ACWORTH, GA. — Inalfa Roof Systems, a global supplier of vehicle roofing systems, will open a manufacturing plant in Acworth, investing $17.1 million in the facility and creating 300 jobs. The facility will be located at Cherokee 75 Corporate Park in Cherokee County. The plant is expected to initially open in January 2014 and become fully operational during the second quarter of 2015. The plant will be the fourth in the United States and the first in the Southeast for Inalfa, which is based in Veray, The Netherlands. Wylly Harrison is the project manager for the Georgia Department of Economic Development, which partnered with the Cherokee Office of Economic Development in the project location.
MEBANE, N.C. — Exeter Property Group has acquired the Ford Motor Co. High-Velocity Center (HVC), a Class A distribution facility located at 1099 Corporate Park Drive in Mebane, for approximately $10.3 million. The purchase price for the 252,000-square-foot distribution center equates to $40.83 per square foot. The property is 100 percent leased to Ford Motor Co., which extended its lease in June for another five years. Built for Ford in 2003, the Ford HVC is part of the North Carolina Industrial Center, a 600-acre mixed-use development that includes office, manufacturing and distribution space. Kevin Markwordt, Julian Brown and Walter Byrd of Transwestern’s Southeast investment services group represented the seller, LNR, in the transaction.
BOCA RATON, FLA. — Kayne Anderson Real Estate Advisors, the real estate arm of Los Angeles-based Kayne Anderson Capital Advisors, has signed a lease for 12,637 square feet of office space at One Town Center in Boca Raton. Formerly known as the Tyco Building, One Town Center was converted from a single-use, Class A office building to a multi-tenant office building earlier this year. In addition to amenity upgrades and renovations to the lobby and common areas, the third floor was renovated as a multi-tenant office floor. Kayne Anderson, which is the first tenant signed on to the renovated property, will be occupying half of the third floor. Michael Erickson with CBRE represented the owner, MetLife, in the lease transaction. Jeff Kelly, along with John Jaspet, represented the tenant.
ELLISVILLE, MISS. — Pure Development has completed construction for a $56 million manufacturing plant for GE Aviation in Ellisville. The 340,000-square-foot facility manufactures advanced composite components for aircraft engines and systems. GE Aviation will employ 250 people at the plant by 2017. It marks the second project Pure Development has completed for GE Aviation in Mississippi. Pure developed another facility in Batesville that opened in 2008.
JESSUP, HALETHORPE AND COLUMBIA, MD. — CB Richard Ellis (CBRE) has arranged the sale of a 705,379-square-foot industrial portfolio in the I-95 corridor between Baltimore and Washington, D.C. The portfolio contains three Maryland properties situated at 8210 Wellmoor Court in Jessup, 4615 Hollins Ferry Road in Halethorpe and 9325 Snowden River Pkwy. in Columbia. The portfolio was 95 percent leased at the time of closing. The CBRE team of Jonathan Beard, Bo Cashman and John Boote represented the undisclosed seller. The buyer was MIM-Hayden Real Estate Funds.
SILVER SPRING, MD. — MAC Realty Advisors has arranged a development joint venture for the redevelopment of the First Baptist Church located at 8415 Fenton St. in Silver Spring. Lead developer Grosvenor Americas is partnering with Lakritz Adler Real Estate Investments to replace the existing church with a more efficient building. The joint venture will also build a 259-unit apartment building with 19,000 square feet of street-level retail space and a two-story parking garage. The construction timetable was not released.
KNOXVILLE, TENN. — Marcus & Millichap has completed the sale of a medical office building in Knoxville net-leased to dialysis provider Fresenius Medical Care for $2.49 million. The 10,440-square-foot building was constructed in 2001 and is located at 1740 Western Ave. Tim Giambrone of Marcus & Millichap’s Atlanta office represented the seller, a Tennessee-based limited liability company, and procured the buyer, a California-based private investor.
TARBORO, N.C. — Berkeley Capital Advisors has brokered the sale of River Oaks Shopping Center in Tarboro. The property totals 32,800 square feet. Its tenants include Dollar Tree, Shoe Show and Radio Shack. Walmart shadow anchors the center. The Berkeley team of Rob Carter, Alex Quarrier and David Webb arranged the deal between the two undisclosed parties.
The Washington, D.C., area boasts the lowest unemployment rate among major metros, at 5.5 percent as of February 2013, which is about two percentage points below the total U.S. unemployment rate of 7.6 percent. In the 12 months prior to February 2013, the area fell only behind New York, Los Angeles Basin and Houston in terms of job growth, with 39,700 new jobs created. At the same time in 2012, retailers shed approximately 1,100 jobs. While the effects of sequestration legislation are still unknown, the projected job growth from 2013 to 2017 is estimated to average 48,100 per annum. Two rapidly growing industry sectors are cybersecurity and healthcare. The Washington area also has an average household income of $108,400, making it an impressive 59 percent higher than the U.S. average. Incomes grew by 43 percent from 2000 to 2012, compared to 20 percent nationally. By 2017, the area’s average income is estimated to rise 14 percent, still higher than 13 percent nationally. Retail inventory (all types) for the Washington metro area totals approximately 220 million square feet. As of March 2013, the overall vacancy rate was 4.8 percent — the lowest in the nation. The market has seen no overall …
GAINESVILLE, FLA. — The Preiss Company has acquired a 770-bed student housing community serving students of the University of Florida for $36.25 million. The seller was a joint venture between New York-based Glenmont Capital Management and Birmingham, Ala.-based Arlington Properties. Canopy Apartments is located at 4400 SW 20th Ave. in Gainesville. Constructed in 2009, the property features five three-story residential buildings containing a mix of two- through four-bedroom units. Unit amenities include granite countertops, stainless steel appliances and nine-foot ceilings. Community amenities include a resort-style pool with a bar and grilling area, a fitness center, a clubhouse with a gaming area, an indoor basketball court, two sand volleyball courts, a virtual golf course, tanning beds, and a business center. Canopy Apartments was 95 percent occupied at the time of closing. The Holliday Fenoglio Fowler (HFF) team of Brian Kelly and Manny de Zarraga represented the seller. HFF also assisted Preiss in arranging acquisition financing for the property. HFF’s Timothy Joyce, Stephen Skok and Elliott Throne secured a $26.4 million acquisition loan through M&T Realty Capital Corp. The loan carries a 4.5 percent fixed interest rate and a 12-year term.