ATLANTA — The investment sales market for the affordable housing sector remains muted for one overarching reason: volatility. Cory Sams, executive managing director of GREA (Global Real Estate Advisors), said that a lack of certainty, especially in the capital markets, is giving buyers and sellers of affordable housing properties pause. “The worst thing for a deal is [interest rates] constantly moving around,” she said. “When they were running up and down, every deal fell apart.” Doug Childers, senior managing director of JLL, estimated that affordable housing transaction volume fell 40 percent in 2023 compared with the prior year. For context, multifamily investment sales overall declined by 61 percent year-over-year in 2023, according to MSCI Real Assets (formerly Real Capital Analytics). Childers and Sams made their comments during the investment sales panel of Interface Affordable Housing Southeast, an information and networking conference held at the Cobb Galleria Centre in Atlanta on Thursday, May 9. Interface Conference Group and Southeast Multifamily & Affordable Housing Business hosted the event, which drew approximately 170 industry professionals from across the region. Brian Flanagan, regional director of RBC Community Investments, moderated the investment sales panel. Fittingly, Flanagan kicked off the investment sales discussion by asking the …
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KDC Receives Approval for Two New Towers at Mixed-Use Park Center Development in Dunwoody, Georgia
by John Nelson
DUNWOODY, GA. — The Dunwoody City Council has approved the rezoning of Phase IV of Park Center, a 17-acre, transit-oriented office campus in metro Atlanta. The master developer of the project is KDC, a Dallas-based corporate development and investment firm. The amended zoning will allow KDC to change its plans from a standalone fourth office tower to a two-tower project that will comprise 175 hotel rooms, 300 residential units, 22,000 square feet of retail space and 300,000 square feet of office space. The plan includes two towers on a common podium with a 20-story apartment tower and a combined office and hotel tower, where six floors of hotel rooms will sit atop 12 levels of office space. Phase IV represents the final phase of Park Center and will occupy the last undeveloped portion of the development, which was originally conceived as a 2.2 million-square-foot East Coast hub for State Farm Insurance. The project team includes local architecture firm Cooper Carry. The current campus contains three office towers developed over the past 10 years: the 600,000-square-foot Park Center One, which is directly connected to the Dunwoody MARTA Station; the 621,000-square-foot Park Center Two with more than 39,000 square feet of retail …
LOCUST GROVE, GA. — Cushman & Wakefield has arranged financing for the construction of a 500,220-square-foot speculative industrial building in Locust Grove, roughly 40 miles southeast of Atlanta. Dubbed Building C, the property will be situated at 600 Price Drive within The Cubes at Locust Grove, a master-planned industrial park. The building will feature 40-foot clear heights, 156 trailer parking spaces and 120 docks. John Alascio, Walker Brown, T.J. Sullivan, Claire Oster, Stewart Calhoun, Casey Masters and Ryan Bellows of Cushman & Wakefield secured the financing through Bank OZK on behalf of the borrower. A construction timeline for Building C at The Cubes at Locust Grove was not disclosed.
ARLINGTON, VA. — Berkadia has secured a $40.6 million loan for the acquisition of Marlowe Apartments, a 162-unit multifamily community located in Arlington. Built in 1987, the property is situated directly across from the newly completed Amazon HQ2, Metropolitan Park. Brian Gould, Miles Drinkwalter and Pat Cunningham of Berkadia arranged the financing on behalf of the buyer, Washington, D.C.-based The FORTIS Cos. Additionally, Brian Crivella, Yalda Ghamarian and Bill Gribbin of Berkadia represented the undisclosed seller in the sale to FORTIS.
