PORT ST. LUCIE, FLA. — Old Royal LLC, a West Palm Beach, Fla.-based private investment group, has purchased Parkway Plaza, a retail strip center in Port St. Lucie, for $1.8 million. The 42,739-square-foot retail property is located at 6500 Selvitz Rd. and was constructed in 2007. It was 39 percent occupied at the time of the transaction. William Strauss of CBRE represented the seller, Baltimore-based Quality Properties Asset Management Co.
Southeast
RALEIGH, N.C. — New Boston Fund Inc., a private equity real estate investment, development and management firm, has commenced major renovations at Carolina Place, a Class A office building in Raleigh. The five-story, 99,181-square-foot office property is undergoing renovations to its lobby and common areas including the complete removal and replacement of the glass curtain wall and entry doors to the lobby. The remainder of the lobby will be entirely gutted and replaced with new flooring, walls, trim and lighting in a modern design. The restrooms and elevators are also being gutted and completely updated. LS3P is the renovation architect and Riley Lewis General Contractors is the general contractor. The renovations are scheduled for completion by the end of this year.
MIAMI — The 56-unit Opera Tower, a downtown Miami condominium complex rising above Biscayne Bay, is undergoing a $1.2 million building enhancement program. The redesign includes updates to the recreational room, lobby and pool deck, and is set for completion by the end of the first quarter of 2013. South Florida-based Tibor Hollo, Opera Tower’s original developer, is leading the redesign. Residences at Opera Tower feature stainless steel appliances, European gourmet kitchens, luxurious baths and granite countertops. Amenities include full-time security, concierge services, garage parking and a state-of-the-art fitness center.
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Property Group Partners has acquired the fee interest in three blocks of a recessed portion of I-395 in downtown Washington, D.C. The commercial real estate owner and developer will begin preliminary work on the 2.2 million-square-foot Capitol Crossing, a mixed-use project. Capitol Crossing will be built on an undeveloped site extending from Massachusetts Avenue to E Street. It will reconnect the Capitol Hill and East End districts that were cut off by the construction of I-395 in the 1960s. The mixed-use project is designed to achieve LEED Platinum certification. Development of the first office building on the site will begin in 2013. Plans call for five buildings on the site, including a 150-unit residential building and four office buildings spanning between 300,000 and 685,000 square feet. Each building will feature ground-floor retail space designed for restaurants and boutiques. Skidmore, Owings & Merrill designed the project’s master plan and Cassidy Turley is the project’s leasing agency.
BELCAMP, MD. — Chambers Street Properties, a self-administered Maryland real estate investment trust, has acquired Gateway at Riverside, an 800,797-square-foot distribution facility in Belcamp. The purchase includes an adjacent 15-acre land parcel with the potential of expanding the facility by up to 400,000 square feet. Gateway at Riverside was built in 1991 and renovated in 2005. It features 30-foot clear height ceilings, 82 dock high loading doors and two outdoor trailer storage areas. The facility is fully leased to a wholly owned subsidiary of a large consumer product manufacturing company.
HARRISONBURG, VA. — The I-81 Distribution Center, a 357,673-square-foot industrial property at 4500 Early Rd. in Harrisonburg, has traded for $16 million. Philadelphia-based BPG Properties sold the bulk distribution center to STAG Industrial, a publicly traded real estate investment trust. The building is fully leased to Ply Gem Holdings Inc. through February 2018.
BOCA RATON, FLA. — Beech Street Capital LLC has closed a $16.5 million Fannie Mae conventional loan to refinance Crystal Palms, a 175-unit garden-style multifamily property in Boca Raton. The borrower, Scully Co., currently operates 30 properties in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Connecticut and Florida, and manages garden-style and high-rise communities ranging in size from 88 to 1,000 units. Crystal Palms includes two-story, garden-style buildings and amenities include a pool, fitness center and tennis courts.
ALPHARETTA, GA. — The 22,000-square-foot Grasslands Plaza shopping center at 5620 Commerce Blvd. in Alpharetta has traded for $1.8 million. PNC Bank sold the foreclosed property and three acres of land to TAC GrassLands LLC, a regional equity group. Grasslands Plaza was built in 2008 and is currently 69 percent occupied with tenants including Curves, Dollar Tree, Moe’s Southwest Grill and AT&T Cellular. The vacant parcels are approximately 1.32 and 1.73 acres. Grasslands Plaza and the vacant lots are outparcels to a Wal-Mart Supercenter. Ron Whitmire and Bob Kane of Bull Realty represented the bank in the disposition.
RALEIGH, N.C. — Atlanta-based RCG Ventures has completed a Toys “R” Us and Babies “R” Us combination store in Poyner Place Shopping Center, which is adjacent to Triangle Town Center Mall in Raleigh. The project featured ground-up construction of the 59,101-square-foot build-to-suit Toys “R” Us and Babies “R” Us store under one roof. Catamount Constructors worked in conjunction with RCG Ventures.
OCOEE, FLA. — Unicorp National Developments Inc. has broken ground on the $18 million Casa Mirella Apartments, a 216-unit multifamily property located at Maguire and Roberson roads in Ocoee. The apartment complex is slated for completion in December 2013 and amenities will include seven garage buildings, a clubhouse and swimming pool. Altamonte Springs, Fla.-based Roger B. Kennedy Inc. is the construction manager and Slocum Platts Architects P.A., Winter Park is the project architect.