CHARLOTTE, N.C. — CBRE has arranged four new leases for retailers and restaurants to join Queen City Quarter, a mixed-use redevelopment of the former EpiCentre property in Uptown Charlotte. The multi-level, 302,324-square-foot development is located along College Street and houses World of Beer, Mortimer’s Café & Pub and Bowlero, all of which recently renewed their leases. The new tenants joining Queen City Quarter’s tenant roster include Portal 123, a rotating Instagram museum and immersive art experience; Nostalgia Hollow Co., a locally based coffeeshop and home goods retailer; Cajun Market, a fast-casual Cajun-Creole restaurant; and Super Icy Brothers, a frozen dessert shop. All four concepts plan to open in the second or third quarter. Kaitlyn Fitch, Kivett Williams and Katherine Southard of CBRE handled the lease negotiations on behalf of the landlord, an entity doing business as 210 East Trade Street Holdings LLC. In addition to the leases, CBRE will begin the previously announced renovations and improvements to the property in late spring. Most of the work will be in the property’s 15,462-square-foot plaza and include replacing the pavers along the walkways and installing benches with planters in the main common area. The building’s interior façades on all levels, in addition to …
Southeast
Richmar Properties Sells Covington Square Shopping Center in Metro Atlanta for $13.4M
by John Nelson
LITHONIA, GA. — Michigan-based Richmar Properties has sold Covington Square, a 144,585-square-foot shopping center in the east Atlanta suburb of Lithonia. Malls-Etc. purchased the property for $13.4 million. Craig Taylor of CBRE represented the seller in the transaction. Built in 1989 at 6152 Covington Highway, Covington Square was renovated in 2021 and was 85 percent leased at the time of sale to tenants such as Planet Fitness, Rainbow Shops, City Gear, Beauty and More, Las Colinas Restaurant and 3D Church.
DORAL, FLA. — Franklin Street has arranged the $7.3 million sale of a 14,900-square-foot, single-tenant retail store located at 3750 NW 87th Ave. in Doral, a suburb of Miami. The property was triple-net leased to CVS. Greg Matus, Adam Tiktin and Alex Lazo of Franklin Street, along with Norman Matus of Red Rock Realty, represented the seller, Illinois-based Curfin Property US Inc. Florida-based Goldenberg Investment Group Inc. purchased the property, which was built in 2016.
BALTIMORE — Harbor Stone Advisors has brokered the $5 million sale of Astor Court, a mixed-use property located at 2440 St. Paul St. in Baltimore’s Old Goucher neighborhood. Built in 1930 and renovated in 2006, the property features 26 one-bedroom apartments, 10 two-bedroom units and four commercial spaces on the ground level leased to Subway, State of the Art Hair Studio, Maryland Healthcare Clinics and Charles Village Community Benefits District. Community amenities include controlled building access, an elevator, 24-hour fitness center, community multipurpose room with kitchen, shared workspace, private courtyard, bicycle storage and a laundry facility. A small parking lot adjacent to Astor Court was included in the sale. Justin Verner, Brooks Healy and Tom Wohlgemuth of Harbor Stone represented the seller, an entity doing business as Astor Court LLC that is led by investor Michael Rock, in the transaction. The buyer was not disclosed.
It’s little wonder that the fiber optic business is booming. American appetites for high-speed, high-volume Internet connectivity have skyrocketed in recent years, making fiber essential to provide Internet service across commercial property types. Employment for the linemen who build out and maintain those networks will grow 6 percent between 2021 and 2031, while telecommunications equipment installation jobs in general will expand to an even greater 8 percent, according to projections from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Factor in the ongoing exodus of skilled workers from all trades as more of the nation’s Baby Boomers enter retirement, and many broadband providers may struggle to fill job openings in the coming years. That’s one of the reasons Pavlov Media, a Champaign, Ill.-based Internet service provider, is partnering with a Texas university to put students on career paths in fiber technology. Its partner in this endeavor, Prairie View A&M University, was founded in 1876 and is the second oldest public institution of higher education in Texas and one of the earliest 1890 Land Grant Institutions. Because it is a historically black institution, the program will be helping to address a longstanding need for greater diversity, equity and inclusiveness (DEI) in the technology sector. …
CHICAGO — Bask Development, a Chicago-based real estate development firm, has entered into an agreement with Charlotte-based hospitality chain Extended Stay America to develop eight hotels in Florida under the Extended Stay America Premier Suites brand. The locations of the hotels weren’t disclosed but Bask says the properties will be located in “major markets.” Bask operates throughout the United States, with 30 hotels under management and an additional six under construction. Extended Stay America Premier Suites comprises both new construction as well as renovated properties with fully equipped kitchens, apartment-style layouts for working and dining, free in-room Wi-Fi, cable TV, onsite guest laundry and an enhanced breakfast offering, along with upgraded design elements including larger TVs, increased storage space and a signature bedding package. Extended Stay America currently has 36 Extended Stay America Premier Suites open and operating throughout the United States.
ASHBURN, VA. — H5 Data Centers has broken ground on a three-story, 255,000-square-foot data center in Ashburn, a city in Northern Virginia. The Denver-based developer has begun preleasing the property, which is set for delivery in the third quarter of 2024. The data center located on Beaumeade Circle will qualify for Virginia data center sales and use tax exemption, according to H5. Ashburn is known as the data center capital of the world and houses facilities leased to Amazon, Microsoft, Google and Meta, among others.
Capital Funding Group Provides $27.2M Loan for Seniors Housing Conversion Project in South Florida
by John Nelson
SUNRISE, FLA. — Capital Funding Group has provided a $27.2 million construction loan for the conversion of a partially completed hotel in South Florida to a 191-unit assisted living community. The property is located at 3003 N. University Drive in Sunrise, about 10 miles west of Fort Lauderdale. The borrower, YMP Real Estate Management, will use $7.4 million of the financing to complete the shell construction. YMP will also manage the seniors housing community when it opens. The construction timeline was not disclosed.
Virtus Real Estate Capital, Blaze Capital Acquire 163-Unit Active Adult Property in Metro Orlando
by John Nelson
DAVENPORT, FLA. — Austin, Texas-based Virtus Real Estate Capital and Charleston, S.C.-based Blaze Capital Partners have acquired The Pointe at Siena Ridge, a 163-unit active adult residential community in the Orlando suburb of Davenport. The seller and sales price were not disclosed. The property was constructed in 2021 and features a mix of one- and two-bedroom apartments ranging in size from 753 to 1,046 square feet that are reserved for residents 55 and older. Each unit features 9-foot ceilings, in-unit washers and dryers, stainless steel appliances and private, screened-in balconies and patios. Community amenities include a resort-style swimming pool, elevator access, fitness center, movie theater, hair salon, bocce ball court, clubhouse and coffee bar and wine lounge. The property also provides tenants with 23 detached garages and electric vehicle charging stations. The Pointe at Siena Ridge is Blaze Capital’s fourth active adult acquisition in Florida.
KENNESAW AND ATLANTA, GA. — Atlanta Property Group (APG) has sold two office buildings in metro Atlanta for a combined $18.5 million. The transactions include the $8.1 million sale of 1075 Big Shanty, a 72,000-square-foot, single-story office building located at 1075 Big Shanty Road in Kennesaw, and the $10.4 million sale of Paces Cumberland, a 70,000-square-foot, multi-tenant office building located in Atlanta’s Vinings district. The buyers were not disclosed. APG currently owns or operates nearly 4.5 million square feet of office and industrial properties throughout the Southeast.