MARIETTA, GA. — The Connor Group has purchased Parkside at Town Center, a 234-unit luxury apartment community in Marietta, a northern suburb of Atlanta, for $27.2 million. The asset is located just north of Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park. The Connor Group purchased the community from Sterling Parkside Apartments NF LLC. The acquisition is The Connor Group’s fifth transaction in Atlanta in the past 12 months — the previous four were property sales.
Southeast
MIAMI — CBRE has arranged a $31 million refinancing loan for the River Oak Apartments, a 199-unit multifamily property located along the Miami River at 1951 N.W. S. River Drive in Miami. The apartment community was built in 2011, and its amenity package features a riverwalk, theater, business center, fitness center, pool and spa, clubroom, gated access with a 24-hour surveillance system and covered parking with controlled access. Charles Foschini, Christopher Apone, Christian Lee, Robert Given and Gerard Yetming of CBRE arranged the 10-year loan through Redwood Commercial Mortgage Co., a division of California-based Redwood Trust, on behalf of the borrower, AP SC River Oaks LLC.
RALEIGH, N.C. — Multi Housing Advisors (MHA) has brokered the $12 million sale of Hidden Creek, a 200-unit apartment community located at 2038 Quail Forest Drive in north Raleigh. The apartment complex, built in 1980, includes a business center, fitness center, playground, swimming pool and laundry facilities. Marc Robinson and Jordan McCarley of MHA’s Charlotte, N.C., office represented the seller, AB Merion Hidden Creek LLC, an affiliate of Merion Realty Partners, in the transaction. The buyer was FortCap Chatsworth LLC, an affiliate of Virginia Beach, Va.-based FortCap Partners. MHA was the sole brokerage firm in the transaction.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Trinity Partners has brokered the sale of a 27,418-square-foot medical office building located at 7825 Ballantyne Commons Parkway in Charlotte’s Ballantyne neighborhood. DHD Ventures purchased the asset from Trinity Partners’ sister company, Trinity Capital Advisors, for approximately $3.8 million. The property was 92 percent occupied at the time of sale. Mark Alviana and Sam DiFranco of Trinity Partners represented the seller in the transaction.
The year 2013 marked a turning point for the Triangle office market. While overall vacancy remains stubbornly high, ending the third quarter at 17.2 percent, Class A vacancy is rapidly approaching equilibrium, spurring increased investment and development activity in the region. A lack of new construction in recent years has led to a shortage of large blocks of prime office space. Class A vacancy ended the third quarter at 13.7 percent, down by 260 basis points year-over-year. As a result, owners of select properties are finding themselves with more leverage, and tenants are increasingly turning to their second and third choices when securing space. This lack of quality options kept a lid on absorption through most of 2013. Annual absorption stood at just 107,306 square feet through the third quarter, well below historical norms for a recovering market. This figure, however, is not a true reflection of leasing activity. Faced with limited choices, some growing and new-to-market tenants turned to developers, preleasing 700,000 square feet and driving a wave of new construction activity in the second half of the year. Duke Realty broke ground on two new office buildings in the I-40/RTP submarket. Perimeter Two and Perimeter Three will total …
ATLANTA — Behringer Harvard Multifamily REIT I Inc. has announced the beginning of construction for Cyan on Peachtree, a 329-unit multifamily community located at 3380 Peachtree Road in Atlanta’s Buckhead market. The 23-story tower, located one block from the Buckhead MARTA station, will include an adjacent seven-level parking garage upon completion. The REIT provided equity capital for the construction, along with Mongram Residential Master Partnership I LP, a joint venture between Behringer Harvard Multifamily REIT I and PGGM Private Real Estate Fund. The new community has begun construction and is expected to open for residents in the second quarter of 2015. An affiliate of Atlanta-based Atlantic Realty Partners will develop the project, and Birmingham, Ala.-based Brasfield & Gorrie is the project’s general contractor. The units will average 838 square feet and will feature nine-foot ceilings, floor-to-ceiling windows, washers and dryers, quartz countertops, hardwood cabinets and kitchens with islands and stainless steel appliances. Common amenities will include a garage-top deck with a resort-style pool with cabanas, gardens and grilling areas, a terrace overlooking Peachtree Street, fitness center and sidewalk cyber café.
ATLANTA — Cornerstone Development Partners and Stein Investment Group have formed a joint venture to develop a $65 million mixed-use medical complex at the intersection of Collier and Peachtree roads across from Piedmont Hospital in Atlanta. The Cornerstone Medical Center will span 161,000 square feet and will largely be made up of medical office space. The development will also include 16,000 square feet of street-level retail and restaurants. The seven-story complex will feature four levels of below-grade parking and a secure doctors-only area with direct, private elevator access to the medical suites. The Cornerstone-Stein joint venture plans to break ground this summer and complete the development in 2015. A nearby Chick-fil-A restaurant will relocate to the ground floor of the development. The property will be developed in compliance with the Beltline Overlay conditions.
DORAL, FLA. — Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Inc. has broken ground on Element Miami Doral as part of a dual-hotel development in metro Miami alongside Aloft Miami Doral, which opened in March 2013. Starwood will open the new hotel in July 2015. Eurocon LLC owns the 139-suite property. The hotel will feature a 24-hour fitness center, outdoor saline pool and a 1,500-square-foot meeting room. Element is the first major hotel brand to mandate that all properties pursue LEED certification, according to Starwood.
TAMPA, FLA. — Westmount Realty Capital LLC has purchased a 332,143-square-foot industrial portfolio in Tampa. The portfolio consists of six showroom and flex buildings on West Waters Avenue; two rear-load, dock-high buildings on Sunstate Street; and six front-load, dock-high distribution warehouses on Pioneer Park Boulevard. The portfolio is currently averaging 77 percent occupancy. Steve Kanoff of Westmount Realty Capital led the team on the acquisition. Cushman & Wakefield’s Tampa office represented the seller in the transaction. NorthMarq Capital’s Tampa office procured the debt on behalf of Westmount Realty Capital.
OXFORD, MISS. — Capital Advisors has arranged $11.5 million in refinancing for University Trails, a 156-unit, 492-bed student housing community in Oxford. The Class A community serves students from the University of Mississippi. The property features a resort-style swimming pool, beach volleyball court, basketball courts, a game room, fitness center and media center. Cooper Willis of Capital Advisors arranged the seven-year loan with a 30-year amortization schedule on behalf of the borrower, TEXLA Oxford LLC. The loan, fixed at an interest rate of 4.62 percent, was arranged through Freddie Mac via Walker & Dunlop.