CHARLOTTE, N.C. — LendingTree, an online lending marketplace, will relocate its headquarters to Charlotte’s South End submarket in late 2020. LendingTree will occupy 175,000 square feet of office space within The Spectrum Cos.’ five-acre mixed-use project on South Tryon Street at Carson Boulevard, less than two miles south of downtown Charlotte. A ground-breaking for the first of two 11-story office buildings within the project is scheduled for June. The mixed-use development will feature 580,000 square feet of office space, 50,000 square feet of retail space, a conference center, fitness center and a one-acre urban courtyard. LendingTree is currently headquartered in the Ballantyne submarket, 13 miles south of downtown Charlotte.
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — Grubb Properties has acquired a mixed-use property spanning two buildings in downtown Chapel Hill for $23.5 million. Grubb Properties is planning a $12 million renovation to transform the connected buildings into an entrepreneurial hub to attract companies with modern amenities and access to technology. The buildings, located at 137 E. Franklin St. and 136 E. Rosemary St., were 30 percent leased at the time of sale. The buildings span 118,517 square feet of commercial space and include an adjacent 276-stall parking deck. The two buildings and parking deck span one city block and are situated within an opportunity zone directly across from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. A timeline for the renovations was not disclosed. Dunn Mileham, David Morris and Mark Alviano of Trinity Partners represented the undisclosed seller in the transaction.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Foundry Commercial has begun construction of Phase II at WestPark 85, a speculative industrial facility in Charlotte spanning 565,000 square feet. The project will feature 36-foot clear heights, cross-dock configuration, more than 560 auto parking spaces, more than 200 trailer parking positions and LED lighting. Foundry serves as the developer/owner, leasing agent, project manager and property manager for the entire 1.1 million-square foot WestPark 85 project in partnership with Principal Real Estate Investors. The second phase is expandable up to 100,000 square feet and is currently the largest speculative industrial facility underway in the Carolinas, according to Foundry, which expects to deliver the facility later this year.
SALISBURY, N.C. — Online pet products retailer Chewy will open a $55 million distribution center in Salisbury, a city located roughly midway between Charlotte and Greensboro. The project is expected to bring 1,200 new jobs to the area. Local media outlet The Salisbury Post reports that the facility will span about 700,000 square feet, and that the groundbreaking will be held in May with completion slated for June 2020. The property will be the ninth fulfillment center in the country for Chewy, which is headquartered in Boston and Dania Beach, Fla. In April 2017, PetSmart acquired Chewy for a reported $3.35 billion.
ZEBULON, N.C. — Woda Cooper Cos. has cut the ribbon on Shepard Greene, a 50-unit affordable seniors housing community in Zebulon, approximately 20 miles east of Raleigh. The three-story community features age-in-place features and energy-efficient apartments for residents aged 55 years and older who earn 60 percent or less of the area median income. All units have emergency alert systems and six units are available with features for those with disabilities, such as roll-in showers. Two units are designed for those with hearing/sight impairments. Shepard Greene is located a half-mile from downtown Zebulon. An onsite manager oversees leasing and property maintenance and is available to assist residents in accessing transportation, Meals On Wheels and other resources and activities. Shepard Greene was financed in part through housing tax credits allocated by the North Carolina Housing Finance Agency. Bank of America Merrill Lynch was the equity investor for the tax credits and also provided construction financing. Bellwether Enterprise also facilitated a USDA Rural Development 538 loan.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Ziff Properties has sold Terraces at University Place, a 65,112-square-foot shopping center in Charlotte’s University neighborhood. The asset was built in 2000 and was 97 percent occupied at the time of the sale to tenants including The Flying Saucer Draught Emporium, Que Onda Tacos, Iron Dish Korean BBQ, The Press Box Bar & Grill and Smoothie King. Tom Kolarczyk of HFF represented the seller in the transaction. LBX Investments acquired the property. Gregg Shapiro and Cory Fowler, also with HFF, arranged a 10-year, fixed-rate acquisition loan through TIAA Bank on behalf of the buyer. The sales price and loan amount were not disclosed.
MORRISVILLE, N.C. — FCP and Strategic Capital Partners (SCP) have sold Forty540, a 200,000-square-foot, five-story office building in Morrisville. The asset is located at 3030 Slater Road in the Research Triangle Park district. The joint venture acquired the site in November 2015 and delivered the office building in 2017. It was fully leased at the time of the sale. Brad Corsmeier and Ed Pulliam of CBRE | Raleigh represented the sellers in the transaction. Jason High and Ham Southworth also of CBRE | Raleigh represented the undisclosed buyer.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Avison Young has negotiated a 56,556-square-foot lease for Transbotics to move its headquarters to 2205 Beltway Blvd. within Westpark85 in Charlotte. The tenant, which specializes in automatic guided vehicles (AGVs), is almost doubling its square footage with the move from its existing facility at 3400 Latrobe Drive in Charlotte. Transbotics expects to move into the space in June when the landlord, Foundry Commercial, completes the interior buildout of the space. Westpark85 is a 1.2-million-square-foot development being constructed in two phases on 107 acres near interstates 85 and 485. Christopher Skibinski, Henry Lobb and Tom Tropeano of Avision Young represented the tenant in the lease transaction. Fermin Deoca and Warren Snowdon of Foundry Commercial internally represented the landlord.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Insite Properties has arranged the sale of Forest Park 6, a single-story, 70,000-square-foot office building in Charlotte, for $12.6 million. The asset was fully occupied by three tenants — Camso, Paychex and Lending Tree — at the time of the sale. Built in 2000, the property is situated at 8215 Forest Point Blvd. in the south Charlotte airport submarket. Insite Properties represented the buyer, Longvalley II LLC, in the transaction. Rob Cochran, Jared Londry and Nolan Ashton of Cushman & Wakefield represented the seller, Stream Realty Partners. Insite Properties will provide property management and leasing services for Forest Park 6.
ROSWELL, GA. AND LELAND, N.C. — Branch Properties has acquired two grocery-anchored shopping centers in the Southeast. The first, Roswell Market Place, is a 95,522-square-foot shopping center anchored by Sprouts Farmers Market. Branch Properties bought the asset for $32 million. The center, which is located at 10800 Alpharetta Highway, 24 miles north of downtown Atlanta, was built in 1986 and renovated two years ago. Roswell Market Place was 88 percent leased at the time of the sale. The second property is Waterford Village, a 108,249-square-foot shopping center anchored by Harris Teeter that was purchased for $25 million. Waterford Village sits on 15.8 acres at 2013 Olde Waterford Way in Leland, nine miles west of downtown Wilmington. The asset was 90 percent leased at the time of the sale.