FREDERICK, MD. — A joint venture between High Street Residential and SCOA Real Estate Partners (SREP) has broken ground on The Terrace, a 300-unit apartment community located at 10 W. College Terrace in Frederick, about 44 miles northwest of Washington, D.C. The co-developers plan to deliver the midrise project by December 2027. The Terrace will be situated on 8.3 acres and offer views of the nearby Catoctin Mountains via its indoor/outdoor sky lounge. Other amenities will include a resort-style swimming pool, gaming area, EV charging stations and a dog park. The property will feature a mix of one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments ranging in size from 725 to 1,474 square feet. The design-build team includes architect of record Dwell Design Studio and general contractor Morgan-Keller Construction.
Southeast
Gantry Secures $59.6M in Acquisition Financing for Three Multifamily Communities in Florida, Virginia
by John Nelson
TALLAHASSEE, FLA. AND NEWPORT NEWS, VA. — Gantry has secured three loans totaling $59.6 million for the acquisition of three apartment communities in Florida and Virginia. The properties, which total 249 units, include Sanctuary Apartments and Serenity Court Apartments in Tallahassee and Jimmy Apartments in Newport News. All three properties were acquired out of receivership and funded for repositioning, improvements and new leasing programs. Mark Reichter and Alec Frook of Gantry’s Kansas City production office arranged the loans through one of the firm’s life company lenders on behalf of the borrower, a private real estate investor. The bridge loans include upfront interest-only terms followed by 30-year amortization schedules and include capital expenditure funds. Gantry will service the loans.
JLL Negotiates Sale of 652,647 SF Industrial Portfolio in Metro Charlotte, Raleigh-Durham
by John Nelson
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — JLL has negotiated the sale of a five-property industrial portfolio spanning 652,647 square feet in submarkets in the Charlotte and Raleigh-Durham areas. The specific properties were not released. Pete Pittroff, Michael Scarnato, Dave Andrews and Michael Lewis of JLL represented the seller, LM Real Estate Partners, in the transaction. Lightstone purchased the portfolio for an undisclosed price. Peter Rotchford and Taylor Allison of JLL arranged a seven-year, fixed-rate acquisition loan for Lightstone through Voya Investment Management. According to JLL, the portfolio offered a value-add opportunity to the buyer as there is 116,000 square feet of availability and in-place rents roughly 27 percent below market rates. The 12 tenants in the portfolio have about 3.6 years of WALT (weighted average lease term) remaining.
Hunter Brokers Sale of 294-Room Crowne Plaza Executive Center Baton Rouge Hotel in Louisiana
by John Nelson
BATON ROUGE, LA. — Atlanta-based Hunter Hotel Advisors has brokered the sale of Crowne Plaza Executive Center Baton Rouge, a 294-room hotel located near the campus of Louisiana State University (LSU) and Tiger Stadium. APM Property Holdings LLC purchased the hotel from a private seller for an undisclosed price and has selected Schulte Hospitality to operate the hotel. The Crowne Plaza features an outdoor pool, a 3,000-square-foot fitness center, the Patio Grille and Lounge restaurant and more than 32,000 square feet of flexible event space, including 17 meeting rooms and three ballrooms. Tim Osborne and Kami Burnette of Hunter brokered the transaction. Additionally, Adeel Amin of Hunter arranged an $11.7 million acquisition loan that was underwritten at a 65 percent loan-to-value ratio with interest-only payments over the three-year term.
SILVER SPRING, MD. AND FAIRFAX, VA. — Marcus & Millichap Capital Corp. (MMCC) has arranged a $17 million loan for the refinancing of a nine-property retail portfolio located in the Washington, D.C. suburbs of Silver Spring, Md., and Fairfax, Va. The properties — which total roughly 71,000 square feet — include multi-tenant retail strip centers, single-tenant retail properties and single-tenant restaurants. Jared Cassidy of MMCC’s D.C. office secured the five-year loan through a local bank. The financing carries a 12-month adjustable rate, 25-year amortization schedule and a 55 percent loan-to-value ratio.
