NEW ORLEANS — Citadel Builders, a Metairie, La.-based general contractor, has broken ground on Parkway Apartments, a 207-unit multifamily project located at 4650 Washington Ave. in New Orleans’ Mid-City district. The community is situated at the corner of South Jefferson Davis Parkway and Washington Avenue, across the street from Xavier University of Louisiana. Kailas Cos. is developing the $40 million project in conjunction with All Star Electric Inc. and Harry Baker Smith Architects II PLLC. Parkway Apartments will offer one- and two-bedroom units and will include 13,776 square feet of retail space. In addition, the community will feature a fitness center with CrossFit-style equipment, ballroom with catering kitchen, conference center, elevated gardens, swimming pool, picnic area, dog park and an observation deck. The project is slated for completion in spring 2019.
Louisiana
NEW ORLEANS — Roy Anderson Corp., a subsidiary of Tutor Perini Corp., has unveiled plans to construct the Hall of Democracy at the National WWII Museum’s campus in New Orleans. The $17 million pavilion will total 34,800 square feet and will be dedicated to the museum’s research, WWII content, expertise and outreach. The pavilion will house a special exhibits gallery; the Institute for the Study of War and Democracy, which is expected to be the hub of World War II knowledge and education for the museum and the general public; a WWII Media and Education Center with production studios and broadcast capabilities; and a library. Construction on the project is expected to commence later this month or in early February, with completion slated for the summer of 2019.
ALEXANDRIA, LA. — Franklin Street has arranged the $3.2 million sale of The Bulls Eye, a newly constructed, 6,400-square-foot strip retail center located at 3504 Jackson St. in Alexandria. John Tennant and Bryan Belk of Franklin Street arranged the transaction on behalf of the seller, Nashville-based D3 Alexandria LLC. Boise, Idaho-based Latta Properties LLC acquired the asset. At the time of sale, The Bulls Eye was home to Mattress Firm and Verizon Wireless.
NEW ORLEANS — HFF has arranged a $51 million loan for the refinancing of Ace Hotel New Orleans, a 234-room, recently opened hotel located at 600 Carondelet St. in downtown New Orleans. Christopher Peck, Peter Rotchford and Scott Findlay of HFF arranged the floating-rate loan through TPG RE Finance Trust on behalf of the borrower and developer, a partnership between Domain Cos. and Avenue Capital Group. Proceeds of the loan will be used to refinance an existing construction loan. Originally constructed in 1928, the building was renovated and redeveloped into the Ace Hotel New Orleans in 2016. Construction included the addition of a new four-story building on an adjacent lot. The hotel features 31,000 square feet of retail, restaurant, entertainment and meeting space, including a music venue, art gallery, 24-hour gym and locally inspired retailers. In addition, the hotel is situated within walking distance to the Mercedes-Benz Superdome, Smoothie King Arena, Ernest N. Morial Convention Center and the French Quarter.
WALKER, LA. — Marcus & Millichap has arranged the $4.6 million sale of Best Western Plus Regency Park, a 63-room hotel located at 13600 Hartman Lane in Walker, roughly 20 miles east of Baton Rouge. Manish Sthanki, Allan Miller and Chris Gomes of Marcus & Millichap arranged the transaction on behalf of the seller, a private investor, and secured the buyer, an undisclosed limited liability company. The three-story hotel features complimentary breakfast, an outdoor pool, fitness center, laundry facilities and a business center.
The greater metropolitan New Orleans office market contains approximately 15 million square feet of office space segregated into five distinct submarkets. Two major submarkets, the Central Business District (CBD) and Metairie (a suburban market), represent 94 percent of the total square footage. The occupancy rates of Class A properties in these two markets are 87.7 percent and 88.7 percent, respectively. These rates are 1.56 percent lower and 3.01 percent higher than the respective downtown and suburban Class A office averages nationally. The overall vacancy is limited to a select group of buildings resulting in limited options for tenants seeking more than 25,000 square feet of contiguous space. The New Orleans economy typically runs counter cyclically to the rest of the nation. It has enjoyed relative immunity from the lingering effects of the 2008 financial crisis and the relatively stagnant national economy. Over the last several years occupancy rates have trended above national averages and rental rates have experienced modest growth. New Orleans’ office market is performing well, consistently outperforming most national averages and rarely lagging far behind others. This track record of success can be attributed to several different factors. Due to geographic constraints there are limited sites available for …
BATON ROUGE, LA. — Greystone has provided a $24.4 million HUD-insured loan to refinance The Highland Club Apartments, a 247-unit multifamily property in Baton Rouge. Jason Stein of Greystone arranged the 35-year fixed-loan. Other terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Greystone previously refinanced the property in 2012, and the new loan enables a combination of phased renovations and continued investment back into the property. The Highland Club Apartments is located roughly 15 miles from downtown Baton Rouge, and features a swimming pool, stocked lakes, putting greens, dog park, business center, fitness center and an on-site personal trainer.
Take a look at the current retail landscape, not only in New Orleans, but far beyond the Big Easy, and you will find this sector has changed drastically over the past decade. Some argue retail is dead, while others cling to the notion that every market goes through cycles, and this has been going on long before the dawn of any Tricentennial festivities. Somewhere between these two extremes is the confluence of trends, data, outliers, gossip and pontificating cries, that when carefully dissected, should provide the necessary context to obtain an understanding of the current retail market in New Orleans, as well as the opportunities that exist in the future. Make no mistake, retail in New Orleans is changing, but the restaurant sector is a bedrock, creating fresh concepts, diversifying the city’s food offering and strengthening the overall retail market. It’s futile to deny the impact technology has had on the overall retail market, and New Orleans is no exception. Retailers that derive a large portion of revenues from the sale of goods that can be purchased online are finding it difficult to compete due to the cost of operating a brick and mortar location. Of course, this is only …
Sometimes there is a “herding” mentality in real estate investment activity, but markets that do not make the headlines of news stories or appear on the top market lists are the ones investors should focus on. New Orleans is one such market, and while it might not be on everyone’s radar, it has the fundamentals and dynamics that are attracting investors’ attention. With a total inventory of approximately 55,000 units, demand for multifamily acquisitions in New Orleans and the Gulf South region overall remains strong. Over the past 24 months, the market has experienced heightened demand from national, regional and foreign investors. The investment community is attracted to the stability of the market, as well as its significant barriers to entry. What is attracting investors to metro New Orleans are higher cash on cash returns and cap rates than what they are finding in larger metropolitan areas. Investors feel confident in their ability to realize rent growth, given the high cost of single-family housing and the significant geographic barriers to entry. Developable land is scarce and has given multifamily owners a franchise of sort since the ability to increase the supply is limited. As New Orleans prepares to celebrate its …
BATON ROUGE, LA. — CBRE has arranged a $29 million bridge loan for River House Apartments, a 224-unit multifamily community under construction in Baton Rouge. In addition to residential units, the property will include 35,000 square feet of office space and 16,000 square feet of retail space upon completion. Jonathan Rice of CBRE arranged the loan through Benefit Street Partners on behalf of the borrowers, Emanuel Organek and Marc Blumberg. River House is located roughly one mile from Louisiana State University and a half-mile from downtown Baton Rouge. The property is adjacent to the Water Campus, a 35-acre Mississippi riverfront research park dedicated to the study of coastal restoration and sustainability.