MILTON, FLA. — Branch Properties has signed two restaurants to join the tenant roster at Merganser Commons at Dogwood Estates, a 66,912-square-foot shopping center under construction in Milton, a Florida Panhandle city located about 24 miles east of Pensacola. The Atlanta-based developer plans to open the Publix-anchored center later this summer. The new eateries joining Merganser Commons include RibCrib, a fast-casual barbecue restaurant that will occupy 4,750 square feet, and Teriyaki Madness, an Asian concept. Both restaurants are operated by Panhandle Restaurant Group. The center is currently 92 percent preleased to tenants including Domino’s Pizza, Great Clips, Japanese restaurant Nikko Sushi, nail salon Grand Nail Lounge and ice cream shop Scoops Ice Cream and Sweets. A local medical provider will occupy a 7,500-square-foot outparcel at the center.
Southeast
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — JLL has arranged an undisclosed amount of construction financing for 600 South Tryon, a 24-story office tower development in Charlotte. The 415,000-square-foot building will be part of Legacy Union, a 10-acre mixed-use development that comprises the SIX50, Bank of America Tower and Honeywell’s global corporate headquarters. Campbell Roche, Travis Anderson, Taylor Allison, Kristi Leonard, Tom Stewart and Ryan Pride of JLL arranged the five-year, floating-rate loan through Square Mile Capital Management LLC on behalf of the borrower, a partnership between Lincoln Harris and the real estate business of Goldman Sachs Asset Management. 600 South Tryon, which is 25 percent preleased, will include outdoor terraces, 20,000 square feet of ground-floor retail space, upscale finishes and amenities. No construction timeline was disclosed.
Toro Development to Build 186-Unit Reid Apartments in Atlanta’s Reynoldstown District
by John Nelson
ATLANTA — Toro Development, a newly created development firm headed by former North American Properties lead Mark Toro, has purchased a 1.6-acre site at 952 Memorial Drive SE in Atlanta’s Reynoldstown district for the development of The Reid. The 186-unit apartment community will be situated along the Atlanta BeltLine’s Eastside Trail and popular diner Home Grown. The land was formerly owned by the Reid family and served as the location of Reid’s Body Shop. Construction will begin in the first quarter of 2023, with first units delivering in third-quarter 2024. Toro Development plans to reserve 15 percent of the units for renters earning 80 percent or less of the area median income.
RALEIGH, N.C. — Continental Realty Corp. (CRC) has purchased 800 St. Marys Apartments, a 65-unit multifamily community located at 800 St. Marys St. in downtown Raleigh’s Glenwood South neighborhood. Built in 2020 by Selwyn Property Group and Southeast Apartment Investors, 800 St. Marys is a four-story elevator building with townhomes and attached garages. Units come in one-, two- and three-bedroom floor plans ranging from 963 to 1,666 square feet, with an average unit size of 1,224 square feet. The community was 95 percent occupied at the time of sale. Community amenities include an outdoor terrace with a kitchen, fire pit with seating, fitness center, clubhouse equipped with flat screen TVs, wine lockers, complimentary coffee bar, business lounge with private conference center and a controlled-access parking garage. Adam Randall and John Westby-Gibson of Newmark originated an undisclosed amount of Freddie Mac acquisition financing on behalf of CRC, which purchased the asset through its Core Multifamily Fund LP in partnership with Baltimore-based Brown Advisory in an off-market transaction.
HIALEAH, FLA. — All Florida Paper, a Hispanic-owned paper and sanitation products wholesaler, has signed a full-building, 226,698-square-foot industrial lease at Building D in Beacon Logistics Park in the Miami suburb of Hialeah. Jose Juncadella and Sebastian Juncadella of Fairchild Partners represented the landlord, Codina Partners, in the lease deal. Wayne Ramoski and Gian Rodriguez of Cushman & Wakefield represented the tenant. Construction on Building D is scheduled to begin in the fourth quarter, and All Florida Paper is slated to occupy the space by mid-2023. Once completed, Beacon Logistics Park, located at NW 145th Place and NW 107th Ave., will span more than 1.3 million square feet of space.
