BALTIMORE — Cushman & Wakefield has secured a new 26,000-square-foot office lease in Baltimore for Design Collective, a locally based architecture and design firm. The firm will relocate from its current location in The Power Plant at 601 East P. St. to 100 E. Pratt St. The new office location offers a David & Dad’s Café Express, Starbucks, fitness center, concierge service and outdoor seating. Bronwyn LeGette and David Downey of Cushman & Wakefield represented Design Collective in the transaction. Linn Worthington of Cushman & Wakefield represented the landlord, Vision Properties.
BEL AIR, MD. — A joint venture affiliated with Rappaport has purchased Festival at Bel Air, a 433,720-square-foot shopping center in the Harford County community of Bel Air. The seller and sales price were not disclosed. The shopping center was 94 percent occupied at the time of sale by 60 retailers, including anchor Klein’s ShopRite. Klein’s ShopRite has been at the center since its opening in 1990. Other tenants at the property include Kohl’s, Burlington, Marshalls, Petco and The Tile Shop.
BETHESDA, MD. AND COSTA MESA, CALIF. — Bethesda-based retail real estate owner First Washington Realty (FWR) has purchased Donahue Schriber Realty Group Inc., a shopping center owner based in Costa Mesa. An affiliate of FWR acquired the private retail REIT and its portfolio of grocery-anchored, open-air centers from institutional investors advised by J.P. Morgan Global Alternatives. The transaction adds 47 shopping centers, as well as one DSRG-owned office property, for a combined 6 million square feet to FWR’s holdings. The sales price was not disclosed, but Bloomberg reported in February that the negotiations for the deal valued DSRG and its assets at north of $3 billion. The news outlet also reports that the California Public Employees’ Retirement System (CalPERS) was an equity partner with FWR on the deal and that JPMorgan Asset Management and the New York State Teachers’ Retirement System (NYSTRS) were among DSRG’s largest investors. For FWR, the deal expands its presence on the West Coast, including in high-profile markets such as the Bay Area, Orange County, Seattle, Portland, San Diego and Sacramento. The deal also expands FWR’s corporate base on the West Coast, as its executive management team now oversees DSRG’s existing offices in Orange County, San …
OXON HILL, MD. — Four new tenants are joining the tenant lineup at National Harbor, a waterfront destination in Oxon Hill. Peterson Cos. developed National Harbor around 14 years ago. National Harbor is home to eight hotels, shops, restaurants, entertainment options, as well as the Capital Wheel, a 180-foot observation wheel and the Guide by Cell outdoor art gallery tour. The four tenants include Tom’s Watch Bar, Sticky Situation, Escapology and Silver Diner. Peterson Cos. announced three new tenants in January including Bombay Street Food, PrimoHoagies and BurgerFi. Located at 200 American Way, Tom’s Watch Bar is a 10,881-square-foot sports bar that offers food and beverages. The tenant is opening at National Harbor in late 2022. Sticky Situation, which will open at 170 American Way, is a 2,862-square-foot honey and syrup tasting room experience. Opening in August, the store will provide tastings and education on a variety of honeys and maple syrups from local honey, artisan-infused honey, real maple syrup and bee pollen from more than 12 bee colonies across the country. Situated at 230 American Way, Escapology will feature 3,675 square feet of escape room space. Opening in the fall, the property has five rooms and expansion plans to …
LARGO, MD. — A partnership between investment firm FCP, developer Insight Property Group and Virginia-based nonprofit AHC has acquired Camden Largo Town Center, a 245-unit apartment community in Largo, just east of Washington, D.C. The sales price was $71.9 million, or roughly $293,500 per unit. At the time of sale, the garden-style community was approximately 93.5 percent occupied. The new ownership plans to upgrade common areas, rebrand the community as Haven Largo and introduce income restrictions to certain residences. Haven Largo features one-, two- and three-bedroom units that are furnished with kitchen pantries, rentable garages and private patios/balconies. Amenities include a pool, fitness center, and outdoor dining and lounge areas. In addition, Haven Largo offers proximity to Largo Town Center Metro Station and the Capital Beltway. “FCP is excited to continue investing in our home market with the acquisition of a well-maintained and high-performing asset in one of the top submarkets in suburban Maryland,” says Scott Reibstein, associate at FCP. “As part of our commitment to the preservation of moderately priced apartment communities in the region, we plan to offer resident services and implement affordability requirements to a portion of the units.” Chris Doerr and Will Harvey of Walker & …
ROCKVILLE, MD. — Comstock Holdings Cos. Inc. has acquired the Ansel at Rockville Town Center, a 250-unit apartment building in Rockville. Duball LLC sold the property for an undisclosed amount. Jorge Rosa and Anthony Liberto of Cushman & Wakefield arranged the sale, while Marshall Scallan, Michael Zelin and Bindi Shah of Cushman & Wakefield arranged an undisclosed amount of debt financing. Delivered earlier this year, Ansel at Rockville Town Center, which is being rebranded as BLVD Ansel, is an 18-story high-rise apartment community that offers studio, one- and two-bedroom floorplans. BLVD Ansel features 20,153 square feet of retail space, 611 parking spaces and amenity spaces, including a lobby with concierge service, penthouse club room, fitness center with a yoga studio and private workspaces. The outdoor amenity spaces include a ninth-floor swimming pool with outdoor cooking stations, TV lounge and a rooftop courtyard for outdoor dining. Located at 33 Monroe St., the property is located at the entrance to Metro’s Rockville Station and is situated 21.5 miles from Washington, D.C. CHCI Residential Management and ParkX Management, wholly owned subsidiaries of Comstock, will provide property management services for BLVD Ansel.
