COCONUT GROVE, FLA. — Terra and partner Mayfair Real Estate Advisors plan to transform a 1980s-era parking garage in Coconut Grove into Mary Street, a Class A mixed-use project. Designed by Touzet Studio, the property will include three levels of office space, a public parking garage component and 20,000 square feet of street-level retail space fronting Mary, Oak and Rice streets. The property will include a main lobby, 24-hour security, covered valet and drop-off, dedicated elevators, electric car charging stations and bike storage. Construction on Mary Street is set to begin early this year. Terra has two other projects in Coconut Grove under construction: Grove at Grand Bay, a condominium property, and Park Grove, a multifamily community. Mary Street will represent the first construction of office space in Coconut Grove in more than 20 years, according to Terra.
Southeast
OCALA, FLA. — Cushman & Wakefield has arranged the $29.4 million sale of Tuscany Place, a 288-unit, value-add apartment community located at 3420 S.W. 34th St. in Ocala. A partnership between Gainesville, Fla.-based The Collier Cos. and Houston-based ApexOne Investment Partners acquired the asset from Richmond, Va.-based GrayCo Inc. Jay Ballard and Ken Delvillar of Cushman & Wakefield’s Orlando Capital Markets Multifamily Advisory Group represented GrayCo in the transaction. Built in 1997, Tuscany Place features one-, two- and three-bedroom units averaging 1,126 square feet. The average rental rate is $858 per month, and the community features a resort-style pool, heated jacuzzi, 24-hour laundry center, pet walk, playground, resident business center, 24-hour fitness center, jogging path, two-car wash areas with vacuums, barbecue grills, lighted tennis court, professional landscaping and two VIP/guest suites.
LILBURN, GA. — CBRE has arranged the $22.6 million sale of Park Crossing Apartments, a 280-unit multifamily community located at 2700 Park Crossing Way in Lilburn, a northeast suburb of Atlanta in Gwinnett County. New Jersey-based Engineering Partners purchased the asset from Ventron Management with plans to upgrade the property’s interiors and amenity spaces. Built in 1985, Park Crossing features one-, two- and three-bedroom units and was 98 percent occupied at the time of sale.
Skanska Completes Excavation Work at 99M Office Building in D.C.’s Capitol Riverfront Area
by John Nelson
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Skanska has completed the excavation and foundation work for 99M, an 11-story, 234,000-square-foot office building under construction in Washington, D.C.’s Capitol Riverfront neighborhood. The building will be situated at the corner of 1st and M streets within walking distance of Nationals Ballpark and Navy Yard-Ballpark Metrorail entrances and seven blocks from the U.S. Capitol. Set to open in 2018, the asset will feature about 11,000 square feet of retail and restaurant space, with two committed restaurants in place: CIRCA and Open Road. The property will also feature a green roof, rooftop terrace, fitness center, bicycle storage and four levels of underground parking. The excavation work began in November 2015. Skanska has five other development projects underway in the greater D.C. area: 2112 Pennsylvania Ave., RESA at Tyber Place, the First Street Tunnel, the headquarters facility for the District of Columbia Water and Sewer Authority and American University’s East Campus project.
ORLANDO, FLA. — Berkadia has arranged two loans totaling $55.5 million for two apartment communities in Orlando on behalf of the borrower, Insula Capital. The financing included the $41.5 million refinancing of The Glenn, a 396-unit apartment community off University Boulevard, and a $15 million acquisition loan for the 168-unit Landmark at Hailey Walk. Insula purchased Landmark at Hailey Walk from ELRH Investments for $18.6 million. The 10-year, floating-rate refinancing for The Glenn features an interest-only period, and the three-year loan for Landmark at Hailey Walk is interest-only for the full term. Mitch Sinberg, Michael Wallace and Matthew Robbins of Berkadia’s South Florida office arranged both loans through Freddie Mac’s Green Up program, and the financing for Landmark at Hailey Walk was also derived from Freddie Mac’s Value-Add program.
RICHMOND, VA. — Bridge Investment Group has purchased WestMark Office Park, a 416,311-square-foot, two-building office complex located on a 40-acre campus at 11000 W. Broad St. in Richmond. Bridge purchased the asset with equity partner Mandalay-CRE Venture II from RER/New Boston West Broad LLC for an undisclosed price. Bridge will rebrand the asset SunTrust Center once SunTrust Bank takes occupancy of the entire 211,689-square-foot WestMark One building. WestMark was previously home to Capital One. Cushman & Wakefield | Thalhimer and Cushman & Wakefield’s Washington, D.C., office represented the seller in the transaction. Bridge will invest in improvements to WestMark’s lobbies, common areas and the exterior façade.
KeyBank Arranges $22.8M Acquisition Loan for Student Housing Property Near Florida State University
by John Nelson
TALLAHASSEE, FLA. — KeyBank Real Estate Capital has arranged a $22.8 million Fannie Mae loan for The Luxe on West Call, a 390-bed student housing property near Florida State University in Tallahassee. Built in 2013, the community features 14,329 square feet of retail space leased to Maple Street Biscuit Co., Asian Rox and Bellezza Beauty Bar. Erik Storz of KeyBank arranged the seven-year acquisition loan with two years of interest-only payments and a 30-year amortization schedule.
ATLANTA — Cushman & Wakefield has signed a 50,203-square-foot office lease at 1180 Peachtree, a 41-story, Class A office building located in Midtown Atlanta. The company will consolidate its two existing offices to two-and-a-half floors at the building this summer. The commercial real estate services firm signed the lease with building owner Hines, which developed 1180 Peachtree in 2006. The nearly 700,000-square-foot property was the first high-rise office building in the world to be pre-certified LEED-CS Silver, and an acre of the site is devoted to public spaces, plazas and gardens.
Blackhawk Properties to Develop Seven-Story Office Building in Downtown Fort Lauderdale
by John Nelson
FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA. — Blackhawk Properties & Investments LLC plans to begin construction in May on the 550 Building, a seven-story office property located at 550 S. Andrews Ave. in downtown Fort Lauderdale. Demolition has begun on the site, which formerly housed the 30,734-square-foot Justice Building. Blackhawk purchased the site in 2013 for $3.6 million. Situated across from the new Broward County Judicial Complex, the 86,257-square-foot 550 Building will feature 7,500 square feet of ground-level retail and patio space and six floors of offices. The property will also feature an attached 663-space parking garage with 14,000 square feet of retail and restaurant space on the ground floor known as The SOLO Shoppes. The project team includes Kate Murphy of Collins Capital Partners, Thomas McDonald of Craven Thompson & Associates, William Murphy of Douglas Management and architect Falkanger, Snyder, Martineau and Yates. Blackhawk has hired Berger Commercial Realty/CORFAC International to market the 550 Building, which is slated for a spring 2018 delivery.
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Rock Creek Property Group has broken ground on the repositioning of the historic Takoma Theatre located at 6833 4th St. N.W. in Washington, D.C.’s Takoma neighborhood. Situated two blocks from the Red Line’s Takoma Metro station, the theater opened in the 1920s and was one of the first theaters in the area to feature talking movies. Since its opening, the venue has hosted several performances and events, including an HBO comedy special by Chris Rock in 1996. Rock Creek plans to convert the asset into 23,000 square feet of office and retail space with 15- to 20-foot ceilings. The design team, including Cunningham | Quill Architects and Eichberg Construction, will open the new project this summer. Washington, D.C.-based Rock Creek has more than $100 million of ongoing projects in all stages of the development cycle.