HERNDON, VA. — Rappaport has closed on a $65 million first mortgage loan to refinance Worldgate Centre, its 230,000-square-foot retail center located at the intersection of Dulles Toll Road and Elden Street in Herndon. Rappaport purchased the asset in 2000. Worldgate Sport & Health anchors the property, and other tenants include a nine-screen AMC Theatre, Starbucks Coffee, TGI Friday’s, Subway, Qdoba Mexican Grill, Cold Stone Creamery and FedEx Kinko’s. The Ackman-Ziff Real Estate Group arranged the 10-year non-recourse loan through a CMBS lender on behalf of Rappaport.
Southeast
MIAMI — Cohen Financial has secured a $38.2 million bridge loan for the acquisition of land and pre-development of River Landing, a mixed-use development in Miami. Upon completion, River Landing will feature 428,542 square feet of retail space and 508 multifamily units. Kevin O’Grady, Daniel Sheehan, Gregory Newman and Eric McGlynn of Cohen Financial secured the loan with North Star Realty Finance Corp. on behalf of the borrower, River Landing Development LLC.
RALEIGH, N.C. — HFF has secured a $16.6 million construction loan for the development of Aloft Raleigh, a 135-room hotel at 2100 Hillsborough St. near North Carolina State University in Raleigh. Upon completion in fall 2015, the hotel will feature a fitness center, swimming pool, outdoor deck and WXYZ Bar, in addition to the brand’s Re:Mix lounge, Re:Fuel dining area and In-Touch business center. Mark Remington of HFF arranged the five-year construction loan through First Tennessee Bank on behalf of the borrower, a partnership between The Bernstein Cos., TME Investments and Michael Sandman.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Embassy Suites Hotels and developer BPR Properties have begun construction on Embassy Suites Charlotte Uptown, a 250-suite hotel at 401 E. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. The hotel, which will feature 7,000 square feet of meeting space and an on-site restaurant, is slated to open in June 2016. The hotel will be the ninth Embassy Suites in North Carolina, and it will feature a 24-hour fitness center, business center and an indoor pool.
SANFORD, FLA. — CBRE has arranged the sale of Boulevard Plaza, a 107,117-square-foot shopping center located at 300 W. Lake Mary Blvd. in Sanford. Branch Properties purchased the asset from The Sandefur Cos. for $12.2 million. The property is leased to CVS/pharmacy, Burger King, Papa John’s, Qdoba, H&R Block and Trustco Bank. Albertson’s, Boulevard Plaza’s anchor tenant that ceased operations in 2010, continues to pay its rent obligations. Cliff Taylor and Daniel Baker of CBRE represented The Sandefur Cos. in the transaction.
WESLEY CHAPEL, FLA. — Franklin Street Real Estate Services has brokered the $2.4 million sale of a Tuffy Auto Center and Dairy Queen at 27329 Wesley Chapel Blvd. in Wesley Chapel. The sale represents the second half of a 1031 tax-deferred exchange for the buyer, a Kentucky-based corporation. Rafeal Wright and Jonathan Graber of Franklin Street represented the seller, J&J Wesley Chapel LLC, an Illinois-based company. Franklin Street also procured the buyer.
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Greysteel Co. has brokered the sale of Minnesota Flats, a 16-unit multifamily property located at 1840 Minnesota Ave. S.E. in Washington, D.C.’s Anacostia neighborhood. Ari Firoozabadi, Kyle Tangney, John Mullen, Caleb Brown, Lance Ahmadian, Mike Bediones and Jake Ying of Greysteel represented the seller, Washington Living Trust, in the transaction.
CHARLESTON, S.C. — URS Capital Partners has acquired Pepperhill & Palmetto Apartments, a 266-unit apartment community in Charleston. The property will soon be renamed Ashley Village. The New York-based investor purchased the asset using a mix of debt and private equity. Chris Kinder of CK Realty Partners arranged Fannie Mae financing on behalf of URS. Ashley Village is the second Charleston apartment community that URS has purchased in the past 12 months.
MIAMI BEACH, FLA. — Plaza Construction has begun building two luxury condominium communities in South Beach for The Related Group. The properties include the $187 million One Ocean and the $88 million Marea condominiums. Enrique Norten of Ten Arquitectos and The Sieger Suarez Architectural Partnership designed the seven-story, 275,141-square-foot One Ocean. Sieger Suarez designed the six-story, 190,654-square-foot Marea community as well. Working on both projects, Enzo Enea is the landscape architect and Yabu Pushelberg is the interior designer. The two condominium projects are slated for completion in 2015. Plaza Construction is the general contractor on a total of four projects for The Related Group totaling $498 million. The other two communities include the $118 million, 42-story Icon Bay in Miami’s Biscayne Corridor and the $105 million, 42-story Millecento Residences by Pininfarina.
ANNAPOLIS JUNCTION, MD. — Somerset Construction Co. and OA Partners have broken ground on Annapolis Junction Town Center, a mixed-use, transit-oriented development in Annapolis Junction, equidistant from Baltimore and Washington, D.C. The $180 million property will feature 100,000 square feet of Class A office space, 416 luxury apartment residences, a 150-room hotel, 17,250 square feet of retail space and a new transit station for the Maryland Rail Commuter line featuring a 700-space parking garage. The MARC station and parking garage will open in the fall of this year, and the retail, office, hotel and apartment components will open in 2016. The project team includes office developer Corporate Office Properties Trust, residential and retail developer Southern Management Corp. and general contractor Whiting-Turner Construction Co.