BRASELTON, GA. — Branch Properties, an Atlanta-based shopping center development firm, has acquired land in Braselton for the development of a Publix-anchored shopping center. Dubbed Braselton Village, the 70,987-square-foot retail center will be located at the intersection of Old Winder Highway and the newly constructed Braselton Village Parkway, about 50 miles northeast of Atlanta. Branch Properties expects to deliver the property, which will feature 22,600 square feet of inline retail space in addition to the Publix grocery store, in second-quarter 2025. In addition to Braselton Village, Branch Properties is also developing or recently delivered four other Publix-anchored centers in the Southeast: Triple Crown Shopping Center in Richwood, Ky.; One Nexton in Summerville, S.C.; Limestone Marketplace in Gainesville, Ga.; and the recently completed Summerhill Station in Atlanta.
MEMPHIS, TENN. — CBRE has arranged a $12 million acquisition loan for a 150,000-square-foot distribution center located at 6325 Global Drive in southeast Memphis. The facility, which features nearly 40,000 square feet of cold storage space, was fully leased to Vistar, a division of Performance Food Group, at the time of financing. Bob Ybarra, Bruce Francis, Shaun Moothart, Doug Birrell, Nick Santangelo and Jim Korinek of CBRE’s Capital Markets Debt and Structured Finance team arranged the financing on behalf of the buyer, Pacifica Real Estate Group. The loan was underwritten with a 10-year term and 5.55 percent interest rate. The seller was not disclosed.
FLORENCE, KY. — Berkadia has arranged the sale of a 104-unit assisted living and memory care community in Florence, approximately 10 miles southwest of Cincinnati. Mike Garbers, Cody Tremper, Dave Fasano and Ross Sanders of Berkadia represented the seller, a publicly traded REIT, in the transaction. A private equity group purchased the asset for an undisclosed price.
MIAMI — Berkadia has arranged a $328 million construction loan for Baccarat Residences Miami, a 355-unit luxury condominium tower planned at the gateway of Brickell Avenue in Miami. Scott Wadler, Michael Basinski, Mitch Sinberg, Matt Robbins and Brad Williamson of Berkadia arranged the floating-rate loan through Bank OZK on behalf of the borrowers, Related Group and GTIS Partners. Baccarat Residences, which is currently 95 percent presold, is scheduled for completion in early 2028. Designed by Arquitectónica and managed by SH Hotels & Resorts, the tower will feature more than 75,000 square feet of high-end amenities, including a marina, spa, art installations and a health and fitness center.
ASHEVILLE, N.C. — TruAmerica Multifamily has acquired Westmont Commons, a 252-unit apartment community in Asheville, for $49.9 million. Rob Russell and Richard Kourbage of Greystone originated a Freddie Mac acquisition loan for the buyer. The seller was not disclosed. Westmont Commons was built in phases in 2003 and 2008. The new buyer plans to make capital improvements in every unit with modern finishes, including new washers and dryers. TruAmerica also plans to upgrade the property’s swimming pool, fitness center and clubhouse, as well as convert the laundry room to a pet spa.
OXON HILL, MD. — JLL’s Hotels & Hospitality group has brokered the sale of Hampton Inn & Suites National Harbor/Alexandria Area, a 154-room hotel located at 250 Waterfront St. in Oxon Hill. The sales price was not disclosed, but Washington Business Journal reports the asset traded for $47 million. Situated along the Potomac River about 11.5 miles south of Washington, D.C., the 11-story hotel is located across the street from The Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center. The hotel features a business center, fitness center, complimentary breakfast, indoor pool and meeting space. Ketan Patel, Phil White and Vasilis Halakos of JLL represented the seller and procured the buyer. Both parties requested anonymity.
MCDONOUGH, GA. — Stoic Equity Partners has purchased a 90,300-square-foot office and warehouse property located on McDonough Parkway in McDonough, a southern suburb of Atlanta. The Daphne, Ala.-based investor purchased the five-building property through an investment fund named SEP Industrial Holdings I LLC for $5.8 million. Nick Watson and Harrison Auerbach of Matthews Real Estate Investment Services represented the undisclosed, Georgia-based seller in the transaction. The flex property features loading docks, drive-in access, 18- to 20-foot clear heights and truck court space. The McDonough property is the second Atlanta-area investment for Stoic Equity Partners.
ALPHARETTA, GA. — IKEA plans to open a 4,306-square-foot store at Mansell Crossing, a shopping center located at 7681 North Point Parkway in the northern Atlanta suburb of Alpharetta. The landlord is New York-based Brixmor. The new store is among four small-format locations that IKEA announced in January, along with new stores in the greater Los Angeles area and Austin, Texas. Each store will allow customers to design and order home-furnishing solutions and products with help from IKEA experts, as well as pick up items once they’re shipped. The new Alpharetta store is set to open this summer. Other tenants at Mansell Crossing include REI, Five Below, TJ Maxx, DSW, Macy’s Furniture Gallery and Barnes & Noble. IKEA opened its prototypical store and warehouse location, which spans more than 366,000 square feet, in Atlanta’s Midtown area in 2005.
By Brad Jones of Cushman & Wakefield/EGS Commercial Real Estate Despite ongoing challenges facing the national economy, Birmingham’s commercial real estate landscape remains steady and consistent. Over the past seven years, encompassing both pre- and post-pandemic periods, the overall vacancy rate for Birmingham’s multi-tenant office market has exhibited fluctuations like most markets, ranging from 12.9 percent in 2017 to 19 percent in 2023, according to research from Cushman & Wakefield/EGS Commercial Real Estate. However, for perspective, Birmingham’s year-end vacancy rate of 19 percent remains below the national average vacancy rate of 19.7 percent recorded in 2023, according to research from Cushman & Wakefield. Office leasing activity in Birmingham has maintained momentum, experiencing a notable 12 percent year-over-year increase from 2022. Total leasing activity for 2023 totaled 718,219 square feet. Class A transactions dominated with 564,681 square feet leased, indicating a continued preference for Class A office space (i.e. a flight to quality). This is good news for Class A product in this supposed period of economic slowdown. Office investment sales activity in Birmingham has, however, decelerated in the current economic climate. The impending ripple of debt maturities poses challenges for large institutional owners and creditors. At the same time, it …
WASHINGTON, D.C. — JLL Capital Markets has brokered the $95 million sale of 1099 New York Avenue, an 11-story office building located in Washington, D.C. Situated four blocks away from the White House, the property totals 180,878 square feet. The building, which was 95 percent leased to eight tenants at the time of sale, features floor plates averaging 17,500 square feet. A joint venture between affiliates of Quadrangle Development Corp. and FarmView Ventures acquired the property with plans to add a fitness center and reposition the rooftop. Andrew Weir, Jim Meisel, Matt Nicholson, David Baker and Kevin Byrd of JLL represented the undisclosed seller in the transaction.