BALTIMORE — Byrnes & Associates Inc. has brokered the sale of 210 North Charles St., a 15-story, 232,000-square-foot office tower in downtown Baltimore. An entity known as 210 N. Charles Owner LLC, a joint venture partnership formed by Baltimore-based residential developer Trademark Properties and local investor Prab Thangarajah, has acquired the property for $6 million. Artemis Properties sold the property. Brad Byrnes of Baltimore-based Byrnes & Associates represented the buyer in the transaction. Built in 1894, 210 North Charles St., also known as The Fidelity & Deposit Building, will be converted into a multifamily property with about 220 apartment units. The property’s new ownership group intends to start the renovation process next month. The project will have a mix of studio, one- and two-bedroom floorplans ranging from 500 to 2,000 square feet. Construction is slated to be completed by spring 2024. The development cost is expected to be $34 million. The project will also feature a street-level restaurant component, featuring a corner vault room complete with an outdoor seating area that overlooks Center Plaza. In addition, two or three retail spaces will be carved out of the street-level and leased to end users, and the project will have underground parking …
GAITHERSBURG, MD. — PCCP LLC has provided a $83.9 million senior loan to WRS Inc. for the acquisition and renovation of Lakeforest Mall, a 102-acre retail development in Gaithersburg. The loan terms were not disclosed. Lakeforest Mall features tenants including Aeropostale, Bath & Body Works, Macy’s, T-Mobile, The Jewel Box, Waldin Jewelers, The Bridal at Lakeforest and Unique Eyebrows. The site also offers about 5,700 parking spaces. Mount Pleasant, S.C.-based WRS originally acquired the mall’s inner core in 2019, and now will purchase the four big-box department anchors with the loan that PCCP provided. With a simultaneous closing of the four anchor properties, WRS now controls the entirety of the site. The developer plans to renovate the mall into a mixed-use concept featuring residential, commercial and green space. The construction timeline for the redevelopment project was not disclosed. Located at 701 Russell Ave., the property’s infill site is located within Montgomery County and is approximately 24 miles northwest of Washington, D.C.
SEATTLE — Amazon has committed to invest $81.7 million to build 742 new affordable homes near public transit sites in the metro Washington, D.C. region. The new housing commitments included in Amazon’s recent investment include The Margaux at the New Carrollton Metro Station and Atworth at the College Park Metro Station. Amazon will work in collaboration with the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (Metro) to complete the housing developments. The deals are related to Amazon’s $300 million transit commitment from 2021 to create 3,000 new affordable homes in collaboration with the transit agencies in Amazon’s hometown communities. In partnership with Metro and developer Urban Atlantic, Amazon is developing The Margaux at the New Carrollton Metro Station, a 291-unit property with one-, two- and three-bedroom floorplans. Amazon is providing $25.4 million to Urban Atlantic to begin construction on the project. Atworth at the College Park Metro Station will be a 451-unit apartment property close to the University of Maryland and the Discovery District, as well as the MARC Train, University of Maryland Shuttle Service and Metro’s under-construction Purple Line. Amazon is funding a $56.3 million loan to the Gilbane Development Co. to begin construction. Since launching the Amazon Housing Equity Fund …
ROCKVILLE, MD. — JLL Capital Markets has secured $38.5 million in acquisition financing for District IV, a 240,000-square-foot office building in Rockville. Michael Gigliotti, Robert Tonnessen and Brian Buglione of JLL secured the financing on behalf of the borrower, BLT Green Hollow, a partnership between Building and Land Technology and Green Hollow Capital Partners, along with Banyon Street Capital. New York City-based Ladder Capital provided the financing. Built in 2007, District IV is part of the recently rebranded District at King Farm, which includes four properties totaling over 750,000 square feet of office and retail space. Current tenants include cell therapy company Autolus, Sucampo Pharmaceuticals and MUFG Investor Services. The District at King Farm is situated along King Farm Boulevard within the 430-acre, master-planned King Farm Park located near the Shady Grove Metro station and the Interstate 270 technology corridor. Located at 805 King Farm Blvd., District IV is situated 19.1 miles from Washington, D.C. and 19.5 miles from the University of Maryland. The project is also near retail centers such as Shady Grove Center, Rio at Washingtonian and Downtown Crown. The partnership’s plans include comprehensive lobby improvements and upgrades to amenities and foodservice offerings. The partnership also plans to …