans 442,304 square feet. The undisclosed buyer plans to open a package sorting center at the location. Park South offers seven buildings, totaling nearly 5 million square feet. The property is located along Interstate 75/71, about 20 miles from downtown Cincinnati. Jeremy Kraus of CBRE represented the buyer in the transaction. Mike Lowe, also of CBRE, represented IDI Logistics.
LOUISVILLE, KY. — Cushman & Wakefield and Cushman & Wakefield | Commercial Kentucky have brokered the $10.9 million sale of Paragon Place, a three-story, 83,153-square-foot office building in Louisville. Paragon Place is situated at 9100 Shelbyville Road, 12 miles east of downtown Louisville. Amenities at the property include a conference center, courtyard with a fountain and tenant storage space. Craig Collins of Cushman & Wakefield | Commercial Kentucky and Samir Idris and Andy Johns of Cushman & Wakefield represented the sellers, Banyan Street Capital and Oaktree Capital, in the transaction. The buyer was not disclosed.
GLASGOW, KY. — Marcus & Millichap has negotiated the sale of Glasgow Self Storage, a 66,075-square-foot, 452-unit self-storage facility in Glasgow. The facility was built in 2010 at 908 Happy Valley Road. Brett Hatcher and Gabriel Coe of Marcus & Millichap represented the seller and procured the buyer in the transaction. The buyer and seller were both undisclosed limited liability companies. Colby Haugness of Marcus & Millichap, the broker of record, assisted the team in the transaction. The sales price was not disclosed.
LEXINGTON, KY. — The Thrash Group has opened Origin Lexington, a 120-room, 76,000-square-foot hotel situated within The Summit at Fritz Farm in Lexington. Origin Lexington includes 2,100 square feet of meeting space as well as 33 Staves, a restaurant named after the number of wooden stave pieces needed to form a full-sized oak barrel used to age bourbon. Amenities at the hotel include a fitness center, in-room yoga kits and in-room tents and sleeping bags. Birmingham, Ala.-based Bayer Properties is the owner and developer of Summit at Fritz Farm, an outdoor shopping center that has more than 60 retailers and restaurants across 54 acres.
LOUISVILLE, KY. — A joint venture between Hendon Properties and Harbert United States Real Estate Fund VI LP (HUSREF VI) has sold Westport Village, a 169,515-square-foot shopping center in Louisville, for $30.3 million. Westport Village is situated at 1315 Herr Lane, 10 miles east of downtown Louisville. Since acquiring the site in May 2016, Hendon Properties has signed 13 new leases totaling 56,000 square feet and renewed 32 leases totaling 102,000 square feet. Birmingham, Ala.-based Wicker Park Capital Management LLC acquired the center.