Like the rest of the country, metro New Orleans is slowly coming out of the COVID-19 fog. The uncertainty of these uncharted waters caused a lot of anxiety for multifamily owner and operators. Although there were some challenges, the market has survived the pandemic surprisingly well. The overall vacancy factor for the city is in the 5 to 6 percent range and should compress further given the modest pipeline of new inventory coming on line. The highest vacancy rates reported are in Algiers (15 percent) and East New Orleans (12 percent) where the majority of service and tourism workers lived and the most affected by COVID-19. It should be noted that we feel this downturn in occupancy is temporary and is showing signs of recovery as our tourism industry slowly rebounds. The Downtown/Warehouse district also experienced increased vacancies as residents fled the urban market for the suburbs with communities reporting vacancy rates as high as 15 percent. As the height of COVID-19 dissipated, the submarket rebounded strongly with many communities reporting 92 to 95 percent occupancy. Although previous years have seen a host of new developments enter the Downtown submarket, currently there are only two communities in the pipeline that …
The mountaintop of multifamily transactions was blown off in 2020 and 2021. Sales transactions are up 300 percent from 2017. Chattanooga’s hot market has gone from $150 million in transactions to nearly $500 million. Hungry investors have found prices lower than in many other desirable cities, the cap rates higher, attractive rental price increases and the locale unbeatable. Two-bedroom apartment rents are up over 17.6 percent in 2021 according to a recent local study yet still 19 percent below the average rate nationally. Residential price increases have outpaced the multifamily increases and made many single-family homes unaffordable for first-time homebuyers, further feeding the apartment demand. In addition to the volume of transactions increasing by some 300 percent, the sales price per door has risen significantly. In 2017 the average price per door for the market was $69,459 and in 2021 we are seeing $132,125 for a 90.2 percent increase. This statistic includes all product classifications. Class A prices per door have increased from $107,193 to $163,488. This is an increase of 52.5 percent. Class C product has risen from $46,176 to $93,308 per door. This indicates a 102 percent growth. Class C has outpaced all other classes in the last …
Richmond continues to solidify its position as a high growth Mid-Atlantic market and one of the top secondary markets in the country for inbound corporate and real estate investment. The Richmond MSA, totaling nearly 1.4 million people, has been one of the true beneficiaries of the COVID-19 pandemic due to its historical performance during economic distress, in-bound millennial and corporate migration from larger peer markets, quality of life and affordability, diversified economy, educated workforce, pro-business environment and the city’s central East Coast location. With such broad and fundamentally important characteristics, Richmond will continue to attract both domestic and global corporations and capital alike. The continued growth of Richmond’s diverse economy and workforce, fueled by its core industries including healthcare, manufacturing, industrial and technology, and further supported by its federal (Federal Reserve Branch and 4th Circuit Court) and state capital underpinnings, has generated a bullish sentiment on the economic growth prospects for 2022. As of fourth-quarter 2021, Richmond’s unemployment currently sits at 4 percent, representing a consistent decrease since the start of 2021 and well below the national average of 5 percent. City’s Industrial Sector is Taking Off Richmond’s highly coveted Interstate 95 corridor location and $300 million Port of Richmond …
MIAMI — Avison Young has arranged the $105 million sale of approximately three acres called Biscayne Place in Miami for a future mixed-use development. Michael Fay, John Crotty, David Duckworth, Brian de la Fe and Berkley Bloodworth of Avison Young represented the seller, Midgard Group. Joel Rodriguez of Global Investments Realty represented the buyer, Miami-based Melo Group. Construction has not started and the development timeline was not disclosed. Melo Group plans to build apartments, condominiums and retail across four 60-story towers at the Biscayne Place land site. Located within an opportunity zone at 1700 Biscayne Blvd., Biscayne Place will be situated near Miami’s Arts & Entertainment District between Biscayne Boulevard and Northeast Second Avenue. The site is currently home to a Burger King, a two-story mixed-use commercial building, parking lots and several vacant parcels.
SUNNY ISLES BEACH, FLA. — Atlanta-based Jamestown has completed the sale of Beach Place, a 308-unit apartment community in Sunny Isles Beach, about 19 miles north from Miami. A private buyer purchased the property for an undisclosed amount. Jaret Turkell, Roberto Pesant, Jose Mota and Omar Morales of Berkadia Institutional Solutions represented Jamestown in the sale. Beach Place features four, six-story buildings offering 213 one-bedroom units and 95 two-bedroom units averaging 900 square feet. Units feature stainless steel appliances, granite countertops, tile and hardwood flooring, walk-in closets and patios or balconies. Community amenities include a fitness center, pool, hot tub, bark park, dog wash, business center and bike parking. The property was 96 percent leased at the time of sale. Located at 17101 N. Bay Road on seven acres, the 277,200-square-foot property is located near Aventura Mall, Bal Harbour Shops, Oleta River State Park and Florida International University.
NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. — Charleston-based Blaze Capital Partners has sold Dwell at Greenridge, a 256-unit apartment community located in North Charleston. The buyer and sales price were not disclosed. Built in 1980, The Dwell at Greenridge is a two-story multifamily community that offers one- and two-bedroom units ranging in size from 650 to 960 square feet. Community amenities include a pool with sun deck, grill and picnic areas, clubhouse and two laundry centers. Located at 7910 Crossroads Drive, Dwell at Greenridge is situated close to Interstate 26 and two of South Carolina’s largest manufacturers: Boeing and Volvo. The property is also located about 16 miles from the College of Charleston and approximately nine miles from Charleston International Airport. Blaze Capital Partners made investments to modernize the property over its ownership period, including adding new signage and marketing, building a new clubhouse and fitness center and redesigning exterior amenities and landscaping.
GAINESVILLE, GA. — Bridge33 Capital has sold Westbrook Plaza, a 49,364-square-foot retail center in the Atlanta suburb of Gainesville. Jim Hamilton, Brad Buchanan and Andrew Michols of JLL represented the seller in the transaction. Charlotte-based Collett Capital purchased the property for $8.7 million. Constructed in 2006 and anchored by Best Buy, Westbrook Plaza was fully leased at the time of sale to tenants including Burn Boot Camp, Mattress Firm, WNB Factory, Pazzi’s Pizza, Paris Nails and Pet Pleasers Bakery. Located at 668 Dawsonville Highway, the center is situated less than one mile from Lake Lanier, which provides an annual economic impact of over $5.5 billion.
CHATTANOOGA, TENN. — NAI Charter has brokered the sale of an office building located at 505 Riverfront Parkway in downtown Chattanooga. Trident Transport, a Chattanooga-based freight brokerage and logistics business, purchased the office building for $6.2 million. Robert Maclellan of NAI Charter arranged the transaction. Previously occupied by hotel operator 3H Group, the 23,000-square-foot office property will serve as Trident Transport’s new headquarters as the company relocates from its current office on Chestnut Street. This year, Trident added about 150 people to its staff, and the company plans to hire approximately 125 more people next year.
Louisville’s office market is certainly a representative example of a typical office market in a mid-sized city. As expected, Louisville experienced the impact of COVID-19 and the remote work trend. Downtown had to endure the social unrest during summer 2020 that created a perception of a lack of safety. Our community has work to do to get things back to “normal,” but things are slowly starting to move in the right direction. As has always been the case, the downtown and suburban markets face different trends. Typically, the suburban market has outperformed the central business district (CBD) with higher average rents and lower vacancy. Presently, the downtown Class A market has average rents in the $19.11 per square foot range and vacancy around 22 percent. The suburbs are seeing $22.16 per square foot in rent and 14.6 percent vacancy. Recently, the CBD posted 480 square feet of negative net absorption for the second quarter. After taking large hits throughout most of the pandemic, this looks to be a sign that downtown may finally be turning the corner. The suburban market took a big hit this past quarter due to vacancies and downsizing of two large companies. Even so, suburban markets …
RUTLEDGE, GA. — Rivian Inc. (NASDAQ: RIVN), an Irvine, Calif.-based electric truck manufacturer, has announced plans for the East Atlanta Megasite, a $5 billion manufacturing plant about 50 miles east of downtown Atlanta. The site is located between Social Circle and Rutledge on Interstate 20, according to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Construction on the plant is slated to start in the summer of 2022, with plans to open by 2024. The manufacturing plant is the largest economic development in Georgia’s history, according to a press release by Georgia Governor Brian Kemp. With the new plant, Rivian says it will create approximately 7,500 jobs. The manufacturer plans to develop community engagement and workforce training programs in the area of the new plant. Additionally, Georgia Quick Start, a division of the Technical College System of Georgia and provider of workforce training, plans to build and operate a manufacturing training center. The Georgia Department of Labor also plans to assist Rivian in finding skilled employees to work at the Georgian plant. The plant could have up to 10,000 workers, which would mean the project would be the biggest car assembly project in the country, according to CNBC. The East Atlanta Megasite, which is located on nearly …