BIRMINGHAM, ALA. — Bayer Properties has plans to add a food hall on the ground floor of the historic Pizitz building in downtown Birmingham. The $66 million renovation of the circa 1923 department store building began in 2015. The Pizitz Food Hall will feature food and beverage options, two full-service restaurants, an outdoor seating and entertainment area and an interior bar. The food hall will also serve as an incubator for Birmingham’s up-and-coming chefs, with one of the stalls rotating quarterly to feature a new and different chef. Rule Joy Trammel + Rubio has been hired as the architect for the food hall, whose experience includes Krog Street Market in Atlanta. When complete, the Pizitz building will feature 143 rental apartment residences, 11,000 square feet of office space, The Pizitz Food Hall and an entertainment component in the basement. The Pizitz Food Hall will open concurrently with the project’s residential component in fall 2016.
Southeast
TAMPA, FLA. — Cushman & Wakefield’s Equity, Debt & Structured Finance group has arranged a $28.7 million acquisition and redevelopment loan for Renaissance Senior Living, a 226-unit seniors housing community in Tampa. The borrower was The Carlyle Group, which will acquire the property and perform significant renovations. Changes include putting the levels of care offered — independent living, assisted living and memory care — into separate buildings, as well as enhancements to community amenities. Jay Wagner and Timothy Hosmer of Cushman & Wakefield’s National Senior Housing Capital Markets team arranged the financing through an unnamed regional bank.
NorthMarq Capital Arranges $10M Loan for Apartment Community in Upstate South Carolina
by John Nelson
GREER, S.C. — NorthMarq Capital has arranged the $10 million refinancing of Halcyon at Cross Creek Apartments, a 152-unit multifamily community located at 1200 Halcyon Circle in Greer. Bill Matone of NorthMarq’s Charlotte office arranged the 10-year loan with a 30-year amortization schedule through Freddie Mac.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The Retail Brokers Network (RBN), a national network of retail real estate brokers, has selected Debbie Currier as its new president. Currier is the first woman to hold this position in the organization’s almost 25-year history. Currier will be replacing RBN’s outgoing president Chuck Lanyard, president of RBN’s member firm The Goldstein Group. As president of RBN, Currier will be responsible for helping grow the organization’s brand, representing RBN at industry-related events, recruiting new RBN brokerage offices and facilitating education and networking between the 65 member firms. “I’m delighted to be RBN’s new president, and I look forward to working with the executive team and member offices to contribute to the future success of this great organization,” says Currier. “It is also an honor to be the first woman president at a time when women are assuming more leadership roles in the commercial real estate industry.” Currier is the owner and president of Currier Properties, a Charlotte-based retail real estate brokerage firm and member of RBN. Her corporate clients include Target, CarMax, Hancock Fabrics, rue21, GNC, FedEx Office, Pet People and Rainbow Fashions. Founded in 1992, RBN operates in 48 states. The organization’s network of firms has …
ATLANTA — American Realty Capital Healthcare Trust III LLC (ARC), a healthcare REIT, has purchased Renaissance on Peachtree, a 229-unit independent living and assisted living community in Atlanta’s Buckhead district, for $78.6 million. Lisa Widmier and Matthew Whitlock of CBRE Capital Markets’ National Senior Housing team represented the seller, a joint venture between The Carlyle Group and Formation Development Group, in the transaction. The seniors housing community was 94 percent occupied at the time of sale.
MIAMI — Swire Properties Inc., along with retail co-developers Whitman Family Development and Simon Property Group, has revealed the tenant list for Brickell City Centre’s 500,000-square-foot, open-air shopping center under construction in Miami’s Brickell district. The nearly 40 tenants joining the open-air center include Armani Collezioni, Intermix, REISS, SportsAction, Kendra Scott, Nars, American Harvest, Luke’s Lobster, AT&T and Westime. Swire Properties is incorporating a Miami Metromover stop that exits directly into the shopping center’s third floor. Brickell City Centre’s two condo towers, two office towers and EAST, MIAMI hotel are set for delivery in 2016, prior to the shopping center’s opening.
Franklin Street Capital Advisors Closes $20M Loan for Student Housing Property in Tampa
by John Nelson
TAMPA, FLA. — Franklin Street Capital Advisors (FSCA) has closed the $20 million refinancing of Campus Palms Apartments, a 570-bed student housing property in Tampa. Ben Miller and Casey Siggins of FSCA arranged the 10-year loan on behalf of a private investor based in Miami. The non-recourse loan features a fixed 4.85 percent interest rate and a 30-year amortization schedule.
GREENVILLE, S.C. — DNA Partners has purchased The Gallery, a 142,000-square-foot retail center located on Haywood Road in Greenville. The Gallery is leased to Gabe’s and Conn’s and features a Chick-fil-A at its entrance. DNA Partners plans to add outdoor seating and update the landscaping of the center’s courtyard. The firm is also planning to redesign the center’s side building to accommodate active outdoor lifestyle tenants.
ATLANTA — Hillwood, a Dallas-based Perot company and real estate developer and investor, has opened a new office in Atlanta. The company has hired Todd Parker as senior vice president and market leader to oversee the firm’s industrial business in the Southeast region. Parker, who will be based in Atlanta, brings more than 14 years of experience in the office and industrial real estate sectors. Before joining Hillwood, Parker served as vice president and regional director at The Rockefeller Group. “We are excited to welcome Todd Parker to the Hillwood team. His experience will enable us to develop, acquire and joint venture significantly more properties in the region,” said Tal Hicks, president of Hillwood Investment Properties. “We see significant opportunities for growth in the Southeast region. Todd will be a great asset as we continue to increase our presence in this market.”
BENTONVILLE, ARK. — Bentonville-based Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (NYSE: WMT) is set to close 269 stores in the U.S. and globally. In total, the stores to be shuttered represent less than 1 percent of both global square footage and revenue. Wal-Mart Stores will close 154 locations nationally, including 102 of the company’s smallest format stores, Walmart Express. Click here for a full list of the stores set to close. Walmart intends to focus on strengthening the company’s Supercenters, optimizing Neighborhood Markets, growing e-commerce and expanding pickup services for customers. Also included in the closures are 23 Neighborhood Markets, 12 Supercenters, seven stores in Puerto Rico, six discount centers and four Sam’s Clubs. The company is closing 115 stores internationally, including 60 loss-making stores in Brazil and 55 primarily small, loss-making stores in other Latin American markets. Domestically, Wal-Mart intends to open 50 to 60 Supercenters and 85 to 95 Neighborhood Markets in fiscal 2017. Sam’s Club also intends to open seven to 10 new locations. The financial impact of these closures is estimated to be approximately 20 to 22 cents of diluted earnings per share from continuing operations, with approximately 19 to 20 cents expected to impact the fourth quarter of …