NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. — SHL Medical, a manufacturer of medical delivery solutions products, plans to invest $90 million for its new manufacturing facility in North Charleston. The developer, SunCap Property Group, leased the entirety of the 245,000-square-foot Palmetto Trade Center II to SHL Medical. The Charlotte-based developer plans to deliver the shell of the building this month, and SHL Medical plans to upfit the property over the next 18 months. Operations at the automated plant are expected to launch by 2024, at which point the facility is expected to support 165 new jobs. Bob Barrineau and Brendan Redeyoff of CBRE represented SunCap in the lease deal, and Sean McKee of PharmaBioSource represented SHL Medical.
Southeast
COLLEGE PARK AND LITHONIA, GA. — CBRE has arranged $60 million across two cash-out loans for the refinancing of two metro Atlanta apartment communities: the 404-unit Embarcadero Club in College Park and the 256-unit Walden Brook in Lithonia. Paul Ahmed and Mackenzie Lampman of CBRE arranged the 10-year, fixed-rate loans on behalf of the borrower, Ventron Realty, which has owned the two communities since 2006. The direct lender was not disclosed. Built in 1974, Embarcadero Club has units averaging 855 square feet in size and amenities including a pool, fitness center, business center, clubhouse with a conference room, dog park and a playground. Built in 2003, Walden Brook’s units average 1,114 square feet in size and amenities include picnic areas and grills, a pool, fitness center, business center, playground and walking trails.
DULUTH, GA. — Avison Young has brokered the $45 million sale of Chattahoochee Corners at River Green, an office/flex campus in the Atlanta suburb of Duluth. Built in 1997, the property spans 388,213 square feet across nine single-story buildings. Pennsylvania-based Somerset Properties purchased Chattahoochee Corners from Miami-based B Group Co. Capital Management. Casey Keitchen of Avison Young’s Atlanta office brokered the transaction. Situated off Peachtree Industrial Boulevard, the property features floor-to-glass windows across all nine buildings, as well as a fitness center. Somerset plans to invest in capital improvements at Chattahoochee Corners, including boosting the curb appeal and enhancing onsite amenities.
Developers have seen permitting and entitlement timelines lengthen exponentially over the past few years. What is causing increased timelines and how do developers overcome challenges and avoid unnecessary delays? If expanded timelines are inevitable in some cases, how can developers ensure that slowdowns do not spread to other aspects of development? Many municipalities have been overwhelmed by an explosion in projects and applications in the development queue, and the issues are compounded by employee turnover within these organizations. Municipal slowdowns in upgrading utility capacities have further stalled the process of development. Additionally, the process for obtaining permits and entitlements has grown increasingly complex in certain regions, regardless of property type. REBusiness Online spoke with experts at Bohler, a land development design and consulting firm, to learn the best practices for keeping delays and budgets under control in the face of growing timeline uncertainties. To avoid problems before they begin, these experts recommend early due diligence and local expertise, as well as an approach that incorporates the community, local agencies and the authority having jurisdiction at crucial points. Bohler’s team also emphasizes the importance of working through waiting periods and working on different elements of a project concurrently, so that if …
Marcus & Millichap Brokers $49M Sale of Affordable Housing Community in Fort Myers, Florida
by John Nelson
FORT MYERS, FLA. — Marcus & Millichap has brokered the $49 million sale of The Brittany, a 320-unit affordable housing community located at 4050 Winkler Ave. in Fort Myers. Evan Kristol of Marcus & Millichap represented the seller, a private investment firm based in New York City, and procured the buyer, an entity doing business as Dominium Acquisition LLC. Built in two phases in 1999 and 2000, The Brittany features large floor plans ranging in size from 771 to 1,444 square feet, three-fourths of which are two-, three- and four-bedroom units. Amenities at the LIHTC property include a gated swimming pool with a large sundeck and cabanas, business center, fitness center, two playgrounds, basketball courts, a car wash and a community van. The new ownership will continue to operate The Brittany as affordable housing.