ALEXANDRIA, VA. — Saltbox has opened a new 45,000-square-foot “co-warehousing” facility located at 4700 Eisenhower Drive in Alexandria, the company’s sixth location in the United States. Situated near Washington, D.C., the property features 85 flexible warehouse and office suites, as well as conference rooms, loading dock access and a photo studio for entrepreneurs. Atlanta-based Saltbox plans to double its footprint of co-warehousing assets by the end of the year with secondary assets coming to Los Angeles, Atlanta and Dallas. Last month, the company debuted its first fulfillment center in Columbus, Ohio. Saltbox houses 300 tenants across its six locations, 70 percent of which are e-commerce companies.
ECI Group Refinances Sun Belt Multifamily Portfolio with $625M Loan from Goldman Sachs
by John Nelson
ATLANTA — ECI Group, an Atlanta-based multifamily developer and investor, has obtained a $625 million loan for the refinancing of a 13-property multifamily portfolio in the Sun Belt. Goldman Sachs Bank USA provided the loan, and Jones Lang LaSalle Securities LLC served in an advisory role to ECI Group, which will use the loan to refinance the portfolio and fund renovations for six communities. Built between 1979 and 2021, the 3,478-unit portfolio comprises Class A and B properties in Florida, Georgia, Tennessee and Texas. The assets had an average occupancy of 96.6 percent at the time of the loan closing.
Walker & Dunlop Provides $105M Acquisition Loan for Affordable Housing Community in Metro D.C.
by John Nelson
LANDOVER HILLS, MD. — Walker & Dunlop has provided a $105 million acquisition loan for The Verona at Landover Hills, a 727-unit multifamily community located in the Washington, D.C., suburb of Landover Hills in Prince George’s County. Walker & Dunlop’s John Gilmore and his team structured the acquisition financing through Fannie Mae’s Multifamily Affordable Housing platform on behalf of the buyer, a joint venture between Dantes Community Partners and the Urban Investment Group (UIG) within Goldman Sachs Asset Management. Built in 1966, The Verona previously operated as a traditional market-rate community but Dantes and UIG entered into an agreement with Prince George’s County Department of Housing & Community Development at closing where new affordability restrictions were placed on the asset. The 30-acre property consists of 25 four-story apartment buildings with 91 separately addressed entryways. Units feature new stainless steel appliances and upgraded cabinetry and countertops.
PALM BEACH GARDENS, FLA. — Gatsby FL, a division of New York City-based family investment firm Gatsby Enterprises, plans to build PGA Tower, a 200,000-square-foot office building in Palm Beach Gardens. Chris Smith with CBRE and Darryl Kaplan of Darryl R Kaplan Co. represented Gatsby in the land acquisition. Smith will be handling leasing along with CBRE’s John Criddle and Joe Freitas. Situated on seven acres near the intersection of PGA and RCA boulevards, the eight-story office building will feature column-free, 25,000-square-foot floor plates; fine dining restaurants; 7,000 square feet of quick-serve restaurants and retail; a fitness center; and 1,000 covered garage parking spots along with EV charging stations. PGA Tower’s offices will feature 10-foot, floor-to-ceiling windows with hurricane-resistant glass, full generator back-ups and building top signage. Gatsby, which also owns the nearby DiVosta Towers and 800 Brickell in Miami, anticipates tenant delivery beginning in first-quarter 2024.
Ziegler Arranges $71M Bond Financing for Seniors Housing Community in Winchester, Virginia
by John Nelson
WINCHESTER, VA. — Ziegler has arranged $71 million in bond financing for Shenandoah Valley Westminster-Canterbury (SVWC), a continuing care retirement community (CCRC) in Winchester, approximately 75 miles west of Washington, D.C. SVWC was founded in 1982 and provides housing, healthcare and other services to nearly 400 residents on its 87-acre campus through the operation of 218 independent living units (164 apartments and 54 cottages), 48 assisted living units, 12 memory care units and 51 skilled nursing beds. SVWC is completing an independent living unit expansion project known as the Hackwoods, the first phase of which will include 48 new independent living unit apartments. To fund the first phase of the project, SVWC issued two tranches of drawdown bank loans that Atlantic Union Bank and Pinnacle Financial Partners purchased. The first portion of the financing was $51 million in bonds via a 12-year bank commitment, with a variable interest rate. The second portion, totaling $20 million, features a 4.5-year final maturity to be repaid from initial entrance fees to the new independent living units.