Louisiana

New Orleans Redevelopment Fund Receives $45M Loan to Convert Hotel into Student Housing for Tulane Medical Students

by Alex Tostado April 3, 2020

NEW ORLEANS — The New Orleans Redevelopment Fund (NORF) has received a $45 million loan to convert the Warwick Hotel in downtown New Orleans into student housing for Tulane University medical students. The 12-story building will offer 154 units that are expected to be move-in ready by August 2021. The property is situated at 1315 Gravier St., adjacent to Tulane University Medical School. Tulane University has signed a long-term lease with NORF. The community will feature ground-level retail space, a full-service restaurant, coffee shop and patio seating. As part of the $45 million construction loan, Hancock Whitney Bank provided bridge financing and Midland State Bank provided Historic Tax Credits to the developer. The Warwick Hotel was originally built in 1952 and has sat dormant since Hurricane Katrina hit the city. Hernandez Consulting & Construction will serve as the general contractor, and Albert Architecture and SCNZ are the project’s architects.

April 3, 2020

Development Loans Louisiana Multifamily Southeast

Greystone Provides $25.3M HUD Construction Loan for Multifamily Community in Youngsville, Louisiana

by Alex Tostado March 30, 2020

YOUNGSVILLE, LA. — Greystone has provided a $25.3 million HUD 221(d)(4) loan for the construction of Sugar Mill Villas Apartments, a planned 164-unit multifamily community in Youngsville. The non-recourse, fixed-rate loan will fund 85 percent of the project. The loan will automatically convert to a 40-year, fully amortizing permanent loan upon stabilization. The community will be situated at 1931 Chemin Metairie Parkway, within the master-planned Sugar Mill Pond neighborhood. Sugar Mill Villas will also be located near the Youngsville Sports Complex, a $20 million, 70-acre development. A timeline for construction of Sugar Mill Villas was not disclosed. The borrower was also not disclosed.

March 30, 2020

Development Louisiana Southeast Top Stories

Provident Realty Advisors Opens $85M Apartment Development in Downtown New Orleans

by Alex Patton February 28, 2020

NEW ORLEANS — Provident Realty Advisors, a Dallas-based developer, has opened Canal 1535, a 330-unit multifamily building in the central business district (CBD) of New Orleans. Canal 1535 features one- and two-bedroom apartments. Amenities include a fitness center, parking garage and heated swimming pool. The property is now leasing to new residents, with rents ranging from approximately $1,500 to $3,700. The total development cost is estimated at $85 million. The building is situated on Canal Street in the heart of New Orleans, near Tulane University Medical School and Louisiana State University School of Medicine. The property is located blocks from the French Quarter, the Mercedes-Benz Superdome and St. Louis Cemetery No. 2, and offers convenient access to public transportation via the Regional Transit Authority streetcar line. Julie Valley, asset manager at Provident, says that the building is intended to serve the growing workforce in the CBD, including native New Orleanians and those moving to the city for work. The economic outlook for 2020 is forecasting an additional 9,400 jobs in the city, an increase of 1.6 percent, according to New Orleans CityBusiness. — Alex Patton

February 28, 2020

Acquisitions Louisiana Retail Southeast

Azad Commercial Realty Acquires 349,660 SF Retail Center in Baton Rouge

by Alex Tostado February 27, 2020

BATON ROUGE, LA. — Azad Commercial Realty Services LLC has acquired Hammond Aire Plaza, a 349,660-square-foot retail center in Baton Rouge. The property was 97 percent leased at the time of sale to tenants including Burlington, Marshalls, Michaels and Stein Mart. Albertsons shadow anchors the center. Hammond Aire Plaza is located at 9616-9638 Airline Highway, seven miles east of downtown Baton Rouge. Mark Gilbert and Fain Hicks of Cushman & Wakefield represented the undisclosed seller in the transaction.

February 27, 2020

Loans Louisiana Multifamily Southeast Student Housing

KeyBank Provides $23.2M Refinancing for 552-Bed Student Housing Community Near Louisiana Tech

by Alex Tostado February 11, 2020

RUSTON, LA. — KeyBank Real Estate Capital has provided a $23.2 million Freddie Mac refinancing loan for University Crossing Apartments, a 552-bed student housing community located near Louisiana Tech University in Ruston. Hayley Suminski and Amanda Kutia of KeyBank originated the floating-rate financing on behalf of the borrower, WFInvestments. The loan features a 10-year term with three years of interest-only payments. Communal amenities include a pool, sundeck, 24-hour fitness center, clubhouse, study lounge, bicycle parking, a community kitchen and upright tanning beds. The garden-style community is currently undergoing renovations.

