GREENVILLE, S.C. — Frampton Construction has completed Upstate Trade Center, a 907,400-square-foot industrial park in Greenville, on behalf of the developer, The Keith Corp. Situated within four miles of I-85 and adjacent to US Highway 25 and Donaldson Center Airport, the speculative project took approximately 12 months to complete. Building One of Upstate Trade Center is a cross-dock facility spanning 640,640 square feet with a clear height of 36 feet, and Building Two is a rear-load facility totaling 266,760 square feet with a clear height of 32 feet. The design-build team includes architect Merriman-Schmitt Architects and civil engineer Thomas + Hutton. JLL is marketing Upstate Trade Center for sale.
Southeast
WESTLAKE, FLA. — Konover South has broken ground on Shoppes of Westlake Landings in Westlake. Upon completion, the 23,000-square-foot development will comprise two multi-tenant retail centers and a pod of quick-service restaurants. Konover South acquired the property from homebuilder Minto Communities in 2021. MEC Construction is serving as general contractor. Tenants that have signed leases at the center include Starbucks Coffee, KFC, Taco Bell, Habit Burger, 3Natives, Heartland Dental, Verizon Wireless, Go Green Cleaners and Orange Theater.
Colliers Arranges 110,000 SF Industrial Lease in Metro D.C. for Co-Warehousing Provider ReadySpaces
by John Nelson
LANDOVER, MD. — Colliers has arranged a 110,000-square-foot warehouse lease at 3341 75th Ave. in Landover, about 10 miles east of Washington, D.C. The tenant is ReadySpaces, a co-warehousing provider that recently launched three other East Coast locations in New Jersey and New York. Mike Davis and Mike McGugen of Colliers represented ReadySpaces in the lease negotiations. The landlord was not disclosed. The Landover deal brings ReadySpaces to 33 locations nationwide. The company provides flexible warehousing and office space ideally suited for small businesses. Each ReadySpaces location provides users with Wi-Fi, loading docks, forklifts, a shared conference room and kitchen and lounge areas, as well as a monthly pricing model.
MIAMI — New York-based hotel owner-operator MCR has acquired the Hilton Miami Airport Blue Lagoon, a 508-room hotel in Miami. The seller and sales price were not disclosed, but the South Florida Business Journal reports that Park Hotels & Resorts sold the 14-story hotel to MCR for $118 million. Set within the Blue Lagoon business park, the waterfront hotel is located south of Miami International Airport and features four food-and-beverage outlets, an outdoor swimming pool and hot tub, complimentary airport shuttle, outdoor tennis and basketball courts, 24-hour fitness center, business center and 32,000 square feet of meeting space. Hilton Miami Airport Blue Lagoon is MCR’s second hotel in the Miami Airport submarket following the acquisition of the Hyatt Place Miami Airport East in December 2022, as well as the company’s 10th hotel in Florida.
KANNAPOLIS, N.C. — A joint venture between Trinity Capital Advisors and Barings has purchased 154 acres in the northern Charlotte suburb of Kannapolis. The companies plan to develop 85 Exchange, a Class A industrial park spanning 1.3 million square feet across seven buildings. The park will be situated within one mile of I-85 at Kannapolis Parkway and Davidson Highway. Phase I of 85 Exchange comprises two buildings totaling 314,000 square feet and will begin speculative development this March, delivering first-quarter 2024. The design-build team includes general contractor Choate Construction and architect Merriman Schmitt Architects. Cushman & Wakefield’s Matt Treble, Fermin Deoca, Drew Coholan and Frances Crisler are handling leasing duties.
