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.
Southeast
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 …
FLORIDA CITY, FLA. — Coral Rock Development Group has unveiled plans for Card Sound Key Apartments, a 342-unit multifamily community to be developed at 35800 S. Dixie Highway in Florida City, roughly 35 miles southwest of Miami. Upon completion, the development will comprise six four-story buildings, with units in one-, two- and three-bedroom layouts. Twenty percent of the units will be reserved for workforce housing, with the other 80 percent rented at market rates. Amenities at the community will include a Vita Course with several workout stations, a pool, barbecue area, two-story clubhouse, dog park, children’s playground and pickleball court. Construction of the project, which is designed by Pascual, Perez, Kiliddjian, Starr & Associates, is scheduled to begin in the first quarter of 2024. Completion is expected in early 2025.
GAINESVILLE, GA. — Branch Properties has acquired 14 acres at the intersection of Limestone Parkway and New Holland Way in Gainesville, roughly 55 miles northeast of Atlanta, for the construction of Limestone Marketplace. Upon completion, the shopping center will comprise 76,764 square feet and feature a 54,964-square-foot Publix anchor store. The property will also include three outparcels ranging in size from one to three acres. Branch will break ground on the development in the spring, with completion scheduled for the second quarter of 2024. A sales price for the land was not disclosed.
ANNAPOLIS, MD. — UC Funds has provided a $20 million first mortgage for a multifamily project located in the Washington, D.C.-Baltimore market near Annapolis. Upon completion, the development will feature 60 units and 19,000 square feet of retail space. Further details on the project and construction timeline were not disclosed.
GREENEVILLE, TENN. — Marcus & Millichap has arranged the sale of a 40,448-square-foot, multi-tenant retail property located in the Eastern Tennessee city of Greeneville. Dominic Sulo and Brett Winger of Marcus & Millichap represented the seller, a New Jersey-based limited liability company, in the $2.4 million transaction. Sulo and Samuel Malato, also with Marcus & Millichap, secured and represented the buyer, a Tennessee-based limited liability company. Both parties requested anonymity. Jody McKibben assisted in closing the transaction as Marcus & Millichap’s broker of record in Tennessee.
Hodges Ward Elliott Arranges Sale of Boutique 17-Room Hotel in Savannah’s Historic District
by John Nelson
SAVANNAH, GA. — Hodges Ward Elliott (HWE) has arranged the sale of Hamilton-Turner Inn, a 17-room luxury boutique hotel located at 330 Abercorn St. in the Historic District of Savannah. Originally built in the late 1800s and repositioned for hospitality use in 1997, the inn features French Empire-style architecture and includes a parlor/sitting room, as well as a dining room that can serve up to 20 guests. Pete Dannemiller and Jeff Berkman of HWE brokered the sale on behalf of the undisclosed seller, which implemented a capital improvement plan at the property over the last several years. The buyer and sales price were also not disclosed.