February 11, 2020

Healthcare Loans Louisiana Southeast

PGIM Real Estate Provides $10.7M HUD Refinance Loan for Skilled Nursing Facility in New Orleans

by Alex Tostado February 6, 2020

NEW ORLEANS — PGIM Real Estate Finance has provided a $10.7 million HUD loan to refinance St. Margaret’s Daughters Home, a nonprofit skilled nursing facility located in the Mid-City neighborhood of New Orleans. St. Margaret’s Daughters Home was constructed in 2013 and sits on the site of the former Lindy Boggs Medical Center, which was devastated by Hurricane Katrina in 2005. The $33 million construction of the new facility was initially financed using a capital stack of New Market Tax Credits (NMTC), Historic Tax Credits (HTC), OCD Loan Funds, FEMA grant money, bank loan funds and sponsor equity. Through this refinancing, PGIM Real Estate Finance led the borrower in reducing and simplifying its existing debt via the HUD loan. St. Margaret’s Daughters Home features 100 rooms designed for occupancy by up to 112 residents. There are seven acute-care hospitals located within five miles of the property. St. Margaret’s Daughters Home is home to Team Gleason House, one of only two advanced-technology centers in the United States with dedicated design features for patients with ALS. Former New Orleans Saints football player Steve Gleason founded Team Gleason House.

February 6, 2020

Development Hospitality Louisiana Southeast

NewcrestImage, Baywood Hotels to Develop Canopy by Hilton in Downtown New Orleans

by Alex Tostado January 31, 2020

NEW ORLEANS — A joint venture between Texas-based NewcrestImage and Columbia, Md.-based Baywood Hotels will develop Canopy by Hilton, a 176-room hotel in downtown New Orleans. The 14-story hotel will be at the site of the former Oil and Gas Building, which was built in 1959 and placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2014 for its innovative use of glass, steel and abstract geometry in a skyscraper. The hotel will be situated at 1100 Tulane Ave., adjacent to the French Quarter. Canopy by Hilton will feature a fine-dining concept and meeting space with an outdoor terrace. The joint venture will begin construction in early February with a planned completion date in summer 2021.

January 31, 2020

Acquisitions Hospitality Louisiana Southeast Top Stories

Maverick Gaming Agrees to Buy Eldorado Shreveport Resort Casino for $230M

by Jeff Shaw January 13, 2020

SHREVEPORT, LA. — Eldorado Resorts Inc. has agreed to sell the Eldorado Resort Casino Shreveport, located on the banks of the Red River in Shreveport in the northwest corner of Louisiana. Maverick Gaming LLC will purchase the asset for $230 million. The property features 400 hotel rooms, six restaurants, two nightclubs, 1,400 slot machines, 50 gaming tables and a full-service spa. The transaction is scheduled to close in the first half of this year, prior to or at the same time as Eldorado’s previously announced merger with Caesars Entertainment Corp. “The agreement to divest the Eldorado Shreveport is consistent with our continued focus on reducing debt ahead of the expected closing for the Caesars transaction,” says Tom Reeg, CEO of Eldorado. The buyer hopes to cater to residents of Dallas, which is approximately 200 miles to the west. Casinos are illegal throughout the state of Texas. Although there are a handful of legal casinos on boats and Native American land, none are near the Dallas metro. “The population in the Dallas market exceeds 7.5 million people, and Dallas encompasses the third-largest concentration of Fortune 500 companies in the United States,” says Eric Persson, owner of Maverick Gaming. “Maverick’s focus to …

January 13, 2020

Features Kentucky Louisiana Southeast Texas West Virginia

The Terrible T’s of Inventory: Timing and Taxes

by Kristin Harlow January 7, 2020

Inventory taxes pose an additional cost of doing business in more than a dozen states, and despite efforts to mitigate the competitive disadvantage the practice creates for many taxpayers, policymakers have yet to propose an equitable fix. Virtually all states employ a property tax at the state or local level. The most common target is real property, which is land and land improvements; and tangible personal property such as fixtures, machinery and equipment. Nine states also tax business inventory. These include Texas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Mississippi, Kentucky, West Virginia, Maryland and Vermont. Another four states — Alaska, Michigan, Georgia and Massachusetts — partially tax inventory. In these 13 states, inventory tax contributes a significant portion of overall property tax collections. From a policy standpoint, however, inventory tax is probably the least defensible form of property tax: It is the least transparent of business taxes; is “non-neutral,” as businesses with larger inventories, such as retailers and manufacturers pay more; and it adds insult to injury for businesses whose inventory is out of sync with finicky consumer buying habits. Few fixes Taxpayers have had few options in attempting to reduce inventory tax liability because an inventory’s valuation is seldom easily disputed. So, …

January 7, 2020

Acquisitions Hospitality Louisiana Southeast

Park Hotels & Resorts Sells Le Meridien New Orleans for $84M

by Alex Tostado January 2, 2020

NEW ORLEANS — Park Hotels & Resorts Inc. has sold the 410-room Le Meridien New Orleans for $84 million, or $205,000 per key, to an undisclosed buyer. Located near the French Quarter and less than one mile from the Mississippi River, the 23-story hotel features a fitness center and rooftop pool. Proceeds from the sale of the hotel will be used to repay a portion of Park’s unsecured debt. According to Canal Street Beat, Park Hotels purchased the former W Hotel in 2013 for $65 million before reopening the hotel as Le Meridian in 2014. Park Hotels has sold and/or disposed 22 assets it has deemed “non-core” for $1 billion since its spin off from Hilton Worldwide, according to Thomas Baltimore Jr., chairman and CEO of Park Hotels.

January 2, 2020

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