SAVANNAH, GA. — JLL has brokered the sales of two shopping centers located in Savannah in transactions totaling $63 million. Built in 1986, Savannah Centre comprises 186,514 square feet and was 81 percent leased at the time of sale to tenants such as T.J. Maxx, Bed Bath & Beyond, Shoe Carnival, JOANN Fabric and Crafts, Five Below, Rack Room Shoes and Chicken Salad Chick. Originally built in 1972, the 197,605-square-foot Chatham Plaza was renovated in 2001. Tenants at the center, which was 93 percent leased at the time of sale, include Ross Dress for Less, Ashley HomeStore, Pet Supermarket, Dollar Tree, Skechers, Chili’s, Longhorn Steakhouse and Starbucks Coffee. Brad Buchanan, Andrew Kahn and Andrew Michols of JLL brokered the sales on behalf of the undisclosed sellers. JBL Asset Management acquired both properties.
PENDERGRASS, GA. — CBRE has arranged a $62.4 million acquisition loan for The Blakely, a 420-unit apartment community being built in phases in Pendergrass, about 57 miles northeast of Atlanta. ARC Multifamily Group is purchasing the partially developed community from developer Green River Builders for $88.4 million. The buyer is under contract to acquire each phase of The Blakely once it receives a certificate of occupancy. Charlie Clark and Blake Cohen of CBRE’s Debt & Structured Finance team arranged the bridge loan through an unnamed life insurance company on behalf of ARC Multifamily Group. Upon completion, The Blakely will include a mix of one-, two- and three-bedroom units ranging in size from 855 to 1,444 square feet. Community amenities will include multiple swimming pools, a theater room, package center, fitness center, game room, yoga pad, fire pit, playground and a beer garden featuring an outdoor kitchen with a bar top, outdoor TV and seating.
FLETCHER, N.C. — Copart Inc., an online car auction platform based in Dallas, has purchased 57.1 acres in Fletcher for $8.6 million. The land is situated roughly 12 miles south of Asheville. The company plans to use the land for an industrial outdoor storage yard of cars set for auction across the Southeast. Randall Bentley and Jordan Skellie of Lee & Associates Greenville/Spartanburg represented the seller, an entity doing business as Minkles BRM LLC, in the transaction.
Raleigh-Durham’s multifamily market has solidified itself as a top performer in recent years. After a rapid economic recovery in 2021 and early 2022, occupancy rates and rent growth soared. Year-over-year effective rent growth reached 13 percent in third-quarter 2022, well above the national average, and totaled 15 percent in Class A product. The region continues to be nationally ranked for real estate prospects, competitive incentives and taxes, education and quality of life. The impressive list of job wins the Triangle has been awarded continues to grow, including major job announcements from Wolfspeed, Apple and VinFast, to name a few. The region’s status as one of the nation’s leading tech and life science hubs has also lured giants such as Grifols, Pfizer, IBM and Red Hat. Population growth is one of the Triangle’s strongest apartment market fundamentals and it continues to surge, as approximately 5,000 new residents move to the region each month. Raleigh and the surrounding metropolitan areas are expected to increase in population at the second-fastest rate in the country, behind only Austin. Municipalities outside of the Triangle’s metro areas are also some of the fastest-growing locations in the state. Johnston and Franklin counties, for example, are expected to …
Prospective investors can finance acquisitions even when equity is scarce, explains Michael Klein, CEO and founding principal of Freedom Financial Funds. “The scarcity of equity is an old phenomenon; it’s a relatively new phenomenon that made equity plentiful. For most of history, it was hard work to find equity. However, even in a tight market, if there’s a compelling case for a project to result in success and there are multiple ways of protecting the equity and the debt, that deal will get done.” This is the outlook Klein brings to the 2023 MBA Commercial/Multifamily Finance Convention & Expo. Klein’s company, Freedom Financial Funds, LLC is a private REIT based in Los Angeles and operating in the western United States. The REIT specializes in providing capital to real estate professionals adding value to projects. Debt, Equity and Protecting Value Klein explains that with any type of financing, whether it be debt or equity, it is key to have a compelling story and facts to indicate that the borrower is going to provide a fair amount of value. “Protecting the investor from potential downside risks is an essential part of financing,” explains Klein. This sort of forethought requires thorough due diligence …