HOMESTEAD, FLA. — The Estate Cos. (EIG) and Midtown Group have acquired a 20.8-acre development site located in Homestead, approximately 40 miles southwest of Miami, for $14 million. The companies received approval last September to develop Soleste Midtown, a mixed-use project, at the site. Upon completion, the development will comprise 354 residential units, as well as 43,000 square feet of commercial space. Residences will include apartments ranging from 676 to 1,131 square feet within six five-story buildings. Amenities will include a 7,000-square-foot clubhouse, swimming pool and playground. EIG will develop and own the residential portion, with Midtown Group developing and owning the commercial component of the property, which will feature six outparcels situated along a promenade.
DOUGLASVILLE, GA. — Franklin Street Retail Investment Sales has brokered the sale of Market Square, a 116,766-square-foot shopping center located in Douglasville, roughly 20 miles west of Atlanta. Tenants at the property, which was built in 1984 and renovated in 2019, include Aaron’s, YouFit, Pet Supermarket and Davita Dialysis. An entity doing business as SCC Market Square LLC sold the property to BC Waycross Spring Hill LLC for an undisclosed price. Bryan Belk and John Tennant of Franklin Street represented the seller in the transaction.
ATLANTA — Flexible workspace provider WeWork, which filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy late last year, has completed its real estate restructuring in Atlanta, according to a press release from the company. The process, as in other cities, involved lease renegotiations with landlords. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that WeWork now plans to close five of its 11 Atlanta locations. In April, the company announced a new $450 million investment to support operations throughout its Chapter 11 proceedings. WeWork’s current portfolio includes more than 24 million square feet of space across 330 locations globally.
LAKE BUENA VISTA, FLA. — JLL has arranged a $735 million CMBS loan for the refinancing of the 2,619-room Walt Disney World Swan & Dolphin Resort. The property comprises three Marriott-branded hotels: the 756-key Swan (Sheraton), the 1,514-key Dolphin (Westin) and the 349-key Swan Reserve (Autograph Collection). A consortium between Wells Fargo, Bank of America and Goldman Sachs provided the loan to the borrower, a joint venture between Tishman Hotel & Realty and MetLife Investment Management. The Swan & Dolphin Resort is situated adjacent to Walt Disney World’s Epcot and Hollywood Studios theme parks in Lake Buena Vista. The partnership between Tishman and MetLife completed the property in 1990. The property’s amenity package includes 16 restaurants, seven bars, three fitness centers, six outdoor pools and a 12,000-square-foot spa. In addition, the property offers 452,000 square feet of meeting and event space, including eight ballrooms, 99 meeting rooms and 100,000 square feet of outdoor space. Kevin Davis, Mark Fisher and Caleigh O’Connell led the debt placement efforts for JLL. “The Swan & Dolphin Resort CMBS loan [is] priced at the tightest pricing levels seen for hotels since 2021,” says Davis. “The market pricing was an affirmation of the strong in-place cash flows, …
American Landmark Acquires 444-Unit Pointe on Westshore Multifamily Community in Tampa
by John Nelson
TAMPA, FLA. — American Landmark Apartments has acquired The Pointe on Westshore, a 444-unit multifamily community located at 4950 W. Prescott St. in the Westshore Marina District of Tampa. Built in 2021, the property features 13 five-story apartment buildings and two-story townhomes, with residences in one-, two- and three-bedroom floor plans. Amenities at the community include a swimming pool, fitness center, pet spa, business center and barbecue and picnic area. The seller and sales price were not disclosed.
Berkadia Secures HUD-Insured Financing for $72M Affordable Seniors Housing Development in Atlanta
by John Nelson
ATLANTA — Berkadia has arranged financing for Englewood Senior, a 160-unit affordable seniors housing development in Atlanta. Located at 413 Englewood Ave. SE, the proposed $72 million development would offer independent living units for seniors earning 60 percent or less of the area median income (AMI). Planned amenities at the property include a fitness center, movie theater, community room and an outdoor courtyard. Carolyn Whatley and Angela Folkers of Berkadia FHA/HUD secured the construction and permanent financing through HUD’s 221(d)(4) program. The undisclosed developer has also received low-income housing tax credit (LIHTC) equity and municipal funding.