HUNTSVILLE, ALA. — Dallas-based Venture Commercial Real Estate has arranged a 20,000-square-foot lease for Northern Tool + Equipment in Huntsville. The new store will be located at 7262 Governors West along Interstate 565. Clay Mote of Venture Commercial is the master broker for Northern Tool in all markets across the U.S. and represented the tenant in lease negotiations. Kathy Dennis of The Shopping Center Group’s Birmingham office represented the landlord, Sen LLC.
Memphis may be known for its industrial market, but there are several interesting stories unfolding in the Memphis office market as well. Investors, both local and national, have found opportunities in an office market that can relate to the phrase, “slow and steady wins the race.” The Memphis office market consists of just over 52 million square feet, with nearly 60 percent of that in the Downtown, East and 385 Corridor submarkets and more than 85 percent of the Class A space located in those same submarkets. The Memphis metro ended 2016 with overall vacancy rates of 10.5 percent. Those rates have remained in the 10.5 to 10.9 percent range for the last two years. Class A vacancy has been on a slow and steady decline, falling from 10.2 percent at the end of 2014 to 7.9 percent at the end of 2016, its lowest level in more than a decade. This has prompted Class B owners to make investments in their properties, like the $7 million capital investment by Clark Tower, located in the East Memphis submarket, to upgrade mechanical systems and common areas. Rates, too, have been relatively steady for the last decade. At $17.07 per square foot …
FORREST CITY, ARK. — Shandong Ruyi Technology Group (Ruyi), a textile manufacturer based in China, plans to invest $410 million into the former Sanyo manufacturing facility in Forrest City. The facility will be the company’s first property in North America. Ruyi plans to employ up to 800 people at the plant, with plans to begin renovations in the fourth quarter of this year. The property has been vacant since Sanyo shut down production in 2007. Ruyi will use the facility to take 200,000 tons of Arkansas cotton annually and spin it into yarn for textile use. The company plans to begin operating at the Forrest City plant by mid-2018. The Arkansas Economic Development Commission worked with Ruyi to bring this deal to fruition. Ruyi can earn up to $4 million in grants from the State of Arkansas, depending on the company’s job creation at the plant.
SANDY SPRINGS, GA. — Moran & Co. Southeast has brokered the $63.5 million sale of M789, a 33-story apartment high-rise located at 789 Hammond Drive in Sandy Springs, a suburb of Atlanta. The property’s 300 units average 1,221 square feet. Chicago-based Magnolia Capital purchased M789 from Austin, Texas-based CWS Capital LLC. Sean Henry and Joel Sasser of Moran & Co. Southeast brokered the transaction. The apartment tower’s amenities include a 24/7 concierge, resident clubroom, media lounge, entertaining kitchen, business center, resort-style pool and sundeck, fitness center, tennis court, on-site dry cleaners, sundries store and a private dog park.
SHEPHERDSVILLE, KY. — Browning Investments has broken ground on a 721,050-square-foot spec industrial facility situated within Velocity 65 Trade Center in Shepherdsville, roughly 20 miles south of Louisville and near the UPS Worldport. The industrial park will ultimately accommodate 4 million square feet on 300 acres and feature interchanges with Interstate 65. Browning Investments plans to deliver the spec facility in August. The developer has selected Phil Charmoli of Cushman & Wakefield | Commercial Kentucky to handle the leasing assignment for the park.
BRADENTON AND ST. PETERSBURG, FLA. — Goldman Sachs has provided $54.3 million in financing for two apartment communities in the Tampa Bay area. The properties include the 281-unit Fountain Lakes Apartments located at 5620 Fountain Lake Circle in Bradenton and the 276-unit Sienna Bay Apartments located at 10501 3rd St. in St. Petersburg. Mona Carlton, Elliott Throne and Matthew Sand of HFF arranged the two 10-year, fixed-rate loans through Goldman Sachs. The borrower, Beachwold Residential, will use the financing to retire existing bridge financing and return sponsor equity following a renovation/expansion program at both communities.
WEST MELBOURNE, FLA. — Passco Cos. has purchased The Haven at West Melbourne, a 336-unit apartment community located at 4550 Explorer Drive in West Melbourne, part of Florida’s “Space Coast” in Brevard County along the Atlantic Ocean. Community amenities include a resort-style pool and sundeck, business center, sand volleyball court, children’s play park and a yoga center. The property was 95 percent occupied at the time of sale. Jay Ballard and Ken Delvillar of Cushman & Wakefield’s Orlando office represented the seller, Flournoy Cos., in the transaction. Chris Black of KeyBank Real Estate Capital arranged acquisition financing through Fannie Mae on behalf of Passco Cos.
LAKE MARY, FLA. — A fund advised by DRA Advisors LLC has sold Colonial Center at TownPark, a four-building, 662,320-square-foot office portfolio located at 100, 200, 300 and 600 Colonial Center Parkway in Lake Mary. An affiliate of Atlanta-based Brookdale Group purchased the metro Orlando complex. The sales price was undisclosed, but the South Florida Business Journal reports the portfolio sold for over $130 million. Mike Davis, Michael Lerner and Rick Brugge of Cushman & Wakefield represented the seller in the transaction. The portfolio was 96.9 percent leased at the time of sale to tenants such as Hartford Fire Insurance Co., Bank of New York, Fiserv, Pershing and IBM.
CORAL SPRINGS, FLA. — A joint venture between Cleveland Clinic and Rendina Healthcare Real Estate has broken ground on Family Health Center, a $32 million medical office building located at the intersection of University Drive and Sawgrass Expressway in Coral Springs, a town in South Florida’s Broward County. Situated on 5.3 acres, the three-story property will span 72,000 square feet and feature clinical space, diagnostic imaging and an ambulatory surgery center. Cleveland Clinic will fully occupy Family Health Center, which is expected to open in 2018.
RALEIGH, N.C. — FCA Partners LLC has acquired Celebration at Six Forks, a 125,000-square-foot retail center located at the intersection of Six Forks and Sawmill roads in north Raleigh. The Charlotte-based investment management firm purchased the asset from a high net worth fiduciary based in New Jersey for $19.1 million. Built in 1978, the shopping center was 95 percent leased at the time of sale to tenants such as Fitness Connection, The UPS Store, Dollar General, Domino’s, McDonald’s and BB&T Bank. FCA intends to upgrade Celebration at Six Forks with painting, façade improvements, lighting, landscaping and adding outdoor seating.
