Southeast

ATLANTA — Airbnb plans to open a technical hub in Atlanta by the end of 2021. The company did not disclose what area of Atlanta that it is going to occupy. The San Francisco-based lodging company originally made plans to open the hub in 2019 but had to stop development due to travel restrictions and the COVID-19 pandemic. In May 2020, Airbnb had to let 25 percent of its team go. Now that travel is picking up again, Airbnb has decided to move forward with its East Coast expansion. Airbnb anticipates the hub will be home to one of its product developments teams and will become the regional base for hundreds of technical and non-technical roles over time. Atlanta was the city that Airbnb choose due to many factors, including strong educational infrastructure and supporting communities of color. If any economic incentives or credits are associated with the East Coast hub location, Airbnb plans to donate them back to Atlanta for community impact initiatives.

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Pepperwood Apartments

PORTSMOUTH, VA. — Blackfin Real Estate Investors and GMF Capital LLC have partnered to purchase Pepperwood Townhomes and Towne Point Landing Apartments in Portsmouth for $35.5 million. This transaction represented the joint venture’s fourth acquisition from the undisclosed seller and was done directly by Blackfin/GMF without intermediation. Built in 1981, Pepperwood Townhomes is located at 3790 Pepperwood Court. The 155-unit apartment community offers one-, two- and three- bedroom units. The community amenities include a fitness center, pool, playground, picnic area, grill, business center and clubhouse. The rent ranges from $990 to $1,579. The companies plan to upgrade the common areas, amenities, exteriors and complete unit renovations at both properties. Towne Point Landing Apartments is situated at 3802 Towne Point Road. The 193-unit complex offers one-, two- and three- bedroom apartment homes. Community amenities include a pool, playground, tennis court, volleyball court, patio, grill and public transportation. Both Pepperwood Townhomes and Towne Point Landing were 99 percent occupied at the time sale. This is the sixth transaction between Blackfin and GMF Capital and the companies’ second acquisition together in the region.

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JBGB facility

FAYETTEVILLE, ARK. — MAG Capital Partners has acquired a 14,004-square-foot restaurant, brewery and entertainment venue in Fayetteville. The property is operated by JBGB Restaurant and JJ’s Beer Garden & Brewery, and offers an outdoor playground, a stage for live music and a 225-seat dining area. The new ownership plans to immediately break ground on a 10,921-square-foot expansion of the JBGB restaurant and venue. Judd Dunning of DWG Capital Group arranged the sale-leaseback transaction on behalf of MAG Capital Partners. T.J. Lefler with Sage Partners represented the seller, JBGB Restaurant and Brewery. MAG Capital Partners is a private commercial real estate investment firm based in Fort Worth, Texas.

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The Raleigh-Durham commercial real estate market continues to be one of growth and perseverance despite the global pandemic. Its economy is rich with an array of industries, healthcare and university systems that support population growth and expansion. Commercial real estate is experiencing its own challenges and opportunities through this pandemic, including one of the most talked about asset classes, office. The sector is the subject of the big “pause” discussion as there’s uncertainty going forward. Despite the lack of commitment to many significant leases, the office market’s fundamentals have remained stable in Raleigh-Durham. Rates are holding steady with an average Class A rental rate of $29.59 per square foot. Vacancy and absorption are maintaining competitive levels, allowing market rates to hold somewhat steady. Over the last year, activity reflected these trends as many landlords negotiated short-term renewals without rate increases. If the leasing trend continues this year, renewals and space consolidation will possibly lead to a reduction in rental rates. One of the key driving forces of office product in Raleigh-Durham stems from the life sciences industry. The market is currently ranked No. 5 among life sciences markets in the United States, according to CBRE’s annual report. The life sciences …

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GAINESVILLE, GA. — Cottrell, a locally based trailer manufacturer, will build a second manufacturing facility in Gainesville valued at $125 million. The 500,000-square-foot facility will serve as the Cottrell’s North Campus, adjacent to its existing South Campus in Hall County. Cottrell, which specializes in manufacturing trailers that haul cars (or auto haulers), opened its first facility in 1973 at 2125 Candler Road in Gainesville. The company expects land development and facility construction to take 24 to 30 months to complete and plans to break ground during the third quarter of 2021. Certain aspects of production will be transferred to the new North Campus facility when complete, while the existing buildings of the South Campus will be used to support future business growth. Cottrell currently employs more than 1,000 people at its Gainesville facility, and it is looking to hire more after the second facility is built. Kristi Brigman of Georgia Department of Economic Development (GDEcD) represented the Global Commerce Division on this project in partnership with the Greater Hall Chamber of Commerce, the City of Gainesville and Jackson EMC.