Bonaventure Breaks Ground on 133-Unit Seniors Housing Development in Alexandria, Virginia
by John Nelson
ALEXANDRIA, VA. — Bonaventure, a locally based multifamily developer and manager, has broken ground on a 133-unit seniors housing project in Alexandria’s Old Town West neighborhood. The six-story property will feature studio, one- and two-bedroom units, as well as underground parking, an onsite restaurant, 24-hour fitness center, club lounge, business center, media room, community garden and an outdoor gazebo. The unnamed property will be situated within walking distance of the Braddock Road Metro Station, as well as I-495, King Street and Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. Bonaventure expects to complete construction and begin welcoming renters in late 2023.
AVENTURA, FLA. — Aztec Group has arranged the $23 million refinancing of a five-story, climate-controlled self-storage facility in the Miami suburb of Aventura. Glendale, Calif.-based self-storage operator Public Storage operates the property. Built in 2018, the facility offers 84,000 square feet of rentable space across 946 units. Jason Shapiro and Charles Penan of Aztec Group arranged the loan through the direct lender, an affiliate of Miami-based 3650 REIT, on behalf of the borrower, South Florida-based America’s Capital Partners. The nonrecourse, fixed-rate loan will be interest-only for the full 10-year term.
Richards Family Begins Construction on Retail Center at Clearview City Center in Metairie, Louisiana
by John Nelson
METAIRIE, LA. — The Richards family has begun construction of The Commons of Clearview City Center, a new 10,476-square-foot retail project in the New Orleans suburb of Metairie. The property will be situated within the 100-acre Clearview City Center, which is a redevelopment of the former Clearview Mall. Set to come on line in March 2023, The Commons will house a 4,000-square-foot restaurant occupied by brunch eatery Ruby Slipper, as well as other concepts that have not yet been announced. The project includes the demolition of the existing structure at 4236 Veterans Blvd. In addition to The Commons, projects underway at Clearview City Center include Target’s renovation of its 160,000-square-foot store; Ochsner Health’s new Super Clinic set to open in October; and The Metro at Clearview, a five-story apartment community set for completion in October 2023. Other uses at Clearview City Center include a new branch of Regions Bank, Bed Bath & Beyond and Walk On’s Sports Bistreaux, among other stores and restaurants. Kirsten Early of SRSA Commercial Real Estate is handling the leasing assignment on behalf of the Richards family, which has owned the site since 1968.
ODENTON, MD. — San Francisco-based Hamilton Zanze has purchased Echelon at Odenton Apartments, a 244-unit garden-style multifamily community located at 315 Nevada Ave. in Odenton, a suburb of Baltimore. Built in 2016, the apartment community was 97 percent occupied at the time of sale. The seller and sales price were not disclosed. Situated on 6.6 acres, Echelon at Odenton comprises two five-story residential buildings housing units ranging from 759 to 1,456 square feet, as well as a single-story clubhouse. Amenities include a theater, barbecue and grilling areas, clubhouse, TV lounge and bar, playground, game room, pool and covered bike storage.
The Raleigh-Durham office market is poised for future growth as it exits the pandemic, however the question for us all is when. Re-occupancy of buildings by office users has been stubborn in the current post-pandemic environment. Despite the sluggish activity since the beginning of the year, there have been bright spots with companies becoming more strategic about their office space decisions as they return, especially in newer projects that offer best-in-class experiences. Moving forward, there will be economic and geopolitical headwinds that may interfere with the pace of recovery. However, investors and developers continue to the see the value in the market due to our highly educated workforce, favorable business climate and one of the fastest growing population centers in the country. The return of the workplace is the main driving factor for the activity in the office leasing market. As companies execute their re-occupancy plans, they are reevaluating their existing buildings, footprints and workspaces in a way that we have never seen before. Forward thinking organizations are making decisions to create unique spaces where their employees want to come to work, rather than a space where they have to come to work. We have quickly seen that one size …