LITHONIA, GA. — A partnership between Tampa-based Blue Rock Partners LLC and Boca Raton, Fla.-based Rose Group has purchased Devon Place, a 415-unit apartment community located at 421 Meadowood Drive in the Atlanta submarket of Lithonia, for $15.8 million. The partnership will invest another $2.5 million in exterior and interior upgrades. Eastern Union Funding arranged acquisition financing on behalf of Blue Rock and Rose Group through The Bancorp. Multi Housing Advisors’ Atlanta office brokered the transaction. Devon Place is Blue Rock’s second Atlanta apartment acquisition in the past three months, having acquired the 240-unit Oak at Ellenwood apartments in November for $9.8 million.
FAYETTEVILLE, ARK. — GMH Capital Partners has made the first acquisition of its new joint venture with Principal Real Estate Investors (PREI). GMH purchased Sterling Frisco, a LEED Gold-certified, Class A student housing community located near the University of Arkansas spanning 219 units and 640 bedrooms, each with its own private bathroom. Sterling Frisco has convenient access to both the university’s campus and downtown Fayetteville. The property features amenities including a 24-hour fitness center, computer lab, study lounges, pool with cabanas, a rooftop deck and a secured parking garage. Each of the units has its own washer and dryer as well as cable and internet included. GMH also plans on additional upgrades, including increased bandwidth, Wi-Fi in all student living areas, enhanced cable package with digital HD service and DVRs, upgraded card access and video surveillance system, as well as additional outdoor living features to the pool patio and rooftop terrace.
TAMPA, FLA. — Marcus & Millichap has brokered the sale of a two-property, 209-unit multifamily portfolio in Tampa. The properties, Country Square Villas and Candlewood I Apartments, sold for $8.2 million, which equates to $38,995 per unit. Country Square Villas is a 146-unit multifamily community built in 1981, and Candlewood I Apartments is a 63-unit apartment complex constructed in 1983. The assets are two miles apart. Frank Carriera and Michael Regan of Marcus & Millichap’s Tampa office represented the seller and the buyer.
DORAL, FLA. — Norwegian Cruise Line has signed a long-term lease renewal and expansion at Airport Corporate Center, the 1 million-square foot, 11-building office park located in the Miami submarket of Doral. The company extended its existing lease on 206,078 square feet and added an additional 70,296 square feet, for a combined 276,364 square feet. The company, which now occupies The 7650 Building and The 7665 Building, will expand to the new space at The 7300 Building beginning in the fall of 2015 Diana Parker, Richard Bamonte and Janette Driggers of CBRE represented the landlord, CBRE Global Investors, which acquired the property in October 2014. Stuart Gordon of Flagler Brokerage and Management Services LLC, along with Jim Travers and Stewart Niles of Travers Cresa, represented Norwegian Cruise Line. According to CBRE Research, Norwegian Cruise Line’s lease renewal/expansion is the largest office lease signed in South Florida in the past five years.
KNOXVILLE, TENN. — Knoxville-based Wood Properties has brokered the sale of The Historic Farragut Hotel in downtown Knoxville for $3.7 million. The 135,000-square-foot former hotel is located on Gay Street. The buyer, Knoxville-based Family Pride Corp., is planning to implement a mixed-use renovation of the building. George Brown and Brad Blackwell of Wood Properties Inc. represented the undisclosed seller in the transaction.
FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA. — Newgard Development Group and Menin Hospitality have launched Gale Boutique Hotel & Residences located at 2900 Riomar St. in Fort Lauderdale. The $120 million project will include the restoration of a historic 96-room hotel and the construction of an adjacent 128-unit condominium building. Newgard and Menin have partnered with Dev Motwani’s Merrimac Ventures in a joint venture arrangement for the development, which is slated to open in late 2016. Units are now available for reservation and priced from $385,000, with Newgard Realty overseeing the project’s sales and marketing efforts. The development will feature a roof-top sky deck, private lobby, fitness center and spa, concierge service, 24-hour valet parking and multiple resort-style pools. Individual condos will range in size from 780 square feet to nearly 2,000 square feet. All units will be delivered fully-finished, with gourmet kitchens, designer fixtures and cabinetry, spa-style bathrooms, customized flooring and walls and walk-in closets. Each residence will have floor-to-ceiling, impact-resistant glass doors and balcony space.
ATLANTA — Mercedes-Benz USA (MBUSA) has announced the permanent and interim locations for its new corporate headquarters in Atlanta. MBUSA, which is currently headquartered in Montvale, N.J., will construct a new headquarters facility on a 12-acre greenfield site located at the corner of Abernathy and Barfield roads in Sandy Springs, expected to be completed in early 2018. As part of the relocation, the automaker plans to hire hundreds of new employees from the Atlanta area at its new headquarters, which is set near the intersection of Georgia 400 and I-285. Beginning July 2015, the company will move into temporary office space at Sterling Pointe II, a 186,000-square-foot, Class A office building at the Perimeter Center complex in the neighboring city of Dunwoody.
ATLANTA — Novare Group and Batson-Cook Development Co. have broken ground on Atlantic House, a new 32-story luxury apartment tower located on the corner of 14th and West Peachtree streets in Midtown Atlanta. Designed by the architectural firm Smallwood, Reynolds, Stewart and Stewart, Atlantic House will feature elements of natural stone, precast concrete and glass. Atlantic House will feature two rooftop pools, a fitness center, clubroom, business center and outdoor patio space as well as a grilling area, tennis court and dog park on top of the attached parking garage. The project will also have 13,124 square feet of retail along 14th and West Peachtree streets. The luxury tower will have 407 units, ranging from studio to two-bedrooms that will feature nine-foot ceilings with floor-to-ceiling glass, granite countertops, hardwood floors, stainless steel appliances and ceramic tile. The top six floors will feature 68 one- and two-bedroom apartment homes featuring larger floor plans, 10-foot ceilings, quartz countertops, double-sink vanities and half baths. Novare Group and Batson-Cook Development are partnering with UBS Global Realty Advisors for Atlantic House. Wells Fargo is providing construction and permanent financing for the project, and NGI Investments LLC is providing equity. Batson-Cook Construction is the general contractor. …
GREENSBORO AND WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. — Greystone has provided $30.5 million in acquisition financing for four multifamily properties in the Piedmont Triad region of North Carolina. Vincent Langan of Greystone arranged the four Fannie Mae DUS loans on behalf of the borrower, Varden Capital Properties. The loan terms for all four properties include 10-year financing with 30-year amortization schedules and one year of interest-only payments. The apartment communities comprise a total 941 units and all offer amenities such as swimming pools, fitness centers, clubhouses and tennis courts. The properties in this portfolio include: Ashland Apartments in Greensboro; The Lakes on Meadowood in Greensboro; Ambercrest Apartments in Winston-Salem; and The Hunt Club Apartments in Winston-Salem.
RIDGELAND, MISS. — Crossman & Co. has brokered the $5.4 million sale of Trace Station Shopping Center, a 47,510-square-foot retail center located at 500 Highway 51 North in Ridgeland, part of the Jackson MSA. The three single-story buildings sitting on 6.5 acres were sold to a private investor. The property is positioned at the intersection of Jackson Street and Highway 51. The center was 96 percent leased at the time of sale to local and regional tenants such as Edible Arrangements, Fleet Feet, Lost Pizza Co. and Cazadore’s Mexican. Brian Carolan of Crossman & Co. represented the seller, a Wall Street loan pool, and partnered with Hugh Johnson of J. Walter Michel Agency, a Jackson-based company, during the transaction.