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The Jamison apartments

KISSIMMEE, FLA. — Lexin Capital, a New York-based private investor, has purchased The Jamison, a 315-unit multifamily property located in Kissimmee, for $70.8 million. Jay Ballard, Ken DelVillar, Bailey Smith and Patrick Coley of JLL represented the sellers, DeBartolo Development LLC and Upshot Capital Advisors, in the sale. The co-developers completed the apartment community in November 2020. DeBartolo Construction Services was the general contractor, and Forum Architecture was the architect. The Jamison is located at 1040 Jamison Loop at the corner of US Highway 192 and Partin Settlement Road and is the first new multifamily construction in the area since 2008, according to DeBartolo Development. The apartment community includes seven, four-story buildings with studio, one-, two- and three- bedroom smart homes with an average size of 1,061 square feet. The apartment’s amenities include a 7,000-square-foot clubhouse with workspaces, a 24-hour fitness center, outdoor entertainment areas with a pool, grilling stations, tot lot, fire pits, dog park, covered social pavilion and reserved garage parking.

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MIAMI — Time Century Holdings, a New York-based real estate investment and development firm, has received a $23.6 million construction loan to build a mixed-use project known as Time Century in downtown Miami. City National Bank of Florida provided the loan for the 225,000-square-foot project. Time Century Holdings will use the funds for Phase I, which consists of the wholesale retail space of the building, including the basement, ground, mezzanine and second floors. Phase II, planned for later this year, consists of four stories of office space. The renovations are expected to be complete in the second quarter of 2022. Time Century has preleased more than half of the retail space. Formerly known as Metro Mall, Time Century is located at 1 NE First St. in Miami’s Jewelry & Diamond district, which has more than 400 jewelry stores in a four-block radius. Designed by Kobi Karp, the jewelry center’s amenities will include a three-story atrium with newly designed escalators and computerized directories, a valet parking service and public parking garages.

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Hyatt House hotel

TALLAHASSEE, FLA. — Olympia Hotel Management and Charleston-based developer Mountain Shore Properties have opened Hyatt House Tallahassee Capitol – University in Tallahassee. The 120-room hotel is located at 1100 Railroad Ave. in the city’s Railroad Square Art District. The five-story, 80,000-square-foot property features a large patio with outdoor bar service, an outdoor pool, fitness room, and an 846-square-foot meeting space. Additionally, 6,000 square feet of retail space is situated adjacent to the extended-stay hotel. Olympia Hotel Management is a Portland, Maine-based real estate firm focused on independent hotel management.

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BRASELTON, GA. — Lee & Associates’ Atlanta office has arranged a 589,680-square-foot industrial lease at Park 85 Business Park in Braselton. Billy Snowden, Rick Tumlin and Mike Sutter of Lee & Associates represented the tenant, California-based Comptree Inc., in the lease transaction. Bob Currie, Brad Pope and Reed Davis of JLL represented the landlord, Los Angeles-based CBRE Global Investors. The newly built facility is located at 1380 Jesse Cronic Road in Atlanta’s I-85 Northeast submarket. This is the third Atlanta facility for Comptree, which specializes in the acquisition and distribution of furniture, outdoor accessories and printer media. The company supports e-commerce via websites Meritline and ABCink.

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Marriott

BETHESDA, MD. — Marriott International (NASDAQ: MAR) posted a net income loss of $267 million for 2020, which The Wall Street Journal reports is the hotel giant’s first annual loss since 2009. The company posted a net loss of $164 million in fourth-quarter 2020, which is a significant drop from its net income of $279 million in fourth-quarter 2019. The COVID-19 pandemic materially changed global traffic patterns for both leisure and business travelers in 2020, and Marriott’s hotels bore the brunt of the subdued demand for hotel rooms, as well as conventions and conferences. “With the global pandemic, 2020 was the most challenging year in our 93-year history,” says Stephanie Linnartz, Marriott’s group president of consumer operations, technology and emerging businesses. Linnartz, along with Tony Capuano, are overseeing Marriott’s day-to-day operations of corporate matters in the wake of president and CEO Arne Sorenson’s passing earlier this week. On April 14, 2020, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) reported its lowest travel volume of only 87,500 passengers throughout all TSA checkpoints nationwide, representing just 4 percent of passenger volume recorded on the same weekday in 2019. Average travel volume per day between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Eve, which is typically TSA’s busiest …

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