ORLANDO, FLA. — Universal Orlando Resort’s newest theme park, Epic Universe, is officially opening on May 22, marking the first major theme park to open in Central Florida in 26 years, according to CNN. The new park will include five distinct components: Celestial Park, The Wizarding World of Harry Potter’s Ministry of Magic, Super Nintendo World, How to Train Your Dragon – Isle of Berk and Dark Universe. According to multiple media outlets, Epic Universe is estimated to have cost roughly $7.7 billion to build, although Universal Orlando Resort hasn’t commented on the new park’s price tag. At 750 acres, including both guest areas and backstage space for employees, Epic Universe is also reported to be the largest singular theme park in the world. The main hub of Epic Universe will be Celestial Park, which offers guests two rides — a dual-track roller coaster and a carousel — as well as shops, restaurants and bars. From this hub, guests can choose to enter four other portals, with each leading to a different themed land. Dark Universe brings the famous “Universal Pictures Monsters,” including Dracula, the Wolf Man and the Invisible Man, to life, along with its anchor attraction, “Monsters Unchained: …
JLL Arranges Sale of 344-Bed Student Housing Community Near University of West Florida
by John Nelson
PENSACOLA, FLA. — JLL has arranged the sale of The Edge, a 344-bed student housing property located near the University of West Florida campus in Pensacola. Built in 2017, the community offers 84 fully furnished units in three-, four- and five-bedroom configurations. Shared amenities include a 24-hour fitness center, cyber café, coffee bistro, resort-style pool, grilling area and hammocks. The property was 97 percent leased for the 2024-2025 academic year at the time of sale. Joe Ayers and Cliff Taylor of JLL arranged the disposition on behalf of the seller, Campus Realty Advisors. The buyer and terms of the transaction were not released. The University of West Florida has experienced six consecutive years of enrollment growth, according to JLL, with a record-breaking class of 14,712 students for the 2024-2025 academic year.
VALDOSTA, GA. — Marcus & Millichap has brokered the $18.3 million sale of 805 Harmon Heights Apartments & Condos, a 100-unit multifamily community located at 805 Harmon Drive in Valdosta. The buyer, an unnamed Tennessee-based firm, acquired the property from Bobby Diaz of Diaz Construction LLC, the local developer and operator of the property. John Brigel of Marcus & Millichap’s Tampa office represented the seller in the transaction with assistance from John Leonard, Marcus & Millichap’s broker of record for Georgia. 805 Harmon Heights was delivered between 2009 and 2021 and was recently renovated. The property features one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments across nine buildings. Brigel says that the sales price of $182,500 per unit is “a record-setting figure for South Georgia.”
Blanca CRE Negotiates Three Office Leases to Bring Plaza Coral Gables in South Florida to Full Occupancy
by John Nelson
CORAL GABLES, FLA. — Blanca Commercial Real Estate (Blanca CRE) has negotiated three office leases at The Plaza Coral Gables, a mixed-use development in the Miami suburb of Coral Gables that includes two Class A office towers exceeding 450,000 square feet. The latest round of leases brings the property’s office component to full occupancy. These deals include Baycrest Partners (1,800 square feet), ALTI (6,000 square feet) and Marcum (9,600 square feet), which are joining existing tenants including Apple, Bacardi and Hinshaw & Culbertson. Max Rossi of Newmark represented Baycrest Partners, Thomas Haughton of CBRE represented ALTI and Carlyle Coffin of Stream Realty Partners represented Marcum in the lease negotiations. Tere Blanca, Danet Linares and Andres del Corral of Blanca CRE lead the office leasing team at The Plaza Coral Gables on behalf of the landlord, Agave Holdings. In addition to office space, the mixed-use development features the 242-room Loews Coral Gables Hotel, 165,000 square feet of retail and restaurant space, the 170-unit The Reserve apartments and a 2,000-space parking garage.
CHATTANOOGA, TENN. — Flagship Healthcare Properties has acquired East Ridge Physicians Building, a 27,657-square-foot medical outpatient building located at 929 Spring Creek Road in Chattanooga. Situated adjacent to the 128-bed HCA Parkridge East Hospital, the Class A facility was fully leased at the time of sale. The buyer acquired the property through its private REIT, Flagship Healthcare Trust. The seller and sales price were not disclosed. Built in 1985, East Ridge Physicians Building’s interior and exterior were renovated last year by the previous owner. Flagship will provide property management and asset management services for the facility.