MIAMI — Thor Equities has broken ground on Wynwood Walk, a 63,000-square-foot restaurant and retail development located at 2800 N.W. 2nd Ave. in Miami’s Wynwood Art District. Upon completion, the project, designed by Oppenheim Architecture, will feature new retail and restaurants, a green rooftop, paseo and a landscaped terrace with outdoor seating. Construction is scheduled for completion in November 2018.
BONITA SPRINGS AND FORT MYERS, FLA. — CRE Consultants has arranged the $43.2 million sale of a 421,324-square-foot, three-campus office portfolio located in Bonita Springs and Fort Myers. Randal Mercer and Brandon Stoneburner of CRE Consultants represented the undisclosed seller in the transaction. Massachusetts-based Brookwood Financial acquired the assets, which include 15 individual buildings located throughout three office campuses: Riverview Corporate Center and Bonita Executive Center in Bonita Springs and Renaissance Center in Fort Myers. Brookwood Financial has retained Mercer and Stoneburner to handle leasing efforts for the portfolio.
ATLANTA — IT management consulting firm CapTech has expanded its operations and relocated to the Bank of America Plaza, located at 600 Peachtree St. N.E. in Midtown Atlanta. The Richmond, Va.-based company announced its expansion into the Atlanta market in September 2016, creating 50 new technology and consulting jobs. As part of the expansion, CapTech plans to add 50 more jobs by next year. The company leased 6,000 square feet at the building, according to the Atlanta Business Chronicle. The Bank of America Plaza is located a half-mile from the Georgia Institute of Technology campus and Tech Square.
DAVIE, FLA. — Baltimore-based Continental Realty Corp. has acquired Ridge Plaza, a 155,204-square-foot shopping center located at 9000-9200 State Road 84 in Davie. Danny Finkle, Luis Castillo and Eric Williams of HFF represented the seller, Regency Centers Corp., in the transaction. Paragon Theater and Off the Wall Family Entertainment Center anchor Ridge Plaza, which was constructed in 1985 and was 99 percent occupied at the time of sale. The property is also home to five pad sites, including properties leased to Dunkin’ Donuts and Metro PCS.
LITTLE ROCK, ARK. — Dougherty Mortgage LLC has arranged a $23.9 million Fannie Mae loan for the refinancing of Bowman Pointe Phase I, a 217-unit multifamily community in Little Rock. The Minneapolis-based company arranged the 10-year loan with a 30-year amortization schedule on behalf of the borrower, Bowman Pointe LLC. Bowman Pointe features a business center, clubhouse, virtual fitness studio, fitness center and a resort-style pool with cabanas.
BIRMINGHAM, ALA. — Cushman & Wakefield has arranged the $11.9 million sale of Iron City Lofts, a 70-unit apartment community in downtown Birmingham. Jimmy Adams and Craig Hey of Cushman & Wakefield represented the seller, KRE Ventures, in the transaction. Engel Realty acquired the asset. Constructed in 2016, Iron City Lofts features granite countertops, custom kitchens and hardwood flooring. Community amenities include a heated rooftop pool, fitness center and a dog wash facility. The property is located within walking distance to retail and dining hotspots Pepper Place and the Lakeview District.
As online retail continues to grab market share from traditional bricks-and-mortar shopping malls, retail center owners are looking for ways to create an experience for shoppers. For many, this entails redeveloping portions of their centers to include dining, entertainment and event experiences to build a sense of community to their centers. When retail owners plan these kinds of renovations, they should engage architects and general contractors early and come into the project with a realistic expectation of the costs and challenges that may arise. Some suburbs are using their shopping centers as de facto downtown areas, complete with holiday events, festivals and farmers markets. Graycor Construction has helped three such centers in Richmond to improve their common area space to meet these needs. Richmond Projects At Short Pump Town Center, owner Forest City Enterprises engaged Graycor to demolish and replace a pedestrian bridge and fountain, replace brick pavers, relocate escalators and add a feature elevator, fireplace, pavilion and trellises. This made the center a more modern and attractive place for members of the community to gather, and Graycor was able to use its “live environment” approach to keep the mall and all of its stores open during construction. As a …
SUNRISE, FLA. — KGH International Development has completed the first of two planned infrastructure phases totaling more than $50 million at Metropica, a 65-acre planned mixed-use development in Sunrise. The infrastructure work, managed by John Moriarty & Associates, readies the community for its multi-phased construction. Conclusion of the first infrastructure phase also marks Metropica’s first two named streets: Metropica Boulevard and Metropica Way. At full build-out, the $1.5 billion Metropica development will span 4 million square feet and feature condominiums, apartments, a boutique hotel, office space and retail and entertainment offerings. Metropica’s initial tower, a 28-story residential condominium, will be topped off in the first quarter of 2018. Construction on Metropica’s retail phase, totaling approximately 280,000 square feet, will also begin in the first quarter of next year. Signed retailers at the project include Fogo de Chao, City Works Eatery & Pour House, Harry’s Pizzeria, Sugarboo & Co., Anthropologie and Free People.
COLLEGE PARK, MD. — TSB Realty LLC has arranged the sale of Terrapin Row, a 1,493-bed student housing community located adjacent to the University of Maryland in College Park. A joint venture between Toll Brothers Campus Living and a fund managed by Ares Management developed the property, delivering in the fall of 2016. The sales price and buyer were not disclosed. Terrapin Row offers a mix of studio to four-bedroom floor plans, plus selected two-and four-bedroom townhome-style units. Community amenities include a resort-style pool, volleyball court, outdoor television and kitchen area, fitness center, golf simulator, media and gaming rooms and complimentary Starbucks Coffee kiosks. Pinnacle Campus Living, a newly formed joint venture between Pinnacle Property Management Services and Campus Evolution Villages, will manage the property.
GAMBRILLS, MD. — Walker & Dunlop has arranged a $61.1 million loan for the development of Monarch at Waugh Chapel, a 246-unit apartment community under construction in Gambrills, roughly halfway between Baltimore, Md., and Washington, D.C. Dee McClure of Walker & Dunlop arranged the financing through the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)’s 221(d)(4) new construction program on behalf of the borrower and developer, a joint venture between Bozzuto Development Co. and Reliable Contracting. The financing includes a two-year construction loan followed by a permanent, 40-year, fixed-rate loan. Monarch is part of the Waugh Chapel master-planned community, which will include residential, commercial, office and residential amenities upon full build-out. The apartment community will feature a fitness center, yoga studio, business center, billiards room, resort-style pool and cooking stations.
